443 LIEUT.-GENERAL THOMAS DYNELEY, 0.B., R.A. 
ever lived. I heard from him yesterday from Lisbon, and am happy 
to find he is doing remarkably well; he did not at that time know 
when he was likely to sail. 
I wish with all my heart and soul that my hounds, you complained so 
much of, were howling under my window. If. Charles! has not yet 
sent them, tell him to write to a Surgeon of ours at Portsmouth named 
Bennett, and ask him if he will take charge of them to forward to 
me. 
Tell old “Pickles” that she need not be uneasy about me at present. 
Times have been when I should have been perhaps happy to have some 
of her cats’ meat; but since the first of this month I have been doing 
tolerably well. Sowpe and bowilli and Tagus salmon, a joint of meat 
and a pudding every day. Tell her I have got plenty of eggs, flour, 
milk and spices, but I can’t make a batter pudding, it always comes to 
table as hard as a stone. I daresay it would astonish the old girl 
to have heard me give directions for 15 eggs (at 44 a piece) to be put 
into a plum pudding; but it was prodigiously fine. You tell me 
William Lyon has at last turned soldier. ‘The Harl of Bridgewater’s 
Regiment is the 14th Light Dragoons, light division, and a very fine 
regiment it is; so far he is a lucky fellow, 1am glad he has not taken 
the infantry, I do not think it possible he could have undergone the 
fatigue. 1 suppose it will be some time before he will be allowed to 
join, but when he does, tell him to bring out three good horses, not too 
large, a good pair of saddle-bags, not too much baggage and nothing 
useless. 
I begin to be pretty well tired of remaining here, but we have very 
little chance of a move until his Lordship has completely revictualled 
Ciudad, which will take him some time. You have all got vastly fine 
ideas in England of our marching for Seville, relieving Cadiz, etc., but 
I tell you it is all a farce. Where are all the men to come from in the 
first place? Then it is not the time of year nor the country to make 
marches in. General Hill’s army has now gone to destroy the bridge 
of Almaraz,? and this army is employed repairing that of Alcantara.® 
Enclosed are three letters for Jane to read, one from a German doctor 
to whom I sold “little Dan.” I gave the fellow a trial and he liked 
him much and sent me the money; two or three days afterwards 
“ Dan ” kicked him off and has continued to do so every time he gets 
on him. You will see my note, I was sorry for him but could not 
accommodate him. 
The other is an old letter received soon after my arrival in the country 
from the apothecary of Christchurch with a pretty niece, who I have, 
(if it meets with Jane’s approbation), some idea of taking for my own, 
she would just suit Jane, and she can talk about her sisters Agnes and 
Constance, besides, I am sure the name corresponds so completely with 
my own character that you will instantly see the propriety of the union. 
1 His brother. 
2 The bridge and works at Almaraz were destroyed on May 19th, 1812. 
3 The ingenious repair of the bridge of Alcantara, a model of which can be seen in the United 
Service Institution, Whitehall, was designed and carried out by Colonel Sturgeon, Royal Staff 
Corps, originally an officer of the Royal Artillery.—Ed. 
