CHARACTERS. 



ill 



after treated not^only with the at- 

 tention of a guardian, but wiih the 

 affectionate care of an indulgent 

 father. The genius of Mr. Stan- 

 hope inchned him to a military 

 life; and his wishes being made 

 known to the duke of York, his 

 royal highness presented him to an 

 ensigncy, without purchase, in the 

 twenty-fifth regiment of infantry, 

 then stationed at Gibraltar. There 

 he served for some time under the 

 command of the duke of Kent, 

 and by his punctuality in the dis- 

 charge of professional duties, the 

 integrity of his principles, and the 

 mildness of his disposition, which 

 tempered his extraordinary firm- 

 ness and intrepidity, acquired the 

 esteem of his superiors, and the re- 

 spect and friendship of his equals. 

 On his return to England, he was 

 promoted to a company in the 

 fifty-second, commanded by gene- 

 ral Moore. A long course of re- 

 gimental duty, under such a lead- 

 er, inspirited by his own military 

 ardour, and improved by the 

 strictest attention, and most perse- 

 vering industry, gave him a perfect 

 knowledge of the discipline and 

 order of his own regiment. The 

 merits of captain Stanhope were 

 not likely to be unnoticed, or un- 

 dervalued by sir John Moore, 

 from whom he received the most 

 satisfactory mark of his approba- 

 tion, in being appointed one of his 

 aids-de-camp. To that skilful of- 

 ficer he looked up, as to the per- 

 fect model of military excellence. 

 He studied his theory, entered into 

 his plans, and by the free and 

 friendly intercourse which the 

 kindness of the general allowed 

 him, was enabled to familiarize 

 himself with the different branches 



of the military art. In attending 

 that general to Sicily, he had an 

 opportunity of increasing his 

 knowledge of the world, as Avell 

 as extending his military pursuits; 

 and on his return from that coun- 

 try, was promoted to the rank of 

 major, in the sixth garrison-batta- 

 lion then in Ireland. Major Stan- 

 hope's knowledge of his profession 

 was well inown to his grace the 

 late duke of Richmond, who im- 

 mediately placed him on his staff, 

 but at the same time kindly dis- 

 pensed with his servicesat the castle, 

 that, by the habit of discharging 

 his regimental duties, he might 

 further pursue that perfection 

 which he was ambitious to attain 

 In the garrison-battalion, however, 

 he did not long remain, but ex- 

 changed into the fiftieth regiment, 

 and obtained permission to accom- 

 pany his gallant general to Sweden, 

 where the inactivity of the array 

 little corresponded with his anxi- 

 ous wish of being engaged in ac- 

 tive service. He returned from 

 Sweden with general Moore, and 

 landed with him in Portugal soon 

 after the battle of Vimiera, where 

 he was ordered to join the first 

 battalion of his regiment, major 

 Hill having been disabled by a 

 wound. He accompanied the ar- 

 my in its laborious march from 

 Lisbon, and the borders of Cas- 

 tile, and during the toilsome and 

 melancholy period of its retreat to 

 Corunna. On the arrival of the 

 British troops at that place, the 

 fiftieth was one of the regiments 

 destined to form the outposts, and 

 was stationed next to the fourth' 

 regiment, on the right of the Bri- 

 tish position. 



Major Stanhope, though at that 

 3 D 2 moment 



