BOOKS.

LARPENT'S PRIVATE JOURNAL DURING THE PENINSULAR WAR.*

To fully understand the nature of this work, it is necessary to know something of the author, Francis Seymour Larpent, and the circumstances under which he wrote. He filled a succession of offices till his retirement from the Chairmanship of the Audit Board, in 1843, two years before his death; audhis firstoffice was that of Judge- Advocate-General of the British Forces in the Peninsula, during the latter period of the war, from 1812 to 1814. He joined the army on its retirement into winter-quarters after the retreat from Burgos, and did not quit it till the last division sailed from the South of France at the peace. His duties brought him into frequent communication with the Duke of Wellington ; his position gave him standing, and procured him access to the best company ; and though his experience of fighting was slight and confined to distant observation, he had ample opportunity of seeing and feel- ing in his own person the economical and social effects which war produces in a country, and the influence of its gigantic combina- tions on the condition of all within its sphere. Of what he saw, heard, and underwent, he wrote full accounts to his stepmother, Sir George Larpent's mother, in the form of an occasional journal, and with more freedom and minuteness than he might have used in a less confidential communication. On the death of his step- mother, the papers came into the possession of Sir George ; and as he was also his brother's executor, he determined on their publica- tion, but withheld them, from "motives of delicacy," during the life of the Duke of Wellington.

For purposes of general interest so long after the event, the mi- nuteness we have alluded to is occasionally a drawback to the letters, when employed on topographical description or mere per- sonal circumstances, which had previously been exhibited in more characteristic forms. Such passages a revision might have re- moved with literary advantage, though perhaps with some in- jury to the genuine character of the whole. And as a whole, this journal is one of the most new and interesting works that we have met for many a day. It presents war as it appears to the eye of an educated civilian ; not in its pomp, pride, circumstance, nor altogether in its spirit of courage and ardour, or in its strategy, (though there is something of each,) but in the effects which the demands of many thousand men concentrated in a small space produce upon supplies and prices—the want of decent comfort at the best of times—the hardships and privations on a march, and the rueful destruction going on throughout a country when war is waged as it was by the Napoleonists in the Peninsula. Above all, it suggests more clearly than anything we ever read before the vast importance of material appliances and means to render an army an efficient instrument; explains the fearful losses in life that must be sustained without them, in seasoning the troops ; and accounts for the four hundred thousand men Napoleon is said to have sacrificed in Spain of whom but few comparatively fell in battle. To the civilian ;he journal of Mr. Larpent is the best com- mentary upon many passages of the Duke's Despatches, upon his maxim of" feed and pay," and upon the world-wide proverb "money is the sinews of war." Much of all this has indeed been done before, but never, as far as we know, so completely and convincingly. These qualities may in some degree be owing to the unrestraint of the journalist. He wrote neither with a sense of publicity as regarded his matter nor of the pub- lic as regarded his authorship, and was perhaps freer in a lite- rary sense than had he been writing a private journal, for a full one is generally composed with an idea of posthumous perusal. Much, however, is owing to the character of the author. His mind, naturally sensible and critical, had been trained by a Cam- bridge education, foreign travel, and the studies of the bar. He had mixed in good society ; and he carried out with him the feelings of the civilian and gentleman of the day, which combi- nation was rare in the Peninsular army. His post—that of public prosecutor for military offences—brought all the delinquencies or suspected delinquencies of the army under his eye professionally. So that, without being a mere indifferent spectator, he looked at what was passing before him without bias, or at least without the military bias and indurated habit which are characteristic of most practical writers on war.

The reader who wishes to satisfy himself fully as to these con- clusions must read the volumes with his mind open. A specimen may be given of Mr. Larpent's early experience : and be it re- membered that the Judge-Advocate was attached to head-quarters. This was his beginning there.

"I arrived here at Rueda after a march of six leagues, or seven hours, about half-past three as I lost nearly three hours getting my mules from the Paymaster to start. When here, I had my beasts standing loaded in the streets, and all of us without anything to eat until past six, before I could get a quarter. The people were civil, but I had to go to the Quartermaster- General, Adjutant-General, to the Billet-manager, to the Military-Secretary, &c. &c. One said, Go here,' another said, Go there,' a third sent a Ser- geant to inquire, and then thought no more about it ; another I was referred to to turn any one out for me ; but I was to find out who was to turn out, and when it came to the point nothing was done. "At last I got an indifferent quarter vacated by a Commissary, without any stable, only a shed with holes through the floor into the cellar below. My animals therefore stood all night in the entrance of the passage. I then drew for provisions, &c. ; and at eight o'clock got a piece of warm killed beef • The Private Journal of F. S. Larpent, Esq., Judge-Advocate-General of the Bri- tish Forces in the Peninsula, attached to the Head-quarters of Lord Wellington during the Peninsular War from 1812 to its close. Edited by Sir George Larpent, Bart In three volumes. Published by Bentley.

fried : of course it was like Indian rubber. Thus far first day at Rueda, 4th November.

" This morning, 5th, I heard of a Spanish Aide-de-camp of Castanas's, who is here, and who had three small stables close to me occupied by one itchy mule. I found him in bed at nine o'clock ; but he could speak French, and I persuaded him to be reasonable enough to lock up his beast in one sta- ble and give me one for my four animals. Thus we are better off today, and I have got them something to cat as a favour."

In two days an order came to march.

" I then first saw what it was to put seventy thousand men in motion, and about ten thousand public mules, and a greater number of private ones, horses, &c. &c. We started at five, and at about two that day I reached bead-quarters. TomeeLlo by four o'clock. I got a quarter there through Colonel Campbell, and at five was turned out for a General ; at six got another much worse ; ate some tough fried beef, and went to bed. At five next morning, started again for Petueja. Here the head-quarters had only thirty houses for one hundred and fifty officers. Lord Wellington and the Prince of Orange had only one room each. I was ordered on a league, where I found Castanos, who had come in for better quarters. He sent me on another half-league, but when a mile on the road he passed me, as he had heard the next was the best quarter. So I returned again, and at three o'clock got a little hole and a stable. I was just going to eat my stew about five, when in came about three thousand Spanish troops. Half my house was down in a moment for firing, and nearly all the owner's property, pans, dishes, straw, &c., stolen. I secured mine, which was attacked, by swallow- ing a mouthful and packing up and keeping guard. The remainder of the house was also saved ; and, by the help of a Spanish officer, who took a fancy to the kitchen-fire, the house was cleared by him with fist and foot. My animals were not safe, as my man heard one soldier say he would have one before morning. I saved them by putting them in a row in the passage close to me, where they stood for the night. Fires all around us ; noises of all kinds ; people breaking in ; I got no sleep, except for half an hour."

On his march to head-quarters, Mr. Larpent had found many traces of war in the form of bones or bodies, as well as of the in- difference which habit breeds. He himself soon fell into something like the esprit de corps, and he rather chuckles over the mishap of Salamanca,—" which, by the by, has been well plundered, [by the French,] and the English dollars which they extorted from the hungry troops pretty well squeezed out of them." As months rolled on, he got a little indurated himself. "We saw about a dozen French, just killed, close to St. Estevan ; but got comfortable quarters, and went to dinner."

The position of the author brought him continually in contact with Wellington on a subject in which the Great Captain took a

strong interest from its bearing on the discipline of the army, as well as from a natural aptitude, since it appears he had a liking for legal investigations. Mr. Larpent first gained his approbation, then his familiarity, indicated, as the journalist notes, by the greeting, "How are you," and finally his confidence. Anecdotes of or observa- tions on the Duke are frequent—perhaps as frequent as any single topic in the volumes. And they are among the best that have ap peered, for they are not only striking and characteristic, but very often biographical ; which is what we have encountered for the first time. As we observed in noticing Lord Ellesmere's lecture, nothing of consequence has been preserved touching the Duke's earlier years, and not much during the Peninsular war or the first years after the peace. Stories, indeed, have abounded in his old age ; but they have, like those for the previous period, related to him in his public character, or at best been aneodotical. And though every true anecdote indicates the mind, it does not do it much more truly, though more pointedly, than writings or discourse. Mr. Larpent not infrequently presents the manners and the man, some-

times in his peculiarities or weaknesses. To draw out strikingly all that relates to the Duke, would require a long space ; but we will touch upon some of the more remarkable traits, and first of his business habits.

"I was introduced to Lord Wellington this morning, and delivered my letters. He was very courteous. We conversed for half an hour, and I am to dine there at six today, in full uniform. He is to send me fifty cases against officers to examine, in order to see if any can be made out on evi- dence; which is the great difficulty."

" Frenada, Head-Quarters, December 8th 1812.-1 will now tell you one day's adventure, and how I came here. Two days after I wrote from Mal-

liarda de Sorda, where I was lonely and heard nothing, I determined to

walk over to see how things went on here ; and put my papers into my pocket in case I should be able to see Lord Wellington. On my arrival Inset

the Quartermaster who managed quarters; he told me he had kept a miser- able hole for me if I chose to move : it was much worse than even my old one, but I instantly said Yes.' The next person I met was Lord Wellington; and I asked him when he wished to see me, and whether he had any objec- tion to my moving here ? He said I might choose and take the best of the bad. He then asked if I had my papers about me ? I said, All ' : he then

said, 'Come up ' : and in ten minutes he looked over my papers, four sets of charges against officers ; and they were all settled, with a few judicious alter- ations, in which I entirely agreed. I then came out and wrote them fair in the Adjutant-General's office, and two went to Lisbon that day."

"On my return here, I found no less than nine courts-martial arrived, and plenty of newspapers. One court-martial had met thirty-eight days, and another sixteen : thus I had plenty to read and report upon. I saw Lord

Wellington, in consequence, two days running, for nearly two hours, as I thought four of the cases ought to r back for revision, and one only tote confirmed, as it was half illegal—eight hundred lashes and transportation for life—which latter is not a legal sentence for mutiny. In truth, the men should have been shot.

"The courts will not do their duty : Lord Wellington was quite angry. He swore, and said his whole table was covered with details of robbery and mutiny, and complaints from all quarters, in all languages, and that he should be nothing but a general of courts-martial. He has given some broad hints to the courts in general orders."

The industry, perseverance, temperance, and other business qualities of the Duke, have been the theme of many moralists whom his death called forth : but they omitted one thing—before young men can effectually imitate the Duke, they must get some of his constitution. Notorious as that iron strength has long been, it appears more remarkably in Mr. Larpent's pages ; because we see not only how much he did that was necessary, but how much

• he did spontaneously in addition,—as in frequently following the hounds, though he was not considered by the knowing ones a good sportsman, only enjoying the chase in "his way"; and his need- less long and rapid rides to dinners or pleasure meetings, which, besides the exertion, broke into his rest. Latterly Mr. Larpent notes a trait which was not supposed to be a general characteristic.

"Lord Wellington is not as easily roused from his bed as he used to be. This is the only change in him; and it is said he has been in part encou- raged to this by having such confidence in General Murray. I understand he was always naturally fond of his pillow. He had rather ride like an express for ten or fifteen leagues, than be early and take time to his work. Upon the whole, this may fatigue him less, as being a less time on horse- back."

The following indicates the amount of work he had to do, though hardly how he managed to do it, unless it were by his coup d'ceil for essentials.

"Head-Quarters, Frenada, February 7th 1813.—There never were known so many courts-martial in this army as at this moment ; and as I have the whole direction of them all, I really scarce know where to turn, and my fingers are quite fatigued as well as my brains, with the arrangements and difficulties as to witnesses, &e. I sent out seventeen letters yesterday ; and today I have one case of thirteen prisoners who have been committing every sort of outrage on their march here. Lord Wellington is now much more easy with me, and seems to trust to me more; and yesterday I was pleased when he said, If your friends knew what was going on here, they would think you had no sinecure. And how do you suppose I was plagued when I had to do it nearly all myself ? ' "He seemed to feel relieved, and of course I could not but feel gratified. I can assure you, however, that we have none of us much idle time. Dr. M'Gregor has seven hundred medical men to look after. The Quartermaster- General, all the arrangements of the troops, clothing, &c. The Adjutant- General, daily returns of the whole, constantly checked by an eye that finds out even a wrong casting-up of numbers in the totals. Lord Wellington reads and looks into everything. He hunts every other day almost, and then makes up for it by great diligence and instant decision on the intermediate days. He works until about four o'clock ; and then for an hour or two, parades with any one whom he wants to talk to, up and down the little square of Frenada (amidst all the chattering Portuguese) in his gray great- coat."

There is nice reading of character in the following ; though the trait noted belongs more or less to all persons engaged in extensive and complicated affairs. Perhaps Nelson had less of forgetfulness than most great men—more affection. "Head. Quarters, Iezaca, August 9th.—You ask me if Lord Wellington has recollected — with regard ? He seems to have had a great opinion of him, but scarcely has ever mentioned him to me. In truth, I think Lord Wellington has an active, busy mind, alwayslooking to the future, and is so used to lose a useful man, that as soon as gone he seldom thinks more of him. He would be always, I have no doubt, ready to serve any one who had been about him who was gone, or the friend of a deceased friend, but he seems not to think much about you when once out of the way. He has too much of everything and everybody always in his way to think much of the absent. He said the other day, he bad great advantages now over every other Gene- ral. He could do what others dare not attempt ; and he had got the confi- dence of all the three Allied Powers so that what he said or ordered was, right or wrong, always thought And the same,' said he, with the troops : when I come myself, the soldiers think what they have to do the most important as I am there, and that all will depend on their exertions : of course, these are increased in proportion, and they will do for me what per- haps no one else can make them do. He said, he had several of the advan- tages possessed by Bonaparte, from his freedom of action and power of risk- ing, without being constantly called to account : Bonaparte was quite free from all inquiry, he was himself in fact very much so. The other advan- tages Bonaparte possessed, and which he made so much use of (Lord Wel- lington said) was his full latitude of lying : that, if so disposed, he said, he could not do."

The simple habits of Wellington, pushed to a degree of singu- larity, and possibly from vanity, appear strongly in the corre- spondence. The following is an example of them, when the army had entered Toulouse and the Bourbons were acknowledged.

"An odd incident occurred to me just before the procession on Wednes- day. I was at Lord Wellington's new hotel, the great inn, the Hotel de France, endeavouring to find his room, to leave a court-martial, when I stumbled on my friend the Dutch aide-de-camp of General Clausel; who told me he was looking for one of our Marshal's aides-de-camp in waiting, to in- troduce his General, who was behind him' and who, on my turning round, recognized me, as he and his division took me prisoner. To their great sur- prise, I told them there was no chance of finding an aide-de-camp, but per- haps we might find a sergeant, and I was on the search. It so happened there was no one but an ignorant sentinel. In trying a door or two, we all blundered upon Lord Wellington, who came himself to the door; so I intro- duced the astonished Clausel, and walked off.

"My Dutch friend told me that Soult and Suchet would have had about six aides-de-camp, &c. in the first room, and a general officer in waiting in the second. I own I think our great man is in the opposite extreme; but he does not like being watched and plagued. Just after the state levee yester- day, I saw him cross the crowded square in his blue coat and round fiat, al- most unnoticed and unknown even to the very people who half an hour be- fore had been cheering him. In one angle of Lord Wellington's hotel lives Madame C—, a Spanish beauty, married into a French family of rank, who are the proprietors of the hotel, but who have been obliged to let nearly the whole, reserving this angle. I do not mean to be scandalous, but this perhaps may have decided the choice of the house."

" Wellingtons " and "Wellington boots," almost among the things that were, with the yet prevailing frock, might have pre- pared us for the following.

"In one instance Lord Wellington is not like Frederick the Great. He is remarkably neat, and moat particular in his dress, considering his situation. He is well made, knows it, and is willing to set off to the best what nature has bestowed. In short, like every great man, present or past, almost with- out exception, he is vain. He cuts the skirts of his own coats shorter, to make them look smarter ; and only a short time since I found him discuss- ing the cut of his half-boots and suggesting alterations to his servant, when I went in upon business. The vanity of great men shows itself in different ways, but I believe always exists in some shape or other."

It will have been seen from a preceding extract, that Mr. Lar- pent was taken prisoner—not, as he intimates, by Clausel and "his division," but by a few stragglers therefrom getting into his rear 'when he had approached too close to the operations going on.

His account of his detention, and what he saw till exchanged, is very interesting as a picture of the French army and the French people. His description of France, and of the opinions and feelings of the people during our advance upon Toulouse, though not always bearing upon the Peninsular army, is yet of value as a portrait of a particular age and of French versatilities for all ages. Read by the light of what has since occurred, the return from Elba, the expulsion of the elder Bourbons, and even succeeding events, if not to have been predicted, are not surprising. The military and the very ignorant were Bonapartists ; the true Bour- bonists were few in number, and soon became dissatisfied with the liberality of Louis the Eighteenth. The mass in towns were loud in professions, but, weary of conscriptions, requisitions, exactions, and other Imperial demands, their wish was peace at any price —" Pistol, I would be quiet." And to this end the English and Wellington had quite as strong a party as the Duke d'Angouleme.