My tutelary genius, Major M’Donald, met me in the meadows, and, as we rode along together, pointed out a village on a rising ground peeping through the trees as my destination--the village of Colombes. “Are we to halt there to-night?” I asked. “Yes, a good many nights;” and then, for the first time, I learned that our army was going into cantonments. On entering the village I found we were not to have it all to ourselves. Bull’s and M’Donald’s troops were here before me; but as it is very large, and there are plenty of good houses, we have all got abundance of rooms and capital quarters. The place consists principally of two long streets, with a good many detached country-houses of citizens; and as the houses of these streets are generally two or three storeys, it holds us well. We have divided the village into three districts: Bull has all the upper end towards Courbevoie; M’Donald has a fine chateau and park at the bottom of the hill, in the meadows, with the adjacent parts; I have the end where the two streets join on the road to Nanterre--by far the pleasantest. The peasantry all remain here quietly; but whether fled in alarm, or that it is not the fashion to be seen in the country at this season, I know not; but, certes, all the villas and better description of houses are either entirely empty or only a few servants left in them. Such is the case with this house I now write in. My men and horses are all well put up with the cultivateurs, and the officers are superbly lodged in the different _quintas_. My own is charming; and no one can imagine the delight of such a residence, nor the pleasure I enjoy at again having a place to myself, and that, too, such a paradise. One drawback there is; I have been obliged to park my guns in my own pleasure-grounds--a sad invasion of my privacy this; but I have made it as little annoyance as possible by forming the park close to the further gate, with orders to the sentry to allow no one to pass beyond; and as there is a thick shrubbery between that part of the grounds and the house, it is completely excluded. Another very sad one was the loss of my poor old dog Bal, who had been my companion day and night about eleven years, always sleeping under my bed or by my side. In 1807 he accompanied us to South America. On arriving at Colombes he was first missed. I sent Milward back to Garges, but never heard more of him. _My establishment_ appears to be small; I have only seen one old man-servant as yet, though I know there are more. He is extremely obsequious and attentive to my wants, apparently somewhat alarmed, and not quite certain whether I mean to eat him up alive or not. He gave me an excellent dinner to-day and delicious wine--so that he hopes his fate is deferred. A most luxurious-looking bed tempts me, and as I am somewhat tired, and more lazy just now, I shall consign myself to it without delay, and describe my house, &c., to-morrow, when I shall have had time to examine it more leisurely.