out to sea, and losing sight of land, our poor pilot was quite out of his element, and afforded us some diversion.

20th. We continued during the whole of the day and night beating about at the mouth of the Tagus, not daring to attempt to pass the bar.

21st. The weather having cleared up, we passed the bar in the morning, and anchored not far from Belem Castle, about noon.

22d. At 10 o'clock in the morning I landed at Lisbon, and put up at Banwell's Hotel at Buenos Ayres.

Thus safely landed, I come now to play the part of Mr. Newcome, a character which I shall not be ashamed to make it appear might be well applied to me; for, like a young soldier, at the very commencement I set out by losing the passage which had been provided for me in the Eagle transport, and the consequences were, not only that I had been obliged to come out entirely at my own expense by the packet from Falmouth, but my baggage, which had been put on board the said transport, and which I fully

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expected to find on my arrival in the Tagus, instead of being conveyed hither as I anticipated, had been left at Portsmouth previous to the sailing of the convoy from thence: depending so fully upon finding these things on my arrival, I had provided no second stock, and what was not the least material, my portfolio, containing my letters of introduction to some few Peninsular officers, &c. and even my treasury appointment, had been left--nay, what perhaps was still more so than all the rest, my purse of dollars and Portugal coin, which from the high rate of exchange was, of course, considered a necessary appendage to every "Newcome's" outfit, had also been left in one of those unfortunate boxes.

On the day after my arrival, however, I reported myself to the principal officer of the Commissariat in Lisbon, and with an advance of pay and credit, I began to weather my difficulties.---A few days afterwards I obtained a very good billet upon the house of Senhor Lopez, in the Rua Sacramento la Lapa, at Buenos Ayres, agreeably situated upon the rising ground, near Alcantara, and opposite

to the fort of Almada. From my room there was a pleasant view over the Tagus; and I was treated with much civility by my “Patron" and his family, during the whole of the month that I remained quartered upon them.

Position of the Armies.

Early in the month of October, after the battle of Busaco, the British army under Lord Wellington having arrived in the lines of Torres-Vedras, which had been fortified in a wonderful manner for its reception, and being most judiciously posted in the several strong positions which there presented themselves, occupying the numerous redoubts and field-works which had been constructed, so as to block up or cover every road or pass through the mountains leading to Lisbon, was prepared to meet the enemy. Gunboats were also sent from the fleet up the river as high as Villa Franca, to aid the operations of the army; and many transports as well as ships of war were assembled in the Tagus to carry home the troops in case of a reverse. On the other hand, the French

army, named the army of Portugal, under the command of Marshal Massena, (having closely pursued the British in their retreat) arrived, and formed its line from the river Tagus to the sea, in face of Lord Wellington's position :---Villa Franca was in the enemy's possession, and his piquets came as far as Alhandra. Massena's head-quarters were established at Alenquer, a village near Cartaxo, only eight leagues from Lisbon, Ciudad Rodrigo, Almeida, and all the country from the Douro to the Tagus being still in the enemy's possession, Coimbra only excepted, which had been taken possession of by a party of militia from Oporto under Colonel Trant. Thus did the two armies face each other in a threatening attitude the whole of · the month of October, and the two first weeks in November, during which period, demonstrations were repeatedly made by the enemy upon different points of our position. Several skirmishes or affairs of out-posts and piquets were fought, and the French Marshal was one day observed with a large force of cavalry reconnoitering the whole extent of our line. The French army it was fairly supposed

amounted to at least sixty thousand combatants, while the English and Portuguese together scarcely numbered fifty thousand. However, on the 14th November, the French Marshal considering his position in the plain unsafe, withdrew his army during the night from its advanced situation in face of Torres Vedras, &c. to one which he had chosen as more secure, near Santarem, where he fixed his head-quarters. Lord Wellington now moving out of the lines, descended into the plain, and cantoned his troops in the villages about the country in as connected a line as possible, in face of the French position, establishing his head-quarters at the town of Cartaxo, and the periodical rains having commenced, the two armies remained in a state of inactivity during the winter: the British, Portuguese and Spanish forces being posted nearly as follows; viz,