From Chatham the regiment embarked on an expedition to the Continent, but was ordered to land at Lymington, from whence it proceeded to the Isle of Wight, and was stationed on that island and at Portsmouth until the winter of 1798.

The Tenth, having been appointed to transfer their services from Europe to the British possessions in Hindoostan, embarked from Portsmouth during the winter, and arriving in the south of India, landed at the celebrated city and fortress of Madras, the capital of the British possessions in that quarter of the globe, on the 13th of April, 1799.

At Madras the regiment remained nearly four months, and on the 6th of August, it embarked for the rich and extensive province of Bengal, where it arrived on the 26th of the same month.

For fifteen months the Tenth were stationed in the Presidency of Bengal, in a country abounding in all that is essential to the comfort and even the luxury of man, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Richard Quarrell, and in November, 1800, they were sent down the river Ganges to be embarked for Egypt, which country was overrun by an army of French veterans, vauntingly designated the "Army of the East," and commanded by the celebrated General Buonaparte.

To effect the expulsion of the French "Army of the East" from Egypt, a British force sailed from Europe under General Sir Ralph Abercromby, and about six thousand men from India and the Cape of Good Hope, under Major-General Baird, were appointed to co-operate. To engage in this service, the Tenth sailed from Kidgaree on the 5th of December, joined the expedition, under Major-General Baird, at Bombay, and sailed from thence for the Red Sea. The original design was to proceed to the port of Suez, at the head of the Red Sea, on the borders of Arabia; but the monsoon had commenced before the fleet entered the Red Sea in April, 1801, and Major-General Baird resolved to land at Cosseir, and brave the difficulties of the desert, in the hope of affording important aid to the troops which had landed in Egypt from Europe.

Eight companies of the Tenth arrived at Cosseir on the 15th of June, and the remainder of the regiment, having been separated by the monsoon gales, was some days later.[6] On landing, the country presented a frightfully desolate prospect, but the soldiers commenced their march through the desert with cheerful alacrity;[7] although suffering from excessive heat and dysentery, occasioned by bad water.

The march was made during the night. A little way from Cosseir the soldiers entered a ravine, which appeared to be the old bed of a river, along which they travelled three days, when it terminated at Moilah. From Moilah the desert had a hard gravelly soil, generally, until the troops arrived at Baromba, where the first habitable spot was met with after leaving Cosseir; not a single hut having previously been seen. The troops suffered greatly from thirst and oppressive heat, with an almost irresistible inclination to sleep; some soldiers straggling from the line of march, that they might lie down and sleep, lost their lives. The little town of Baromba lay on the borders of the desert, and the Arabs offered milk, eggs, and poultry for sale, in great abundance, and very cheap.

On arriving at Kenna, the regiment was ordered to proceed to Girgee, a large town of Upper Egypt, situate about a quarter of a mile from the river Nile. The regimental baggage was sent to Suez, but the "Cavera" transport foundered at sea, and all the baggage, books, &c. of the Tenth were lost.

In the meantime, the British army from Europe had triumphed over the French before Alexandria, where General Sir Ralph Abercromby was mortally wounded; the French troops at Cairo had also surrendered, and the siege of Alexandria was the next undertaking. The Tenth embarked from Girgee in dgerms, and proceeded down the Nile to the Island of Rhoda, where they encamped. On the 2nd of August they again embarked, and proceeded to Rosetta, a town celebrated for the beauty of its environs; beyond the Nile lay the richest parts of the Delta, the garden of Egypt. From Rosetta the regiment proceeded to El-Hamed, and joined the forces encamped at that place.

Alexandria surrendered in the beginning of September, and Egypt was thus delivered; the French "Army of the East" being forced to evacuate a country from whence Buonaparte had vainly imagined he should extend his conquests throughout Asia.

Lieut.-General (afterwards Lord) Hutchinson stated in his despatch:—"This arduous and important service has at length been brought to a conclusion. The exertions of individuals have been splendid and meritorious. The conduct of the troops of every description has been exemplary in the highest degree; there has been much to applaud, and nothing to reprehend; their ardour and regularity in camp having been as conspicuous as their courage in the field."

In this service, although the Tenth had not been brought into contact with the enemy, their conduct had been exemplary, and they had sustained a loss of thirty men from the climate, and other casualties incident to the service in which they were employed. They received, in common with the other regiments, the expression of the high approbation of their Sovereign, the thanks of Parliament, and the royal authority to bear on their colours the "Sphynx," with the word "Egypt," to commemorate this splendid event. The officers were also rewarded with gold medals, presented to them by the Grand Seignior, in commemoration of the important service rendered to the Ottoman empire.

The Tenth were selected to remain a short period in Egypt; they marched from El-Hamed on the 4th of December, arrived at Alexandria on the 5th, and encamped under the walls until the 18th, when they were removed into Fort Triangular.

In the city of Alexandria, formerly celebrated as the seat of learning and commerce, the regiment was stationed for several months. On the 29th of April, 1802, an explosion took place in the fort which the Tenth occupied, by which they had four men killed and ten wounded; also two Indian followers killed and ten wounded.

The regiment was afterwards encamped near Alexandria; it was struck off the Indian establishment, and commenced receiving pay on the British on the 1st of May.

While the Tenth were encamped near Alexandria, the plague broke out among the natives. The army suddenly embarked on the 5th of March, 1803, leaving its camp equipage standing, and on the 7th the regiment sailed out of the Western Harbour.

Arriving at Malta on the 27th of April, the regiment performed a quarantine of forty-two days, and afterwards sailed to Gibraltar, where it arrived on the 20th of June.

A treaty of peace was concluded with the French republic while the Tenth were in Egypt; but hostilities had recommenced before the regiment arrived at Gibraltar, and in 1804 a second battalion was added to the establishment. The head-quarters of the second battalion were fixed at Maldon in Essex; it was formed of men raised in Essex, for limited service, under the Additional Force Act, passed 20th July, 1804, and was placed upon the establishment from the 25th of December, 1804.

The first battalion was stationed at Gibraltar during the years 1804, 1805, and 1806.

In the meantime numerous changes occurred among the states of Europe, and the great success which at this period attended the French arms, enabled Napoleon Buonaparte, who, in 1804, had been invested with the title of Emperor of the French, King of Italy, &c., to assume the position of a dictator: his conduct towards the royal family of Naples occasioned the history of that court to become connected with the services of the Tenth regiment of foot.

When war recommenced between Great Britain and France in 1803, Buonaparte occupied a portion of the Neapolitan territory with his troops. In 1805 a treaty of neutrality was concluded between the French Emperor and the King of Naples, by which the former engaged to withdraw his troops from the Neapolitan territory, and the latter was bound not to admit the fleets or armies of any of the states at war with France into his ports or territory. The conditions of this treaty were, however, violated by Ferdinand IV., who admitted an English and Russian armament into the Bay of Naples in November, 1805, and a body of British and Russian troops was landed at that city.

The conduct of the King of Naples excited the indignation of the French Emperor, who concluded that this little kingdom was united with his enemies, and on the morning after the signatures were affixed to the treaty of Presburg, Napoleon issued a proclamation declaring that "the Neapolitan dynasty had ceased to reign," and denouncing vengeance against the family he had thus resolved to dethrone, in terms which left no hope of accommodation. The Russians withdrew from Naples, leaving the court to its fate. The British, under General Sir James Craig, were too few in number to defend the Neapolitan state, but they took possession of the island of Sicily, which they preserved in the interest of King Ferdinand IV.

The armies of France, under Joseph Buonaparte, invaded the kingdom of Naples in the early part of 1806; the King and Queen fled to Sicily, which the British preserved as an asylum for their Majesties; they were accompanied and followed by part of the Neapolitan army, also by a number of persons connected with the court, and they took up their residence at the city of Palermo, situate in a bay on the northern coast of the island, where they received pecuniary aid from England.

When their country was invaded, the Neapolitans exhibited neither public spirit nor the love of freedom, but abandoned their sovereign to his fate, and submitted to the invaders. Persons of all ranks attached themselves to the French interest, and Napoleon issued a decree conferring the crown of Naples on his brother Joseph and his legitimate heirs male, without prejudice to the eventual claim of the throne of France, but with the proviso that the crown of France and that of Naples should never be united on the same head. The city of Naples was illuminated, and the nobles were eager to manifest their attachment to their new king. Insurrections occurred in several places, but the French arms were successful, and the provinces became tranquil under the Buonaparte dynasty.

It was important to England that Sicily should not fall under the dominion of France, and when the enemy made preparations for the invasion of the island, they were met in Calabria; the battle of Maida, on the 4th of July, 1806, proved the superiority of the British troops, and the provinces of Upper and Lower Calabria were restored to their legal sovereign.

The services of the Tenth regiment of foot became connected with the interests of the exiled royal family of Naples in the autumn of 1807, when the regiment embarked from Gibraltar, and arrived on the 28th of September at Messina, a city on the north-east side of the island of Sicily. The Tenth did not land at Messina, but were ordered round to Augusta, where they disembarked on the 2nd of October, and occupied quarters in the citadel.

On the 5th of April, 1808, Major J. Otto Beyer, five lieutenants, one ensign, six serjeants, and three hundred and sixty-two rank and file joined from England.

About this period the two flank companies were ordered to be completed to one hundred rank and file each, and to join the flank battalion formed on the island.

In June four companies were sent to reinforce the garrison of Syracuse, a fortified town situated on the south-east of the island, and celebrated in ancient times for its great population. These companies returned in August; but were again detached on the same services in October.

On the 20th of March, 1809, the head-quarters marched from Augusta, and the detachment from Syracuse, for Catania. At this celebrated city, which is beautifully situated in the Val di Demona, on the east coast of the island, and on the borders of Val di Nota, the regiment remained ten days, and afterwards marched to the port of Melazzo, and joined the army encamped on the plains of that town. Meanwhile Joseph Buonaparte had been removed to the throne of Spain, and the French Emperor had placed Marshal Murat, his brother-in-law, on the throne of Naples.

In the beginning of June, General Sir John Stuart, Count of Maida, commanding the British troops in Sicily, embarked fifteen thousand men for the south of Italy, and for the capture of Naples, as a diversion in favour of the Austrians, who were once more at war with France. The Tenth regiment embarked on this enterprise, leaving two companies in garrison at Melazzo.

The first attack made by the main body of the expedition was on Ischia, a small island in the gulf of Naples, situate about six miles from the coast. The batteries for the defence of the shores of the island being turned by the British troops, were successively deserted by the enemy, and after a short resistance, the garrison of Ischia surrendered. The garrison of Procida, another island on the same coast, was also forced to surrender; and forty gun-boats were captured.

An attack was likewise made on the castle of Scylla, situate in a promontory in the straits of Messina, which separate Sicily from the Neapolitan territory. The Tenth regiment was selected to take part in this enterprise: having landed on the coast, it crossed the heights of Jovanni on the 14th of June, and proceeding through the mountains to the heights of Mela, immediately above the castle, bivouacked on the high grounds; at the same time the works were commenced for the attack. On the 29th of June a strong reinforcement of the enemy appeared, and the British troops were concentrated; but the French had so great an excess of numbers, that it was deemed necessary to withdraw. The stores were destroyed, the retreat effected, and the Tenth regiment was conveyed across the straits to the Messina side; having only sustained a loss of two men.

The diversion so far succeeded as to prevent Murat taking part in the war with Austria, and the troops returned to Sicily: the Tenth were stationed in the citadel of Messina until the 8th of July, when they were encamped along the coast near the Faro.

During the summer of this year an expedition sailed from England against the coast of Holland, and Flushing, on the island of Walcheren, was captured. The second battalion of the Tenth embarked from Portsmouth on the 9th of November, and landed on the island of Walcheren on the 22nd of that month; but the climate proved very injurious to the health of the British soldiers, and the island was evacuated. The second battalion of the Tenth embarked from Flushing on the 10th of December, and on arriving in England it was ordered to Jersey, where it landed on the 17th of January, 1810.

From Jersey the second battalion embarked on the 10th of April, 1810, for Gibraltar, and arrived at that important fortress in eighteen days. The battalion remained at Gibraltar three months, then embarked for the island of Malta, and landed there on the 12th of August.

The first battalion remained on the coast of Sicily until November, when it marched into the citadel of Messina.

After the decease of General the Honorable Henry Edward Fox, who held the command of the regiment sixteen years, the colonelcy was conferred on Major-General the Honorable Thomas Maitland, from the fourth West India regiment, by commission dated the 19th of July, 1811.

On the 22nd of August the second battalion embarked from Malta for the island of Sicily, and landed at Messina on the 27th of that month.

In the meantime, the efforts made by Great Britain to enable the Spaniards and Portuguese to deliver themselves from the power of Napoleon, began to assume a favourable prospect, and sanguine hopes of final success were anticipated. To aid the cause of Spanish independence, a small army was sent from Sicily to the eastern coast of Spain, and the first battalion of the Tenth was destined to take part in this service. The battalion left Messina in January, 1812, embarked at Melazzo, for Palermo, and was in quarters in that part of Sicily until June, when it joined the expedition which sailed for Spain.

Approaching the coast of Spain towards the end of July, the armament appeared off Palamos, in Catalonia, but the town was too strong to be attached by so small a force, and the fleet sailed for Alicant, in Murcia, where it arrived at a critical moment, the Spanish troops in that quarter having been defeated by the French. The Anglo-Sicilian troops landed and advanced a few stages to Elda, but afterwards withdrew; the Tenth marching to Palermo, where they passed the winter, the soldiers being much disappointed at the state of inactivity in which they were detained.

In November, the grenadier company of the second battalion embarked from Sicily, and joined the army on the eastern coast of Spain.

On the 16th of February, 1813, the second battalion embarked from Sicily, against the island of Ponzo, on the coast of Naples, which capitulated on the 26th of that month, when the battalion returned to Sicily.

In the spring of this year, the distresses of the Spanish troops near Alicant, which could only be relieved by enlarging their cantonments, induced the British commander, Lieut.-General Sir John Murray, to make a forward movement. The Tenth formed part of the fourth column, which advanced by Xixona upon Alcoy; some fighting occurred, and the cantonments were enlarged. On the 18th of March, the regiment crossed the mountains to Ibithe, and on the 20th went into cantonments at Castalla.

The French army under Marshal Suchet advanced in the early part of April, and attacked the outposts on the 12th, when Lieutenant Thompson of the Tenth regiment, deputy-assistant quartermaster-general, was killed by a cannon-shot. The Anglo-Sicilian army took up a position three miles from the pass of Biar; the Tenth having left their cantonments at Castalla, took post in the line.

On the 13th of April, the enemy cleared the pass of Biar, and the battle of Castalla was fought, when the French were repulsed and driven back through the pass: the Tenth did not sustain any loss on this occasion; on the day after the battle they marched to Alcoy, and, on the 19th of April, to Castalla.

About this period, the grenadier companies of the first and second battalions returned to Sicily.

The siege of Tarragona, a seaport of Catalonia, situate on a hill near the mouth of the river Francoli, having been resolved upon, the Tenth left Castalla on the 29th of May, embarked at Alicant on the 31st, and landed on the 3rd of June in the vicinity of Tarragona. Marshal Suchet advancing with an army of superior numbers, the siege was raised, and the troops were re-embarked, on the 8th of June, on which day the regiment had a man killed by a cannon-ball. On the following day the regiment landed at Balaguer, and remained a short time in Catalonia; it afterwards sailed for Alicant. During the voyage a violent tempest drove fourteen sail of transports on the sands off the mouth of the Ebro, and the "Alfred" transport, having two companies of the Tenth on board, was wrecked. After landing at Alicant, the regiment went into cantonments at Palermo.

Lieutenant-General Lord William Bentinck assumed the command of the army in the east of Spain, in succession to Lieutenant-General Sir John Murray, on the 18th June, 1813. The following General Order was issued by His Lordship, dated Alicant, 25th June, 1813:—

"The Commander of the Forces sees with the utmost gratification the military spirit, and the determination to conquer, which pervades the whole army. We are engaged in a glorious cause,—the cause of universal liberty! It is the cause of us all; of those who are free, and those who are not. To-day the contest is fought in Spain and Germany, to-morrow it will be in Italy. Brave Italians, once so great, once masters of the world, but now, though brave and enlightened as ever, the unwilling slaves of a French tyrant, it is for the interest of the whole, that the efforts should be made where the enemy is the weakest. Success in Spain is success in Germany, in England, and in Italy! We form a great brotherhood; we must emulate each other in affection, union, and courage, and Providence, in whose hands is victory, will bless our cause!"

Lieutenant-General Lord William Bentinck continued in command of this division of the army until the 23rd September, 1813, when his Lordship issued the following General Order, dated Tarragona, 23rd September, 1813:—

"The Commander of the Forces deeply laments that he is compelled to leave the army. It is a pleasing part of his duty to express his perfect satisfaction with the subordination and perseverance displayed by the troops upon all occasions.

"He only regrets that the part assigned to this army in the plan of the campaign has not permitted the troops to partake in those brilliant triumphs, which would have been the just recompense of their valour and discipline."

Lieutenant-General William Clinton succeeded Lord William Bentinck in the command of this division of the army on the 23rd September, 1813.

The battle of Vittoria, on the 21st June, gained by the army under the Marquis of Wellington, changed the aspect of affairs in Spain, and the French troops in Murcia made some retrograde movements. The Anglo-Sicilian army advanced; the Tenth left their cantonments on the 5th of July, and, advancing into Catalonia, they once more appeared before the fortress of Tarragona, which was again invested. While before Tarragona, Assistant-Surgeon Rolston lost a leg, and a private soldier lost both feet from cannon-shot. The opposing armies in Catalonia made several movements, and the regiment withdrew from before Tarragona and proceeded to Balaguer.

On the 22nd of August, five hundred men of the Tenth were sent into the interior to cut wood for the use of the army; during their absence a fire was accidentally kindled to the windward of the bivouac ground, and communicating rapidly to the dry grass and shrubs, the ground occupied by the Tenth regiment was soon enveloped in flame. The exertions of the few men of the regiment left in the lines were impeded by the explosions of the cartridges, and few of the arms and appointments of the corps were saved: four hundred stand of arms, and about the same number of sets of accoutrements, knapsacks, and suits of clothing were destroyed. By this accident the regiment was rendered unfit for the field; it embarked for Salo, and on arriving there, all the tailors and other mechanics were employed to refit it. Arms were also procured, and it was so speedily re-equipped, that it returned to the seat of war in the beginning of September: having landed at Villa Nova on the 5th of that month, it went into cantonments at Villa Franca.

On the evening of the 12th of September, the advanced corps of the Anglo-Sicilian army posted at Ordal were attached and overpowered by the superior numbers of the enemy. The Tenth were suddenly ordered out at two o'clock on the following morning, and they formed across the road, covering the retreat of the broken remains of the corps in advance. At daybreak the French cavalry appeared, advancing rapidly and in great force, when the regiment commenced retiring, and skirmishing with the enemy during the retrograde movement; the army falling back towards Tarragona. In the evening the regiment took post on a height near Vendrills, where it halted several hours, and afterwards continued its retreat to the vicinity of Tarragona.

On the 24th of September, the regiment marched into quarters at Valls, and in October it was removed to Vendrills.

The brilliant success of the allied army under the Marquis of Wellington, and the disasters of Napoleon in Germany, had a great effect upon the war in Catalonia, and the troops under Marshal Suchet withdrew from several posts. The Tenth marched, in February, 1814, to the vicinity of Barcelona, and formed part of the force employed in the blockade of that fortress.

Hostilities were terminated in April by a treaty of peace; Buonaparte was removed from the throne of France, and the Bourbon family restored.[8] The Tenth withdrew from before Barcelona, marched to Tarragona, and embarked at that port on the 25th of April; on the 19th of May they landed at the beautiful city of Palermo, situate in a bay on the northern coast of Sicily, where they went into barracks.

In March, 1814, the second battalion embarked from Sicily, and landed on the island of Malta on the 24th of that month.

The return of Napoleon Buonaparte to France from Elba, and the declaration of war against the usurper by the allied sovereigns, in the spring of 1815, occasioned the Tenth to be removed from Sicily. They proceeded, in the first instance, by sea, from Palermo to Melazzo, and were stationed in the castle; at the same time the grenadier and light companies joined the flank battalion formed at Melazzo. The battalion companies afterwards sailed for Naples, where they landed on the 25th of May; three days after landing they went on board of two Neapolitan line of battle ships, "Geochinria" and "Carpi," and proceeded to Malta, where they landed on the 9th of June, and occupied Fort St. Elmo barracks.

The battle of Waterloo was succeeded by the flight of Buonaparte from France, and his surrender to the captain of a British man-of-war. Three hundred men of the Tenth, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel J. O. Beyer were detached to Fort Emanoel, in charge of the Duke of Rovigo, Lieut.-General L'Allemand, and six other French officers who had belonged to the suite of Buonaparte: these officers had been sent to Malta as state prisoners.

Peace being restored, the army was reduced; the two battalions of the Tenth regiment, at Malta, were incorporated, and the invalids and limited-service men were sent to England; this took place in January, 1816.

The good conduct of the regiment during the period it was employed on the eastern coast of Spain, in 1812, 1813, and 1814, was rewarded with the royal authority to bear the word "Peninsula" on its colours.

In August, 1816, the regiment commenced embarking by detachments from Malta, for Corfu, where it was stationed until the end of August, 1817, when the head-quarters and five companies, under Colonel Travers, embarked for the islands of Cephalonia and Zante.

On the 21st of March, 1818, five companies embarked from Corfu, under the orders of Major Trickey, for Malta, and occupied the barracks in the Cottonera district.

In March, 1819, the head-quarters embarked from Cephalonia, and the detachment from Zante, for Malta, where the regiment was assembled, and occupied the lower St. Elmo barracks at Valetta, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Mathew Stewart, who was appointed from half-pay in succession to Colonel Travers, nominated an Inspecting Field-officer of Militia in the Ionian Islands.

During the year 1820, the regiment occupied the barracks in the Cottonera district, with detachments at Floriana, forts Manvel and Tigni, and the island of Giza.

From Malta, the regiment embarked, in April, 1821, for England, and landing at Portsmouth in June, was stationed at that fortress three months; it afterwards sailed to Plymouth, and occupied the citadel and Stonehouse barracks.

In April, 1822, the regiment embarked from Plymouth for Deptford, and after several changes of quarters it was stationed at Chatham and Sheerness.

On the 28th of May, 1823, the regiment embarked at Chatham, for Ireland; after landing at Cork, it proceeded to Fermoy, and in October it was removed to Rathkeale, with detachments at twelve other stations.

On the decease of Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir Thomas Maitland, G.C.B. and G.C.H., King George IV. conferred the colonelcy of the Tenth on Major-General Sir John Lambert, K.C.B. by commission dated the 18th of January, 1824. On the 8th January, 1824, Colonel Sir Robert Travers, was reappointed, in succession to Lieut.-Colonel Stewart, who retired from the service.

In April, the regiment was removed to Fermoy, and Lieut.-Colonel James Payler was appointed on the 2nd June, 1825, from the half-pay, unattached, in succession to Sir Robert Travers, promoted to the rank of Major-General. Lieut.-Colonel Payler assumed the command in June, 1825, and in September following the head-quarters were removed to Templemore.

From Templemore, the regiment was removed, in February, 1826, to Castlebar, where a pair of new colours, bearing a "Sphinx," with the words "Egypt," and "Peninsula," was presented to it by Lieut.-Colonel Payler, the commanding officer, on the 19th of May.

After several changes of quarters, in the autumn of this year the regiment was formed into six service and four depôt companies, at Buttevant, from whence the service companies marched to Cork, where they embarked, in December, for Portugal, the government of which country had solicited British aid, in consequence of an apprehended insurrection, and an invasion from Spain, which threatened to oppose the introduction of a constitution conferring more liberty on the Portuguese people than they had previously possessed.

The service companies, under Lieut.-Colonel Payler, landed at Lisbon, in January, 1827; they formed part of the first brigade under Major-General Sir Edward Blakeney, and advanced up the country to Coimbra. The apprehension of invasion and insurrection ceasing to exist, the regiment left Coimbra, and occupied the palace and convent at Mafra, during the winter.

In March, 1828, the service companies embarked from Lisbon, for Corfu, where they landed on the 31st of that month, and were stationed at Port Raymond barracks. In December a detachment joined from the depôt in Ireland.

During the summer of 1829, the regiment was removed from Corfu to Zante, with detachments at the islands of Cerigo and Paxo.

The head-quarters remained at Zante during the years 1830 and 1831; in May, 1832, they were removed to Corfu, and in July to Vido; but returned to Corfu in December.

Lieut.-Colonel John Henry Belli was appointed on the 17th May, 1833, in exchange with Lieut.-Colonel Payler; and Lieut.-Colonel William Gardner Freer was promoted by purchase on 24th May, in succession to Lieut.-Colonel Belli, who retired.

Lieut.-Colonel W. G. Freer died at Corfu on the 2nd August, 1836, where he was in command of the regiment: he was succeeded by Brevet Lieut.-Colonel William Cochrane.[9]

Lieut.-Colonel W. Cochrane was appointed Assistant Adjutant-General at head-quarters on the 16th June, 1837, and was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel Holman Custance from the half-pay.

The head-quarters continued to be stationed at Corfu and Vido alternately, until November, 1837, when the service companies of the Tenth were relieved from duty in the Ionian Islands, and embarked for Ireland, where they arrived in December, 1837, and January, 1838, and landed at Cork.

The regiment was stationed in Ireland until May, 1839, when it embarked at Dublin for England; it landed at Liverpool, and was afterwards quartered in Lancashire.

During the year 1840 the regiment was stationed at Burnley and Manchester.

The regiment proceeded to Newcastle-on-Tyne on the 25th June, 1841, and marched from thence to Scotland; it arrived at Edinburgh on the 21st, 24th, and 27th July, and proceeded to Glasgow on the 9th August following.

On the 29th March, 1842, Colonel James Considine was appointed from the half-pay unattached, in succession to Colonel Custance, who was nominated to the command of the Depôt Battalion in the Isle of Wight.

In March, 1842, the regiment left Glasgow, and proceeded in divisions to Winchester. On the 1st April, it was augmented to the India establishment, preparatory to its embarkation for Bengal. It proceeded to Gravesend, and embarked in freight ships for Calcutta in April and May, 1842, under the command of Colonel Considine, K.H. The regiment disembarked at Calcutta in August and September of that year.

Lieut.-Colonel Gervas Power was promoted on the 8th April, 1842, on the augmentation of the regiment: he died at Calcutta on the 30th December following; and was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel John Luard, who was promoted from the twenty-first Royal North British Fusiliers on the 31st December.

The regiment remained at Fort William, Calcutta, until the 15th November, 1844, when it marched for Meerut under the command of Major Franks.

The head-quarters arrived at Meerut on the 22nd February, 1845.

Lieut.-Colonel Luard exchanged to the half-pay on the 28th March, with Colonel Sir George Couper, Bart., who retired from the service, and Lieut.-Colonel Thomas H. Franks was promoted by purchase, on the 28th March, 1845. Colonel James Considine died at Meerut on the 4th September, from an attack of cholera, and was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel C. L. Strickland on the 5th September.

The regiment marched from Meerut, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Franks, on the 16th December, 1845, and joined the Army of the Sutlej on the 8th January, 1846, both officers and men animated with the laudable desire to share the dangers, and to reap some of the laurels already acquired by the army in this brief but exciting campaign.

A month, however, passed without the main army being employed in any occurrence of note, the Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief taking advantage of the interval to collect the munitions of war; while on the other hand, the Sikhs, having been strengthened by reinforcements, continued to hold strong positions on the banks of the Sutlej; and notwithstanding their defeat in the battles of Moodkee and Ferozeshah on the 18th, 21st, and 22nd December, 1845, they subsequently formed a strongly entrenched camp at Sobraon. Although the intelligence of the victory of Aliwal on the 28th January, 1846, and the sight of the numerous bodies which floated from the vicinity of that battle-field to the bridge of boats at Sobraon, apparently disheartened the enemy, and caused many of them to return to their homes, yet in a few days they appeared as confident as ever of being able in their entrenched position to defy the Anglo-Indian army, and to prevent the passage of the Sutlej.

The heavy ordnance having arrived on the 8th February, the day on which the forces under Major-General Sir Henry Smith, who had been detached to Loodiana, and had obtained a signal victory over the enemy at Aliwal, rejoined the main body of the army, it was determined on coming at once to a battle with the Sikhs, to storm their entrenchments, and finally to drive them out of Hindoostan. This was an undertaking of some magnitude. From observations made during the time the head-quarters of the army were stationed at the village of Nihalkee, it was ascertained that the position at Sobraon was covered with formidable entrenchments, and defended by thirty thousand of the élite of the Khalsa troops; besides being united by a good bridge to a reserve on the opposite bank of the river, on which was stationed a considerable camp, with artillery, which commanded and flanked the enemy's field-works on the British side of the Sutlej.

About daybreak on the 10th February, the mortars, battering guns, and field-artillery were disposed on the alluvial land, embracing within its fire the enemy's works. As soon as the sun's rays cleared the heavy mist which hung over the plain, the cannonade commenced, but notwithstanding the admirable manner in which the guns were served, it would have been visionary to expect that they could, within any limited time, silence the fire of seventy pieces of artillery behind well-constructed batteries, or dislodge troops so strongly entrenched. It soon became evident to the Commander-in-Chief, General Sir Hugh Gough, that musketry and the bayonet must ultimately decide the contest.

Accordingly the seventh brigade, in which was the Tenth foot, reinforced by the fifty-third regiment, and led by Brigadier Stacy, was ordered to head the attack, to turn the enemy's right, to encounter his fire before his numbers were thinned, or spirit broken, and (to use the soldier-like expression of the Commander-in-Chief General Sir Hugh Gough) "to take off the rough edge of the Sikhs in the fight." An opportunity was now afforded for the Tenth to distinguish itself, and the regiment nobly availed itself of this opportunity. At nine o'clock the brigade moved on to the attack over the sandy flat in admirable order, halting to correct, when necessary, any imperfections in its line. For some moments, notwithstanding the regularity and coolness of the assault, so hot was the fire of the Khalsa troops, that it seemed almost impracticable to gain the entrenchments. A brief halt ensued, the brigade again advanced, and persevering gallantry triumphed. The Tenth foot, under Lieutenant-Colonel Franks, now for the first time brought into serious contact with the enemy, greatly distinguished itself. With cool and steady courage, the regiment marched on with the precision of a field-day, and never fired a shot until within the works of the enemy[10]—a forbearance much to be commended, and worthy of constant imitation, to which the success of the first effort, and the small loss sustained by the regiment, may be attributed.[11]

Other brigades, at the moment of this successful onset, were ordered forward in support. The thunder of upwards of one hundred pieces of ordnance reverberated through the valley of the Sutlej, and it was soon perceived, that the weight of the whole force within the enemy's camp was likely to be thrown upon the two brigades (sixth and seventh) that had passed the trenches.[12] The Sikhs fought with the energy of desperation, and, even when some of their entrenchments were mastered with the bayonet, endeavoured to recover with the sword the positions they had lost. It was not until the weight of all three divisions of infantry, in addition to several regiments of cavalry, with the fire of every piece of field-artillery that could be sent to their aid, had been felt, that the enemy gave way. The Sikh regiments retreated at first in tolerable order, but the incessant volleys of the British soon caused them to take to a rapid and discomfited flight. Masses of them precipitated themselves on to their bridge, which being broken by the fire of the British, was incapable to sustain the multitude pressing forward, and the sudden rise of the Sutlej rendered the ford almost impassable, adding another obstacle to the escape of the enemy. A dreadful carnage ensued. The stream was red with the bodies of men and horses, the bridge in many places had given way, and it is considered, that, at least a third of the Sikh army perished in this battle; sixty-seven of their guns fell into the hands of the victors, together with two hundred small camel-swivels (zumboo-rucks), numerous standards, and vast munitions of war.

In this manner ended the Battle of Sobraon; at six in the morning it commenced; at nine it became a hand-to-hand conflict; and by eleven the victory was gained.

The Tenth regiment had Lieutenant Walter Yonge Beale, one serjeant, and twenty-eight rank and file killed. Lieutenants Henry R. Evans and Charles J. Lindam, two serjeants, and ninety-eight rank and file wounded.

Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to authorise the Tenth regiment to bear on its colours and appointments the word Sobraon, in commemoration of its gallantry in that battle; and Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Harte Franks was nominated a Companion of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath.

The regiment left Nihalkee on the 11th February, crossed the Sutlej on the 13th, and on the 20th of the same month arrived before Lahore, where it was present at the occupation of that city, and at the signing of the treaty, which, while it convinced the world of the moderation and justice of the paramount power of India, is calculated to add to the stability of the Anglo-Indian empire, and also to provide for the future tranquillity of the Punjaub, by maintaining a Sikh government at Lahore, capable of controlling its army, protecting its subjects, and securing the British frontier against similar acts of aggression.

On the 23rd of March, 1846, the regiment marched from Lahore, recrossed the Sutlej on the 26th of that month, and arrived at Meerut on the 15th of April following. It marched again from Meerut, en route to Ferozepore, on the 27th of October, 1846, and arrived in cantonments on the 20th of November, where it remained encamped until the 28th of December, when it again proceeded to Lahore, under the charge of Lieutenant-Colonel Strickland, with a body of troops under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Franks, and occupied quarters in the garrison of that city on the 2nd of January, 1847.