1. Zachary Mudge b. 1842 ; d. 1856.
2. Frederick Mudge b. 1843; d. 1856.
3. Arthur Thomas Mudge b. 1846.
4.11.1.3 ARTHUR THOMAS, son of Zachary and Jane Mudge, b. 1846, of Sydney, Plympton ; m. Jane Elizabeth Dickson (her sister Mary married Richard Mallock, of Cockington Court).
1. Arthur b. 1871.
2. John Granger b. 1872.
3. Jenny b. 1874.
4. Henry Burrell b. 1877. b. 1881.
4.12 Elizabeth Mudge m Lieut Colonel Sir Richard Fletcher RE -
4.12. ELIZABETH MUDGE, daughter of Dr. John Mudge, by his wife Elizabeth, was born Feb. 8th, 1771; she married in 1797, Lieut. Col. Richard Fletcher, Royal Engineers, who distinguished himself as Chief Engineer during the Peninsular war. He was created a Baronet in 1812, and the following year terminated his gallant career before San Sebastian.
Richard was the son of Rev Richard Fletcher c 1739 who married Elizabeth Blackstone on 12th September, 1763 at St Margaret, Rochester, Kent. In 1754, he was living at St Mary's Rectory at Rochester Kent.
His mother Elizabeth Blackestone, died 1799, his father Rev Richard Fletcher died 1814
He was born July 1764 and baptised at Rochester.
She died in 1808 leaving three daughters and two sons. He died in 1813. The children were
1. Elizabeth Mary Mallock Fletcher 1799 - 1882
2. Harriett Fletcher 1799 - 1842 m William Darwin Fox
3. Jane Mudge Fletcher 1803 - 1879 m George Broadrick
4. Sir Richard John Fletcher 1805 - 1876
5. Charles Orlando Fletcher 1806 - 1840
2nd Lieut Richard Zachary Mudge Ordnance Office 1807
Died: 31 Aug, 1813
Field: Soldier; engineer
Location in the Abbey: Nave
Type of memorial: Plaque
Type of material: Marble
Lieut Richard Mudge also there Alberche
Elizabeth's husband was a brave man, and so often in modern times, there is the notion that officers in the Royal Engineers lacked the skills of battle. How wrong that conception is. Not only were they skilled in professions of engineering and surveying, they also were very brave soldiers.Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Richard Fletcher, 1st Baronet (1768 – 31 August 1813) was an engineer in the British Army known for his work on the Lines of Torres Vedras. He fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and Peninsular Wars, and was mentioned in dispatches a number of times, most notably for his actions at Talavera, Busaco, Badajoz and Vitoria. Fletcher was twice wounded in the line of duty before being killed in action at the Siege of San Sebastian.
Little is known of Richard Fletcher's early life, even his exact date of birth is obscure. It is known however that the year was 1768 and his father was a clergyman. On 27 November 1796, at Plymouth, he married Elizabeth Mudge the daughter of a doctor. Fletcher and his wife went on to have five children together; two sons and three daughters. Though Fletcher was buried near to where he was killed at San Sebastián, a monument to his memory, purchased by the Royal Engineers, stands at the western side of the north aisle in Westminster Abbey, London.
Richard Fletcher enrolled as a cadet in the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich on 7 October 1782. He began his career in the Royal Artillery where he became a second-lieutenant on 9 July 1788, before joining the Royal Engineers on 29 June 1790. Fletcher was promoted to lieutenant on 16 January 1793 and when France declared war on Britain, later that year, he was sent to serve in the West Indies.
While in the West Indies, Fletcher played an active role in the successful attacks on the French colonies of Martinique, Gaudeloupe and St Lucia, which occurred between February and April 1794. It was during the capture of St Lucia he received a gunshot wound. Fletcher was transferred to the British controlled island of Dominica where he was appointed chief engineer before being sent home at the end of 1796.
While in England, Fletcher served as adjutant to the Royal Military Artificers in Portsmouth until December 1798 when he was sent to Constantinople (now Istanbul) to act as an advisor to the Ottoman Government. Intending to travel through Hanover, Fletcher set sail from England but his ship was wrecked near the mouth of the river Elbe and Fletcher was forced to walk across two miles of ice before reaching land. After three months travelling through Austria and Ottoman territories in the Balkans, Fletcher finally arrived in Constantinople on 29 March 1799. In June 1799, Fletcher, alongside Ottoman troops, advanced into Syria, forcing Napoleon to forgo his siege of Acre and retreat to Egypt.
During 1799, after his return from Syria, Fletcher took part in the preparation of the defences for the Turks in the Dardanelles. After a spell with Ottoman forces in Cyprus, Fletcher returned to Syria in June 1800, to oversee the construction of fortifications at Jaffa and El Arish. Fletcher served under Sir Ralph Abercromby in December 1800 at Marmaris Bay, practising beach assaults for the expected invasion of Egypt the following year. An expedition to reconnoitre the Egyptian port of Alexandria, led to Fletcher's capture when, while returning to his ship after a night reconnaissance mission ashore, Fletcher was intercepted by a French patrol vessel. He was held prisoner in Alexandria until its capture on 2 September 1801.
In October 1801, when the general armistice was signed, Fletcher returned to England, having been promoted to captain while he was imprisoned and later decorated by the Ottoman Empire for his services. The Treaty of Amiens was signed on 25 March 1802 but peace was short-lived and war broke out in May the following year.
Fletcher was again sent to Portsmouth where he helped bolster the defences of Gosport. Promoted to major on 2 April 1807, Fletcher took part in the Battle of Copenhagen in August that year.
Soon after the start of the Peninsular War, Fletcher was sent to Portugal. He was part of the force that occupied Lisbon when the French withdrew following the Convention of Sintra, after which he accompanied Wellington as his chief engineer in the field. Promoted to lieutenant-colonel in the army, 2 March 1809, and then the Royal Engineers, 24 June 1809, he fought at the Battle of Talavera (27-28 July 1809) for which he received a mention in dispatches.
It was while Wellington was making preparations for a retreat to Portugal, that Fletcher became famous for one of the greatest military engineering feats in history. The celebrated Lines of Torres Vedras were constructed on the narrow peninsula between the Atlantic and the Tagus. These three lines of defence; the first 6 miles in front of the principal one and the last 20 miles behind, were intended to protect Lisbon and provide a line of retreat for the British to their ships should it be required. Fletcher began work on these defences on 20 October 1809, using Portuguese soldiers and civilians for the bulk of the labour. Rocky slopes were steepened and reinforced, and defiles were obstructed with forts and earthworks; trees and vegetation were removed to deprive the enemy of cover and sustenance, watercourses were dammed in order to construct impassable lakes or swamps and any buildings were either fortified or destroyed. Fortifications guarded every approach and batteries commanded the highground, while a system of signal stations and roads ensured that troops could be sent quickly to where they were needed the most. And all was conducted with the utmost secrecy so that neither Napoleon nor even the British Government were aware of the lines' existence until Wellington was obliged to retreat behind them later the following year
In July 1810, shortly before completion of the lines, Fletcher left the fortifications to serve alongside Wellington once more in the field, and was thus at the Battle of Buçaco (27 September 1810) where he again distinguished himself and was mentioned in dispatches. Wellington fell back to the Lines of Torres Vedras in October 1810, pursued by Marshal Masséna, who was shocked to find such extensive defences, having been promised by Portuguese rebels that the road to Lisbon was an easy one. Wellington's superiors were equally surprised to hear about the defences when they later received his report. After an unsuccessful attack on 18 October, Masséna initially retreated to Santarém but when his supplies ran out the following March, he abandoned any thoughts of another attempt and headed north.
Fletcher, as part of Wellington's forces, chased Masséna to Sabugal where, after some skirmishing, on 2 April, Masséna was finally brought to action at the Battle of Sabugal; the first of a number of engagements as Wellington and Masséna competed for position along the Portuguese and Spanish border. After forcing Masséna to abandon Sabugal, Wellington turned his attention towards Almeida and Ciudad Rodrigo; two fortresses that guarded the northern approach to Portugal. Wellington had planned to capture both while Masséna's army was still in disarray but the loss of Badajoz to Marshall Soult on 11 March, which protected the south, compelled him to divide his force.
Wellington sent a quarter of his troops to reinforce General Beresford's, with orders to re-take Badajoz, while his remaining force, which included Fletcher, would lay siege to Almeida. Masséna, now with a superior force, marched to relieve Almeida and Wellington, not wishing to fight under those conditions, withdrew to the town of Fuentes d'Onoro. The town changed hands a number of times during a battle that took place over 3 days (3 - 5 May), but ultimately remained under British control. Massénna's troops were neither able to reach the fort nor stay in the open and were thus forced to leave on 8 May. Wellington continued his siege and took possession of Almeida two days later.
Fletcher was again mentioned in dispatches when serving as chief engineer at the second siege of Badajoz (19 May - 10 June 1811). The engineers suffered many casualties in their attempts to dig the thin rocky soils around a fort that had been repaired and reinforced since the last unsuccessful siege. Running short of ammunition and having sustained heavy losses; and with news that French reinforcements were on the way, Wellington withdrew his forces to Elvas on 10 June. Fletcher was also present when Ciudad Rodrigo (7 - 19 January 1812) and, on the third attempt, Badajoz (17 March - 16 April 1812) were captured. In the latter engagement it was Fletcher who identified the weak point in the defences and so ultimately decided where the main attack should be.
On 19 March, Fletcher was shot in the groin when a French sortie in the fog reached the trenches where he and his engineers were working. His injury might have been much worse if it wasn't for a Spanish Silver Dollar in his pocket which took the main force of the musket ball. Fletcher's injury had him confined to his tent where Wellington, desperately short of good engineers, visited him daily for advice. Fletcher returned to England to recover, and was made a baronet on 14 December 1812, and awarded a pension of £1.00 per diem. He received the Portuguese award of the Order of the Tower and Sword; and the Army Gold Cross for Talavera, Bussaco, Ciudad Rodrigo, and Badajoz.
Fletcher returned to the Peninsular in 1813 and received a further mention in dispatches for his role in the Battle of Vitoria on 21 June. Fletcher directed the sieges of Pamplona and San Sebastián. He was killed in action during the final assault on San Sebastián on 31 August 1813.
Wellington's Engineers: Military Engineering on the Peninsular War 1808-1814 By Dr. Mark S. Thomson 2015 provides more detail
Badajoz; where Fletcher's engineers suffered heavy losses in two sieges and where in March 1812, Fletcher himself was wounded.Also working at the River Alverche, at the time, was 2nd Lieut Richard Mudge. To clarify his relationship he was Sir Richard Fletcher's nephew.
4.9.1 Richard Zachariah Mudge (also Zachary) (1790–1854) was an English officer of the Royal Engineers, known as a surveyor. He was the eldest son of William Mudge, and great-grandson of Zachariah Mudge, born at Plymouth on 6 September 1790. He was educated at Blackheath and at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He received a commission as second lieutenant Royal Engineers on 4 May 1807, and was promoted first lieutenant on 14 July the same year.
In March 1809 Mudge sailed for Lisbon, and joined the army under Sir Arthur Wellesley at Abrantes in May. He was present at the battle of Talavera, and on the enemy abandoning their position in front of Talavera he reconnoitred the River Alberche. He reached Escalona by the left bank, but taking the right bank to complete the reconnaissance, he was surprised by the enemy, who captured his attendant with his horse and baggage. He accompanied the army in the retreat from Talavera to Badajos, and was then employed in the construction of the lines of Lisbon. He returned to England on 20 June 1810 in poor health.
Mudge was employed under his father on the Ordnance Survey, and was for some years in charge of the drawing department at the Tower of London. He was promoted second captain on 21 July 1813. In 1817 he was directed to assist Jean Baptiste Biot, who was sent to England as the commissioner of the Bureau des Longitudes of Paris to take pendulum observations, and he accompanied Biot to Leith Fort near Edinburgh, to Aberdeen, and to Unst in the Shetland islands. At Unst Mudge fell ill, and had to return to London.
In 1818 he was engaged in superintending the survey of Lincolnshire. In 1819 he went to Dunkirk for the survey, and in 1821 to the north coast of France. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 5 December 1822. He was promoted first captain on 23 March 1825, and regimental lieutenant-colonel on 10 January 1837, remaining permanently on the Ordnance Survey. On the death of his uncle, Richard Rosedew of Beechwood, Devon, in 1837, he succeeded to the property
4.13. MARY MUDGE, daughter of Dr. John Mudge, was born October 13th, 1772. She married the Reverend Roger Mallock of Cockington, near Torquay.
MARY, dau. of John and Elizabeth Mudge, b. 1772; m. Reverend Roger Mallock, of Cockington.
1. Roger Mallock b. 1796.
2. Mary Mallock b. 1797; d. 1877.
3. John Jervis Mallock b. 1798.
4. Jane Mallock b. 1799.
5. Rawlin Mallock b. 1800; d. 1883.
6. Charles Herbert Mallock b. 1802 ; d. 1873.
7. Augusta Mallock b. 1803.
8. Samuel Mallock b. 1806.
9. Zachary Mallock b. 1808.
10. William Mallock b. 1810.
11. Anna Mallock b. 1818 ; d. 186-.
12. Emily Mallock b. 1814; d. 1883.
4.13.2 MARY, dau. of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 1797; d. 1877; m. Belfield Louis.
1. Jacquetta Elizabeth Louis b. 1826.
2. Jane Mary Louis b. 1827.
3. Clementina Augusta Louis b. 1834.
4. Ellen Anne Eleanor Louis b. 1835.
4.13.2.1 JACQUETTA ELIZABETH, dau. of Mary and Belfield Louis, b. 1826; m. Rev. Henry Woollcombe, M.A. Ch. Ch., Oxon,, of Ashbury near Oakhampton, Canon of Exeter, Archdeacon of Barnstaple.
1. Mary Woollcombe b. 1847.
2. Henry Woollcombe b.1848; d. 1883.
3. Charles BelfieldWoollcombe b. 1 851.
4. Walter George Woollcombe b. 1856.
5. Herbert Louis Woollcombe b. 1862.
6. Thomas ClementWoollcombe b. 1865.
7. Jacquetta Frances Woollcombe b. 1868.
4.13.2.1.2 HENRY, son of Jacquetta and Henry Woollcombe, b.1848; d.1883; m. Mary Jordan.
1. Henry Morth Woollcombe
2. Jacquetta Radegunde Woollcombe
3. Marcella Josaphine Woollcombe
4. Louis Douglas Woollcombe.
4.13.2.3 CLEMENTINA AUGUSTA, dau. of Mary and Belfield Louis, b. 1834; m. Rev. George Lambe.
1. Henry Edward Lambe b. 1858.
2. Mary Beatrice Lambe b. 1859.
3. Clementina Maude Lambe b. 1861.
4. Jacquetta EdithLambe b. 1862.
5. Charlotte Louisa Lambe b. 1864.
6. Alice Mabel Lambe b. 1865 ; d. 1870.
7. George Belfield Louis Lambe b. 1868.
8. Roger Francis Lambe b. 1872.
4.13.2.3.2 MARY BEATRICE, dau. of Clementina A. and George Lambe, b. 1859; m. Thomas Graham.
4.13.2.4 ELLEN ANNE ELEANOR, dau. of Mary and Belfield Louis, b. 1835 ; m. Rev. N, T. Every, B.A. Clare Coll., Cam., Vicar of St. Kew, Cornwall.
4.13.4 JANE, dau. of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 1799; m. I St, Rev. James Yonge ; m. 2nd, Rev. Robert Gee.
1. Alathea Gee b. 1834.
2. Robert Gee b. 1837.
3. John Gee b. 1840.
4. Walter Gee b. 1845.
4.13.4.1 ALETHEA, dau. of Jane and Robert Gee, b. 1834; m. 1st, Charles Collins ; m. 2nd, C. Lightfoot.
4.13.4.3 JOHN, son of Jane and Robert Gee, b. 1840; m. Lucy Mallock.
4.13.4.4 WALTER, son of Jane and Robert Gee, b. 1845 ; m. I St, Fanny m. 2nd, Gertrude .
4.13..5 RAWLIN, son of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 1800; d. 1883; Magd. Coll., Cam., Rector of Barwick; m. 1st, Harriet Cocker.
1. William Mallock b. .
2. Jessie Mallock b. .
m. 2nd, Fanny Dyke.
4.13.6 CHARLES HERBERT, son of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 1802; d. 1873; of Cockington Court, Co. Devon; m. Maria Champernowne, dau. of J. Champernowne, Esq., of Dartington.
1. Mary Mallock b. 1836; d. 1857.
2. Charlotte Sophia Mallock b. 1838.
3. Charles Herbert Mallock b. 1839; d. 1871.
4. Harriet Mallock b. 1842.
5. Richard Mallock b. 1843.
6. Fanny Mallock b. 1846.
7. Elizabeth Mallock b. 1848.
8. Gertrude Mallock b. 1850.
9. Katharine Mallock b. 1853.
10. John Jervis Mallock b. 1856.
4.13.6.5 RICHARD, son of Charles Herbert and Maria Mallock, b. 1843; of Cockington Court; m. 1st, Mary Dickson, d. 1878.
1. Helen Mary b. 1877;
2. Charles Herbert b. 1878 ;
m. 2nd, Emily Maconchy.
4.13.6.6 FANNY, dau. of Charles Herbert and Maria Mallock, b. 1846 ; m. Rev. Josiah Newman, M.A. Magd. Coll., Cam., Rector of West Buckland.
4.13.7 AUGUSTA, dau. of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 1803 5 i^- George Rimington Harris.
4.13.9 ZACHARY, son of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 1808; d. 1860; m. Laura Lynn.
1. Lucy b. 1844.
2. Mary b. 1845.
3. Cecilia b. 1847.
4. Constance b. 1849.
5. Arthur b. 1855.
4.13.9.1 LUCY, dau. of Zachary and Laura Mallock, b. 1844; m. John Gee.
4.13.9.2 MARY, dau. of Zachary and Laura Mallock, b. 1845; m. I. de Saumarez.
4.13.10 WILLIAM, son of Mary and Roger Mallock, b. 1810; B.D. Balliol Coll., Oxon., Rector of Cheriton Bishop, of Brampford Speke ; m. Margaret Froude, dau. of Rev. Hurrell Froude, Archdeacon of Totness, b. 1808 ; d. 1883.
1. Mary Margaret b. 1846.
2. William b. 1848.
3. Arnulph b. 1851.
Muriel.
RICHARD, son of Zachariah and Mary Mudge, b 1718; d. 1773. Rector of Bedworth. Descendants not known.
ANN (Nancy) daughter of John and Mary Mudge, bap. 1748; d. 1783; m. 1782, Reverend James Yonge.
Ann b. 1782; d. 1800.
KITTY, dau. of John and Mary Mudge, bap. 1758; d. 1789; m. 1782, William Rosdew. William.
In the parish-church are monuments of the families of Pollexfen", Bastard", Copleston *, Crocker", and Woollcombe." George Woodward, M.D., 1723; Thomas Veale, Esq., with his bust in white marble, 1780; Kitty, wife of William Rosdew, Esq., daughter of John Mudge, M.D., 1789; and Thomas Perring Bulteel, (son of John ...
JANE (Jenny) daughter of John and Jane Mudge, b. 1761; d. 1818; m. 1783, Richard Rosdew, b. 1758; d. 1837.
WILLIAM, son of John and Jane Mudge, b. 1762; d. 1820; m. Margaret Jane Williamson, b. 1758, d. 1824, daughter of Major General Williamson, R.A. (her eldest sister Anne Colden married General Neville, R.A.)
1. Richard Zachariah b. 1789 ; d. 1854.
2. Jane b. 1792 ; d. 1861.
3. John b. 1794; d. 1825.
4. William b. 1796; d. 1837.
5. Zachariah b. 1800; d. 1831.
ZACHARIAH, son of John and Elizabeth Mudge, b. 1770; d. 1852; m. Jane Granger, d. 1834.
Zachary b. 1813 ; d. 1866.
ELIZABETH, dau. of John and Elizabeth Mudge, b. 1771; d. 1808; m. General Sir Richard Fletcher, Bart., d. 1813.
1. Elizabeth Mallock b. 1798; d. 1882.
2. Harriett b. 1799.
3. Jane Mudge b. 1803; d. 1879.
4. Richard John b. 1805 ; d. 1877.
5. Charles Orlando b. 1806.
RICHARD ZACHARIAH, son of William and Margaret Jane Mudge, b. 1789 ; d. 1854 ; m. Alice Watson Hull, b. 1787; d. 1862 (She was dau. of J. W. Hull, Esq., of Co. Down, Ireland, and sister of Sophia Lady Raffles, 2nd wife of Sir T. Stamford Raffles, Lieut. Governor of Java).
1. Jenny Rosdew b. May 21st, 1818; d. June 2nd, 1883.
2. Sophia Elizabeth b. Aug. 21st, 1819.
JANE, dau. of William and Margaret Jane Mudge, b. 1792; d. 1861 ; m. O'Hara Baynes, R.A., b. 1789; d. 1859.
1. Margaret b. 1816; d. 1839.
2. Ann b. 1816; d. 1827.
3. Katharine b. 1826.
4. Mary b. 1829; d. 1861.
KATHARINE, dau. of Jane and O'Hara Baynes, b. 1826; m. York Steward, d. 1867.
MARY, dau. of Jane and O'Hara Baynes, b. 1829; d. 1874; m. J. Tobin, d. 1874.
WILLIAM, son of William and Margaret Jane Mudge, b. 1796; d. 1837; Captain R.N., F.R.S.; m. Mary Marinda Rea, b. 1800; d. 1864.
1. Rosdew Mary Marinda b. 1828.
2. William Tertius Fitzwilliam b. 1831; d. 1863; Lieut. R.N.
3. Jane Isabella b. 1832.
4. Katharine Mary b. 1833; d. 1866.
5. William b. 1834.
6. Williamina Caroline b. 1837.
WILLIAMINA CAROLINE, dau. of William and Mary M. Mudge, b. 1837; m. Edwin Selby, b. 1824; d. 1879.
JANE ISABELLA, dau. of William and Mary Marinda Mudge, b. 1832; m. Robert Martin, b. 1822; d.
1871.
1. Robert Campbell Mudge b. 1867.
2. Jane Marinda Philippina Oscara b. 1868.
SAMUEL WILLIAM DARWIN, son of Harriet and W. Darwin Fox, M.A. Wadham Coll., Oxon.
HARRIET, dau. of Elizabeth and Sir Richard Fletcher, Bart, b. 1799; d. 183-; m. Reverend W. Darwin Fox.
Samuel William Darwin b.
JANE MUDGE, dau. of Elizabeth and Sir Richard Fletcher, b. 1803 ; d. 1879; m. George Broadrick, Esq., of Hamphall Stubbs.
1. Jane b.
2. Harriet b.
3. Richard Fletcher d. 1879.
4. Edward.
HARRIET, dau. of Jane and George Broadrick, m. Viscount Mountmorres, b. 1832 ; d. 1880; assassinated during the agitation in Ireland.
1. Harvey Raymond b. 1865; d. 1865.
2. Victoria De Montmorency.
3. Harriet Evelyn.
4. William Geoffery Bouchard b. 1872.
5. Arthur Alberic b. 1874.
She had a family of twelve children.
4.14. CHARLES PAUL MUDGE, youngest son of Dr. Mudge. He was born on Oct. 25th, 1775, and was evidently called Charles after his elder brother of that name who had died previously in the same year. He served as an Ensign under the East India Company, and was killed in an attack on the natives near Pellicherry in 1797. It may be interesting to insert the last letter that Charles Paul Mudge wrote; it is addressed to a friend who could not have received it till after his death.
Dear Eastwick,
With hardly anything to tell you, I yet cannot resist the inclination I have to begin a correspondence with you as soon as possible, lest I should by mischance be cut off from doing it at all, if I neglect the opportunity my present leisure gives me. The 1st Battalion of the Regiment I am in marched to camp this morning, and will I believe penetrate the jungle as soon as they can; the 2nd, that's mine, will march to-morrow at gun fire, and by what I can make out of the plan on which the Regiment goes, it seems to be quite like ferreting rabbits from a furze brake; the I St Battalion are to worry the Nairs if they can, and 2nd are to invest the back of the Jungle, and dispatch them as they come out. The 1st will consequently have the shortest march, having to scour the wood in as straight a line as they can, while the 2nd will have to circumvent it in order to attain their situation at the base of the Ghauts. I am, though at present only on parade duty, so near the scene of action, that the firing of the field pieces and musquetry is very distinctly heard from hence.
By the last account from the camp, which arrived yesterday, we hear that the advanced detachment had taken up new ground, and had driven the enemy from two posts of some consequence, that four Nairs fell and one Seapoy in the business of yesterday morning. I am at present very full of work, having to prepare for to-morrow's march, to adjust several matters^ and write letters to my friends in England that call for more attention than I can well bestow upon them, as it is very possible they may be the last I shall ever write. The work we are about in this part of the world is, by Jove, no more or less than sniping, for we have to oppose an enemy that are secure in ambush, and pick us off one after another through their peepholes, like so many birds ; if we drop, we leave no credit behind, as it is the common luck of men who do not run away only because they see no opposition, and of others who would face the devil.
I can tell you very little about Pellicherry, beside that it is full of wood, very picturesque, very expensive, very inconvenient, and without regular streets or regular houses, the only tenements being bungaloes, and those scattered without order among the cocoa trees, like boys playing blind-man's buff among tables and chairs, or the huts at Dungorie.
I shall now take leave of you with a benedicite. If I should happen to fall this time, you will find I have been confident enough in our friendship to trouble you with the arrangement of the little matters I may die possessed of. I trust, should such accident befall me, you will not refuse what cannot give you much difficulty.
Once more God bless you and believe me.
Dear Eastwick, yours truly,
CHARLES P. MUDGE."
He was killed the next day.
On the news of his death reaching England, Lady Camelford wrote to Mr. Rosdew,
" Sir,
I have this day heard of the death of Ensign Mudge in the East Indies, I cannot help fearing he may be a son of the late Dr. Mudge and consequently a brother to Mr. Zachary Mudge. I wish it may be in your power to tell me my fears are groundless."
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