Excerpt from The Trumpet-Major, John Loveday, a Soldier in the War With Buonaparte and Robert, His Brother, First Mate in the Merchant Service: A Tale

Those who have attempted to construct a coherent narrative of past times from the fragmentary information furnished by survivors, are aware of the difficulty of ascer taining the true sequence of events indiscriminately re called. For this purpose the newspapers of the date were indispensable. Of other documents consulted I may men tion, for the satisfaction of those who love a true story, that the 'address to all Ranks and Descriptions of Englishmen' was transcribed from an original copy in a local museum; that the hieroglyphic portrait of Napoleon existed as a print down to the present day in an old woman's cottage near 'overcombe that the particulars of the King's doings at his favourite watering-place were augmented by details from records of the time. The drilling scene of the local militia received some additions from an account given in so grave a work as Gifl'ord's 'history of the Wars of the French Revolution' (london, But on reference to the History I find I was mistaken in supposing the account to be advanced as authentic, or to refer to rural England. However, it does in a large degree accord with the local traditions of such scenes that l have heard recounted, times without number, and the system of drill was tested by re ference to the Army Regulations of 1801, and other military handbooks. Almost the whole narrative of the supposed landing of the French in the Bay is from oral relation as aforesaid. Other proofs of the veracity of this chronicle have escaped my recollection.

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