An interesting peninsular war brass bound mahogany campaign basin

An interesting peninsular war brass bound mahogany campaign basin, with a flush fitting carry handle, Old Sheffield plated interior liner, and plaque on the cover inscribed 'M. General Pack', c.1813, 13.5in (34cm) long. *Pack, Sir Denis (1772?-1823) Major-General Pack is described as a descendant of Sir Christopher Packe [q.v.], lord mayor of London, whose youngest son, Simon, settled in Westmeath, Ireland. Denis, born about 1772, was son of Thomas Pack, D.D., Dean of Kilkenny, and grandson of Thomas Pack of Ballinaskill, Queen's County (notes and queries, 1st ser.v.118). On 30 Nov 1791 he was gazetted cornet in the 14th light dragoons (now hussars), and served with a squadron of that regiment which formed the advance guard of Lord Moira's force in Flanders in 1794. Pack volunteered to carry an important despatch into Nieuwpoort, and had much difficulty in escaping from the place when the French invested it. He was subsequently engaged at Boxtel and in the winter retreat to Bremen. After that retreat the 14th squadron was transferred to the 8th light dragoons, to which it had been attached. Pack came home, obtained his lieutenancy in the 14th on 12th March 1795 and commanded a small party of dragoons in the Quiberon expedition, during which he did duty for some months as a field-officer on Isle Dieu. He received his troop in the 5th dragoon guards on 27th Feb 1796, and served with that regiment in Ireland in 1798. He had a smart affair on patrol near Prosperous with a party of rebels, who lost twenty men and eight horses (CANNON. Hist. Rec. of Brit. Army, 5th P. C. N. Dragoon Guards, p.47), and commanded the escort which conducted General Humbert and other French officers to Dublin after the surrender at Ballinsmuck, He was promoted to major 4th Royal Irish dragoon guards from 25th August 1798, and on 6th Dec 1800 was appointed lieutenant-colonel 71st highlanders. He commanded the 71st at the recapture of the Cape of Good Hope in 1806, where he was wounded at the landing in Lospard's Bay, and in South America in 1806-7, where he was taken prisoner, but effected his escape. Subsequently he commanded the light troops of the army in two successful actions with the enemy, and in Whitelocke's disastrous attack on Buenoe Ayres, in which he received three wounds. In 1808 he took the regiment to Portugal, commanded it at the battles of Roleia (Roliea) and Vimeiro (GURWOOD, Wellington Deep. iii.92); in the retreat to and battle of Coru?a; and in the Walcheron expedition in 1809, in which he signalised himself by storming one of the enemy's batteries, during the siege of Flushing, with his regiment. He became aide-de-camp to the King with the rank of Colonel on 25th July 1810, was appointed with local rank to a Portuguese bridgade under Marshal Beresford, and commanded it as Busaco in 1810, and in front of Almeida in May 1811. When the French garrison escaped, Pack pursued them to Barba del Puerco, and afterwards by Sir Brent Spencer's orders, blew up