I HAVE seldom looked upon scenery more romantic than that which surrounded the spot where we were commanded to halt. For the last four or five hours, we had been gradually ascending the mountains, and now found ourselves on the top of a green hill, which, when contrasted with the bold heights that begirt it, might be deemed a valley, though itself many thousand feet above the level of the sea. One side of this grassy platform appeared perfectly perpendicular. In this direction it was separated from a steep ridge by a narrow ravine, so deep and so rugged, that all attempts to behold its base were fruitless. On another side, it connected itself with the Quatracone; on a third, that by which we had advanced, it sloped gradually downwards till the view became lost in hanging forests; whilst behind us, only a little green declivity divided it from other similar hills, which afforded a comparatively smooth passage to the Foundery of St Antonio.

It was here that, during the succession of battles which Soult had hazarded, about a month before, one division of the French army made several daring efforts to break the allied line; and where, in truth, the line was for a time completely broken. To this, the appearance of all things around bore ample testimony. Not only the ground of our encampment, but the whole of the pass, was strewed with broken firelocks, pikes, caps, and accoutrements; whilst here and there a mound of brown earth, breaking in upon the uniformity of the green sod, marked the spot where some ten or twelve brave fellows lay asleep. In the course of my wanderings, too, I came upon sundry retired corners, where the remains of dead bodiessuch remains as the wolves and vultures had left-lay still unburied; and these, by the direction in which they were turned towards one another, led fhe to conclude, that the contest had been desperate, and that the British troops had been gradually borne back to the very edge of the precipice. That some of them were driven beyond its edge, is indeed more than probable; for, at one place in particular, I remarked a little group of French and

English soldiers lying foot to foot, close beside it.

I need not inform my reader, that cagles, vultures, and kites, are faithful followers of an army. These were particularly abundant here-whether because a more than ordinary supply of food was furnished to them, or that their nests were built among the rocks of the Quatracone, I know not; but they wheeled and careered over our heads so daringly, as almost to challenge a pursuit. I took my gun accordingly, on the morning after our arrival, and clambered up the face of the mountain; but all my efforts to get within shot of these wary creatures, proved abortive. The fatigue of the excursion was, however, more than compensated by the glorious prospect which it opened to my gaze; and which, though it may, perhaps, be equalled, cannot, I firmly believe, be surpassed in any quarter of the world.

From the top of the Quatracone the traveller looks down, not only upon the various scenery which all mountainous districts present, but upon the fertile plains of Gascony, the waters of the Bay of Biscay, and the level fields of the Asturias. The towns of Bayonne, St Jean de Luz, Fontarabia, Irun, St Sebastian's, Vittoria, and ma ny others, lie beneath, diminished, indeed, into mere specks, but still distinguishable; whilst, southward, forests of pine, and groves of cork-trees, rugged precipices, and dark valleys, present a striking contrast to these abodes of man. The day on which I scaled the mountains chanced to be particularly favourable. There was not a cloud in the sky, nor the slightest haze in the atmosphere; and hence, though I failed in obtaining the object in quest of which I had quitted the camp, I returned to it in the evening more than usually delighted with the issue of my ramble.

We remained in this delightful position only two days, and on the morning of the 6th of September, once more struck our tents. Noon had passed, however, before we began to move; when taking the direction of the Foundery, we ascended the chain of green hills before us, till we had attained an eminence directly over the Bidaossa,

and consequently within sight of the enemy's camp. Our march was by no means an agreeable one. We had scarcely left our ground when the rain began to fall in torrents, and as the baggage travelled more slowly than ourselves, we were doomed to wait a full hour upon the side of a bleak hill before any shelter against the storm could be procured. But such things in the life of a soldier are too common to be much esteemed. The baggage arrived at last. Our tent was speedily pitched; our segars lighted; our wine mulled; our cloaks and blankets spread upon the ground; and ourselves as snug and as light-hearted as men could desire to be.

It is an invariable custom, when armies are in the field, for such corps as compose the advanced line to muster under arms every morning an hour before day-break. On the present occasion we formed the advance, a few picquets of the Spanish army being the only troops between us and the enemy; consequently we were roused from our comfortable lairs, and ordered under arms long before the dawn appeared. A close column was then formed, in which our men stood still as long as the darkness lasted; but when the eastern sky began to redden, they were permitted to pile their arms, and move about. And, in truth, the extreme chilliness which, in these regions in particular, accompanies the first approach of daylight, rendered such an indulgence extremely acceptable. We could not, however, venture far from our arms, because, if an attack should be made at all, this was exactly the hour at which we might look for it; but we contrived, at least, to keep our blood in circulation, by running round them.

The approach of day among the Pyrenees, in the month of September, is a spectacle which it falls not to the lot of every man to witness; and it is one which can hardly be imagined by him who has not beheld it. For some time after the grey twilight breaks, you behold around you only one huge sea of mist, which, gradually rising, discloses, by fits, the peak of some rugged hills, and giving to it the appearance of a real island in a real ocean. By and by, the mountains become everywhere distinguishable, looming, as a sailor would say, large through the haze; but the valleys continue long enshrou

ded, the fogs which hang upon them yielding only to the rays of the noonday sun. Along a valley immediately beneath our present position, a considerable column of French infantry made their way, during one of the late actions; and so perfect was the cover afforded by the mist, that, though the sun had risen some time, they penetrated, wholly unobserved, to the brow of the hill. On the present occasion no such attempt was made; but we were kept at our post till the fog had so far dispersed as to render objects half way down the gorge distinctly visible; as soon as this occurred, the column was dismissed, and we betook ourselves each to his favourite employment.

For myself, my constant occupation, whenever circumstances would permit, was to wander about, with a gun over my shoulder, and a dog or two hunting before me, not only in quest of game, but for the purpose of viewing the country to the best advantage, and making, if possible, my own observations upon the different positions of the hostile armies. For this purpose, I seldom took a direction to the rear, generally strolling on towards the advanced picquets, and then bending my course to the right or left, according as the one or the other held out to me the best prospect of obtaining an accurate survey of both encampments. On the present occasion, I turned my steps towards the heights of San Marcial. This was the point which Soult assailed with the greatest vigour, in his vain attempt to raise the siege of St Sebastian's, at the very time when the assault of that city was proceeding. It was defended on that day by Spaniards, and Spaniards only, whom Lord Wellington's dispatch represented to have repulsed the enemy with great gallantry; for my own part, I could not but admire the bravery of the troops who, however superior in numbers, ventured to attack a position so commanding. The heights of San Marcial rise so abruptly over the bed of the Bidaossa, that in many places it was only by swinging myself from bough to bough, that I managed to descend them at all; yet a column of fifteen thousand Frenchmen forced their way nearly to the summit, and would have probably succeeded in carrying even that, but for the opportune arrival of a brigade of British guards.

These latter were not, indeed, engaged, but they acted as a reserve, and the very sight of them inspired the Spanish division with courage sufficient to maintain their ground, and check the farther progress of the assailants.

From the brow of these heights I obtained a tolerably distinct view of the French encampment for a considerable distance, both to the right and left. The range of hills which it occupied was in some points less lofty, in others even more rugged and more lofty than that on which I now stood. Between me and it flowed the Bidaossa, through a valley narrow, indeed, not more perhaps than a gun-shot across, but rich and beautiful in the extreme, not only on account of the shaggy woods which in a great measure overspread it, but because of the luxuriant corn-fields, meadows, and farm-houses which lay scattered along both banks of the river. The outposts of the French army occupied their own side of this vale, their sentinels being posted at the river's brink; ours, that is the Spanish pic quets, were stationed about half way down the hill, and sent their videttes no farther than its base. For the white tents of the British army I looked round in vain. These were generally pitched in woody hollows, so as to skreen them entirely from the gaze of the enemy, and to shelter their inmates as much as might be, from the storms; but the well-built huts of the French soldiers were, in many places, distinguishable. Certainly, a Certainly, a Frenchman is far more expert in the art of hutting himself than a soldier of any other nation. The domiciles upon which I now gazed were not like those lately occupied by us, composed of branches of trees only, covered over with twigs and withering leaves, and devoid of chimneys by which smoke might escape: on the contrary, they were good, substantial cottages, with clay walls and regular Jy thatched roofs, and erected in long straight streets; the camp of each brigade or battalion having more the appearance of a settled village, than of the temporary abiding place of troops on active service. By the aid of my telescope I could perceive the French soldiers, some at drill, others at play, near the huts, nor could I help admiring the perfect light-heartedness

which seemed to pervade men who had been so lately beaten.

At this period, the right of the French army occupied the high ground above the village of Andaye, and rested upon the sea; while our left, taking in the towns of Irun and Fontarabia, rested upon the sea also. The French left was stationed upon a mountain called La Rhune, and was supported by a strongly fortified post, up the hill, or, rather, the wild of the Hermitage. Our right, again, was posted in the pass of Roncesvalles, and along the mountains beyond it; but from the spot which I now occupied, it could not be descried. Thus the valley of the Bidaossa alone separated us from one another, though that may appear a barrier sufficient, when the extreme steepness of its banks is considered.

Having remained here long enough to satisfy my curiosity, I turned my steps homewards, taking the direction of the deep valley which lay beneath our camp. Having, with some difficulty, reached its base, I was particularly struck with the extreme loneliness, the more than usual stillness, of all things about me. I looked round in vain for game. Not a living creature seemed to tenant the glen,-there was not a bird of any kind or description among the branches, but a death-like silence prevailed, the very breezes being shut out, and the very leaves motionless. I sat down by the edge of a little stream, somewhat weary, and oppressed with thirst, yet I felt a strong disinclination to drink, the water looked so slimy and blue I could not fancy it. I rose again and pursued its course, hoping to reach some turn where it might present a more tempting appearance. At length thirst overcame me, and though there was no improvement in the hue of the water, I had stooped down and applied my lips to its surface, when, accidentally casting my eye a little to the right, I beheld a man's arm sticking up from the very centre of the rivulet. It was black and putrid, and the nails had dropt from some of the fingers. Of course, I started to my feet without tasting the polluted element, nor could I

resist a momentary squeamishness at the idea of having narrowly escaped drinking this tincture of human car

cases.

In this manner I continued to while

crown the heights immediately above the town. We had directed our course thither, because a medical friend, who was left in charge of such of the wounded as could not be moved, had taken up his quarters here in a large farmhouse, which he had converted into a temporary hospital; and to him we looked for beds and entertainment. Nor were we disappointed;—we found both, and both greatly superior in quality to any which had fallen to our lot since we landed.

The reader will easily believe that a man who has spent some of the best years of his life amid scenes of violence and bloodshed, must have witnessed many spectacles highly revolting to the purest feelings of our nature; but a more appalling picture of war passed by-of war in its darkest colours, those which distinguish it when its din is over-than was presented by St Sebastians, and the country in its immediate vicinity, I certainly never beheld. Whilst an army is stationary in any district, you are wholly unconscious of the work of devastation which is proceeding you see only the hurry and pomp of hostile operations. But, when the tide has rolled on, and you return by chance to the spot over which it has last swept, the effect upon your own mind is such, as cannot even be imagined by him who has not experienced it. Little more than a week had elapsed, since the division employed in the siege of St Sebastians had moved forward. Their trenches were not yet filled up, nor their batteries demolished; yet the former had, in some places, fallen in of their own accord, and the latter were beginning to crumble to pieces. We passed them by, however, without much notice. It was, indeed, impossible not to acknowledge, that the perfect silence which prevailed was far more awful than the bustle and stir that lately prevailed there; whilst the dilapidated condition of the convent, and of the few cottages which stood near it, stripped as they were of roofs, doors, and windows, and perforated with cannon shot, inspired us, now that they were deserted, with sensations somewhat gloomy. But these were trifling-a mere nothing, when compared with the feelings which a view of the town itself excited.

As we pursued the main road, and approached St Sebastians by its ordinary entrance, we were at first sur

prised at the slight degree of damage done to its fortifications by the fire of our batteries. The walls and battlements beside the gateway appeared wholly uninjured, the very embrasures being hardly defaced. But the delusion grew gradually more faint as we drew nearer, and had totally vanished before we reached the glacis. We found the draw-bridge fallen down across the ditch, in such a fashion, that the endeavour to pass it was not without danger. The folding gates were torn from their hinges, one lying flat upon the ground, and the other leaning against the wall; whilst our own steps, as we moved along the arched passage, sounded loud and melancholy.

Having crossed this, we found ourselves at the commencement of what had once been the principal street in the place. No doubt it was, in its day, both neat and regular; but of the houses, nothing more remained except the outward shells, which, however, appeared to be of an uniform height and style of architecture. As far as I could judge, they stood five stories from the ground, and were faced with a sort of free-stone, so thoroughly blackened and defiled, as to be hardly cognizable. The street itself was, moreover, choked up with heaps of ruins, among which were strewed about fragments of household furniture and clothing, mixed with caps, military accoutrements, round shot, pieces of shells, and all the other implements of strife. Neither were there wanting other evidences of the drama which had been lately acted here, in the shape of dead bodies, putrefying, and infecting the air with the most horrible stench. Of living creatures, on the other hand, not one was to be seen, not even a dog or a cat ; indeed, we traversed the whole city, without meeting more than six human beings. These, from their dress and abject appearance, struck me as being some of the inhabitants who had survived the assault. They looked wild and haggard, and moved about here and there, poking among the ruins, as if they were either in search of the bodies of their slaughtered relatives, or hoped to find some little remnant of their property. I remarked, that two or three of them carried bags over their arms, into which they thrust every trifling article of copper or iron which came in their way.