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ly left his home, and enlisted. With respect, again, to Allan, the younger, little doubt can exist, that he adopted a similar course for no other reason than because his brother had done so before him. The attachment felt by the one towards the other far surpassed every thing of which you can form a notion, and rendered them objects of the liveliest interest to every man and officer in the corps. Yet were the young men in no one respect, whether of temper, disposition, habits, or even bodily constitution, alike. The elder was a bold, high-spirited, irascible, and somewhat capricious person,-of a powerful frame and robust constitution-an admirable shot, an expert swimmer, a fleet runner, and a skilful wrestler. The younger was a mild, sweet-tempered boy,-for when he joined us he had barely passed his seventeenth year, tall, but exceedingly slender,--and though by no means deficient either in courage or moral fortitude,-adverse to rough pastimes, and slow to take up a quarrel. Allan's constitution likewise was far from being a good one; his delicate complexion and narrow chest pointed him out as one in whom the seeds of the most melancholy of diseases were sown;yet was he lively and active,-and, whatever his natural debility might be, it could in his case be truly said, the spirit of the man supported his infirmities.' As I have already told you, the kind of love experienced and evinced by these brothers, the one towards the other, was such as we are not accustomed to witness, in real life, and which finds no parallel, except one, in the traditionary stories either of ancient or modern times.

"From what has been said of the tempers of these two young men, you will not be surprised to learn, that though the younger looked up to his elder brother as to a being of a superior order, he nevertheless possessed an influence over him, of which it is probable that neither the one nor the other was conscious. This he

invariably exerted for the purpose of extricating his more fiery relative from the many scrapes and difficulties into which his natural irritability was apt to lead him; whilst on the other hand, the elder seemed to regard Allan more as a man is apt to regard a delicate-minded female, than any thing besides. His very voice, when he spoke to him, assumed a softer tone, and however violent might be his pas sions, one word from his gentle monitor sufficed instantly to allay them. On the whole, the two appeared to be formed solely for each other's wants; and they were certainly not at their ease, either on duty or in the moments of relaxation, as often as they chanced to be sepa

rated.

"The recruits had been with us something more than a year, when an order arrived for the regiment to embark, and to join a considerable force which was then collecting under Sir Arthur Wellesley, at Cork. I need not inform you that in such cases, when immediate employment before an enemy is anticipated, the youngest and most weakly of the men are usually selected, for the purpose of being left behind, and forming a depot. On the present occasion the ordinary course was pursued, and Allan Cameron, as well upon my recommendation, as at the suggestion of the inspecting-ge

neral, was pointed out as a proper person for such service. But to the order, though peremptorily given, the young man refused to pay obedience. He was his brother's comrade, they were both of them grenadiers, Donald taking his place in the front rank, and Allan covering him, he had joined the regiment solely that they might not be separated, and wherever Donald went, there would he go. The same language was held by Donald, though with the violence characteristic of the speaker. Why should his brother's wish be thwarted? Was there a braver soldier in the ranks? and if he were not so robust as some, was not he more than able to carry his load for him?' At last the brothers, regardless of every thing like military discipline, threw themselves into each other's arms, and wept aloud. There was no holding out against such an appeal; and the colonel melted himself almost to tears, desired that Allan Cameron should not be forced from the place which he usually filled upon parade.

"It is not necessary that I should relate to you at length, how the troops assembled at the point of rendezvous; or how strangely all were affected when information reached them, that the very people against whom they had reason to believe that they were about to act, were all at once become allies. Let it suffice to state, that seldom have eyes beheld a spectacle more impoing than was presented on that splendid summer's afternoon, when upwards of one hundred and fifty sail, including line-of-battle ships, frigates, sloops-of-war, and transports, weighed anchor from the Cove; and, shaking loose their sails to a fair but gentle breeze, put to Nor was it the fleet alone which drew to itself the regards and admiration of those who beheld it. The shore was every where crowded with spectators; the old town of Cove turned out its thousands; Spike island, Carlisle and Camden forts, were each of them alive with men, women and children,-whose shouts of benediction rose loudly above the ripple of the waters, and were heard long after the last ship had cleared the capes. Surely there is no scene more elevating, and yet more conducive to solemn and serious thought, than the departure of an expedition from the shores of the country which sends it forth.

sea.

"Our voyage, though unaccountably tedious, was upon the whole sufficiently agreeable; that is to say, the weather proved moderate, and no untoward accident came in the way to excite painful or mortified feelings. We were somewhat surprised, indeed, when the frigate which conveyed the general, after desiring us, by telegraph, to move on at leisure, darted a-head, and left us to ourselves; but we entertained even then sufficient confidence in our leader to be aware, that this separation would not be of long continuance, and that it was designed to serve some good purpose. Nor were we deceived in this. Long before the coast of Spain hove in view, the frigate rejoined us, and we finally found ourselves at anchor off the Mondego, with a signal flying at the mast-head of the admiral's ship, that the troops should be in readiness to land, in heavy marching order, at a moment's notice.

"How the disembarkation was conducted, I

need not inform you. Our regiment having | been so fortunate as to take its passage in some of the lightest transports, touched the Portuguese soil so early as the second of August; where during several days and nights it found ample employment, in assisting to bring the stores, and the remainder of the troops to land. At last, however, all were assembled; and on the morning of the ninth, soon after the sun had risen, our little column took the road to Leria.

"You are doubtless aware of the adventures which befel, between this date and the seventeenth. The marches being neither long nor arduous, were well performed even by the most delicate of the young soldiers, who, in great numbers, made up this gallant army; nor was Allan Cameron, either in zeal or bodily strength, apparently at least, inferior to the best of his comrades. It is true that, after the first league or two, Donald would in no case permit him to carry his musket, and that on more than one occasion, when the excessive heat seemed to press severely upon him, he compelled him to unbuckle his very knapsack, and bore it himself. But though he yielded to his brother's remonstrances, Allan insisted that for such interference there was no necessity, and he never failed in a single instance to be found at his post when wanted. At last, however, symptoms that the enemy were not far distant began to multiply. At Leria rumours came in upon us that one French army was in our immediate front, whilst others were in rapid march from Lisbon and Thomar to reinforce it. By and by, certain intelligence arrived that strong bodies of the enemy were in position at Brilos and Ovedos; and finally the posts themselves, as well as the resolution of Sir Arthur Wellesley immediately to force them, became apparent. The latter event occurred, with a trifling loss in our party, on the fifteenth; and, the sixteenth having been employed in reconnoitring the main position, we proceeded on the morning of the seventeenth, to attack General Laborde, in his formidable allignement above Roliça.

"Our regiment, as you doubtless know, formed one of those, which, on the retreat of Laborde to his second position, carried that dif ficult pass which covered the centre of the French division. Entangled in the defile, the two brothers, being, as I have already said, grenadiers, found themselves, as well as the rest of their company, suddenly brought into contact with a very superior force, and deprived of all support from the remainder of the battalion. The French having thinned their ranks by a well-directed volley, instantly closed, and though our brave fellows fought nobly, their utmost exertions availed but little. On this occasion, when our people were reluctantly giving ground, two French soldiers sprang upon Donald Cameron, and his foot happening to slip at the instant, threw him; but his brother was at hand to succour him :-the weapons of the Frenchmen were already uplifted against his breast, when Allan, whose musket chanced to be loaded, fired. One adversary instantly fell, and before the other could either step aside, or ward off the blow, he received the bayonet of the young Highlander in his throat.

All this was the work of a moment, for, fresh troops coming up, our soldiers again resumed the offensive; and in a short time the first of Sir Arthur Wellesley's great series of European victories was won.

"If the brothers loved each other previous to this occurrence, their affection seemed to have acquired tenfold additional strength in consequence of it. Donald absolutely worshipped his brave and gentle relative; whilst Allan clung to Donald as the ivy clings to the oak, or the honeysuckle to the trellis-work over which it is twined.

"The battle of Vimiero opened the way, as you are well aware, to a negotiation, which cleared Portugal, for a time, of its invaders, and left us at liberty to march, as soon as selfcreated difficulties were overcome, to the assistance of the Spaniards. This we at length did, and, passing through some of the most interesting provinces of the Peninsula, we found ourselves, on the fifteenth of December, housed in comfortable cantonments in the city of Salamanca. There we remained inactive for a long while; rumour after rumour coming in to puzzle us, till a spirit of discontent began to exhibit itself among all classes. But the cause of the delay appeared at last to be withdrawn; and to the inexpressible satisfaction of the troops, our columns moved towards the Carrion, with the view, as it was generally understood, of attacking Soult.

"It is not for me to question the propriety of that resolution, which, when the minds of men were wrought up to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, suddenly caused all idea of acting on the offensive to be laid aside. Sir John Moore was doubtless swayed by wise and prudential motives, in declining the battle for which every preparation had been made, and falling back behind the Esla; but for the precipitancy with which the retreat was afterwards conducted, no military reasons, of which I, at least, am aware, can be given. It broke the discipline of his army; it destoyed the morale even of those who never quitted their corps; and it caused a greater loss among the feeble, and such as could not keep up with their comrades, than would have been incurred by two general actions. I cannot pause to describe to you any one of the many pitiable scenes of which that disastrous retreat was prolific,-but I must tell you something of what befel on that terrible night, which saw us in march under a pelting shower of sleet from Lurgo to Valmuda.

"Our rear-guard had been sharply engaged with the advance of Soult's army during the day; and having repulsed them, we were ordered, at eleven o'clock at night, to retire. This we did; but during that long and painful movement, the strength of Allan Cameron, which had hitherto been preserved by more than a natural exertion of courage, gave way. He dropped by the road side and declared himself unable to go further. It was in vain that Donald relieved him of every thing, even to his very pouch and bayonet,-the boy could not rise, and to all it became manifest enough that he must be abandoned. No words of mine could do justice to the state of Donald's feelings, when the dreadful alternative seemed to be before him, either of leaving his brother to

sault.

his fate, or of himself abandoning his ranks,- | carry it after dark, on the same night, by asbut nature was too strong even for military duty. He determined at all hazards to remain with Allan; and the measure being connived at rather than sanctioned by his officers, the corps passed, leaving the brothers, one sitting, and the other lying at length by the road-side. I need not add, that no one ever expected to see them again.

"It was fortunate for the brothers, however distressing to the army at large, that the complete exhaustion consequent upon this night's march, compelled Sir John Moore to halt during the greater part of the day following, at Valmuda. To the extreme surprise, as well as satisfaction of all, they overtook us here, Donald carrying Allan, as he had done for the last three miles, upon his back; and as there chanced to be a spare mule at hand, the poor boy was immediately mounted and sent to the rear. As to Donald, he again took his station in the front rank of the grenadier company, and though he had not closed an eye during the last sixty hours, he nevertheless contrived to reach the position in front of Corunna, in as high spirits as any of his comrades. Donald was present in the action which ensued, where he received a severe wound through both thighs; and, as if Providence had decreed that the two brothers should never be separated, at least for any length of time, he was removed in this plight on board the very vessel in which Allan had taken his passage.

"Though the regiment returned soon after to the Peninsula, Donald, from the effects of his wounds, and Allan from those of exhaustion, were pronounced unfit to accompany it; and they were in consequence drafted into the second battalion, then quartered in Ireland. There they remained, happy in each other's society, till a short time ago, when they again made their appearance at the seat of war; having been sent out with a draft, which join. ed us on the Douro. The brothers advanced with us through Spain, in the same affectionate, and even romantic spirit, which had hitherto actuated them. They took part in the battle of Vittoria, from which they escaped unhurt; they shared in the separate triumphs of Sir Thomas Graham's column; and, finally, they found themselves attached to that portion of the British army, to which the siege of St. Sebastian had been entrusted.

"You recollect the ruined convent of St. Bartholome, which stands on the summit of of one of those hills that enclose the town of St. Sebastian on every side. When we first arrived in the vicinity of this place, that was a very formidable post,-the French having strongly fortified it with ditches and embankments, and surrounded the whole with a circle of field works. But as it commanded the point from which our trenches must take their commencement, it became essential, in the first place, to make ourselves master of it; and though as yet our battering artillery was far in the rear, and it seemed almost proof against light artillery, the general resolved to make the native courage of his men do the work of science and art. With this view a battery of field-guns opened upon it; and a portion of the wall being beaten in, orders were issued to

"It fell to the lot of our grenadier company to form part of the force selected for the execu tion of this important, but perilous service; and Donald and Allan Cameron had again assumed their stations among their old companions. They accordingly appeared, like the rest, at the place of muster, just one hour after the sun had set, where in profound silence and in perfect order, the party awaited the signal of attack. I have often been a witness to such scenes as this-I have often seen columns formed preparatory to some mighty enterprise, but I am not aware that I ever experienced a livelier or more painful anxiety than on the present occasion. On the one hand, the redoubt about to be assailed, was one of no ordinary strength; it was well garrisoned, as we had learned to our cost;-and its defences were little if at all injured; whilst on the other hand, the force appointed to carry it consisted of only a small portion of the besieging army. We, therefore, felt ourselves to be mere lookers-on; and I question whether the sensations of a mere looker-on be not, under such circumstances, even more violent and more harassing than those of an actor. Be this as it may, to one fact I can bear witness, namely, that the troops who composed the storming party were surrounded by a whole crowd of their comrades, whose wishes, however fervent, found no voice to express them, and whose very lips were pressed closely together, as if they had been unwilling to indulge even in the necessary act of respiration.

So

"In the meanwhile, the twilight, which had for some time been dying gradually away, sank into night. There was no moon, or at least she had not yet risen; when a low sound, coming from the rear of the corps, made its way gradually to the front, and the word forward became audible. Now then the persons not on duty opened to the right and left, and the little column, with quick, but silent tread, and in the most perfect order, pushed on. well had the whole matter been arranged, that many minutes elapsed ere the movement became known to the enemy; and we who watched the event in the rear, began to hope that the redoubt might be entered by surprise. But the hope was not permitted to continue long in operation. First a single musket-shot, then another, then a tremendous volley, told that concealment was at an end; and the shouts of our soldiers, heard in the intervals of the firing, gave testimony that they looked for success, not to fortune, but to their own exertions.

"In spite of a hot and well-directed fire, the leading files of the assailants contrived to penetrate, without a check, not only across the outer ditch and rampart, but into the very body of the place. There, however, they were met by a corps of French grenadiers, who fought with the fury of men naturally brave, and driven to more than ordinary exertions by the stimulus of intoxication; and many a bayonet, on one side as well as the other, became in a few minutes, crimsoned to its very socket. Our advanced guard, of which the brothers formed a part, stood the shock gallantly, and had an adequate force been at hand to support

them, they would have doubtless overcome all opposition, with a trifling loss to themselves; but unfortunately this was not the case. Whether the fire from the convent had told more murderously upon the main body of the column, and checked them; or whether, as is more probable, they had missed their way in the dark, and separated themselves from those in front, it is hard to say; but that they were separated from the leading section is certain. The consequence was, that these brave men, after being actually in possession of the great hall of the convent, were driven out; and that the place was not reduced till many valuable lives had fallen a sacrifice.

"It was at this moment, when the party overborne by superior numbers, were falling back, that Donald, who fought desperately as he retired, planted his foot, upon some soft substance, which shrank, as it were, from beneath his tread. A horrible idea crossed his mind, as a sort of groan, coming evidently from the object on which he was standing, caught his ear. He leaped aside, and a ray of light, from some of the wood-work which had taken fire, falling at the instant upon the spot, he eagerly gazed round in quest of his brother. His brother was not to be seen. But there was the body of an English soldier lying near him, and, regardless of every thing besides, he sprang towards it. What followed no one can tell; because the French came on so fast, that our troops were almost immediately driven from the place; and, on mustering again in the outer court, both Donald and Allan were missing; but the final catastrophe was one which none, that chanced to witness it, will ever forget.

"The advanced guard, being speedily reinforced by fresh troops, returned to the charge, and the French were again beaten from the court to the hall, and from the hall to the blazing corridors. They fled in all directions, and being pursued from cell to cell, and from one hiding place to another, many were bay. oneted, and the rest taken. But the convent itself was now one sheet of flame. The fire, which during the heat of the struggle had first been kindled, spread terrifically through the pile, and it became necessary for the men who had won it, instantly to abandon their conquest. This they prepared to do, as soon as they should have removed their wounded and prisoners; and it was whilst looking for the former that the dreadful fate of Donald and Allan Cameron became known to them. On returning to the great hall, they beheld the former, sitting in the midst of fire and smoke, and supporting the head of the latter upon his knees. But it was the head, not of a living, but a dead man, which lay there, and it bore marks, which do not often disfigure the countenance, even of a man slain in battle. In the delicate cheek were impressed deep dints, as if from the nails in the shoe of a heavy foot which had rested roughly upon it. How this occurred there is no room to doubt, and the consequences which arose out of it were hardly different from what might have been anticipated.

"Donald Cameron has never been himself from that moment. When first discovered he

was in a state of pitiable idiocy; and he has continued ever since a melancholy maniac. Whether he will ever recover his senses, God alone can tell; but I confess that I entertain but slender hopes of any such desirable consummation."

My host here ended his story, than which I thought at the moment, that I had not often listened to one more affecting. I only regret that it is not in my power to say how far the doctor's humane prayer was heard. All that I do know on the subject is, that Donald Cameron was soon afterwards sent home as incurable; and the probability is, that he still continues the victim of a calamity, by far the most distressing of all to which frail humanity. is liable.

From the Winter's Wreath. "FAIR HELEN OF KIRCONNEL."

BY MRS. HEMANS.

"Fair Helen of Kirconnel," as she is called in the Scottish Minstrelsy, throwing herself between her betrothed lover and a rival by whom his life was assailed, received a mortal wound, and died in the arms of the former. HOLD me upon thy faithful heart, Keep back my flitting breath; 'Tis early, early to depart,

Sweet friend!-yet this is Death!
Look on me still-let that kind eye

Be the last light I see!
Oh! sad it is in spring to die,
But yet I die for thee!

For thee, my own!-thy stately head
Was never thus to bow ;-

Give tears when with me Love hath fled,
True Love-thou know'st it now;

Oh! the free streams look'd bright, where'er
We in our gladness rov'd;

And the blue skies were very fair-
Dear friend! because we lov'd.
Farewell!-I bless thee-live thou on,
When this young heart is low!
Surely my blood thy life hath won-
Clasp me once more-I go!

TO A TOWN GARDEN.

THOU narrow space enclosed in gloomy brick, Where stones and sand my patient toil defy; Where vegetable life describes a stick,

And smoke and dust obscure the summer sky!

'Tis vain, I verily believe, to try,

With watering-can, or spade, or rake, or hoe,

To force one violet to unfold its eye,

Or gay laburnum on thy waste to glow! And I have sometimes asked myself, if so It be with human hearts, amid the throng Of cities, and their busy cares among,

That not one native blossom there will grow, Of frankness, innocence, and gentle love, Given to the meanest hut, with pure, clear skies above! J. W.

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Than Greece and Rome ere adverse times began?

Let the eye roam at large from pole to pole,
Scan every patch that bears a human soul,
And say wherein the race it gazes on
Arise superior to their fathers gone.
In vain we boast of arts our sires had not,
How much we would recover, is forgot!
In vain we shout "Improvement" while around
The moan of Misery mocks the lying sound-
While Avarice usurps the regal throne,
Holds a relentless sway and rules alone-
While Vice infuses poison in the cup
Of life, and self-destroying gulps it up:
And the same soil soaked in mild Abel's blood
Is yearly deluged with a crimson flood.

The flag of conquest streams o'er many lands;

Its staff reposes not in chosen hands;
To-day it glows beneath the rising sun,
To-morrow meets him when his course is
done;

This hour flies lightly on the southern gale, Fiercely the next where northern blasts prevail.

Where sleeps thy pride, old Egypt?-where is thine,

Loved of Jehovah-favoured Palestine?-
'Mid storms of sand the desert-demon reigns
Above the silent cities of the plains;
Great Babylon and Nineveh, ye now

Would spare the labour of the victor's plough!
Thy bird, Minerva! may a shelter find
In famed Athena suited to its kind!
But, worse than all, misfortune, linked to
shame,

Hath stamped abasement on the Roman

name

A poor besotted thing of crumbling clay
In Caesar's city keeps a bigot's sway,
And Superstition its black draught distils
Where Tully's thunder shook the imperial

hills!

And must this dreary game be always played?

Shall men for ever grapple with a shade?
Will England, too, like Venice, Belgium, feel
The sea-slime oozing through the rotten keel-
Her mighty members lopped-her laurels

torn

Her name become to younger states a scorn? Yet nothing done to make her downfall more Worthy of weeping than those sped before; This, the sole record on her wave-washed stone

"Once glory dwelt in Albion-it is gone!"

By heaven! it is beyond conception strange, How man, the changeling, shuns all noble change!

How spirits, panting for exalted state,
Creep on the vulgar highway to be great!
For riches lick the dust or coin the lie
To purchase honours merit may not buy;
Or risk their own to cut a throat or two

In some low cause projected by the fewWhen there are smiles to win, and tears to dry,

And many an untold wrong to rectify,
And bleeding hearts to heal, and fame to gain,
Unbought by flattery, dross, or myriads slain;
The sacred incense of a people's prayers
For him who sees his happiness in theirs-
The radiant blessings of the grateful breast
That on the brow affectionately rest,
That, ere the soul to its Creator flies,
Ascend, a starry herald, to the skies,
While the gross meteor of the slaves of earth
Sinks with them in the clod which gave them
birth.

Hasten, O God Omnipotent! the hour When Truth shall reign with undivided pow

er

When Innocence shall cease to be the game At which the hunters of their species aimWhen generous natures shall escape a sneer, Because they scothed pale Wo and shared its

tear;

When the historian's page no more shall be
A damning proof against humanity-
When all the eternal precept shall revere,
That to do good is to be happy here-
When man shall make a common league with

man

To crush whatever mars Love's holy planTo blast the selfish baseness that would steal The thoughts, one moment, from the general weal.

From the Winter's Wreath. PLEASANT COMPANIONS. "To be good and disagreeable is high treason against virtue."

WHO that observes the effect of manner, good or bad, upon the judgments of men concerning individuals, but must feel that it is a most

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