The fighting now terminated, and we lived upon the best terms possible with the French people. Letter No. XXIII Tarbes, France, _27th March 1814_. My dear Parents—I received your letter at Arraunts. As I had nothing worthy of your notice at that time, I deferred writing until this period. The remark in your letter pleased me. "You could willingly forego the pleasure of seeing me, if it was not compatible with my duty to leave my regiment." It was a remark that showed a nobleness of soul which every father of a soldier ought to possess when duty and honour are the barriers. My brother Maud's regiment casually passed my quarters the day I received your letter. He was pleased with it. He took a beef-steak and set off. Joe left the regiment "on command" two months back to take charge of all the convalescents belonging to the Division in Spain. I have heard from him several times. I have at last got him relieved, so he will soon be again with his regiment. I was appointed Director of the Light Division Telegraph, for which I received a dollar per day for some time. Colonel Barnard presented me with a gold watch, which he purposely sent for to London. France is a most delightful country and abounds with everything. The people detest Buonaparte—all but the officers of the army and those others who only support him and his diabolical cause from interested motives. The people are astonished at the liberality of the English. We behave to them as if we were at home, and, though fighting frequently with Soult's army, in their towns the peaceable inhabitants have more faith in us, generally speaking, than in their own army. This is a happy way of making war, for how many thousands of our brave fellows when wounded and left on the ground would not otherwise have been murdered by the injured peasantry. Instead of that, they take the wounded to their houses, protect and feed them. The army that is now opposed to ours is Marshal Soult's. He is a persevering fellow. Though thrashed every time we come in contact with him, still he moves to another position, making it as strong as possible, and waits till we move up and thrash him out of it. The French army fought very obstinately at the battle of Orthez, better than usual, but every cock ought to fight better upon its own dung-hill. After the business at Orthez our army seldom could get a peep at _Johnny_. Though we endeavoured to stick close to him, still he moved off in the night. However, Soult began to pluck up courage and get very bold, he having drawn us back to the Pyrenees. His army was placed in position, the left upon the base of the Pyrenees, the centre covering the town of Tarbes (the high road to Toulouse passes through this place, and it is consequently a place of importance to Soult); his right ran along the high ridges of hills that rise abruptly from a fine plain. There was a small river in front of the position, the hills