DEPAKTUKE. 147 



way to iNIalta, aud I received every attention from the 

 captain. I was welcomed on my arrival there by many 

 old friends, especially the governor, Sir Hildebrand 

 Oakes ; but to a man passionately fond of field sports a 

 small island like INIalta was uncongenial to my nature, 

 and I might exclaim, like the chief of banditti, " I 

 prefer the forest to the cage." ]My regiment was after- 

 wards removed to Sicily, and stationed in the citadel of 

 Messina. 



In the early part of the summer of 1812 a large 

 expedition from our army, under the command of 

 the late Greneral Maitland, was ordered to proceed 

 to the east coast of Spain, as a diversion in favour of 

 the Duke of Wellington, and thus to prevent the army 

 under Marshal Suchet from joining the French army 

 which was then opposed to the Duke. I made an offer 

 of my services to Lord William Bentinck, which was ac- 

 cepted, and gave up the command of the garrison and 

 castle of ]Malazzo, and joined the expedition at Palermo. 

 On our arrival at Minorca I was appointed to the com- 

 mand of ten companies of De Eolles' and Dillon's regi- 

 ment, having the four flank companies of these bat- 

 talions. As we remained six weeks at Minorca, the 

 troops being on board the transports, and the weather 

 very hot, in order to insure their health the fleet sailed 

 to the north-west coast of Sardinia. Here I landed one 

 day at Patmos with the late Sir Eobert Travers for the 

 pm-pose of shooting, but the day was so intolerably hot 

 we had little success. The reason of our waiting so long 

 at ^Minorca was that we expected a large Spanish force to 

 join us there from Majorca ; part of it was under the 

 command of the late Sir Samuel WTiittingham. The 

 blue rock pigeons are numerous on the coast of Minorca, 



