SWABEY DIARY. 4938 
had to pass the day by myself, but arrived notwithstanding at the 
Medico’s in time for dinner, and passed a stupid evening. It appears 
to me rather an odd arrangement to send cavalry to be quartered in 
this district, as it affords nothing but Indian straw, whilst hay and 
good forage are to be found elsewhere. 
27th December.—Refusing all inducements to stay, I returned to San 
Payo where I found poor Craster nearly dead and the servant, though 
still sensible, in a totally hopeless condition. 
30th December.—Poor Craster died last night; on opening his papers 
we found letters of a most affectionate strain from a mother and sister 
complaining of not having heard from him; we were afraid we should 
be obliged to write direct to them till at last we found one from another 
hand which relieved us from so painful a task. I penned the letter for 
us all which Dyneley sent off. 
31st December.—I read the service over the unfortunate Craster, it 
is of itself an awful ceremony, but when I reflected that the poor fellow 
had no friend, no relation to pay him the least tribute of affection, and 
when I read over and over again his sister’s letters, I could hardly con- 
ceive a more affecting case. A soldier that dies in battle falls ina 
noble pursuit, and his loss, as being always looked forward to, is dis- 
armed of half its severity, but when a friend is lost who might have 
been saved but for many melancholy circumstances, there is no bound 
to one’s grief and indignation. 
1st January, 1815.—I did not so soon expect to have again to per- 
form the duty that I went through yesterday ; two of our men, however, 
have died and I have been obliged to repeat it. Three others have 
been buried since our coming to this accursed place; what between 
the weather, and the contagion consequent on the miserable sick taking 
shelter in our houses, such calamities were to be expected. 
2nd January.—We received our long expected permission to change 
our quarters to Mello. 
3rd January.—Marched for Mello. The principal object in our 
moving is to get a commodious hospital, and leave a dreadful contagion, 
notwithstanding which our place is to be filled by other troops. We 
had so few men we could hardly drive the carriages. We moved the 
sick on bullock wains. 
4th January.—I found myself in a comfortable clean quarter, and 
the troop well put up. 
5th January.—Major Frazer,' passed through on his way to head- 
1 Major Augustus S. Frazer (Kane’s List, No. 765), who had previously served in command of “ G” 
troop and the R.A. of the expedition against Buenos Ayres in 1807 ; joined the Peninsular army 
in November 1812, having temporarily exchanged with Major Bull invalided, In April 1813, 
Frazer was appointed to command the H.A. vice Downman. He was present at the affairs of 
Salamanca and Osma, at the battle of Vitoria (brevet Lieut.-Coloncl), siege of St. Sebastian, 
passage of the Bidassoa, at Nive, Nivelle, investment of Bayonne (wounded), and battle of Toulouse. 
He was made a K.C.B., and received the gold cross with one clasp at the end of the war. In the 
Waterloo campaign Sir Augustus again commanded the H.A. He was afterwards at the head of 
the Royal Laboratory. He died in 1835. His interesting letters from the Peninsula and the 
Netherlands were published in 1889. ‘¢ Although a reserved man in public, and fond of solitude, 
he was almost diffuse in his correspondence.” Duncan’s R.A. History. Captain Mercer, who 
served under him as a subaltern says, ‘‘ He was a most active and zealous officer, and a very precise 
and particular little man.” 
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