y 
SWABEY DIARY. 115 
Ith December.—Got up to breakfast much mended, but still shaken. 
I believe, however, I have cheated the eagles this time. Wrote to 
Edwardes! and George Smyth. Mr. Crawley, our new Commissary, 
at our request joined the Mess, viz.: Captain Dyneley, Lieutenants 
Harding, Newland and Swabey. Dyneley rode over to Pero Vizeu to 
Major Downman to-day to settle some diiferences with Captain 
Macdonald respecting duty. The latter now employs us thus: all 
subaltern officers at stables from the hours of 6 till half-past 8 o’clock, 
from 10 till 1, and from 8 till 4, the officer on duty to walk a mile to 
visit the Park guard. Such orders are useless and oppressive, and 
coming from an officer who does little himself, and is not over well 
acquainted with his duty, are scarcely tolerable. Major Downman saw 
them in this light. 
10th December.—This day our patron dined with us. I was up all 
day, and much better, but take a quantity of bark. 
L1th December.—Went out to shoot, and killed a partridge, a quail, 
anda snipe. Rumour of Blake’s being defeated, and, as usual, being 
ignorant of the real state of affairs and the necessity of watching the 
_Tagus, he blames General Hill for not marching to his assistance. 
12th December.—Shooting again, killed a couple of woodcocks. We 
are now put to our wits end about forage, and the villages being all 
exhausted, we have to look for it in the mountains, where it is so well 
concealed that it requires much labour to find it, and is a very precari- 
ous supply. Blachley dined. 
13th December.—General Blake’s defeat confirmed. The national 
enmity of the Portuguese to the Spaniards is so great that when we 
told the disastrous account to our host and family, they were literally 
ignorant and malicious enough to rejoice. I really begin to think a 
knave more desirable in the world than a fool. 
This was at the battle of Saguntum, fought on the 25th October, 
1811, between the Spanish General Blake and Marshal Suchet. 
The object was the possession of the city of Valencia on the 
eastern coast of Spain, as that city could not be invested until 
the town of Saguntum was taken and the Spanish army de- 
feated. Blake, though superior in numbers and the attacking 
party, was defeated by the French, with the logs of 1()00 men 
killed and wounded, two generals, 5000 prisoners, and twelve 
guns taken. Saguntum surrendered the same night. See 
Napier, Vol. 4, page 287. 
14th December.—Shooting again. Killed a rabbit and had the 
Satisfaction to find my new dog excellent. James Macleod dined 
15th December.—Letters from England, but I am still left with- 
out those consoling little papers. I could not help wishing my 
friends to take a trip a little while to some foreign land, that they might 
learn to sympathize in the want of them ME 6) Sas | aS ee 
L6th December.—Poor Frank Chambers so much beat he was 
quite dispirited, and told me he feared he should die, he is truly very 
1 Lieutenant D. J. Edwardes (Kane’s List, No. 1297), “«F” Troop, R.H.A. 
