have met with great misfortunes in life, but you have children who love you, and in a great measure counteract the ill-effects of adversity. If I live you shall always command my last shilling. I live for my family, and hope to see them all happy; it will ever be my greatest pleasure to assist them. I believe I informed you that Colonel Sibthorp was so highly averse to my leaving his regiment that he used every scheme in his power to dissuade me, and being so confident of success, stopped my recommendation into the Line. The consequence was, instead of having twenty second-lieutenants under me, they were gazetted above me. If I had stayed in England Colonel Sibthorp would have tried to have had it redressed. Under this unfortunate interference I am now receiving ensign's pay with the name of lieutenant only. I hope in a few months to have my lieutenancy through the regular routine of promotion. I must say I should part from my regiment with great regret. I live very comfortably, and if I escape, in time, through the regular course of things, I must get promotion very fast, much quicker than in any other regiment. We have numbers of young men who have got companies in five years. If I had thought my lameness had been likely to continue so long in the first instance, I should have left the country for a short time, but now that there is a great probability of soon being able to move with my regiment and once more enter the lists of fame, my duty commands me to remain. I must not think for a moment of coming to England. I shall ride on horseback when I am tired. I am not yet afraid of meeting the French, I assure you. I hope to see numbers more bite the ground. Some deserters that came from the enemy stated that the French did not like those _green fellows_ at all; we made sad havoc amongst them, particularly their officers. Numbers of our men are most capital shots. It would astonish you to see how coolly they go on and take the same aim as at a bird. I feel great pleasure to be with such fighting fellows and hardy soldiers. The men are so seasoned, that rain or any other kind of weather makes no impression. The intense heat now and then makes the men cross into shady places. We have been in want of tents for months together, sleeping on the ground without any other covering than the canopy of heaven. I never slept better than in such places. _This is the regiment to make the soldiers._ I wish my dear brother had had the same opportunity. The French are very cautious when we are near them, and go where they will, we always keep up with them. The officer that was taken on the 24th of July was wounded; he was very ill-used by the French, nearly stripped and put in a common prison. He contrived to make his escape, and is again with the regiment. I was lucky in getting away from the field of battle as I did.