A history of the Peninsular War . new government—the more enter-prising of them came to Bordeaux to offer their homage to theDuke of Angouleme. The late prefect of the Gironde, Valsuzenay,was one of the first to appear—he was followed a little later byGeneral Decaen himself, who as early as April 11th sent in hisadhesion to the new government at Paris. The tricolour floatedfor a few days longer on the citadel of Blaye, but the mayor ofthe town came out to explain to Dalhousie that it would comedown the moment that Admiral Jacob was convinced that therevolution had taken place. And this was ind
A history of the Peninsular War . new government—the more enter-prising of them came to Bordeaux to offer their homage to theDuke of Angouleme. The late prefect of the Gironde, Valsuzenay,was one of the first to appear—he was followed a little later byGeneral Decaen himself, who as early as April 11th sent in hisadhesion to the new government at Paris. The tricolour floatedfor a few days longer on the citadel of Blaye, but the mayor ofthe town came out to explain to Dalhousie that it would comedown the moment that Admiral Jacob was convinced that therevolution had taken place. And this was indeed the case: afterDecaens repudiation of the imperial regime, Blaye hoisted theWhite Banner like every other place in the South, and Englishvessels ran in safety up to the quays of Bordeaux. Governmenttransports presently brought a brigade of English militia whichhad volunteered for foreign service, under the Marquis of Bucking-ham—the first experiment of the kind. Dalhousie would have OPERATIONS ROUND RORDFAUX. MARCH-apbh. 1814] CHEERFUL DAYS AT BORDEAUX 405 welcomed them on April 1st, but they only appeared after thewar was over. More welcome were the merchantmen bringingcolonial wares for southern France, which had so long beendeprived of them. Bordeaux showed for the next month a sceneof continuous festivity—merchants, shipmasters, lawyers, andthe long-submerged or exiled noblesse fraternized in the crowdedante-room of the Duke of Angouleme, and united to make lifepleasant for the English garrison. Every diary of a Peninsularofficer who passed through the city in the spring of 1814 is fullof tales of good cheer and friendly acquaintances. Dalhousie,who had found his troops surprisingly well-behaved1, could sendto Wellington assurances that all was well in the best of allpossible worlds. He was immensely popular in the city, and whenhe quitted it, two months later, was presented with a sword ofhonour by the municipality. 1 He expresses his surprise in his letter to
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