SWABEY DIARY. 24.7 
4th May.—I pasted one of Fadens maps,' which my idleness has long 
neglected. The enemy it appears is breaking up from Seville, at least 
report speaks of his being actually employed in moving his stores from 
thence. I cannot help being sanguine in the idea that the taking of 
Badajos was the signal for the evacuation of the Southern Provinces 
of Spain, and since all other schemes of my life are deferred though 
never to be lost sight of, I feel some military ardour in the prospect of 
the probable events of the campaign. 
5th May.—Spent the day in endeavouring to hit a bustard. One 
was shot by an officer a few days ago weighing 22]bs., and measuring 
6 feet from the extremities of its wings; it is excellent to eat and re- 
sembles a turkey of which it is denominated the wild species. It is not 
however at all like it in plumage. 
6th May.—A wet disagreeable day, the summer season has not yet 
made its appearance, nothing can however be finer than the prospect 
of the harvest here, the crops of wheat, rye and barley all nearly of the 
same age are luxuriant; little pains is bestowed on the ground which 
independent of good soil has the advantage of scarcely ever being 
cultivated more than once in 4 years, as there is such a wide range 
that the farmers shift their ground. Ploughing is performed by oxen 
or in some places by mules with one man only: here it is to be obser- 
ved that the soil is light as well as the instrument so that the labour is 
easily gone through by one person, and the plough drawn without 
difficulty by one beast. There are beautiful crops of beans now in 
blossom, some few peas, but no potatoes, though I should judge the 
soil to be most congenial to their cultivation. I have not yet seen 
harrows or rollers, and do not believe them to be made use of. There 
are large flocks of beautiful sheep on the hills, and from their resem- 
blance to what is called the merino breed in England, I cannot but 
think that half the sheep imported under that description are counter- 
feits. 
In Portugal they have winter turnips. Their sheep, much inferior to 
the Spanish breed, do not profit much by this article of husbandry ; but 
the weather is too severe for them to hope to find on the moun- 
tains subsistence in sufficient quantity to keep them in condition. 
Possibly the turnips have become necessary for the support of the oxen, 
because the cavalry have eaten the hay and straw, but the Portuguese 
know little how to turn their soil to advantage or their advantages to 
use. <A letter from Hdwardes reached me to-day, and one from Doctor 
Macdonald; the latter states that the French had been in our winter 
cantonments at Salgueiro, where to use his own expression, “ they 
ground Don Oliviera’s corn in his own mill, and carried away all that 
they could lay their hands on.” 
Sth May.—The army is on its move from the barren climate of the 
north and hopes are all alive as to our advancing into the heart 
of Spain and driving its invaders before us. Time will prove. 
10th May.—During this last week we have frequently had company 
} The best of Spain and Portugal of that day, in which all places mentioned in this diary, except 
a few insignificant ones, will be found.—F..4. 1, 
