600 SWABEY DIARY. 
while forget its unseasonable influence. Palencia is an extensive and 
well built city, close to it passes the great canal that runs from the 
Ebro, crosses the Douro near Simancas and terminates at Segovia. It is 
precisely on the plan of our inland navigation, and I examined some of 
the locks which I found constructed like ours, in a high state of per- 
fection, and uninjured by the times. The boats are probably burnt, at 
any rate, the canal is in disuse. It is called Canal de Castilla, runs 
from Reynosa close to the rise of the Ebro, passes near Burgos and 
through Valladolid to Segovia, and is fed by the various streams of the 
Douro and the Ebro. There are few manufactures about it; the silk 
of Segovia, and a few paper frames at Palencia form the principal 
matériel of traffic. From the rise of the Ebro the land carriage to 
Santander is not more than 10 leagues. 
Halted at Villa Lobau and were tolerably covered as to horses, the 
officers in tents. 
Sth June.—It was expected that the enemy might take up a position 
at Torquemada. Whatever might be his intentions, Lord Wellington 
passed columns in the direction of Amusco to our left, General Hill’s 
corps only marching by Torquemada; this movement obliged the 
French to abandon the position. 
Our fate led us to a place called Tamara which as we did not march 
till 11 o’clock, we found filled with the 4th and light divisions, so that 
though it rained incessantly few horses got covered. 
N.B.—The hussars committed great excesses in Villa Lobau, and 
before it marched, Colonel Grant severely punished three of them in 
presence of the brigade. He paid our troop the compliment of excusing 
its attendance by which I felt flattered, but I was, as I always have 
been, convinced that an appeal to the pride of a soldier who has been 
two years on service meets little good result. 
9th June.—To-day we crossed the river Carrion and the canal and 
arrived at Fromistra in a terrible wet plight through deep roads. 
Our horses unavoidably suffer from such continued marching and wet 
weather, we got them covered and they got plenty of green barley. 
10th June.—Passed the Pisuerga at Osornillo. This river is not to 
be forded in this direction, but the passages over it are so many that 
the French had not thought it worth while to destroy the bridge. We 
halted at Villa Sandino after five leagues of wet and bad marching. I 
pitched my tent, the quarters not being capable of accommodating 
everybody. 
11th June.—This morning all our spirits were gay at the change 
that had taken place in the weather, the principal enemy we had to 
fear; had it continued Lord Wellington’s plan of turning and 
marching on the enemy’s flanks must inevitably have failed. The 
army closed up on Burgos, after only three miles march we halted and 
got into capital quarters at Castrilla de la Murcia; the enemy two 
leagues from us at Hornillos ; to-morrow or perhaps the day after the 
intention in regard to Burgos will be seen. 
12th June.—This day’s operations were perhaps as good a military 
