innovation, but he was determined he would have no more grand totals, until he got another Vittoria without more loss; that the loss was always great enough, in all conscience, without displaying it in this ostentatious manner, and that he would not have every drummer and every officer, etc., killed or wounded in the five days, all added up in one grand total; but that, at least, the croakers should have the trouble themselves of adding up all the different losses, and making it out for themselves."

FÊTE AT CIUDAD RODRIGO.

The Duke of Wellington having been desired to invest Lieut.-General the Hon. Galbraith Lowry Cole with the Order of the Bath in a suitable manner, and as he had never done anything at Ciudad Rodrigo, of which place he had been created duke, he resolved to give a grand fête there in the midst of the ruins. This grand dinner, ball, and supper, came off on the 13th March, 1813; to which the heads of departments, generals, public authorities, Spaniards and English, were asked to dinner, to the amount of sixty-five. In the evening, ladies about forty, and the men about a hundred and fifty, came to the ball and supper. The dinner and supper were half cooked at Frenada, and carried over in military waggons and on mules. Mr. Larpent, the Judge Advocate-General, says, in his journal, that the whole went off very well, except that it was excessively cold, as a few balls, during the siege, had knocked in several yards of the roof of the ball-room, and it was a hard frost at the time. The house where the entertainment was given was the best in the town, only it had suffered a little during the siege; all de

fects were nearly concealed, and one hole in the floor had a man near it to see that no one got a leg in, and a mat was over the hole. One Spanish officer was seen with a turkey's leg sticking out of his pocket. Mr. Larpent accounts for this by remarking that probably a turkey had not been seen there for months, and these were all brought from thirty to forty miles down the Douro, near Lamego. All passed off well, and only a few silver spoons, and knives and forks, with one plate, were reported missing.

BARRACK LIBRARIES.

The British soldier now forms no inconsiderable unit of the "reading public." For some years past, an annual grant has been made by parliament for the purchase of books, chessmen, draughts, dominoes, etc., for the troops; and the consequence is, that a regularly appointed library now exists at almost every barrack-station.

The mental pabulum collected by the literary commissariat consists of upwards of 110,000 volumes, affording healthy nourishment to something like 17,000 readers, who show their appreciation of these libraries by the readiness with which they subscribe their monthly pennies for the privilege of using

them.

*

It appears by Colonel Lefroy's interesting Report on Army Schools that the viands most to the taste of soldiers, are those which are lightest and most easy of digestion, as served up by Miss Austin, Mrs. Bray, Miss

* In the United Kingdom alone. The records from foreign stations appear incomplete.

Edgeworth, Miss Porter, Miss Ferrier, and by Cooper, Bulwer Lytton, Dickens, Fielding, James, Lever, Lover, Marryatt, and Peter Parley. The "Penny Magazine," and the "Regimental Records," are also great favourites; but poetry, travels, and professional works, are side-dishes but little sought after,—while books of reference, biographies, natural histories, and religious works are real "pièces de résistance," seldom tasted.

The munificence of royalty is not less marked than the liberality of parliament in this matter.

During the war in the Crimea a consignment of 2112 volumes was sent out by the Queen to Sir William Codrington, who was desired to make arrangements for their free and unrestricted circulation throughout the army. As a proof of the estimation in which this mark of their sovereign's solicitude was held by the troops, it may be mentioned that when the books thus entrusted to the honourable keeping of her soldiers were sent back to England, not more than two were missing, though all bore traces of active service, and several had been entirely worn out by the siege operations to which they had been exposed.

After the return of the army these books were carefully examined and repaired, and their deficiencies made good, and they now form two separate establishments-the "Victoria Soldiers' Libraries "-at Aldershot and Dublin, where, doubtless, they will continue to be long and peacefully enjoyed as heirlooms by the successors of those for whose solace and amusement, while engaged in the varied scenes and sufferings of war, they were originally provided by a beneficent mistress.

NAMES OF BATTLES ON THE STANDARDS AND COLOURS,

The Lion of Nassau, with the motto "Virtutis Namurcensis Præmium," conferred on the Eighteenth (Royal Irish) Regiment, for its distinguished conduct at the siege of Namur, in King William III.'s reign, is one of the most ancient honorary distinctions granted to a corps for a service of this nature. Next to this is the word MINDEN, which is the first name of a battle allowed to be inscribed on the colours, otherwise the victories of the illustrious Marlborough might have been thus emblazoned. Had such been the custom the following British regiments engaged at the battle of Blenheim, on the 13th of August, 1704, and since retained on the establishment of the army, would have displayed that word on their colours. Their ancient and present designations are given :

Lord John Hay's

Ross's

TWO REGIMENTS OF DRAGOONS.

2nd (Royal North British) Dragoons (Scots Greys).

5th (Royal Irish) Light Dragoons (Lancers).

15th Foot.

FOURTEEN BATTALIONS OF INFANTRY.

Battalion of Foot Guards Grenadier Guards.

1st, or the Royal Regiment.

3rd Foot, or the Buffs.

8th, or the King's Regiment.
10th Foot.

Meredith's

16th Foot.

18th (Royal Irish) Regiment.

21st, Royal N. British Fusiliers. 23rd, Royal Welsh Fusiliers. 24th Regiment.

26th (Cameronians).

37th Regiment.

The following names of battles, etc., have been authorised to the regiments specified :

AFFGHANISTAN-4, 16 Lt. Dr. ; 2, 13, 17 Foot.

ALBUHERA-3 Dr. Gds.; 4 Lt. Dr.; 3, 7, 23, 28, 29, 31, 34, 39, 48, 57, 60, 66 Foot.

ALIWAL-16 Lancers; 31, 50, 53 Foot.

ALMA-4 Lt. Dr. ; 8, 11 Hussars; 13 Lt. Dr.; 17 Lancers; Gren. Gds., Coldst. and Sco. Fu. Gds.; 1, 4, 7, 19, 20, 21, 23, 28, 30, 33, 38, 41, 42, 44, 47, 49, 50, 55, 63, 68, 77, 79, 88, 93, 95 Foot; Rifle Brigade.

ALMARAZ-50, 71, 92 Foot.

ARABIA-65 Foot.

ARROYO-DOS-MOLINOS-34 Foot.

ASSAYE-74, 78 Foot.

AVA-1, 13, 38, 41, 44, 45, 47, 54, 87, 89 Foot.

BADAJOZ-4, 5, 7, 23, 27, 30, 38, 40, 43, 44, 45, 48, 52, 60, 74, 77, 83, 88 Foot; Rifle Brigade.

BALAKLAVA-4, 5 Dr. Gds.; 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 17 Dragoons; 93 Foot.

BARROSA-Gren., Coldst., Sco. Fu. Gds.; 28, 67, 87 Foot; Rifle Brigade.

BHURTPORE-11, 16, Lt. Dr.; 14, 59 Foot.