[5] "Under the blessing of Divine Providence, His Majesty ascribes the successes which have attended the exertions of his troops in Egypt to that determined bravery which is inherent in Britons; but His Majesty desires it may be most solemnly and forcibly impressed on the consideration of every part of the army, that it has been a strict observance of order, discipline, and military system, which has given the full energy to the native valour of the troops, and has enabled them proudly to assert the superiority of the national military character, in situations uncommonly arduous, and under circumstances of peculiar difficulty."--_General Orders in 1801._ In the General Orders issued by Lieut.-General Sir John Hope (afterwards Lord Hopetoun), congratulating the army upon the successful result of the Battle of Corunna, on the 16th of January, 1809, it is stated:--"On no occasion has the undaunted valour of British troops ever been more manifest. At the termination of a severe and harassing march, rendered necessary by the superiority which the enemy had acquired, and which had materially impaired the efficiency of the troops, many disadvantages were to be encountered. These have all been surmounted by the conduct of the troops themselves; and the enemy has been taught, that whatever advantages of position or of numbers he may possess, there is inherent in the British officers and soldiers a bravery that knows not how to yield,--that no circumstances can appal,--and that will ensure victory, when it is to be obtained by the exertion of any human means." [Illustration: SIXTEENTH REGIMENT OF FOOT. FOR CANNON'S MILITARY RECORDS _Madeley del et lith 3 Wellington S^t Strand_] HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE SIXTEENTH, OR THE BEDFORDSHIRE REGIMENT OF FOOT. [Sidenote: 1688] In the autumn of 1688, when the pernicious counsellors of King James II. had induced His Majesty to adopt measures which indicated a design to overthrow the constitution and established religion of the country, and many patriotic noblemen and gentlemen had solicited the Prince of Orange to come to England with an army, to preserve the liberties and religion of the people, the King then became sensible of the dangerous position into which he had been brought, and resolved to augment his army: and among the corps embodied on that occasion was a regiment of pikemen and musketeers, which has been retained in the service to the present time, and now bears the title of "The SIXTEENTH, or the BEDFORDSHIRE Regiment of Foot."