The army evacuated the Plata in November. The Seventeenth was driven by stress of weather into Cork Harbour, and thus spent their second consecutive Christmas Day on shipboard. [Sidenote: 1808.] Leaving Cork early in January it sailed to Portsmouth, disembarked on the 17th, and joined the depôt troop at Chichester, where it remained for six weeks dismounted under orders for the East Indies. Every man who asked for a furlough within a hundred miles of London obtained it; and this was well, for there were not many of them that saw their homes again. Still, though the furlough was extended to the 20th February, every man, with the exception of one detained by sickness, was present at the expiration of the term. Moreover, though the men had money in their pockets, having arrears of pay due to them on their return, there was not a single case of misconduct at Chichester; and that meant a great deal in these hard-drinking days. The men had gone through much since they were last in England--147 days at sea in miserable transports, most of the time within the tropics; then a campaign with plenty of hardships and very little glory, wherein their horses were taken from them just when they could have been most useful; then a two months’ passage home in bad weather, and the mortification of landing as part of an unsuccessful army, and unsuccessful through no fault of its own. Finally it was under orders to sail in six weeks to the East Indies, a very deadly quarter to Europeans in those days. [Sidenote: 1808.] The Mayor and Corporation of Chichester could not understand how a regiment in such circumstances could spend £3000 in the town in six weeks without a single instance of misbehaviour, [Sidenote: 29th Feb.] and went so far as to express their thanks to the Seventeenth for its exemplary conduct. A few days later the regiment embarked at Portsmouth, 800 strong, under the command of Major Cotton; Lieutenant-Colonel Evan Lloyd being detained to give evidence on General Whitelocke’s court-martial. On the 1st of June it arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, [Sidenote: 4th June.] where it found one of its old colonels, Major-General H. G. Grey, and was inspected by him. From the Cape the regiment sailed for Calcutta. As it was approaching the Hugli one of the transports, the _Hugh Inglis_, was set on fire by the carelessness of a petty officer, but the fire was extinguished without serious damage. Next day the three topmasts were carried away by a squall, and swept fourteen or fifteen men overboard with them, of whom, however, all but one were saved. The Seventeenth has gone through a good many adventures at sea between gales, founderings, fires, and service as marines.