was a rogue, who intended to pocket the money, thinking his master would not find him out. Thus ended the affair, the commissary paying sixty Spanish dollars to the mother of the young vagabond. Having embarked our supplies for the army, we returned to Alicant with the convoy, and the 21st of January, 1813, proceeded to Gibraltar to refit, where we remained three weeks, and then rejoined Rear-Admiral Hallowell, who sent us to our old station in Altea Bay,[K] and from thence to cruize off Denia, near which place we drove a French felucca privateer on shore, mounting two brass nine-pounders and swivels, with small arms, and bilged her. Our next destination was another trip to Oran, on the coast of Barbary, with four transports, for cattle and corn. We had a capital run there and back with our live cargo. CHAPTER XIV. Siege of the Col de Balaguer--A Reconnoitering Party--Raising of the Siege of Tarragona--Lieutenant-General Sir John and Lady Murray--Rear-Admiral Benjamin Hallowell--Viscount and Viscountess Mahon--Palermo, Veniros; upset in a boat--Valencia--Holland. Towards the end of May, 1813, embarking 300 men of the 67th Regiment, under Colonel Prevost, an officer who had distinguished himself at the battle of Barrosa, we sailed with the expedition from Alicant to lay siege to the castle of the Col de Balaguer and the city of Tarragona. The land forces, under the command of Lieut.-General Sir John Murray, consisted of about 20,000 men, but, unfortunately, not more than 5000 were British and Germans, the rest being Spaniards and Sicilians. The naval part was under the orders of that intelligent and indefatigable officer, Rear-Admiral Benjamin Hallowell. On the 3rd of June, when off the castle of the Col de Balaguer, the whole of the 67th Regiment, with Rolle’s and Dillon’s, and a company of artillery, making together about 900 men, were ordered to invest it. The navy was placed under the command of the gallant Captain Charles Adams, of the _Invincible_ (74), by whose great exertions the troops, guns, and stores were soon landed, and who personally superintended every difficult and dangerous undertaking during the siege. Captain Carroll, of the _Volcano_, was landed to assist troops, and a more intrepid and excellent officer could not have been selected. The fortress was situated on a high hill, in a most difficult pass, through which winds the main road from Tortosa to Tarragona. It was armed with twelve heavy pieces, two ten-inch mortars, two howitzers, and had a garrison of more than a hundred men. Its elevated position, and surrounding heights, difficult of access, required the greatest labour to drag up the guns and mortars necessary to establish our batteries. No time, however, was to be lost; Marshal Suchet, with 10,000 men, being in full march from the neighbourhood of Valencia to relieve it, and succour Tarragona.