_22d._--Morning fine, and things look more cheerful. March, according to order, at four. Troop turned out of its wet bivouac; did not look very brilliant; moreover, there had been no time for cleaning. The village street such a perfect slough that even the riding-horses struggled through with difficulty, and our carriages stuck fast several times ere they could be brought to the hard ground beyond. Immediately on emerging from the orchards, we entered on the same cheerless uninteresting country as before: interminable fields of corn, without enclosures, only broken here and there by small patches of coppice or young timber. Through this sort of country marched to Bavay; and here we formed up in the fields by the roadside and dismounted, whilst an officer was sent to summon the garrison of Maubeuge--the first word of an enemy since quitting Waterloo. As the infantry continued moving on, we were somewhat at a loss to conjecture what was to be done should the answer to our summons be unfavourable. The whole army--cavalry, infantry, and artillery, English and allies, all appeared to be marching along this one line of road. We heard nothing of any columns moving parallel on our flanks, and for about three hours that we halted here this incessant passing afforded us some amusement. The crowd was endless, though varied--regiments of infantry or cavalry following each other in constant succession, intermingled with, and striving to pass, the as endless file of waggons, baggage-carts, baggage-animals, led horses, batteries of artillery, and convoys of stores. All struggled to get ahead to choose a bivouac, or get the first-fruits of any village or farm on or near the road, which was sure to be left quite bare the moment the first corps passed--I mean bare of provisions; for I believe our people did not otherwise plunder. It might truly be said that a torrent of men and animals rolled along the road. Even when we resumed our march there was no cessation, no diminution of the crowd. The numbers of servants, sutlers, stragglers, and women were incredible, and added not a little to the general confusion. As far back, too, as I could see, the same swarm covered the road--the troops seemed to form the smallest part of the crowd. What the answer was to our summons we have not yet heard, but suppose all went on smoothly; for, after a wait of three or four hours, we again got under way, and made an attempt to penetrate the throng, but in vain--we got jammed and stuck fast. Lord Edward, seeing our case hopeless, abandoned us as soon as he could get his dragoons disengaged from the crowd, and took across the fields, leaving me directions to make the best of my way to Cateau Cambresis, and bivouac there if I did not find him and the brigade. In this state we were obliged to give up all thoughts of pushing on, and rest contented to swim with the stream. This swept us in due time into one end of Bavay (pleasingly situated on a rising ground) and out