The inhabitants of Plymouth received these troops with open arms, and threw wide their doors for the benefit of the suffering officers; they watched over their sick beds in the most assiduous manner, and supplied them gratis with every comfort; such as shirts and shoes, and crowned all this magnanimous hospitality, by advancing money to many of the convalescent officers to enable them to reach their far distant homes, in England, Ireland, and Scotland. But how different was the treatment of the army (who had freed Portugal) elsewhere! A young and handsome officer had landed at another port in a wretched state, bare-footed, his feet tormented with gravel, suffering from a fever, and supporting himself against a wall: then, creeping along in an exhausted state, he was unnoticed by the passers by, until a sailor said, "Why, soldier officer, you are aground, come lay hold of my arm: I will take care of you." In March[9] 1809, I obtained my ensigncy in the line, and proceeded to Colchester to join the second battalion of the 43rd light infantry. When an officer entered this corps it was an invariable custom to send him to drill with a squad, composed of peasants from the plough tail, or other raw recruits, first learning the facings, marching, and companies' evolutions. That being completed, the officer put on cross belts and pouch, and learned the firelock exercise; then again he marched with the same: and when it was considered that the whole were perfect, with, and without arms, they began to skirmish in extended files, and last of all learned the duties of a sentry, and to fire ball cartridge at a target. The officer after all this was not considered clear of the adjutant, until he could put a company through the evolutions by word of command, which he had already practised in the ranks. It generally took him six months in summer at four times a day (an hour at each period) to perfect him in all he had to learn. The drill was never kept more than an hour under arms, when, to a minute, the time beater rolled his drum, the only one, (light infantry regiments used bugles) in the corps; and the recruits were instantly dismissed. The orderly officer of each company made out the daily morning state with his own hand. Subalterns inspected squads on parade: the company was then formed and given over to the captain, who, with the rest of the officers, never quitted their company to lounge about, so long as the soldiers continued under arms. The corps paraded twice a week in heavy marching order, and the mess was equally well conducted, in a system of style and economy happily blended. [Footnote 1: The grenadier company was composed of more than one hundred men, and only contained _eleven men_ so _short_ as five feet eleven inches.]