486 SWABEY DIARY. 
of the town of Vitoria, the French were defeated with great loss and 
driven in confusion towards the Pyrenees, leaving to their fate the 
fortresses of Pamplona and St. Sebastian. 
On hearing of these events, the Emperor Napoleon despatched 
Marshal Soult to take command of the French army. He arrived 
early in July, and having reorganized the troops, commenced on the 
25th, a series of operations with the object of dispossessing the allies 
of the passes of Maya and Roncesvalles in the Pyrences and relieving 
Pamplona. At the outset Soult was successful and drove them back, 
but Wellington bringing up reinforcements and assuming the com- 
mand, after very hard fighting between July 25th and August Ist, 
repulsed the French at all points, and the armies were established in 
nearly the same positions as before the advance of the enemy. The 
siege of St. Sebastian, which had been meanwhile converted into a 
blockade, was resumed, and on September 9th, the place was taken. 
Cuapter I. 
 H” troop occupies cantonments at San Payo. Defective arrangement 
for the sick. Lord Wellington's strictures on the Retreat. Ineu- 
tenant Craster. The troop moves to Mello. Captain Macdonald 
goes home. Methods of procuring forage. 
end December.—Marched into our cantonment at San Payo,! an in- 
convenient dirty village without forage, on the high road to Coimbra. 
The quarter falling to me by my own arrangement for the winter, is 
an empty room with a through draught from two windows with only 
shutters, certainly built im the dog-days. I was luckily never born to 
be nice. The inhabitants have a better room which I am entitled to 
claim, but I do not like these severities. I found it necessary, however, 
before I could get chairs and table to hold out a threat that I should 
find another house and send soldiers to be quartered on them. This 
arises from the vile, heartless disposition of the Portuguese. 
3rd December.—No. fire in my house and obliged to lounge away 
my time sadly. I and many others suffer from a remarkable lameness 
caused by the continual wet we have been exposed to, and our then 
putting our feet close to wood fires. There is no external appearance 
of soreness, but at night the most terrible pain in the ball of the foot 
totally takes away my rest, and in the day I cannot bare to put my foot 
to the ground. 
4th December.—Found our situation for forage unfortunately very 
disadvantageous, it all being at a great distance and the roads to it 
very bad. I hope nevertheless our horses will cut a better figure 
than they did last year. 
5th December.—Still so lame as to be unable to walk in pursuit of 
any amusement. 
6th December.—The difference between the price of tea, sugar, and 
1 The villages of San Payo, Mello, etc. will be found situated in the vicinity of the river 
Mondego. Sce Map II. 
