The Battle of Baecula.-The first army they came to was the one commanded by Hasdrubal, which was encamped near the city of Baecula. Cavalry outposts were stationed in front of the camp. The advance guard of the Roman column, withl the velites and skirmishers, at once attacked these outposts without changing their order of march or stopping to entrench themselves, and the contempt they showed for their enemy showed clearly the difference in the temper of the two armies. The cavalry were driven in hasty flight back to their camp, and the Roman standards were carried almost to the gates. That day's skirmish only served to whet the courage of the Romans, and; impatient for battle, they formed their camp. In the night Hasdrubal withdrew his force to a hill, the summit of which formed a broad table-land. His rear was protected by a river, in front and on either down precipitously, forming a kind of stee p nanx, wnlcn surrounded the whole position. Below there was another level stretch of ground which also fell away abruptly, and was equally difficult of ascent. When. on the morrow. Hasdrubal saw the Roman battleof the valley through which the river ran, the other to block the road which led from the city along the slope of the hill into the country. The attack was commenced by the lightarmed troops who had repulsed the outposts. the day before, and who were led by Scipio in person. At first their only difficulty was the rough ground over which they were marching, but when they came within range of the infantry stationed on the lower plateau, all kinds of missiles were showered upon them, to which they replied with showers of stones, with which the ground was strewn, and which not only the soldiers but the camp followers who were with them flung at the enemy. Difficult as the climb was, and almost buried as they were ,th stones and javelins and darts, they went steadily on, :s to their training in escalade and their grim determina- As soon as they reached level ground and could plant tiothl电at In.eirhta feet firmly, their superior mode of fighting told.The and active enemy, accustomed to fighting and skirmishing distance, when he could evade the missiles, was quite incapable of holding his own in a hand-to-hand fight, he was hurled back with heavy loss on to the main posted on the higher ground. Scipio ordered the victors to make a frontal attack on the enemy's centre, while he divided the remainder of his force between himself and Laelius. Laelius ordered to work round the right of the hill till he could an easier ascent;he himself, making a short detour to the ，attacked the enemy's flank. Shouts were now resounding on all sides, and the enemy tried to wheel their wings round to face the new attack;the consequence v as their lines got into confusion. At this moment Laelius came up and the enemy ;this led to their afforded for the fell back to avoid being assailed from the rearfront being broken, and an opportunity wasRoman centre to gain the plateau, which thereached over such difficult ground, had the y could not have leading ranks of the Carthaginians kept their formation and the elephants re-mained in the fighting line. The carnage was now spreadingover the field, for Scipio, who had brought his left against the enemy's right, was cutting up his exposed flank. There wasno longer even a chance of flight, for the roads in both directionswere blocked by the Roman detachments. Hasdrubal and hisprincipal officers had in their flight closed the gate of theircamp, and to make matters still worse, the elephants weregalloping wildly about, and were dreaded by the Carthaginiansas much as by the Romans. The enemies' losses amounted to 8ooo men."