for its
wine, with other places not inferior to it either in richness of
soil or in beauty of prospect. The weather was delightful, and
the grapes, though not yet ripe, were hanging in heavy bunches
from the vines, giving promise of much wealth to come; the hay
season had commenced, and numerous groups of happy-looking peasants
were busy in every field; in short, it was a march upon which I shall
never look back without pleasure.

LA MOE.--AT SEA

The close of the first day's progress brought us to a village
called La Moe, beautifully situated within view of the majestic
waters of the Garonne. Here, for the first time since we quitted
Bayonne, were we quartered upon the inhabitants--a measure which
the loss of our tents rendered necessary. They received us with
so much frankness, and treated us with so much civility, I had
almost said kindness, that it was not without a feeling of
something like regret that we parted from them. The second day
carried us to Pauliac, an inconsiderable town upon the banks of
the same river, where we found boats ready to convey us to the
shipping, which lay at anchor to receive us.

To embark the troops in these boats, and to huddle them on board
two dirty little transports, occupied some time, and the
provoking part of the business was, that all this trouble was to
be gone through again. The men-of-war in which we were to cross
the Atlantic, could not come up so high for want of water; and on
this account it was that transports were sent as passage-boats to
carry us to them. But the wind was foul, and blew so strong that
the masters would not venture to hoist a sail; so we were obliged
to endure the misery of a crowd in a small vessel for two nights
and a day; nor was it till past noon on the 31st, that the
regiment to which I was attached found itself finally settled in
His Majesty's ship -------- of 64 guns.

CHAPTER IV.

AT SEA

THE land army, destined for the invasion of the United States,
which took shipping at this period in the Garonne, consisted but
of three battalions of infantry, the 4th, 44th, and 85th
regiments; the two former mustering each about eight hundred
bayonets, the last not more than six hundred. In addition to
these, there were two officers of engineers, a brigade of
artillery, a detachment of sappers and miners, a party of
artillery drivers, with a due proportion of officers belonging to
the Medical and Commissariat departments. The whole toge