Portugal, so as to endeavour to persuade his senior that India is a more desirable quarter: if he fails in his rhetoric, he expects shortly to travel that route himself. The following paragraph is copied verbatim from Thornton's letter; he is connected with Torrens and in habits of familiar intimacy, so that I am inclined to think he draws his inference from that quarter: "Pray give a hint in private to Generals Brock and Sheaffe, that if the former were to ask for a brigade at home, or on European service, and the latter to be put on the staff in Canada, I am almost certain they would succeed." _Lieut.-Colonel Torrens to Major-General Brock_. HORSE GUARDS, October 17, 1811. I have had the pleasure of receiving your letter of the 6th of July, and I beg you will be convinced that I should derive much satisfaction from the power of complying with your wishes as far as my situation might enable me to facilitate the accomplishment of the object you have expressed of returning to England. I have made known your wishes to the commander-in-chief, and his royal highness has expressed every inclination to comply with them. But until another officer shall join the station, you will be readily aware of the difficulty his royal highness would have in withdrawing you, by leave of absence or otherwise, during the present state of public affairs with the American government. Should you wish, however, to quit the Canadian staff with a view to serve in Europe, his royal highness will not object to your return to this country, under the arrangement of your being immediately succeeded by another officer. And as Major-General Sheaffe is on the spot, and has strong claims to employment on the staff, his royal highness will have no objection to furnish Sir George Prevost with an authority to employ that officer in your room, provided he has not yet left Canada. I trust this arrangement may be acceptable to you. An official communication to the effect of this note will be made to Sir George Prevost. _Colonel Baynes to Major-General Brock_. QUEBEC, November 21, 1811. We fortunately received yesterday the last batch of recruits for the 41st regiment, as from the present state of the weather and appearance of the river, I fear their situation would have been very desperate. They have, poor devils, been sixteen weeks and four days on their passage, and have suffered much from dysentery. Four men have died, and several are sick; but as the former detachment recovered fast when landed and taken care of, I doubt not that these will also: they amount to three hundred, and are in general very fine young men. What a noble battalion they will make when brought together; and the officers say that about 200 more were left at the depôt, for want of room in the transport.