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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7088686 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60390 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60390) diff --git a/old/60390-0.txt b/old/60390-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 60dd2b2..0000000 --- a/old/60390-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15867 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of History of the Peninsular War Volume V (of -6), by Robert Southey - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: History of the Peninsular War Volume V (of 6) - -Author: Robert Southey - -Release Date: September 30, 2019 [EBook #60390] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF THE PENINSULAR WAR, VOL 5 *** - - - - -Produced by Brian Coe, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: - - -Sidenotes are shown in UPPER-CASE and enclosed in ♦DIAMOND SYMBOLS♦; -italic text is enclosed in _underscores_. Other notes will be found at -the end of this eBook. - - - - - HISTORY - OF THE - PENINSULAR WAR. - - - “Unto thee - “Let thine own times as an old story be.” - - DONNE. - - - BY ROBERT SOUTHEY, ESQ. LL.D. - POET LAUREATE, - - HONORARY MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SPANISH ACADEMY, OF THE - ROYAL SPANISH ACADEMY OF HISTORY, OF THE ROYAL - INSTITUTE OF THE NETHERLANDS, OF THE - CYMMRODORION, OF THE MASSACHUSETTS - HISTORICAL SOCIETY, ETC. - - - A NEW EDITION. - - _IN SIX VOLUMES._ - - VOL. V. - - - LONDON: - JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET. - - MDCCCXXXVII. - - - - -Ἱστορίας γὰρ ἐὰν ἀφέλῃ τις τὸ διὰ τί, καὶ πῶς, καὶ τίνος χάριν ἐπράχθη, -καὶ τὸ πραχθὲν πότερα εὔλογον ἔσχε τὸ τέλος, τὸ καταλειπόμενον αὐτῆς -ἀγώνισμα μὲν, μάθημα δὲ οὐ γίγνεται· καὶ παραυτίκα μὲν τέρπει, πρὸς δὲ -τὸ μέλλον οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ τὸ παράπαν. - - POLYBIUS, lib. iii. sect. 31. - - - - -CONTENTS OF THE FIFTH VOLUME. - - - Page - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - - Marshal Macdonald succeeds Augereau in Catalonia 1 - - Siege of Mequinenza 2 - - Mequinenza taken 4 - - Lili appointed to the command in Tortosa 4 - - Tortosa 5 - - Preparations for the siege of that city 6 - - The enemy appear before it 7 - - O’Donell visits the city 8 - - Macdonald enters the plain of Tarragona 9 - - Affair near Tarragona 10 - - Macdonald retires 10 - - O’Donell surprises the enemy at La Bisbal 11 - - The enemy’s batteries on the coast destroyed 15 - - Captured provisions purchased for the French in Barcelona 15 - - Lili’s preparations for defence 16 - - Ferdinand’s birthday celebrated in Tortosa 17 - - Conduct of the French general concerning Marshal Soult’s decree 18 - - Successes of Eroles 20 - - Edict against the Junta of Aragon 22 - - Molina de Aragon burnt by the French 23 - - Bassecourt takes the command in Valencia 24 - - Defeat of the Valencians at Ulldecona 25 - - Captain Fane taken at Palamos 26 - - Trenches opened before Tortosa 27 - - O’Donell’s plan for relieving it 28 - - Tortosa surrendered 29 - - Sentence on the governor for surrendering it 29 - - Col de Balaguer surrendered 30 - - Commodore Mends destroys the batteries on the north coast of - Spain 31 - - Expedition under Renovales to Santona 32 - - Wreck of the Spanish vessels 34 - - Expedition under Lord Blayney 35 - - Mountains of Ronda 35 - - Ortiz de Zarate 35 - - Lord Blayney sails from Gibraltar 38 - - He lands near the castle of Frangerola 38 - - Failure of the expedition 39 - - Lord Blayney and the British troops taken 41 - - Defeat of general Blake 41 - - Irregular war 42 - - State of the guerrilla warfare 48 - - Andalusia 48 - - Mountains of Ronda 49 - - Extremadura 51 - - D. Toribio Bustamente 51 - - D. Francisco Abad, el Chaleco 52 - - Ciria, the Nero of La Mancha 53 - - New Castille 54 - - D. Ventura Ximenez 54 - - Guerrilla banditti 55 - - Crimes of Pedrazuela and his wife 56 - - Alcalde of Brihuega 57 - - Joseph’s escape from the Empecinado 57 - - Desertion of the Juramentados 58 - - Junta of Guadalaxara 59 - - The Medico 59 - - Fourscore French burnt in a chapel 60 - - Cruelties and retaliations 60 - - Old Castille 61 - - The Cura 61 - - Aragon 62 - - The Canterero 63 - - Alcalde of Mondragon 64 - - Asturias 64 - - Porlier 64 - - D. José Duran 65 - - Xavier Mina 66 - - His capture 67 - - Espoz y Mina elected to succeed him 67 - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. - - Schemes of the instrusive government 73 - - The Cortes 74 - - Mode of election 75 - - Regulations proposed by the Central Junta 81 - - The Regency delays the convocation 81 - - Cortes convoked 83 - - Commencement of their proceedings 84 - - Oath required from the Regents 86 - - The Bishop of Orense scruples to take the oath 87 - - First measures of the Cortes 90 - - The Duke of Orleans offers his services 91 - - Second Regency 92 - - Marquis of Palacio refuses to take the oath 93 - - Tyrannical conduct of the Cortes towards him 94 - - Self-denying ordinance 95 - - Liberty of the press 96 - - State of the press 100 - - El Robespierre Español 102 - - Debates concerning Ferdinand 102 - - Decree concerning him 104 - - Character of the Cortes 106 - - - CHAPTER XXXV. - - Expectations of the French 109 - - Gardanne enters Portugal, and marches back again 110 - - Drouet enters with 10,000 men 111 - - Rash operations of Silveira 113 - - Conduct of Drouet’s corps 113 - - The French army left to subsist upon the country 114 - - Conduct of that army towards the inhabitants 115 - - Skill of the marauders 118 - - Massena perseveres in remaining against Ney’s advice 121 - - State of the people within the lines 122 - - False statements in France 124 - - Opinions of the opposition in England 125 - - Schemes of co-operation with Soult 126 - - Olivença taken by the French 127 - - Badajoz invested 128 - - Death of Romana 128 - - Destruction of his army 130 - - Governor of Badajoz killed 131 - - Imaz appointed to succeed him 131 - - Massena begins his retreat 134 - - Badajoz surrendered 135 - - Skill and barbarity of the French in their retreat 140 - - Havoc at Alcobaça 142 - - And at Batalha 144 - - Direction of the enemy’s retreat 144 - - Affair before Pombal 145 - - Before Redinha 146 - - They appear before Coimbra 147 - - Montbrun fears to enter it 147 - - Distress of the enemy 149 - - Affair on the Ceyra 152 - - Resistance made by the peasantry 154 - - Guarda 156 - - The Coa 157 - - Sabugal 157 - - Action before Sabugal 158 - - The French repass the frontier 161 - - Opinions of the Whigs at this time 162 - - Mr. Ponsonby 162 - - Mr. Freemantle 162 - - General Tarleton 163 - - Lord Grenville 164 - - - CHAPTER XXXVI. - - Expedition from Cadiz 165 - - Lieutenant-General Graham 165 - - Apprehensions of the enemy 166 - - The troops land at Algeciras 167 - - They pass the Puerto de Facinas 167 - - Lapeña’s proclamation 168 - - Advance against Veger 169 - - Junction of the troops from St. Roques 170 - - The French attack Zayas, and are repulsed 171 - - Passage of the Lake of Janda 172 - - Position of the enemy 173 - - Communication with the Isle of Leon opened 174 - - Heights of Barrosa 175 - - General Graham marches back to the heights 176 - - Battle of Barrosa 177 - - Diversion on the coast 179 - - The Cortes demand an enquiry 180 - - Outcry in England against Lapeña 180 - - Mr. Ward’s speech 181 - - Mr. Perceval 182 - - Mr. Whitbread 182 - - Remarks on the failure of the expedition 184 - - Death of Alburquerque 187 - - His epitaph by Mr. Frere 189 - - - CHAPTER XXXVII. - - Opinions of the opposition writers at this time 190 - - Address of the Portugueze government to the people 193 - - Lord Wellington asks relief for the suffering Portugueze 195 - - Parliamentary grant for the relief of the Portugueze 196 - - Earl Grosvenor demurs at it 196 - - Marquis of Lansdowne 197 - - Mr. Ponsonby 197 - - Public subscription 198 - - Honourable acknowledgement of this relief by the Prince of Brazil 198 - - Distribution of the grant 198 - - Children famished at Santarem 199 - - State in which the French left the country they had occupied 199 - - Pombal 200 - - Santarem 200 - - Leyria 201 - - Political effect of this distribution 203 - - Marshal Beresford goes to Alentejo 205 - - Valencia de Alcantara, Alburquerque, and Campo Mayor taken by the - French 206 - - Beresford arrives on the frontier 206 - - Affair near Campo Mayor 207 - - Measures concerted with the Spaniards 209 - - Bridge constructed at Jurumenha 210 - - Passage of the Guadiana 211 - - Olivença retaken 212 - - Claim of the Portugueze to that place 213 - - The French retire from Extremadura 215 - - Siege of Badajoz undertaken 216 - - Bridge at Jurumenha swept away 217 - - Lord Wellington recalled to Beira 218 - - Inactivity of the Spanish commander in Galicia 218 - - Country between the Agueda and Coa 219 - - Massena’s address to his army 220 - - Battle of Fuentes d’Onoro 220 - - The French retire 227 - - Escape of the garrison from Almeida 228 - - Marmont succeeds Massena in the command 230 - - Lord Wellington recalled to Alentejo 231 - - Badajoz besieged 231 - - Interruption of the siege 232 - - Arrangement between Lord Wellington and Castaños concerning the - command 233 - - Reasons for giving battle 234 - - The allies assemble at Albuhera 234 - - Battle of Albuhera 236 - - Siege of Badajoz resumed 244 - - Unsuccessful attempts upon Fort Christoval 245 - - The siege raised 246 - - Junction of Soult and Marmont 247 - - The allies take a position within the Portugueze frontier 248 - - Soult boasts of his success 249 - - Blake’s movements 250 - - He fails at Niebla and returns to Cadiz 251 - - The French armies separate 252 - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII. - - Plans of the French in Catalonia 253 - - The Pyrenean provinces administered in Buonaparte’s name 254 - - State of Aragon 255 - - System of the French commander 255 - - Good effect of paying the troops regularly 257 - - British goods burnt at Zaragoza 257 - - Preparations for besieging Zaragoza 258 - - Manresa burnt by Macdonald 260 - - Scheme for the recovery of Barcelona frustrated 262 - - Figueras 263 - - Attempt upon that place 264 - - It is taken by surprise 265 - - Rovira rewarded with preferment in the church 267 - - Suchet refuses to send the troops which Macdonald required from - him 269 - - Eroles introduces troops into Figueras 270 - - The French blockade it 270 - - Attempts to destroy Mina 272 - - Tarragona 291 - - Siege of that city 295 - - Campoverde enters it after a defeat 296 - - Fort Olivo betrayed 297 - - Contreras appointed to command in the city 298 - - Campoverde goes out to act in the field 298 - - Fort Francoli abandoned 300 - - Troops sent to reinforce the garrison, and landed elsewhere 301 - - The lower town taken 303 - - Suchet’s threat 303 - - The mole at Tarragona 303 - - Campoverde’s inactivity 304 - - Ill behaviour of the Spanish frigates 305 - - Colonel Skerrett arrives with British troops from Cadiz 305 - - Tarragona taken by assault 306 - - Massacre there 308 - - Campoverde resolves to abandon Catalonia 310 - - Eroles refuses to leave it 311 - - General Lacy arrives to take the command 311 - - Montserrate taken by the French 312 - - Fall of Figueras 313 - - Base usage of the prisoners taken there 314 - - Manso 314 - - Conduct of the Junta of Catalonia 316 - - Lacy’s proclamation 316 - - Retreat of the cavalry from Catalonia to Murcia 317 - - State of the enemy in Catalonia 319 - - Las Medas recovered by the Spaniards 320 - - Successful enterprises of Lacy and Eroles 322 - - Corregidor of Cervera taken and punished 324 - - Eroles enters France and levies contributions 324 - - - CHAPTER XXXIX. - - State of Portugal 327 - - Expectation of peace 328 - - Disposition of the continental powers to resist Buonaparte 329 - - Plans of Soult and Marmont 330 - - Dorsenne enters Galicia 331 - - Abadia retreats 331 - - Lord Wellington observes Ciudad Rodrigo 332 - - Dorsenne recalled from Galicia 333 - - Movements of the French to throw supplies into Ciudad Rodrigo 333 - - The allies fall back 335 - - The French retire 338 - - Marmont boasts of his success 338 - - Girard in Extremadura 339 - - General Hill moves against him 340 - - Arroyo Molinos 341 - - The French surprised and routed there 342 - - Marques del Palacio appointed to the command in Valencia 345 - - His proclamation 345 - - He is superseded by Blake 347 - - Murviedro 349 - - Suchet takes possession of the town 350 - - The French repulsed in an assault 351 - - Oropesa taken by the enemy 352 - - A second assault repelled 353 - - Guerrilla movements in aid of Murviedro 353 - - Dispersion of the Empecinado’s troops 355 - - His subsequent successes in conjunction with Duran 355 - - A price set upon the heads of Mina and his officers 356 - - Mina’s success at Ayerbe 357 - - Cruchaga carries off the enemy’s stores from Tafalla 359 - - Mina’s object in soliciting for military rank 360 - - His decree for reprisals 361 - - Duran and the Empecinado separate 363 - - Battle of Murviedro 364 - - Murviedro surrendered 367 - - Valencia 369 - - Suchet summons the city 371 - - He establishes himself in the suburb and in the port 371 - - The army endeavours to escape 374 - - Xativa surrendered 374 - - Blake abandons the lines and retires into the city 375 - - The city a second time summoned 376 - - Suchet expects a desperate resistance 377 - - He bombards the city 378 - - Blake surrenders the city to the army 379 - - - CHAPTER XL. - - Attempt on Alicante 381 - - Dénia surrendered 382 - - Peniscola betrayed by Garcia Navarro 382 - - Carrera killed in Murcia 382 - - New constitution 383 - - Change of Regency 383 - - Ballasteros retreats to the lines of St. Roque 384 - - Tarifa attempted by the French 385 - - Tarifa 387 - - Tarifa re-garrisoned by the English 388 - - Colonel Skerrett and Copons arrive there 389 - - The French invest the town 390 - - Doubts whether it could be defended 391 - - The garrison summoned 393 - - The French repulsed in an assault 394 - - Effects of a storm on both parties 395 - - Siege raised 396 - - General Hill occupies Merida 398 - - Attempt to carry off Soult 398 - - Colonel Grant rescued by the Guerrillas 399 - - State of feeling at Madrid 399 - - State of the country 401 - - The Intruder goes to France 403 - - Distress both of the Intrusive and Legitimate Governments 404 - - Schemes for strengthening the Spanish government 406 - - Cardinal Bourbon 407 - - The Infante Don Carlos 407 - - Princess of Brazil 407 - - State of the Portugueze government 408 - - Marquis Wellesley’s views 410 - - Lord Wellington prepares for the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo 411 - - Ciudad Rodrigo 415 - - A redoubt carried 416 - - Convent of Santa Cruz taken 418 - - Captain Ross killed 418 - - St. Francisco’s and the suburbs taken 419 - - The place taken by assault 421 - - Craufurd mortally wounded 422 - - Mackinnon killed 423 - - General Craufurd 424 - - General Mackinnon 425 - - Marmont’s movements during the siege 427 - - Lord Wellington made Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo 428 - - Speeches of Sir Francis Burdett and Mr. Whitbread 428 - - Lord Wellington created an Earl 429 - - Preparations for the siege of Badajoz 429 - - Preparations for its defence 431 - - Siege and capture of that city 433 - - Soult advances to relieve the place, and retreats 448 - - Marmont enters Beira 449 - - Arrangement for the defence of that frontier 449 - - Marmont deterred by a feint from assaulting Almeida 450 - - Advance of the French to Castello Branco, and their retreat 452 - - Marmont attempts to surprise the Portugueze at Guarda 452 - - Flight of the Portugueze militia by the Mondego 453 - - Marmont retreats 454 - - Lord Wellington retires to Beira 455 - - - CHAPTER XLI. - - Marquis Wellesley resigns office 457 - - Restrictions on the Regency expire 457 - - Communication from the Prince Regent to the leaders of opposition 458 - - Reply of Lords Grey and Grenville 459 - - Lord Boringdon’s motion 460 - - Speech of Earl Grey 461 - - Overture from the French government 462 - - Lord Castlereagh’s reply 465 - - Mr. Perceval murdered 466 - - Conduct of the populace 467 - - Overtures from the Ministers to Marquis Wellesley and Mr. Canning 468 - - Marquis Wellesley’s reasons for declining them 470 - - Mr. Canning’s 471 - - Marquis Wellesley’s statement 472 - - Mr. Stuart Wortley’s motion 473 - - Marquis Wellesley charged to form an administration 473 - - The ministers refuse to act with him 474 - - Lords Grey and Grenville also decline 474 - - Marquis Wellesley receives fuller powers 476 - - The two lords persist in their reply 477 - - Earl Moira’s letter to Earl Grey 478 - - Marquis Wellesley resigns his commission 480 - - Negotiation with Earl Moira 480 - - The old Ministry is re-established 483 - - Marquis Wellesley’s explanation 483 - - Earl Grey’s 485 - - Earl Moira’s reply 485 - - Mr. Stuart Wortley’s second motion 487 - - Lord Yarmouth’s statement 487 - - Lord Castlereagh’s speech 488 - - Pecuniary assistance to the Spaniards 492 - - Proposal concerning Spanish troops 493 - - Plan of a diversion from Sicily 493 - - - - -HISTORY - -OF THE - -PENINSULAR WAR. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -CATALONIA. MEQUINENZA AND TORTOSA TAKEN. EXPEDITIONS ON THE COASTS OF -BISCAY AND OF ANDALUSIA. GUERRILLAS. - - -♦1810.♦ - -While Lord Wellington detained in Portugal the most numerous of the -French armies, defied their strength and baffled their combinations, -events of great importance, both military and civil, were taking place -in Spain. - -♦MARSHAL MACDONALD SUCCEEDS AUGEREAU.♦ - -The command in Catalonia had devolved upon Camp-Marshal Juan Manuel -de Villena, during the time that O’Donell was invalided by his wound. -He had to oppose in Marshal Macdonald a general of higher reputation -and of a better stamp than Augereau. Augereau had passed through the -revolutionary war without obtaining any worse character than that of -rapacity; but in Catalonia he manifested a ferocious and cruel temper, -of which he had not before been suspected. Every armed Catalan who -fell alive into his hand was sent to the gibbet: the people were not -slow at reprisals, and war became truly dreadful when cruelty appeared -on both sides to be only the exercise of vindictive justice: it was -made so hateful to the better part of the German soldiers, and to -the younger French also, whose hearts had not yet been seared, that -they sought eagerly for every opportunity of fighting, in the hope of -receiving wounds ♦VON STAFF, 296.♦ which should entitle them to their -dismission, or, at the worst, of speedily terminating a life which was -rendered odious by the service wherein they were engaged. - -♦SIEGE OF MEQUINENZA.♦ - -The force under Macdonald’s command consisted of 21,000 men, including -2000 cavalry, and of 16,500 employed in garrisons and in the points of -communication; the army of Aragon also, which Suchet commanded, was -under his direction. They could not in Catalonia, as they had done in -other parts of Spain, press forward, and leave defensible towns behind -them: it was necessary to take every place that could be defended by -a resolute people, and to secure it when taken. After Lerida had been -villanously betrayed by Garcia Conde, Tortosa became the next point -of importance for the French to gain, for while that city was held by -the Spaniards, the communication between Valencia and Catalonia could -not be cut off. Tarragona and Valencia were then successively to be -attacked, but Mequinenza was to be taken before Tortosa was besieged. -This town, which was called Octogesa when the Romans became masters of -Spain, which by the corrupted name of Ictosa was the seat of a bishop’s -see under the Wisigoths, and which obtained its present appellation -from the Moors, was at the present juncture a point of considerable -importance, because it commanded the navigation of the Ebro, being -situated where that river receives the Segre. It was now a decayed -town with a fortified castle: the works never had been strong, and -since the Succession-war had received only such hasty repairs as had -been made, at the urgent representations of General Doyle, during the -second siege of Zaragoza. These preparations had enabled it to repulse -the enemy in three several attempts after the fall of that city. It -had now, by Doyle s exertions, been well supplied with provisions, but -every thing else was wanting; the garrison consisted of 700 men, upon -whose discipline or subordination the commander, D. Manuel Carbon, -could but ill rely. He himself was disposed to do his duty, and was -well supported by some of his officers. - -♦MAY 18.♦ - -Six days after the betrayal of Lerida the French Colonel Robert was -sent with three battalions to commence operations against this poor -fortress; he tried to force the passage of a bridge over the Cinca, -which was so well defended, that it cost him 400 men. Between that -river and the Ebro, Mousnier’s division approached so as to straiten -the place, and a bridge of boats was thrown across the Ebro, and a -tête-du-pont constructed to cut off the besieged from succour on that -side. The operations were conducted with little skill or success, till -at the expiration of a fortnight Colonel Rogniat came to direct them. -Carbon then found it necessary to abandon the place, and retire into -the Castle; to this he was compelled less by the efforts of the enemy -than by distrust of his own men, who now becoming hopeless of relief, -took every opportunity of deserting. His only armourer had fled, so had -his masons, his carpenters, and his medical staff, the latter taking -with them their stores. Four of the iron guns had burst, ... two brazen -ones were rendered useless; and the Castle, which the people looked -upon as impregnable, was not only weak in itself, but incapable of -long resistance, had it been stronger, for want of water: there was -none within the works; it was to be brought from a distance, and by a -difficult ♦JUNE.♦ road. The governor represented to the captain-general -that his situation was truly miserable; that the best thing he could -do, were it possible, would be to bring off the remains of the -garrison; but they were between the Ebro and the Segre, and the banks -of both rivers were occupied by the enemy. A force of at least 3000 men -would be required to relieve him ... whereas 500 might have sufficed if -they had been sent from Tortosa in time. - -♦MEQUINENZA TAKEN.♦ - -This dispatch was brought to Villena by a peasant who succeeded in -swimming the Segre with it; and an attempt accordingly was made to -relieve the Castle, but it was made too late. General Doyle, whom the -Junta of Tortosa had addressed entreating him to continue his services -to Mequinenza, asked and obtained the command of the succours, and was -on the way with them, when they were met by tidings that the garrison -♦JUNE 8.♦ had surrendered. The course of the Ebro from Zaragoza was now -open to the enemy, and they prepared immediately to besiege Tortosa. If -Suchet had known the state of the city at this time, he might have won -it by a coup-de-main. The suspicions of the people had been re-inflamed -by the betrayal of Lerida; the fall of Mequinenza excited their fears; -♦LILI APPOINTED TO THE COMMAND IN TORTOSA. VOL. I. 731–735.♦ and an -insurrection was apprehended, to prevent which Villena requested Doyle -to hasten thither, and act as governor till the Conde de Alache, D. -Miguel de Lili y Idiaquez, should arrive. This nobleman had displayed -such skill and enterprise in the painful but fortunate retreat which -he made with a handful of men after the wreck of the central army -at Tudela, that it was thought no man could be more adequate to the -important service for which he was now chosen. - -♦TORTOSA.♦ - -Tortosa stands upon the left bank of the Ebro, about four leagues -from the sea; it is on the high road by which Catalonia communicates -with the south of Spain. Before the Roman conquest the Ilercaones -had their chief settlement here, and the place was called after the -tribe Ilercaonia; Dartosa was its Roman name, which either under the -Goths or Moors passed into the present appellation. It was taken from -the Moors[1] by Louis le Debonnaire, during the life of his father -Charlemagne, after a remarkable siege, in which all the military -engines of that age seem to have been employed. The governor whom he -left there revolted, called in the Moors to his support, and they took -it for themselves. It was conquered from them by Ramon Berenguer, -Count of Barcelona, in the middle of the twelfth century; and in the -year following was saved from the Moors by the women, who took arms -when the men were almost overpowered, rallied them, and animated them -so that they repulsed the entering enemy: in honour of this event a -military order was instituted, and it was enacted that the women of -Tortosa should have precedence of the men in all public ceremonies. -During that revolt of the Catalans which was one of the many and great -evils brought upon Spain by the iniquitous administration of Olivares, -Tortosa declared early for the provincial cause; but it was reduced to -obedience soon and without violence, and the city, which then contained -2000 inhabitants, was secured against any sudden attack. Marshal de la -Mothe besieged it in 1642, and effected a breach in its weak works: -he was repulsed in an assault with considerable loss, and deemed it -necessary to raise the siege. Six years afterwards the French, with -Schomberg for their general, took it by storm, ... the bishop and -most of the clergy falling in the breach. It was retaken in 1650. In -the Succession-war this place was gladly given up to the allies by -the people, as soon as the capture of Barcelona by Lord Peterborough -enabled them to declare their sentiments. The Duke of Orleans took -it in 1708 by a vigorous siege, and through the want of firmness in -the governor; had it held out two days longer, the besieging army -must have retired for want of supplies. Staremberg almost succeeded -in recovering it by surprise a few months afterwards; and in 1711 he -failed in a second attempt. From that time the city had flourished -during nearly an hundred years of internal peace; the population had -increased to 16,000; the chief export was potash; the chief trade in -wheat, which was either imported hither or exported hence, according as -the harvest had proved in the two provinces of Catalonia and Aragon. -But during this long interval of tranquillity, while the city and its -neighbourhood partook the prosperity of the most industrious province -in Spain, the fortifications, like every thing upon which the strength -and security of the state depended, had been neglected, and were -falling to decay. - -♦PREPARATIONS FOR THE SIEGE OF THAT CITY.♦ - -This place, which could only have opposed a tumultuous resistance if -the French had immediately pursued their success, was soon secured -against any sudden attack by Doyle’s exertions. He had given up his pay -in the Spanish service to the use of this province, and the confidence -which was placed in him by the people and the local authorities, as -well as by the generals, gave him influence and authority wherever -he went. Every effort was made for storing and strengthening the -city, while the enemy on their part made preparations for besieging -it in form. Mequinenza was their depôt for the siege: from thence -the artillery was conveyed to Xerta, a little town two leagues above -Tortosa on the Ebro, which they fortified, and where they established a -tête-du-pont: another was formed at Mora, half way between Mequinenza -and Tortosa; the navigation of the river was thus secured. The roads -upon either bank being only mountain paths, which were practicable but -for beasts of burthen, a military road was constructed from Caspe, -following in many parts the line of that which the Duke of Orleans -had formed in the preceding century. A corps of 5000 infantry and 500 -horse was to invest the city on the right bank, while another corps -of the same strength watched the movements of the Catalan army. One -division Suchet had left in Aragon, where the regular force opposed -to it had almost disappeared in the incapable hands of D. Francisco -Palafox. He had as little to apprehend on the side of Valencia; neither -men nor means were wanting in that populous and wealthy province, -but there prevailed a narrow provincial spirit, and General Caro -remained inactive when an opportunity was presented of compelling the -French, who were on the right bank, to retire, or of cutting them -off. The other part of the besieging army was not left in like manner -unmolested, for O’Donell had by this time recovered from his wound, and -resumed the command. - -♦THE ENEMY APPEAR BEFORE THE PLACE.♦ - -On the 4th of July the enemy appeared on the right bank, and occupied -the suburbs of Jesus and Las Roquetas; they took possession also -of the country-houses which were near the city on that side, but -not without resistance. On the 8th they attacked the tête-du-pont, -expecting to carry it by a sudden and vigorous attempt; they were -repulsed, renewed the attempt at midnight, were again repulsed, and -a few hours afterwards failed in a third attack. They were now -satisfied that Tortosa was not to be won without the time and labour -of a regular siege. They had seen also a manifestation of that same -spirit which had been so virtuously displayed at Zaragoza and Gerona. -For the Tortosan women had passed and repassed the bridge during the -heat of action, regardless of danger, bearing refreshments and stores -to the soldiers; two who were wounded in this service were rewarded -with medals and with a pension. They enrolled themselves in companies -to attend upon the wounded, whether in the hospitals or in private -houses. There was one woman who during the whole siege carried water -and cordials to the troops at the points of attack, and frequently -went out with them in their sallies; the people called her La Titaya, -and she was made a serjeant for her services. The men also formed -themselves into companies, and it was evident what might be expected -from the inhabitants, if their governor should prove worthy of the -charge committed to him. Velasco, who held the command till the Conde -de Alache should arrive, was incapacitated by illness for any exertion. -The garrison, encouraged by their success in repelling the enemy, made -a sally on the 10th with more courage than prudence, and lost about 100 -men; the next day the French began their regular approaches. - -♦O’DONELL VISITS THE CITY.♦ - -O’Donell’s first care upon resuming the command of the army was to -strengthen Tortosa and provide it against the siege, which if he could -not prevent he would use every exertion to impede and frustrate. Lili -arrived there in the middle of July, and a convoy of provisions with -him: Velasco then left the place, and retired to Tarragona, broken in -health. Stores and men were introduced till the magazines were fully -replenished, and the garrison amounted to 8000 effective men. On the -night of the 21st the enemy made another attack upon the tête-du-pont, -as unsuccessfully as before. Some days afterwards O’Donell came there -to inspect the place; he thanked the inhabitants for the good-will -which they were manifesting, and the readiness with which they had cut -down their fruit-trees and demolished their villas in the adjoining -country, sacrificing every thing cheerfully to the national cause. He -directed also a sally, which was made with good effect, ♦AUG. 3.♦ some -of the enemy’s works being destroyed: Lili was present in this affair, -and was wounded. Having seen that every thing was in order here, and -promised well, the general returned to his army. - -But O’Donell deriving no support from either of the neighbouring -provinces, had on the one hand to impede Suchet’s operations, and on -the other to act against Macdonald. Before that Marshal could take -any measures in aid of the besieging army, he had to introduce a -convoy ♦MACDONALD ENTERS THE PLAINS OF TARRAGONA.♦ into Barcelona. -Having effected this object, and baffled the force which endeavoured -to prevent it, he moved upon the Ebro; by this movement O’Donell was -compelled to withdraw the division which kept in check the French corps -upon the left bank; and Suchet, seizing the opportunity, passed that -corps across the river, and advanced against the Valencian army, with -which Caro had at last taken the field, ... only to make a precipitate -retreat when it was thus attacked, and leave the enemy without any -interruption from that side. Macdonald meantime easily overcoming -the little resistance that could be interposed entered the plain of -Tarragona, and took a position at Reus, with his whole disposable -force, raising contributions in money and every kind of stores upon -that unhappy town, while his troops pillaged the surrounding country. -Tarragona was at this time but weakly garrisoned, and some apprehension -was entertained that it might be his intention to lay siege to it. -Campoverde’s division, therefore, was immediately removed thither from -Falset, and O’Donell himself entered the place, and occupied the height -of Oliva and the village of La Canonja, endeavouring by activity and -display to make the most of his insufficient force. Before daybreak -this latter post was attacked by the French in ♦AUG. 21. AFFAIR NEAR -TARRAGONA.♦ strength, ... the Spaniards fell back till O’Donell came -to their support; he supposed the enemy’s object was to reconnoitre -the place, and this he was desirous to prevent. Captain Buller, in the -Volontaire frigate, was near enough distinctly to hear and see the -firing; immediately he sent his launch and barge with some carronades -in shore, and anchored the ship with springs in four fathoms water, to -support the boats, and act as circumstances might require. These boats -acted with great effect upon the right flank of the French; and the -frigate bringing its guns to bear upon the enemy’s cavalry, which was -forming upon a rising ground, dislodged them; so that they retreated -to their position with the loss of about an hundred and fifty men. On -the same day Captain Fane, in the Cambrian frigate, and some Spanish -boats, performed a like service at Salou, driving from thence, with the -loss of some forty men, a detachment of the enemy who had gone thither -to plunder the place. ♦MACDONALD RETIRES. AUG. 25.♦ On the fourth day -after this affair the French retreated, leaving 700 sick and wounded in -the hospital at Reus, and 200 at Valls. Their rearguard was overtaken -in the town of Momblanch, and the plunder which they had collected -there was recovered: but a Spanish general was put under arrest for not -having improved the advantage which he had gained. They suffered also a -considerable loss by desertion. Nearly 300 Italians deserted from Reus, -and 400 more during the expedition. - -Suchet with 3000 men had moved down upon Momblanch, to cover a retreat -which was not made without danger. This movement left Tortosa for a -while free of access, and large supplies were promptly introduced. -Macdonald now took a position near Cervera, as a central point, from -whence he could cover the besieging army before Tortosa, and threaten -the rear of the Spaniards upon the Llobregat, and where he could occupy -an extent of country capable of supplying him with provisions. But -♦O’DONNELL SURPRISES THE ENEMY AT LA BISBAL.♦ this afforded opportunity -to O’Donell for renewing that system of warfare which he had carried -on successfully against Augereau. He embarked a small detachment at -Tarragona, provided with artillery, which sailed under convoy of a -small Spanish squadron and of the Cambrian frigate. On the 6th of -September he put himself at the head of a division at Villafranca, -having directed the movements of his troops so as to make the French -infer that it was his intention to interpose between them and -♦SEPTEMBER.♦ Barcelona. Leaving Campoverde to throw up works near La -Baguda, and secure that pass, he proceeded to Esparraguera: from thence -he reconnoitred El Bruch and Casamasanes, and leaving Eroles to guard -that position, ordered Brigadier Georget to take post at Mombuy, close -by Igualada, and Camp-Marshal Obispo to advance by a forced march from -Momblanch, and place himself upon the heights to the right and left of -Martorell. This was on the 9th: that same night he ordered Campoverde -to march the following morning and join him at S. Culgat del Valles, -sending a battalion to reinforce Georget, but letting no one know his -destination. The whole division reached Mataro on the 10th, Pineda on -the following day; from thence a party under the Colonel of Engineers, -D. Honorato de Fleyres, was dispatched to take post at the _Ermida_ of -S. Grau, while O’Donell proceeded to Tordera. Before he left Pineda he -received intelligence that the squadron had commenced its operations -auspiciously. Doyle had landed at Bagur, taken forty-two prisoners -there, and with the assistance of the Cambrian’s boats destroyed the -battery and carried off the guns. Being now about to leave the garrison -of Hostalrich in his rear, O’Donell sent off a detachment towards -that fort, and another toward Gerona, that they might lead the French -in both places to suppose he was reconnoitring with a view to invest -them. On the 13th he reached the village of Vidreras, falling in on the -way thither with an howitzer and a field-piece which had been landed -for him at Calella. At Vidreras the two last detachments which he -had sent off rejoined him, having performed their service with great -success, the one party bringing off nine prisoners from the suburbs of -Hostalrich, whom they had taken in the houses there, the other eleven -from under the walls of Gerona. - -This long movement had been undertaken in the hope of cutting off -the French who occupied S. Feliu de Guixols, Palamos, and La Bisbal. -The larger force was at La Bisbal under General Schwartz; and that -he might have no opportunity to reinforce the two weaker points, -it was O’Donell’s intention to attack him there, at the same time -that Fleyres, dividing his detachment, should attack both the other -garrisons. From Vidreras to La Bisbal is a distance which in that -country, where distances are measured by time, is computed at eight -hours, the foot-pace of an able-bodied man averaging usually four -miles in the hour; but at this time much depended on celerity. At -daybreak on the 14th he renewed his march with the cavalry regiment -of Numancia, sixty hussars, and an hundred volunteer infantry, who -thought themselves capable of keeping up with the horse. The regiment -of Iliberia followed at a less exhausting pace; and the rest of the -division, under Campoverde, went by way of Llagostera to post itself -in the valley of Aro, as a body of reserve, and cut off the enemy in -case they should retire from the points which they occupied. O’Donell -proceeded so rapidly that he performed the usual journey of eight hours -in little more than four, the infantry keeping up with the horse at a -brisk trot the whole time. As soon as they reached La Bisbal, Brigadier -Sanjuan, with the cavalry, occupied all the avenues of the town, to -prevent the enemy, who upon their appearance had retired into an old -castle, from escaping; some cuirassiers who were patrolling were made -prisoners; the Spanish infantry took possession of the houses near the -castle, and from thence and from the church tower fired upon it. They -rung the Somaten, and the peasants who were within hearing came to join -them. O’Donell perceiving that musketry was of little avail, and that -Schwartz did not surrender at his summons, resolved to set fire to the -gates; but in reconnoitring the castle with this object, he received -a musket-ball in the leg, the sixteenth which had struck him in the -course of this war. Just at this time a detachment of an hundred foot, -with two-and-thirty cuirassiers, came from the side of Torruella to aid -the garrison. Sanjuan charged them with his reserve; the cuirassiers -fled toward Gerona, all the infantry were taken, and a convoy of -provisions with its escort fell into the hands of the Spaniards. The -regiment of Iliberia, quickening its march when it heard the firing, -now came up; at nightfall the enemy were a second time summoned, and -Schwartz, seeing no means of escape, was then glad to have the honours -of war granted him, upon surrendering with his whole party, consisting -of 650 men and 42 officers. - -Fleyres meantime leaving S. Grau at two on the morning of the same -day, divided his force, and directed Lieutenant-Colonel D. Tadeo -Aldea, with 300 foot and 20 horse, against Palamos, while he with -the same number of horse and 250 foot proceeded against S. Feliu de -Guixols; 150 men being left as a reserve for both parties upon the -heights on the road to Zeroles. Both were successful. The Spaniards -were not discovered as they approached S. Feliu till they were within -pistol-shot of the sentinel; and the enemy, after a brisk but short -resistance, surrendered when they were offered honourable treatment in -O’Donell’s name. Thirty-six were killed and wounded here; 270 men and -eight officers laid down their arms. At Palamos the enemy had batteries -which they defended; but there the squadron co-operated, and after -the loss of threescore men, 255, with seven officers, surrendered. -Seventy more were taken on the following day in the Castle of Calonge. -The result of this well-planned, and singularly fortunate expedition, -which succeeded in its full extent at every point, was the capture of -one general, two colonels, threescore inferior officers, more than -1200 men, seventeen pieces of artillery, magazines and stores, and -the destruction of every battery, fort, or house which the enemy had -fortified upon the coast as far as the Bay of Rosas. The British seamen -and marines had exerted themselves with their characteristic activity -and good-will on this occasion; and Captain Fane, though suffering -under severe indisposition at the time, had landed with Doyle, and put -himself forwards wherever most was to be done. O’Donell, to mark the -sense which was entertained of their services, ordered a medal to be -struck for the officers and crew, with appropriate[2] inscriptions. - -The Spaniards had only ten men killed and twenty-three wounded; but -O’Donell was disabled by his wound, and a General who had displayed -so much ability, and in whose fortune the soldiers had acquired -confidence could ill be spared. The system of maritime enterprise -which had been thus well commenced ♦THE ENEMY’S BATTERIES ON THE COAST -DESTROYED.♦ was actively pursued. Upon General Doyle’s representation -it was resolved to attack the batteries which the enemy had erected -upon the coast between Barcelona and Tarragona, and by means of which, -with few men, they kept the maritime towns in subjection; they were -placed always in commanding situations, ... boats with supplies lay -at anchor under them all day, in safety from the cruisers, and under -cover of the night crept along shore toward their destination. Doyle -embarked for this service, and with the aid of Captain Buller, in the -Volontaire, effectually performed it, destroying every battery, and -carrying off the artillery and stores. The same service was performed -a second time upon the coast between Mataro and Rosas, where the -enemy had re-occupied stations; the batteries were again destroyed, -their coasters taken, and the Spanish Lieutenant-Colonel O’Ronan, -who embarked in the Volontaire with authority from the provincial -government, collected the imposts and levied contributions upon -those persons who traded with France, or were known partizans of the -♦OCTOBER.♦ French. He had the boldness to enter the town of Figueras -with twenty-five men, and draw rations for them in sight of the enemy’s -garrison; but in this cruise the Volontaire suffered so much in a gale -of wind, that it was necessary to make for Port Mahon. - -♦CAPTURED PROVISIONS PURCHASED FOR THE FRENCH IN BARCELONA.♦ - -The British ships rendered essential service to the Catalans at this -time, and were at all times useful in keeping up their hopes, and -rendering it more difficult for the enemy to obtain supplies. The -spirit of the people was invincible; and under such leaders as Manso, -and Rovira, and Eroles, they were so successful in desultory warfare, -that a land convoy for Barcelona required an army for its escort, and -the French government was informed, that precarious as the supply by -sea was, they must mainly trust to it. Indeed no inconsiderable part -of the provisions which were sent by sea found its way to Barcelona -after it had fallen into the hands of the British squadron. The cargoes -were sold by the captors at Villa Nova, where there were persons ready -to purchase them at any[3] price: ... these persons were agents for -the enemy; and when the magazines were full, a detachment came from -Barcelona and convoyed the stores safely to that city, which is not -twenty miles distant. The indulgence also which was intended for the -Spaniards in Barcelona, in allowing their fishing-boats to come without -the mole, was turned to the advantage of the garrison. There were about -150 of these boats, and upon every opportunity they received provisions -and stores[4], which they carried in for some time without being -suspected. - -♦LILI’S PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENCE.♦ - -Suchet meantime could make no progress in the siege of Tortosa; though -the Valencians left him undisturbed on their side, he could undertake -no serious operations till the other part of his army could be brought -down to complete the investment of the place, and till Macdonald should -be in a situation to cover the besieging force, which that General -could not do till he received reinforcements, his strength being wasted -by the losses which he was continually suffering in detail, and by the -numerous desertions which took place. Doyle’s address to the foreigners -in the French service, in their respective languages, had produced no -inconsiderable effect; copies of it were fired from the town in shells, -and by that means scattered among the ♦SEPT. 7.♦ besiegers. As soon as -it was known that the enemy’s heavy guns had arrived at Xerta, Lili -issued a proclamation to the inhabitants, requesting that all who were -not able to take arms and bear an active part in its defence would -withdraw, while a way was yet open: the place, he said, had no shelter -for them when it should be bombarded, nor could provisions be afforded -them. But the invaders, he added, deceived themselves if they supposed -that his constancy was to be shaken by the fears and lamentations of -old men and children and of a few women, or if they expected to find -another Lerida in Catalonia; for he and his garrison had sworn, and he -now repeated the vow, that Tortosa should not be yielded up till it had -surpassed, if that were possible, the measure of resistance at Zaragoza -and Gerona. He issued an order also that as soon as the first gun -should be discharged against the place, the door of every house should -be open day and night, and vessels of water kept there in readiness for -extinguishing fires, ... and lights during the night. - -♦FERDINAND’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED IN TORTOSA. - -OCT. 14.♦ - -Buonaparte’s birthday recurred about this time, and the French general -sent a letter into the city, informing the governor that it would be -celebrated in due form with a discharge of cannon. Lili corresponded -to this courtesy by sending a similar communication on the eve of -Ferdinand’s anniversary; at the same time he sent the official notice -which had reached him, that the yellow fever had broken out in certain -ports of the Mediterranean, and that some ships were infected with -it: this information, he said, was given as humanity required, in -order that the enemy might take all possible precautions against -the contagion in those parts of the country which were occupied by -their troops. The holiday was observed with its usual solemnities and -pageants, as if there had been no hostile encampment without the walls: -in the morning there was service in the churches; in the afternoon -the holy girdle, a relic of which Tortosa boasted, was carried in -procession, a masque of giants going before it, accompanied by persons -performing a provincial sword-dance, and followed by all the corporate -bodies, civil and ecclesiastical, and by the military, with music, and -banners displayed. Bull-fights with young animals who were neither -tortured with fireworks (as is the manner in the serious exhibitions of -that execrable sport) nor slaughtered, were held in the streets, and -the day concluded with a ball, a banquet, and an illumination. - -♦CONDUCT OF THE FRENCH GENERAL CONCERNING MARSHAL SOULT’S DECREE. SEE -VOL. II.♦ - -The next communication of Lili to the French general was not received -so courteously by Harispe, who at that time was left in command of the -besieging army. The Spaniards sent him copies of the decree issued -by the Regency in consequence of Soult’s infamous edict against the -Spanish armies, both edicts being printed on one sheet, in parallel -columns; Lili sent them with a flag of truce, saying it was his duty -to put the French general and his commander-in-chief in possession -of this royal decree. Harispe replied, that he should always receive -the Spanish commander’s messengers with pleasure, when they were -the bearers of decent and useful communications; but in the present -instance he must detain them prisoners of war, inasmuch as they seemed -to have no other object than that of scattering satirical writings. -If this reply had not been accompanied by an act in violation of the -laws of war, it would have been satisfactory to the Spaniards; for -the French general could not more plainly have shown the opinion -which he entertained of Marshal Soult’s decree, than by thus affecting -to believe that it was spurious. The besieging army, however, had -given some examples of that merciless system upon which the intrusive -government required its generals to act; ... for the bodies of some -peasants were taken out of the river, with many bayonet wounds about -them, and their hands tied: they were interred in the city, where -the circumstance and the solemnity made a strong impression upon the -people. There was a Piemontese, who, having resided more than twenty -years in Tortosa, went over to the French, and rendered them all the -service which his knowledge of the place and the country enabled him to -perform. This treason on the part of a naturalized foreigner excited -a strong desire for vengeance; some peasants watched his movements, -laid wait for him, surprised him, and carried him prisoner into the -city, where he was tried, and condemned to be shot in the back, under -the gallows; that mode and place of death being chosen as the most -ignominious, there being no hangman there. The besieged were gratified -by another act of vengeance. An officer in the French army, before -the serious business of the siege began, amused[5] himself, from a -favourable station, with bringing down such individuals as came within -reach of his gun. At length a deserter gave information that this -unseen marksman’s stand was in a house called _la Casilla Blanca_, upon -which the commandant of artillery, D. Francisco Arnau, went with his -piece to a good station on the bank of the river, and getting aim at -him while he was engaged in his murderous sport, had the satisfaction -of seeing him fall. - -Though the enemy had established two bridges with a tete-du-pont -to each between Mequinenza and Tortosa, they had not been able to -render the passage of the river secure. Their boats were sometimes -intercepted and sometimes sunk; and everywhere a system of war was -carried on by which the armies of Macdonald and Suchet were so -harassed, that the operations of the siege were impeded during five -months. ♦SUCCESSES OF EROLES.♦ Some brilliant achievements were -performed in the Ampurdan by Baron Eroles, an officer who rendered -himself so obnoxious to the enemy by the activity and success with -which he discharged his duty to his country, that there was an order -in the French army to hang him as soon as he should fall into their -hands. The German troops in Catalonia had at this time been reduced -by deaths, captures, and desertions, to such a state of inefficiency, -that the few survivors were permitted to leave Spain, and stationed on -the South coast of France; there in the enjoyment of rest and a benign -climate, to recruit their broken health, before they returned to their -respective countries. Some troops only were left in the garrisons of -Lerida and Barcelona, ... the remainder, a few hundreds only of as many -thousands, gladly departed from a country in which they had committed -and suffered so many evils. Their place in the Ampurdan was supplied -by a reinforcement of 5000 French, under General Clement; the new -general, to signalize his entrance, entered Olot with 3000 men, and got -possession of the stores which were deposited there, with which, and -with the spoils of the town, he departed early on the ♦DEC. 6.♦ second -day, having thus far successfully effected his purpose. Eroles was at -Tornadis at this time, where he had collected his troops; and they -were receiving their rations when intelligence was brought him that -the enemy had left Olot, and were on their way to Castellfullit. A cry -arose from the Catalans that they did not want their bread and their -brandy then; what they wanted was cartridges, and to kill the French. -The men knew their commander, and he knew his people, for what kind of -service they were fit, and how surely they might be relied on in that -service. The enemy had had two hours’ start, but they were impeded -with artillery and plunder, and apprehending no danger, had made no -speed: the Catalans had the desire of vengeance to quicken them, and -performing in less than an hour and a half what is estimated at a three -hours’ journey, they came up with the rearguard at Castellfullit, -attacked and routed it. The French rallied, took a position on the -plain of Polligé, where they were protected by the cavalry and their -guns, and thus awaited for Eroles to attack them. His dispositions, -however, as soon as he had reconnoitred the ground, were made for -turning both their flanks; and when to prevent this they attacked his -centre, their cavalry were repulsed, the attempt wholly failed, and -they retreated to another position near S. Jayme. From thence they -were driven, and fell back upon a battalion which had now formed in -the plain of Argalaguer, and were protected by the buildings in that -village; but supposing the few horse which Eroles then brought forward -to be part of a greater force, Clement withdrew his men to a near wood, -on the other side of a stream. Encouraged by success, the Catalans -attacked them there also, drove them successively from thence and from -Besalu, and did not give up the pursuit till night closed. In this -affair Clement lost more than a thousand men, the Spaniards twenty-five -killed and fifty wounded: scarcely any prisoners were taken; the French -were persuaded that no quarter would be given, and in that persuasion -some had run upon the bayonets of the Spaniards, and some had thrown -themselves down a precipice near Castellfullit. The whole detachment -would have been destroyed if Eroles had had his cavalry, but they had -been detached before he knew of the enemy’s movements, and the utmost -exertions did not suffice to bring them up in time. The Baron observed -with satisfaction, in his dispatches, that they had been favoured with -this victory by the patroness of Spain, on the[6]festival of whose -conception it had been won. - -Such, indeed, was the spirit which the French found in Catalonia, and -such the exasperated temper on their part which this unexpected and -brave resistance had occasioned, that they said it would be necessary -to exterminate one-half the Catalans in order to intimidate the other. -They found a similar spirit in Aragon; but there the country had not -the same natural strength, nor was there a single fortress to afford -protection to the people. The army, however, under D. Joze Maria -Carvajal, was again in activity; and though, owing to the incapacity of -their commanders in the first years of the war, and the want of means -in the utter destitution wherein it was afterwards left, it was never -fortunate enough to perform any splendid or signal service, it deserved -this praise, that for patience and constancy under the most trying -circumstances, this of all the Spanish armies was that which during -the contest deserved most highly of its country. The severest means -were used to intimidate the Aragonese, but in vain. ♦EDICT AGAINST -THE JUNTA OF ARAGON.♦ Suchet, as governor-general of that kingdom for -the intrusive government, published a decree, saying, it had come to -his knowledge that a set of senseless men, who had the ridiculous -audacity to style themselves the Junta of Aragon, had fixed themselves -in the village of Manzanera, from whence they endeavoured to disturb -the tranquillity of the Aragonese, by their incendiary libels, and -despotically took possession of the public revenues and stores: he -gave orders, therefore, that they should be pursued, delivered over to -a military tribunal, and be sentenced within twenty-four hours: that -the people of Manzanera, or of any other place to which they might -betake themselves, should drive them out, or, failing so to do, receive -an exemplary punishment, the Ayuntamiento and the parochial priest -being responsible in their goods and persons for the behaviour of the -inhabitants in this point: every place which received them was to be -punished irremissibly, and the authorities to suffer ignominious death -by the gallows. The Junta of Aragon, to show how they regarded this -decree, printed it in their own Gazette, well knowing that nothing -could contribute more to keep up that feeling in the nation which -it was their duty to encourage and to direct. They called attention -also to the important circumstance, that this decree was issued not -in the name of Joseph the Intruder, but in that of the emperor of -the French, King of Italy, and Protector of the Confederation of the -Rhine, of whose intention to include Spain, if he could, among the -states subjected to him, no equivocal indication was here afforded. The -intrusive government, however deceitful in its promises, was always -sincere in its threats. Of this every province had abundant proofs, and -none more than ♦MOLINA DE ARAGON BURNT BY THE FRENCH.♦ that in which -Suchet commanded. The city of Molina de Aragon in an especial manner -provoked the vengeance of the invaders by the disposition which the -inhabitants manifested, who, as often as the French entered it, took -refuge in the woods ♦NOV. 1.♦ and mountains: the enemy at length set -fire to it on all sides, and three parts of the city were consumed. -But acts of this kind, which proved the intention of the invaders -to reduce Spain to a desert rather than leave it unsubdued, served -only to confirm the Spaniards in that resolution which rendered their -subjugation impossible. - -♦BASSECOURT TAKES THE COMMAND IN VALENCIA.♦ - -While Carvajal impeded Suchet’s operations from the side of Aragon, -some efforts were made from Valencia; a province where, with ample -means, little exertion had been found, and less ability to direct it. -The Regency relied upon the unexhausted resources which existed there, -believing that if the Valencian force were well employed, even though -it should not undertake any grand operations, Tortosa could not be -taken by less than 30,000 men. But when Bassecourt arrived to take -the command there, he found the army in a miserable condition both -as to equipments and discipline, which might have made him hopeless -of success in any other warfare than that desultory one, wherein -inexperienced troops may be trusted, and in which nothing is lost if -they find or fancy it necessary to disperse and provide every man for -his own safety. Some field-pieces had been sent from Valencia to the -army of Aragon: the French obtained intelligence of this, and a strong -detachment ♦OCT. 31.♦ under the Polish General Chlopisky entered Teruel -to intercept this artillery, when General Villacampa, for whom it -was intended, was at Alfambra, six hours distant: ... the officer in -charge of the guns endeavoured to retreat with them, but was pursued -and overtaken at Alventosa, and the whole fell into the enemy’s hands. -After this success Chlopisky sought to inflict another blow upon -Villacampa’s division, and an affair took place between Villel and -La Fuensanta, which the Spaniards considered as a victory on their -part, because, though compelled to retire from the ground, they had -not been pursued, nor had any dispersion taken place. Somewhat better -fortune attended ♦NOV. 12.♦ a maritime expedition from Peñiscola, -which was planned by General Doyle and executed by his aide-de-camp, -Lieutenant-Colonel San Martin; by this force the strong tower of S. -Juan, which commanded the Puerto de los Alfaques, was surprised, and -immediately garrisoned and stored; and thus the enemy were deprived -of a port in which their corsairs and coasters found protection. A -land expedition, undertaken at the same time in the hope of cutting -off a French detachment at Trayguera, failed altogether; the French -had withdrawn in time, and receiving a timely reinforcement, compelled -the Spaniards ♦DEFEAT OF THE VALENCIANS AT ULLDECONA.♦ in their turn -to retreat. No loss was sustained in this attempt. General Bassecourt -was less fortunate in an enterprise of greater moment; he projected -an attack upon Suchet’s army, which if it succeeded, should have -the effect of breaking up the siege; ... this general had not yet -learnt how little either his men or officers were to be relied on in -any combined or extensive operations; in full expectation[7] that -every thing would be executed as exactly as ♦NOV. 26.♦ it had been -planned, he left Peñiscola at night, put himself at the head of his -central division, and reaching the bridge over the Servol, beyond -Vinaroz, halted there to give time for the movements of his right, -under Brigadier Porta, which took the road of Alcanar. Having, as he -supposed, allowed a sufficient interval for this, he proceeded towards -Ulldecona, and halted a little before five in the morning at a place -called Hereu. Here he inspected his troops, and promised them a speedy -triumph, when a messenger arrived from Porta, requesting that the -signal for attack might be delayed, inasmuch as his division had not -been able to get forward with the speed which they had calculated on. -Bassecourt waited impatiently a full hour till day began to break; -then, as success depended in great measure upon surprising the enemy, -he sent his advanced parties forward to attack the French outposts, and -directed his cavalry to gallop into the town as soon as the gun should -be fired and the rocket discharged that were the signal for attack. -General Musnier’s division was quartered here; Bassecourt’s made three -attempts to force its position, but not hearing any firing either to -the right or left, he perceived that on both sides his combinations -had failed, and deemed it therefore necessary to retreat. He succeeded -in reaching Vinaroz, ... there Porta joined him with the right column; -there he halted to give the harassed troops some rest, and to obtain -some intelligence of his left; ... and there the enemy surprised him. -The men instantly took to flight, and all that his personal exertions -could effect, was to keep a few of the better soldiers together, and, -under protection of his cavalry, reach Peñiscola with them. - -♦CAPTAIN FANE TAKEN AT PALAMOS.♦ - -The disgrace of this affair was greater than the loss, which the -French estimated at 3000 men. They were more elated by an advantage -which they obtained shortly afterwards against an enemy over whom it -was seldom that they had any real success to boast. The boats of the -English squadron ♦DEC. 13.♦ attacked a convoy of eleven vessels laden -with provisions for Barcelona, and lying in Palamos Bay, the French -having re-occupied that town. The batteries which protected them were -destroyed, the magazines blown up, two of the vessels brought out, -and the rest burnt, ... and our men, having completely effected their -object, were retiring carelessly, when two Dutchmen, who were in -the British service, went over to the enemy, and told them that the -sailors had but three rounds of ammunition left. The French were at -this time joined by a party from S. Feliu, and the English, instead -of retreating to the beach, where the ships might have covered their -embarkation, took their way toward the mole, through the town, not -knowing that it had been re-occupied. The boats made instantly to -their assistance, and suffered severely in bringing them off, the loss -amounting to thirty-three killed, eighty-nine wounded, and eighty-six -prisoners, Captain Fane among the latter. The enemy behaved with great -inhumanity in this affair; they butchered some poor fellows who had -stopped in the town and made themselves defenceless by drunkenness; ... -and they continued to fire upon a boat after all its oars were shot -away, in which a midshipman was hoisting a white handkerchief upon his -sword, as the only signal that could be made of surrendering, till of -one-and-twenty persons who could neither fight[8] nor fly, all but two -were wounded, ... when another boat came to their assistance, and towed -them off. - -♦TRENCHES OPENED BEFORE TORTOSA. - -DEC. 15.♦ - -Macdonald now, whose army had been reinforced, took a position at -Perillo and at Mora, to cover the siege against any interruption on -the side of Tarragona, the only quarter from whence an effort in aid -of Tortosa could be apprehended; and Suchet, secure from all farther -attempts either from Valencia or Aragon, passed twelve battalions -across the river at Xerta to the left bank, and in one day completed -the investment of the place. The besiegers had great difficulties to -overcome, the soil being everywhere rocky, ... so that the engineers -were obliged to form parapets and sacks of earth, and in many places -to work their way in the trenches by means of gunpowder. The trenches -were opened on the night of December 20; and the siege from that hour -was carried on with an alacrity and skill in which the French are never -wanting. On the twelfth night the enemy had established themselves at -the bottom of the ditch; they had then bombarded the city for four -days, ... two days they had been engaged in mining, and there were -three breaches in the body of the place: but there were nearly 8000 -troops within the walls; there was a brave and willing people, and -there were the examples of Zaragoza and Gerona. They were in no danger -of famine, for the place had been abundantly provided; there was no -want of military stores, and the besieging army did not exceed 10,000 -men. - -♦O’DONELL’S PLAN FOR RELIEVING THE PLACE.♦ - -Meantime O’Donell had concerted a bold and hopeful enterprise for its -relief. He knew that there were provisions and ammunition sufficient -for two months’ consumption in the city; he had full reliance upon the -disposition of the people, and the whole conduct both of the garrison -and the governor from the time that the enemy appeared before the walls -had given him reason to confide in both. With his own force he was -aware that nothing could be done against the besieging army, covered -as it was by Macdonald; but he proposed that Bassecourt should supply -3000 foot and 500 horse from the Valencian army; that the central army -should detach 4000 foot and 200 horse; that these should unite under -Carvajal with such forces as Aragon could furnish, make demonstration -upon the Ebro as if their intention was to succour Tortosa, but there -turn off from the most convenient point, and by forced marches proceed -to Zaragoza, whither O’Donell would at the same time detach 4000 foot -and 400 horse by way of Barbastro. It was believed that the French -at this juncture had not more than 4000 men in the whole of Aragon, -and the garrison of Zaragoza consisted almost wholly of convalescents -and invalids. Bassecourt assented heartily to this well-devised plan; -from the central army a refusal was returned, ... perhaps it could -not then have mustered even the small force that was required from -it; but upon receiving this reply Bassecourt dispatched an officer to -the Empecinado, and that intrepid and excellent partisan cheerfully -engaged to co-operate. Carvajal held himself in readiness; and at no -moment during the war was it so probable that a great success might -be obtained with little hazard. For it was not doubted that Suchet -would precipitately break up the siege of Tortosa, rather than allow -the Spaniards time to strengthen themselves in Zaragoza; that they -could enter it was certain, ... and no other possible event could have -diffused such joy throughout all Spain. All arrangements having been -concluded between the Empecinado, Carvajal, and Bassecourt, O’Donell’s -aid-de-camp, who waited for this at Valencia, set off instantly for -♦TORTOSA SURRENDERED. 1811. JAN. 2.♦ Tarragona by sea; contrary winds -delayed him a little while on the passage, ... and he arrived a few -hours after the commander-in-chief had received intelligence that Lili -had surrendered at discretion. - -♦SENTENCE ON THE GOVERNOR FOR SURRENDERING IT.♦ - -There was no treason here, as there had been at Lerida, but there was -a want of honour, of principle, and of virtue. Seven thousand eight -hundred men, not pressed by famine, not debilitated by disease, with a -brave and willing population to have supported them, laid down their -arms and surrendered at discretion to ten thousand French. The enemy -indeed affirmed that the garrison could not have continued the defence -an hour longer without being put to the sword: the people of Spain -thought otherwise; they remembered Palafox and Alvarez; they remembered -that at Gerona a French army, not inferior to this of Suchet’s in -number, lay ten whole weeks in sight of an open breach which they did -not venture to assault a second time, though it was defended only by -half-starved men, who would have come from the hospitals to take their -stand there. They remembered this, and therefore they thought that the -governor who under such circumstances had hung out the white flag, -ought himself to have been hung over the walls. Accordingly sentence -of death was pronounced in Tarragona against the Conde de Alache for -having, it was said, infamously surrendered a city which he ought to -have defended to the last extremity; and his effigy was beheaded there -in the market-place. - -♦COL DE BALAGUER SURRENDERED.♦ - -The fortress at Col de Balaguer, which commanded a strong pass about -half-way between Tortosa and Tarragona, was yielded a few days after -Lili’s surrender, by the treachery or cowardice of the men entrusted -with its defence. Tarragona was now the only strong place that remained -to the Catalans; it had been the seat of government since the fall -of Mequinenza, the Provincial Congress, which was to have assembled -at Solsona, having then been summoned thither, as the only place of -safety; now its land communication with Valencia and the rest of Spain -was cut off; and Suchet immediately prepared to follow up his success -by investing it, with less apprehension of any obstruction from the -Catalan army, because the wound which O’Donell had received at La -Bisbal compelled him at this time to retire to Majorca. The Marquis de -Campoverde, being second in command, succeeded him. In O’Donell the -Catalans lost a commander who had raised himself by his services, and -whose conduct had justified the public opinion, in deference to which -he had been promoted. But the spirit of the people was not shaken: they -relied upon the strength of their country, even though the fortresses -were lost, ... upon their cause, and their own invincible resolution; -and they lived in continual hope that some effectual assistance would -be afforded by England to a province which so well deserved it. The -little which had been given had been gratefully received, and it had -shown also how much might and ought to have been done. - -♦COMMODORE MENDS DESTROYS THE BATTERIES ON THE NORTH COAST.♦ - -Maritime co-operation of a similar kind had been carried into effect -on the northern coast of Spain. About midsummer Commodore Mends -of the Arethusa frigate consulted with the Junta of Asturias, who -engaged to put what they called the armies of that province, and of -the Montañas de Santander, in motion, if he would take Porlier and -500 men on board his squadron and beat up the enemy’s sea-quarters. -This it was deemed would draw the French troops towards the ports in -their possession, calling them from the frontiers of Galicia, which -they were then threatening, give the mountaineers opportunity to act -with advantage, and favour the Guerrillas in Castille, whom the French -were endeavouring to hunt down. The Commodore had no instructions for -an expedition of this kind, but he saw that it offered a reasonable -prospect of advantage; for if the Junta should fail in their part -of the undertaking, or be disappointed in their hopes, he might -nevertheless destroy the enemy’s sea-defences, and cut off the supplies -which they received coast-ways. Accordingly Porlier with his men -embarked, and the squadron sailed from Ribadeo. The wind serving for -Santona, they landed on the beach to the westward of that place. The -garrison there, some 120 in number, retired with the loss of about -thirty men; and the French commander at S. Sebastian feared that it was -their intention to establish themselves there, in a post which might -easily have been rendered defensible, and would afford good anchorage -during the prevalence of the westerly gales upon that coast: the utmost -efforts therefore were made to prevent this; and on the second day -after the landing, from seven to eight hundred French attacked them -on the isthmus. This body was repulsed with considerable loss; but -finding that the enemy were collecting in greater force, the Commodore -re-embarked his men on the following day, having destroyed the -fortifications. Pursuing his object, he demolished all the batteries -upon the coast between S. Sebastian’s and Santander (those at Castro -alone excepted), carried off or threw into the sea above a hundred -pieces of heavy cannon, and laid that whole extent of coast bare of -defence, without the loss of a single man; and having made about two -hundred prisoners and taken on board three hundred volunteers, all for -whom room could be found, the squadron returned to Coruña. - -♦EXPEDITION TO SANTONA UNDER RENOVALES.♦ - -The injury which had thus been done to the enemy was not easily -remedied, because artillery could be carried only by sea to these -places, the roads being so bad, and the country so mountainous, as to -render the land carriage of heavy guns almost impossible. The people -of the country were encouraged by the sight of their allies, and by -hearing of a success which was reported everywhere, and everywhere -exaggerated: and to profit by their disposition Porlier, who was one -of the ablest partisans that this wild species of warfare produced, -was again landed from the British squadron. The bay of Cuevas, between -Llanes and Rivadesella, was chosen for the disembarkation, and arms -and stores were landed with him, in large supply, and safely deposited, -before he entered upon his operations. While this true Spaniard moved -with rapidity from place to place, disappointing all the efforts of -Bonnet to overpower him, surprising the enemy where they were weak, and -eluding them where they were strong, it was determined by the Spanish -government to avail themselves once more of the British squadron, and -occupy Santona; and Renovales, who had now the rank of Camp-Marshal, -was sent from Cadiz to Coruña, to command the force appointed for this -service. It consisted of 1200 Spanish and 800 English troops, four -English frigates and one Spanish, three smaller ships of war, with -twenty-eight transports of all sizes. Part of the plan was, that he -should co-operate with Porlier in an attack upon the French at Gijon, -600 in number. Porlier and Brigadier ♦OCT. 16.♦ Castañon collected -their forces at Cezoso, and were on the heights in sight of Gijon when -the squadron appeared; the enemy, after some skirmishing, withdrew from -the town when they saw that Renovales was disembarking; the plunder -which they endeavoured to carry with them was taken in their flight, -the stores from the arsenal were put on board the Spanish transports, -and the guns thrown into the sea. Before General Bonnet could collect -a force to bring against the Spaniards the object had been effected; -and when he arrived, and thought to have surprised Porlier by a night -attack, the Asturians had retreated to Cezoso, and he found only the -fires which they had kindled in their encampment for the purpose of -deceiving him. - -The weather which had delayed the ships on their way to Gijon became -more unfavourable after their departure from that place; and though -they reached Santona, and remained five days at anchor there, it was -impossible to land; the Spanish gun-boats suffered so much that -it was necessary to take out the crews and destroy the vessels. To -remain there was impossible, and it was ♦NOV. 2.♦ deemed a fortunate -deliverance when the expedition got into the port of Vivero. While they -were laying there the wind recommenced, a heavy sea from the N.N.E. -drove right into this insecure harbour, and in the violence of the -storm the Spanish frigate parted from its cable and driving on board -the Narcissus frigate completely dismasted it. The masts of the Spanish -ship were left standing, so that it was driven clear; otherwise both -must have perished, not having any other anchors to let go. Owing to -the darkness and the tempest, it was impossible to afford any relief: -the Spanish frigate was thrown upon the sand at the head of the -harbour; when day broke, the beach appeared strewed with the wreck, and -of nearly 500 souls on ♦THE MAGDALENA WRECKED.♦ board, there were but -two survivors. This was the fate of the Magdalena: the Spanish brig -Palomo was wrecked at the same time, only the captain and nine men -escaped out of two hundred; and some of the other vessels also were -lost during the same dreadful night. The Estrago gun-boat had parted -some little time before from an English brig which had taken it in tow, -and with great difficulty made the coast of Bermeo. Seeing that the -French were there, the Commander, Lieutenant Aguiar y Mella, preferred -all hazards to the evil of falling into their hands, and proceeded -along the coast to Mundaca, where a like danger awaited him. Standing -off again, he took a desperate course, among shoals and islets; and -escaping from shipwreck in a manner which excited his own wonder, -anchored in the bay of Lanchove; where one of the crew swam to shore, -and brought off a little boat, by means of which the men were just -landed before their vessel went to pieces. Not knowing which way to -bend their course, they passed the night upon the mountains; and on the -morrow, having been directed by a peasant, when they reached Sornoza, -they learnt that forty of the enemy’s cavalry were in pursuit of them. -They kept together, however, and, choosing the most unfrequented -ways, travelled by night, in that inclement season, by Uncaya and -the mountains of Leon, Santander, and Burgos; till, at the end of -five weeks, the Lieutenant brought his whole party safe to Ferrol, -and presented himself, with them, to the Commandant of the marine; -giving thus an example of fidelity and resolution, for which they were -rewarded with a gratuity by the Government, and an honourable mention -in the Regency Gazette. - -This expedition was frustrated by circumstances against which no human -prudence could have provided. ♦EXPEDITION UNDER LORD BLAYNEY.♦ An -enterprise of greater moment, on the south coast, was attempted about -the same time, and failed from other causes, but mainly because the -information upon which it was undertaken proved to be fallacious. The -French had experienced less resistance in Andalusia than in any other -part of Spain. They ♦MOUNTAINS OF RONDA.♦ were, however, far from -being unmolested there, and in the mountains of Ronda the national -character was well displayed, by the incessant hostilities which the -people carried on against their invaders. The man who struck the spark -there had been Professor of ♦ORTIZ DE ZARATE.♦ Mathematics at Alicant; -Don Andres Ortiz de Zarate was his name. In the early days of this -dreadful revolution, he had taken an active part in the national cause, -and afterwards was employed in service that required no slight degree -of ability, by General Doyle; but perceiving from the mismanagement -which prevailed in every department, civil or military, that the south -of Spain would be overrun, as the north had been, he removed his -family to Gibraltar, where, as a professional teacher, he could have -supported them respectably, if he had not regarded the deliverance of -his country more than his own concerns. But no sooner had the French -taken possession of the kingdoms of Andalusia, than he obtained a -supply of arms from the Governor of Gibraltar; and going among the -villages, hamlets, and huts in the mountains of Ronda, roused a people -who required only some moving spirit to put them in action: in the -course of a fortnight 6000 men placed themselves under his orders. -For himself he sought neither honours nor emolument; and when General -Jacome y Ricardos, who was at that time Commandant at the camp of -St. Roque, would have obtained rank for him from the Government, he -declined it, saying, it would be time enough to receive the reward of -his services when the country should be free. He soon became so popular -among these mountaineers, that when he entered a town or village he -was received with military honours, and the streets were decorated -with hangings by day, and illuminated at night, as at the greatest -festivals. This popularity might not have been obtained, if it had -been necessary for him to levy contributions upon the people; but he -commenced his operation in happy time, when the enemy had collected -their first harvest of exactions, most or all of which fell into his -hands, and was by him delivered over to the public service. The enemy, -who had expected no such warfare, suffered severely in it; they lost -some thousands, and _El Pastor_, as, for some unexplained reason, -Ortiz de Zarate was then called, had become a celebrated name, when -his career was impeded by some of those intrigues and jealousies which -so frequently injured the national cause. He retired, in consequence, -to Gibraltar, leaving General Valdenebro to command a people who were -now no longer unanimous in any thing except their unabated hatred of -the invaders. A deputation followed him there, accompanied by three -hundred persons, and the Commandant of St. Roque’s prevailed upon him -to return; but he would only go in the capacity of secretary to a -military officer. Finding then that things were going ill, and that -half the force which he had raised and organized was dispersed, he -repaired to Cadiz, to inform the Government of the state of affairs, -and require the repayment of what he had expended in the service, -which was the whole of his own means, and some allowance for the -prizes which he had taken from the enemy. His personal enemies had -been embarked with him, and no sooner had he entered that city than he -was arrested, put in irons, and thrown into a dungeon. The Spaniards -had so long been accustomed, not to an absolute merely, but to an -arbitrary Government, that even those authorities whose intentions -were truly equitable were continually committing unjust and arbitrary -acts. After twelve months’ imprisonment, Ortiz de Zarate, who had thus -been treated as a criminal, was acquitted of all the charges which had -been preferred against him; his honour, loyalty, and patriotism, were -fully acknowledged, and he received payment of his claims in part. -It was of importance to encourage the mountaineers whom he had put -in action, and a plan therefore was formed for getting possession of -Frangerola, a castle on the coast, between Marbella and Malaga, about -twenty miles from the latter place. The castle was understood to be a -place which might easily be taken by a coup-de-main; its capture would -open a communication with the inhabitants of the Sierra, and hopes -were entertained that it might lead also to the expulsion of the enemy -from Malaga, where they were represented as being in no strength: -the guns on the mole there were said to have been removed, and the -citadel to be in a ♦LD. BLAYNEY SAILS FROM GIBRALTAR.♦ defenceless -state. In consequence of these representations, an expedition sailed -from Gibraltar, under the command of Major-General Lord Blayney: it -consisted of four British companies (amounting to 300 men), and 500 -German, Polish, and Italian deserters. They proceeded to Ceuta, and -there took on board the Spanish regiment of Toledo. This regiment -was said to be perfectly equipped; but upon examination it was found -that there was a deficiency of 148 firelocks, and that they had been -embarked without a single ♦OCT. 14.♦ round of ammunition. These -deficiencies were supplied; the squadron soon anchored in a small bay, -called Cala de Moral, and there the troops landed on a sandy beach, -without any to oppose them. - -♦HE LANDS NEAR THE CASTLE OF FRANGEROLA.♦ - -It had been proposed to Lord Blayney that he should disembark near -Malaga, and that while he called off the enemy’s attention on the land -side, the squadron should alarm the city from the eastward, and the -boats push for the mole, and land a party to assist the inhabitants, -who, it was confidently expected, would take the opportunity of rising -against their oppressors. But Lord Blayney properly distrusted the -information upon which this advice was founded, and he had little -confidence in the motley assemblage under his command; being not -without apprehension that the confusion of their tongues might affect -their movements in the hour of action. He chose to begin, therefore, -with the castle of Frangerola, which is about two leagues east of the -bay in which he landed. Upon arriving before it, he found it to be a -large square fort, occupying the whole hillock on which it stands, -strongly built, commanding every part of the beach where boats could -land, and in a state of defence very unlike what he had been led to -expect. When he sent in a summons to surrender, a resolute refusal was -returned; the fort opened its fire upon the gun-boats, sunk one, and -occasioned some loss in others. Lord Blayney advanced close to the -works, for the purpose of drawing the enemy’s attention from the water: -here he was contending with musquetry against grape-shot and stone -walls. Major Grant was mortally wounded in this unequal engagement, and -several men killed; but the riflemen did their part well; the enemy’s -guns were for a time silenced, the boats took their stations, and he -withdrew the troops. He now directed the Spaniards to the summit of -a hill, with a ravine in front, which would have been a sufficient -protection from any sudden attack; but the Spanish Colonel objected -that it was Sunday, and that it was not the custom of his countrymen -to fight upon that day. These Spaniards were not in good humour with -their allies, nor perhaps with the service, for which they had been -taken from their comfortable quarters at Ceuta: by a misarrangement -arising from mere inattention, they had been served in the transport -with meat on a meagre day; and they were discontented also because -there was no priest embarked with them. Lord Blayney, however, -prevailed upon the Commandant to detach four companies, for the purpose -of occupying a pass near Mijas, and preventing the enemy in that town -from sending assistance to the fort. A hundred Germans were added to -this detachment; the English officer who conducted this service was -persuaded by the Spaniards to attack the town, though his orders were -to act on the defensive; the consequence was, that he was repulsed, and -obliged rapidly to fall back on the main body. - -♦FAILURE OF THE EXPEDITION.♦ - -During the night, the men were exposed, without shelter, to a continual -heavy rain, such as is common at that season in those countries, and is -never seen in our climate, except sometimes during the short duration -of a thunder-storm. It was accompanied with thunder now. But the night -was actively employed in landing artillery; which could not be done by -day, because the guns of the castle completely commanded the beach. -Soldiers and sailors exerted themselves heartily; and before daybreak a -battery for one thirty-two pound carronade was completed on the shore, -and another for two twelve-pounders and a howitzer, on a rocky hill, -350 yards from the castle. Though ♦OCT. 15.♦ the artillery could not -make impression upon the solid old masonry of the walls, it destroyed -part of the parapet, and the musquetry did such execution, that Lord -Blayney entertained good hope of success; when, to his surprise, he -learnt that the garrison had been reinforced before his arrival, that -it was in sufficient strength for him to expect that a sortie would -be made, and that Sebastiani was on the way from Malaga with 4700 -foot, 800 horse, and sixteen pieces of artillery; ... his own force -amounted only to 1400 men, and the four guns which had been landed. -These he could not re-embark under the fire of the castle, and he would -not abandon; and at this time, just as he was about to strengthen -his position, by occupying a ruined tower, the Rodney, and a Spanish -line-of-battle ship, appeared off the coast, with the eighty-second -regiment, 1000 strong, to reinforce him. Boats were sent off to assist -in landing them, and Lord Blayney was about to station gun-boats so as -to rake the beach; but before either object could be effected, some 600 -infantry, and sixty horse, sallied from the castle. It was a complete -surprise; the British troops were in front, taking provisions; the -enemy made their attack on the Spaniards and the foreigners on the -left: these men took to flight, and abandoned the battery. At this -moment the troops had pushed off from the ships, and Lord Blayney, -trusting in them and in the strength of his position, formed the -few British soldiers who were with him, and retook the guns by the -bayonet, but not before part of the ammunition had been blown up. A -doubt was now entertained whether some troops who were moving toward -them upon the left were friends or foes; some said they were Spaniards; -the German deserters declared them to be French. The hesitation and -delay which this doubt occasioned enabled the enemy (for enemies they -were) to approach without opposition; and when Lord Blayney, having -ascertained the ♦LORD BLAYNEY AND THE BRITISH TROOPS TAKEN.♦ truth too -late, charged them, the conflict ended in his being made prisoner, with -about 200 men, some forty having been killed. This was the fate of the -English soldiers; most of the deserters went over to the enemy. The -men who were in the boats had then no course left but to return to the -ships, fortunate in having thus seen the termination of an ill-planned -expedition, without being farther engaged in it. - -♦DEFEAT OF GENERAL BLAKE.♦ - -It had not been supposed that Sebastiani could bring together so large -a body of men as he had put in motion on this occasion. Some movement -was expected from the inhabitants of Malaga, but with little reason; -for the individuals who had exerted themselves most in resisting the -entrance of the enemy into that city were, such of them as escaped -from the slaughter, at this time in prison, with their leader, Colonel -Avallo, upon some of those vague charges which, in Spain, under any -of its Governments, were deemed sufficient grounds for throwing men -into a dungeon, and leaving them there. It had been intended also that -Sebastiani’s attention should have been called off in a different -direction, by Blake, with the central army. That army was too slow -in its movements to produce any effect in favour of Lord Blayney’s -attempt; its head-quarters at this time were at Murcia, and its advance -at Velez el Rubio. It was not till a fortnight after the failure at -Frangerola, that the French thought it necessary to take any measures -against this ill-disciplined, ill-appointed, ill-constituted body. The -enemy’s troops were so distributed, that a considerable force could be -assembled, within twenty-four hours, at any point where their presence -was required; but before Sebastiani could ♦NOV. 3.♦ reach Baza, General -Rey, with one regiment of dragoons, a regiment of Polish lancers, and a -detachment of infantry, had routed an army which was exposed in a place -without protection, and was completely broken at the first charge[9]. -Between 1000 and 2000 were killed, and some 1200 taken; the officers -here behaved better than the men, for the latter threw down their -arms, and cried for quarter; while, of the former, all who were made -prisoners had received sabre wounds. The prisoners were in a miserable -condition, appearing half starved and half naked; a large portion of -them consisted of old men and boys, and those who could not keep pace -with their escort were shot upon the way. - -Not discouraged by these repeated losses and multiplied disgraces -the Spaniards continued to pursue that system of hostility which was -carried on wherever the French were nominally masters of the country; -a mode ♦IRREGULAR WAR.♦ of war destructive to the invaders against -whom it was directed, but dreadful also in its effect upon the people -by whom it was waged. The Junta ♦SEE VOL. I.♦ of Seville had, from -the beginning of the struggle, perceived that the strength of Spain -lay in her people, and not in her armies. The Central Junta also had -early acknowledged the importance of that irregular and universal -warfare for which the temper of the Spaniards and the character of -the country were equally adapted; and they attempted to regulate it by -a long edict, giving directions for forming _Partidas_ of volunteers, -and _Quadrillas_, which were to consist of smugglers, appointing them -pay, enacting rules for them, and subjecting them to military law; but -it is manifest that these restrictions would only be observed where the -Government had sufficient authority to enforce them, which was only -where they had armies on foot, and that when thus restricted, little -was to be done by it. They spoke with a clear understanding of the -circumstances in which Spain was placed when they proclaimed a Moorish -war[10], and bade the Spaniards remember in what manner their fathers -had exterminated a former race of invaders. The country, they said, -was to be saved by killing the enemies daily, just as they would rid -themselves of a plague of locusts; a work which was slow, but sure, -and in its progress would bring the nation to the martial pitch of -those times, when it was a pastime to go forth and seek the Hagarenes. -They reminded them of the old Castilian names, for skirmishes[11], -ambushments, assaults, and stratagems, the necessary resources of -domestic warfare, and told them that the nature of the country and of -the inhabitants rendered Spain invincible. - -This character, on the part of the Spaniards, the war had now assumed -in all parts of Spain. The French were no sooner masters of the field, -than they found themselves engaged in a wearing, wasting contest, -wherein discipline was of no avail, and by which, in a country of -such extent and natural strength, any military power, however great, -must ultimately be consumed. In any other part of Europe, they would -have considered the conquest complete after such victories as they -had obtained; but in Spain, where army after army had been routed, -and city after city taken, ... when Joseph reigned at Madrid, and -Soult commanded in Seville, ... when Victor was in sight of Cadiz, and -Massena almost in sight of Lisbon, ... when Buonaparte had put all -his other enemies under his feet, and in the height of his fortune, -and plenitude of his power, had no other object than to effect the -subjugation of the Peninsula, ... the generals and the men whom he -employed there were made to feel that the cause in which they were -engaged was as hopeless as it was unjust. They were never safe except -when in large bodies, or in some fortified place. Every day some -of their posts were surprised, some escort or convoy cut off, some -detachment put to death; dispatches were intercepted, plunder was -recovered, and what excited the Spaniards more than any, or all other -considerations, vengeance was taken by a most vindictive people for -insupportable wrongs. In every part of Spain, where the enemy called -themselves masters, leaders started up, who collected about them the -most determined spirits; followers enough were ready to join them; and -both among chiefs and men, the best and the worst characters were to be -found: some were mere ruffians, who if the country had been in peace -would have lived in defiance of the laws, as they now defied the force -of the intrusive Government; others were attracted by the wildness and -continual excitement attendant upon a life of outlawry and adventure, -to which, in the present circumstances of the nation, honour, instead -of obloquy, was attached; but many were influenced by the deepest -feelings and strongest passions which act upon the heart of man; love -of their country, which their faith elevated and strengthened; and -hope which that love and that faith rendered inextinguishable; and -burning hatred, seeking revenge for the most wanton and most poignant -injuries that can be inflicted upon humanity. - -These parties began to be formed immediately after Buonaparte swept -the land before him to Madrid, and from that time they continued to -increase in numbers and activity, as the regular armies declined in -reputation and in strength. The enemy made a great effort to put them -down after the battle of Ocaña, and boasted of having completely -succeeded, because the guerrillas disappeared before them, dispersing -whenever they were in danger of being attacked by a superior force. -There was nothing in their dress to distinguish them from the -peasantry; every one was ready to give them intelligence or shelter; -they knew the country perfectly; each man shifted for himself in time -of need; and when they re-assembled at the appointed rallying place, -so far were they from being dispirited by the dispersion, that the -ease with which they had eluded the enemy became a new source of -confidence. They became more numerous and more enterprising after -it had been seen how little loss they sustained, when, for a time, -the intrusive Government made it its chief object to extirpate them; -their escapes, as well as their exploits, were detailed both in the -official and provincial Gazettes; and the leaders became known in all -parts, not of Spain only, but of Europe, by their own names, or the -popular appellations which had been given them indicative of their -former profession or personal appearance. _El Manco_, the man with a -maimed arm, commanded one band; the Old Man of Sereña another. There -was _el Frayle_, the Friar; _el Cura_, the Priest; _el Medico_, the -Doctor; _el Cantarero_, the Potter; _el Cocinero_, the Cook; _el -Pastor_, the Shepherd; _el Abuelo_, the grand-father. One chief was -called _el Chaleco_, from the fashion of his waistcoat; he won for -himself a better reputation than might have been expected from such -an appellation: another obtained the name of _Chambergo_, from his -slouched hat. Names of worse import appear among them; there was the -_Malalma_, the Bad Soul, de Aibar, and the _Ladron_, the Robber, de -Lumbier. - -A large portion of the men who engaged under these leaders were -soldiers, who had escaped in some of the miserable defeats to which the -rashness of the Government and the incapacity of their generals had -exposed them; or who had deserted from the regular army to this more -inviting service. Smugglers also, a numerous and formidable class of -men, now that their old occupation was destroyed, took to the guerrilla -life, and brought to it the requisites of local knowledge, hardiness -and audacity, and the quick sense of sight and hearing which they had -acquired in carrying on their dangerous trade by night. But the greater -number were men who, if circumstances had permitted, would have passed -their life usefully and contentedly in the humble stations to which -they were born; labourers, whom there were now none to employ, ... -retainers, who partook the ruin of the great families to which they and -their ancestors had been attached; ... owners or occupiers of land, -whose fields had been laid waste, and whose olive-yards destroyed; and -the whole class of provincial tradesmen, whose means of subsistence -were cut off, happy if they had only their own ruin and their country’s -quarrel to revenge, and not those deeper injuries of which dreadful -cases were continually occurring wherever the enemy were masters. -Monks, also, and friars, frocked and unfrocked, were among them: -wherever the convents were suppressed, and their members forbidden to -wear the habit on pain of death, which was done in all the provinces -that the French overran, the young took arms, the old employed -themselves in keeping up the spirit of the people; and the intrusive -Government paid dearly for the church property, when those who had -been previously supported by it exchanged a life of idleness for one -of active exertion in the national cause, some to preach a crusade -against the invaders, others to serve in it. These whom oppression -had driven out from the cloister were not the only religioners who -took arms. Not a few in the parts of the country which were still -free took the opportunity, precious to them, of escaping from the -servitude to which they were bound, disgusted with the follies of their -profession, sick of its impostures, or impatient of its restraints. -Public opinion encouraged them in this course; the multitude ascribing -their conduct to a religious zeal for their country, while those who -wished for the reformation of the abuses which had prepared the way for -all this evil, were glad to see this disposition manifest itself in a -class of men whom they justly regarded as one of the pests of Spain. -The General of the Franciscans applied to Mendizabal to deliver up a -friar who had enlisted in his army; but the application was so little -in accord with the spirit of the times, that Mendizabal’s answer was -read with universal approbation by the Spaniards. “The head of the -Franciscans,” said that commander, “must have forgotten what Cardinal -Ximenes de Cisneros did when he commanded the army which took Oran. -If that prelate in those days thought of nothing but destroying the -Koran, and substituting the Gospel in its stead, what would he do now, -when the religion of our fathers and our mother country is in danger? -I have taken a lesson from his Eminency. Let the present head of the -order send me a list of all the brethren capable of bearing arms, -not forgetting himself, if he is fit for service, and we will march -together and free our religion and our country. Inspire then your -friars, that they may be agents in this noble work, putting away all -kind of sloth; and let no other cry be heard than that of ‘War against -the tyrant, freedom for our religion, our country, and our beloved -Ferdinand.’” While this course was taken by the monks and friars, it -is related of the nuns in the subjected parts of the country, that -they passed ♦ROCCA. 240.♦ the nights in praying for the success and -deliverance of their countrymen, and the days in preparing medicines -and bandages for the sick and wounded French. - -♦STATE OF THE GUERRILLA WARFARE.♦ - -Fewer guerrilla parties appeared in Andalusia than in any other -province, although more had been expected there, from the fierier -character of the people, and the local circumstances; the land being -divided between the cathedrals, a few convents, and a few great -proprietors, and the greater part of the inhabitants day-labourers, who -were likely to be tempted ♦ANDALUSIA.♦ by the prospect of a predatory -life. But Andalusia seemed as if its generous blood had been exhausted -in the first years of the war; and at this time the mountaineers of -Ronda were the only part of its population who opposed a determined -resistance to the intrusive Government. Their general, Valdenebro, -tendered his resignation because the Regency had made him subordinate -to the Marques de Portago, who commanded at the Campo de S. Roque; he -had performed good service there; and it was stated in the Cortes as an -example for imitation, that one or two patriots, and one or two priests -who possessed local knowledge, and were of ordinary rank, but of -extraordinary courage, composed his adjutants, his aides-de-camp, and -his whole staff. The orator did not bear in mind that Valdenebro was -at the head, not of an army, but of an irregular force. Forest-flies -these mountaineers were called, to express the ♦MOUNTAINS OF RONDA.♦ -pertinacity with which they annoyed the enemy, and the facility with -which they eluded him. Ready themselves to endure all privations, to -encounter all dangers, to make any sacrifices in the national cause, -they regarded submission in such a cause, when it proceeded from -weakness, as little less odious than the conduct of those traitors who -accepted office under the intrusive Government; and because the city -of Ronda had made no resistance to the French, they looked upon the -name as disgraced, and called their mountainous region the _Serrania de -Fernando_ VII., to mark their indignation against the conduct of its -capital. If the spirit of such a people could have been subdued, the -enemy were neither wanting in activity nor in inhumanity for effecting -their purpose. They had light pieces of artillery for mountain service, -two of which were carried by a mule, one on each side, balancing each -other; the carriages and ammunition-boxes were made portable in the -same way: and their attacks were so frequent, that in the course of two -years there was one village which they entered forcibly fifty times. -Sebastiani, in whose military command this district was comprised, -was a person who betrayed no compunction in carrying the abominable -edict of M. Soult into effect; and scarcely a day passed in which -several prisoners were not put to death in Granada in conformity to -that decree. Among the instances of heroic virtue which were displayed -here during the continuance of this tyranny, there are two which were -gratefully acknowledged by the national Government. Lorenzo Teyxeyro, -an inhabitant of Granada, who had performed the dangerous service -of communicating intelligence to the nearest Spanish general, was -discovered, and might have saved his life if he would have named the -persons through whom the communication was carried on; but he was true -to them as he had been to his country, and suffered death contentedly. -The other instance was attended with more tragic circumstances. Captain -Vicente Moreno, who was serving with the mountaineers of Ronda, was -made prisoner, carried to Granada, and there had the alternative -proposed to him of suffering by the hangman, or entering into the -intruder’s service. Sebastiani showed much solicitude to prevail upon -this officer, having, it may be believed, some feeling of humanity, if -not some fore-feeling of the opprobrium which such acts of wickedness -draw after them in this world, and of the account which is to be -rendered for them in the next. Moreno’s wife and four children were -therefore, by the General’s orders, brought to him when he was upon the -scaffold, to see if their entreaties would shake his resolution; but -Moreno, with the courage of a martyr, bade her withdraw, and teach her -sons to remember the example which he was about to give them, and to -serve their country, as he had done, honourably and dutifully to the -last. This murder provoked a public retaliation which the Spaniards -seldom exercised, but ... when they did ... upon a tremendous scale. -Gonzalez, who was member in the Cortes for Jaen, had served with -Moreno, and loved him as such a man deserved to be loved; and by his -orders seventy French prisoners were put to death at Marbella. - -So wicked a system as that which Buonaparte’s generals unrelentingly -pursued could nowhere have been exercised with so little prospect of -success, and such sure effect of calling forth a dreadful vengeance, -as among the Spaniards. Against such enemies they considered all means -lawful; this was the feeling not here alone, but throughout the body -of the nation; the treacherous commencement of the war on the part of -the French, and the systematic cruelty with which it had been carried -on, discharged them, they thought, from all observances of good faith -or humanity towards them; and upon this principle they acted to its -full extent. The labourer at his work in the fields or gardens had a -musket concealed at hand, with which to mark the Frenchman whom ill -fortune might bring within his reach. Boys, too young to be suspected -of any treachery, would lead a party of the invaders into some fatal -ambuscade; women were stationed to give the signal for beginning the -slaughter, and that signal was sometimes ♦ROCCA, 225, 226. 212.♦ the -hymn to the Virgin! Not fewer than 8000 French are said to have been -cut off in the mountains of Ronda. - -There, however, it was more properly a national than a guerrilla -warfare; the work of destruction being carried on less by roving -parties than by the settled inhabitants, who watched for every -opportunity of vengeance. There were more bands in Extremadura than in -Andalusia, but ♦ESTRDEMADURA.♦ there were not many; for Extremadura -was not in the line for convoys, which always offered the ♦D. TORIBIO -BUSTAMENTE.♦ most inviting prey. The most noted leader in the province -was D. Toribio Bustamente, known by the name of _Caracol_, who had -been master of the post-office at Medina del Rio Seco; among the -other horrors which were committed in that unhappy town after Cuesta -and Blake were defeated by M. Bessieres, the wife of this man had -been violated and murdered, and his son also, a mere child, had -been butchered. From that hour he devoted himself to the pursuit of -vengeance, and many were the enemies who suffered under his hand for -the crimes of their countrymen, till, after a career of two years, -he fell at the pass of Miravete with the satisfaction of a man who, -in the performance of what he believed to be his sacred duty, had -found the death which he desired. Bustamente’s men acquired a good -character, as well for their behaviour to the inhabitants, as for the -courage and success with which they harassed the enemy: but there were -other parties in Extremadura, who inflicted more injury upon their -countrymen than upon the French. This was the case in La Mancha also; -the Government, with a vigour which it seldom exerted, arrested some of -the banditti leaders, and brought them to justice; but such examples -were too few to deter other ruffians from pursuing the same course, -while the authority of either Government, national or intrusive, was -so ill-established, that there was no other law than that of the -strongest. One adventurer, however, in this province raised himself -to respectability and rank by his services, though known by the -unpromising appellation ♦FRANCISCO ABAD, THE CHALECO.♦ of _El Chaleco_. -Francisco Abad Moreno was his name: he began his career as a common -soldier, and escaping from some rout, joined company with two fugitives -of his own regiment, and began war upon his own account. Their first -exploit was to kill an enemy’s courier and his escort; and shortly -afterwards having added two recruits to his number, he presented to -the Marques of Villafranca, at Murcia, five carts laden with tobacco, -quicksilver, and plate, which he had taken from the French, and the -ears[12] of thirteen Frenchmen who had fallen by their hands! His party -increased as his name became known; and he cut off great numbers of -the enemy, sometimes in Murcia, sometimes in La Mancha, intercepting -their convoys and detachments. Showing as little mercy as he looked -for, and expecting as little as he showed, he faced with desperate or -ferocious courage the danger from which there was no escape by flight, -swimming rivers when swoln by rain, or employing any means that might -give him the victory. On one occasion he broke a troop of the French -by discharging a blunderbuss loaded with five-and-thirty bullets; it -brought down nine of the enemy, according to his own account, and he -received so severe a contusion on the shoulder from the recoil, that it -entirely disabled him for a time; but the party was kept together under -his second in command, Juan de Bacas, and its reputation enhanced by -greater exploits. - -One service which Bacas performed diffused a general feeling of -vindictive joy through La Mancha and the adjacent ♦CIRIA, THE NERO OF -LA MANCHA.♦ provinces. D. Benito Maria Ciria acted for the intrusive -Government as governor and _corregidor_ of La Mancha. He was a man of -information and singular activity, who might have obtained for himself -an honourable remembrance, if he had displayed the same zeal in the -cause of his country which he exerted for its oppressors. From the -beginning he was suspected of favouring the Intruder, and had been -apprehended on that suspicion before the French forced the passes of -the Sierra Morena; the military Junta of La Carolina spared him, and -upon the first appearance of the enemy, he proved that his intentions -had not been mistaken, by joining them. From that time Ciria served -them with the rancorous alacrity of a true traitor, insomuch that -he was called the Nero of La Mancha. This evil celebrity drew on -him its proper punishment. Bacas was on the watch for a favourable -opportunity, and as soon as it occurred, he entered Almagro at the -head of his guerrillas, and seized him in the streets of that city: -the people called out for his punishment upon the spot, but Bacas -felt that the solemnity of a judicial sentence would make the example -more impressive; he carried his prisoner therefore to Valencia de -Alcantara, and delivered him there to the arm of the law, under which -he suffered as a traitor. A victory could not have occasioned greater -exultation throughout La Mancha; if Bacas and his party, it was said, -had performed no other service than that of bringing this offender to -justice, they would have deserved well of their country for that alone. - -It would have been well for humanity, and honourable for Spain, if -those who were engaged with right feelings in their country’s cause -had always shown this regard to order and the course of law; but the -Spaniards had, under long misrule, become a lawless nation; the great -trampled upon the laws, and by the people murder was scarcely regarded -as a crime; in their vindictive feelings they were unrestrained by any -religious awe, or any apprehension of earthly punishment. A squadron of -the La Manchan Crusaders entered this very city of Almagro; they sacked -the house of the traitor who collected the revenues for the Intruder; -and because his wife in her rage reviled them, professed her attachment -to King Joseph, and threatened them with vengeance in his name, they -killed her; and Ureña, a priest, who commanded the party, related the -circumstance with perfect complacency in his official dispatch. The -heart of the nation was already hard, and the little which might have -been done by the legitimate Government for correcting the national -inhumanity, and inducing, or at least endeavouring to induce, a more -christian, a more civilized, a more humane spirit, was neglected. - -♦NEW CASTILLE. - -D. VENTURA XIMENEZ.♦ - -New Castille swarmed with guerrillas, among whom were some of the most -distinguished chiefs. D. Ventura Ximenez made himself formidable in the -parts about Toledo, till one day in action his horse carried him into -the enemy’s ranks; his people rescued him, but not till he had received -two sabre wounds and a pistol-shot. They carried him to Navalucillos, -where he died. A price had been set upon his head; his body therefore -was disinterred by the French, and the head carried to Toledo, that -the dragoon who had shot him might receive the reward. In this -province there were some of the vilest depredators who under the name -of guerrillas infested Spain. ♦GUERRILLA BANDITTI.♦ For as in times -of pestilence or earthquake, wretches are found obdurate enough in -wickedness to make the visitation a cover for their guilt, and enrich -themselves by plunder; so now, in the anarchy of Spain, they whose evil -disposition had been restrained, if not by efficient laws, yet in some -degree by the influence of settled society, abandoned themselves, when -that control was withdrawn, to the impulses of their own evil hearts. -These banditti plundered and murdered indiscriminately all who fell -into their hands. The guerrilla chief, D. Juan Abril, caught a band of -seven, who made Castille the scene of their depredations; and he found -in their possession gold and silver bars, and other property, to the -amount of half a million reales. A ruffian belonging to one of these -bands was taken by the French, and in order to save his life, offered -to show them the place where his comrades had secreted their booty; -accordingly a commissioner from the criminal Junta of Madrid, with two -alguazils, and an escort of forty horse, was appointed to go with him. -The deposit was in the wood of Villa Viciosa, eight leagues from the -capital, and there they found effects to the value of more than 700,000 -reales. But D. Juan Palarea, the Medico, from whose party the bandit -had originally deserted, had obtained intelligence of their movements, -and intercepted them on their return; five only of the escort escaped, -six were made prisoners, the rest were killed; and the commissioner was -put to death, as one whose office precluded him from mercy, and even -from commiseration. - -Of the wretches whom this dissolution of government let loose upon -mankind, the banditti were the boldest, ♦CRIMES OF JOSÉ PEDRAZUELA -AND HIS WIFE.♦ but not the worst. A more extraordinary and flagitious -course was chosen by José Pedrazuela, who had been an actor at Madrid. -He assumed the character of a commissioner under the legitimate -Government, and being acknowledged as such in the little town of -Ladrada in Extremadura, condemned and executed, under a charge of -treason, any persons whom from any motive he chose to destroy: the -victims were carried at night to a wood, where their graves had been -made ready, and there their throats were cut, or they were shot, or -beaten to death. The people supposing him to be actually invested with -the authority which he assumed, submitted to him in terror, as the -French had done to Collot d’Herbois and the other monsters whom this -Pedrazuela was imitating. His wife, Maria Josefa Garcia della Valle, -was privy to the imposture, and if possible exceeded him in cruelty. -Before they could withdraw, as they probably designed to do when -they had sufficiently enriched themselves, Castaños heard of their -proceedings, and instantly took measures for arresting them in their -career of blood. They were brought to trial at Valencia de Alcantara; -thirteen of these midnight murders were proved against them: it was -said that in the course of three months they had committed more than -threescore. The man was hanged and quartered, the woman strangled by -the _garrote_. The Spaniards had not brought upon themselves the guilt -of revolution, but they were visited by all its horrors! - -The better guerrilla chiefs maintained order where they could, and -whenever any of the banditti fell into their hands, ordered them to -summary execution. There was another class of criminals whom they took -every opportunity of bringing under the laws of their outraged country, -... those Spaniards who took an active part in the Intruder’s service. -The alcalde of Brihuega was ♦THE ALCALDE OF BRIHUEGA.♦ notorious -for his exertions against those who were suspected of corresponding -with the national Government, or in any way aiding it; his wife was -passionately attached to the same cause, and the Empecinado one day -intercepted a dispatch from her to the nearest French commander: -he entered the town, and made her and her husband prisoners. The -dispatch had provoked a barbarous spirit in the men, for they cut off -the woman’s hair, shaved her eyebrows, tarred and feathered her, and -in that condition paraded her through the streets; after which they -delivered them both to the Junta of the province for judgment. The -Empecinado seems to have had an especial pleasure in pursuing traitors -of this description. He had set intelligencers ♦RIGO.♦ upon one Rigo, -who, having affected great zeal in the national cause, fled afterwards -to the capital, obtained a considerable appointment there, and became a -persecutor of all who carried on any communication with the Government -or the armed Spaniards. This man was keeping his marriage-day at a -house a little way from Madrid, when, during the wedding-feast, the -Empecinado entered the court-yard at the head of a sufficient band, -and demanded that Rigo should be delivered up, saying no injury should -be offered to any other of the party. Flight or resistance were alike -impossible; the miserable traitor was surrendered into his hands, and -sent immediately under a trusty escort to Cadiz; the officer into whose -charge he was given being enjoined not to depart from that city till -he should have seen him ♦JOSEPH’S ESCAPE FROM THE EMPECINADO.♦ put to -death in the great square. Joseph himself narrowly escaped a similar -fate from the same daring adventurer. He was dining at La Alameda, six -miles from Madrid, on the road to Guadalaxara, with Gen. Belliard, and -a festive party, when their entertainment was interrupted by an alarm -that the Empecinado was approaching, and they fled hastily towards the -capital, for not a moment was to be lost. The Intruder had a second -escape on the road from Guadalaxara: the Empecinado knew his movements, -and six days after the French had boasted of having totally defeated -him, and dispersed his band of brigands, he took post at Cogolludo, -and pursued Joseph so closely that more than forty of his rear-guard -were cut off at Torrejon and El Molar, before they could come within -protection of the garrison of Madrid. So little indeed had that -garrison the command of the surrounding country, that a whole party -which had been sent out from thence were one day taken and hung by the -way-side, within a short distance from the walls. - -In this dreadful warfare blood called for blood; cruelty produced -retaliation, and retaliation was retaliated by fresh cruelties. Eight -of the Empecinado’s men were taken in the Guadarrama mountains, and -nailed to the trees there, for the purpose of intimidating their -fellows: such a spectacle had the sure effect of exasperating them, and -the same number of Frenchmen were soon nailed to the same trees, in the -same spirit of inhuman vengeance. - -♦DESERTION OF THE JURAMENTADOS.♦ - -A lieutenant of his party, Mesa by name, went over to the French, and -engaged to bring them the head of this dreaded partisan; his interest -was so good, and his proposals so plausible, that they gave him the -rank of captain in one of the Spanish regiments which the Intruder -was raising, and sent him with a company of 200 Spanish cavalry to -perform his promise; when they came near Guadalaxara, the men put him -to death, and joined their countrymen in arms. Such an example might -have taught Joseph and his ministers how little they could depend -upon the Spaniards, who by misery, or severe usage, were forced into -his service. Half naked and ill-fed, kept in miserable prisons, or -at the hardest work, upon the canals, where such work was at hand, -winter and summer, sometimes up to the middle in water, they enlisted -with the determination of making their escape. In the course of five -months not less than 12,000 entered with this purpose; and on the first -opportunity that offered, whole companies, including the officers, -deserted, with arms and baggage. The celebrity of the Empecinado -encouraged them to these attempts, and his movements in the vicinity of -Madrid facilitated their escape. Like the other distinguished guerrilla -leaders, he soon obtained rank from the national Government, but he -looked to it neither for pay nor supplies. ♦JUNTA OF GUADALAXARA.♦ -The Junta of Guadalaxara used the utmost exertions to assist him; the -members of this Junta performed their duty with perfect fidelity in -a situation where they were continually in extreme danger, from the -vicinity of a strong enemy’s force. They were as often in the woods and -wilds as in human habitations, and yet they collected stores, clothing, -and money for the armies, while in this state of outlawry under the -intrusive Government; and they circulated a newspaper which they -printed in the mountains near the sources of the Tagus. - -The Empecinado was supposed to have 500 horse under his command, -and 2,200 foot; but this force was perpetually varying in number, -according to the chance of war; and the guerrillas generally acted -with better ♦THE MEDICO.♦ success in small parties. The Medico’s party -was estimated at 300 horse. This leader, joining with the band of D. -Casimero Moraleja, fell in with 140 of the enemy’s troops, escorting -a convoy from Madrid, about four leagues from Toledo, near Yuncles. -Some twenty _Juramentados_, as the Spanish recruits were called because -of the oath which was administered to them when they entered the -Intruder’s service, immediately laid down their arms; the others, -of whom ♦FOURSCORE FRENCH BURNT IN A CHAPEL.♦ fourscore were French -grenadiers under the _Chef-d’escadron_ Labarthe, took possession of -an Ermida, and refused to surrender when they were summoned, little -apprehending the horrible alternative. The Spaniards set fire to the -building on all sides; no mercy was shown to those who endeavoured -♦NAYLIES, 275.♦ to escape from the flames; eight persons only were -happy enough to be made prisoners in time; the bodies[13] of all the -rest were left in the smoking ruins. - -♦CRUELTIES AND RETALIATIONS.♦ - -These details were published in the Regency’s Gazette; there was -nothing revolting to the public mind in such horrors, because the -Spaniards had been accustomed to cruelties, by the history of their -American conquests (wherein the enormities of the conquerors have not -been concealed), and by the Inquisition: and if the heart of the nation -had not thus previously been hardened, the nature of this war must have -hardened it. The decree of the intrusive Government for putting to -death every Spaniard who should be taken in arms had not indeed been -carried into effect; too many had been taken to render this possible in -a christian country; ministers and generals, who might have braved the -guilt, shrunk from the odium of enforcing such a measure; and it may be -deemed certain, that if the French troops had been commanded to enforce -it, they would not have obeyed. But toward the guerrillas the soldiers -could entertain no feeling either of honour or humanity: they put to -death all ♦NAYLIES, 274.♦ who were taken in arms and not in uniform; -not regarding, or probably not considering, that a great proportion -of the regular troops were in that condition! It was not to be -expected that they should ask themselves on which side the provocation -was given, and with whom the cruelty began. And yet, barbarous as -Buonaparte’s predatory system of war necessarily made them, and with -all the irritation which the guerrillas occasioned, they were less -barbarous than those who were in authority over them: prisoners whom -they spared in the field were, in obedience to rigid orders, shot if -they lagged upon their march into captivity; and even after they had -entered France, numbers were thus ♦LORD BLAYNEY, I. 487.♦ put to death -in cold blood. All who were regarded as brigands, who acted in the -provincial Juntas, or against whom any proof appeared of acting under -the Juntas, or giving intelligence or assistance to the guerrillas, -were executed by the summary sentence of some arbitrary tribunal. -Heads were exposed on poles, bodies left hanging upon the gallows, or -the trees; and in the market-place of large towns, the wall against -which the victims were shot was pierced with bullets, and the ground -blackened with blood! Nowhere was this system of terror pursued more -unrelentingly ♦OLD CASTILLE.♦ than in Old Castille, and yet nowhere -were the guerrillas more active or more formidable. In ten parties, -under known leaders, their numbers were estimated at 1,300 horse, and -2,500 foot. D. Geronimo Merino, the priest of Villabrau, known by the -name of ♦THE CURA.♦ _El Cura_, was the most remarkable of them for the -ferocity with which he acted against enemies who were made ferocious -by the dreadful circumstances in which they were placed. It was not to -be expected that the Spaniards should make this allowance for their -invaders; but they did not claim it for themselves; they proclaimed for -admiration and example actions at which humanity should shudder: it -became a matter of praise among them, as in the days of Pizarro and -Garcia de Paredes, to possess the qualities of a ruffian; and if the -appearance[14] corresponded to the manners and character, the popular -hero was perfect in his vocation. Yet mercy appears to have been more -frequently shown by the guerrillas than extended to them. They obtained -consideration with their own Government, and with the English, by -bringing in prisoners, and were encouraged so to do; whereas the French -soldiers knew that if an armed Spaniard were taken he would be put to -death, and might consider it merciful at once to slay a fallen enemy, -rather than deliver him over to execution. The guerrillas also, by -conveying their prisoners to one of the Spanish fortresses, or to a -part of the country where the allies were in force, obtained a respite, -for the time, from that life of incessant vigilance and insecurity, -exertion and exposure, which, without some such occasional relief, no -bodily strength could have long supported. It was by the peasantry that -the greatest cruelties were committed upon such miserable Frenchmen -as fell into their hands, ♦ROCCA, 145.♦ and by the women, who are -said to have sometimes vied with the worst American savages in their -unutterable barbarities. - -♦ARAGON.♦ - -There were fewer of the roving guerrillas in Aragon, because something -with the name of an army was kept on foot there, and in such a state -that the regular service differed little from the course of life to -which the adventurers were reduced. In no other part of Spain was the -intrusive Government administered with greater ability and vigilance, -nor more in the spirit of remorseless oppression and rapacity. The -whole yearly revenue which had been raised in that province before the -invasion, amounted to from ten to twelve millions of _reales_: the -French exacted twelve per month as the ordinary contribution; they -called for extraordinary payments when they pleased; and after these -official exactions, the Aragonese were not exempted from the common -lot of their countrymen in being at the mercy of every plunderer. What -guerrilla parties there were in this part of the country were less -heard of, because on all sides there were chiefs whose reputation, -founded upon repeated successes, drew to their parties the men who -would otherwise have been dispersed ♦THE CANTERERO.♦ in smaller bands. -Anicio Algere, the Potter, whose scene of action was about Jaca, was -the only one who obtained any degree of celebrity here. But along the -great line of communication for the French armies, and especially the -high road from the Bidassoa to Madrid, where it was of most importance -for the enemy to secure the ways, and where most precautions were taken -for securing them, there the guerrillas were most active and most -daring. At the entrance of the villages houses were fortified with -ditches, parapets, embrasures for field-pieces, and loop-holes for -musquetry, and ditches and parapets across the roads. These stations -served a double purpose; for here at every step the sick and wounded, -who were on their way to France, were inspected with a vigilance so -severely exercised, that it seemed as if the persons in authority, -who could not escape from this hateful service, found a malignant -satisfaction in disappointing others of their expected deliverance. -They sometimes remanded men who had passed at several posts; and there -were cases in which the wound or the malady (aggravated, perhaps, by -so cruel a disappointment) proved ♦NAYLIES.♦ fatal at the very place -where the sufferer had been refused permission to proceed, upon the -plea that he was not sufficiently disabled! - -Everywhere, but more especially at Irun and all the frontier places, -accounts were kept for the guerrillas of the troops, who passed -through, both of those who were entering the country, and of invalids -on their way from it. Every artifice was used to delay the enemy -when it was desired that one of these parties should have time to -come up for attack, or for securing a retreat. For this purpose the -priest or the alcalde would officiously prepare refreshments, while -some messenger, with all the speed of earnest good will, conveyed the -necessary intelligence. This would have occurred in ordinary wars; but -the treachery with which they had been invaded, and the cruelties which -were continually practised against them, made the Spaniards regard -any vengeance, however treacherous, as an act of justice. ♦ALCALDE OF -MONDRAGON.♦ An alcalde and his son were put to death at Mondragon for -having at different times assassinated more than two hundred Frenchmen. -When they were led to execution, they exulted in what they had done, -accounting it among their good and meritorious works; and they said to -their countrymen, ♦LORD BLAYNEY.♦ that if every Spaniard had discharged -his duty as well as they had done, the enemy would ere then have been -exterminated, and the land been free. - -It was in this part of Spain that the most noted guerrilla leaders -appeared, the Empecinado only excepted; the most mountainous and -rugged country being most favourable to their mode of warfare. There -♦ASTURIAS. PORLIER.♦ were many bands in Asturias; the most numerous -was that which Porlier had raised; but Porlier was a man of family, -who had rank in the army, and his people had more of the feeling and -character of soldiers than was commonly found in such companies. There -were many also in the Montaña, where Longa obtained a good name. The -French endeavoured to counteract this system of national hostility, in -the province of Soria, by forcing the men into their own service: with -this view they ordered a conscription, and the alcalde of Valdenebro -was put to death by them in Burgo de Osma, for not having enforced it -in obedience to their authority. They called for all single men from -fifteen to forty years of age, and all married ones whose marriage was -not of earlier date than the year on which this dreadful struggle ♦D. -JOSÉ DURAN.♦ was begun. D. José Duran, an old officer who had grown -gray in the regular service, and whom the Junta of Soria had appointed -to the command there and in Rioja, impeded the execution of this -scheme, ♦NOV. 20.♦ by his enterprises and his edicts: he threatened -such of the inhabitants as were disposed to obey the orders of the -enemy, lest their own safety might be compromised; and he interdicted -the use of the word in that acceptation, saying it was their religion -and their liberty which were compromised by such obedience, and -that no Christian and true Spaniard could incur the guilt of such a -compromise. He forbade any inhabitant of the province to enter Soria -while the enemy kept a garrison there, on pain of being regarded as a -traitor, whatever motive or excuse he might allege. He declared that -every person obeying an order of the intrusive Government should be -put to death, ... every village burnt, ... so that nothing might exist -in Spain which had contributed towards its subjugation. Whenever the -enemy approached a village, the inhabitants were enjoined to leave it, -driving all their cattle into the mountains; and they were commanded -not to leave provision of any kind in their houses, unless it were -poisoned; to the end that either by want or by poison, the enemy, who -were employed in destroying an unoffending people, might be themselves -destroyed. The state of feeling may be understood in which such an -edict could be issued by a provincial Junta who lived in hourly peril, -and whose dearest connexions were the victims of foreign barbarity; but -when the edict itself was sanctioned by the national Government--for -sanctioned it was by being allowed to appear in the Regency’s Gazette -unannulled and uncensured--it became a national disgrace. - -When the guerrillas of Asturias, the Biscayan provinces, Soria, or -Rioja, were closely pressed by the enemy, they usually sought refuge -in Navarre, or the higher parts of Aragon: here they had their chief -strength. The French, indeed, complained, in their intercepted -dispatches, that these bands gave the law in Navarre, levied -contributions there, and even collected the duties at the frontier -custom-houses. For this ♦XAVIER MINA.♦ superiority they were beholden -to Xavier Mina. His career was short, but remarkable not less for the -signal successes which he obtained, than for his hair-breadth escapes. -On one occasion he and his little party were driven to seek refuge -on a rock near Estella, where they defended the only accessible side -till night-fall, and escaped during the darkness by letting themselves -down the precipice by a rope. In the course of five months after his -first appearance in the field, his celebrity was such that he might -have raised an army from among the youth of Navarre and Upper Aragon, -if there had been means to arm, and officers to discipline them: owing -to the want of these, and chiefly of officers, he never had more than -1,200 under his command; greater numbers would have embarrassed him, -these he was capable of directing: voluntary rations were provided -for them by the villages, and for ammunition and money he looked to -the enemy, calling the wood of Tafalla his powder-magazine and his -mint. As a farther resource, he levied the duties of which the French -complained, and he collected the rents belonging to the convents and -churches, as having in this extremity reverted to the nation; and -from these funds he was enabled to pay liberally and regularly for -intelligence. The wisdom of his measures, not less than the chivalrous -spirit of enterprise which he displayed, made him so formidable to the -enemy, that his capture was considered by them as more important than -a victory, when accident threw ♦XAVIER MINA MADE PRISONER.♦ him into -their hands. Chance had delayed the advance of a convoy for which he -was waiting: he was informed of the delay, but proposed to wait still; -and went himself on horseback with only one companion, by moonlight, -to reconnoitre the ground. The enemy, who would have thought no -precautions necessary against a Spanish army at that time, stood in -such fear of Mina, that they had formed a double line of outposts, and -sent out patroles; by some of whom he and his comrade were surprised, -dismounted, and taken. It is remarkable that he was not put to death as -soon as identified, for he had been proscribed as a leader of banditti, -and his capture as such was exultingly announced; but some person of -more generosity than those who thus reviled him must have interfered; -and where so little that has the character of honour or humanity can be -recorded, it must be regretted that we know not to whom this redeeming -act should be ascribed. - -♦ESPOZ Y MINA ELECTED TO SUCCEED HIM.♦ - -When Mina’s followers had thus lost their leader, disputes arose -concerning the command; and there being no one whose personal -qualifications were generally acknowledged, it was resolved to choose -his uncle for his name’s sake, for in that name there was a strength. -His uncle, Francisco Espoz y Mina, was born in 1781, in the village of -Ydozin, upon a little farm, the sole patrimony of his family, to which -he succeeded on his father’s death. His education consisted in having -merely been taught to read and write; and husbandry had been his only -occupation, till under the impulse of the general feeling he took arms -against the oppressors of his country; and having, according to his own -account, done to them all the hurt he could as long as he remained in -his own house, he enlisted as a volunteer in Doyle’s battalion. Soon -afterwards, using that freedom which the times allowed, he joined his -nephew’s guerrilla, and on the evening after the young hero’s capture, -he left the band apparently with the intention of betaking himself -to some other course of life; a deputation of seven persons followed -him, and urged him to take the command, which having against his will -accepted, he began to exercise with a strength of character that never -halted in half measures. One of his first acts was to put down those -who resisted the authority which he claimed as commander-in-chief of -the guerrillas of Navarre, and in which the Junta of Aragon confirmed -him. A certain Echeverria had aspired to this rank; he had some 800 men -in his company, consisting mostly of German deserters, who inflicted -more evil upon the peasantry than upon the French. Espoz y Mina, with -about half that force, surprised and arrested him, had him shot with -three of his principal comrades, and incorporated the men in his own -band. A gang of forty ruffians, with a woman by name Martina for their -leader, infested Biscay and Alava, and committed so many murders, that -the cry of the land went forth against them; he dispatched a party, who -surprised half these banditti with their execrable mistress at their -head, and they were sent to summary execution. Espoz y Mina himself -narrowly escaped from the treachery of another adventurer, who for -his evil countenance was known by the appellation of Malcarado. This -man had been a shepherd, and afterwards a serjeant in Mina’s troop. -He, too, intended to make war upon his own account; but finding that -this would not be permitted by the new guerrilla chief, who suffered -no banditti to exercise their vocation within his reach, he deemed -it better to make terms with the French than be exposed to danger on -both sides; feigning, therefore, to serve under Espoz y Mina, he gave -general Pannetier information of his movements, ... and drew off the -advanced guard from before the village of Robres, so as to give a -French detachment opportunity to enter while the chief was in bed. The -alarm roused him but just in time; he defended himself at the entrance -of the house with the bar of the door for want of any other weapon, -till his faithful follower, Luis Gaston, came to his assistance and -brought a horse. Enough of his people collected to make head against -the enemy, rout them, and rescue their prisoners. Immediately he -pursued Malcarado, and having what was deemed sufficient evidence of -his treason, ordered him to be shot, and the priest of the village and -three alcaldes to be hanged, side by side, as his accomplices. - -A leader who acted always thus decisively, in disregard of forms, -upon the apparent justice of the case, inspired his followers with -confidence, and obtained submission everywhere. Where his orders were -not executed with the alacrity of good-will, they were obeyed for fear. -The alcaldes of every village were required to give him immediate -information whenever they received orders from the French for making -any requisition: it was at the hazard of their lives to do this; but -so surely as they failed to do it, they were seized in their beds and -shot. The miserable people were thus continually placed between two -dangers; but their hearts were with Mina; they were attached to him -by self-interest as well as by national feeling, for he encouraged -them to trade with France, receiving money from the rich traders for -passports, by which means he was enabled both to pay his men, and to -reward his spies liberally; and thus also he obtained many articles -which it would otherwise have been difficult to procure. Circumstances -having forced him into a way of life which he would not have chosen, he -devoted himself to it with his whole heart and soul; and his strength -both of constitution and character were equal to their trials. It is -said that two hours’ sleep sufficed for him; when he lay down it was -with his pistols in his girdle, and the few nights which he slept -under a roof were passed with less sense of security than he felt in -the wilds, although his first care was to secure the doors, and guard -against a surprisal. He was not encumbered with baggage; the nearest -house supplied the wardrobe when he changed his linen; and he and his -men wore sandals that they might more easily ascend the heights in -the hair-breadth adventures to which they were exposed. His powder -was made in a cave among the mountains; sometimes he obtained it from -Pamplona, notwithstanding the vigilance of the enemy. His hospital was -in a mountain village; when the French more than once endeavoured to -surprise it, timely intelligence was given, and the villagers carried -the sick and wounded in litters, upon their shoulders, into the -fastnesses. He kept no man in his troop who was known to be addicted to -women, lest by their likeliest means he might be betrayed. No gaming -was allowed among his men, nor were they permitted to plunder; when the -fight was over every one might keep what he could get; but woe to him -who should lay hand on the spoil before the struggle was at an end, -and the success had been pursued to the utmost! - -In such enterprises as those of the two Minas and the other guerrilla -chiefs, the Timours, the Babers, and Khouli Khans of Eastern -history, were trained; but neither men nor officers were likely to -be formed in them for the operations of regular war. The restraints, -the subordination, the principle of obedience which the soldier is -compelled to learn, of the necessity of which his understanding is -convinced, and to which, if his disposition be good, he conforms -at last morally as well as mechanically, these in no slight degree -counteract the demoralizing tendencies of a military life, and -compensate for its heart-hardening ones. The good soldier becomes a -good citizen when his occupation is over; but the guerrillas were -never likely to forego the wild and lawless course in which they -were engaged; and, therefore, essential as their services now were, -thoughtful men looked with the gloomiest forebodings to what must -be the consequence of their multiplication, whenever this dreadful -struggle should be ended; they anticipated the ♦SEM. PATR. NO. 82, -P. 338.♦ utter ruin of Spain. The course of events, however, was not -to be controlled; circumstances had produced this irregular force, -and there was now no possibility of defending the country without it. -Lord Wellington had felt how hopeless it was to act in concert with -a Spanish army, wherein good intentions were frustrated by obstinate -counsels, and courage rendered unavailing by insubordination; but he -felt at this time of what importance it was to have a nation in his -favour, and how materially the movements of the enemy were impeded -and their difficulties increased by the guerrilla parties who acted -along their whole line, from the Pyrenees to the frontiers of Beira. -Massena’s situation became every day more trying; the French in Spain -were so little able to feed his army, that he was obliged to have his -biscuit from France, when it had to be escorted 800 miles through a -hostile country! It was as difficult for him to send dispatches as to -receive supplies; and the first intelligence which Buonaparte obtained -of his situation after he advanced to the lines of Torres Vedras, was -brought from London, by persons employed in smuggling guineas to the -continent. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - -THE CORTES. PLAN WHICH THE JUNTA HAD ADOPTED ALTERED BY THE REGENCY. -FIRST PROCEEDINGS OF THE CORTES. NEW REGENCY. - - -♦1810.♦ - -While the Peninsula in every part, from the Pyrenees to the Pillars of -Hercules, was filled with mourning, and with all the horrors of a war -carried on on both sides ♦SCHEMES OF THE INTRUSIVE GOVERNMENT.♦ with -unexampled cruelty, the Madrid gazette spoke of public diversions, -and public projects, as if the people of that metropolis, like the -Parisians, were to be amused with plans of imaginary works, and -entered into the affairs of the theatre and opera regardless of the -miseries of their country. Needy as the intrusive Government was, it -kept these places of amusement open, in the spirit of Parisian policy, -taking its erroneous estimate of human nature from man in his most -corrupted state: but the numbers of the audience, and the accounts of -the theatres, were no longer published as in other times. Schemes of -education were hinted at, and for the encouragement of literature, ... -the unction which such men as Cabarrus and Urquijo laid to their souls. -Canals were projected, when couriers were not safe even at the gates of -the capital; and the improvement of agriculture was announced, while -circulars were sent to the generals and military governors, urging them -to prevent the destruction of the vines and olive trees by the troops; -and promising that this ruinous course should not be continued, if the -peasants would be careful always to provide fuel of their own cutting. - -Spain also, like Italy, was to be despoiled of its works of art. Joseph -gave orders that a selection of the best pictures should be sent to the -Napoleon Museum at Paris, as a pledge of the union of the two nations. -This robbery did not excite so much indignation as a decree, directing -that the bones of Cortes and Cervantes, and other famous Spaniards -who were buried in or near Madrid, should be translated with public -solemnities to the church of St. Isidro. The Spaniards observed, that -though it was known in what churches some of these illustrious men had -been interred, their graves could not be ascertained; and they asked -whence the money was to come for this translation, when the Intruder -could pay none of his servants, and wanted funds for things of the -utmost necessity? “But the decree, like many others, was intended for -the gazette, and for nothing else. Nevertheless,” they continued, -viewing the subject with natural and honourable feeling, “it excites -our indignation that they should affect this veneration for our -ancestors, who omit no means for debasing Spain, and subjecting her to -the infamy of a foreign yoke.” - -♦THE CORTES. - -APRIL 18.♦ - -But the most remarkable of the Intruder’s acts, was his promise of -convoking the Cortes. “It was long,” his partizans said, “since the -Junta had amused the nation with vain hopes of this benefit, for which -Spain was to be indebted to her new sovereign.” The object of the -intrusive Government at this time, in calling a Cortes of its own, must -have been, to take off the attention of the Spaniards in those parts -of the country which the French occupied, from the national Cortes; -and that this intention, having been thus announced, should never have -been carried into effect, is proof how well the unhappy men, who were -ostensibly at the head of Joseph Buonaparte’s councils, knew the -insecurity of the puppet whom they served. Almost the last paper which -issued from the royal press at Seville, had been an edict declaring in -what manner the Cortes should be chosen. Upon this subject the central -Junta had asked the advice of the Spanish universities, and public -bodies. Great difficulties had been apprehended from the obscurity in -which the forms of the old Cortes were involved, as well as from the -difference in the different kingdoms, which had each their own. It was -well remarked by the university of Seville, that these things were -matters of historical research, not of practical importance; there was -now neither time nor necessity for the inquiry; the present business -was to convene representatives, according to the general principles of -representation, and leave them, after they had saved the country, to -determine the peculiar forms of the general Spanish Cortes. - -♦MODE OF ELECTION.♦ - -The plan which the Junta adopted was formed with reference to -established forms, to present circumstances, and to the future -convenience of election. Cities which had sent deputies to the last -Cortes, were each to send one to this, and each superior Junta one -also. The provinces one for every 50,000 heads, according to the census -of 1797; wherever the excess above that number amounted to one half, -an additional deputy was to be chosen; any smaller excess was not -accounted. The mode of election was so regulated, as to render undue -influence or interference impossible. Parochial Juntas were to be -formed composed of every housekeeper above the age of five-and-twenty, -excepting such as had been found guilty upon any criminal charge; who -had suffered any corporal punishment, or infamous sentence; bankrupts, -public debtors, the insane, and the deaf and dumb. Naturalized -strangers also were excluded, whatever might have been the privilege -of their naturalization. The secular clergy were included. As soon as -the _Justicia_ received instructions from the corregidor, or alcalde -mayor of the district (_Partido_), a parochial meeting was to be held, -and the Sunday following appointed for the business of the primary -election. - -The Spanish government did well in connecting this with religious -ceremonies. The business of the day was to commence with the Mass -of the Holy Ghost; after which the parish priest was to preach upon -the state of the country, and the importance of choosing proper -representatives, upon whom so much depended. Then adjourning to the -place appointed, the magistrate should first make inquiry whether any -means had been used to influence the electors; any person for whom such -means had been employed, being rendered ineligible and his agents or -injudicious friends deprived of their vote: any person calumniating -another, in hope of impeding his election, was punished with the same -disabilities. The parishioners then, one by one, were to advance to -the table at which the parochial officers and the priest presided, and -there name an elector for the parish: the twelve persons who obtained -a majority of names should go apart and fix upon one. It was not -required that they should be unanimous, only that the person appointed -should have more than six votes; and it was compulsory upon him to -perform the duty to which he was elected. The primary election being -thus completed, the parochial Junta was to return to the church in -procession, their deputy walking between the alcalde and the priest; Te -Deum was to be performed, and the day concluded with public rejoicings. - -Within eight days afterward, the parochial electors should assemble -in the principal town of the district, and form a Junta, over which -the corregidor and the ecclesiastic of highest rank in the place -presided. The testimonials of the electors were to be scrutinized; the -same religious ceremonies to take place, and twelve persons chosen in -the same manner, to appoint one or more electors for the district, -according to its extent. They might choose them out of their own -number: but any persons born in the district, and resident in it, -were eligible. The business was to be transacted in the consistory, a -record of its proceedings deposited among the archives, and a copy sent -to every parish, and to the capital of the province, where the final -election took place. - -Here the electors of the district were to assemble. A Junta should -have been previously constituted, consisting of the president of the -superior Junta of the province; the archbishop or bishop, regent, -intendant, and corregidor of the city, and a secretary. It was presumed -that these persons would all be members of the provincial Junta; if -not, they were called to this duty by virtue of their rank, and an -equal number of members of the Junta added; this proviso being intended -to secure for the provincial Junta that influence to which their -services entitled them, for which their experience qualified them, and -of which it might not have been easy to deprive them, even if it had -been thought desirable. The board thus appointed, was to see that the -primary and secondary elections were made throughout the province. -After the same observances and scrutinies as on the former occasions, -the final election was to be made. The person proposed must be a native -of the province, but it was not necessary that his property should be -there: nobles, plebeians, and secular priests, were equally eligible; -no other qualification was required, than that he should be above -five-and-twenty, of good repute, and not actually the salaried servant -of any individual or body. - -In this final election, the first step was to elect three persons -successively. A simple majority was not sufficient here; more than half -the electors must vote for the same person, and the voting be repeated -till this should be the case: three having thus been chosen, their -names were to be placed in an urn, and he whose lot was drawn was the -deputy to the Cortes. A fourth was then to be elected, whose name, in -like manner, was submitted to the lot with the two which had been left -undrawn, and this was repeated till the number of deputies for the -province was made up. Supplementary deputies were then to be chosen, -in readiness for any vacancy by death; the supplementaries were in the -proportion of one to three. The number of provincial deputies amounted -to 208; that of the supplementaries to 68. - -The provincial Juntas were to choose their members according to -the rules of the final elections; observing also the same general -principle, that the person chosen must be a native of the province. The -form appointed for the city elections was, that where the _regidores_ -were proprietaries, or held their office during life by the kings -appointment, the people should elect an equal number of electors, -in the manner of the municipal elections. These electors, with the -_regidores_, the syndic, and the officers who are called the _Personero -y Diputado del Comun_, were to meet in the consistory, where the -corregidor should preside, and there choose three persons out of their -own body, the final decision being by lot. All the elections were to be -made with open doors. - -Twenty-six members were added for the Spanish possessions in America -and the Philippines. But during the long interval which must elapse -before these representatives could reach Europe, supplementaries for -their respective provinces were to be chosen from natives resident in -Spain; and a circular notice was issued, requiring that all American -or Asiatic Spaniards then in the country would send in their names, -ages, employments, places of birth and of abode. This being done, and -lists made out accordingly, a Junta was to be formed, consisting of -the members of the central Junta, who should at the time be acting as -deputies for the colonies, or four ministers of the council of the -Indies appointed by the Junta, and of four distinguished natives of the -colonies, to be chosen by the other members; this Junta was to direct -and superintend the election. Twelve electors for each province were to -be chosen by lot from among the natives of that province then resident -in Cadiz; but if it so happened that they did not amount to eighteen, -that number was to be filled up by individuals of the other provinces. -The twelve then chosen were to choose their deputies, in the manner of -the final provincial election, first by nomination, and then by lot. - -The archbishops, bishops, and grandees, were to meet in an upper -house: it was required that the grandees should be the heads of their -respective families, and above the age of 25; and those nobles and -prelates who had submitted to the French government were excluded. - -Such was the plan which the commission of the central Junta decided -upon, and which the Junta adopted. The commission was composed of five -members, the Archbishop of Laodicea, Jovellanos, Castanedo, Caro and -Riquelme; but the two latter members being appointed to the executive -committee, their places were supplied by the Count de Ayamans, and -D. Martin de Garay. D. Manuel Abella, and D. Pedro Polo de Alcocer, -were secretaries to the commission. The details were formed, and the -official instructions drawn up by Garay. In their general principles -the commissioners had been chiefly guided, as was expected and desired, -by Jovellanos, the best and wisest of the Spaniards. - -There was, however, a difference of opinion in the commission upon -three points of considerable importance. Riquelme and Caro would have -had only one house of assembly; Jovellanos referred to the English -constitution, as the best model, and one to which in this point, the -Spaniards, with sufficient conformity to their ancient customs, might -assimilate their own. He proposed also, that certain qualifications -of property, situation, and acquirements, should be required of the -deputies. Riquelme opposed this restriction; and Jovellanos yielded to -the majority of his colleagues with less repugnance, knowing how well -the great body of the people had deserved of their country. Riquelme -insisted that the Cortes should not assemble without deputies from -the colonies; the other members would have omitted them in the first -assembly, in consequence of the long and indefinite time which must -elapse before they could be chosen in their respective provinces, and -arrive in Spain. The plan which was adopted obviated this difficulty. -The inadequate number of colonial deputies is less objectionable than -it may at first appear, when the probable number of persons from whom -the supplementaries were to be chosen is considered; especially as -it was not pretended that the manner in which the first Cortes was -convoked should be binding as a precedent. “The government,” said -Jovellanos, “fearful of arrogating to itself a right which belongs to -the nation alone, leaves it to the wisdom and prudence of the nation to -determine in what form its will may most completely be represented in -future.” - -♦REGULATIONS PROPOSED BY THE CENTRAL JUNTA. - -JAN. 29.♦ - -The last act of the Junta had been to consign to the Regency the charge -of seeing the Cortes assembled, according to these rules. In this -final decree provision was made for choosing deputies to represent the -provinces occupied by the enemy; they were to be chosen in the same -manner as the colonial deputies. Here also the important point of the -_veto_ was determined. If the Regency refused its assent to a measure -which had passed both houses, the measure was to be re-considered; and -unless re-passed by a majority of two-thirds in each house, it was -lost, and could not be brought forward again in that Cortes; but if -both houses, by such a majority, ratified their former determination, -three days were then allowed to the Regency, and if within that time -the royal sanction was not given, the law was to be promulgated without -it. The Junta endeavoured to confine the Cortes within its proper -limits, by declaring that the executive power appertained wholly to the -Regency, and the legislative to the representative body; and lest any -party should arise, who should aim at making the Cortes permanent, or -unnecessarily extending its duration, “by which means,” the Junta said, -“the constitution of the kingdom might be overthrown,” the Regency was -empowered to fix any time for the dissolution of the assembly, provided -it were not before the expiration of six months. - -♦THE REGENCY DELAYS THE CONVOCATION.♦ - -This decree, which developed the principles of the central Junta, and -completed their labours, the Regency did not think proper to make -public; one of the many acts of injustice which the Junta suffered -after their compulsory resignation. The council of Castille, or rather -the _Consejo-reunido_, in which such of its members were incorporated -as had followed the legitimate Government into Andalusia, hinted, in a -memorial full of calumnies against the ex-Junta, that the Cortes ought -not to be convoked; their opinion was doubtless of great weight with -the Regency; and as the Regents did not conceive themselves bound to -follow the course which the preceding Government had marked out, they -suppressed the edict, and issued in its stead an ♦FEB. 11.♦ address, -breathing the same spirit as all the proclamations of the Spanish -Government, but putting off the meeting of the Cortes. “The council of -Regency,” they said, “could well have wished that your representatives -had been at this time in Cortes assembled, and that the nation itself -might thus have regulated its own destinies. The means which are -necessary for our deliverance would quickly appear at its energetic -and powerful voice. But this means of preservation has been too long -delayed; and evils gathering upon each other, with the rapidity of a -whirlwind, do not permit that it should be accomplished at the time and -place appointed. The Isle of Leon, where the national congress ought -to assemble, is at this time besieged by the enemy; from this isle -we see their fires, we hear their artillery, we hear their insolent -threats, and witness their ravages. Their rash endeavours, beyond a -doubt, will fail against these intrenchments, where the watch-tower is -erected which presents to all good patriots a beacon in the midst of -the tempest. But the Isle of Leon, thus threatened by the enemy, cannot -be at present a proper place for the celebration of our Cortes; and -necessity compels us to delay it till the present crisis shall be past, -and place and time suitable for so august an assembly can be assigned. -Meantime, none of the measures and forms established and decreed for -the convocation are to be suspended for a moment. The elections are to -proceed, and the members who are chosen must hold themselves ready to -perform their functions; the intention of the Government being, that -the Cortes shall meet as soon as the circumstances of the war permit.” - -Notwithstanding this language, it is possible that Spain was indebted -for its Cortes more to the annunciation from Seville that the Intruder -was about to convoke one, than to the inclination of its own rulers. -The central Junta had delayed it not from intentional procrastination, -but from their sense of the difficulty of the task, and from the -deliberation which so peculiarly characterizes the Spaniards. They had -overcome the difficulties, and framed a plan of representation, which -preserved a due respect to old venerable forms, and was well adapted to -the existing circumstances of the country; this having been done, as -soon as it was ascertained that Cadiz might defy the enemy there ought -to have been no delay. That was ascertained in February, as soon as the -Isle of Leon was secured from a coup-de-main. But it was not till the -middle of June that a decree was ♦CORTES CONVOKED.♦ issued, ordering -the elections to be completed as soon as possible, and requiring the -deputies to assemble in the island during the month of August, that as -soon as the greater part of them were met the sessions might begin. The -plan which the central Junta framed was altered in one most material -point, only one house being convoked. Had Jovellanos and his colleagues -determined thus, they would still have summoned the privileged orders; -but the Regency, departing inconsiderately from a resolution which had -been the effect of long deliberation, neither summoned them to meet -apart from the third estate, nor with it, nor devised any plan for -representing them; so that two of the three estates were excluded as -such from the national representation. - -Three days of rogation were appointed previous to the opening of the -Cortes, and on the 24th September they commenced their proceedings. -At nine in the morning ♦COMMENCEMENT OF THEIR PROCEEDINGS.♦ the -deputies assembled in a hall fitted up for their sittings in the -palace of the Regency: the military were under arms, and they went -with the Regents in procession to the parochial church of the Isle -of Leon, where the Mass of the Holy Ghost was performed by Cardinal -Bourbon, Archbishop of Toledo. After the gospel, the Bishop of -Orense, who was president of the Regency, addressed them in a solemn -discourse; and then the following oath was proposed: “Do you swear -to preserve the Holy Catholic Apostolic Romish religion in these -realms, without admitting any other? Do you swear to preserve the -Spanish nation in its integrity, and to omit no means for delivering -it from its unjust oppressors? Do you swear to preserve to our beloved -sovereign, Ferdinand VII., all his dominions, and in his failure, to -his legitimate successors; and to make every possible exertion for -releasing him from captivity, and placing him upon the throne? Do you -swear to discharge faithfully and lawfully the trust which the nation -reposes in you, observing the laws of Spain, but changing, modifying, -and varying such as require to be altered for the general good?” When -all the deputies had made answer, “Yes, we swear,” they advanced two by -two to touch the gospels; after which the bishop said, “If ye shall do -this, so may God give you your reward; but if not, so may he enter into -judgment with you!” The hymn _Veni Sancte Spiritus_, and the _Te Deum_, -were then sung. - -These ceremonies over, they returned in the same order to the hall -of assembly: the Regents advanced to the throne, and occupied five -seats under the canopy; the two secretaries of state, who accompanied -them, took their seats at a table towards the head of the hall; and -the deputies seated themselves indiscriminately as they entered, the -old contest for precedency between Burgos and Toledo being no longer -remembered. The bishop addressed them, briefly reminding them of the -perilous state of the country, and the arduous duties which they were -called upon to discharge; then desiring them to elect their president -and secretaries from their own body, he and the other four members of -the Regency quitted the hall, leaving a written paper upon the table. - -A difficulty in point of form at the commencement of these proceedings -was ended by appointing, as it were at random, two deputies to hold the -offices of president and secretary, while the Cortes elected others. As -soon as the election was made, the secretary read the paper which the -Regents had left. “The five individuals,” it said, “who composed the -Regency, received that charge, above their merits and their strength, -at a time when any delay in accepting it would have been injurious -to the country: but they only accepted it and swore to discharge its -duties according to their capacity, till the solemn congress of the -Cortes being assembled, should establish a government founded upon -the general will. That moment so longed for by all good Spaniards -has arrived, and the individuals of the council of Regency can do no -less than state this to their fellow-citizens, that they may take it -into consideration, and appoint the government which they deem most -adapted to the critical circumstances of the monarchy, for which this -fundamental measure was immediately necessary.” - -Upon the motion of Torrero, deputy for Extremadura, the plan of a -decree was then read, which had been prepared by his colleague Luxan, -and which, after some discussion, was adopted to this effect. The -members of the congress now assembled, and representing the nation, -declared themselves legally constituted in a general and extraordinary -Cortes, wherein the national sovereignty resided. Conformably to the -general will, which had been declared in the most open and energetic -manner, they proclaimed and swore anew, that Ferdinand VIIth, of -Bourbon, was their only lawful king; and they declared null and void -the cession of the crown which he was said to have made in favour of -Napoleon Buonaparte, not only because of the violence which accompanied -that transaction, but principally because the consent of the nation -was wanting. As it was not proper that the legislative, executive, and -judicial powers should remain united, they reserved to themselves the -exercise of the legislative power in its full extent. They declared, -that the persons to whom they should delegate the executive power, in -the absence of their king, were responsible to the nation according -to the laws. They authorized the Regency to continue exercising the -executive power under the same title, till the Cortes should appoint a -Government which they might deem more convenient. But to qualify itself -for this continuance of its authority, the Regency should acknowledge -the national sovereignty of the Cortes, and swear obedience to the laws -and decrees which it should promulgate; for which purpose, as soon as -the decree was made known to them, the members of the Regency ♦OATH -REQUIRED FROM THE REGENTS.♦ should pass immediately into the hall of -assembly, where the Cortes would remain till this was done, having -declared their sitting permanent for this purpose. The form of the -oath was thus prescribed: “Do you acknowledge the sovereignty of the -nation, represented by its deputies in this general and extraordinary -Cortes? Do you swear to obey its decrees, and the constitution which -it may establish, according to the holy object for which they have -assembled; to order that they shall be observed, and to see that they -be executed? To preserve the independence, liberty, and integrity of -the nation? the Catholic Apostolic Roman religion? the monarchial -government of the kingdom? To re-establish upon the throne our beloved -king D. Ferdinand VIIth, of Bourbon? and in all things to regard the -public weal? As you shall observe all these things, God be your helper; -and if you observe them not, you shall be responsible to the nation, -in conformity with the laws.” The Cortes confirmed for the present the -established tribunals, and the civil and military authorities; and they -declared the persons of the deputies inviolable, and that no authority -or individual might proceed against them, except according to the -manner which should be appointed in future regulations, by a committee -for that purpose. - -Between ten and eleven at night this decree was passed. One of the -members observed, that the Regents might be gone to bed, if they were -not immediately apprized that their presence would be required that -night; a deputation was therefore sent to them, while the ceremonial -with which they were to be received was discussed. About midnight four -of the Regents entered ♦THE BISHOP OF ORENSE SCRUPLES TO TAKE THE -OATH.♦ the hall and took the oath. The Bishop of Orense did not come; -the unseasonableness of the hour, and the infirm state of his health, -were assigned as reasons for his absence, but it was soon known that a -stronger motive had withheld him. The sovereignty of the nation was a -doctrine which the venerable prelate was not prepared to acknowledge, -and from that hour he ceased to act as one of the Regency. - -♦SEPT. 25.♦ - -On the following day, the members resolved, as a consequence of their -former decree, that the style in which they were to be addressed should -be that of Majesty; highness was to be that of the executive power, -during the absence of Ferdinand, and likewise of the supreme tribunals. -They ordered also, that the commanders-in-chief, the captains-general -of the provinces, the archbishops and bishops, tribunals, provincial -Juntas, and all other authorities, civil, military, and ecclesiastic, -should take the oath of obedience to the Cortes, in the same form as -the Regency. By another edict, they decreed that their installation -should be officially made known through all the Spanish dominions, and -everywhere celebrated with Te Deums and discharges of artillery; and -that prayers should be offered up during three days, imploring the -divine blessing upon their councils. - -♦SEPT. 26.♦ - -The decree, by which the Regents were declared responsible, produced -a memorial from them, requesting to know what were the obligations -annexed to that responsibility, and what the specific powers which -were given them; “unless these things,” they said, “were clearly and -distinctly determined, the Regency would not know how to act, inasmuch -as the ancient laws had drawn no line of distinction between the two -powers; and thus they must be continually in danger, on the one hand, -of exerting an authority, which, in the opinion of the Cortes, might -not be included in the attributes of the executive, or, on the other, -of omitting to exert the powers which it involves, and which at this -time were more necessary than ever.” The reply of the Cortes proved -with how little forethought they had passed their decree. “They had not -limited,” they said, “the proper faculties of the executive, and the -Regency was to use all the power necessary for the defence, security, -and administration of the state, till the Cortes should mark out the -precise bounds of its authority. The responsibility,” they added, “to -which the Regents were subjected, was only meant to exclude that -absolute inviolability which appertained to the sacred person of the -king.” The whole of a night-session was occupied in forming this answer. - -Among the many erroneous opinions which prevailed in this country -respecting the affairs of Spain, the most plausible and the most -general was that which expected great immediate benefit from the -convocation of the Cortes; an error from which, perhaps, no person -was entirely free, except the few, who, like Mr. Frere, looked to the -assembly rather with apprehensions of evil than with hope. But any -great immediate advantage, any rapid acceleration of the deliverance -of Spain, ought not to have been expected, unless it was supposed that -the Spanish deputies would proceed like the French national convention, -and that a revolutionary delirium might have produced a preternatural -and overpowering strength. There was as little reason to look for this, -as there could be for desiring it. The Spaniards, more than any other -Europeans, are attached to the laws and customs of their country. Spain -is to them literally a holy land; and its history, being composed for -many ages of a tissue of connected miracles, to the greater part of -the people sanctifies its institutions. But unless the Cortes took the -executive power into its own hands, and gave the nation a revolutionary -impulse, which all circumstances forbade, it might have been known that -the benefits to be expected would produce little or no immediate effect -upon the operations of the war: if that assembly acted wisely they -would be slow, certain, and permanent. - -The mode of election secured a fair representation. Some of the -members were of the French School of philosophy, and were sufficiently -disposed to have followed the Brissotines, both in matters of state and -church-policy. Having become converts to republicanism in their youth, -and in the season of enthusiasm, they had imbibed a prejudice against -England, which did not even now give way, though they hated Buonaparte -and the present system of France as bitterly as the great majority of -their colleagues. On this point there was but one feeling. - -♦FIRST MEASURES OF THE CORTES.♦ - -The first measures of the Cortes indicated a sense of their power, and -a determination to assert it. Want of precedents, and of experience -in the business of a deliberative assembly, were great impediments at -their outset; they had hardly decreed the separation of the executive, -legislative, and judicial branches, before they confounded them in -their own practice. Nevertheless this decree was important, for it was -a great object to secure the judicial authority from the interference -of government: that, breaking, they said, the chains with which the -arbitrary power of some centuries had bound the hands of the most -respectable ministers, justice might now be administered for the -happiness of the people. A commission was appointed to prepare a report -upon the best means of speedily terminating ♦OCT. 11.♦ criminal causes. -The result was, a decree that an extraordinary visitation of all the -prisoners should be made by the respective judicial authorities, and -the accused brought to trial with as little delay as possible; and that -for the future, the tribunals should transmit, through the Regency, to -the Cortes, at intervals of two months, accounts of all the ♦DEC. 14.♦ -causes pendent, and the persons in confinement. Llano, a supplementary -member for Guatemala, proposed a more effectual remedy; that a -committee should be appointed to frame a law to the same effect as the -Habeas Corpus of the English. - -♦THE DUKE OF ORLEANS OFFERS HIS SERVICES. - -MARCH 4.♦ - -The Cortes found it necessary also to interfere with the executive. The -Duke of Orleans had offered his services to the Spaniards; the former -government had not thought proper to accept his offer, but the Regency, -a few weeks after their installation, invited him to take the command -in Catalonia. A century ago their conduct might have been easily -explained, when Lord Molesworth gravely asked, what could be done for -generals, in such havoc as was then made of them, if there were not so -many younger sons of princes in Germany, who all ran wherever there -was a war, to get bread and reputation? But pedigrees and patents -of nobility were not considered now as exclusive qualifications -for command, and the conduct of the Regency, in this instance, was -inconsiderate and hasty. When the duke first offered his services, the -Spaniards were in the full tide of success; and he expected, with good -reason, that as soon as the French armies were disheartened, they would -readily forsake a tyrant, to whom they were not bound by any tie of -duty. Affairs bore a very different aspect when the Regency informed -him, that the obstacles which had formerly frustrated his desires -were now removed; reminded him of the triumphs which his ancestors -had won in Catalonia; and called upon him to preserve the verdure -of their laurels. The duke was a man of too much honour and courage -not to fulfil the offer which he had made in more prosperous times. -Accordingly he sailed from Sicily in the beginning of June, touched at -Tarragona, and having been received there with the honours due to his -rank, continued his voyage to Cadiz, where he landed under a salute of -artillery. The Bishop of Orense had not arrived from his diocese to -take his seat in the council of Regency when the duke was invited: he -therefore was not implicated in this transaction, which was in every -respect exceedingly imprudent. There might have been some apparent -cause for it, if the duke had been a general of great experience and -celebrity, or if he could have assisted Spain either with men, money, -or stores; but the Sicilian court had no means at its disposal: it -had sent a present of a thousand muskets early in the year, and this -was the extent of its ability. On the other hand, the presence of a -prince of the Bourbon line, at the head of a Spanish army, would have -certainly drawn against it a stronger French force than would otherwise -have been employed, the destruction of one branch of that house being -of more importance to Buonaparte than the conquest of Spain. That -consideration may have had some weight with the Junta of Seville, when -upon the first outburst of national feeling, Louis XVIII. wrote to -the principality of Asturias, offering with his brother, his nephews, -and cousins, to serve in their ranks, unite the Oriflamme with their -standards, and call upon the deluded French to rally round it, and -restore peace to the world. So many inconveniences were perceived in -this proposal, that in conformity to Padre Gil’s advice, no reply was -made to it. And though the same objections did not apply to the Duke of -Orleans, there was an obvious impolicy in inviting a Frenchman to the -command; the central Junta had felt this, and the Cortes also felt it; -they held a private sitting upon the subject, and the result was, that -the duke re-embarked for Sicily. - -♦SECOND REGENCY.♦ - -The Regents did not hold their power many weeks after the meeting of -the Cortes. A new Regency was appointed, consisting of Blake, D. Pedro -Agar, a naval captain and director-general of the academies of the -royal marine guards; and D. Gabriel Ciscar, governor of Carthagena. The -reason assigned for this change was, that the members of the former -Regency had made known their earnest desire that the weight of the -administration, which they had ♦OCT. 28.♦ supported for many months, -under such critical circumstances, should be consigned to other hands. -Those members were now to experience in their turn the same injustice -which they had shown toward the Central Junta. Like them, they had -disappointed the hopes of the people; and like them, more from the -inevitable course of things than by their own misconduct. They were -not, however, treated with equal ♦NOV. 28.♦ cruelty. A decree was -passed, that they should give in an account of their administration -to the Cortes within two months, with a view to some future process. -Shortly afterwards, in consequence of a secret sitting, they were -ordered to retire from the ♦DEC. 17.♦ Isle of Leon, and the place where -each was to reside was appointed, after the arbitrary manner of the old -court. Blake and Ciscar being absent, the Marquis del Palacio and D. -Jose Maria Puig were appointed to act in their place till they should -arrive. When ♦OCT. 28.♦ they were called upon to take the oath, the -same difficulty was found as in the case of the Bishop of Orense. The -marquis being asked if he swore ♦PALACIO REFUSES THE OATH.♦ to obey -the decrees, laws, and constitutions of the Cortes, replied, Yes, but -without prejudice to the many oaths of fidelity which he had taken to -Ferdinand VII. The president informed him, that he must take the oath -simply, or refuse it. The marquis requested that he might be allowed to -explain himself. Upon this it was agreed that he should be heard after -his colleagues had been sworn; and that business having been completed, -he entered into an explanation, saying, “he was ready to take the -oath in the form prescribed, provided those deputies who were versed -in theological points would assure him that he might do it without -scruple. All that he meant was more to ensure the purport of the oath -itself, conformably to those which he had so often taken to Ferdinand; -and he had never doubted the sovereignty of the nation assembled in its -Cortes.” - -♦TYRANNICAL CONDUCT OF THE CORTES TOWARDS HIM.♦ - -The Cortes manifested upon this occasion something of that -precipitation, and something of that proneness to tyranny, by which -the proceedings of popular assemblies have so often been disgraced. -In this case, as in that of the Bishop of Orense, they might perhaps -have thought that such scruples disqualified him for the office which -he was called upon to accept; but those scruples ought to have been -respected; and upon no principle of law or justice could they possibly -be considered as a crime. But the marquis was ordered into custody, -and the Cortes met again that night, to deliberate upon this unworthy -business. One member said, that Palacio had lost the confidence of -the public; he could not act in the Regency, because he had shown -that his conscience was not such as was fit for a Regent; and his -conduct ought to be investigated by judges appointed for that purpose. -Capmany maintained, that the Cortes itself ought to take cognizance -of the offence; and Arguelles, Oliveros, and Torrero, agreed in these -exaggerated censures of an act which, even if censurable, amounted only -to an error of judgment of the most venial kind. Arguelles declared, -that should the Cortes retrace a single step, and not go forward with -its decree, respecting the sovereignty of the nation and their own -power, they would give a triumph to the enemy. It was voted, after a -long discussion, that the marquis had forfeited the confidence of the -nation, and that another Regent must be appointed in his place. The -Marquis del Castelar was chosen. Palacio now represented, through the -captain of the guard, that he was confined at this time in a damp room, -to the danger of his health, without having a place to sit down. It -was then ordered, that he should be confined in his own house, under -a guard, who was never to lose sight of him. This discussion occupied -the Cortes till midnight, and then they entered upon a secret sitting, -probably upon the same subject. Three days after, it was voted that the -marquis was no ♦OCT. 31.♦ longer qualified to act as captain-general of -Aragon; and in three more, discovering how little conformable it was -to their professed principles thus to proceed to condemnation before -trial, the Cortes repealed the decree, and resolved, that both this -case and that of the Bishop of Orense should be referred to judges -appointed by the Regency, who were to hear the advocates of the Cortes, -of the royal council, and of the marquis, and to consult with the -Cortes concerning their sentence. Meantime he was to remain a prisoner -at large in the Isle of Leon, upon his parole. - -If the Cortes, in the tyrannical character of these proceedings, -reminded those persons who remembered the commencement of the French -revolution of the errors which were then committed, it reminded them -also of a measure springing from a more generous feeling, but which, -both in France and England, experience had shown to be an error. A -self-denying ordinance ♦SELF-DENYING ORDINANCE. SEPT. 29.♦ was passed -at the motion of Capmany, deputy for Catalonia, a man well known for -his literary labours: it enacted, that no member of the Cortes should -be permitted, during the exercise of his functions, nor for a year -afterwards, to accept for himself, or solicit for any other person, any -pension, favour, reward, honour, or distinction, from the executive -power which at that time existed, nor from any other Government which -might hereafter be appointed. Gutierrez de la Huerta, supplementary -member for Burgos, had prepared a more rigorous bill to the same -effect, which was to punish the deputy who solicited any employment -for a kinsman within the fourth degree, by expelling him from the -Cortes, and depriving him for four years of his elective right, and the -capacity of being elected. It was carried by acclamation, that some -public testimony of disinterestedness should be given. There were, -however, a few members cool enough to temper the enthusiasm of their -colleagues, and qualify the vote, so as to render it somewhat less -unreasonable. At their suggestion, such persons were exempted from the -decree, who, by rank or age, were accustomed to succeed in military, -ecclesiastic, and civil bodies, according to the rules or statutes. -And it was admitted, that cases were possible in which extraordinary -services might deserve an extraordinary reward. - -Two subjects of especial moment occupied much of the time of the -Cortes. The situation of the colonies was one, which is too wide a -topic to be touched on ♦LIBERTY OF THE PRESS.♦ here: the other was the -liberty of the press. Upon the motion of Arguelles, a committee was -appointed to prepare a report upon this momentous point. Many curious -discussions ensued. The Marquis of Vigo protested against taking the -subject into consideration. ♦OCT. 15.♦ “He was ready,” he said, “to -sacrifice his life, and even his reputation in the Cortes, which he -regarded more than life, for his conduct on this occasion; but he would -not sacrifice his conscience.” “Whatever light,” said Arguelles, “has -spread itself over Europe, has sprung from the liberty of the press, -and nations have risen in proportion as that liberty has been more or -less complete among them. By its influence we saw the chains fall from -the hands of the French nation; a sanguinary faction obtained the -ascendency, and the French Government began to act in direct opposition -to the principles which it had proclaimed. After having solemnly and by -acclamation declared, that the French republic renounced all conquests, -they gave orders for the incorporation of Savoy; and the conduct of -the Republic uniformly contradicted the principles of the National -Assembly, both in respect to the states which they occupied, and to -their allies. If at that time we had enjoyed a well-regulated liberty -of the press, Spain would not have been ignorant of what was the -political situation of France, when she concluded the infamous peace -of Basle. Spain then abandoned itself with blind subserviency to all -the successive Governments of France; and from the convention to the -empire, we followed all the vicissitudes of their revolution, always -in the closest alliance, till we saw our strong places taken, and the -armies of the perfidious invader in the heart of Spain. Till that -moment it was not lawful for any one to speak of the French Government -with less submission than of our own, and not to admire Buonaparte was -one of the greatest crimes. In those miserable days the seeds were -sown, and we are now reaping the bitter fruits. Look round the world! -England is the only nation which we shall find free from these horrors; -the energy of her Government has done much, but the liberty of the -press has done more. By that means, wise and virtuous men were able -to diffuse the antidote faster than the French could administer the -poison, and the information which the people enjoyed made them see the -danger, and taught them how to avoid it.” - -Brigadier Gonzalez affirmed, that whoever opposed the freedom of the -press was a bad Spaniard. This occasioned a warm reply, and one of -those altercations followed, which the Cortes was not then so well -regulated as to prevent or to cut short. A priest terminated it, by -saying, that their first duty was to defend the Catholic, Apostolic, -Roman religion, and whatever was contrary to that religion was bad. -Then, citing the canons to prove that no work ought to be published -without the license of a council, or of a bishop, he inferred that -the liberty of the press was contrary to religion. The conclusion was -perfectly legitimate, but it was met by an answer not less curious than -the argument. “No person,” said Mexia, “will deny that Christianity has -existed from the beginning of the world; for though our Saviour was not -yet come, those moral precepts, which are the basis of his religion, -and which were given by Moses, were written in the heart of man. In -like manner, the liberty of the press has existed from the time of -Adam; for printing is a mode of writing, and the liberty of doing it -is the same, whether it be upon the leaf of a tree, or in wax, or upon -paper; and this liberty all men have possessed. The art of printing, -therefore, where the liberty of the press was restrained, was an injury -to man, inasmuch as it deprived him of this primitive liberty.” - -There was, however, a great number of members who were by no means -prepared to change the opinions in which they had been bred up; and -they listened with deep attention to those speakers who maintained -that it was both for the interest of the writer and the public, that -books should be subjected rather to a previous censure, than to an -after responsibility. The result was not less characteristic than -the long and animated discussions which preceded it. After declaring -that all persons were at liberty to publish their sentiments without -any license, the Cortes unanimously admitted an amendment which, by -inserting the word political, curtailed this liberty of half its -extent: and all writings upon religious matters were left subject to -the previous censure of the ecclesiastic authorities, according to the -decree of the Council of Trent. Anonymous publication was allowed, but -the printer was to put his name and place of abode; and if, in case -of an offence against the laws, he did not make known the author, he -was to incur the punishment himself. For the purpose of securing the -freedom of the press, and providing against its abuse, the Cortes was -to appoint a supreme board of censure, composed of nine individuals, -who were to reside near the Government; and a similar board of five -members in every provincial capital; three of the nine, and two of the -five, being secular clergy. The business of the provincial boards was -to examine such works as were denounced; and upon their sentence the -judges were to suppress the book, and call in the copies which might -have been sold; but their sentence was not definitive. The author or -printer might demand a copy of the censure, and lay it before the -supreme board: the supreme board might require them to revise their -sentence; but their second opinion was to be final. If the book were -suppressed, as a private libel, the individual aggrieved had still his -remedy at law against the libeller. Some appeal was allowed against -the decision of the ordinary. He was not to refuse his license without -assigning the ground of refusal, and hearing what the author, editor, -or printer could allege in behalf of the work. If he then persisted in -his refusal, the person interested might lay his censure before the -supreme board, and refer the book to their judgment; if they found it -worthy of approbation, their opinion was to be communicated to the -ordinary, that he, being better informed upon the matter, might grant -the license if he thought good, in order to prevent any farther appeal; -but what that was to be was not stated. This was not the only point -which, by a sort of compromise, was left doubtful in the decree. The -article which empowered the supreme board to reverse the sentence -of the provincial ones, declared, as it was originally worded, that -upon their approbation the book should freely circulate, and that no -tribunal should impede it. Some members upon this required that a -proviso should be inserted, declaring this was not intended to intrench -upon the authority of the Inquisition. To avoid such a recognition of -that baleful power, Luxan proposed that the latter part of the sentence -should be omitted, and this was carried by a majority of two votes. It -was a victory for the liberal party to leave the question undecided. As -soon as the discussion was concluded, a deputy moved that special and -honourable mention of the Inquisition should be made in the decree; but -the president prevented any debates upon this inflammatory subject by -replying, that it might be taken into consideration at some future time. - -Thus having admitted that public opinion was the proper and -indispensable check upon the proceedings of Government, the Cortes -instituted a board nominated by Government to be a check upon public -opinion, which, if the measure had not been merely nugatory, would -have virtually destroyed the freedom it pretended to establish. But -they were dealing with no easy subject. ♦STATE OF THE PRESS.♦ The -press, like other prisoners, had broken loose when the old system -was overthrown. It had effected the momentous service of rousing the -nation, and it continued to keep up the spirit which it had excited; -but as for exercising any salutary restraint upon the proceedings of -the Government, this was of all things what the public writers were -least competent to do, and the men in power least likely to tolerate. -The danger was, that the press might now, at the same time, inflame -and misdirect the public mind; a work for which eager volunteers are -never wanting in such times. The Spaniards had taken arms to defend -their institutions, to which with all their enormous abuses the people -were devoutly attached. The best and wisest men wished to reform -those abuses. Such men were few, and aiming only at what was lawful -and just, they scrupled at any evil means for bringing it about. The -party who were for destroying root and branch had no such principle to -impede them. Despotism had made them republicans, and an abominable -superstition had driven them into unbelief. They also were few, but -they were more numerous than men whose opinions rested upon a safer -ground; they were bold and they were indefatigable, acting like some -of the early propagandists and victims of the French revolution, in -the enthusiastic belief that nothing but good could result from the -subversion of corrupted establishments. Even in the Cortes there were -some who looked to the most dreadful stage of that revolution rather -as an example than a warning. One member wished for what he called a -Christian Robespierre to save the country; another, for _un pequeño -Robespierre_, one who would carry on a system of terror ♦DIARIO DE LAS -CORTES, T. 2. 441. T. 4. 371.♦ with a little more moderation than had -been used in France; caustics they said were called for; matters must -be carried on with energy and with blood, or the country was lost; -heads must be stricken off, and that speedily; it was necessary to shed -more Spanish blood than French. When such language was uttered in the -Cortes, and circulated in the diaries of that assembly, it was, indeed, -most necessary that efficient measures should be taken for restraining -the license of the press. A journal was published under the ♦EL -ROBESPIERRE ESPAÑOL.♦ title of “The Spanish Robespierre,” breathing the -same spirit as these speeches. One of its numbers was suppressed: the -fanatical author exclaimed against this as an outrage upon the sacred, -the divine, the omnipotent liberty of the press. “I swear,” said he, -“upon the altar of the country, no one is more a Spaniard than I. I -more than any one abhor despotism and its vile satellites. I alone -am sufficient to overthrow them, and reduce that infernal monster to -nothing. My soul is more untamable than the planets, more elevated -than the firmament itself, more great than the whole universe.” Even -such ravings were not to be overlooked when, in the same number, it -was asserted, that the minister who had suppressed his former paper -had conspired against the liberty of the nation; that, therefore, he -was guilty of treason, and consequently ought to be publicly hanged -without the least delay. Yet the necessity of reform, ... of a change -in the spirit of the Spanish Government, which under all its changes -of form had remained the same, was shown in the treatment of this -revolutionist. He was cast into prison, and left there, it was said -in the Cortes, till he was half rotten, waiting indefinitely for the -decision of his case, which they who prosecuted him were never likely -to think of more! - -♦DEBATES CONCERNING FERDINAND.♦ - -At the motion of Perez de Castro, the Cortes voted a monument as a mark -of gratitude to George III. and the British nation. They declared, -at the same time, that the Spaniards would never lay down their arms -till they had secured their independence, with the absolute integrity -of their monarchy in both worlds, and till they had recovered their -king. But though the restoration of Ferdinand was thus spoken of in -this decree, there were many who perceived the evils with which his -return was likely to be attended. The most cautious reformers, however -loyal, knew but too well that his presence might prove a serious -impediment to any reformation; the more theoretical ones could hope to -effect their schemes only in his absence; and at this time it seemed -probable that he might soon return, under circumstances which all -true Spaniards, however widely differing upon other points, regarded -with equal apprehension. The accounts which had been officially -published in France of Kolli’s adventure represented Ferdinand as still -soliciting to be adopted by marriage into the family of the tyrant -who had betrayed him. The Spanish Government, with the timid impolicy -which continued to characterize it in such things, had not permitted -the statement to appear in the Spanish newspapers; the substance of -it, nevertheless, was well known at Cadiz, and many things tended -to accredit it. For it was well understood, that the Intruder was -weary of his miserable position, that Buonaparte was not less weary -of supporting him there, and that the French generals were disgusted -with the odious service in which they were employed. They were said to -have reported everywhere that Ferdinand, with Buonaparte’s consent, -had contracted the desired marriage (according to one account, it was -with an Austrian archduchess), and that Buonaparte in consequence would -replace him on the throne. There was intelligence from Madrid that a -Spanish army of 30,000 men was about to be raised for him. The scheme -was politic enough in all its parts to be deemed probable: it would -have the cordial approbation of the Intruder’s adherents; and all who -regarded only their own selfish views, all who desponded, all who were -impatient under privations and sufferings, all who desired repose, -might be expected to concur in it. The youth, the inexperience, the -defective education, the alleged simplicity of Ferdinand’s character, -were to be borne in mind: as through these he had formerly been -entrapped, so might he now be made the instrument of Buonaparte, who -would thus seek to obtain by intrigue what he was unable to win by -force. Against this it was necessary to be prepared. Long and animated -discussions were held upon this matter. It was moved, that if Ferdinand -should cede any portion of the Spanish dominions to France, all persons -obeying his orders to that effect should be declared traitors: that any -marriage which he might contract under these circumstances should be -declared null, (a proposition against which some of the ecclesiastics -in the Cortes exclaimed as contrary to the principles of sound -theology): that if he entered Spain as Buonaparte’s ally, he must be -rejected, and war carried on against him under the black flag. Now was -the time to engrave with the point of the sword upon their hearts that -holy Catholic religion in which they must establish their trust! To the -petition in the Litany which prayed for deliverance from the deceits of -the Devil, they should add, from the deceits of the French also. Rather -than thus be deceived and debased, it were better that whole Spain -should be made what Numantia and Saguntum had been: then might the -Spaniards look down from heaven, and see whether these impious invaders -would be bold enough to walk tranquilly through the silent abodes of -their tremendous[15] ghosts! - -♦DECREE CONCERNING FERDINAND.♦ - -The Cortes faithfully represented the nation in their feelings on this -subject; and accordingly they issued a decree, declaring null and of no -effect all treaties or transactions of any kind which Ferdinand should -authorize while he remained in duresse, whether in the enemy’s country -or in Spain, so long as he was under the direct or indirect influence -of the Usurper. The nation, it was proclaimed, would never consider -him free, nor render him obedience, till they should see him in the -midst of his true subjects, and in the bosom of the national congress: -nor would they lay down their arms, nor listen to any proposal for an -accommodation of any kind, till Spain had been completely evacuated -by the troops which had so unjustly invaded it. At the time when this -brave decree was passed, the condition of Spain appeared hopeless to -those persons by whom moral causes are overlooked, and from whose -philosophy all consideration of Providence is dismissed. Fortress after -fortress had fallen; army after army had been destroyed, till the -Spaniards had no longer anything in the field which could even pretend -to the name, except the force under Romana with Lord Wellington. The -enemy surrounded the bay of Cadiz, and were masters of the adjacent -country, wherever they could cover it with their troops, or scour it -with their cavalry. Yet in the sight of these enemies, from the neck of -land which they thus beleaguered, the Cortes legislated for Spain; and -its proceedings, though the Intruder and his unhappy adherents affected -to despise them, were regarded with the deepest anxiety throughout the -Peninsula, and wherever the Spanish language extends. There is no other -example in history of so singular a position. During the three years -which had elapsed since the commencement of the struggle, Buonaparte -had not only increased his power, but seemed also to have consolidated -and established it; while Spain had endured all the evils of revolution -without acquiring a revolutionary strength; and, what appeared more -surprising, none of those commanding spirits which revolutions usually -bring forth had arisen there. Enlightened Spaniards had with one -consent called for the Cortes, as the surest remedy for their country; -and in England they who were most friendly to the Spaniards, and they -who were least so, had agreed in the propriety of convoking it. Long -as the Cortes had been suspended, it was still a venerable name; and -its restoration gladdened the hearts of the ♦CHARACTER OF THE CORTES.♦ -people. A fairer representation could not have been obtained if the -whole kingdom had been free, nor a greater proportion of able men; the -circumstances, also, in which they were placed, increased their claims -to respect among a people by whom poverty has never been despised. -Many of the members, having lost their whole property in the general -wreck, were dependent upon friendship even for their food. For although -a stipend was appointed, some of those provinces which were occupied -by the enemy could find no means of paying it; and no provision for -remedying this default had been yet devised. They who had professions -could not support themselves by practising, because the business of the -Cortes engrossed their whole attention. The self-denying ordinance, -which they had passed, excluded them from offices of emolument; and -there were deputies who sometimes had not wherewith to buy oil for -a lamp to give them light. Under these circumstances they respected -themselves, and were respected by the nation according to the true -standard of their worth. - -But as the Cortes faithfully represented the characteristic virtues -of the nation, they represented with equal fidelity its defects. The -majority were scarcely less bigoted than the most illiterate of their -countrymen; and they prided themselves upon having made the assembly -swear to preserve the Romish as the exclusive religion of Spain: -this, they said, was one of the things which reflected most lustre -upon the Cortes. Their opponents, who designated themselves as the -Liberal party, assented to what they could neither with prudence nor -safety have opposed; and they swore, accordingly, to maintain in its -domination and intolerance a corrupt religion which they despised -and hated. Disbelief is too weak a word for expressing the feelings -of a generous Spaniard toward the superstition which has eaten like -a cancer into the bosom of his country. And most unhappily for -themselves and Spain, the men whose heart and understanding revolted -against intolerance and imposture were themselves infected with the -counterpoison of French philosophy, and their best purposes were -too often sophisticated with the frothy notions of that superficial -school. This party, though far inferior in numbers, took the lead, -with the activity and zeal of men who had embraced new opinions, and -were labouring to promote them. Though fatally erroneous in what is -of most importance, they acted in many cases with a quick and ardent -perception of what is just; and not unfrequently they were right in -the general principle, even when they were wrong in its application. -Through their exertions, measures were carried, as far as votes of -the Cortes could effect them, which, if they had been effectual, -would have conferred lasting benefit upon the people. But in many of -these reforms they proceeded rashly, neither sufficiently regarding -the rights of individuals, nor the opinions and habits of the nation; -and in what was most required at such a crisis both parties were -alike deficient. Instead of infusing into the Government that energy -which had been expected, the Cortes weakened and embarrassed the -executive by perpetually intermeddling with it; so that, under their -control, the Regency which they had appointed became more inefficient -than the central Junta. And instead of making the deliverance of the -country their paramount object, they busied themselves in framing a -constitution; a work, which, if it had been more needful, might well -have been deferred till a more convenient season. Great part of their -sittings was consumed in metaphysical discussions, arising out of the -scheme of the constitution; and the doctrine of the sovereignty of the -people was asserted in a temper which plainly manifested how surely -that sovereignty, if it were once erected, would become unendurably -tyrannical. Day after day these abstractions were debated, while the -enemy was besieging Cadiz. Meantime no measures were adopted for -bringing the army into a better state; and the mournful truth became -apparent even to those who most reluctantly acknowledged it. But if -it be difficult to form an effective army where there are none who -have studied the principles and profited by the practice of war, it -is yet more difficult to make legislators of men whose minds are ill -disciplined, even when well stored. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. - -AFFAIRS OF PORTUGAL. ROMANA’S DEATH. BADAJOZ TAKEN BY THE FRENCH. -MASSENA’S RETREAT. - - -♦1810. - -EXPECTATIONS OF THE FRENCH.♦ - -Early in November, the besiegers before Cadiz fired a salute in honour -of Massena’s triumphant entrance into Lisbon. Such demonstrations -could not deceive the inhabitants of the Isle of Leon; but might -serve to depress the Spaniards, who had no such means of information; -and also to encourage the French themselves, whose confidence in -their fortune had by this time received some abatement, and whose -hopes of bringing the contest to an end rested chiefly now upon the -success of the campaign in Portugal. Massena had undertaken the -conquest of that kingdom in full expectation of outnumbering[16] -any disciplined force which could be opposed to him, and still more -certainly of outmanœuvring it; for the French Government well knew -with what misplaced parsimony the military plans of the English were -calculated; and they had neither reckoned upon the skill of the British -general, nor the resolution of the British ministry, nor the spirit -and exertions of the Portugueze people. He had been confirmed in this -expectance by the cautious system which Lord Wellington had, through -that parsimony, been compelled to observe during the siege of Ciudad -Rodrigo: and though it was by an accident of war that Almeida had -fallen into his hands, the speedy reduction of a place so important -at that juncture increased the habitual confidence of one who had -been accustomed to hear himself called the Child of Victory. That -presumption had received a lesson at Busaco, and a check for which -he was equally unprepared at the lines of Torres Vedras. Could Lord -Wellington have spared a sufficient force to have occupied Santarem, -as well as Abrantes; or had the orders of the Portugueze Regency for -removing all provisions, been carried into full effect in that part of -the country, he must soon have been compelled to retreat. The wonder, -however, is that so much devoted obedience was found to a measure, as -dreadful in its immediate consequences to the persons upon whom it -fell, as it was indispensable for the deliverance of the country. But -being allowed to take a position which was not to be forced without -a greater expense of life than his antagonist could afford; having -found the means of present subsistence, and possessing also that -impassibility, ... that utter recklessness of the sufferings which he -inflicted, ... that perfect destitution of humanity, ... which one -of his fellow-marshals ♦SEE VOL. II.♦ had said was necessary for a -commander in this atrocious war, he was enabled to wait for assistance, -and for the chance of events. - -♦GARDANNE ENTERS PORTUGAL, AND MARCHES BACK AGAIN.♦ - -He had sent General Foy to give Buonaparte the fullest account of his -situation; and to supply his wants till farther orders or effectual -reinforcements should be received, he ordered General Gardanne, who -commanded on the Agueda, to escort a convoy of ammunition. Strong -reconnoitring parties were sent out frequently, both on the Coimbra -and Castello Branco roads, in the hope of meeting him; and one of these -parties had at length the mortification to ascertain that he had been -within three leagues of their advanced posts on the Zezere, and had -then turned back, a peasant having deceived him, by declaring that -the whole French army had withdrawn. Whether the man acted thus upon -the impulse of the moment, or had been sent from Abrantes upon this -hazardous service, he succeeded in alarming men who, from the want of -other tidings, were prepared to believe the worst. Gardanne’s corps -consisted of 3000 men; but they were so dispirited in their retreat, -that when Colonel Grant, with a handful of the Ordenanza, fired upon -them at Cardigos, they abandoned their convoy: nor did this active -officer desist from the pursuit, till they had lost all their baggage -and several hundred men; thus reaching the frontier in a manner which -had every appearance, and all the consequences, of a precipitate and -forced retreat. The Comte d’Erlon, General Drouet, who commanded the -9th corps, had meantime arrived there; and he determined to enter -Portugal, and open a communication with Massena. Advancing, therefore, -with 10,000 men, he left some 8000 under General Claparede, at Guarda, -to drive away the Portugueze force in his rear. - -♦DROUET ENTERS WITH 10,000 MEN.♦ - -Silveira commanded the force in that quarter: the other divisions, -under Brigadier-General Miller, Colonels Wilson and Trant, shut in -the line of the Mondego to the confluence of the Alva. Trant was in -Coimbra, which he had recovered by a movement as important in its -effects upon the campaign, as it was promptly conceived and ably -executed. Wilson had occupied the road from Ponte de Murcella to -Thomar, establishing himself at Cabaços; but when the French had -occupied Thomar, they attacked him twice from thence, and at length -compelled him to fall back upon Espinhal. This was precisely in the -line of Drouet’s march; and he was thus placed between two fires, -the enemy who had driven him from Cabaços being now strongly posted -there. He therefore collected boats at Pena Cova, and crossed the -Mondego, timing this movement so critically, that the next day, when -the enemy had passed the Alva at Ponte de Murcella, and occupied Foz -d’Arouce and the neighbouring ♦DEC. 25.♦ villages, he re-crossed with -a regiment of militia and some cavalry at the same place, took post -the same evening at St. Andre, and captured some of their marauders -there in the act of pillage; being then so near the invading force, -that several of their stragglers came dropping in during the night, -thinking their comrades were in possession of the place, and did not -discover their mistake till they were captured. Early on the morrow -he moved on Foz d’Arouce; Drouet’s rear-guard had just quitted it; -the village had been sacked, and several of its inhabitants of both -sexes were lying dead in the streets, victims of those outrages and -cruelties which invariably marked the movements of the French in -Portugal. Wilson hung upon their flank and rear; and, cutting off their -stragglers and marauding parties, which was all that could be done with -so small a force, made about an hundred prisoners. Trant also marched -from Coimbra with part of the garrison, in the direction of Miranda de -Corvo, to harass the enemy, if he should take the Condeixa road; but -Drouet, having communicated with the party at Cabaços, who expected -his advance, halted at Espinhal, till he received instructions from -Massena to proceed with his corps and establish himself at Leyria. -Wilson then collected his division, and closed upon his rear, for the -purpose of impeding him in that marauding system upon which the whole -army depended for subsistence. Their detached parties were then brought -in daily contact; a sort of warfare in which the Portuguese were -fully equal to their invaders, and in which they had always the great -advantage of sure intelligence. - -Claparede meantime had moved in the direction of Lamego. Silveira, -giving him the opportunity which he sought, attacked his advanced -guard at Ponte d’Abbade, and was repulsed: having thus exposed the -comparative weakness of his force and his own ♦RASH OPERATIONS OF -SILVEIRA.♦ want of skill, he was in his turn attacked at Villar de -Ponte, and made a precipitate retreat upon Lamego: the enemy pursued -him closely; and the Portuguese, with an honourable feeling, when -they evacuated the city, carried with them 140 soldiers from the -hospital, on their backs; for they had no other means of transport. -Silveira then crossed the Douro. Lamego was thus left to the invaders’ -mercy, and Upper Beira open to their inroads. In consequence of this -rashness on Silveira’s part, Miller and Wilson were ordered toward -the Doura by General Bacellar. Silveira, however, had retreated with -such precipitation, that neither time nor opportunity was afforded -for co-operating with him; but Bacellar took a position on the Payva, -on the enemy’s left flank, and Wilson at Castrodayre, on their rear. -Claparede would willingly have pursued Silveira beyond the Doura, -that he might obtain the resources of a province which had not been -exhausted; but these divisions were closing upon him, and menacing his -communication with Almeida. He returned, therefore, to his position at -Guarda. - -♦CONDUCT OF DROUET’S CORPS.♦ - -But the country which Wilson had previously occupied and protected -was thus left open to Drouet’s marauding parties; and no sooner was -his removal ascertained, than they were let loose, and carried -desolation along the banks of the Alva and to the very heart of the -Estella. No part of the country suffered at this time more dreadfully -than that which was exposed to this corps: it was in vain that the -miserable inhabitants sought to conceal themselves in the depths of -the great pine forest which extends over so large a portion of that -sandy region; no recesses escaped the search of men who were impelled -by hunger, by cruelty which seemed to have become in them a craving -and insatiable desire, and by a brutal appetite which rendered them -even more dreadful and more devilish than their thirst for blood. The -number of inhabitants who perished in the diocese of Leyria (one of -the smallest in the kingdom) during the four months that the French -retained possession there, was ascertained by official inquiries to be -not less than 20,000: and a great proportion of these were butchered in -the _Pinhal_, or died there of famine, and disease, and wretchedness. - -♦1811. - -THE FRENCH ARMY LEFT TO SUBSIST UPON THE COUNTRY.♦ - -If Buonaparte had been in all other respects the hero, the -philanthropist, and the philosopher, which he is represented to be -by men whose understandings seem to be as impenetrable as their -hearts, the history of this single campaign would nevertheless -stamp his character with indelible infamy. Expecting, what indeed -the event proved, that Lord Wellington had not a force with which -to act offensively against Massena in the field, he calculated upon -the resources of Lisbon, and made no arrangement for supplying the -invading troops with provisions in case of any unexpected obstacle to -their immediate and complete success. They were left as in Spain, to -support themselves how they could; and in the cruelties which such a -system inevitably occasioned, the evils of war received their only -possible aggravation. After the battle of Busaco this army subsisted -entirely upon what it could obtain by plunder. Throughout Portugal the -peasantry employ oxen for draught; these fell into the enemy’s hands, -wherever the orders of the Regency had not been obeyed; and though -those orders had met with an obedience unexampled in its extent, from -a devoted people, yet there were many who, in hope that the danger -might be averted, delayed parting with what it was ruin for them to -lose; and thus the French obtained a supply of cattle, which, though -it would have been inconsiderable for a British army, was not so for -men in whose way of preparing food nothing is wasted. But the supply -was not large; because kine are nowhere numerous in that country, where -there is little or no use made of their milk, and little demand for -their meat; and it was not lasting, because want of bread occasioned a -consumption of animal food unusual among the French; for wherever they -went they found the ovens and the mills destroyed. They bruised the -corn and then boiled it, and they roasted the maize, till with that -alacrity and cleverness which characterise the whole nation, they had -repaired the demolished mills, and in places where there were none, -constructed some of their own devising, turned by an ass at the end of -a lever, or by force of arm. The hand-mills which soon afterwards made -part of their regimental equipments were an invention of Marmont’s, -suggested probably by the inconveniences which Massena suffered at this -time. If the ingenuity with which they thus remedied one of their wants -is characteristic, the circumstance is not less so that finding no -other fit material for mill-stones they resorted to the churches, and -took for that purpose the slabs with which the graves were covered, or -the vaults closed! - -At first, something like discipline was observed in the marauding -parties, and regular detachments with their respective officers -were sent on this degrading service; but it was found that these -detachments brought home little or nothing, while they who went forth -without orders and purveyed for themselves, returned driving before -them beasts well laden with the provisions they had discovered; they -were soon left, therefore, to take their course, without the slightest -attempt on the part of the generals at regulation or restraint; and -a system was thus tolerated, ... not to say encouraged, ... in which -it is even more dreadful to reflect upon the depravity on one side, -than the unspeakable miseries which were endured on the other. French -writers who were themselves engaged in this accursed expedition have -told us that the whole army had at times no other food than what was -obtained from hiding-places which the Portuguese who fell into their -hands had been made by torture to discover; and that acts of this kind -were as ordinary a topic of conversation among the soldiers as any -other incidents of their campaign! In excuse for this, they observe, -and truly, that the army must otherwise have perished, ... that they -were like starving sailors, when as the only means of prolonging their -own lives they kill and eat their comrades, in extremity of hunger. In -proportion as this apology, if such it may be called, be valid, is the -guilt of that tyrant by whose deliberate orders the army was detained -in such a situation; and inferior only to his guilt is that of the -commander by whom such orders were obeyed. Life is what every soldier -must hold himself ready to lay down whenever his military duty should -require the sacrifice; but woe to that soldier who acts as if life were -all that he had to lose! - -The same writers, who by the plea of necessity excuse a system so -atrocious that even that plea cannot be admitted without doubt as -well as shuddering, tell us also of supererogatory crimes committed -by this army for which no motive but that of fiendish wickedness is -assignable, no palliation possible. When a family was hunted out among -the rocks, woods, or mountains by these hell-hounds, happy were the men -who did not endure torments, the women who did not suffer violation, -before they were murdered. The French officers, when any of them were -made prisoners, endeavoured always to reject the opprobrium of these -flagitious and undeniable deeds upon the Italians and Germans in their -army: but let us be just to human nature, which has neither made the -Italians and Germans more depraved than the French, nor the French than -the English. The Italians, indeed, having grown up in a country where -great crimes are notoriously committed with impunity, may have been -accustomed to regard such crimes with less repugnance than either the -Germans or the French. But French discipline had made all in its armies -of whatever stock good soldiers: the first thing needful for moral -improvement is to bring men under obedience, which is the root of civil -virtue: military discipline had done this; had moral discipline been -connected with it as it might and ought to have been, they who were -made good soldiers, if they had not by the same process been made good -men, would have been withheld from any open wickedness. But this was -systematically disregarded in Buonaparte’s armies; the more thoroughly -his servants had corrupted their feelings and hardened their hearts, -the better were they fitted for the work in which they were to be -employed. Under like circumstances, British soldiers might have been -equally wicked; but no British Government has ever been so iniquitous -as to place its soldiers in such circumstances. The only offence -deemed worthy of punishment in Massena’s army was insubordination -towards a superior. A wretch might sometimes be apprehended in an act -of atrocity so flagrant that it was not possible to let him escape; -but there was no attempt to prevent such horrors, not even when there -was the wish: they were known and suffered, ... by better minds in -despair, by others with unconcern. In such an army, the soldiers who -brought young and handsome women to the camp, as part of their booty, -were considered as humane; and humane by comparison they were, though -these women, ... whatever their former condition had been, ... were -played for as a stake at cards, were bartered for provisions or horses, -and were put up publicly to sale! It is related, that such women as -survived the first horrors of their situation became reconciled to it, -because of the terror in which they had previously lived, and because -their lives were now secure; that they attached themselves to those who -became, as it is called, their protectors; and that it was no uncommon -thing for a woman to pass from one such protector to another, rising -a step at every exchange, till she became at last the mistress of a -general! - -♦SKILL OF THE MARAUDERS.♦ - -The skill which some of these marauders acquired in their search for -food, resembled the sagacity with which savages track their prey. That -they should detect with unerring certainty any place of concealment in -a dwelling or an out-house, might have been expected from the habits of -plunder which they had been indulged in in former campaigns; but when -they were questing in woods, or among rocks, or in the open country, -a new sense seemed to be developed in them. There were men in every -company who could discover a depôt of provisions by scent far off. -Such resources, however, could ill suffice for such an army; and the -reinforcements which they received bringing with them no supplies, -added as much to their difficulties as to their strength. Wine, which -was found in abundance at first, was lavishly consumed while it -lasted. Bread failed entirely; and in many corps the rations of maize -were reduced first to a half, then to a third. A third of the whole -army was at last employed in thus purveying from a wasted country, and -their comrades are described as stationing videttes to watch for their -coming, and communicate by signals the joyful intelligence if they came -with supplies; for little now was brought back by the most successful -marauders, and sometimes the whole produce of such an excursion was -consumed before they returned to their quarters. They had found when -they entered the kingdom whole towns and villages deserted at their -approach; more appalling spectacles were presented now in the recesses -to which they penetrated; whole families were seen there lying dead; -or in a state worse than death: and those who were not suffering from -famine or disease seemed to be bewildered in mind as well as rendered -wild in appearance, by perpetual terror and exposure. - -The helpless and the most devoted were they who suffered thus, ... -old men, women, and children; and they who remaining to protect -wives, children, sisters, and parents, or to perish with them, -forewent for the performance of that duty the pursuit of vengeance. -Meantime, the greater part of the effective population were actively -employed. Everywhere in the rear of the enemy parties of the militia -and ordenanza were on the alert: and when General Foy, returning from -Paris, entered Portugal with an escort of 3000 men to rejoin the -invading army, Lieutenant-Colonel Grant, with eighty of the ordenanza, -took possession of a height which commanded a pass near the village -of Enxabarda, and kept up a fire upon them for two hours, as long -as daylight served. Above 200 of their dead were counted within the -distance of four leagues, the inclemency of the weather having killed -many of the wounded. The invaders were not prepared to encounter such -severe cold as is sometimes felt among these mountains. About three -hundred men of Drouet’s corps were frozen to ♦FELDZUG VON PORTUGAL, -P. 66.♦ death during a night march between Castello Branco and -Thomar. There was a peasant belonging to the latter district of great -bodily strength, and answerable hardihood, who, being deprived of his -former peaceful occupations, took up in its stead that of destroying -Frenchmen, that he might live by spoiling them as they did by spoiling -others; this man is said to have killed more than thirty of the -enemy, during the month of February, with his own hand, and to have -recovered from them about fifty horses and mules, which, with other -booty, he carried to Abrantes for sale. He continued to carry on this -single-handed war as long as they remained in the country; and became -so well known by his exploits that the French set a large price upon -his head; but he was in no danger of being betrayed by his countrymen, -and too wary to be entrapped. A cave in the mountains was his usual -abode. Some of the wretched inhabitants from the adjacent parts took -refuge near him, and felt themselves comparatively secure under his -protection. - -Small parties from Abrantes cut off some 300 of the enemy during the -two first months of the year. In one of these desultory affairs, which -were all that occurred, while the two armies were waiting anxiously, -each with its own views, Captain Fenwick, a most enterprising young -officer, who commanded at Obidos, and had been engaged more than -twenty times with the French foraging parties, received a mortal -wound near Alcobaça: he was pursuing with some Portugueze recruits a -party of fourscore French, when one of them, as he was within a few -yards, turned round and shot him through the body. He had so won -the confidence and good will of the peasantry, many of whom he had -armed with French musquets, that they not only brought him the best -information, but were ready under his command to face any danger. -No man could have been more regretted for the excellent military -qualities which he had displayed, and the expectations which were -formed of him. The only other affair deserving of notice occurred at -Rio Mayor. General Junot made a reconnoisance thither from Alcanhede in -considerable force, having learned that there were stores of wine and -corn in the town. The piquet which was stationed there retired. Junot -rashly galloped into the town, and a soldier of the German hussars -waited for him and brought him down. But though this robber left some -of his blood upon that earth which had long been crying for it, the -wound was not fatal, the ball having lodged between the nose and the -cheek bone. A box of topazes which he designed as a present for Marie -Louise, was intercepted by a party of the Spanish army in Extremadura, -who with rare disinterestedness, foregoing all right to the prize, -delivered it to the government. There were seventy-three stones, valued -at 3250 dollars: as it was not possible in such times to discover from -what churches or what family they had been plundered, the Spanish -government disposed of them by raffle, and appropriated the produce -to the relief of faithful Spaniards in the province of Burgos and La -Mancha. - -♦MASSENA PERSEVERES IN REMAINING, AGAINST NEY’S ADVICE.♦ - -Had Ney’s advice been followed, the French, as soon as they had -ascertained that it was hopeless to attack the lines of Torres Vedras, -would have retreated immediately to the frontier. Well had it been -for the credit of that army, and well for humanity, if this counsel -had been taken. But he and Massena were upon ill terms; Massena, by -his defence of Genoa, had acquired a character for endurance which -was supposed to influence him at this time and Buonaparte, in whose -calculations human sufferings were never regarded, undoubtedly expected -that there would be a change of ministry in England, and that the -first measure of the Whigs when in power would be to withdraw the army -from Portugal and leave Lisbon open to him. That party deceived him by -their hopes as much as they deceived themselves; and they in return -were duped by the falsehoods which the French Government published -for the purpose of deluding the French people. The only statements -which were allowed to be made public in France admitted, indeed, that -the English force, and still more the nature of the ground, rendered -the lines of Torres Vedras a strong position; but they affirmed that -within those lines there was so severe a famine, that people lay dead -and dying in the streets of Lisbon, while the French in their quarters -were abundantly supplied. But at this very time it was felt by the -invading army as no slight aggravation of their sufferings, that while -they were in want of every thing, there was plenty beyond that near -demarcation which they were unable to force, with all their courage and -their excellent skill in war. Throughout the tract which they occupied, -the towns of Torres Novas and Thomar were the only places where the -inhabitants had generally remained in their houses; but now, when they -who had erroneously chosen this as the least of two evils found that -the food was taken from them and their ♦STATE OF THE PEOPLE WITHIN THE -LINES.♦ children, they began to retire within the British lines, ... -almost in a starving state. Lisbon, notwithstanding the great military -force which it then had to support, and though 200,000 fugitives had -taken shelter there, was constantly and plentifully supplied; and the -distress for food which was felt there, arose only from want of means -wherewith to purchase what was in the market. This was relieved by the -Government and by the religious houses, who in feeding the poor at this -time rendered unequivocal service to the community. Private charity -also was never more nobly manifested than in this exigency; among the -British officers, a weekly subscription was regularly raised in aid -of the destitute; and it is believed that not less than 80,000 of the -persons thus suddenly thrown upon the mercy of their fellow-creatures -were housed, fed, and clothed at the private cost of those who in their -own circumstances had very materially suffered from the interruption -which the war had occasioned to their trade, from the pressure of war -taxes, and of other requisitions rendered necessary by the exigencies -of a state which was struggling for existence. There had been more -danger from disease than from dearth, for no sooner had the army -retreated upon the lines than the military hospitals were filled, and -various other public and private buildings in or near the capital, -which were appropriated to the same use. The hospital stores of every -kind had been consumed, or carried off by Junot’s army, and had not -yet been re-supplied. Recourse was immediately had to the benevolent -feelings of the people, and clothing and other things needful for the -sick were liberally contributed. But during the time that the armies -remained in their respective positions, the fever in the hospitals -proved more destructive than the sword of the enemy. Meantime the -condition of the Portugueze who remained without the lines, though -within the protection of the allies, became every day more dreadful; -they were not within reach of that eleemosynary distribution by which -their less miserable countrymen were supported; any thing which the -country could afford was only to be obtained by rescuing it from -the enemy, or by marauding in those parts which were open to his -ravages; and when the men of the family perished in this pursuit, or -were rendered by over-exertion and disease incapable of following it, -there was no other resource for the women and children and the men -thus rendered helpless, than the scanty aid which the troops stationed -there could bestow. The British officers at Caldas da Rainha formed -a hospital for these unhappy persons, anxiety and inanition having -produced a fever: in that little, but then crowded town, the average -of burials was from twenty-five to thirty a day: a trench was dug, and -the dead laid along the side of it, till a Priest came once a day, and -with one funeral service consigned them to the common grave. Orphaned -children were wandering about with none to care for them, or give -them food: and frightful as the mortality was, it would have been far -greater but for a distribution of soup and maize bread, made once a day -by the British officers. - -♦FALSE STATEMENTS IN FRANCE.♦ - -It was also asserted in France that the discontent of the Portugueze, -under the privations which their allies compelled them to endure, was -at its height; that Marshal Beresford had ordered every inhabitant to -be shot without process, who did not abandon his house upon the enemy’s -approach; that Trant and Silveira had been destroyed; and that not a -day passed in which English deserters did not come over. Germans and -Portugueze, it was said, were not accounted deserters, because they -only returned to their duty in joining the army of Napoleon. Such -representations obtained more credit among factious Englishmen than -in France, and Massena looked with far less hope to the result of his -operation than was expressed by these despondents. With that confident -ignorance which always characterised their speculations, they gave him -an additional army of more than 20,000 men, which was to join him -under Bessieres, and they called Sebastiani from Malaga to co-operate -in the united attack. “The whole effort,” said they, “will be directed -against Lord Wellington: the whole force is collecting and marching -to the different points of attack, with the knowledge of the allies, -but without their having any means of warding off the blow. The battle -must be fought at the time, and in the way we have always foretold: and -he must have firm nerves who can contemplate the probable issue with -composure.” “The crisis in Portugal,” said another self-constituted -director of public opinion, “may now be expected daily; and then let -the calumniators of Sir John Moore do justice to the memory of that -injured officer, who was goaded to commit his errors, and then abused -for being defeated! He had not interest enough to have his errors -christened exploits, and his flight victory.” Another demagogue, -after representing that it was England which caused the calamities -of Portugal, and the English, whom the Portugueze ought to hate and -execrate as the authors of their sufferings, asked triumphantly, “Who -is there mad enough to expect that we shall be able to put the French -out of the Peninsula, either by arms, or by negotiation? Where is the -man, in his senses, who believes, or will say that he believes, that -we shall be able to accomplish this? Suppose peace were to become the -subject of discussion, does any one believe that Napoleon would enter -into negotiations about Spain and Portugal? Does any one believe that -we must not leave them to their fate? This is bringing the matter to -the test. And if the reader is persuaded that we should not be able -to stipulate for the independence of the Peninsula, the question is -settled, and the result of the war is in reality ascertained!” - -An immediate retreat, such as Ney advised, would have been attended -with a loss of reputation, which if Massena had been willing to -incur, would have been ill ♦SCHEMES OF CO-OPERATION FROM THE SIDE OF -ANDALUSIA.♦ brooked by Buonaparte. But in the position which the French -had taken, if they could by any means subsist there, they might look -for assistance from Soult, and so waiting, facilitate his operations, -by occupying the chief attention of the British army. The Spaniards -had nowhere displayed so little spirit as in Andalusia. The people -of Cadiz, contented with the security for which they were beholden -to their situation, seemed not inclined to make any effort against -their besiegers; Soult, therefore, might spare a sufficient force -for besieging Badajoz. His means for the siege were ample, and the -place must fall unless it were relieved by an army capable of meeting -the besiegers in the field; but such a force could be drawn only -from the lines of Torres Vedras. If the allies were thus weakened, -their position might be attacked; or should this still be thought -too hazardous, the passage of the Tagus might probably be effected. -This would put great part of Alemtejo in their power, and open the -communication with Seville and Madrid. If, on the other hand, Badajoz -were suffered to fall without an attempt at relieving it, the same -advantage would follow from the advance of the victorious army. Masters -of Badajoz, and the other less important fortresses, they might leave -Elvas behind them; and if they could win the heights opposite Lisbon, -they might from thence bombard the capital and destroy the shipping. -With these views, Massena made preparations for crossing the Tagus. -The British troops which were detached to the south bank, for the -purpose of defeating this intention, were cantoned in the villages -there, and suffered very much from ague in that low and unwholesome -country. Opposite Santarem the river is sometimes fordable; and once -the enemy took possession of an island, called Ilha dos Ingleses, -whence they carried off a guard of the ordenanza, and some cattle. The -possession of this islet might have greatly facilitated their passage, -but they were speedily dislodged by a company of ♦JANUARY.♦ the 34th, -which remained there for that time. To provide, however, against the -possibility of their effecting this movement, and also against the -advance of a force from the Alentejo frontier, measures had been taken -for fortifying a line from the Tagus opposite Lisbon to Setubal; orders -were issued for clearing and evacuating the country on their approach; -and the inhabitants (well knowing by Loison’s campaign what atrocities -were to be expected from such invaders) were required to retire within -this line. - -♦OLIVENÇA TAKEN BY THE FRENCH.♦ - -Soult and Mortier accordingly, as had been foreseen, advanced -from Seville in the latter end of December. Ballasteros, with his -ill-equipped and ill-disciplined, but indefatigable troops, was -driven out of the field; and Mendizabal, who, with 6000 foot and 2500 -Portugueze and Spanish cavalry, had advanced to Llerena, and forced -Girard to retire from thence, was now himself compelled to fall back -upon Almendralejo and Merida, and finally upon Badajoz, throwing -3000 men into Olivença, a place which had been of great importance -in the Acclamation and Succession wars, but which it would at this -time have been more prudent to dismantle than to defend. Taking -immediate advantage of this error, Soult sent Girard against it with -the artillery of the advanced guard. The trenches were opened on the -12th of January. The commander, Don Manuel Herk, communicated with -Mendizabal on the 21st, assuring him of his determination and ability -to hold out: but a division of besieging artillery had arrived; it -was planted in battery that night; and in the morning as soon as -it opened, Herk surrendered at discretion. Mortier then immediately -invested Badajoz. - -♦BADAJOZ INVESTED.♦ - -The city of Badajoz, which in the age of Moorish anarchy was sometimes -the capital of a short-lived kingdom, stands on the left bank of -the Guadiana, near to the spot where it receives the Gevora, and -about a league from the little river Caya, which on that part of -the frontier divides Spain from Portugal. Its population before the -war was estimated at 16,000. Elvas is in sight, at the distance of -twelve miles, standing on higher ground, and in a healthier as well as -stronger situation; for endemic diseases prevail at certain seasons in -the low grounds upon the Guadiana. Count La Lippe had made Elvas one of -the strongest fortifications in Europe. Badajoz is a place of the third -order; it has no advantage of natural strength, like its old rival; but -it had been well fortified, and was protected by two strong forts, S. -Christoval on the west, and Las Pardaleras on the east. The acquisition -of this city was of the utmost importance to the enemy; if Massena -could keep his ground till it fell, a communication would be opened for -him with Andalusia; Mortier’s army would be enabled to co-operate with -him and act against Abrantes; and against Lisbon itself, unless the -Transtagan lines, which were in progress, should be as formidable as -those of Torres Vedras: and supplies might then be drawn from Alentejo, -the western part of that province being a rich corn country. - -♦DEATH OF ROMANA.♦ - -Lord Wellington had concerted his plans for the defence of this -important frontier with Romana; and a position behind the Gevora had -been fixed on for keeping open a communication with Badajoz. Romana’s -army re-crossed the Tagus, and began their march thither; British -troops were to follow, as soon as the reinforcements should arrive, -which westerly winds, unusually prevalent at that season, had long -delayed; ♦JAN. 23.♦ and Romana had named the following day for his -own departure, when he was cut off by sudden[17] death, occasioned by -ossification about the heart. Due honours were paid to his remains by -the Portugueze Government, as well as by the British army: his bowels -were buried close to the high altar at Belem, the burial-place of the -Portugueze kings, during the most splendid age of their history: his -heart and body were sent to his native place, Majorca; and a monument -was voted to him by the Cortes. Castaños was appointed to succeed him, -and sailed from Cadiz for Lisbon accordingly; but before he could -arrive, the consequences of Romana’s death had been severely felt. -Under the most difficult and hopeless circumstances that noble Spaniard -had still kept his army in the field, and had repeatedly annoyed the -enemy and obstructed their measures, without ever exposing himself -♦FEB. 6.♦ to any considerable loss. The troops, therefore, had full -confidence in him; but when Mendizabal met them at Elvas, and took -the command, they had no such reliance upon their new leader. On the -same day the Portugueze cavalry, under General Madden, drove the -French beyond the Gevora; but being unsupported, they were driven back -with some loss by General Latour Maubourg, and the whole force then -entered, some into Badajoz, some into Fort Christoval. On the morrow -a sortie was made, with more gallantry than good fortune, and with -the loss of eighty-five officers, and 500 men killed and wounded: Don -Carlos d’España was among the latter. The courage of the men in this -sally was not more remarkable than the total want of arrangement in -their leaders: when they had won the first battery they could not -disable the guns, because they had forgotten to take spikes with -them! Not discouraged by this severe loss, the troops came out on the -9th. The enemy’s cavalry retired before them across the Gevora, and -they took up their intended position on the heights of S. Christoval, -between the Gevora, the Caya, and the Guadiana. From thence Mendizabal -communicated with Elvas and Campo Mayor, and there he fancied himself -in perfect security. The position, indeed, was strong, and while it was -held, Badajoz could not be taken. Lord Wellington had advised Romana -to occupy it, but he had advised him to intrench it also, and the -necessity of so doing had been repeatedly ♦DESTRUCTION OF HIS ARMY.♦ -represented to Mendizabal in vain. Well understanding with what an -antagonist he had to deal, Mortier would instantly have attacked him if -the Gevora and Guadiana had not at this time overflowed their banks. -Losing, however, no time in his operations, he carried Las Pardaleras -by assault on the night of the 11th. On the 18th all things were ready -for the passage of the Guadiana, and a few shells from a well-planted -howitzer had the effect of making Mendizabal remove his whole army out -of the protection of the fort. Thus he abandoned the main advantage of -his position, and yet took no other precaution against an attack than -that of destroying a bridge over the Gevora; but soldiers seldom fail -to know when they are ill commanded, and Romana’s men now deserted -in troops, rather than be exposed to the certain destruction which -they foresaw. That very night Mortier threw a flying bridge over the -Guadiana, forded the Gevora where it was waist-deep, and surprised -Mendizabal on the heights. The camp was taken standing, with all the -baggage and artillery: the cavalry fled, notwithstanding the efforts -of their officers to rally them; 850 men were killed; more than 5000 -taken; some escaped into the city; some, with better fortune, into -Elvas; the rest dispersed. The loss of the French, in killed and -wounded, was only 170; so cheaply was this important success obtained. - -♦GOVERNOR OF BADAJOZ KILLED.♦ - -This was the first consequence of Romana’s death; far worse were to -ensue. Relieved from all inquietude on that side, Mortier now pressed -the siege; and yet not with that full confidence of success which the -consciousness of his own strength and adequate preparations might else -have given him, because he knew that the governor, Don Rafael Menacho, -intended to have emulated Zaragoza in the defence which he should make. -This governor was killed upon the walls by a cannon ball, when the -garrison were making their last sortie to prevent the covered ♦IMAZ -APPOINTED TO SUCCEED HIM.♦ way from being crowned. Don José de Imaz -succeeded to the command: he was an officer of reputation, who had -escaped with the troops from Denmark, had shared their sufferings under -Blake, borne a part in their victory under the Duque del Parque, and -followed their fortunes through evil and good till the present time. - -In the official accounts of the French it was said that the English, -according to their custom, had remained tranquil spectators of the -destruction of their allies. They had, indeed, been so in the early -part of the campaign, to the bitter mortification of the army and of -the general, who, by the half measures of his Government, was placed -in this most painful situation. The ill effects of the Walcheren -expedition were felt more in the timid temporizing policy which -ensued, than in the direct loss, lamentable as that had been; for the -ministry having spent then where they ought to have spared, spared now -where they ought to have spent. Just views, right feeling, and public -opinion (which in these days is, whether right or wrong, more powerful -with a British ministry than any or all other considerations) made -them continue the contest; while secret apprehension of ill success, -insensibly produced by the constant language of their opponents, who -spoke with more than oracular confidence of defeat and total failure as -the only possible event, withheld them from prosecuting it with vigour. -They considered always what was the smallest force with which Lord -Wellington could maintain his ground, never entrusting him with one -that might render success calculable, and not yet venturing to believe -that British courage would render it not less certain by land than it -was by sea. Some excuse for this weak policy, which even to themselves -needed excuse, they found in the prepossessions of the king, who, -although upon some points of the highest importance he took clearer -and juster views than the ablest of his ministers, could never in his -latter days be brought to contemplate war upon the enlarged scale which -the French Revolution had introduced; but looked upon an army of 20,000 -men to be as great a force as it had been in the early part of his -reign. Against this prepossession the ministers had always to contend -while the king was capable of business; and when his fatal malady -removed that impediment, Marquis Wellesley could not yet persuade his -colleagues that the parsimony which protracts a war is more expensive -than the liberal outlay which enables a general to prosecute it with -vigour, and thereby bring it to a successful end. - -Had Lord Wellington found a reinforcement of 10,000 men when he fell -back upon his lines, Massena, being entirely without provisions at -that time, must have retreated as precipitately as Soult had done from -Porto. That they were not attacked before they took up a position for -the winter, and that no operations against them were undertaken while -they remained there, the French imputed either to want of enterprise, -or want of skill in the British commander, undervaluing both, as much -as they overrated the force at his disposal. But though they were thus -unjust in their censures of Lord Wellington, the imputation which they -cast upon the British Government had been to all appearance justified -up to this time, except in the case of Badajoz, on which occasion it -was now made. Nothing but the grossest negligence and incapacity on -his own part could have exposed Mendizabal to the total discomfiture -which had befallen him. After the loss of his army it was impossible -for Lord Wellington to detach a force sufficient for raising the -siege, while Massena continued in his position; but it was of such -importance to preserve Badajoz, that the British general determined to -attack him, strongly as he was posted, as soon as the long-looked for -reinforcements should arrive. But the opportunity which both generals -at this time desired of thus deciding the issue of the invasion was not -afforded them: the winds continued to disappoint Lord Wellington in -his expectations of succour; and no patience on the part of the French -could enable them longer to endure the privations to which the system -of their wicked Government had exposed them. They consoled themselves -under those privations by thinking that no English army could have -supported them; for that the sufferings which they had borne patiently -would have driven Englishmen to desert. But their endurance had been -forced now to its utmost extent. Reports were current, that if Massena -would not engage in some decisive operations, which might deliver them -from their sufferings, he should be set aside, and Ney, in whose -intrepidity they had the fullest confidence, be called upon to command -them. That degree of distress had been reached at which discipline -itself, even in the most intelligent army, gives way; and the men, when -nothing was left of which to plunder the inhabitants, began to plunder -from each other, without regard of rank, the ♦FELDZUG VON PORTUGAL, -30.♦ stronger from the weaker. Massena, therefore, was compelled, while -it was yet possible to secure supplies for the march, to determine upon -retreating to that frontier which he had passed with such boastful -anticipations of triumph. - -♦THE FRENCH BEGIN THEIR RETREAT.♦ - -The first information of his purpose came through a channel which was -entitled to so little credit, that it seems to have obtained none. On -the evening of the first of March, a Portugueze boy was apprehended in -Abrantes with articles of provision, which were with reason suspected -to be for an enemy, because the boy was not ready with an answer -when he was asked for whom he was catering. Being carried before the -governor, he confessed that he was servant to the commanding officer of -a French regiment, who had sent him to purchase these things, because -the army was about to return to the north of Portugal. The next day, -♦MARCH.♦ he added, Massena would review the troops on the south of the -Zezere, and the retreat would commence on the evening of the fifth. -That a boy in such a situation should have acquired this knowledge, -is a remarkable proof of his sagacity, and of the indiscretion of the -officer from whom he must have obtained it; for it was verified in all -its parts. - -Such a movement was, however, so probable, that it had for some days -been expected. The first apparent indication of it was given by the -French setting fire to their workshops, stores, and bridge-materials -at Punhete, on the 3rd. They had previously been sending the -heavy artillery, the baggage, and the sick to the rear. On the -4th, transports with 7000 British troops on board anchored in the -Tagus; and that same day the enemy’s advanced corps withdrew from -Santarem. Lieutenant Claxton, who commanded the gun-boats appointed -to co-operate with the troops in Alentejo, saw them departing, as he -was reconnoitring under that city. No time was lost in occupying it by -the allies; and when it was seen how the natural advantages of that -position had been improved by all the resources of military skill, Lord -Wellington’s prudence in waiting till time and hunger had done his work -was acknowledged by those who before had been inclined to censure him -for inactivity and want of enterprise. The opportunity which he had -so long desired, and so anxiously expected, had now arrived; and in -the sure confidence of intellectual power, he saw that the deliverance -of the Peninsula might be secured in that campaign, if Badajoz were -defended as it might and ought to be. No sooner, therefore, had it -been ascertained that the enemy was retreating, than he despatched -the intelligence to Elvas, desiring the commander to communicate it -to the governor of Badajoz, assuring him that he should speedily be -succoured, and urging him, in reliance upon that assurance, to defend -the fortress to the last extremity. That intelligence was despatched -on the 6th. General Imaz received it on the 9th. The next day a breach -was made, and Mortier summoned him ♦BADAJOZ SURRENDERED.♦ to surrender. -The garrison at this time consisted of 7500 effective men: the townsmen -might have been made effective also; provisions and ammunition were in -abundance; and the intelligence which Lord Wellington received from -thence on the very day that Massena’s retreat was made known to Imaz, -was, that the place might probably hold out a month; so well was it -stored, so ably garrisoned, and so little injury had it received. The -general, however, like every man who, in such a situation, is inclined -to act a dishonourable part, called a council of war. The director of -engineers delivered it as his opinion, that 5000 men would be required -to resist an assault, and that then the surrender could only be delayed -two or three days: if there was an evident probability of being -succoured in that time, it would be their duty to hold out, though -it should be to the last man; without such a probability, no farther -sacrifice ought to be made. Twelve officers voted with him; one of them -qualifying his vote with the condition, that unless the garrison were -permitted to march out by the breach, and incorporate themselves with -the nearest Spanish army, no terms should be accepted. Imaz delivered -his opinion in these words: “Notwithstanding that our second line of -defence is not formed; that we have very few guns in the batteries of -Santiago, St. José, and St. Juan, and no support for withstanding the -assault, I am of opinion that, by force of valour and constancy, the -place be defended till death.” In this he was followed by General Don -Juan José Garcia. The commandant of artillery, Don Joaquin Caamaño, -gave his vote for holding out in very different terms, and with as -different a spirit. “The enemy,” said he, “not having silenced the -fire of the place, the flanks which command the ascent of the breach -being in a state of defence, the breach being mined, the pitch barrels -ready, and the entrance covered by the parapet which we formed during -the night, I think we ought to stand an assault; or make our way out to -join the nearest corps, or the neighbouring forts.” This opinion, which -did not, like that of the governor, invalidate itself, was followed -by Camp-Marshal Don Juan Mancio. It is due to those who did their -duty thus to particularise their names. In the votes of an unworthy -majority Imaz found all he wanted; and even in their excuse, it must -be remembered that this traitorous governor did not inform them of -Massena’s retreat, and the assurance which he had received of certain -and speedy relief. Romana, whose fear of democracy made him everywhere -at variance with the popular authorities, had ordered the Junta of -Extremadura to leave Badajoz, and retire to Valencia de Alcantara. -That Junta had distinguished itself by its activity and zeal, and had -its members not been thus imprudently expelled, they might have given -to the defence of the city that civic character which had formed the -strength of Zaragoza, and Gerona, and Ciudad Rodrigo; and which, in -this instance, would have proved the salvation, as well as the glory of -the fortress. - -On the eleventh of March, therefore, the garrison laid down their -arms, and were made prisoners of war. The empty stipulation that they -should march out by the breach was granted, curiously, as it proved, -to the disgrace of those who proposed it, ... for so insignificant was -this breach that some time was employed in enlarging it, to render it -practicable for their passage! “Thus,” in Lord Wellington’s words, -“Olivença and Badajoz were given up without any sufficient cause; while -Marshal Soult, with a corps of troops which never was supposed to -exceed 20,000 men, besides capturing these two places, made prisoners -and destroyed above 22,000 Spanish troops!” 17,500 were marched as -prisoners of war to France! Mortier, in his dispatches, endeavoured -to gloze over the conduct of General Imaz. “The death of Menacho,” -he said, “had possibly contributed to protract the siege for some -days; for his successor wished to give some proof of his talents, -and thereby occasioned a longer resistance.” This could deceive no -one. The Regency, when they communicated to the Cortes Mendizabal’s -official account of the fall of the place, informed them that they -were not satisfied with the conduct of Imaz, and had given the -commander-in-chief orders to institute an enquiry. But the surrender -of the city was not the only part of these unhappy transactions which -required investigation; and Riesco proposed that rigorous enquiry -should also be made concerning the action of the 19th of February, and -the consequent dispersion of Mendizabal’s army, in order that condign -punishment might be inflicted on those who were found culpable. “The -loss of Badajoz,” he said, “was a calamity of the greatest importance -at this time: it facilitated to the enemy a free communication with -Castille and Andalusia, gave them an entrance into Alentejo, and means -for besieging Elvas: it would also enable them to support Massena; so -that this fatal calamity might draw after it the conquest of Portugal.” -Calatrava proposed that it should also be explained why so considerable -a division had been shut up in Olivença, and no attempt made to succour -it. “My melancholy predictions concerning Extremadura,” said he, “have -been verified. The chiefs of the army of the left, instead of defending -that province and preserving the capital, have at length ended in -losing army, province, and capital. Well, indeed, may it be wondered -at, that the governor, after having himself voted for continuing the -defence, should immediately have capitulated, without sustaining an -assault, ... a contradiction which can no otherwise be explained, -than by supposing that the vote was given insincerely.” He concluded -by proposing, that notwithstanding the conduct of the governor, the -Cortes should make honourable mention of the heroic inhabitants of that -place, and the brave garrison. Del Monte said, it had been remarked -on this occasion, that the loss of a battle was followed always by -the surrender of a place besieged. This, he properly observed, was -a position not less perilous to get abroad, than it was false in -itself.... Another member, with indignant feeling, demanded, that when -the capitulation of Badajoz, and the votes of the council of war were -published, there should be added to them a statement of the situation -of Gerona when that city was surrendered. “At Badajoz,” said he, -“nothing has been alleged for surrendering, but that there was an open -breach; nothing was said of want ... nothing of sickness, nor of any -one of those causes which might have justified the surrender. Let then -the soldiers and the nation contrast with this the conduct of Gerona! -Months before that city was yielded, there was not merely an open -breach, but the walls were destroyed; ... the scarcity was such, that -boiled wheat was sometimes the only food; and for the sick, a morsel of -ass-flesh, when it could be had. In this state the governor of Gerona -ordered, that no man, on pain of death, should speak of capitulation. -By this path did they make their way to glory and immortality! The -soldier who would step beyond the common sphere has here what to -imitate. If Badajoz had resisted only four days longer, it would have -been relieved.” - -This was a cutting reflection. But though the loss of that city -led to consequences grievously injurious to the allies, and to a -dreadful cost of lives, it did not produce all the evil which Riesco -apprehended; and that its evil effects did not extend thus far, was -owing to the spirit of the Portugueze people, who, unlike General -Imaz and his companions in infamy, had discharged their duty to the -utmost. Treachery, which had done much for France in other countries, -had not been found in Portugal; and popular feeling, which had done -more, was there directed with all the vehemence of vindictive justice -against the most unprovoked, the most perfidious, ♦SKILL AND BARBARITY -OF THE FRENCH IN THEIR RETREAT.♦ and the most inhuman of invaders. -But Massena’s military talents had never been more eminently shown, -and nothing could exceed the skill which was now manifested in all -his dispositions. His columns moved by angular lines converging to -a point, upon gaining which they formed in mass, and then continued -their retreat, Ney with the flower of the army covering the rear, while -Massena so directed the march of the main body, as to be always ready -to protect the rear guard, which whenever it was hardly pressed fell -back, and brought its pursuers with it upon the main army, waiting -in the most favourable position to receive them. This praise is due -to M. Massena and his generals, and the troops which they commanded: -but never did any general or any army insure such everlasting infamy -to themselves by their outrages and abominations, committed during -the whole of their tarriance in Portugal, and continued during their -retreat. Lord Wellington said, their conduct was marked by a barbarity -seldom equalled, and never surpassed: all circumstances considered, he -might have said it had never been paralleled. For these things were -not done in dark ages, nor in uncivilised countries, nor by barbarous -hordes, like the armies of Timour or Nadir Shah; it was in Europe, and -in the nineteenth century, that these atrocities were committed by the -soldiers of the most cultivated and most enlightened part of Europe, -mostly French, but in no small proportion Germans and Netherlanders. -Nor was the French army, like our own, raised and recruited from -the worst members of society, who enter the service in an hour of -drunkenness, or of necessity, or despair: the conscription brought into -its ranks men of a better description, both as to their parentage, -their breeding, and their prospects in life; insomuch, that the great -majority are truly described as sober, orderly, intelligent, and more -or less educated. Nor is it to be believed, that, although they acted -like monsters of wickedness in this campaign, they were in any degree -worse than other men by nature: on the contrary, the national character -of the French, Germans, and Netherlanders, authorises a presumption -that they were inclined to be, and would have been good and useful -members of society, if the service in which they were compulsorily -engaged had not made them children of perdition. How nefarious, then, -must have been the system of that Government which deliberately placed -its armies in circumstances where this depravation was inevitably -produced!... how deserving of everlasting infamy the individual by -whose absolute will that Government was directed!... and how deep -the guilt of those who were the willing and active agents of such a -Government, ... the devoted servants of such a ruler! No equitable -reader will suppose that any national reproach is intended in thus -dwelling upon the crimes which were committed throughout the Peninsular -war by the French and their allies: Englishmen under like circumstances -would have been equally depraved: the reproach is not upon a brave and -noble nation; it rests upon those alone on whom the guilt abides; and -as we tender the welfare and improvement of the human race, let us hope -that it may be perpetual! - -The retreat of this abominable army was marked by havoc, conflagration, -and cruelties of every kind. The towns of Torres Novas, Thomar, and -Pernes, with the villages which were near the British lines, suffered -least, because the enemy wished not to discover their intention -of retreating. In these places some of the corps had had their -head-quarters for four months, and some of the inhabitants had been -induced to remain: these people had now fresh proof of their delusion, -in supposing that honour or humanity were to be found in the armies -of Buonaparte: the French sacked their houses, and destroyed as many -as time permitted on the night of their departure; and when their -movements could no longer be concealed, they burnt, by Massena’s -orders, every town and village through which they passed. - -♦HAVOC AT ALCOBAÇA.♦ - -The most venerable structure in Portugal was the convent of -Alcobaça. Its foundation was coeval with the monarchy. It had been -the burial-place of the kings of Portugal for many generations. The -munificence of nobles and princes, the craft of superstition, and the -industry and learning of its members in better times, had contributed -to fill this splendid pile with treasures of every kind. Its gorgeous -vestments, its vessels of plate and gold, and its almost matchless -jewelry, excited the admiration of the vulgar; the devotee and the -philosopher were equally astonished at the extraordinary articles in -its Relic-room; the artist and the antiquary beheld with wonder and -delight its exquisite monuments of ancient art; and its archives and -library were as important to Portugueze literature, as the collections -of the Museum or the Bodleian are in our own country. Orders were -issued from the French head-quarters to burn this place: that the work -of destruction might be complete, it was begun in time, and the mattock -and hammer were employed to destroy what the flames would have spared. -The tesselated pavement from the entrance to the high altar was broken -up with pickaxes, and the ornaments of the pillars destroyed nearly up -to the arches. The French, who at this very time inserted an article in -the capitulation of Badajoz, that no stipulations were therein made -respecting religion, because they were catholics like the Spaniards, -mutilated here the Crucifix and the images of the Virgin, as if they -studied in what manner they could most effectually shock and insult -the feelings of the Portugueze. They cut the pictures which they did -not burn; they broke open the tombs. Those of Pedro and Ignez de -Castro were covered with historical sculptures: rich as England is in -remains of this kind, we have none of equal antiquity which could be -compared with them for beauty, or for their value to the antiquarian; -and a story, hardly less generally known throughout Europe than the -most popular parts of classical history, had in an especial manner -sanctified these monuments. These, therefore, were especial objects -of the enemy’s malice, and more laborious mischief was exerted in -destroying them, the tombs being so well constructed as not without -difficulty to be destroyed. Fire was at length put to the monastery in -many parts, and troops set round it to prevent the people from making -any efforts to stop the conflagration. The edifice continued burning -for two-and-twenty days. Two of the Cistercian brethren were afterwards -appointed commissioners to search the ruins. They found some bones of -Queen Orraca and part of her clothes; the body of Queen Beatriz, in a -state of good preservation, and that of Pedro still entire, with the -skin and hair upon it[18]. A few fragments only of Ignez de Castro -could be found. These remains were deposited once more in the tombs, -and the monuments repaired, as far as reparation was possible. The most -valuable of the books and manuscripts had happily been removed in time. - -♦BATALHA.♦ - -Batalha was a structure equally sacred, and more beautiful. Had King -Emanuel completed the original design, it would have excelled all -other Gothic buildings; even in its unfinished state, it was the -admiration of all who beheld it. It was founded upon the spot where -the tent of Joam I. stood on the night before that battle which, for -inferiority of numbers on the part of the conqueror, may be compared -with Cressy, Poictiers, and Agincourt; and which, for the permanent -importance of its consequences, when considered in all their bearings, -is unparalleled. Here Joam was buried, after a long and glorious reign, -upon the scene of his triumph; and here his four sons were buried also, -men worthy of such a father; one of them being that Prince Henry whose -grave, it might have been thought, would have been equally respected -by all civilised nations. The monuments of these Infantes and of their -parents were in a state of correspondent beauty with the temple in -which they lay, and perfectly preserved. They were broken open by the -French, and the remains of the dead taken from their graves to be made -the mockery of these ruffians, who kicked about the head of Joam I. as -a football, and left the body in the pulpit, placed in the attitude of -one preaching. - -♦DIRECTION OF THE ENEMY’S RETREAT.♦ - -Regnier’s corps, which was the enemy’s left, had moved from Santarem -upon Thomar, from thence towards Espinhal: their centre from Pernes, -by Torres Novas and Cham de Maçans, and the right from Leyria. The -two latter effected their junction on the 9th in the plain before -Pombal. What course the enemy would take in their retreat could not -be foreseen: had they intended to retire by the way which they had -entered, it was thought they would have sent a larger proportion by -the Espinal road. The centre of the allies had taken the same line -as that of the French; the right advanced upon Thomar, the left upon -Leyria. Our light troops had never lost sight of the enemy; and when -the centre and right joined before Pombal, the British advanced guard, -coming from Cham de Maçans, saw their junction from the heights. A -♦AFFAIR BEFORE POMBAL.♦ brisk affair took place that day before Pombal, -where the enemy had eight squadrons formed in different parts of the -plain, supported by their whole cavalry. The 1st hussars and the 16th -light dragoons attacked the most advanced of these squadrons, defeated -them one after another, and drove them all together in confusion on -their support, the troops composing which were repeatedly called upon -by their officers to advance, but would not move; for they were quite -dispirited, and satisfied with safety, seeing the allies were not in -sufficient force to pursue their advantage. Lord Wellington could not -collect a sufficient body to commence an operation before the 11th, -when Loison, with three corps, and Montbrun’s division of cavalry, -were leaving a position in front of Pombal. Having burnt the town, -they attempted to hold the old castle, which stands upon an eminence -above the Arunca; they were driven from thence, they then formed on -the farther side of the town, and our troops did not arrive in time to -complete the dispositions for attacking them while it was day; ... but -they were in time to rescue six women from the flames, whom the French -had stripped naked, shut into a house, and then set the house on fire! -During the night the enemy retired, and their rear took up a strong -position between Pombal and Redinha, formerly a city, now a town, but -bearing rather the appearance of a decayed village. They were posted -at the end of a defile in front of the ♦AFFAIR BEFORE REDINHA. MARCH -12.♦ town, their right in a wood upon the little river Danços, their -left extending to some heights upon the same stream, which has its -source about two miles above the town. The light division, under Sir -William Erskine, the Portugueze caçadores, under Colonel Elder, forming -part, attacked their right; and Lord Wellington, bearing testimony to -the merit of these allies, declared that he had never seen the French -infantry driven from a wood in more gallant style. Our troops then -formed in the plain beyond the defile with great celerity, and Sir -Brent Spencer led them against the heights, from which the French were -immediately driven; but their skill was conspicuous in every movement, -and no local advantage escaped them. Their retreat was by a narrow -bridge, and a ford close to it, over the Danços; our light troops -passed with them in pursuit, but they commanded these passages with -cannon, and gained time to form again upon the nearest heights, before -troops enough could pass over to make a fresh disposition for attacking -them. As soon as this was done, they fell back upon their main body -at Condeixa; and there they sent out regular parties to drive into -the camp all females above ten years of age, and these victims were -delivered to the soldiers! - -There was now every reason to fear that Coimbra would share the fate -of Alcobaça, and Leyria, and Pombal, and that the enemy, getting into -Upper Beira, would lay waste in their destructive course a tract of -country which had hitherto been preserved from their ravages; or that -Massena would endeavour to obtain possession of Porto, and defend -himself there better than Soult had done. As soon as Lord Wellington -had ascertained that the enemy were directing their retreat toward -the Mondego, which was on the fourth day after they retired ♦MARCH -8.♦ from Santarem, he dispatched advices to General Bacelar, whose -head-quarters were at S. Pedro do Sul, directing him to send his -baggage across the Douro, to secure means for passing it himself, with -the troops under his command, and to take measures for defending the -passage both at Lamego and at Porto. It was supposed in this dispatch -that Colonel Trant would have retired from Coimbra upon the Vouga, -the bridge over which river he was now ordered to destroy, and then -proceed to Porto. Trant, however, had intercepted a letter from Drouet -to Claparede (who was then near Guarda), which led him to expect that -the French would speedily commence their retreat, and that it would be -in this direction; in consequence he destroyed an arch of the bridge -at Coimbra; and when the concentration of their force at Pombal and -Redinha made their course no longer doubtful, he withdrew his post from -Condeixa, and evacuated the suburb of S. Clara, which is on the ♦THE -FRENCH ENDEAVOUR TO GET POSSESSION OF COIMBRA.♦ left bank: this had -just been effected on the morning of the 11th, when General Montbrun -entered it with a large body of cavalry. Preparations had been made -for defending the passage, and happily at that time the Mondego was -not fordable. The rivers in that part of the country are rendered -impassable for cavalry by a few hours’ rain, the water pouring down to -them from the mountains on every side; but their course is so short, -that they fall as rapidly as they rise. Montbrun, having no guns with -him, could not return the fire of six six-pounders, the only artillery -which Trant possessed; he retired, therefore, from S. Clara to the -heights above it. This movement prevented him from discovering that -the river became fordable in the course of the evening, and continued -so for some days following. During the night Trant received advice -from Colonel Wilson, that the river had become passable at a place -some ten miles above the city; and from the other hand he was informed -that a few of the enemy’s dragoons had actually crossed near Montemor -o Velho. Measures were immediately taken for defending both fords; and -the field-pieces were fired occasionally, in the hope that they might -be heard at the advanced posts of the allied army, and Lord Wellington -thus be assured that Coimbra was not in the enemy’s possession; but the -wind was southerly, and the intention therefore failed. Not doubting -but that the French were in retreat and the allies in close pursuit, -Trant had no thought of retiring from his post, when he now received -dispatches from Bacelar, inclosing Lord Wellington’s instructions, -wherein he was supposed already to have withdrawn, and was ordered to -take upon himself the protection of Porto. These orders he obeyed, by -sending off the main body of the militia, during the night of the 12th, -toward Mealhada, remaining himself with a detachment at the bridge. In -the morning there was no indication of an attempt upon the town; only a -few dragoons were to be seen on the heights of S. Clara; he resolved, -therefore, to place his division in a position, and proceeded to join -it for that purpose; instructing the officer whom he left in command at -the bridge, to take nothing upon himself in case of any communication -from the enemy, but refer it to him, and act accordingly. An hour had -hardly elapsed, before Montbrun summoned the city to surrender. The -officer referred the summons to Trant: it had been merely made to keep -in check the garrison which Montbrun supposed to be still there, and -in force; for that general having found them ready on the 11th and -12th had advised Massena to retire by the Ponte de Murcella; and when -Lord Wellington came up with the main body, who were strongly posted -at Condeixa, to his great joy he perceived that they were sending -off their baggage in that direction. Immediately he inferred that -Coimbra was safe, and marching General Picton’s division upon their -left towards this road, now the only one open for their retreat, they -were instantly dislodged, leaving Condeixa in flames. The allies then -communicated with Coimbra; a detachment of cavalry, returning from -their demonstration against that important city, were made prisoners, -and Trant and Wilson were directed to move along the right bank of the -Mondego, and prevent the enemy from sending detached parties across. -In the order which Massena issued for burning every town and village, -Coimbra had been particularly mentioned. - -On the 14th the French rear-guard were driven from a strong position -at Casal Nova, where they had encamped the preceding night. The whole -line of their retreat was full of advantageous positions, of which they -well knew how to avail themselves; but he who pursued them was also a -master in the art of war; and in his own retreat had acquired a perfect -knowledge of the ground. Their outposts were driven in: they were -dislodged by flank movements from the posts which they successively -took in the mountains, and were flung back with considerable loss upon -the main body at Miranda do Corvo, where it was well posted to receive -and support them. Here Regnier, with the second corps, effected his -junction, so that the whole French army was now assembled. General -Nightingale, who had pursued this column, rejoined the British army the -same day at Espinhal: and as it was now in the power of Lord Wellington -to turn their position, they abandoned it during the night. - -A thick fog on the following morning gave them time, and favoured their -movements. Some deserters came in, who said that they were destroying -carriages, baggage, and ammunition. About nine the day cleared up, -and the troops, renewing the pursuit, passed through the smoking -ruins of Miranda do Corvo. Hitherto they had only seen proofs of the -cruelty of the enemy along the road; they now began to see proofs of -his distress; for from this place the road was strewn with the wreck -of a retreating army, broken carriages, baggage, carcasses of men and -beasts, the wounded and the dying. Amid this general havoc, nothing was -more shocking than the number of horses, asses, and mules, which the -French, when their strength failed, had hamstrung, and left to suffer -a slow death. To have killed them at once would have been mercy, but -mercy was a virtue which this army seemed to have forsworn: it even -appeared, by the manner in which these poor creatures were grouped, -that Massena’s troops had made the cruelties which they inflicted a -matter of diversion to themselves! Every day the bodies of women were -seen whom they had murdered. In one place some friars were hanging, -impaled by the throat upon the sharpened branches of a tree. Everywhere -peasants were found in the most miserable condition; poor wretches who -had fallen into the hands of the French, and been tortured to make -them discover where supplies were hid, or made to serve as guides, and -when their knowledge of the way ended, shot, that they might give no -information to the pursuers. The indignation of our army was what it -ought to be; men and officers alike exclaimed against the atrocious -conduct of their detestable enemies. “This,” said Lord Wellington, “is -the mode in which the promises have been performed, and the assurances -fulfilled, which were held out in the proclamation of the French -commander-in-chief, when he told the inhabitants of Portugal, that he -was not come to make war upon them, but, with a powerful army of an -hundred and ten thousand men, to drive the English into the sea! It -is to be hoped that the example of what has occurred in this country -will teach the people of this and of other nations, what value they -ought to place on such promises and assurances; and that there is no -security for life, or for any thing that renders life valuable, except -in decided resistance to the enemy.” - -The retreating army had no provisions except what they plundered on -the spot, and could carry on their backs, and live cattle, with which -they were well provided. As far as Condeixa the allied troops had -been supplied by transport from Lisbon, to their own admiration, so -excellent had been the previous arrangement. But as they advanced, -they suffered more privations than the enemy whom they were driving -out of the country, for the French left the land as a desert behind -them, and the commissariat could not keep up with the rapidity of such -a pursuit. The dragoons always kept sight, of the enemy; they were -constantly mounted before daybreak, their horses were never unsaddled, -and were obliged to carry their own sustenance, which, it may be -supposed, was sufficiently scanty. In the midst of a country where the -people regarded them not merely as allies, but as friends, brothers, -and deliverers, that people had not even shelter to afford them, and -none of the troops had tents; those which they occupied in the lines -were left there. But they reaped an abundant reward in the success of -their general’s well-concerted and patient plan, in the anticipated -applause of their own countrymen, in the blessings of the Portugueze, -and in that feeling, ... of all others the happiest which can fall to -a soldier’s lot, ... that they were engaged in a good cause, and that -the wickedness of the enemy rendered it as much a moral as a military -duty to labour for his destruction. With these feelings they attacked -them wherever they were found. Massena had taken up a formidable -position on the Ceyra, which falls into the Mondego a few leagues above -Coimbra, and is one of the Portugueze rivers in whose bed gold has been -found; a whole corps was posted as an advanced guard in front of Foz -de Arouce, on the left side of the river. Here Lord Wellington again -moved his divisions upon their right and left, and attacked them in -front. In this affair the French sustained a considerable loss, which -was much increased by a well-managed movement of the English 95th. -That regiment observed a body of the enemy moving off in two parallel -columns. There was a woody cover between them, into which the 95th got, -the fog and the closing evening enabling them to do so unperceived; -from thence they fired on both sides, and retiring instantly that the -fire was returned, left the two columns of the French to keep up a -heavy fire upon each other as they passed the cover. The darkness of -the night increased their confusion: many were drowned in crossing the -river, ... a mountain stream swoln by the rains, ... and it is said -that one column blew up the bridge while the other was upon it. Much -baggage, and some ammunition carriages, here fell into the hands of the -pursuers. The light division got into the enemy’s bivouac, and found -not only some of their plunder there, but their dinners on the fires. A -heavy fog had delayed the movements of the army, and prevented a more -serious attack, from which much had been expected. - -♦MARCH 16.♦ - -Having blown up the bridge, the enemy’s rear-guard took a position -on the bank of the river, to watch the ford. The loss which they had -sustained on the preceding day was betrayed in part by the bodies which -they had thrown into the water to conceal it, but which were seen as -the stream bore them down. Lord Wellington was obliged to halt the -whole of the following day for supplies, the rains having rendered bad -roads almost impassable. Here, too, the ill news from Badajoz compelled -him to order toward that frontier a part of his army, which should -otherwise have continued in the pursuit. During the night, the French -moved off, and the pursuers forded the Ceyra on the 17th. On the 18th, -they advanced toward the Ponte de Murcella; the French, who, during the -whole of the retreat, made their marches by night, putting their troops -in motion a few hours after dusk, had retired over this bridge and -destroyed it, using the very mines which the British had constructed -for the same purpose, on their retreat in the preceding autumn. They -were now posted in force on the right of the Alva. Lord Wellington -turned their left by the Serra de Santa Quiteria, and manœuvred in -their front; this compelled them to retire upon Mouta. It was believed -that they had intended to remain some days in the position from which -they were thus driven, because many prisoners were taken who had been -sent out in foraging parties toward the Mondego, and ordered to return -to the Alva. During the night the staff corps constructed a bridge -which was ready at daybreak for the infantry. The cavalry passed at a -ford close by, and there was some difficulty in getting the artillery -across. On the 19th, they were assembled on the Serra de Mouta, the -enemy, as usual, having retired in the night. From this place they -continued their retreat with the utmost rapidity. Lord Wellington kept -up the pursuit with only the cavalry and the light division under Sir -William Erskine, supported by two divisions of infantry, and by the -militia on the right of the Mondego. The remainder of the army was -obliged to halt, till the supplies, which had been sent round from the -Tagus to the Mondego, should arrive; this was absolutely necessary, -for nothing could be found in the country. - -♦RESISTANCE MADE BY THE PEASANTRY.♦ - -The peasants did not everywhere abandon their villages to the spoilers; -in some places they found means to arm themselves, and their appearance -deterred the enemy from making their intended attack, the pursuers -being so near at hand; in others they entered the burning villages with -the foremost of the allied army in time to extinguish the flames. There -is a village called Avo, six-and-thirty miles from Coimbra, containing -about 130 houses. The ordenanza of that district were collected there; -they repelled a body of 500 French in five different attacks, and saved -the village. The little town of Manteigas was less fortunate. The -inhabitants of the adjoining country, confiding in the situation of a -place which was, as they hoped, concealed in the heart of the Serra de -Estrella, had brought their women and children thither, and their most -valuable effects; but it was discovered, and in spite of a desperate -defence, the town was stormed, by a force as superior in number as in -arms. The officers carried off the handsomest women; the rest were -given up to the mercy of men as brutal as their leaders. But everywhere -the naked bodies of the straggling and wounded, which the English found -upon the way, showed well what vengeance these most injured people had -taken upon their unprovoked and inhuman enemies. In one place a party -of them were surprised in a church digging the dead out of their graves -in search of plunder. - -As the French drew nearer the frontier, their foraging parties assumed -more confidence, and at the same time their wants becoming more -urgent, made them more daring. They passed the fords of the Mondego -near Fornos, in considerable numbers, to seek supplies in a country -as yet unravaged; but they were attacked by Wilson, who pursued them -across the river and captured a great number of beasts of burthen, -laden with plunder of every description, which they abandoned in their -flight. He took several prisoners also, and in consequence of the loss -which they had thus sustained a strong division was detached against -him, which took a position on the left bank of the river, so as to -cover the flank of the retiring columns from any further operations of -this militia force, till they had passed Celorico. Lord Wellington, -for want of supplies, was not able to proceed till the 26th, when he -advanced to Gouvea, halted, again the next day, and on the following -reached Celorico. The French were then at Guarda, which they occupied -in strength, and where they apparently intended to maintain themselves. -Between Celorico and that city, the inhabitants of a village, men and -women alike, were found dead or dying in the street, their ears and -noses cut off, and otherwise mangled in a manner not to be described. -The horror and indignation of the allies were raised to the highest -pitch by this dreadful sight; and the advanced guard coming up with -some hundreds of the guilty troops, whose retreat had been impeded by -the premature destruction of a bridge, gave them as little quarter as -they deserved. But as the enemy only passed through this part of the -country, it had not suffered so much as those places where they had -been stationary, and consequently had had leisure to prepare[19] for -the work of barbarous devastation which their Generals had determined -upon committing. Not having time now to destroy every thing before -them, they burnt only the principal houses: poorer habitations -escaped; and the peasants who had fled before the retreating army to -the mountains no sooner saw the allies come up, than they returned to -their dwellings, baked bread for their deliverers from the corn which -they had concealed, and did every thing in their power to assist them. - -♦GUARDA.♦ - -Guarda stands upon a plain of the Serra de Estrella (the Mons Herminius -of the Romans) near the sources of the Zezere and the Mondego, and near -the highest part of that lofty range; its site is said to be higher -than that of any other city in Europe; the ascent to it continues -nearly four miles, by a road wide enough for two carts abreast, winding -in numberless sinuations along the edge of a deep precipice, the sides -of which are overspread with trees. The city indeed owes its origin to -this commanding situation, having grown round a watch tower (called -in those days _guarda_) which Sancho the First erected there in the -first age of the monarchy. Lord Wellington collected his army in the -neighbourhood and in the front of Celorico, with a view to dislodge -the enemy from this advantageous post. The following day he moved -forward in five columns, supported by a division in the valley of the -Mondego; the militia under Trant and Wilson covering the movement at -Alverca against any attempt which might have been made against it on -that side. So well were the movements concerted, that the heads of the -different columns made their appearance on the heights almost at the -same moment; upon which the enemy, without firing a shot, retired upon -Sabugal on the Upper Coa; for although Dumouriez, with his superficial -knowledge of the country, had spoken of Guarda as the key of Portugal, -and upon that authority it has been described as one of the finest -military positions in the kingdom, the French Generals perceived that -its apparent strength only rendered it more treacherous, and were too -prudent to attempt making a stand there, against one whom they now -could not but in their hearts acknowledge to be at least their equal in -the art of war. Their retreat was so rapid that they had not time to -execute the mischief which they intended; our troops entered in time to -save the Cathedral, the door of which was on fire: the wood of its fine -organ had been taken by the enemy for fuel, and the pipes for bullets. -They took a strong position, their right at Ruvina guarding the ford -of Rapoula de Coa, with a detachment at the bridge of Ferreiros; their -left was at Sabugal, and their 8th corps at Alfayates. The right of -the allied army was opposite Sabugal, their left at the bridge of -Ferreiros, and Trant and Wilson were sent across the Coa below Almeida, -to threaten the communication of that place with Ciudad Rodrigo and -with the enemy’s army. - -♦THE COA.♦ - -The river Coa rises in the Sierra de Xalma, which forms a part of the -great Sierra de Gata; and entering Portugal by Folgozinho, falls into -the Douro near Villa Nova de Foscoa. The whole of its course is through -one of the most picturesque countries in Europe, and it is everywhere -difficult of access. ♦SABUGAL.♦ Sabugal stands on the right bank. This -town was founded about the year 1220, by Alonso X. of Leon, who named -it from the number of elder-trees (_sabugos_) growing about it: the -place is now remarkable for some of the largest chesnut-trees that -are anywhere to be seen. It was afterwards annexed to the Portugueze -dominions, and its old castle still remains a monument of king Diniz, -whose magnificent works are found over the ♦APRIL.♦ whole kingdom. -The enemy’s second corps were strongly posted with their right upon a -height immediately above the bridge and town, and their left extending -along the road to Alfayates, to a height which commanded all the -approaches to Sabugal from the fords above the town. They communicated -by Rendo with the sixth corps at Ruvina. It was only on the left above -Sabugal that they could be approached; our troops, therefore, were put -in motion on the morning ♦ACTION BEFORE SABUGAL.♦ of the 3rd of April, -to turn them in this direction, and to force the passage of the bridge -of Sabugal. The light division and the cavalry, under Sir W. Erskine -and Major-General Slade, were to cross the Coa by two separate fords -upon the right, the cavalry upon the right of the light division; the -third division, under Major-General Picton, at a ford on the left about -a mile above Sabugal; the fifth division, under Major-General Dunlop, -and the artillery at the bridge. The sixth division remained opposite -the enemy’s corps at Ruvina, and a battalion of the seventh observed -their detachment at the bridge of Ferreiros. Colonel Beckwith’s brigade -of the light division was the first that crossed, with two squadrons of -cavalry upon its right; the riflemen skirmished; the enemy’s picquets -fell back from the river as they advanced: they forded, gained the -opposite height, formed as the companies arrived, and moved forward -under a heavy fire. At this time so thick a rain came on, that it was -impossible to see any thing before them, and the troops pushing forward -in pursuit of the picquets, came upon the left of the main body, -which it was intended they should turn. The light troops were driven -back upon the 43rd regiment; and Regnier, who commanded the French, -perceiving, as soon as the atmosphere cleared, that the body which had -advanced was not strong, attacked it in solid column, supported by -artillery and horse. The allies repulsed it, and advanced in pursuit -upon the position. They found a strong enclosure in the front lined -with a battalion; and the enemy forming fresh and stronger bodies, -attacked them with the hussars on the right, and a fresh column on -the left. Our troops retired, took post behind a wall, formed again -under a heavy fire of grape, canister, and musketry, again repulsed -the enemy, again advanced against them, and took from them a howitzer -posted in the rear of the French battalion, which was formed under -cover of that in the stone enclosure: this gun had greatly annoyed the -allies. They had advanced with such impetuosity that their front was -somewhat scattered; a fresh column with cavalry attacked them; they -retired again to their post, where the battalions of the 52nd and the -1st Caçadores joined them: these troops once more repulsed the enemy, -and Colonel Beckwith’s brigade, with the first battalion of the 52nd, -again advanced upon them. Another column of the French, with cavalry, -charged their right: but they took post in the stone enclosure on the -top of the height, from whence they could protect the howitzer which -had been won, and they again drove back the enemy. Regnier had moved a -column on their left to renew the attack, when part of General Picton’s -division came up; the head of General Dunlop’s column forced the bridge -at the same time, and ascended the heights on the right flank; the -cavalry appeared on the high ground in rear of their left, and Regnier -then retreated across the hills towards Rendo, leaving the howitzer -in the hands of those by whom it had been so gallantly won; about -200 were left on the field, with six officers and 300 prisoners. Our -loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners, amounted to 161. What that of -the French was in wounded is not known. They retired in the greatest -disorder, cavalry, artillery, infantry, and baggage, all mixed. A -fog favoured them, otherwise a good account would have been given of -half their corps. Lord Wellington described this action, though the -unavoidable accidents of weather had materially interfered with the -operations, and impeded their success, as one of the most glorious that -British troops were ever engaged in. - -Regnier joined the sixth corps at Rendo; for it had broken up from -its position at Ruvina as soon as the firing began; they retreated -to Alfayates, followed by our cavalry; that night they continued -their retreat, and entered the Spanish frontier on the fourth. On the -following day the advance of the allied army pushed on, and occupied -Albergaria, the first village on the Spanish border. An inhabited -village was what they had not seen before since their retreat in the -autumn, those excepted which were within the lines of Torres Vedras. -The villages in Spain had not been injured; it seemed as if the French -wished to make the Spaniards on this frontier compare their own -condition with that of the Portugueze, that they might become contented -with subjection. Massena’s soldiers even paid here for bread; and -arriving not only hungry, but with a longing desire for that which is -to them the most necessary article of food, they paid any price for it: -the peasants seeing that they were rich in plunder, and finding them in -the paying mood, made their charges accordingly. This sudden transition -from a devastated country to one which had been exempted from the -ravages of war, where the villages were clean, and the cottages -reminded Englishmen of those in their own land, was not less striking -than was the passing at once from a wild mountainous region to a fine -and well-wooded plain. - -Some hope was entertained that the appearance of Trant and Wilson’s -force before Almeida might make the French apprehend a serious attack, -and induce them to evacuate it. But throughout the war they never -committed any error of this kind. It rarely happened in their service -that any person was appointed to a situation for which he was not well -qualified; and the commander of this fortress, General Brenier, was a -man of more than common qualifications. The Coa, after these divisions -crossed it at Cinco Villas, rose; and the governor concerted with -General Regnier an attack upon them, which, their retreat being thus -cut off, must have ended in their destruction, if Lord Wellington, -apprehending the danger, had not pushed forward a small corps, which -arrived just in time to divert the enemy’s attention, and save them. On -the eighth the last of Massena’s army crossed the Agueda, not a ♦THE -FRENCH CROSS THE FRONTIER.♦ Frenchman remaining in Portugal, except -the garrison of Almeida, which Lord Wellington immediately prepared -to blockade. The allies took up that position upon the Duas Casas, -which General Craufurd had occupied with the advanced guard during -the latter part of the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, having their advanced -posts upon Galegos and the Agueda. Thus terminated the invasion of -Portugal, in which Massena, with 110,000 men, had boasted that he would -drive the English into the sea. A general of the highest reputation, -and of abilities no ways inferior to his celebrity, at the head of the -largest force which France could send against that country, was thus -in all his plans baffled by a British general, and in every engagement -beaten by British troops. An enemy the most presumptuous and insolent -that ever disgraced the profession of arms, the most cruel that ever -outraged human nature, had been humbled and exposed in the face of -Europe; ... it was in vain for the French Government to call their -retreat a change of position, ... however they might disguise and -misrepresent the transactions in Portugal, however they might claim -victories where they had sustained defeats, the map discovered here -their undeniable discomfiture; and the smallest kingdom in Europe, a -kingdom too which long misgovernment had reduced to the most deplorable -state of disorganization, had, by the help of England and the spirit of -its inhabitants, defied and defeated that tyrant before whom the whole -continent was humbled. Russia had been so foiled in arms and dressed in -negociation so as to become the ally of France, to co-operate in her -barbarous warfare against commerce, and to recognise her extravagant -usurpations. Prussia had been beaten and reduced to vassalage. Austria -was still farther degraded by being compelled to give a daughter of -its emperor in marriage to one whose crimes that emperor himself had -proclaimed to the world. Poles and Italians, Dutch and Germans, from -every part of divided and subjected Germany, filled up the armies -of this barbarian; and the Portugueze, ... the poor, degraded, and -despised Portugueze, ... the vilified, the injured, the insulted -Portugueze, ... were the first people who drove this formidable enemy -out of their country, and delivered themselves from the yoke. - -♦MARCH 18. - -OPINIONS OF THE WHIGS AT THIS TIME.♦ - -While Massena was retreating, and before the intelligence arrived in -England, a debate took place in both houses, upon a motion, that two -millions should be granted for the Portugueze troops in British pay. -The opposition did not let pass this opportunity of repeating their -opinions and their ♦MR. PONSONBY.♦ prophecies, ... in happy hour! -Mr. Ponsonby said, that our success consisted in having lost almost -the whole of Portugal, and having our army hemmed in between Lisbon -and Cartaxo; except that intermediate space, we had abandoned all -Portugal. ♦MR. FREEMANTLE.♦ Mr. Freemantle, after a panegyric upon -Sir John Moore’s retreat, said that the present campaign left Lord -Wellington incapable of quitting his intrenchments, and only waiting -the result of such movements as the enemy might be disposed to make. -“It rests with the enemy,” said he, “to choose his day, to make his -own dispositions, to wait for his reinforcements, to choose whether -he will continue to blockade you, or whether he will give you a fair -opportunity of contending with him in the field. If we are to judge -by the publications in France, he will decide upon the former; and -in this he will judge wisely. The result of all your victories, of -all your expenditure in men and money, of all your exertions, and of -all your waste of the military resources of this country, is ... the -position of your army at Lisbon, insulated and incapable of acting, but -at the discretion of the enemy: your allies in every other part of the -peninsula overwhelmed, and only manifesting partial and unavailable -hostility; your own resources exhausted, and your hopes of ultimate -success, to every mind which is not blinded by enthusiasm, completely -annihilated! Such is the result of a system founded upon the principle -of attempting to subdue Buonaparte by the force of your armies on the -continent! Will any man say that this has been a wise system? Will any -man, who is not determined, under any circumstances, to support the -measures of a weak and misguided government, contend that it has been -successful? that it has answered either the promises to your allies, -or the hopes to your country? that it has either contributed to their -security, or to your own benefit?” - -♦GENERAL TARLETON.♦ - -General Tarleton also delivered it as his opinion, that we had lost the -whole of the peninsula, except the spot between Cartaxo and Lisbon; -that the Portugueze troops had never been of any actual service; that -we could not maintain ourselves in the country, for the fatal truth -must at length be told; and that when our army was to get out of it, he -was afraid it would be ♦LORD GRENVILLE.♦ found a difficult matter. Lord -Grenville, in the Upper House, spoke to the same purport, affirming -that the British army in Portugal did not possess more of the country -than the ground which it actually occupied, and that while we were -vainly draining our own resources, and hazarding our best means, we did -not essentially contribute to help Portugal, or to save it. It was, he -added, because he had the cause of Spain and Portugal sincerely and -warmly at heart, that he felt anxious we should pause in this wild and -mad career of thoughtless prodigality, look our own situation in the -face, and learn the necessity of economising our resources, that we -might be able, at a period more favourable than the present, to lend -to the cause of the nations of the Peninsula, or to that of any other -country similarly situated, that support and those exertions which, -when made under all the circumstances of our present situation, must be -found not only wholly unavailing to our allies, but highly injurious to -ourselves. - -Two days after these opinions were delivered, the telegraph announced -the news of Massena’s retreat. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI. - -CADIZ. BATTLE OF BARROSA. DEATH OF ALBURQUERQUE. - - -♦1811.♦ - -About the same time that the tide had thus turned in Portugal, came -tidings of a victory in Spain, which, if it led to no other result, -tended to raise the character of the British army, and the spirits of -the nation. When Soult marched against Badajoz, hoping to co-operate -with Massena in the conquest of Portugal, he made ♦EXPEDITION FROM -CADIZ.♦ such large drafts from the army before Cadiz, that it was -thought possible, by a well-concerted attack, to raise the blockade. -The plan was, that an expedition should sail from Cadiz, and force a -landing between Cape Trafalgar and Cape de Plata, or at Tarifa, or at -Algeciras. The Spanish force at St. Roques was then to join, and a -combined attack to be made upon the rear of the enemy’s line; while, -in the meantime, an attempt should be made from the Isle of Leon to -open a communication with them. D. Manuel de Lapeña was appointed -to the command. He had conducted the wreck of the central army -during the latter part of its retreat, under circumstances in which -no military skill could be displayed, but in which his patriotism -and ♦LIEUTENANT-GENERAL GRAHAM.♦ moderation had been fully proved. -Lieutenant-General Graham, who commanded the British troops at Cadiz, -consented to act under him. This officer was now in his sixty-first -year. The former part of his life he had passed in the enjoyments of -domestic comfort, amusing himself with rural sports, with improving his -estates, and with literature: after eighteen years of happiness his -wife died on the way to the south of France, and Mr. Graham, seeking -for relief in change of place, and in active occupations, joined Lord -Hood as a volunteer when Toulon was taken possession of in 1793. Here -he distinguished himself greatly, and on his return to England obtained -permission to raise a regiment, but not without great difficulty and -express discouragement from the commander-in-chief. He was at Mantua -with Wurmser in 1796, and escaped by cutting his way through the -besiegers in a night sortie: and he bore a distinguished part at Malta -when Sir Alexander Ball, under circumstances the most painful, and with -means the most inadequate, by his wisdom and perseverance recovered -that island from the enemy. Nevertheless the time of life at which -he had entered the army, and the manner, impeded his promotion; and -he would probably never have risen in rank if General Moore had not -experienced great assistance from him in his retreat, and at the battle -of Coruña, and sent home so strong a recommendation that it could not -be neglected. - -♦APPREHENSIONS OF THE ENEMY.♦ - -The expedition, though upon no extensive scale, was yet a great -exertion for a government so poor in means as the Regency, so feeble, -and with all its branches so miserably disorganised. The bustle in the -roads was visible from the enemy’s lines, as well as from the city; -in Cadiz the highest hopes were excited, and Marshal Victor felt no -little degree of alarm. He thought that when Soult had so considerably -weakened the blockading force, he ought to have placed Sebastiani’s -army at his disposal, in case of need: this had not been done, and -Victor, seeing the naval preparations, sent to that general, entreating -him to manœuvre so as to alarm the allies upon their landing, and -to endanger them; but his entreaties were of no effect, and Victor -complained in his public dispatches, that this corps, though numerous, -in good condition, and at leisure, had not given him the least -assistance. - -♦FEBRUARY. - -THE TROOPS LAND AT ALGECIRAS.♦ - -During the latter days of January and great part of the following -month, heavy rains delayed the expedition, and rendered all the roads -impracticable by which the allies could have approached the enemy. On -the 20th of February, the troops were embarked, waiting a favourable -opportunity to proceed into the Straits: General Graham had about 4000 -British and Portugueze, the Spaniards were 7000. The British got to -sea the next day, and not being able to effect a landing near Cape -Trafalgar, nor at Tarifa, disembarked at Algeciras, from whence they -marched to Tarifa. The roads between the two towns were impassable for -carriages, and therefore the artillery, provisions, and stores, were -conveyed in boats, by indefatigable exertions of the seamen, against -every disadvantage of wind and weather. The Spanish transports were -thrice driven back, but reached Tarifa on the evening of the 27th, and -the next day they began their ♦THEY PASS THE PUERTO DE FACINAS.♦ march -to the Puerto de Facinas, a pass in that chain of mountains which, -bounding the plain of Gibraltar on the west, runs to the sea from the -Sierras of Ronda. To this point the road was practicable for carriages, -some days’ labour having been employed in making it so: from thence -it descends to those spacious plains which extend from the skirts of -the chain to Medina Sidonia, Chiclana, and the river Santi Petri: and -the roads below were in a dreadful state, the country being marshy, -intersected with a labyrinth of streams; one of which, the Barbate, -which receives the waters of the Lake of Janda, is a considerable -river. At Veger, about half way between Tarifa and the Isle of Leon, -the French had three companies of infantry and 180 horse. They had also -a small fort with two pieces of cannon at Casas Viejas, on the road to -Medina. These points it was hoped to surprise, and the troops therefore -encamped on the side of the mountain, taking every precaution to -conceal their movements from the enemy. - -♦LAPEÑA’S PROCLAMATION.♦ - -Lapeña, when the troops commenced their march, addressed a proclamation -to them, which at once disclosed the extent of his object, and the -confidence with which he expected to realize it. “Soldiers of the -fourth army,” said he, “the moment for which you have a whole year -been longing is at length arrived: a second time Andalusia is about -to owe to you her liberty, and the laurels of Mengibar and Baylen -will revive upon your brows. You have to combat in sight of the whole -nation assembled in its Cortes; the Government will see your deeds; the -inhabitants of Cadiz, who have made so many sacrifices for you, will -be eye-witnesses of your heroism; they will lift up their voices in -blessings and in acclamations of praise, which you will hear amid the -roar of musketry and cannon. Let us go then to conquer! my cares are -directed to this end; implicit obedience, firmness, and discipline, -must conduct you to it: if these are wanting, in vain will you seek -for fortune! and woe to him who forgets or abandons them: he shall die -without remission! The gold, whose weight makes cowards of those who -have plundered it from us, the bounties which a generous Government -will bestow, and the endless blessings of those who will call you their -deliverers, ... behold in these your reward!” At Facinas the operations -were to commence; here, therefore, the order of march was arranged, and -the troops formed into three divisions, the van being under General D. -Jose Lardizabal, the centre under Camp-Marshal the Prince of Anglona, -and the reserve under General Graham. - -♦ADVANCE AGAINST VEGER.♦ - -At night-fall on the first of March, a detachment under Colonel D. -José Aymerich with two four-pounders, began its march to surprise -Veger. A squadron accompanied it under the first adjutant of the staff, -Major-General Wall, as far as the Fuente del Hierro, where these -two parties separated, Aymerich taking the direct line for Veger, -Wall going to the right across the lake of La Janda and the river -Barbate, to cut off the retreat of the enemy by the roads to Medina -and Chiclana. It was hardly probable that he should succeed in this -attempt, for the way was not only circuitous and full of difficulties, -but there was also another road, that of Conil, by which they might -make their retreat, and which lay so wide of the others, that it -could not be occupied: Wall’s movement, however, covered Aymerich’s, -and facilitated his operations. The Barbate is navigable as far as -Veger bridge, where it touches the foot of the high hill upon which -Veger stands. At this bridge Aymerich arrived in the morning; it was -fortified, and the French, under every advantage of situation, were -preparing to defend it, when Wall’s cavalry appeared on the other side; -upon this they retired by the Conil road fast enough to effect their -retreat. Three of their gun-boats and three pieces of cannon were taken -here; the enemy suffered no other loss, but the chief object in view -was accomplished, for the possession of this post secured the flank of -the allies. - -Meantime the main body advanced against Casas Viejas: the distance -being twelve miles, Lapeña supposed, from the information of his -guides, that he should arrive some hours before daybreak. But there -were so many streams to cross, and so many intervening marshes, -that notwithstanding the hard labour of the pioneers, and the utmost -exertions of the artillery officers, these twelve miles were a -journey of twelve painful hours, so that he did not arrive in time to -reconnoitre the fort before it was broad day. The enemy having fired -a few shot, took post upon a hill behind the fort, on the Medina -road. The German hussars in the British service, and the Spanish -carbineers under General Whittingham, were ordered to wheel round upon -the enemy’s right, and surround them in that direction, while Baron -♦MARCH.♦ Carondelet, with another squadron of cavalry, forded the -Barbate, and crossing a flooded marsh, where the water was up to their -saddle-girths, advanced to charge them. Two battalions of infantry, the -one Spanish, the other English, crossed at the same time to support -him; and the enemy presently gave way, leaving about thirty killed and -wounded, thirty-three prisoners, two pieces of cannon, and all their -stores. - -♦JUNCTION OF THE TROOPS FROM ST. ROQUES.♦ - -The troops from St. Roques joined this day, marching by way of Las -Casas de Castaño, and leaving a small detachment in Alcala de los -Gazules. This division, consisting of 1600 men, was added to the -centre, whose force now amounted to 6000; that of the vanguard was -2100, that of the rear 3100, 4300 being British and Portugueze, the -rest Spaniards. The cavalry were in a separate body under Whittingham. -The whole force, when thus united, consisted of 11,200 foot, 800 -horse[20]. They had twenty-four pieces of cannon. Lapeña’s plan was now -to march by Veger, upon the Santi Petri, and attack the intrenchments -there which formed the left of the enemy’s lines. Thus the pass of the -river would be laid open, and a communication established with the -Isle of Leon, from whence the army might receive provisions, which it -now began to want, and might be reinforced with artillery, foot, and -horse: thus too they might combine their operations with those which -would be made from the Spanish line of defence, and from the bay, in -such manner, that while the success appeared almost certain, the risk, -even in case of defeat, would be avoided, which must be incurred upon -any other plan from the nature of the ground and the want of stores. -Victor did not suspect that any difficulties upon this head could -influence the movements of the allies, and he seems to have expected -that his position would be attacked in a more vital part. He reinforced -with a battalion of voltigeurs General Cassagne, who occupied Medina -Sidonia with three battalions and a regiment of chasseurs; and he took -a position himself with ten battalions at the Cortijo de Guerra, the -intermediate point between Medina and Chiclana, from whence he could -bear upon the allies in case they should advance upon either. General -Lapeña, however, had no thought of moving upon Medina: “it was strong -by nature,” he said, “fortified with seven pieces of cannon, besides -some in its castle, and distant only two leagues from the Cortijo.” - -♦THE FRENCH ATTACK ZAYAS, AND ARE REPULSED.♦ - -Camp-Marshal D. Jose de Zayas, who commanded in the Isle of Leon, -meantime had well performed his part of the concerted operations. He -pushed a body of troops over the Santi Petri, near the coast, on the -first, threw a pontoon bridge across, and formed a tete-du-pont the -following evening. The French General Villatte was immediately ordered -to attack this point during the night, and, in French customary phrase, -to drive the Spaniards into the sea. About midnight the enemy made -their attack with three regiments, and by dint of superior numbers -forced their way into the works at various points. Zayas speedily -reinforced the post, and drove them out with the bayonet: it was wholly -an affair of the bayonet, for the troops were too much intermingled -to permit of firing. Some of the French had reached the middle of -the bridge, others crossed it, probably as the best means of saving -themselves when they found that they had pushed on too far; they fell -in with the Spaniards who were hastening to assist their comrades, and -in this manner effected their escape. - -♦PASSAGE OF THE LAKE OF JUNDA.♦ - -Having failed in this attempt, Victor marched towards Chiclana, and -ordered Cassagne to join him from the Cortijo, rightly concluding that -Lapeña meant to attack the French lines at Santi Petri, which, should -he succeed, would enable him to receive reinforcements from the Isle, -and then he would march upon Chiclana. The Spanish general thought to -deceive him into a belief that the attack would be made by Medina, and -for this purpose left a party at Casas Viejas to mount guard, and keep -up fires, as if the whole force was there, while on the third they -proceeded to Veger. An excess of caution seems to have been Lapeña’s -failing; lest the enemy from Medina, which was about ten miles from the -beaten road, should think of attacking him upon his march, he chose a -by-road on the left of the Barbate, unfrequented, because there is the -lake of Junda to be crossed on the way. This lake is a considerable -piece of water, between the two roads from Tarifa to Medina Sidonia and -to Chiclana. The bottom consists of mud; but to render it fordable, a -stone causeway had been built, rather under than in the water, about -six feet wide, and some 500 yards in length, bushes and poles being -fixed at intervals to mark its edge, and prevent the traveller from -stepping into the mud. At this time the water upon the causeway was -in some places more than mid-deep. The Spaniards were some hours in -passing, Lapeña exhorting them from his horse; and many of the officers -made the men carry them across, while our officers were encouraging -their soldiers by example, and General Graham was in the water on foot. -On the evening of the 4th, they advanced from Veger, by way of Conil, -towards Santi Petri. This place Lapeña hoped to reach by daybreak; -but upon entering a wood about ten miles from the village, and about -as much in extent, his advanced guard was suddenly attacked by some -cavalry who sallied from the cover. The enemy were repelled, but the -column halted while the wood was explored; and this, with the doubt and -hesitation of the guides, heightened by the fears and feelings which -night excited, and the local circumstances of a country where carriages -seldom or never passed, caused a delay of two hours, so that they did -not get out of the wood till it was broad day; and the hope which -Lapeña had with little reason indulged, of surprising his vigilant -enemy, was destroyed. The three divisions therefore advanced in as many -columns; their movements could not possibly be concealed; the enemy did -not appear to molest them, but an officer of the French staff was seen -singly reconnoitring them. The operation was to commence from a height -called the Cabeza del Puerco: they halted here to refresh themselves, -and Lapeña harangued the van which was destined to make the attack. - -♦POSITION OF THE ENEMY.♦ - -The lines which were to be attacked formed the left of the French -works. They were supported by the sea on one side, on the other -by the channel of Alcornocal, and the fortified mill of Almansa. -Villatte had about 4000 men to defend this position, but his force -had been considerably weakened in his unsuccessful attempt upon the -tete-du-pont. He had, however, very considerable advantage in the -nature of the broken ground, a thick wood through which the assailant -must advance, and the perfect knowledge, which, in the course of -twelve months’ undisturbed possession, he had acquired of every path -and every inequality of surface. This wood so covered the enemy, that -only four of their battalions in the first line were visible; they had -their right supported by the Torre Bermeja, and three guns in their -centre. Lardizabal, reinforced by part of the second division, advanced -to attack them: the remainder of the troops held a position upon the -Cabeza del Puerco, or hill of Barrosa, the cavalry being in advance -upon the right. - -♦COMMUNICATION WITH THE ISLE OF LEON.♦ - -Villatte anticipated their movements, and fell upon both flanks of -Lardizabal’s advance at the same time; at first he had the advantage, -... but the regiment of Murcia, under its Colonel D. Juan Maria Muñoz, -checked his progress, Lardizabal with a battalion of the Canaries -attacked his right, and the Spanish guards, and the regiment of Africa, -under Brigadier D. Raymundo Ferrer, and Colonel D. Tomas Retortillo, -charged with the bayonet. The enemy were routed, and the communication -with the Isle of Leon was thus opened by this well-conducted and -successful attack. Two battalions of the French escaped and carried -off their field-pieces, the nature of the ground saving them. Lapeña’s -first object was thus accomplished, and in order to maintain the -important position that he had gained, which had in its front a thick -pine forest, extending to Chiclana, and which he apprehended the enemy -would use their utmost efforts to recover, he directed, in concert -with General Graham, that the British troops should move down from -Barrosa towards the Torre de Bermeja, leaving some Spanish regiments -under Brigadier Begines upon the heights. The position which it was -intended to occupy is formed by a narrow woody ridge, the right on -the sea cliff, the left falling down to the creek of Almansa on the -edge of a marsh. From the position of Barrosa to that of Bermeja, the -communication is easy, along a hard sandy beach upon the west. General -Graham’s division had halted on the eastern slope; his road therefore -lay through the wood, and having sent cavalry patroles toward Chiclana, -who saw nothing of the enemy, he began his march about noon. - -General Lacy, the chief of the Spanish staff, was sent forward by -Lapeña to maintain the heights of Bermeja; here it was that the danger -was apprehended; and the firing had recommenced in that direction. -The nature of the ground was such, that what was passing at Barrosa -could not be seen at Bermeja; perhaps there was a deficiency in those -arrangements, by which, in a well-organized army, information of what -is passing in one part is rapidly conveyed to another; and there was -certainly the want of a good intelligence between General Graham and -the Spanish commander under whom he had consented to act. The British -troops had proceeded about half way, and were in the middle of the -wood, when they were informed that the enemy was appearing in force -upon the plain, and advancing towards the heights of Barrosa. That -position General Graham considered as the key to that of Santi Petri, -and immediately countermarched in order to support the troops who had -been left for its defence. - -♦HEIGHTS OF BARROSA.♦ - -The heights of Barrosa extend to the shore on one side, and slope down -to the plain on the other towards a lake called the Laguna del Puerco: -the ridge itself was called Cabeza del Puerco by the Spaniards, but -it will retain the better name which was this day acquired for it. -Victor with 8000 men advanced against this point. The troops which -had been left there were the regiments of Siguenza and Cantabria, -a battalion of Ciudad Real, another of the Walloon guards, and a -battalion of the King’s German legion. Ignorant of Graham’s movements, -and knowing themselves unable to maintain the post against such very -superior numbers, they thought it best to form a junction with the -British, whose rear they should by this means cover, and be themselves -covered on the way by the pine forest through which they were to -pass. Accordingly they made this movement with perfect coolness and -in perfect order, General Whittingham covering one flank, Brigadier -D. Juan de la Cruz Mourgeon the other; for on both sides the enemy -endeavoured to envelope them. - -♦GENERAL GRAHAM MARCHES BACK TO THE HEIGHTS.♦ - -Graham, meantime, was marching rapidly back, but at a distance from -the shore; whereas these troops kept near it, apparently to lessen the -danger of being turned on that side by the enemy’s light infantry. -In such intricate and difficult circumstances it was impossible to -preserve order in the columns; and before the troops were quite -disentangled from the wood, they saw that the detachment which they -were hastening to support had left the heights; that the left wing of -the French were rapidly ascending there, and their right stood upon the -plain, on the edge of the wood within cannon shot. General Graham’s -object in countermarching had been to support the troops in maintaining -the heights; “but a retreat,” he says, “in the face of such an enemy -(already within reach of the easy communication by the sea beach) must -have involved the whole allied army in all the danger of being attacked -during the unavoidable confusion of the different corps arriving on the -narrow ridge of Bermeja nearly at the same time.” Trusting, therefore, -to the courage of his men, and regardless of the numbers and position -of the enemy, he resolved immediately to attack them. - -♦BATTLE OF BARROSA.♦ - -Marshal Victor commanded the French; General Ruffin, whose name was -well known in the history of this wicked war, commanded the left upon -the hill; General Leval the right. Graham formed his troops as rapidly -as the circumstances required; there was no time to restore order in -his columns, which had unavoidably been broken in marching through -the wood. The brigade of guards, Lieutenant-Colonel Browne’s flank -battalion of the 28th, Lieutenant-Colonel Norcott’s two companies -of the 2nd rifle corps, and Major Acheson, with a part of the 57th -(separated from the regiment in the wood), formed on the right -under Brigadier-General Dilkes. Colonel Wheatley’s brigade, with -three companies of the Coldstream guards, under Lieutenant-Colonel -Jackson, (separated likewise from his battalion in the wood,) and -Lieutenant-Colonel Barnard’s flank battalion, formed on the left; Major -Duncan, opening a powerful battery of ten guns in the centre, protected -the formation of the infantry; and as soon as they were thus hastily -got together, the guns were advanced to a more favourable position, and -kept up a most destructive fire. - -Leval’s division, notwithstanding the havoc which this battery made, -continued to advance in imposing masses, opening its fire of musketry. -The British left wing advanced against it, firing. The three companies -of guards, and the 87th, supported by the remainder of the wing, -charged them with right British bravery; Colonel Bilson with the -28th, and Lieutenant-Colonel Prevost with part of the 67th, zealously -supported their attack, which was decisive in this part of the field. -An eagle, the first which the British had won, was taken. It belonged -to the 8th regiment of light infantry, and bore a gold collar round -its neck, because that regiment had so distinguished itself as to have -received the thanks of Buonaparte in person. The enemy were closely -pursued across a narrow valley, and a reserve, which they had formed -beyond it, was charged in like manner, and in like manner put to the -rout. General Dilkes was equally successful on his side. Ruffin, -confident in his numbers and in his position, met him on the ascent. -A bloody contest ensued, but of no long duration, for the best troops -of France have never been able to stand against the British bayonet. -Ruffin was wounded and taken, and the enemy driven from the heights in -confusion. In less than an hour and a half they were in full retreat, -and in that short time more than 4000 men had fallen, ... for the -British loss in killed and wounded amounted to 1243; not a single -British soldier was taken. The French loss was more than 3000. General -Bellegrade was killed, General Rousseau mortally wounded and taken; the -prisoners were only 440, because there was no pursuit. - -The 20th Portugueze regiment fought side by side with the British -in this memorable action. One squadron of the German Legion, which -had been attached to the Spanish cavalry, joined in time to make a -successful charge against a squadron of French dragoons, which it -completely routed. General Whittingham, with the rest of the cavalry, -was engaged, meantime, in checking a corps of horse and foot who were -attempting to win the height by the coast. The Walloon guards, and the -battalion of Ciudad Real, which had been attached to Graham’s division, -and had been left on the height, made the greatest exertions to rejoin -him; but it was not possible for them to arrive before the victory was -decided, and the troops were too much exhausted to think of pursuing -their advantage. They had been marching for twenty hours before the -battle. - -The distance from Barrosa to Bermeja is about three miles; Lapeña could -not see what was passing at the great scene of action, and an attack -was made at the same time upon Bermeja by Villatte, who had received -reinforcements from Chiclana: the enemy were vigorously resisted -there, and were called off by Victor in consequence of his defeat. -When the Spanish general was informed of Graham’s brilliant action, he -entertained great hopes of succeeding in the farther movement which -had been intended. In the dispatch which he sent that night to Cadiz, -“The allied army,” he said, “had obtained a victory so much the more -satisfactory as circumstances rendered it more difficult; but the -valour of the British and Spanish troops, the military skill and genius -of General Graham, and the gallantry of the commandant-general of the -vanguard, D. Jose Lardizabal, had overcome all obstacles. I remain,” he -continued, “master of the enemy’s position, which is so important to me -for my subsequent operations.” - -♦DIVERSION ON THE COAST.♦ - -But no attempt was made to profit by the bloody victory which had -been gained. General Graham remained some hours upon the heights -which he had won, and as no supplies came to him, the commissariat -mules having been dispersed at the beginning of the action, he left a -small detachment there, and then withdrew his troops, and early the -next morning crossed the Santi Petri. While he was on his march, two -landings were effected by way of diversion, between Rota and Catalina, -and between Catalina and Santa Maria, by the marines of the British -squadron, with 200 seamen and 80 Spanish marines: they stormed two -redoubts, and dismantled all the sea defences from Rota to St. Maria, -except Catalina. Preparations were made to attack the tete-du-pont -and the bridge of St. Maria, but the enemy advanced in force from -Puerto Real, and Sir Richard Keats, knowing that General Graham had now -re-entered the Isle of Leon, ordered the men to re-embark. - -♦THE CORTES DEMAND AN INQUIRY.♦ - -Such was the lame and impotent conclusion of an expedition which had -been long prepared and well concerted, in which the force employed -was adequate to the end proposed, and of which every part that was -attempted had been successfully effected. General Graham complained -loudly of Lapeña; and the people of Cadiz, the Cortes, and the -government, were at first equally disposed to impute the failure to the -Spanish commander. The Cortes voted an address to the Regency on the -9th, saying that the national congress, not being able longer to endure -the grief and bitterness of seeing the circumstances of the expedition -remain in doubt and obscurity, requested the executive government to -give them, as speedily as possible, a circumstantial account of the -proceedings of the Spanish army. When this account was laid before -them, they declared that the conduct of the general with regard to -the advantages which might have been obtained on the memorable day of -the battle was not sufficiently clear; “the Cortes, therefore,” said -they, “in discharge of its sovereign mission, and using the supreme -inspection which it has reserved to itself over whatever may influence -the salvation of the kingdom, desires that the council of Regency will -immediately institute a scrupulous investigation with all the rigour of -military law.” - -♦OUTCRY IN ENGLAND AGAINST LAPEÑA.♦ - -If such was at first the prevailing opinion in Cadiz, it may well be -supposed that the Spanish general would be exposed to severe censure -in England. The story which obtained belief was, that Lapeña and the -Spaniards had been idle spectators of the action, whereas, if they -had only shown themselves upon the adjoining heights, the French would -have raised the blockade, and retired in dismay to Seville; and that -after the battle, while he and 12,000 Spaniards remained inactive, he -sent to General Graham, whose troops were without food, and had marched -sixteen hours before they came into action, desiring him to follow up -the victory, for that now was the time to deliver Cadiz. A vote of -thanks passed unanimously in both houses; but a few days afterwards, -when the ordnance estimates were before ♦APRIL 1. SPEECH OF MR. WARD.♦ -the house, the honourable J. W. Ward said, “he hoped he might now be -allowed to ask for some explanation of the deplorable misconduct of -our allies; for of that conduct it would be idle to affect to speak in -doubtful terms, it was reprobated with equal indignation by all parties -throughout the country. Was it to be endured,” said he, “that while -the British troops were performing prodigies of valour in an unequal -contest, that those allies for whose independence they were fighting, -should stand by, cold-blooded spectators of deeds, the bare recital of -which should have been enough to warm every man of them into a hero? -If, indeed, they had been so many mercenaries, and had been hired to -fight for a foreign power and in behalf of a foreign cause; ... if -they had been so many Swiss, ... in that case their breach of duty, -however culpable, would have been less unaccountable, and perhaps more -excusable; but here, where they were allies bound to this country in -obligations greater than ever before one nation owed to another ... -our brave men lavishing those lives which their country had so much -better right to claim, in defence of that cause in which those allies -were principals ... in such a case, tamely to look on while the contest -between numbers and bravery hung in doubtful issue, ... this did appear -to him to betray an indifference, an apathy, which, if he could -suppose it to prevail among the Spaniards, must render, in his mind, -the cause of Spanish independence altogether hopeless.” - -♦MR. PERCEVAL.♦ - -Mr. Perceval replied, “that Mr. Ward had expressed a stronger and -more determined censure upon the Spaniards than could be justified -by any evidence which had yet appeared. Had he expressed his regret -that the English had been left to fight the battle alone, and had he -required some explanation on the subject, such conduct would have been -perfectly natural and right; but it was neither just nor generous thus -upon insufficient grounds to prejudice men who were to undergo a legal -investigation. General Graham’s dispatches furnished no grounds for -these sweeping accusations; the Spanish troops which had been attached -to his division made every effort to come back and join in the action; -and when the situation of the rest of the army, posted at four miles’ -distance, was taken into consideration, it required more information -than they possessed at present, even to justify the passing a censure -upon the whole Spanish army, or even upon any part of it.” - -♦MR. WHITBREAD.♦ - -Mr. Whitbread now rose. “He should have been glad,” he said, “to have -joined in the general expression of exultation when the vote of thanks -was passed; ... he should have been glad to have added his mite to -the general tribute in applause of the heroism of that day, and to -have claimed the hero of that day as his much-valued friend. This he -should have been glad to have done, if he could have had sufficient -control over himself to have abstained from doing more. Mr. Perceval -had spoken like the advocate of the Spaniards; they must be defended -at all events, no matter how! And what was it that was attempted to be -defended? The English army was on the point of being sacrificed ... -the Spaniards were in sight of them, within twenty minutes quick march -of them! and what did they? What were they? Why, just what they have -been described by his honourable friend ... cold-blooded spectators -of the battle! After coldly witnessing a band of heroes fighting and -dying for their cause, General Lapeña tells our small army, exhausted -with its unparalleled victory over numbers, that, forsooth, now was the -time to push its success. What did this redoubted general mean? Was it -insult, or treachery, or cowardice, ... each, or all? He did not mean -to complain of the Spanish people, but of their officers. He should -ever think of Barrosa as a day memorable for the glory of the Britons, -and no less memorable for the infamy of the Spaniards. Was it to be -endured, that our brave fellows should be so basely deserted, after an -excessive night-march, the moment they entered the field, against a foe -always formidable from discipline, and then doubly so from numbers? Why -were the two battalions withdrawn from the heights of Barrosa? why was -their position abandoned precipitately to the French? who gave this -order but a Spanish officer? What! should not this excite a jealousy? -Was this the first time a Spanish army had been cold-blooded spectators -of British heroism? Did they want this to remind them of the stately -indifference shown by Cuesta in the battle of Talavera? Was all sound -in Cadiz? Was there no French party there? Were British armies never -before betrayed till the battle of Barrosa? He said betrayed, for it -was nothing less; the two battalions never came up till our army had -repulsed the French, beaten them off, and was in hot pursuit of them -as fast as our army could pursue ... as fast as their exhausted limbs -could carry their noble hearts! Then what had been our allies?... At -Talavera nothing ... at Barrosa nothing ... or rather at both perhaps -worse than nothing. The allied force sailed from Cadiz ... the British -fought ... the Spaniards looked on. The British conquered; and yet -the siege was not raised. Again he asked, was all sound at Cadiz? Was -it true that General Graham had been obstructed and foiled in all his -plans ... that in the midst of the fight, while the British troops -were doing feats which perhaps British troops alone could do, their -allies were doing what, he hoped, such men alone were capable of ... -plundering the British baggage? Was this true? It was not the Spanish -people he complained of; he gave them every credit; but he gave their -leaders none. If all this was so, or nearly so, were the British armies -to be risked so worthlessly? Were they to be abandoned to treachery or -cowardice? For in either or both must have originated the unnatural, -ungrateful, and infamous treatment they had met with.” - -♦REMARKS ON THE FAILURE OF THE EXPEDITION.♦ - -Whatever error of judgment General Lapeña might have committed, the -charges thus brought against him and his army were as ill-founded as -they were intemperately urged. Instead of being cold-blooded spectators -of the battle, the main body of the Spaniards were four miles distant; -there was a thick wood between them and the scene of action, and they -were themselves actually engaged at the time. And it is worthy of -remark, that while invectives, which had no other tendency than to -produce a breach between England and Spain, were thus lavished upon the -Spaniards, by those politicians who would have had us abandon Spain -and Portugal to the tyrant’s pleasure, the French were endeavouring -to excite discontent between the two countries by accusations which -directly contradicted these aspersions. Marshal Victor affirmed in -his official account, that when he determined to attack the heights, -the Spaniards under Lapeña were at the time warmly engaged; the -cannonade and the fire of the musketry were extremely brisk, he said; -and with that falsehood which characterised the execrable system of -his government, he added, that the English, according to their custom, -had wished to place the Spaniards in the post of danger, and expose -themselves as little as possible. - -Lapeña prayed that an immediate inquiry should be instituted, that -the inquiry should be made public, and that he should be punished if -he were found culpable. The inquiry was made, and the result was an -honourable acquittal. The proceedings were not published; and unhappily -the good opinion of the Spanish Government afforded no proof, scarcely -a presumption, of the deserts of those on whom it was bestowed. At -this very time they appointed Mahy, who had done nothing in Galicia, -but oppress the inhabitants and paralyse the efforts of a brave and -willing population, to another command; and Mendizabal, by whose -misconduct their best army had been destroyed, was sent to command -in the North. But though it cannot be inferred that General Lapeña -was not worthy of censure, because he was pronounced free from fault, -little investigation may suffice to show that the outcry raised against -him was intemperate, if not altogether unjust, and that the failure -of the expedition was owing to the disagreement between the British -and Spanish generals, more than to any misconduct on the part of the -latter. Whether prudently or not, General Graham had consented to act -under Lapeña; and whether the plan of operations was well concerted -or not, he had assented to it. That plan was, that the allies should -open a communication with the Isle of Leon, by breaking through the -left of the enemy’s line; this being done, they would receive supplies -and reinforcements, and might proceed to farther successes. It had -never been intended in this plan that the British should turn back to -attack a part of the French army, whose numbers were, to their own, in -the proportion of two to one, and who had every advantage of ground; -nor that they should cripple themselves by fighting upon ground, where -mere honour was all that could be gained. The memorial which Lapeña -addressed to the Cortes, praying for an inquiry into his conduct, -contains his justification. “He had assured General Graham,” he says, -“on the evening after the battle, that the troops from the isle should -come out, and that provisions should be sent to the English; and it -was with extreme surprise he learned that they had retreated without -his knowledge.” The cause of this movement is perfectly explicable; -the Spaniards in Cadiz and the island, never very alert in their -movements, were not ready with an immediate supply of provisions, -and the British troops after the battle were neither in a humour, -nor in a state, nor in a situation to wait patiently till it should -arrive. From this moment all co-operation was at an end. When the -Spanish general applied to his own Government, and to General Graham, -respecting farther operations, the former told him that they had -written to the British ambassador, and were waiting for his answer; the -latter that he was not in a condition to come out of the isle again, -but that he would cover the points of the line of defence. Lapeña -thus found himself deprived of that part of the allied force upon -whose skill and discipline his best hopes of success must have been -founded; “had he acted for himself,” he said, “he would have pursued -the enemy with the Spanish troops alone, but he was under the necessity -of consulting the Government which was so close at hand.” This alone -would have occasioned delay; but Lapeña was at that moment under a -charge of misconduct preferred against him by the British, and echoed -by the people and the Cortes; and thus in delays, formalities, and -examinations, the irrecoverable hours were lost. - -♦DEATH OF ALBURQUERQUE.♦ - -It must have added to the grief of the true Spaniards in Cadiz upon -this occasion, when they remembered that they might at this day have -had a general who had every claim to the confidence of his men, his -government, and his allies, that distinguished services, unbounded -sacrifices, enterprise, talents, and devoted patriotism could give. -That general, the Duque de Alburquerque, whose name will ever be -regarded as the most illustrious of his illustrious line, had just at -this time fallen a victim to the malignity of the Junta of Cadiz. After -remaining in England eight months in a state of exile, intolerable to -one who was as capable as he was desirous of serving his country in the -field, he printed a statement of his conduct and case, which he had -withheld as long as any possible injury could be apprehended from its -publication. This he sent to the Cortes; it was received as the merits -of its author deserved; eulogiums never more justly merited were heard -from all sides; the Cortes declared that the duke and his army had -deserved well of their country, particularly for preserving the Isle -of Leon and Cadiz, and they desired that the Regency would recall him -from England that he might again be actively employed. In consequence -of this, he was appointed to the command in Galicia. The Junta of -Cadiz, however, acting as they had done in other cases, even of greater -importance, in contempt of the Government, drew up a reply to his -statement; it was addressed to the duke, and with insolence equal to -their ingratitude, and falsehood if possible surpassing both, they -called him, in direct terms, an impudent calumniator and an enemy to -his country. Each of the members of this body signed it individually; -it was printed as a hand-bill, and a copy of it was sent to London by -some private hand, and reached Alburquerque through the twopenny post, -that no possible mark of insult might be wanting to the transaction. - -Alburquerque ought to have despised any attack from that quarter, and -more especially one which, by its intemperance and scurrility, so -plainly showed in what vile passions it had originated. But he wore -his heart for daws to peck at, and his enemies knew but too well the -infirmity of his nature. At first he endeavoured to repress or to -conceal his feelings, and drew up a short and dignified representation -to the Cortes; but this did not satisfy him; notwithstanding the -earnest dissuasions of his friends, he determined upon replying to the -Junta, and he devoted himself to this composition with an earnestness -which made him forgetful both of food and of sleep. Three days were -thus employed in a state of restless and feverish anxiety. The wound -all this while was rankling, and the venom of the Junta did its work. -On the fourth day a frenzy-fever seized him; he felt the approach of -the disease, and was perfectly sensible of the cause, for having sent -for D. J. M. Blanco White, he took from his pocket, as soon as he saw -him, a strip of paper on which he had written, “_como calumniador y -enemigo de la patria_,” ... the words which had stung him to the heart, -... and said, “When they ask why I have lost my senses, this paper -will answer for me.” ... A dreadful scene ensued; fits of tears were -followed by paroxysms of rage, and on the third day of his illness he -expired: happily in the course of the disease the sense of his own -wrongs, intolerable and fatal as it had proved, gave way to a deeper -feeling: he forgot himself in thinking of his country: his repeated -exclamations of vengeance upon Napoleon Buonaparte were so vehement -and loud that they were distinctly heard by the passers in the street; -and his last breath was spent in imprecations upon the tyrant whose -wickedness had caused all the unutterable miseries of Spain. Every -public honour which the British Government could bestow was paid to the -remains of this illustrious man, and his body was deposited in that -same vault in Henry VII.’s chapel wherein Marlborough’s had formerly -been laid, till it could be sent home, to rest with his ancestors[21]. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII. - - GRANT AND SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE RELIEF OF THE PORTUGUEZE. OPERATIONS - ON THE ALENTEJO FRONTIER. BATTLES OF FUENTES D’ONORO AND - ALBUHERA. BADAJOZ UNSUCCESSFULLY BESIEGED BY THE ALLIES. - - -♦1811.♦ - -It was now made apparent, as well by the battle of Barrosa, as by -the whole conduct of the Cortes, that no successful exertions were -to be expected on that side; and that, though the subjugation of -the Peninsula could not but appear every day more hopeless to the -Intruder’s government, all reasonable hope of its deliverance must -rest upon Lord Wellington, and the allied army under his command. Thus -far his foresight had been fully approved by the issue of Massena’s -invasion; that general had entered Portugal with 72,000 men, and had -received reinforcements to the amount of about 15,000 more: ten he had -lost at Busaco; about as many more had died while he perseveringly -maintained his ground; and what with prisoners, sick and wounded, and -the losses on the retreat, about 40,000 only were remaining when he -recrossed the frontier. The invaders had lost their horses, carriages, -ammunition, and cannon; but for this they cared not; they had the -strong hold of Ciudad Rodrigo on which to retire; and even the wreck -of their army was more numerous than the force which drove them out of -Portugal. - -♦OPINIONS OF THE OPPOSITION WRITERS AT THIS TIME.♦ - -During these events, the opponents of the English ministry improved -with more than their wonted infelicity the opportunity afforded them -of exhibiting their errors in judgment, their want of that knowledge -which is the foundation of political wisdom, and their destitution of -that generous feeling which sometimes renders even error respectable. -When the first news arrived that the French were breaking up from their -position, they cautioned the public against extravagant expectations; -“such accounts,” they said, “have come too often to raise enthusiasm -in any but simpletons and stock-jobbers; and there seems no reason for -altering the opinion which we have so often expressed, that, happen -what may partially, the ultimate loss of the Peninsula is as certain as -ever it was, and that we are only delaying the catastrophe by needless -proofs of a valour, which our enemies admire much more than our allies. -In the meantime, Spain does nothing, except calumniate and kill her -exiled patriots; and reasonable people have long ceased to look to any -place but South America for the resuscitation of Spanish independence.” - -When it was known beyond all doubt to those whose belief was not -influenced by their wishes, that Massena was in full retreat and Lord -Wellington pursuing him, “these retreats and pursuits,” said they, -“are fine things for tickling the ears. Most probably the retreat -is, as usual, an alteration of position; and the pursuit a little -look-out on the occasion, enlivened by the seizure of a few unfortunate -stragglers.” At the discovery that this change of position was from -the Zezere to the Agueda, ... nothing less than the evacuation of -Portugal, ... the despondents were neither abashed nor silenced. -“Buonaparte’s honour,” they said, “was pledged to effect his projects -in the Peninsula, and unfortunately his power was as monstrous as his -ambition. Massena would now throw himself upon his resources both -in men and provisions; he was removing from a ravaged and desolate -country, to one comparatively uninjured and fertile; and it was to be -remarked, that while the French were falling back upon their supplies, -the allies were removing from their own. In such a state of things, -could Lord Wellington’s army long exist on the frontiers? The war had -become one of supplies and expenses; if the enemy could establish -large magazines at Almeida, they could again advance, the same scenes -would again be repeated, and Lisbon would again become the point of -defence. The result must certainly be determined by the success or ill -success of the French in Spain. If Spain falls,” said they, “nothing -short of a miracle can preserve Portugal; and that Spain will fall, is -almost as certain as that her people are self-willed and superstitious, -her nobility divided and degraded, and her commanders incapable, -arrogant, or treacherous.” We were, moreover, warned by these sapient -politicians, to remember, that there were seven marshals in Spain, -besides generals, with distinct commands; and that the French, having -retired upon their resources, had only abandoned Portugal for the -season, that they might return and reap the harvest which they had left -the natives to sow. It was not enough to dismay the nation by thus -prognosticating what the French would do, they threw out alarming hints -of what, even now, it was to be apprehended they might have done. “If,” -said they, “Massena had received adequate reinforcements from France, -the positions which he took at Guarda and Almeida would have drawn the -allies into a most dangerous predicament; and let us imagine what might -at this very instant be the perilous situation of Lord Wellington, if -a considerable army had really been collected under Bessieres!” Happy -was it for England, that the councils of this country were not directed -by men who would have verified their own predictions, leaving the -enemy unresisted, as far as Great Britain was concerned, because they -believed him to be irresistible! - -♦ADDRESS OF THE PORTUGUEZE GOVERNMENT TO THE PEOPLE.♦ - -But while the factious part of the British press was thus displaying -how far it was possible for men to deaden their hearts against all -generous emotions, the Portugueze governors were expressing their -gratitude to England for the effectual support which she had given -to her old ally. They told the people that their day of glory was at -length arrived; they had passed through the fiery ordeal, by which -the merits of men were tried and purified; they were become a great -nation. “Humbling themselves,” they said, “before the first and -sovereign Author of all good, they rendered thanks to their Prince, for -establishing, in his wisdom, the basis of their defence; ... to his -British majesty, to his enlightened ministry, and to the whole British -nation, in whom they had found faithful and liberal allies, constant -co-operation, and that honour, probity, and steadiness of principle, -which peculiarly distinguished the British character; ... to the -illustrious Wellington, whose sagacity and consummate military skill -had been so eminently displayed; ... to the zealous and indefatigable -Beresford, who had restored discipline and organization to the -Portugueze troops; ... to the generals and officers, and their comrades -in arms, who had never fought that they did not triumph; ... finally, -to the whole Portugueze people, whose loyalty, patriotism, constancy, -and humanity, had been so gloriously displayed, during the season of -danger and of suffering.” “Portugueze,” said they, “the effects of the -invasion of these barbarians; the yet smoking remains of the cottage of -the poor, of the mansion of the wealthy, of the cell of the religious, -of the hospital which afforded shelter and relief to the indigent and -infirm, of the temples dedicated to the worship of the Most High; the -innocent blood of so many peaceful citizens of both sexes, and of all -ages, with which those heaps of ruins are still tinged; the insults of -every kind heaped upon those whom the Vandals did not deprive of life -... insults many times more cruel than death itself; the universal -devastation, the robbery and destruction of everything that the unhappy -inhabitants of the invaded districts possessed: ... this atrocious -scene, which makes humanity shudder, affords a terrible lesson, which -you ought deeply to engrave in memory, in order fully to know that -degenerate nation, who retain only the figure of men, and who in every -respect are worse than beasts, and more blood-thirsty than tigers or -lions; who are without faith and without law; who acknowledge neither -the rights of humanity, nor respect the sacred tie of an oath.” - -They proceeded to speak with becoming feeling and becoming pride of -the manner in which the emigrants from the ravaged provinces had been -received wherever they had fled. The great expense of subsisting the -fugitives at Lisbon had been supported, they said, by the resources -which were at the disposal of Government, but still more by the -voluntary donations of individuals, among whom they mentioned with -particular distinction, the British subjects in Portugal. It remained -for completing the work, to restore the fugitives to their homes; -to render habitable the towns which the barbarians had left covered -with filth and unburied carcases; to relieve with medicine and food -the sick, who were perishing for want of such assistance; to revive -agriculture, by supplying the husbandman with seed corn, and bread for -his consumption for some time, and facilitating his means of purchasing -cattle and acquiring the instruments of agriculture. These, they said, -were the constant cares of the Government, these were their duties; but -their funds were not even sufficient to provide for their defence, and -therefore they called upon individuals for further aid. - -♦LORD WELLINGTON ASKS RELIEF FOR THE SUFFERING PORTUGUEZE.♦ - -Lord Wellington in the preceding autumn, as soon as he fell back to -the lines of Torres Vedras, had represented to his own Government the -distress to which those districts must be reduced through which the -enemy passed, ... a distress which Portugal had no means of relieving. -“Upon former occasions,” he said, “the wealthy inhabitants of Great -Britain, and of London in particular, had stepped forward to relieve -foreign nations, whether suffering under the calamities inflicted -by Providence, or by a cruel and powerful enemy. Portugal had once -before experienced such a proof of friendship from her oldest and most -faithful ally: but never was there case in which this assistance was -required in a greater degree than at present, whether the sufferings -of the people, or their loyalty and patriotism, and their attachment -to England, were considered. I declare,” said Lord Wellington, “that -I have scarcely known an instance in which any person in Portugal, of -any order, has had communication with the enemy, inconsistent with -his duty to his own sovereign, or with the orders he had received. -There is no instance of the inhabitants of any town or village having -remained, or of their having failed to remove what might be useful to -the enemy, when they had sufficiently early intimation of the wishes of -Government, or of myself, that they should abandon their houses, and -carry away their property.” He therefore recommended this brave and -suffering people to the British Government, and the British people, -whenever the country should be cleared of its barbarous invaders, as he -hoped and trusted that it would. - -♦APRIL 8. - -PARLIAMENTARY GRANT FOR THE RELIEF OF THE PORTUGUEZE.♦ - -That hope had now been accomplished: his letter was laid before -Parliament, and a message from the Prince Regent was presented, -stating, “That, having taken into consideration the distress to which -the inhabitants of a part of Portugal had been exposed, in consequence -of the invasion of that country, and especially from the wanton and -savage barbarity exercised by the French in their recent retreat, which -could not fail,” he said, “to affect the hearts of all persons who had -any sense of religion or humanity, he desired to be enabled to afford -to the suffering subjects of his Majesty’s good and faithful ally, such -speedy and effectual relief as might be suitable to this interesting -and afflicting occasion.” Accordingly a grant of ♦MARQUIS WELLESLEY.♦ -100,000_l._ was proposed; Marquis Wellesley saying, when he moved an -address to this effect, “he hoped he had not lived to see the day, -though he had sometimes been surprised by hearing something like it, -when it should be said that ancient faith, long-tried attachment, and -close connexion with our allies, were circumstances to be discarded -from our consideration, and that they should be sacrificed and -abandoned to the mere suggestions and calculations of a cold ♦EARL -GROSVENOR.♦ policy.” Earl Grosvenor was the only person who demurred -at this motion. “He felt considerable difficulty in acceding to it,” -he said, “particularly when he considered how much had been done -already for Portugal, and he would ask whether their lordships were -really prepared to take the whole burden upon themselves, and exempt -the Portugueze altogether from the charge of relieving their own -countrymen? It was a principle as applicable to public as to private -affairs, that you should be just to your own people before ♦MARQUIS -OF LANSDOWNE.♦ you were generous to other nations.” The Marquis of -Lansdowne spoke in a better mind: “Whatever,” he said, “might have -been his opinion regarding the policy of our exertions in Portugal, -no doubt existed with him, that the efforts made by the people of -Portugal eminently deserved at our hands the aid now asked, to relieve -that distress into which they had been plunged by the enemy. Even, -therefore, if he believed that Lord Wellington would be again compelled -to retreat, still he would vote for the present motion, convinced that -it could not fail to make an impression in Europe highly favourable to -the British character, by displaying its beneficence, its generosity, -and its humanity, as contrasted with the savage barbarity of the enemy. -In extending to the people of Portugal that generosity for which they -might look through Europe and the world in vain, we placed our national -character upon a pinnacle of greatness which nothing could destroy. -Even if our army was compelled to evacuate Portugal, and we should -be unable to withstand there the progress of the French, still the -posterity of the inhabitants of Portugal would remember with gratitude -the aid afforded to their ancestors in the hour of their distress. For -these reasons, the address should have his hearty concurrence.” - -♦MR. PONSONBY.♦ - -Mr. Ponsonby in like manner, when the vote was moved in the Commons, -declared, “that it was not less due to the spirit of Portugal, than -to the magnanimity of Great Britain, ... that it was as consistent -with our interest, as it was material to our honour. The only regret,” -said he, “with which it is accompanied on my part, proceeds from the -reflection, that the vast expenditure of this country should render -it necessary to limit the vote to so small a sum.” But the liberality -of the British people has seldom been more conspicuously displayed, -than in the subscriptions which were made on this occasion. About -80,000_l._ was subscribed. The public grant was to be measured, not -by ♦PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION.♦ the necessities of the Portugueze sufferers, -but by the means of the British Government; and the Prince of Brazil -called it “a most ample donation, entirely corresponding to the -generosity with which a great nation and its Government had assisted -Portugal.” The individual proofs of beneficence were acknowledged in -the most honourable manner; the Prince issued an order, that the list -of subscribers should be printed at the royal printing-office, and -copies sent to the chambers of each of the suffering districts, where, -having been publicly read after mass, they should be laid up in the -_Cartorios_, or archives of the respective districts; the original list -was to be deposited among the royal archives in the Torre do Tombo at -Lisbon, “that the humanity of the one nation,” said the Prince, “and -the gratitude of the other may be attested to future generations.” - -♦DISTRIBUTION OF THE GRANT.♦ - -The _dezembargador_, Joam Gaudencio Torres, and Mr. Croft (one of -a family which had been long established at Porto, and who was -subsequently attached to the British legation) accepted the charge -of distributing this grant, and for that purpose, of visiting the -districts which had been ravaged, and seeing in person to the -distribution. It required no common degree of humanity, and no -ordinary strength of heart, to undertake so painful an office. The -time, it may be hoped, is approaching, when the usages of war will -as little be admitted before man, as a plea for having destroyed the -innocent and the helpless, as it will before God. Massena had gone -to the utmost limits of that dreadful plea before he broke up from -his position. Opposite to the house in which he had fixed his own -quarters at Santarem were the ruins of a church, into which a number of -wretched children, whose parents had perished, and who were themselves -perishing for hunger, had crept, that they might lie down and ♦CHILDREN -FAMISHED AT SANTAREM.♦ die. They were found there by the first British -troops who entered the town, stretched upon straw and rubbish ... the -dying and the dead together, reduced to skeletons before they died. -When the officer, who relates this in his journal, saw them, pieces -of bread which our soldiers had given these poor orphans were lying -untouched before many who were incapable of eating, and some who had -breathed their last. Multitudes, indeed, had been famished before he -abandoned his hopes of conquest; but for the subsequent conduct of that -merciless general and his army no military motives can be assigned ... -none but what are purely malignant and devilish. Marshal Massena had -formerly declared, that if he could land with an army in England, he -would pledge himself, not indeed to effect the conquest of the country, -but to reduce it to a desert. In Portugal it was proved that out of the -wickedness of his heart his lips had then spoken; for on his retreat, -he endeavoured, in perfect conformity with the political system of -his emperor, to increase by every possible means the horrors of war -and the sum of human suffering. The cruelties which were perpetrated -by that retreating army formed but a little part of the evils they -inflicted upon the brave nation which had successfully ♦STATE IN WHICH -THE FRENCH LEFT THE COUNTRY THEY HAD OCCUPIED.♦ resisted them; and in -the districts which they devastated, the inhabitants who perished under -their hands were less to be compassionated than those who survived. The -famine which they intentionally produced, by destroying every thing in -the course of their retreat and within reach of their power, continued -to depopulate the country long after it was delivered from its enemies. -Endemic diseases were produced by want of food and of raiment, by -exposure, by grief, and hopeless wretchedness. The hospitals, with -which Portugal abounded, had shared the general destruction: many had -been burnt, others gutted, the resources of all destroyed; and those of -the clergy and of the convents, to which the sufferers would otherwise -have looked for aid, and from which they would have found it, were in -like manner totally dilapidated. The income of the Bishop of Leyria -was reduced from 40,000 _cruzados_ to forty; and others had suffered -in a like degree. In that district the population was cut down by the -barbarities of the enemy, by famine, and by disease, from 48,000 to -16,000; and in the subdivision ♦POMBAL.♦ of Pombal from 7000 to 1800. -Two hundred families in the town of Pombal derived before the invasion -a comfortable subsistence from husbandry; after the retreat an hundred -and sixty-four of those families had totally disappeared; and the few -survivors of the remaining thirty-six were suffering under famine and -disease. In a principal street of that poor town the commissioners -found one dismantled dwelling, standing alone in the midst of ruins, -and containing three wretched inhabitants. Such was the desolation -which this more than barbarous enemy had left behind them, that in what -had been the populous and ♦SANTAREM.♦ flourishing town of Santarem, -the screech owls took possession of a whole street of ruins, where -it seemed as if man had been employed in reducing human edifices to -a state which rendered them fit receptacles for birds and beasts of -prey. The number of these birds, and the boldness with which the havoc -everywhere about inspired them, made it frightful to pass that way -even in the daytime; insomuch, that a soldier who had been promoted -for his personal bravery was known more than once to forego his mess, -rather than pass to it through these ruins. Dogs who were now without -owners preyed upon the dead. Wolves fed on human ♦LEYRIA.♦ bodies in -the streets of Leyria; and retaining then no longer their fear of man, -attacked the living who came in their way. The servant of an English -gentleman was pursued one evening by two, in the outskirts of that -city; he escaped from them only by climbing a single olive tree, which, -happily for him, had been left standing; it was just high enough to -afford him security, yet so low that the wolves besieged him in it all -night; three or four others joined them in the blockade, and when he -was seen and rescued in the morning, the bark as high as they could -reach had been scored by their repeated endeavours to spring up and -seize him. - -There were parts of the country where the people, having no other -sustenance, allayed the pain of emptiness without supplying the wants -of nature, by eating boiled grass, which they seasoned, such as could, -with the brine and scales left in the baskets from which salt fish, -or sardinhas had been sold, these being at that time the scarce and -almost only remaining articles of food. Among a people in this extreme -distress, the commissioners had the painful task of selecting the -cases which could bear no deferment of relief, when every case was -urgent, when multitudes were perishing for want, and when the whole -amount of the means of relief at their disposal, economized as those -means were to the utmost, was deplorably inadequate to the just and -pressing claims upon it. Eighteen months after the retreat, the price -of provisions in the wasted provinces was about six times higher than -before the invasion; a fact from which some conception may be formed of -the misery endured in the course of those months, and of the state of -things when the commissioners entered upon their arduous and painful -task. Inadequate to this dreadful necessity as the aid of England -was, yet, while it is to be feared a greater number perished for want -of human, or of timely help, 43,000 sick and 8000 orphans were saved -by it. The relief was not bestowed in food alone, and in the means -of removal, but in the means of future subsistence ... cows, oxen, -implements of agriculture, and seed of various kinds. The gratitude of -the people, to their honour it should be said, was more in proportion -to the intention and good-will which were thus manifested, than to -the actual relief which was afforded. And if in Portugal, as there -would have been in any other country, men were found whose hearts -were so hard and their consciences so stupified that they sought only -how to make the necessities and miseries of their fellow-creatures -an occasion of lucre for themselves, it may safely be asserted, that -never in any public calamity was there less of such wicked selfishness -displayed than at this time. The commissioners who were employed ten -months upon this service, (which was not less hazardous than painful, -for it exposed them continually to contagious disease as well as to -the constant sight of suffering), performed their office gratuitously, -and would not consent to have their personal expenses reimbursed: -the secretary and assistants who always accompanied them refused to -accept any pecuniary recompense for their time and labour: and the -house of the Vanzellers of Porto advanced money for purchasing great -part of the cattle, and would receive no commission whatever upon -the negociation and payment of the bills. A brother of that house, -while the allied army occupied the lines, received under his own roof -at Lisbon, and at his own cost maintained more than forty refugees, -who were all personally unknown to him before that time: and at his -mother’s[22] country house near Porto, as many as came daily were fed -in her own presence, from seventy to an hundred and upwards being the -usual number. It is consolatory to record such examples in a history -where so many errors and crimes must be recorded. When the distribution -was completed, the Portugueze Regency assured the British Government -that there did not appear to have been a single complaint against the -justice and regularity with which it had been made, and that this -scrupulous and efficient application of the grant to the ends intended -was owing to the unwearied exertion of Mr. Croft and his colleagues: -they added, that they should lay those high services, as they properly -denominated them, before the Prince of Brazil, and expressed their -desire that Mr. Croft’s conduct might be made known to the Prince -Regent of Great Britain. That gentleman was, in consequence, created a -Baronet, and received the royal Portugueze order of the Tower and Sword. - -♦POLITICAL EFFECT OF THE DISTRIBUTION.♦ - -No measure could have had the effect of inspiring the Portugueze -people with so much confidence, as this public distribution of seed -corn, and tools, and cattle. They who had been most apprehensive of -another invasion, were convinced that Great Britain would not have -conferred such a gift, if what was now bestowed upon them were likely -to be wrested from them by the enemy; and under that conviction they -resumed in hope those labours, from which despair might otherwise -have deterred them. But it was far from Lord Wellington’s intention -to deceive them into any fallacious opinion of their own security; on -the contrary, his first thought, after he had driven the French beyond -the frontier, was to warn the Portugueze that the danger might yet be -renewed. “Their nation,” he said, “had still riches left, which the -tyrant would endeavour to plunder: they were happy under a beneficent -sovereign, and this alone would make him exert himself to destroy -their happiness: they had successfully resisted him, and therefore -he would leave no possible means unemployed for bringing them under -his iron yoke.” He appealed to all who had witnessed the successive -invasions of Junot, Soult, and Massena, whether the system of the -French had not been to confiscate, to plunder, and to commit every -outrage which their atrocious dispositions could devise? and whether -from the general, to the lowest soldier, they had not delighted in the -practice of such excesses? “The Portugueze,” he said, “ought not to -relax their preparations for resistance. Every man capable of bearing -arms ought to learn the use of them: those who, by their age or sex, -were not capable of taking the field, should beforehand look out for -places of safety where they might retire in time of need: they should -bury their most valuable effects, every one in secret, not trusting the -knowledge of the place to those who had no interest in concealing it: -and they should take means for effectually concealing, or destroying -the food, which, in case of necessity, could not be removed. If,” said -Lord Wellington, “these measures are adopted, however superior in -number the force may be which the desire of plunder and of vengeance -may induce the tyrant to send again for the invasion of this country, -the issue will be certain, and the independence of Portugal will be -finally established, to the eternal honour of the present generation.” -Having issued this proclamation, and made arrangements for the blockade -of Almeida, Lord Wellington, leaving his army under Sir Brent Spencer, -took advantage of the temporary inaction of the enemy to go into -Alentejo. - -♦MARQUIS BERESFORD GOES TO ALENTEJO.♦ - -Beresford had accompanied the commander-in-chief in pursuit of -the retreating enemy, as far as the Ceyra. There Lord Wellington -received news as unexpected as it was unwelcome, that Badajoz had -been surrendered by its base governor. Another piece of intelligence -distressed him; a Spanish officer of rank and ability, who had arranged -the correspondence which was carried on with his countrymen in those -parts of Spain possessed by the French, had been made prisoner in the -route of Mendizabal’s army, and immediately entered the Intruder’s -service. Lord Wellington acted with characteristic sagacity on this -occasion; neither treating, nor considering this person as wholly -reprobate because he had shown a want of principle which proceeded from -want of courage to endure adversity, he caused a letter to be written -to him, containing a hint, that bad as his conduct was, it would be his -own fault if he made it unforgiveable. The hint was taken as it was -meant; ... for the motive of ingratiating himself with his new patrons -was not strong enough to overpower a natural humanity, a remaining -sense of honour, and a prudential consideration of the instability of -fortune: the officer kept his secret, and lived to be well rewarded for -having done so. The surrender of Badajoz, which left the besieging army -at liberty to act against the allies wherever they might deem best, -divided Lord Wellington’s attention, and checked him in what else would -have been a career of victory: but while he continued the pursuit of -the retreating army, he sent the Marshal to his command on the south of -the Tagus, to provide against the consequences which might result from -Imaz’s baseness. - -♦VALENCIA DE ALCANTARA, ALBUQUERQUE, AND CAMPO MAYOR TAKEN BY THE -FRENCH.♦ - -Mortier, meantime, not failing to pursue to the utmost the advantage -which that misconduct had given him, advanced upon Valencia de -Alcantara, Albuquerque, and Campo Mayor, in order that the troops -which he knew would be sent against him might be deprived of those -points of support. The first of these places had long ceased to be -of any importance as a fortress; it was taken by surprise, and seven -brass guns, being the whole of its artillery, were destroyed for want -of carriages. Latour Maubourg went against Albuquerque; its fortress, -a century ago, had been called impregnable; and might now have made -some defence, relief being so near at hand; but the appearance of an -enemy and a few cannon-shot sufficed to terrify the garrison; they -surrendered without resistance, and were sent prisoners to Badajoz -with seventeen brass guns of large calibre: the French then razed -the works. While these detachments were thus successfully employed, -Mortier himself ♦MARCH 22.♦ opened the trenches before Campo Mayor: -this fortress resisted better than its Castilian neighbours had done; -a battalion of militia incurred some disgrace by its conduct, but the -spirit of the inhabitants and the governor was excellent, and the place -held out eleven days. - -♦BERESFORD ARRIVES ON THE FRONTIER.♦ - -The fall of Campo Mayor was regretted, more for the sake of its brave -defenders than for any advantage that could accrue to the enemy from -a conquest which they could not maintain. Marshal Beresford arrived -at Chamusca during the siege, and on the day that it surrendered, -assembled his corps at Portalegre, now strengthened by the 4th -division, and Colonel de Gray’s brigade of heavy cavalry. On the -24th, everything was collected at and in front of Arronches; and on -the following day he moved against the Campo Mayor, meaning, if the -enemy should persist in retaining it, to interpose between that town -and Badajoz. The main body of the French had by this time returned to -the Caya, the whole of their besieging train had re-entered Badajoz, -they had removed thither the heavy guns from Campo Mayor, and Soult -had ♦AFFAIR NEAR CAMPO MAYOR.♦ given orders to destroy the works -there, which were prevented by the appearance of Marshal Beresford’s -corps. About a league from the town, the allies fell in and skirmished -with the enemy’s advanced horse: and Brigadier-General Long advancing -rapidly with the cavalry, came up with their whole force, which, upon -perceiving his movements, had evacuated the place, and was retiring -towards Badajoz. It consisted of eight squadrons of cavalry, and two -battalions of infantry, commanded by General Latour Maubourg; the -latter were retreating in column with two troops of hussars at their -head and two closing their rear, the rest manœuvring so as at once to -cover the retreat of the foot, and secure to themselves its support: -upon the approach of the allies, the French infantry formed an oblong -square, and the horse took up a position _en potence_. Long’s first -object was to dispose of their cavalry; he ordered Lieutenant-Colonel -Head, with the 13th dragoons, to attack in flank the three squadrons -which were on the same line with the infantry; while he, with three -Portugueze squadrons, attacked in front the three which formed the -angle to the right of the others: Colonel Elder, with two squadrons -of Portugueze, was to cover his left, and turn the enemy’s right; and -eight squadrons of heavy dragoons to support the attack. As soon as -Head advanced, the enemy changed their position, brought forward their -right, and met the charge; they were immediately broken, and in their -flight carried away with them the other squadrons, which, from the -change of position, had in some measure become a second line. From -Campo Mayor to Badajoz is an open plain without tree or bush; over -this ground the French retreated rapidly, skirmishing the whole way. -The 13th pursued with ungovernable eagerness, and the two squadrons of -Portugueze which were sent to their support caught the same spirit, -and dispersed in the heat of pursuit. In this affair, there were many -opportunities for the display of individual courage and dexterity. -Colonel Chamorin, of the 26th French dragoons, was encountered by a -corporal of the 13th, whose comrade he had just before shot through -the head; each was a master of his horse and weapon, but at length the -corporal, striking off the helmet of his enemy with one blow, cleft his -head down to the ears with another. - -The heavy cavalry, meantime, had been halted two miles off, and there -only remained with General Long three squadrons of Portugueze with -which to harass and impede the French infantry, till it could be -brought up: these Portugueze did not stand the fire of the column and -the appearance of the hussars; and though they were soon rallied, the -retreating column gained ground considerably before the heavy cavalry -could overtake them. The 13th and the two Portugueze squadrons were -then perceived returning from the pursuit which they had followed with -such heedless precipitation, as to have given the enemy the superiority -of numbers, and to have lost twenty-four killed, seventy wounded, and -seventy-seven prisoners: some of them had pushed on to the very gate -of Badajoz, and were taken on the bridge. Marshal Beresford would not -risk the loss of more cavalry, and the enemy’s column therefore retired -unmolested, retaking fifteen out of sixteen guns which our 13th had -taken. The loss of the French was very considerable; in one of their -regiments only six officers out of sixteen remained for duty. The next -morning a French captain of dragoons came with a trumpet, demanding -permission to search the field for his colonel. Several of our officers -went out with him. The peasants had stripped the dead during the night; -and more than six hundred naked bodies were lying on the ground, -mostly slain with sabre wounds. It was long before they could find -Chamorin, lying on his face in his clotted blood: as soon as the body -was turned up, the French captain gave a sort of scream, sprung off his -horse, threw off his brazen helmet, and kneeling by the body, took the -lifeless hand, and kissed it repeatedly with a passionate grief which -affected all the beholders. - -♦MEASURES CONCERTED WITH THE SPANIARDS.♦ - -After this affair Beresford cantoned his troops at Campo Mayor, -Elvas, Borba, and Villa-Viçosa: they were equally in need of rest and -of refitment, great part of the British infantry having made forced -marches from Condeixa, and being in want of shoes. General Ballasteros, -who was seldom at any time in force without suffering defeat, and never -defeated without presently obtaining some success, after experiencing -some of these customary alternations, and incurring some severe losses -in the Condado de Niebla, had fallen back upon Gibraleon, hoping to -effect a junction with Zayas, who had been sent from Cadiz with 6000 -men, of whom 400 were cavalry. Something was always to be expected -from Ballasteros’s remarkable activity; but there was equal reason -for dreading the effect of his incaution: by Beresford’s request, -therefore, Castaños wrote to desire that he and Zayas would not commit -themselves, but reserve their force entire for co-operating with him. -Beresford’s objects at this time were, to throw a bridge across the -Guadiana at Jurumenha, ... to recover Olivença, drive Mortier out -of Extremadura, and form as soon as possible the siege of Badajoz. -Foreseeing the want of a bridge, Lord Wellington had frequently, before -the fall of that place, urged the Spanish general officers to remove -the bridge-boats, and other ♦APRIL.♦ materials which were in store -there, to Elvas. They began to follow this advice, but so late and -so slowly, that only five of the twenty boats had been removed, when -Mendizabal’s defeat rendered any further removal impossible: these, -when laid down, left 160 yards of the river uncovered. Nor was this -the only difficulty. It had been supposed that ample supplies had been -collected at Estremoz and Villa Viçosa; but owing to the poverty of -the Government, and to that mismanagement which, from the highest to -the lowest of its departments, prevailed and was maintained, as if -by prescriptive right, throughout, not enough were found to ensure -the subsistence of the troops from day to day. Moreover, there were -no shoes in store for an army which had marched itself barefoot. And -had there been no deficiency of stores, and no previous difficulties -to overcome, Beresford’s force, consisting of 20,000 effective men, -British and Portugueze, was inadequate to the operations which he was -to undertake with it, though it was the utmost that Lord Wellington -could spare from the more immediately important scene of action on the -frontier of Beira. - -♦BRIDGE CONSTRUCTED AT JURUMENHA.♦ - -Nothing, however, that could be done by diligence and exertion was -omitted. The Guadiana was in such a state that it seemed feasible -to construct a bridge by fixing trestles across the shallow part of -the river, and connecting them with the five Spanish boats in the -deeper stream; or those boats might be used as a floating bridge for -the artillery and heavy stores, and the interval filled with some -half dozen tin pontoons, which had been sent from Lisbon to Elvas, -and which, though weak and bad of their kind, might bear the weight -of infantry, there being a practicable ford for the horse. This -latter plan was preferred: materials were collected not without great -difficulty, and delays which that difficulty occasioned: trees were -to be felled for the purpose, and the trestles were made only seven -feet in height, because no timber for making larger was found near the -spot. On the 2nd of April the engineers reported that the passage was -ready for the following day, and three squadrons passed that evening, -and stretched their piquets along the advanced hills; thus making -a show which imposed upon the enemy. The troops marched from their -cantonments, and arrived at daybreak in a wood within a mile of the -bridge. No apprehensions of the river had been entertained, for there -had been no rain in those parts; but heavy rains had fallen far off, -in the high regions where the Guadiana has its sources. When day broke -it was seen that the water had risen three feet seven inches in the -course of the night: planks, trestles, and pontoons were swept away -by the current, and the ford also had become impassable. Beresford -still determined to cross, not losing the opportunity which the -enemy by their want of vigilance allowed him. Enough of the trestles -were collected from the river to form, with two of the pontoons, two -landing-places, and two floating bridges were made of the ♦PASSAGE OF -THE GUADIANA.♦ Spanish boats. This was completed by the afternoon of -the 5th. The army immediately began to cross; and continued crossing, -without an hour’s intermission, from three that afternoon till after -midnight on the 8th. Only one man and horse were lost in the operation. -Some country boats meantime carried across the three days’ reserve of -biscuit; and the same proportion of slaughter-cattle swam over. The -troops bivouacked in succession as they passed, forming a position in -a small semicircle, from Villa Real on the right to the Guadiana on -the left. Severely as the French had suffered in the affair before -Campo Mayor, they acted at this time with as much disregard of their -enemies, as if they had no abler general than Mendizabal to contend -with, and no better troops than those which they had so easily -routed. They had 12,000 men within three hours’ march, who might have -effectually disputed the passage, or cut off the advanced guard. But so -ill were they informed of Beresford’s movements, and so negligent in -ascertaining them, that they made no endeavour to interrupt him till -the morning of the 8th, when they advanced in some force, and surprised -before daybreak a piquet of the 13th dragoons; but they were driven -back by the 37th, which closed the right of the position; and finding -the allies too strong for them, desisted from any further attempt. - -♦OLIVENÇA RETAKEN.♦ - -On the morning of the 9th, as soon as the fog cleared, the army marched -in three columns upon Olivença: it was thought not unlikely that -the enemy would wait for them there, or on the opposite bank of the -Valverde river, where the ground was favourable: they had, however, -fallen back to Albuhera, leaving a garrison in Olivença. The place was -summoned, and refused to surrender; guns and stores, therefore, were -ordered from Elvas; the fourth division remained to besiege it; and -the rest of the army moved by Valverde, and bivouacked in the wood -of Albuhera, the enemy’s rear-guard retiring before their advance, -which entered S. Martha on the 12th. Here the army halted till the -15th, to get up provisions which were still brought from the rear; -and on that day Olivença surrendered at discretion, before the breach -was practicable. The garrison consisted of about 480 men, in a place -where Mendizabal had thrown away 3000. The French had committed a fault -of the same kind, though not to an equal extent; the force they left -there being totally inadequate to the defence of so large a fortress. -The recapture of this place would have produced an angry contention -between the Spanish and Portugueze Governments, if Portugal had not -been rendered, by English influence, patient in this instance under a -galling sense of injustice. The territory on the left of the Guadiana, -in which Olivença stands, was part of the dowry given with his daughter -to Affonso III. by the Castillian king, Alfonso the Wise; a grant -which, though deemed at the time to have been an arbitrary, ♦CLAIM OF -THE PORTUGUEZE TO THAT PLACE.♦ and therefore an illegal cession of -national rights, was subsequently confirmed to Portugal with due form -by the treaty between kings Dinez and Ferdinand IV. But as the Guadiana -might seem to form a natural boundary between the two kingdoms on this -part of the frontier, Spain has ever looked with an evil eye upon -this cession. Five centuries had not reconciled a people peculiarly -tenacious of what they deem national rights, to this dismemberment, as -they considered it, though in itself of little importance to Spain, -and though what had been ceded to Portugal was in reality the right -of winning it from the Moors, and keeping it when won. In times of -international war, therefore, the possession of Olivença had been -contested not less as a point of honour than for its own value, when -it was a place of great strength; and so strong was the border spirit -which prevailed there that, when the Spaniards captured it in 1658, -the whole of the inhabitants chose rather to leave the town, and lose -whatever they could not carry with them, than become subjects to the -King of Spain, though the property of those who should remove was -offered to any who would remain. It was restored at the end of that -war, and Portugal continued to hold it till its cession was extorted -in 1801, in the treaty of Badajoz. But the war which was terminated -by that treaty had been entirely unprovoked by Portugal: Spain was -then acting as the deceived and degraded instrument of French policy; -and the Portugueze felt, as they well might do, that the surrender, -though made to Spain, had been compelled by France; and that so long -as Spain retained Olivença by virtue of that treaty, they were an -injured people. The Prince of Brazil, in the proclamation which he -issued on his arrival in Brazil, declaring war against France, and -against Spain as then the ally and instrument of French oppression, -had protested against the injustice which was done him in that treaty, -and declared his intention of recovering when he could whatever he -had then been compelled to abandon: and the Spaniards were themselves -so conscious of this injustice, that the local authorities, with the -sanction of the Junta of Extremadura, had, at the commencement of the -war against Buonaparte and the Intruder, proposed to restore Olivença -and its district to Portugal for a certain sum of money. The Central -Government had not authorised this proposal; and Olivença was not -to be thought of in times when the independence of both nations was -at stake. But fortune had now put it in the power of the Portugueze -to right themselves: Olivença had been taken by the French, and -retaken from them by an allied force of Portugueze and British: and -one of the Portugueze Regents proposed to his colleague the British -ambassador that the Portugueze standards should be displayed there, -without previous explanation, or subsequent justification of the -measure. There prevailed at that time a strong feeling of irritation -in the Portugueze Government against the Spaniards, occasioned by the -conduct of the Spanish officers on the frontier, and the unrestrained -irregularities of the Spanish troops wherever they passed: they had -even sacked a townlet near Badajoz; an act for which the Portugueze -meditated reprisals, and had actually proposed so insane a measure to -the British ministry, when the Spanish regency allayed their resentment -by disavowing the act, and issuing orders for the punishment of the -parties concerned. Having thus been in some degree mollified, they were -persuaded not to injure the common cause by asserting their own claim, -just and reasonable as that claim was, but to wait the effect of a -treaty then pendant with Spain, in which the restoration of Olivença -was stipulated and not disputed. It is discreditable to Spain that the -restitution which Portugal was then contented to wait for has not yet -been made. - -♦THE FRENCH RETIRE FROM EXTREMADURA.♦ - -Olivença having been taken, the allied army marched upon Zafra and -Los Santos; this movement being designed to secure themselves from -interruption in the intended siege, and to protect Ballasteros, who, -after failing to effect a junction with Zayas, was pressed by a French -division under General Maransin, and compelled to retire successively -on the 13th and 14th from Fregenal and Xeres de los Cavalleros. -The French, upon discovering Beresford’s advance, on the following -day retired hastily toward Llerena, which Latour Maubourg, who had -succeeded to Mortier in the command, occupied with about 6000 horse and -foot: the division which now joined him consisted of 4000 infantry and -500 cavalry. At Los Santos the allied cavalry fell in with the 2nd and -10th of the enemy’s hussars, about 600 in number, who were apparently -sent on reconnoissance: they charged our 13th dragoons weakly, and were -repulsed; then retreated from the force which was moving against them; -and presently quickening that retreat, fled to Villa Garcia, and were -followed for nearly ten miles at a gallop. In this they lost a chef -d’escadron, killed, and about 160 men and horses prisoners: the British -eleven horses of the 4th dragoons, who died of fatigue after the chase. -The enemy remained one day longer at Llerena, and on the following, -when a movement against them had been ordered for the next morning, -retired to Guadalcanal; thus for the time abandoning Extremadura. -Beresford then cantoned his infantry at Valverde, Azenchal, Villa Alva, -and Almendralejo, the cavalry remaining at Zafra, Los Santos, Usagre, -and Bienvenida: here the resources of the country were sufficient -for their plentiful supply. A Spanish corps of about 1500 men, under -the Conde de Penne Villamur, belonging to Castaños’s army, occupied -Llerena. Ballasteros, with about an equal force, was at Monasterio; and -Blake, who had sailed from Cadiz for the Guadiana on the 15th, with -6000 foot and 400 horse, had reached Ayamonte, with 5000 of his men and -200 of his cavalry; the others had been compelled by weather to put -back. Soult was at this time uniting his disposable force near Seville: -nearly the whole corps from the Condado de Niebla had joined him there, -and he had also drawn a detachment from Sebastiani’s corps, ♦APRIL 20.♦ -and some regiments from Puerto S. Maria. This was the situation of the -respective armies when Lord Wellington arrived at Elvas, and was met -there by Marshal Beresford. - -♦SIEGE OF BADAJOZ UNDERTAKEN.♦ - -Thus far in this memorable campaign the war had been conducted by the -British commander as a game of skill: it was now to become a game of -hazard. The base surrender of Badajoz distracted his attention as much -as it had disappointed his reasonable hopes: that the place should be -recovered was of the greatest importance to his future operations: -to the enemy, it was of equal importance to maintain it. Soult could -bring into the field a force sufficient for its relief. It was well -garrisoned: whatever injury had been done to the works was thoroughly -repaired: it had sufficient artillery, and was well supplied. Lord -Wellington and Beresford reconnoitred it: three battalions ♦MARCH 22.♦ -came out to skirmish with the reconnoitring party, and were driven -back, but with the loss on our side of three officers and about forty -men killed and wounded. The siege, to be successful, must be vigorously -pursued, so that there might not be time enough allowed for relieving -the place: no plan, therefore, could be adopted which would require -more than sixteen days’ open trenches: but at least twenty-two, and -this too, if the means were fully equal to the undertaking, would be -required, if either of the south fronts were attacked, which yet it -was plainly seen would have been the preferable points of attack, had -time permitted; and means as well as time were wanting. The plan which -was adopted therefore as the only one in these circumstances feasible, -was to breach and assault Fort Christoval, and having reduced it, to -attack the castle from thence: three or four days’ battering might, it -was thought, form a practicable breach in the castle wall, which on -that side was entirely exposed, as well as apparently weak; and if the -castle were carried, Badajoz could make no farther resistance. - -♦BRIDGE AT JURUMENHA SWEPT AWAY.♦ - -During the night of the 23rd the Guadiana rose nearly eight feet -and a half in the course of twelve hours: the bridge which had been -thrown across it at Jurumenha since the army passed was swept away, -and the whole of its materials carried down the stream and lost. The -communication was restored by another bridge of casks at the end of -the month; but Lord Wellington, seeing the danger of such a river in -the rear of the army, immediately changed the cantonment of the troops, -and directed Beresford to occupy and rest his rear upon Merida, where -the old Roman bridge rendered his passage at any ♦LORD WELLINGTON -RECALLED TO BEIRA.♦ time sure. No sooner had these instructions been -given than he was recalled to Beira by intelligence that Massena was -approaching the Agueda in force, and seemed to threaten an attempt for -the relief of Almeida. - -♦INACTIVITY OF THE SPANISH COMMANDER IN GALICIA.♦ - -It was owing in great measure to the inactivity of the Spanish -commander in Galicia that Massena felt himself in safety as soon as -he was out of Portugal, was enabled to rest the remains of his army, -and to draw reinforcements from Castille, which enabled him to resume -offensive operations only fifteen days after the last of his troops had -crossed the frontier in their retreat. The enemy had received great -annoyance in Old Castille and Leon from D. Julian Sanchez, and other -guerrilla parties, but none from the nominal army of Galicia, whose -general, D. Nicolas Mahy, had suffered Massena’s dépôts to be protected -by from 5000 to 6000 men dispersed between Burgos and Ciudad Rodrigo. -The Galicians cried out against him, complaining that, when he had -filled the prisons with his own countrymen, he seemed to think any -other operations unnecessary. He was displaced in consequence of their -representations, and General Abadia appointed, (after Albuquerque’s -death,) to succeed him; but Abadia had lingered at Lisbon instead -of hastening to take the command. Massena, as soon as the pursuit -ceased upon the frontier, had no danger to apprehend from any other -quarter, and his army was re-equipped and reinforced in no longer -time than would have been necessary to recruit it after its fatigues. -The Intruder having gone to Paris, the force which would otherwise -have been required for his personal security was disposable for this -service, so that with the cavalry and artillery of the imperial guard, -and the troops which were collected from Castille and Leon, he mustered -not less than 40,000 effective infantry and 5000 horse. Lord Wellington -had not supposed it possible that, after such a retreat, Massena could -in so short a time have been at the head of such a force. He arrived -at Villa Fermosa on the 28th, and at once perceived that a formidable -attempt would be made for relieving Almeida: his own force consisted -of 34,000 men, 2000 horse, including those who were engaged in the -blockade. - -♦COUNTRY BETWEEN THE AGUEDA AND COA.♦ - -The country between the Agueda and the Coa is a high open tract, which -falls in a gradual slope from the mountains on the south in which those -rivers have their sources, to the Douro: here and there are woods of -cork and ilex, and the whole tract is intersected and divided into -ridges by streams which run parallel to the larger rivers during the -greater part of their course, and fall most of them into the Agueda. An -army advancing into Portugal might, by moving upon the ridge of Fuentes -Guinaldo, turn the right of all the positions that can be taken upon -these smaller streams; or if it advanced in a direct line, the ♦MAY.♦ -parallel ridges and woods covering any movement without interrupting -it, would favour it in manœuvring and directing its principal strength -against either flank. The allies were cantoned along the Duas Casas, -and toward the sources of the Azava, the light division being at -Gallegos and Espeja, upon the latter. But the ridge between the Duas -Casas and the Turon offered the most advantageous position, because -on the left it was of difficult access in front, and on the right it -connected with the high country about Navedeaver, from whence the -communications were easy in the direction of Alfayates and Sabugal. - -♦MASSENA’S ADDRESS TO HIS ARMY.♦ - -Before Massena took the field, he addressed his troops in another -bootless boast. “Soldiers of the army of Portugal,” said he in his -general orders, “after six months of glorious and tranquil operations, -you have returned to the first scene of your triumphs; but the enemies -of Napoleon the Great have the audacity to blockade a fortress which -they dared not previously attempt to defend. Soldiers, if your valour -then intimidated their columns, will it not now punish them for their -temerity? Will not you bring to their recollection that you are still -the same brave men who drove them to their trenches at Lisbon? Some -regiments of cavalry, and reinforcements from his majesty’s guards, -conducted by the marshal of the district, assist in your efforts and -your duties. Forget not that it is your courage which must maintain -that superiority of heroism and intrepidity which forms the subject of -the admiration and the envy of other nations. Through you, the honour -of the French armies will render renowned the hitherto unknown banks -of the Coa, as you have made the rivers of Italy and of the North for -ever memorable. Soldiers, a victory is necessary, in order to procure -you that repose which the equipment and administration of the regiments -require. You will obtain it; and you will prepare yourselves in the -leisure that will result from it of marching to new triumphs.” - -♦BATTLE OF FUENTES D’ONORO.♦ - -At daybreak on the 2nd of May the main body of the French crossed the -Agueda at Ciudad Rodrigo, and moved in two columns toward the Azava, -which they crossed that evening: our light division fell back from its -cantonments on that river, the enemy being very superior in cavalry, -and the horses of the allies in bad condition, by reason of hard -service and wretched fodder: so great, indeed, was the want of food for -them, that it had been necessary to cut the green rye, to the harvest -of which the unfortunate peasants had looked for their next year’s -subsistence. ♦MAY 3.♦ On the following morning the French continued -to advance, two columns moving towards Alameda and Fort Conception, -and one, with the whole of the cavalry, upon Fuentes d’Onoro, a little -village upon the Duas Casas. Lord Wellington had assembled his first, -third, and seventh divisions on the heights, between that river and -the Turon, in front of Villa Fermosa: the 3rd was posted on a ridge -crossing the road from that townlet to Fuentes d’Onoro, which village -was occupied by its light companies, and by three companies of the 5th -battalion of the 60th under Lieutenant-Colonel Williams: the first -division was formed on the right of the third, and the seventh moved -from Navedeaver towards the first, throwing our flanking parties toward -Poço Velho. This division incurred some danger in the movement: they -were in the wood of Poço Velho, and the enemy’s cavalry got in their -rear; but though they had ground to pass on which cavalry could act, -they made good their retreat, notwithstanding the superiority of the -French in that arm. Major-General Campbell, with the sixth, observed -the bridge over the Duas Casas at Alameda, and Sir W. Erskine the -passages of the same stream at Fort Conception and Aldea do Bispo. -Brigadier-General Pack, with his brigade of Portugueze and the Queen’s -regiment from the sixth division, kept up the blockade of Almeida; and -Julian Sanchez occupied Navedeaver with his little party of horse and -foot, ... men more experienced in desultory warfare than in regular -battles, but of approved courage. The extent of this position was not -less than six miles from flank to flank, the left being supported by -the ruins of Fort Conception, the right at Navedeaver: the village -of Fuentes d’Onoro was in the right of the centre, close to the Duas -Casas, situated on a slope, and concealed by the ground: a great part -of the line from that village to the ruined fort was in a certain -degree secured by the rocky and intricate channel of the Duas Casas, -and its steep and rugged bank on the side of the allies, ... the -passage being very difficult for cavalry and artillery, and defensible -by a comparatively small force: on the other side the position was not -so strong, being nearly on a flat, save that there was a small eminence -with a tower on its summit, on which the right rested. Head-quarters -were at Villa Fermosa, behind the Turon, about two miles from Fuentes -d’Onoro. The heights which the troops occupied are of a very gradual -ascent, accessible to cavalry in every part, except here and there, -where there are masses of rock. The ground upon which the French formed -was a plain, with woods behind it; and immediately in the neighbourhood -of Fuentes d’Onoro there were groves of ilex on the right bank of the -Duas Casas, which they occupied in force throughout. - -The position which Lord Wellington had taken appeared to Massena a fine -line of battle, but he thought it was not without danger to the troops -that held it; for they had the wild Coa behind them, and only a single -carriage communication, in itself sufficiently difficult, by the little -town of Castello Bom. This communication it was his intention to seize; -and for that purpose, while with a part of his army he kept the centre -of the allies in check, he proceeded in force against their right, and -endeavoured to obtain possession of Fuentes d’Onoro. Having brought up -his artillery, he commenced the attack at two in the afternoon, by a -cannonade upon the village, under cover of which fire a strong column -of infantry moved against it. Lord Wellington perceived his intention, -and reinforced the village as occasion required with the 71st, the -79th, and the second battalion of the 24th. Lieutenant-Colonel Williams -was wounded, and the command then devolved on Lieutenant-Colonel -Cameron of the 79th. Repeated and vigorous efforts were made against -this post; and the enemy at one time obtained possession of it in part, -but they were driven out before night put a stop to the action. - -♦MAY 4.♦ - -The French did not renew the attack on the following day, but confined -themselves to reconnoitring the British position, particularly the -right, toward which they moved part of their troops, chiefly cavalry, -in the direction of Navedeaver, Massena thinking that he had found -accessible ground between that village and Poço Velho. Lord Wellington, -from the course of his reconnoissance, inferred what was his purpose, -and in the evening moved the 7th division, under Major-General Houston, -to protect, if possible, the passage of the Duas Casas at Poço Velho, -where the enemy intended to cross in hopes of gaining possession of -Fuentes d’Onoro from that side, and of the ground ♦MAY 5.♦ behind the -village. As soon as it was daylight on the 5th, this intention on their -part became evident. The allied cavalry was then moved to the left of -the 7th division, somewhat more forward; the light division was in -march from Alameda towards the same station; the 3rd had bivouacked in -a line parallel to the ridge of the hill toward Fuentes d’Onoro; and -the 1st upon its right: these divisions were connected with each other, -and the village was occupied by part of the troops of both, both being -ready to support it. There was a distance of about one mile from the -right of the 1st division to the ground on which the light division had -arrived, and about half a mile from thence to the 7th. The cavalry -covered this last interval; the former was protected by piquets and -light infantry in the wood between Fuentes d’Onoro and Poço Velho. This -would have been a critical situation for a commander less reasonably -confident in himself and in his troops. There was no appui for the -right of the British army, and it had the Coa in its rear with only -one passage for artillery. The French were superior in numbers, and -what was of far greater importance here, greatly so in cavalry: their -horses were fresh, whereas ours had been of necessity overworked and -insufficiently fed: moreover, the ground favoured their preparations -for attack, a large extent of wood, within little more than a mile of -the British line concealing their movements. - -Early in the morning one of the enemy’s corps appeared in two columns -in the valley of the Duas Casas, opposite Poço Velho, having the whole -of their cavalry under General Montbrun on the left. The infantry -directed itself against the village; the cavalry moved through the -open country between it and Navedeaver, a part circling about, under -favour of the ground, to turn the right flank of the allies. Julian -Sanchez was compelled to retire; and so, with some loss, were two -battalions of the 7th division from Poço Velho. Houston moved with -that division to protect their retreat and that of the cavalry, with -which view he placed himself on a rocky height, and there formed the -Chasseurs Britanniques. The first attack of their advanced cavalry was -met by a few squadrons of British, who obtained a partial advantage, -and took a colonel and some other prisoners; but their eagerness, and -still more their inferiority, occasioned some confusion: they were in -their turn pressed, and the enemy for a short time had possession of -two guns belonging to our horse artillery. The main body of the French -cavalry advanced rapidly, charged through the piquets of the 85th, and -followed our horse up the hill: but the attack thus gallantly begun was -not maintained with equal gallantry. The ground was intersected with -stone walls, which protected part of our troops; those who had not that -advantage stood firm. The chasseurs under Lieutenant-Colonel Eustace, -and a detachment of the Brunswick corps, were somewhat concealed by a -rising ground, where in many parts the rocks stood several feet above -the surface: availing themselves of this, they waited till the main -body of the enemy’s cavalry came in a line with their front, within -threescore paces, and then rising up threw in a well-directed volley, -which checked them and made them retire in disorder; yet the charge -had appeared so formidable, that, it is said, Lord Wellington feared -the Brunswickers were lost. Their loss was trifling; but they narrowly -escaped afterward from the Portugueze, who, because of their caps, -mistook them for enemies. The attack was renewed, but in vain, though -some of the French dismounted and acted as light infantry to assist in -it. - -Lord Wellington had occupied Poço Velho and the adjoining ground for -the sake of maintaining his communication across the Coa by Sabugal, -while he provided at the same time for maintaining the blockade of -Almeida. The danger of attempting both was now evident, and looking -with just confidence rather to victory than to any likelihood of -retreating, he drew in the right of the army. Placing, therefore, -the light division in reserve in the rear of the left of the 1st, he -ordered the 7th to cross the Turon and take post on some commanding -ground, which protected the right flank and rear of the 1st, covered -the communication with the Coa on that side, and prevented that of the -enemy with Almeida by the roads between the Coa and the Turon. The -7th division thus covered the rear of the right, which was formed by -the 1st in two lines. Colonel Ashworth’s brigade, in two lines, was in -the centre, and the 3rd division, in two lines also, on the left. D. -Julian’s infantry joined the 7th in Fresneda; his horse were sent to -interrupt the communication with Ciudad Rodrigo. Fuentes d’Onoro was in -front of the left. The right of the French infantry was opposite that -village, the left and centre between it and Poço Velho, in the wood, -and within 2000 yards of the British position. A part of their cavalry -was on the right flank of their right; a few squadrons were with -artillery opposite the 1st division, and the main body was in the open -country, from whence the right wing of the allies had withdrawn. - -The great object of the enemy now was to gain possession of Fuentes -d’Onoro, which was defended by the 24th, 71st, and 78th; and these -regiments were supported by the light infantry battalions of the 1st -and 3rd divisions, and some Portugueze corps. They directed against -this post several columns of their infantry supported by artillery; -succeeded in turning it by the wood toward Poço Velho; gained -possession by superior numbers of the point of land where the chain -of piquets passed, and from thence penetrated into the village. They -even advanced some little way on the road toward Villa Fermosa: but -here the 21st Portugueze regiment checked them; the 74th and 78th were -detached by General Picton, charged them, and retook the village. -Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron was mortally wounded, by an enemy who -stepped out of the ranks to aim at him. His countrymen, the Highlanders -at whose head he fell, set up a shriek, and attacked the French with -a spirit not to be resisted: the man who had slain their commander -was pierced by many bayonets at once: the leader of the French, a -person remarkable for his stature and fine form was killed, and the -Highlanders in their vengeance drove the enemy before them. More than -once Fuentes d’Onoro was won and lost; the contest in the streets was -so severe that several of the openings were blocked up with the dead -and the wounded, but they were finally driven through it by Colonel -Mackinnon: they kept up a fire upon it till night closed, at which time -400 of their dead were lying there. The command of the village devolved -upon Lieutenant-Colonel Cadogan. - -Meantime, the enemy from the wood in front of the British line brought -fifteen pieces of cannon to bear upon it, and with those above the -village established a severe cross fire, under cover of which, a column -of infantry attempted to penetrate down the ravine of the Turon, to the -right of the 1st division: but they were repulsed by the light infantry -of the guards, and some companies of the 95th. Their cavalry also -charged and cut through the piquets of the guards, but were checked -by the fire of the 42nd. During the night and the succeeding day, -Lord Wellington strengthened his position by throwing up breast-works -and batteries; and this, after the lesson he had received, deterred -Massena from attempting any farther attack. He made no movement till -the 8th, nor did Lord Wellington provoke an action: he had succeeded in -keeping his ground, and thereby maintaining the blockade; and nothing -was to be gained by attempting more with inferior numbers, and a weak -and exhausted ♦THE FRENCH RETIRE.♦ cavalry. On the 8th and 9th, the -French collected their whole army in the woods between the Duas Casas -and the Azava, recrossed the latter river on the evening of the 9th, -and retired the next day across the Agueda, having failed entirely in -the object for which the movement had been undertaken, and the battle -fought. The loss of the allies on both days amounted to 1378 killed and -wounded, 317 prisoners. That of the French was not ascertained: they -acknowledged only 400: but that number was counted in the village of -Fuentes d’Onoro, and 500 of their horses were left dead on the field. -Under the government of Buonaparte, truth was never to be found in any -public statement, unless it was favourable to himself; and none of his -generals exercised to a greater extent than M. Massena the license -which all took of representing their defeats as victories. This action -had severely mortified that general; he had been beaten by an army -numerically inferior to his own, and weak in cavalry, upon ground which -was favourable for that arm, and which Lord Wellington would not have -chosen, had circumstances permitted a choice; it was an action in which -the skill and promptitude of the British commander, and the gallantry -and steadiness of the allied troops, had been evinced throughout. - -♦ESCAPE OF THE GARRISON FROM ALMEIDA.♦ - -Defeated in the field, and disappointed in his intention of saving -Almeida, Massena sent orders to the Governor, General Brenier, to -blow up the works, and retire with the garrison upon Barba de Puerco. -Brenier having previously received instructions from Bessieres and -from Berthier to prepare for thus evacuating the place, should it -be necessary, had made 140 cavities ready to be charged before the -end of April; but knowing that Massena would make every effort to -retain possession of this fortress, which was the only fruit of his -six months’ campaign in Portugal, he had prepared also for a vigorous -defence, hoping to hold out till the first of June. The battle of -Fuentes d’Onoro put an end to his hopes; for the firing was heard -in Almeida, and proved that it was a serious action; and as the -communication which he every moment expected did not arrive, Brenier -could be in no doubt concerning the event. Massena’s orders reached -him on the 7th. Immediately the cavities were filled, the balls and -cartridges thrown into the ditch, and the artillery destroyed by -discharging cannon into the mouths of the pieces. Two days were thus -employed; on the morning of the 10th he assembled the officers, and -having read to them his instructions, told them, that when the place -was once demolished, the intentions of their sovereign would be -perfectly fulfilled; that that single object ought to animate them; -that they were Frenchmen and must now prove to the universe that they -were worthy of being so. They continued to work in destroying stores -and artillery, and completing the mines till the moment of their -departure; and at ten at night, all being assembled with the greatest -silence, Brenier gave as a watchword, Buonaparte and Bayard, and set -off (in his own words) under the auspices of glory and honour. In -coupling these names, he seems not to have felt how cutting a reproach -they conveyed to every honourable Frenchman. - -About one, the mines exploded; at the same time the garrison attacked -the piquets which observed the place, and forced their way through -them. They marched in two columns, fired as little as possible, and -passed between the bodies of troops which had been posted to support -the piquets. Brenier had studied the ground so well that he would not -take a guide; a guide, he thought, would only make him hesitate and -perhaps confuse him; the moon served as his compass, the different -brooks and rivers which he crossed were so many points which insured -his direction, and he placed his baggage at the tail of each column, -in order that it might serve as a lure to the enemy, for to save it he -knew was impossible. On the part of the blockading troops there was -a culpable negligence; for as the garrison had frequently attacked -the nearest piquets, and fired cannon in the night during the whole -blockade, but more particularly while Massena was between the Duas -Casas and the Azava, they thought this attack was nothing more than -one of the ordinary sallies, and did not even move at the sound of -the explosion, till its cause was ascertained. General Pack, however, -who was at Malpartida, joined the piquets upon the first alarm with -his wonted alacrity, and continued to follow and fire upon the enemy, -as a guide for the march of the other troops. The 4th regiment, which -was ordered to occupy Barba del Puerco, missed the way, and to this -Brenier was chiefly indebted for his escape. Regnier was at the bridge -of San Felices to receive him, and there he effected his junction, -having lost, in this hazardous and well-executed escape, by the French -official account, only sixty men. But the loss had been tenfold of what -was there stated. For though the lure of the baggage was not thrown -out in vain, and too many of his pursuers stopped or turned aside to -secure their booty when the horses and mules were cast loose, he was -followed and fired upon by General Pack’s party, and by a part of the -36th regiment, the whole way to the Agueda, 490 of his men were brought -in prisoners, and the number of killed and wounded could not have been -inconsiderable. - -♦MARMONT SUCCEEDS MASSENA IN THE COMMAND.♦ - -The English and their general did full justice to the ability with -which Brenier performed his difficult attempt. Massena made use of it -to colour over his defeat, and represented the evacuation and not the -relief of Almeida as the object for which the battle of Fuentes d’Onoro -was fought. “The operation,” he said, “which had put the army in -motion was thus terminated.” Shortly afterwards he returned to France, -with Ney, Junot, and Loison, leaving behind them names, ever to be -execrated in Portugal, and to be held in everlasting infamy. Marmont -succeeded him in the command. The army, which still called itself the -army of Portugal, went into its cantonments upon the Tormes, having, in -Massena’s curious language, _advanced_ into Spain that it might rest; -and Lord Wellington set out for the south summoned by intelligence -from Marshal Beresford that Soult, notwithstanding previous rumours, -which described him as fortifying Seville, and preparing to stand on -the defensive in Andalusia, was advancing into Extremadura. ♦LORD -WELLINGTON RECALLED TO ALENTEJO.♦ These tidings reached him on the -night of the 15th; and he set out on the following morning. - -When the British commander had been recalled from Badajoz to secure -the recovery of Almeida, Beresford was left waiting till the Guadiana -should fall sufficiently for him to re-establish the bridge. The -French under Latour Maubourg, when they had been forced to retire from -Llerena, fell back to Guadalcañal; it was of importance to push them as -far off as possible during the intended siege; and a combined movement -of Colonel Colborne, Ballasteros, and the Conde de Penne Villamur, who -commanded the cavalry of the Spanish army in Extremadura, made them, -though far superior in force, retire to Constantino. This service -having been performed, the investment of Badajoz was commenced on the -4th of May. But the enterprise was undertaken ♦BADAJOZ BESIEGED.♦ under -every possible disadvantage. For Marshal Beresford had not force enough -to carry on the siege, and at the same time hold a position which -should cover it from interruption. He was as inadequately supplied with -other means as with men: ample stores, indeed, had been ordered from -Lisbon to Elvas, and on the part of the governor at Elvas, General -Leite, nothing was wanting which his zeal and activity could effect: -but these could do little in an exhausted country, where carriage was -not to be procured, and all that could be brought up was miserably -insufficient. At that time also, the French were perfectly skilled both -in the attack and defence of fortified places, while we had every thing -to learn: there was not even a corps of sappers and miners attached to -the army, so that all those preliminary operations to which men may -be trained at home, at leisure, and in perfect safety, were here to -be learnt under the fire of an enemy as well skilled in all the arts -of defence as we were deficient in those of attack. In this branch of -war they were as superior to us as our troops were uniformly found to -theirs in the field; and it is a superiority against which courage, -though carried to the highest point, can be of no avail. On the part of -the besieged, courage and the high sense of duty may suffice, though -outworks have fallen, walls are weak, and science wanting; this had -been proved at Zaragoza and Gerona. But it is one thing to assail -ramparts, and another to defend them; and the braver the assailants, -the greater must be their loss, if they are not directed by the -necessary skill. - -♦INTERRUPTION OF THE SIEGE.♦ - -On the 8th the investment of the town on the northern side was -effected, and that same evening the siege commenced. The soil was hard -and rocky; the men unaccustomed to such work and not numerous enough -for it, for which causes, and the want also of intrenching tools, a -sufficient extent of ground could not be opened the first night. The -enemy, who allowed no opportunity to escape them, took advantage of -this, made a sortie on the morning of the 10th, gained possession of a -battery, and when driven back were pursued with such rash ardour to the -very walls of Fort Christoval and the _tête-de-pont_ that the besiegers -lost more than 400 men. A breaching battery, armed with three guns and -two howitzers, was completed during the next night, and on the morrow -the garrison’s well-directed fire disabled one of the howitzers and -all the guns. That same day intelligence was received from the Regent, -General Blake, that Soult had left Seville with the declared intention -of relieving Badajoz, and that Latour Maubourg, returning upon -Guadalcañal and Llerena, had forced Penne Villamur to fall back. Orders -therefore were given to hold every man in readiness to retire. But -other accounts, on the 12th, seemed to make it probable that Soult’s -movements were only intended against Blake, who had come to Fregenal, -and against Ballasteros, who from Monasterio had pushed his advances -toward Seville; and on that probability Beresford ordered ground to be -broken against the castle. Fresh dispatches in the middle of the night -from various quarters, made it beyond all doubt that Soult was rapidly -advancing; immediate orders, therefore, were given to raise the siege, -for Beresford deemed it better to meet the French marshal, and give him -battle with all the force that could be collected, Spanish, Portugueze, -and British, than by looking at two objects to risk the loss of one. -General Cole’s division was left with some 2000 Spaniards to cover the -removal of the guns and stores; and Beresford met Blake and Castaños at -Valverde on the 14th. Any jealousy which might have arisen concerning -the command had been obviated by a previous arrangement between -Castaños and Lord ♦ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN LORD WELLINGTON AND CASTAÑOS -CONCERNING THE COMMAND.♦ Wellington. The latter in a written memorial -concerning the operations which ought to be pursued in Extremadura, -had proposed that whenever different corps of the allied armies should -be united to give battle, the general who was possessed of the highest -military rank, and of the longest standing, should take the command of -the whole. This would have given it to Castaños; but he, with that -wise and disinterested spirit which always distinguished him, proposed, -as a more equitable arrangement, that the general who had the greatest -force under his orders should have the chief command, and that the -others should be considered as auxiliaries. Lord Wellington perfectly -approved of the alteration. “It was my duty,” said he, “in a point so -delicate as that of the allied troops acting in concert, to submit a -proposition so reasonable in itself as to obtain universal assent; but -it was becoming the manly understanding, candour, and knowledge of -existing circumstances which characterise your excellency to make an -alteration in it, substituting another proposal better calculated to -please those of the allies who have most to lose in the battle, for -which we must prepare ourselves.” - -♦REASONS FOR GIVING BATTLE TO THE FRENCH.♦ - -Lord Wellington had left it at Beresford’s discretion to fight a battle -or retire, if circumstances should render one or other alternative -necessary. But the effect of a retreat would, as he saw, have been most -disastrous: it would have deprived the Spaniards of all hope for any -efficient exertion on the part of Great Britain; it would have exposed -Blake and Castaños to destruction: the British army would have suffered -a second time in reputation; the Portugueze troops would have lost -their confidence in their allies and in themselves; and in the retreat -itself, ... with an army so dispirited, through an exhausted country, -and before such troops as the French under such a commander, ... the -numerical loss might have been greater than in a well-fought though -unsuccessful engagement, and the consequences worse. - -♦THE ALLIES ASSEMBLE AT ALBUHERA.♦ - -Our cavalry, with that of Castaños, under the Conde de Penne Villamur, -falling back as the enemy advanced, was joined at Santa Martha by -Blake’s. The British and Portugueze infantry, except the division -which was left to cover the removal of the stores to Elvas, occupied -a position in front of Valverde; but as this, though stronger than -any which could be taken up elsewhere in those parts, would have left -Badajoz entirely open, Beresford determined to take up such as he could -get directly between that city and the enemy. He therefore assembled -his force on the 15th at the village of Albuhera, where the roads meet -which lead to Badajoz and to Jurumenha by Valverde and Olivença. A -little above the village a brook called Ferdia falls into the Albuhera, -one of the lesser tributary streams of the Guadiana; between these -rivulets, and beyond them, is one of the open and scattered woods of -ilex, which are common in this part of the country. There is a bridge -over the Albuhera in front of the village. The village had been so -completely destroyed by the enemy, that there was not an inhabitant -in it, nor one house with a roof standing. The cavalry which had been -forced in the morning to retire from Santa Martha joined here, and in -the afternoon the enemy appeared. Blake’s corps making a forced march, -arrived during the night; Cole with his division, and the Spanish -brigade under D. Carlos d’España, not till the following morning. The -15th had been a day of heavy rain; and both these divisions, from -forced marches, and the latter also from fatigue in dismantling the -works before Badajoz, were not in the best state for action. - -The whole face of this country is passable everywhere for horse and -foot; Beresford formed his army in two lines nearly parallel to the -Albuhera, and on the ridge of the gradual ascent from its banks, -covering the roads to Badajoz and Valverde; Blake’s corps was on the -right in two lines; its left on the Valverde road joined the right -of Major-General Stewart’s division, the left of which reached the -Badajoz road, and there Major-General Hamilton’s division closed the -left of the line. Cole’s division, with one brigade of Hamilton’s, -formed the second line. The allied force consisted of 8000 British, -7000 Portugueze, and 10,000 Spaniards; hardly two thousand of these -were cavalry. Soult had drawn troops from the armies of Victor and -Sebastiani, and left Seville with 16,000 men; Latour Maubourg joined -him with five or six thousand; but he had a very superior cavalry, -not less then 4000, and his artillery also was superior, he having -forty-two field-pieces of which several were twelve-pounders, the -allies only thirty. He had the greater advantage of commanding soldiers -who were all in the highest possible state of discipline, and whom, -though they were of many countries, long habit had formed into one -army; whereas the allied force consisted of three different nations; -the Portugueze indeed disciplined by British officers, but the -Spaniards in their usual state of indiscipline; and one third of the -army not understanding, or understanding imperfectly, the language of -the other two. - -♦MAY 16. - -BATTLE OF ALBUHERA.♦ - -Soult did not know that Blake had joined during the night, and he -thought to anticipate his junction by attacking the right of the -allies, thus throwing himself upon their line of communication, when -the possession of the rising ground would decide the battle. At eight -in the morning his troops were observed in motion; his horse crossed -the Ferdia, and formed under cover of the wood in the fork between -the two rivulets. A strong force of cavalry, with two heavy columns -of infantry, then marched out of the wood, pointing toward the front -of the allied position, as if to attack the village and bridge of -Albuhera; while, at the same time, under protection of that superior -cavalry which in such a country gave them command of the field, -their infantry filed over the river beyond the right of the allies. -Their intention to turn the allies by that flank, and cut them off -from Valverde, was now apparent; upon which Beresford ordered Cole’s -division to form an oblique line to the rear of the right, with his own -right thrown back, and requested Blake to form part of his first line -and all his second to that front. - -While the French General Godinot made a false attack upon Albuhera, -Soult, with the rest of the army, bore on the right wing of the allies. -The attack began at nine o’clock; a heavy storm of rain came on about -the same time, as favourable to the French, who had formed their plan, -and consequently arranged their movements, as it was disadvantageous -for the allies, whose measures were to be adapted for meeting those -of the enemy. After a gallant resistance, the Spaniards were forced -from the heights, and the enemy set up a shout of triumph which was -heard from one end of the line to the other; their exultation was not -without good cause, for the heights which they had gained raked and -entirely commanded the whole position. The Spaniards to a man displayed -the utmost courage; but their want of discipline was felt, and the -danger of throwing them into confusion whenever change of position -was necessary; yet the station which had been entrusted to them was -precisely that upon which the fate of the whole army depended. They -rallied at the bottom of the hill, turned upon the enemy, and withstood -them, while Lieutenant-Colonel Colbourne brought up the right brigade -of Stewart’s division, and endeavoured to retake the ground which had -been lost. - -These troops had been hurried as soon as the intention of the French -was perceived: they arrived too late; instead of being the defendants -of the strongest ground, they had to assail the enemy already -established there, and the more they advanced the more their flank -became exposed. Finding that they could not shake the enemy’s column -by their fire, they proceeded to attack it with the bayonet; but in -the act of charging, they were themselves suddenly turned and attacked -in the rear by a body of Polish lancers: these men carried long -lances with a red flag suspended at the end, which, while so borne by -the rider as to prevent his own horse from seeing any other object, -frightens those horses who are opposed to it. Never was any charge -more unexpected, or more destructive; the rain, which thickened the -whole atmosphere, partly concealed them; and those of the brigade who -saw them approaching mistook them for Spaniards, and therefore did not -fire. A tremendous slaughter was made upon the troops who were thus -surprised; and the loss would have been greater, if the Poles, instead -of pursuing their advantage, had not ridden about the field to spear -the wounded. The three regiments of Colbourne’s brigade lost their -colours at this time; those of the Buffs were recovered, after signal -heroism had been displayed in their defence. Ensign Thomas, who bore -one of the flags, was surrounded, and asked to give it up. Not but with -my life! was his answer, and his life was the instant forfeit; but the -standard thus taken was regained, and the manner in which it had been -defended will not be forgotten when it shall be borne again to battle. -English Walsh, who carried the other colours, had the staff broken in -his hand by a cannon ball, and fell severely wounded; but, more anxious -about his precious charge than himself, he separated the flag from the -shattered staff, and secured it in his bosom, from whence it was taken -when his wounds were dressed after the battle. - -The 31st regiment, being the left of the brigade, was the only one -which escaped this charge, and it kept its ground under Major -L’Estrange. The issue of the day seemed at this time worse than -doubtful, and nothing but the most determined and devoted courage -saved the allies from a defeat, of which the consequences would have -been worse than the immediate slaughter. The third brigade under -Major-General Houghton, with the fusileers and Portugueze brigade -under Major-General Cole, advanced to recover the heights, their -officers declaring that they would win the field or die. Houghton and -Sir William Myers fell, each leading on his brigade. The fusileers, -and the Lusitanian legion, 3000 when they advanced, could not muster -1000 after they had gained the rising ground, ... for they did gain it -after all this carnage; 2000 men, and sixty officers, including every -lieutenant-colonel, and field officer, were either killed or wounded. -But the enemy in their turn suffered greater slaughter when they -were forced down into the low ground toward the river; our musketry -and shrapnells then mowed them down. The attack upon the village was -continued somewhat longer; but the enemy were never able to make any -impression there. - -Soult made a vigorous effort to rally his men in this part of the -field: he rode forward with an eagle in his hand, and for a moment -checked their flight; but it was only for a moment: they saw their -left retreating in confusion, and they followed the example. Only two -battalions could be collected at first, and afterwards four, in any -order: these formed behind the first rivulet at the foot of the ridge; -the rest of their force was dispersed like a swarm of bees, and could -not be brought up till they reached the wood. Still the superiority -of the enemy in horse was such that it was impossible for the allies -to pursue their victory. Soult therefore retired to his bivouac in -the wood, and his reserve with a powerful artillery occupied the -hill, under cover of which he had formed his columns of attack. The -rain which had fallen heavily during the action became more severe -at evening, and continued so that night and the following day. The -rivulets, swoln now to torrents as they poured from the heights, were -reddened with blood; and exposed to that weather the wounded lay where -they had fallen, for there was no possibility of removing them; not a -house which could have afforded shelter was near ... not a carriage -or beast of burden could be found for transporting them to the rear. -But wickedness is ever on the alert, and many of the wounded in this -condition were stripped to the skin, by those miscreants who attend -upon the movements of an army like birds and beasts of prey. - -The allies made fresh dispositions immediately after the battle, in -case the enemy should re-advance: they improved their position by -moving toward the right flank; their freshest troops were placed in the -first line; and the flags taken from the Polish lancers, some hundreds -in number, were planted in defiance upon the crest of the position, -singular trophies of a most well-deserved victory. Kemmis’s brigade -came up the next morning, and reinforced them with 1500 men; but all -continued quiet on both sides. On the night of the 17th, Soult moved -off his wounded under cover of the wood, and prepared for his retreat, -which he commenced the ensuing day. Our cavalry followed to hang upon -his rear, and in a very gallant affair with the rear-guard at Usagre, -about 150 of their horse were killed, wounded, or taken, without loss -on our part, though they had then 3000 men in the field, and the allies -not more than half that number. Hamilton’s division was sent back to -re-invest Badajoz: that place had remained free between the 16th and -19th, in which interval it had received no relief, and the garrison had -only time loosely to fill up the approaches which had been made. Lord -Wellington arrived at Elvas on the 20th; rode over the field the next -day, and expressed himself highly pleased with Marshal Beresford, upon -whom so arduous a responsibility had rested, and with the army which -had demeaned itself so gallantly. - -The battle of Albuhera was one of the most murderous in modern times. -The British loss consisted of nearly 900 killed, 2732 wounded, 544 -missing; the Portugueze, of whom only a small part were brought into -action, lost about 400; the Spaniards above 2000. The French left 2000 -dead on the field; about 1000 were made prisoners; Generals Werle and -Pepin were killed. Soult, in his official dispatch, declared, that his -whole loss amounted only to 2800 men; but a letter from General Gazan -was intercepted, wherein he stated that he had more than 4000 wounded -under his charge. The heat, he said, would prove very injurious to -them, especially as there were only five surgeons to attend them, and -many had died upon the road. This letter was written three days after -the action, and as the bad cases die in numbers in the first few days, -and the mortality must have been greatly increased by want of rest, of -accommodation, and of surgical aid, it was inferred, that the total -loss of the enemy could not have been less than 8000 men. Soult is said -to have acknowledged, that, in the whole course of his long service, he -had never before seen so desperate and bloody a conflict. He is said, -also, to have observed, “there is no beating those troops, in spite of -their generals! I always thought them bad soldiers, and now I am sure -of it; for I turned their right, and penetrated their centre; they were -completely beaten; the day was mine, and yet they did not know it, and -would not run.” About 300 of his prisoners were put into a convent -which had been converted into a prison: they undermined the wall, and -escaped with their officers at their head. The peasantry guided them, -and supplied them with food on their way, and they rejoined the army in -a body on the thirteenth day after the battle. - -The official dispatch of the French general was, as usual, falsified -for the public. Soult there asserted that, having gained the height, -he was surprised to see so great a number of troops, and that he -then first learned from a prisoner how Blake with 9000 Spaniards had -effected a junction during the night. This discovery, he said, made him -resolve not to pursue his victory, but content himself with keeping the -position which had been taken from the enemy, and that position he[23] -retained, ... the enemy, after the carnage which was made among them by -Latour Maubourg and the Polish lancers, not having dared to attack him -again. - -Few battles have ever given the contending powers so high an opinion -of each other. The French exhibited the highest possible state of -discipline that day: nothing could be more perfect than they were in -all their movements; no general could have wished for more excellent -instruments, and no soldiers were ever directed by more consummate -skill. This was more than counterbalanced by the incomparable bravery -of their opponents. The chief loss fell upon the Buffs and the 57th. -The first of these regiments went into action with twenty-four officers -and 750 rank and file; ... there only remained five officers and -thirty-four men to draw rations on the following day. Within the little -space where the stress of the battle lay, not less than 7000 men were -found lying on the ground, literally reddening the rivulets with blood. -Our dead lay in ranks as they had fought, and every wound was in front. -A captain of the 57th, who was severely wounded, directed his men to -lay him on the ground at the head of his company, and thus continued to -give his orders. Marshal Beresford saved his life by his dexterity and -personal strength: as he was encouraging his troops after the charge of -the Polish lancers, one of these men attacked him; avoiding the thrust, -he seized him by the throat, and threw him off his horse; the lancer -recovered from his fall to aim a second thrust, but at the moment was -shot by one of the general’s orderlies. Sir William Meyers, leading on -that brigade which recovered the fortune of the field, exclaimed it -would be a glorious day for the fusileers. In ascending the ground his -horse was wounded; another was brought, which he had hardly mounted, -when a ball struck him under the hip, and passed upward obliquely -through the intestines. He did not fall, and attempted to proceed; but -this was impossible, and when he was carried off the field he seemed to -forget his own sufferings in exultation at beholding the conduct of his -brave companions. A heavy rain was falling; there was no shelter near, -and Valverde, whither it was thought proper to convey him, was ten -miles distant. He would rather have had a tent erected over him; but -his servants hoping that he might recover, insisted upon removing him -to a place where a bed might be procured. The body of General Houghton -was borne past him, on a mule, to be interred at Elvas. Upon seeing it, -Sir William desired, that if he should die they would bury him on the -spot. He lived, however, to reach Valverde, and till the following -day. When his dissolution drew near, he desired that his ring might -be taken to his sister, and that she might be told he had died like a -soldier. Six of his own men bore him to the grave, and laid him under -an olive tree near Valverde. It is to be hoped that a monument will be -placed there to mark the spot. - -Blake, Castaños, Mendizabal, Ballasteros, Zayas, and Carlos d’España, -were in the field, and all distinguished themselves. Blake and Castaños -had each an arm grazed. España was run through the hand by a lance. -In the heat of the action, when the issue of the battle appeared most -hopeless, many of the Spaniards were heard exclaiming to each other, -“What will the _Conciso_ say?” ... thus stimulating themselves to new -exertion by remembering the honour or dishonour which a free press -would bestow, according to their deserts. Of three stand of colours -which were taken from the enemy, one was presented to the Cortes. Del -Monte moved, that it should be deposited in some church dedicated to -the Virgin-Mother, the patroness of the Spains; but Garcia Herreros -observed, that the hall in which they met would, after the dissolution -of the Cortes, again be used as a church, and it was therefore resolved -that the colours should remain there. It was proposed also, that a -pillar should be erected in the plains of Albuhera; and that the little -town of that name which had been entirely destroyed, should be rebuilt -by the nation, and exempted from all rates and taxes for ten years. - -♦SIEGE OF BADAJOZ RESUMED.♦ - -By this time the 3rd and 7th divisions arrived from Beira. Lord -Wellington re-invested Badajoz on the 25th, and broke ground four days -afterward. It was well that the former siege had been interrupted; -there would otherwise have been a great sacrifice of men in attempts -which, for want of adequate means, must have been unsuccessful. The -means, though somewhat increased both in men and materials, were still -inadequate; time pressed also; for where Lord Wellington’s efforts were -directed, thither would those of the enemy be directed also; Marmont -would move from the Tormes toward the Tagus to co-operate with Soult -against him, and the disposable force which they might bring together -far exceeded all that he could command. Rapid measures, therefore, were -necessary, and it was determined to pursue the original plan, but to -commence the attacks upon Fort Christoval and the castle at the same -time, that the enemy’s attention might be divided. Guns were brought -from Elvas, and the officers and gunners of a company of British -artillery were distributed among the Portugueze, to supply as far as -their numbers went the want of skill in their allies: but the guns -were of a soft composition of metal, false in their bore, without any -of the modern improvements; the shot were of all shapes and sizes; the -howitzers which were used for mortars were not better in their kind -than the guns, nor did the shells fit them better; and these wretched -brass pieces failed so fast under the heavy firing which was required, -that iron guns were ordered from Lisbon. - -♦JUNE. - -UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS UPON FORT CHRISTOVAL.♦ - -On the 6th of June the breach in Fort Christoval was reported -practicable; it appeared to be so from the trenches; and at the -following midnight a storming party of 180 men, conducted by Lieutenant -Forster of the Royal Engineers, who had examined the breach the -preceding night, moved towards it. The palisades had been destroyed by -the battery; the counterscarp at that spot was only four feet deep; the -advance, therefore, easily descended into the ditch and reached the -foot of the breach, where they discovered that since evening closed the -enemy had removed the rubbish, and that the escarp was standing clear -nearly seven feet high. The advance, after it had in vain endeavoured -to get over this obstacle, might have retired with little loss: but -the main body had now entered the ditch; and in that spirit of mad -courage which attempts impossible things, they tried with ladders -fifteen feet long, which had been sent for mounting the breach with, -to escalade the front scarp of the fort where it was twenty feet high; -in this they persisted for an hour, while the garrison showered down -upon them shells, stones, hand-grenades and combustibles at pleasure, -and almost as a sport; nor did they retire till they had lost twelve -killed and ninety wounded, more than two-thirds of their number, -Forster being among the slain. Not disheartened by this, the besiegers -renewed the attempt three nights after: they were provided with ladders -of sufficient length; but the enemy were now on the alert, and had -strongly garrisoned the fort: the officer who conducted the advance -was killed on the glacis, and the officer in command immediately on -descending into the ditch: and it could not be ascertained, from the -report of the survivors, whether they had attempted a breach which, -having, as on the former occasion, been cleared, had been rendered -impracticable, or whether their efforts had been misdirected against -the face of a demibastion which had been much injured, and might in the -night easily be mistaken for a breach: but in one or other of these -blind endeavours they persisted desperately under a tremendous shower -of the most destructive missiles, till after an hour’s perseverance, -when forty had been killed and an hundred wounded, the remainder were -ordered to retire. - -♦THE SIEGE RAISED.♦ - -That night’s failure determined Lord Wellington to raise the siege. -It had manifestly become hopeless for want of means; and the next -morning an intercepted letter from Soult to Marmont was brought in, -dated the 5th, and saying that he was ready to begin his march, effect -a junction, and complete the object of their wishes. “If they lost -no time,” he said, “they might reach the scene of action before the -English reinforcements arrived, and Badajoz would be saved.” By other -communications, Lord Wellington knew that Drouet’s corps had marched -from Toledo, and would probably join Soult that very day, and that -Marmont might be expected at Merida in a few days; for this general, -after having patroled on the 6th to Fuentes d’Onoro and Navedeaver, -as a reconnoissance, and to cover the march of a convoy to Ciudad -Rodrigo, began his march the next day to the south, by way of the -Puerto de Baños and Placencia: he crossed the Tagus at Almaraz, an -important point, where the French, having re-established the bridge, -had covered it by strong batteries. In consequence of this information -Lord Wellington began to move the stores to the rear, as soon as -darkness had closed. The whole loss had been nine officers and 109 men -killed, twenty-five officers and 342 men wounded and prisoners: but the -numerical inadequately represents the real loss in those operations -for which men are either selected for their skill, or adventure in the -hope of distinguishing themselves. On the 12th the siege was finally -raised; but the blockade was still maintained, and Lord Wellington -posted his army near Albuhera to cover it and to hold in check an enemy -who would not again venture upon giving battle, ♦JUNCTION OF SOULT -AND MARMONT.♦ unless with an overpowering force. The French, however, -had now collected all their troops from the two Castilles, except a -small garrison at Madrid, all the remains of Massena’s army, and all -their force from Andalusia, except what was sufficient for Sebastiani -and Victor to keep up a show of inactive strength within positions -where experience had now fully shown that no vigorous attack was to be -apprehended. Thus they brought together a greater force than the allies -could oppose to them; and though Lord Wellington was not so inferior in -numbers as to have felt fear, or even doubt, concerning the issue of an -action, the relative resources of the allies in men, as those resources -were then managed, were not such that they could afford to win a second -battle of Albuhera. The blockade therefore was raised after Marmont and -Soult had effected their junction: the enemy entered Badajoz, and the -allies, recrossing the Guadiana, took up a line within the Portugueze -frontier. There the corps from the north, under Sir Brent Spencer, -joined them. It had crossed the Tagus at Villa Velha by a floating -bridge, carrying about twenty horses at a time. The spirit of our light -division at this time was such that the men would suffer any thing on -a march rather than be seen straggling; and in this movement two men, -when ascending the hills to Niza, carried that spirit so far that they -actually died of heat in the ranks. ♦THE ALLIES TAKE A POSITION WITHIN -THE PORTUGUEZE FRONTIER.♦ The whole army being thus united, a position -was chosen in which battle would have been given if the French had -attempted to enter Portugal: it was on the heights behind Campo Mayor, -and the troops were bivouacked on the Caya in readiness to occupy it: -their line extended from Arronches to Jurumenha, that of the enemy -from Merida to Badajoz. But though the French had brought together not -less than 70,000 men including 8000 cavalry, while the cavalry opposed -to them were only 3500, and the whole force not more than 56,000, -they contented themselves with making a reconnoisance in considerable -strength. One body of their horse got in the rear of a piquet of the -11th light dragoons: the situation was ill chosen; the regiment had -arrived from England but a few days before; the men, therefore, were -inexperienced in such service, and ignorant of the ground: they mistook -the enemy for Portugueze; and every man, sixty-nine in number, except -the lieutenant in the advance, was taken. This was the only advantage -they could obtain. Another body at the same time failed in an endeavour -to ascertain the position and number of the allies: their intention was -perceived; the main body of the troops was concealed from them behind -the hills; and after some hours’ manœuvring, some skirmishing, and some -firing from Campo Mayor, the guns of which fortress flanked the front -of Lord Wellington’s position, they desisted from their baffled attempt. - -♦SOULT BOASTS OF HIS SUCCESS.♦ - -Soult affected to regret that a general action had not been brought on. -He magnified the merit of the defence of Badajoz, saying, that it would -be cited in military history as one of the most memorable exploits -of its kind; and he magnified the importance of the junction of the -two armies on the Guadiana, calling it one of the most marked events -of the war in Spain. This general had a more than common interest -in blazoning forth a success which covered his late defeat. “Thus,” -said he, “the signal victory which was gained at Albuhera has been -ascertained in favour of the imperial army: the main object which I had -in view was then accomplished, that of making a diversion in favour of -Badajoz, and enabling that fortress to prolong its resistance. It is -now evident that the battle of Albuhera gained us at least twenty days, -during which we were enabled to make arrangements for bringing up new -reinforcements, and the army of Portugal was able to take part in the -operations: thus the second object which I had in view in making my -first movement has been also accomplished; and the troops which fought -at Albuhera have not ceased a single day to act upon the offensive -against the enemy.” Beyond all doubt Marshal Soult was one of the -ablest generals of his age: his operations at this time were ultimately -successful, but his earnestness to prove that he had gained a victory -at Albuhera only shows how deeply he felt the defeat. - -The French government were elated with an advantage which came -seasonably after the various disgraces that the French arms had -suffered in the Peninsula. “The English,” said they, “are again to -learn, and by a mighty thunderbolt ... (the raising of the siege of -Badajoz is a presage of it), that they cannot with impunity leave the -element of which they have usurped the empire.” The English, however, -had long been accustomed to hear of these thunderbolts, and to defy -the more tangible weapons of the enemy. Soult said, in his official -account, “that they appeared to have given us Spain entirely, and -to be concentrating themselves for the defence of Lisbon: they felt -their inability to support the contest; and every thing,” he added, -“induced him to think that when the army of reserve should have arrived -upon Almeida, they would feel the impossibility even of maintaining -themselves at Lisbon.” While the enemy threw out these boastful -anticipations, Lord Wellington remained in his position, watching their -movements, and certain that they could not long subsist the force which -they had brought together. - -♦BLAKE’S MOVEMENTS.♦ - -Before the allies retreated across the Guadiana, a plan had been -arranged between General Blake and Lord Wellington, that the former -should make a movement into the country of Niebla, distract the -enemy’s attention by threatening their rear, and take advantage of -whatever favourable opportunity this concentration of the French forces -might give him. Accordingly the Spaniards set out on the 18th from -Jurumenha, and on the 22nd reached Mertola, ... the distance is about -110 miles, ... but it was a most exhausting march in the midst of -summer, through a dry country, for troops half of whom were barefoot, -and whose commissariat was in the most deplorable state. The provisions -were never sufficient to allow full rations; and though the Spaniards -supported fatigue and hunger with their characteristic patience, men -will not continue to undergo such privations without a strong hope that -some adequate success will recompense them; and Blake had unhappily -acquired the character of being an unfortunate leader. - -From Mertola, he embarked his artillery for Ayamonte. The horse swam -the Guadiana, the men crossed it by a temporary bridge of boats; and -after resting two days to refresh the troops, he marched ♦JUNE 30. HE -FAILS AT NIEBLA AND RETURNS TO CADIZ.♦ against Niebla. Niebla is an -old town, which had fallen to such decay, that its population at this -time did not exceed an hundred persons: its walls, however, were less -dilapidated than its houses, and the French had repaired its castle -so as to render it a post of respectable strength, from whence they -domineered over the surrounding country. Blake found it stronger than -he expected: he attempted an escalade in the night with ladders, which -were too short, as well as too few, for the success of the enterprise; -consequently the attempt failed, though the garrison did not consist -of more than 300 men. He remained three days before the place, which -gave the French governor of Seville time to take the field against him, -and make some prisoners before his army could reach the mouth of the -Guadiana, and re-embark for Cadiz. Great numbers of his men deserted -during this ill-conducted expedition. Blake possessed considerable -talents, but the good which those talents might have produced, when -he was called to the Regency, was in great measure frustrated by -his jealousy of the English. At Albuhera he seemed to have overcome -this unworthy feeling; but it returned upon him, and Lord Wellington -remarked, in his public dispatches, that neither General Castaños nor -himself had received any intelligence from him since he began his march -from Jurumenha. - -♦THE FRENCH ARMIES SEPARATE.♦ - -This movement, therefore, which might have greatly annoyed the enemy, -and of which such expectations had been raised, that it was at one time -reported and believed Blake had actually entered Seville, ended only in -the diminution of the army and of the general’s reputation. But Lord -Wellington had taken his measures too wisely to suffer any other evil -than that of disappointed hope from this failure. He knew that the -enemy could not possibly long continue to subsist their forces when -thus concentrated; and accordingly, as he expected, they broke up from -the Guadiana about the middle of July, having fortified the old castles -of Medellin and Truxillo to strengthen their hold upon Extremadura. -Soult returned to Seville; and Marmont, recrossing the Tagus at -Almaraz, went again to his command in the north. Lord Wellington then -moved his whole army to the left, and cantoned them in Lower Beira, -where he remained, waiting till time and opportunity should offer for -the blow which he was preparing to strike. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII. - - MEASURES OF THE FRENCH IN ARAGON. MANRESA BURNT. FIGUERAS SURPRISED - BY THE CATALANS. SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF TARRAGONA BY THE ENEMY, AND - RECAPTURE OF FIGUERAS. CAMPOVERDE SUPERSEDED BY GENERAL LACY. - - -♦1811.♦ - -Both in Portugal and in Andalusia the French had at length encountered -a resistance which, with their utmost efforts, they were unable to -overcome: but their career of success continued longer in the eastern -provinces, where their operations were conducted with more unity -of purpose, and where Great Britain afforded only a precarious and -inefficient aid to the best and bravest of the Spaniards. - -♦PLANS OF THE FRENCH IN CATALONIA.♦ - -No sooner had Tortosa fallen, than Marshal Macdonald began to prepare -at Lerida for laying siege to Tarragona. The arrival at Barcelona of -a convoy of ammunition and grain from Toulon relieved him from all -anxiety on that point, and left him at leisure to direct his whole -attention to this great object, which in a military view would complete -the conquest of Catalonia, ... any other Buonaparte was incapable -of taking. Tortosa was to be the pivot of the intended operations -against Tarragona first, and after its fall, which was not doubted, -against Valencia; and to facilitate these operations, Col de Balaguer -was put in a state of defence, and Fort Rapita which commanded the -mouth of the Ebro. These measures had been taken when General Suchet -received orders from Paris to undertake the siege, and was at the -same time informed that Lower Catalonia was to be under his command. -Early in the preceding year this general had ♦MARCH 19.♦ been told -that he must raise in his government of Aragon means both for the pay -and subsistence of his troops, France being no longer able to support -such an expense; and that while he was to communicate as before with -the _E’tat-major_ of the army ♦THE PYRENEAN PROVINCES ADMINISTERED IN -BUONAPARTE’S NAME.♦ concerning military affairs, he was to receive -instructions upon all matters relating to the administration, police, -and finances of the country, from the Emperor alone. It was evident, -therefore, that Buonaparte was as little disposed to keep faith with -his brother, King Joseph, as he had been with his ally Charles IV., and -Ferdinand his invited guest, but that it was his intention to extend -the frontier of France from the Pyrenees to the Ebro; and in fact from -that time all orders of the government in that part of the Peninsula -were issued in his name. The faithful Spaniards cared not in which name -it was administered, acknowledging neither, and detesting both: if -they had any feeling upon the subject, it was a sense of satisfaction -that their unworthy countrymen in the Intruder’s service should be -deprived of the shallow pretext with which they sought to excuse their -treason to their country. At first this change appeared to increase -the difficulties of Suchet’s situation, who, while he looked only to -a temporary occupation of the province, would without scruple have -supplied himself by force, regardless in what condition he might leave -it to those who should succeed him, or what sufferings he might bring -upon the inhabitants. But regarding himself now as fixed in a permanent -command, it behoved him to adopt measures which, ... if any thing could -have that effect upon the Aragonese, might gradually reconcile them -to subjection, by giving them the benefit of a military government, -regularly as well as vigorously administered. - -♦STATE OF ARAGON.♦ - -The province was in a miserable state: though the population had -increased from the end of the Succession war till the beginning of -Charles IV.’s reign, it had diminished since that time, owing to causes -which have not been explained. There were 150 deserted villages in it, -and nearly 400 in which a few houses were all that remained, ... this, -not in consequence of the existing war, but of the preceding decay. Yet -before the invasion, Aragon exported corn, wine, and oil to Catalonia -on one side, and to Navarre on the other: to that export the war had -put an end; fields, and vineyards, and oliveyards, had been laid waste; -and an enormous consumption of sheep by the armies had almost destroyed -the only kind of cattle which in that country could be depended on -for food. It had been drained of money also both by the national and -intrusive governments: before the siege of Zaragoza, three millions of -francs had been remitted to Seville; and the spoils of the suppressed -convents to the amount of a million _reales_ and 3000 marks of silver -had been afterwards sent to Joseph’s treasury at Madrid. Very many -families, and among them all the wealthiest, had emigrated, taking with -them all the specie they could collect, ... the miserable remains of -their fortunes. Trade had suffered in the same degree as agriculture; -there were no manufacturers left; and from a province in this -condition, which in its best times paid only four million francs to -its native government, eight millions were to be raised for the annual -pay of the troops alone. Suchet began by levying an extraordinary -contribution per month, which ♦SYSTEM OF THE FRENCH GENERAL.♦ more than -doubled in amount the tax in ordinary times; the mode of collecting was -prepared for him by a regulation of Philip V., who, as a punishment -upon the three provinces of Aragon, Catalonia, and Valencia, for their -adherence to his opponent the Archduke Charles, had subjected them to -a property tax, taking from them the privilege which they had formerly -possessed of taxing themselves. It might have been thought impossible -to wring this additional impost from a ruined people; but the hoards of -prudence, of selfishness, and of misery are opened at such times, and -what has been withheld from the pressing necessities of a just cause, -is yielded to a domineering enemy; and Suchet, while he insisted to -the utmost upon the law of the strongest, and regarded no other law, -had clear views of the policy by which obedience to that law is to be -facilitated or conciliated. No compunction withheld him from any crime -which he deemed it expedient to commit; but he would do good as well as -evil, and perhaps more willingly, when it accorded with his purpose; -and worldly wisdom producing the effect of better motives might under -other circumstances have made him a beneficent ruler. He abolished -monopolies, by retaining which nothing was to be gained; he sent for -his wife from France, to conciliate the Aragonese ladies by her means, -and their husbands by theirs; he employed the influence of those -priests who followed the example of their traitorous archbishop; and -he purchased with offices in the revenue department and in the police -the ablest of the Spaniards whose souls were for sale. Among them was -Mariano Dominguez, who having held the office of military Intendant -under Palafox during the siege of Zaragoza, lived to be praised by -General Suchet for the eminent services which he rendered to the -French. He was made corregidor of that city; and it is said that under -his administration not a single murder occurred there during eighteen -months, though before the war the annual average exceeded three -hundred. In no situation does a man seem so cut off from repentance, -as when he can reconcile himself to his own dereliction of duty by the -good that he may do in an office which he has accepted as the price of -his integrity. - -♦GOOD EFFECT OF PAYING THE TROOPS REGULARLY.♦ - -The money which Suchet raised for his military and civil establishments -was presently expended in the province, to the immediate benefit of the -people upon whom it had been levied. The troops were paid every five -days, the civil officers regularly received their salaries, and what -they received was necessarily spent in the country. Suchet took care -also to purchase there whatever it could supply for the clothing and -equipment of the troops, paying for it at once from the contributions; -and the active circulation ♦MÉMOIRES DU MARÉSHAL SUCHET, 1. 302.♦ -which was thus occasioned, if he may be believed, made the inhabitants -themselves sensible that they were gainers by such taxation. He -repaired the dykes, the sluices, and the great basin at Mount Torrero -which had been destroyed during the siege; the canal was thus again -restored: preparations were made for conducting water into the city -and erecting fountains there: the hospitals and the bull circus were -repaired; bull fights, the national sport and the national reproach, -were exhibited; and by these means ... and by his refusal to send the -treasure of Our Lady of the Pillar to Madrid, notwithstanding repeated -orders to that effect, ... he endeavoured to gratify the Zaragozans, -while he erected works about the city to secure it against any sudden -attempt. Buonaparte’s orders were not so safely to be disregarded -as those of the Intruder; when, ♦BRITISH GOODS BURNT AT ZARAGOZA.♦ -therefore, Suchet was instructed to confiscate and burn all the English -goods which could be found in Aragon, the general remonstrated against -so impolitic a measure, and proposed instead to levy a duty upon such -goods of fifty per cent.; but Buonaparte hated England too vehemently -to be capable of receiving any advice which opposed the indulgence -of that insane passion, and Suchet found it necessary to search the -warehouses, and make a bonfire of what he found there, in the _Plaza -Mayor_ at Zaragoza, taking care however that the search should be -as perfunctory as he could venture to make it, and leaving colonial -♦MÉMOIRES, 1. 306.♦ produce untouched because it happened not to be -specified in his orders. - -♦PREPARATIONS FOR BESIEGING TARRAGONA.♦ - -But the Spaniards were a people whom no length of time could reconcile -to an usurpation by which they felt themselves insulted as much as they -were wronged and outraged. Though his political sagacity was equal to -his military skill, and though he was placed in a part of the peninsula -where the Spaniards never received the slightest assistance from their -British allies, even in Aragon he felt the insecurity of his position, -and deemed it an advantage of no trifling moment when he could discover -a manufactory of arms among the mountains. The Spanish frontier is that -upon which France was least provided with military establishments; but -the want of stores, which in other quarters could be drawn abundantly -from the arsenals of Douay, Metz, and Strasbourg, was supplied here -by the treacherous seizure of Pamplona before hostilities commenced, -and by the subsequent capture of Lerida, Mequinenza, Tortosa, and Col -de Balaguer. In this respect the war had abundantly furnished its -own means; nor was he deficient in numbers for the siege which he -was about to undertake, the army now under his command consisting of -more than 40,000 men, notwithstanding its daily waste, and the great -losses it had suffered. The Italian division from 13,000 to 14,000 -had been reduced to five or six; but with the population of France, -Italy, and the Netherlands, at his disposal, and of those states which, -under the name of confederates, were actually subjected to the French -government, Buonaparte thought that no war could thin his armies faster -than the conscription could recruit them; and under his officers he -well knew that men of any nation would soon be made efficient soldiers. -Suchet found it better to make the regiments of different nations -act together than to keep them in separate divisions; they were more -likely thus to be influenced by a common feeling, and less liable to be -affected by the proclamations in Italian, German, Dutch, and Polish, -as well as Spanish and French, which General Doyle addressed to them, -inviting them to abandon the unjust service in which they were engaged. -Suchet provided also for their wants with a solicitude which made -him deservedly popular among his men. He saw that the commissariat -department was better administered by military than by civil agents; -and having placed it therefore wholly in their hands, he adopted the -farther improvement of giving to each regiment the charge of its own -cattle, convoys of which from Pau and Oleron were constantly on the -road, protected by a chain of fortified posts from Canfranc and Jaca -to Zaragoza. It was found that by this means the cattle were better -guarded and more easily fed; that the movements of the army were not -impeded by them; and that when the soldiers reached their bivouac -they were no longer under the necessity of marauding for their food. -This general was as little subject as Massena to any visitations of -compassion; but he knew that a system of marauding must in the end -prove as fatal to the army which subsisted by it, as to the inhabitants -who were the immediate sufferers. - -But the people whom he protected from irregular exactions were under -an iron yoke; they were to be kept down only by present force and the -severest intimidation; and Suchet prepared willingly for the siege -of Tarragona, because he saw that the only serious losses which the -Spaniards sustained was when they defended fortified places with a -large military force. Their armies, when routed in the field, collected -again as easily as they were dispersed; but from Lerida, Mequinenza, -and Tortosa, no fewer than 800 officers and 18,000 soldiers had been -sent prisoners into France. He desired therefore to attack a fortress -which would be regularly defended, as much as he dreaded to encounter -♦MÉMOIRES. 2. 17.♦ a civil defence. While he was preparing for the -enterprise, the news of Massena’s retreat raised the hopes of the -Spaniards, and made their desultory parties everywhere more active: -in proportion as they were elated, were the invaders exasperated. -A ♦MANRESA BURNT BY MACDONALD.♦ considerable force under Marshal -Macdonald moved upon Manresa. Sarsfield and Eroles were on the alert to -harass its movements: and they attacked its rear at Hostal de Calvet, -about an hour’s distance from that city: many of the Manresans were -in the field. The disposition of the inhabitants was well known, and -perhaps Manresa was marked for vengeance, because it was the first -place in Catalonia which had declared against the French; and one of -those journals also was printed there which contributed so greatly to -keep up the national spirit. Upon whatever pretext, ... for pretexts -are never wanting to those who hold that everything ought to succumb -before ♦MARCH 30.♦ military force, ... orders were given to burn the -city: it was set on fire in the night, and between seven and eight -hundred houses were consumed. The very hospitals were not spared, -though an agreement had been made between the Spanish and French -generals, that they should be considered sacred, and though that -agreement was produced by one of the physicians to General Salme, and -its observance claimed on the score of honour and good faith as well as -of humanity. It availed nothing; the wounded were taken out of their -beds; the attendants plundered; the building sacked and set on fire. -It was by the light of the flames that Sarsfield and Eroles attacked -the enemy at Hostal de Calvet; their orders were that no quarter should -that night be given; and in consequence, of many who surrendered (for -in this partial action the Catalans had greatly the advantage), one man -alone was spared. The commander-in-chief Campoverde accused Macdonald -of having in this instance broken his faith, as well as violated the -received usages of war; and he ♦APRIL.♦ issued orders that his troops, -regular or irregular, should give quarter to no Frenchman, of what -rank soever, who might be taken in the vicinity of any place which had -been burned or sacked, or in which the inhabitants had been murdered. -Subscriptions were raised for the relief of the Manresans; and, as in -every case where intimidation was intended, the effect of this atrocity -was to render the invaders more odious, and give to that desire of -vengeance with which the Spaniards were inflamed the dreadful character -of a religious obligation. - -Macdonald was at this time meditating an attempt upon Montserrat, -the possession of which place would be of great advantage in the -operations against Tarragona. But the Catalans were not idle. Looking -to something of more permanent importance than could be achieved in -desultory warfare, Rovira, who from the commencement of the struggle -had so distinguished himself as to be honoured with the particular -invectives of the French, had long projected schemes for recovering -from the enemy some of the fortresses whereof they had possessed -themselves, and these schemes he proposed to the successive generals -in the principality, all of whom, till Campoverde took the command, -regarded them as impracticable. Rovira, however, was not deterred by -ridicule from prosecuting plans which appeared to him well founded; and -Campoverde at length listened ♦SCHEME FOR THE RECOVERY OF BARCELONA -FRUSTRATED.♦ to his representations. He had established a communication -in Barcelona, which, like other attempts of the like nature, was -discovered; and five persons, two of whom were women, were condemned -to death for it, but only one, Miguel Alzina by name, fell into the -enemy’s hand, and he was executed upon the glacis of Monjuic. The -sentence charged him with having conspired to betray that fortress -and the place of Barcelona to the Spaniards: this he had done, and in -suffering for it, felt that he was dying a martyr to his country’s -cause: but he was charged also with having intended to poison the -garrison; and that any such purpose should have been sanctioned by the -commander-in-chief, under whose sanction the scheme was formed, or that -it should have been communicated to him, or even formed at all, is not -to be believed. Of the persons who were acquitted of any share in the -conspiracy, two were nevertheless ordered to be sent into France, and -there detained till the general pacification of Catalonia; and one, who -was niece of Alzina, to be confined in a nunnery, under the special -observation of the vicar-general and of the prioress, who were to be -responsible for her. - -Rovira had concerted a plan also for surprising Figueras: it was -conceived in the spirit of more adventurous ages, and therefore, some -of those persons who felt no such spirit in themselves called it, -in mockery, the Rovirada; to better minds, however, it appeared so -feasible for men like those who had undertaken it, that Martinez, the -commandant of the division of Ampurdan, was instructed by Campoverde to -join him in the attempt. - -♦FIGUERAS.♦ - -Figueras is a little town situated in the midst of the fertile plain -of Ampurdan, eighteen miles from the French frontier. Some centuries -ago it was burned, and its castle razed, by the Count of Ampurias, in -his war with Jayme I. of Aragon; but in the last century, Ferdinand -VI. erected there one of the finest fortifications in Europe, which -he called, after his canonized namesake and predecessor, the Castle -of St. Fernando. It is an irregular pentagon, the site of which -has been so well chosen upon the solid and bare rock, that it is -scarcely possible to open trenches against it on any side; and it -commands the plain, serving as an entrenched camp for 16,000 men. As a -fortress it is a masterpiece of art; no cost was spared upon it, and -the whole was finished in that character of magnificence which the -public works of Spain continued to exhibit in the worst ages of the -Spanish monarchy. But an English traveller made this prophetic remark -♦TOWNSEND’S TRAVELS, 1. P. 81. 3RD EDITION.♦ when he visited Figueras -in the year 1786: “Every such fortress requires an army to defend -it, and when the moment of trial comes, the whole may depend on the -weakness or treachery of a commander, and instead of being a defence -to the country, may afford a lodgement to the enemy.” Nowhere has that -apprehension been more fully verified than in the place where it was -excited. Figueras was surrendered to France in the revolutionary war, -by corruption or by treason, more likely than by cowardice; for the -governor had behaved bravely at Toulon. After the peace he returned to -Spain, was delivered over to trial, and condemned to lose his head: but -the punishment was commuted for perpetual exile. When the place was -restored, after the treaty of Basle, some ink spots still remained upon -the wall, where an officer, in honourable indignation, had dashed his -pen, either determining not to sign the capitulation, or in despair for -having borne a part in that act of infamy. And now Figueras served as -a stronghold for the invaders, having been one of the four fortresses -which Godoy delivered into their hands as the keys of Spain, before -Buonaparte avowed his profligate design of usurping the kingdom. - -♦ATTEMPT UPON FIGUERAS.♦ - -Rovira, who was a doctor in theology as well as a colonel, and -regarded the contest to which he had devoted himself as a holy war, -fixed upon Passion week as the fittest time for the attempt: there -could be no season so proper for it, he thought, as that on which -the church was celebrating ♦APRIL 6.♦ the sufferings and death of -Christ[24]! Accordingly, on Palm Sunday he assembled his division -in the village of Esquirol, and when they were drawn up, addressing -them, says the Spanish relator, like another Gideon, he desired that -every man who was willing to accompany him in an expedition of great -peril, but of the highest importance and greatest honour, should step -out of the line; 500 men immediately volunteered, all of the second -Catalan legion. The same appeal was made to another detachment at S. -Privat, and ninety-two of the battalion of Almogavares, and 462 of the -Expatriates, as those Catalans were called who came from parts of the -country which the French possessed, offered themselves. The two parties -formed a junction that night at Ridaura, and marched the next day, by -roads which were almost impracticable, to Oix, a village close upon -the French border. From thence they proceeded on the 8th by Sadernes, -Gitarriu, and Cofi, to Llorena, taking this direction in order that the -enemy and the men themselves might be induced to believe it was their -intention to make an incursion into France. The alarm spread along the -border as they wished; the somaten was rung; the French peasantry, and -about 300 troops of the line, collected at S. Laurent de Sardas, and -remained under arms for thirty hours. At noon on the 9th, the Catalans -left Llorena, and proceeded in a direction toward Figueras as far as -the wood of Villarit, where they concealed themselves in a glen till -night came: it had rained heavily all day, and a strong north wind was -blowing, nevertheless orders were given that no man should kindle a -fire on pain of death. - -♦ROVIRA TAKES IT BY SURPRISE.♦ - -One scanty meal a day was all that could be allowed to these hardy and -patient men; but a good allowance of generous wine had been provided -for them when it should be most needed: this was distributed now after -they had been formed into six companies, and when night set in they -advanced to Palau-Surroca, a short hour’s distance from the fortress. -The officers of each division were men who were well acquainted with -the works; and each was now informed what point he was to attempt, -at what time, and in what manner. At half-past two the first party -leaped into the ditch; three soldiers, who had served in the garrison -more than a year, for the purpose of performing this service when -the hour should come, opened the gate which leads into the ditch to -receive them. The first sentinel whom they met was killed by one thrust -before he could give the alarm; the different parties went each in -its allotted direction; and so well had every part of this enterprise -been planned, and so perfectly was it executed in all its parts, that -before men, officers, or governor, could get out of their quarters, -... almost before they were awakened, ... Figueras was in the hands -of the Spaniards, and its garrison, amounting to about 1000 men, were -prisoners. The gate by which they had entered was immediately walled up -to guard against any counter-surprise; and as Rovira, being a native -of the country, and conspicuous in it since the commencement of the -war, was better known than Martinez, orders were sent out in his name, -and signed by his hand, calling upon the men of the adjoining country -to come and strengthen the garrison. His signature left no doubt of -an event which they could else hardly have been persuaded to believe, -so much was it beyond their hopes, and in a few hours men enough were -assembled there to man the works. - -There were about 700 of the enemy in the town, who supposed at first -that the stir which they perceived in the castle was merely some -quarrel between the French and the Italians of whom the garrison was -composed. One of them went to ascertain this; he was asked _Quien -vive?_ as he approached, and upon his replying “France,” was fired at -and shot. Upon this the French commandant sent a trumpeter, who was -ordered to return and tell his master, on the part of General Martinez -and Colonel Rovira, that no Frenchman must again present himself -before the fortress, or he would be answered at the cannon’s mouth. -Martinez immediately sent off a dispatch in brief but characteristic -language: “Glory to the God of armies, and honour to the brave -Catalans, St. Fernando de Figueras is taken; Rovira had the happiness -of directing the enterprise, and I of having been the commander.” The -Doctor-Colonel, in a private letter which found its way to the press, -alluded to the ridicule which had been cast upon his project: “The -_Rovirada_ is made,” said he, “and the great fortress is ours!” - -♦ROVIRA REWARDED WITH CHURCH PREFERMENT.♦ - -Rovira needed no other reward than the place in history which the -success of this _Rovirada_ secured for him; but it was not the less -becoming that the government should express their sense of his -services. Some little time after, the dignity of Maestre-Escuela, which -is equivalent to that of prebend in the English church, fell vacant -in the cathedral of Vich. A decree had past in the preceding year -for leaving unfilled such ecclesiastical offices as could, without -indecency, be dispensed with, and applying their revenues to the -public use as long as the necessities of the country should require. -The Regency applied to the Cortes to dispense with this law for the -present occasion only, that they might confer the vacant dignity upon -Rovira, as the most appropriate testimony of national gratitude; that -when the bloody struggle in which they were engaged against the tyrant -of Europe should have terminated happily, as was to be expected, they -said, he might have a decorous retirement suitable to his profession, -and an establishment for that time in which, indispensably, he ought -to renounce the military honours and dignities with which he was now -decorated, but which, in any other than the actual circumstances, were -incompatible with his ministerial character. Arguelles declared, that -the Doctor Brigadier (for to this rank he had then been promoted) was -worthy in the highest degree of national gratitude; but he wished -that any mode of remuneration should be devised rather than one which -involved the suspension of a law, ... too perilous an example not to be -carefully avoided. But Creus observed, that Rovira, who was a priest -as much in heart as in profession, would value this prebend more than -any military rank which could be conferred upon him; and more even -than the archdeanery of Toledo, because it was in his own country. -And he argued, that no injury could accrue to the state, as the income -might be reserved for the treasury while the existing circumstances -continued. Garcia Herreros was of opinion that the reward ought to -be of the nature of the service; the soldier should have a military -recompense, the priest a clerical one; he proposed, therefore, that as -the order of St. Fernando had just been instituted, Dr. Rovira should -be the first person who should be invested with it; and that when the -war was ended one of the best prebends should then be given him. The -proposal of the Regency, however, was adopted, and Rovira was made -Maestre-Escuela of the cathedral of Vich, for having recovered Figueras. - -Had the Catalans been equally successful at Barcelona, all their -losses would have been more than compensated; the success which they -had gained excited the greatest exultation, not only in Catalonia, but -throughout the whole of Spain. Te Deum was sung at Tarragona, and the -town was illuminated three successive nights. In Madrid the Spaniards -could scarcely dissemble their joy. In the Cortes the news was welcomed -as the happiest which had been received since the battle of Baylen; and -the Regency called upon the people for fresh contributions and fresh -efforts to improve this unexpected success, the first of its kind which -had been obtained during the war. The army which had achieved it, they -said, was in want of every thing; and the two Regents who were in Cadiz -(Blake being absent) set the example themselves by contributing each -a month’s salary. It was, indeed, a success which, if the Spaniards -had been able, or their allies alert enough to have improved it, -might have been a far more momentous advantage than the victories -of Barrossa and Albuhera. The first report appeared incredible to -the French generals; when it was confirmed, ♦SUCHET REFUSES TO SEND -THE TROOPS WHICH MACDONALD REQUIRED FROM HIM.♦ Macdonald called -upon Suchet to send him by forced marches that part of the army of -Catalonia which he had placed under his command; unless this were done, -he said, Upper Catalonia was lost: for neither Rosas, Gerona, nor -Hostalrich, were provisioned, and the consequences of this cruel event -were incalculable; and Maurice Mathieu, who commanded in Barcelona, -instructed the governor of Lerida to be ready with provisions for these -troops upon their way, not doubting but that Suchet would see the -necessity of the measure in which he was called upon to concur. But -when that general had recovered from the first grief and astonishment -which the news excited, he considered that part of these troops being -employed in an expedition among the mountains, and the others along -the Ebro to protect its navigation, from twenty to five and twenty -days must elapse before they could receive orders from Zaragoza, -assemble at Lerida, and march from thence by Barcelona to Figueras; -during which interval the Spaniards would have done all they could do -for storing and garrisoning the place. All the French could do was to -blockade it with the troops which were nearest at hand: those from a -distance would arrive too late, and there would then be the difficulty -of supporting them in a part of the country stripped of its resources. -If the Spaniards should fail in endeavouring to throw sufficient -supplies into the fortress which they had surprised, the unexpected -success with which they were now so greatly elated would in the end -be little to their advantage: it would even facilitate his operations -against Tarragona, for Campoverde would doubtless move his army towards -the Ampurdan, instead of endeavouring to interrupt the investment of -that city; to hasten that investment, therefore, and press the siege -would be the best service which he could render to the French in -Upper Catalonia: this opinion he thought Buonaparte would form, whom -the intelligence would reach at Paris five or six days before he had -received it at Zaragoza: upon that opinion, therefore, he resolved to -act, on his own responsibility; and he had soon the satisfaction of -knowing that his conduct in so doing was approved and[25] applauded. - -His judgment was not less accurate as to what was, ♦MÉMOIRES, 1. -13–18.♦ in this instance, to be expected from the Spaniards, who were -still destined to suffer for the weakness of their government, the -want of union in their leaders, and the want of system which was felt -in every ♦EROLES INTRODUCES TROOPS INTO FIGUERAS.♦ department. Eroles, -indeed, acted on this emergency as he always did, with promptitude, -and vigour, and ability. Collecting all the force he could, he -hastened from Martorell to reinforce the garrison of Figueras, and on -his way took the forts which the French had erected in Castelfollit -and Olot, and made above 500 prisoners there. Though a considerable -♦APRIL 16.♦ force had already been collected to blockade the place, -he entered it on the sixth day after its capture, with 1500 infantry, -150 horse, and about 50 artillerymen, losing on the way some forty -killed and sixty wounded; but the French battalion, which endeavoured -to prevent his entrance, suffered ♦THE FRENCH BLOCKADE IT.♦ more -than a threefold loss. General Baraguay d’Hilliers had by that time -brought together about 8000 troops for the blockade, nearly half of -which had been called off from blockading the Seu d’Urgel, and had -made a circuitous march within the French border. All posts of minor -importance they immediately abandoned, retaining only Rosas, Gerona, -and Hostalrich, in that part of Catalonia, and even weakening the -garrison of Gerona so much, that that place might have been recovered -by a second _Rovirada_, had there been another Rovira to conduct one. -But there was little concert among the Catalan leaders; it was deemed -fortunate that Eroles had not been obliged to require the co-operation -of another body, which from its position he might have looked to for -aid, because there was ill blood between that body and the corps -which he commanded. His arrival was well-timed, for the garrison was -disorderly as well as weak, ... more enterprising than wary, ... not -to be restrained from making rash sallies against the blockading -force; and they had also 1500 prisoners to guard, whom, for their own -security, they were compelled to confine so closely, that they were -in reasonable apprehension lest disease and infection should be the -consequences. But supplies were as needful as reinforcements; wine -and oil were especially wanted. The Spaniards, with more alertness -than they often exerted, sent off a convoy of stores with one of their -frigates from Tarragona: it came into the bay of Rosas three days -after Eroles had entered the fortress, but it had to wait off shore, -vainly expecting that a sufficient force for escorting it might be -collected. The British squadron off that coast was too weak to afford -any effectual assistance. Captain Buller, taking immediate advantage -of the enemy’s departure from those places, had landed at Palamos, St. -Feliu, Cadeques, and Selva, embarked their guns and destroyed their -batteries; a useful service for the time, but one which could not -affect the operations on the land, and the commander-in-chief in the -Mediterranean, who was applied to for some ships of the line, could -spare none from his own anxious station, where all his vigilance was -required for watching those ports in France from whence the enemy might -look for reinforcements or supplies. In Valencia, where there were most -means, there was least energy; and in Tarragona, where alacrity was not -wanting, it was necessary to wait for the new levies before they could -venture to send from thence any considerable body of old soldiers with -which Campoverde might undertake the relief of the blockaded fortress, -lest Suchet, if his preparations for besieging that city were anything -more than a feint, should find it in a state of insecurity and weakness. - -That general had never been more in earnest. He ♦MÉMOIRES, 2. 20.♦ -perceived that he could no longer look for co-operation from the side -of Catalonia in his intended siege; from thence, however, he expected -little interruption, but he apprehended serious annoyance from Mina; -for if that enterprising chief could connect himself with the Catalans -of the upper valleys, it would be possible for him, he thought, to draw -after him so large a part of the Aragonese, that he might cut off the -communication with France, and thus endanger the subsistence ♦ATTEMPTS -TO DESTROY MINA.♦ of the besieging army. None of the Guerrilla leaders -were placed in so dangerous a position as Espoz y Mina. Every fortress -in Navarre was occupied by the French, and they were in possession of -all the country which surrounded it. There was no point from which he -could receive succour; none upon which he could retire: the mountains -were his only fastnesses; and he had no resources but what were to be -found in his own genius, and in the courage of his comrades, and in -the love of his countrymen. But this man was the Scanderbeg of his -age. Reille, the French governor of Navarre, had received special -instructions to hunt him down; and toward the close of the preceding -year, the enemy had succeeded in surprising his troop. He and the -commanders of the second and third battalions, Cruchaga and Gorriz, -immediately began to collect their scattered force, and perceiving -that their dispersion would not have been so injurious but for want of -order, they abstained awhile from offensive operations, for the purpose -of disciplining the men. Reille hoped again to surprise them while they -were thus employed, and detached Colonel Gaudin from Pamplona with 1500 -foot and 200 horse, who was to form a junction with an equal number, -drawn from Tudela, Caparroso, and Tafalla by Colonel Brescat, surround -Mina, and occupy all the points by which he might endeavour to escape. -Mina was informed of their movements: before the two detachments could -join, he drew Gaudin into an ambuscade, in which forty of his cavalry -were killed, and about 100 infantry made prisoners, he then attacked -them in their position at Monreal, drove them from it, and was about -to renew the attack upon a second position which they had taken, when -intelligence that Reille with a force from Pamplona was hastening to -Gaudin’s succour, induced him to retire. The Guerrilla chief let his -men rest one day, and on the second attacked Brescat, who, with 1300 -men and 170 horse, occupied Aybar, part of the line within which it -was intended to surround this heroic Navarrese. The enemy were driven -successively from every position where they attempted to make a stand, -till having fallen back two leagues, they reached the river Aragon: -the infantry crossed it by the bridge at Caseca, the cavalry swam the -stream, and thus interposed a barrier between themselves and their -pursuers, which Mina was not able to force, being without artillery. In -this action the French left 162 men and sixty-three horses upon the -field: their commander and about 220 men were wounded. - -♦JAN. 12.♦ - -Reille next sent his brother, at the head of 5000 foot and 200 -horse, against this harassing enemy. For the last month Mina had -been manufacturing arms, ammunition, and clothing for his men, at -Lumbier, and there two thousand of the French found him. Aware of their -intention, and having concerted measures with his officers, he did not -disturb the soldiers in the rest which they were enjoying, till the -moment arrived. Then, telling them what the force was which was ordered -against them, they exclaimed, with one voice, that it would not be for -their honour to abandon the post without resistance, even though all -France should attack it. Two companies, under D. Juan de Villanueva, -defended the fords of the river, and repulsed the enemy in their first -attempt at crossing, forcing them to retire with such precipitation, -that some of Mina’s men, who passed over at night to see what they had -left behind, collected more than a hundred muskets from the field. The -French took a position which Mina was not strong enough to force, and -for a day and a half both parties kept up a fire upon each other; by -that time a reinforcement came to the enemy from Pamplona. The river -was well defended against them, and before they won the passage they -lost above 300 killed, and twice the number wounded: among those who -died of their wounds was Leon Asurmendi, a renegade Spaniard, known -by the name of _Conveniencias_, and infamous for the crimes which he -had committed in aid of the intrusive government. Having succeeded in -crossing the river, the French chose rather to perpetrate their usual -cruelties upon the inhabitants of Lumbier than follow Mina, who retired -without loss, and in the best order. They obtained information from -some traitors of the place where the Spaniards had their hospital; but -Cruchaga and Gorriz were too vigilant to let it be surprised, and when -the enemy approached they were so warmly received that they were driven -back the four hours’ march to Lumbier, leaving on the way sixty killed, -many wounded, and twelve prisoners. - -Mina was at this time raising a fourth battalion; the French sent a -detachment to cut it off before it should be completely formed. Four -hundred and fifty men, destined for this service, proceeded against the -village of Echarri-Aranaz, where the commandant of the battalion, D. -Ramon de Ulzurrun y Eraso, had only about one hundred to oppose them. -He left the village, and disposed his handful of men so judiciously, -for the double purpose of concealing their numbers and annoying the -enemy, that the French dared not enter the place, and during the night -the officers did the piquet duty themselves, being afraid to trust -their soldiers. “Reams of paper,” Mina said, “would not suffice for the -details of all the skirmishes in which he and his party were engaged, -... for every day, and sometimes twice or thrice in the day, they were -occurring.” - -The more the enemy suffered from this band, the more efforts they made -for its destruction, and towards the close of January, Mina was again -surrounded. But this lion was not to be taken in the toils. His first -measure was to determine upon a point of reunion, and with that spirit -which made him so truly formidable to the usurpers of his country, -he fixed upon the mountains immediately above Pamplona. Here, having -overcome every difficulty that a vigilant and powerful enemy could -interpose, Mina collected his gallant companions: still the pursuers -were on all sides; there was not a point which he could occupy without -being attacked, neither could he remain in that position; and 2000 -men, with a proportionate cavalry, sallied from Pamplona to dislodge -him. Mina had not waited for this: knowing that there was no escape but -by becoming the assailant, he sent Gorriz to El Carrascal, upon the -left of the city, to call the attention of the enemy in that direction, -and fall upon any convoy or escort which might be upon the road. This -movement succeeded perfectly: the troops which were advancing had -proceeded little more than a mile when they were hastily recalled by -the alarm which Gorriz had raised in another quarter, and the governor, -thinking that Mina was on that side, and that the other roads were -secure, ordered a convoy of sixty carts with ammunition and stores to -set out for Vitoria; 200 men escorted it, and 1000 men followed at -about an hour’s interval: ... in Navarre distance is commonly expressed -by time ... the best measure in so mountainous a country. - -When Mina received intelligence that this convoy was setting out, his -men were fasting, and they were three hours’ march from the position -which it was proper to occupy for intercepting it. Leaving Cruchaga -with the main body, he set off with the horse and two companies of -foot; but the convoy had passed the place where he meant to attack it -before he could come up. The horsemen, however, fell upon its escort, -and they, abandoning the carts, took possession of an adjoining height, -where they defended themselves, relying upon the greater force in their -rear, and likewise upon assistance from the fortress of Irurzun, which -was only at half an hour’s distance. Mina had no time to complete -their destruction; it was of more importance for him to secure the -ammunition, more precious in his circumstances than the richest booty, -and for this there was little leisure; ... on two sides the enemy were -approaching in force, and the escort was ready to assail him on the -third. Night came on, and on all sides there was firing; his men became -mingled with the enemy, and sometimes engaged one another. But when -Mina had succeeded in collecting his men, and would have contented -himself with drawing them off in safety, and destroying the stores, a -general cry arose that they would rather perish than leave behind them -what they should make so useful. The men, therefore, loaded themselves -with cartridges, of which, after each man had stored himself, they -carried off more than 60,000. Other effects, however tempting, they -regarded not: but, spoiling what they could, and setting fire to the -powder carts, they drew off in safety with their precious plunder. -The joy of Mina and his comrades for this success was clouded by one -of those fatal accidents for which even a soldier is not prepared: -Gorriz that day, in leading on his troops, was thrown from his horse, -and lived only long enough to go through the last ceremonies of the -Romish superstition: however worthless these were to the sufferer, -the thought that his salvation was thus secured was the consolation -of his comrades, and probably of no little importance in keeping up -their hopes and their belief in the protection of Heaven. Mina spoke -of his loss with the deepest sorrow, a sorrow which was felt by all -his fellows in arms, whom he had more than once led on to victory, and -sometimes saved from destruction. - -Mina was now in that perilous stage of his progress, when every new -exploit, adding to his celebrity without adding to his strength, served -to increase his danger, by exasperating afresh the enemy, and exciting -them to make greater efforts to destroy him. In Aragon, as well as -in Navarre, the French troops were put in motion to hunt him down, -by night and day, like a wild beast. Harispe occupied the bridges of -Sanguessa, Galipienzo, and other passes into Aragon; Panatier with -another division watched La Ribera de los Arcos, Estella, and its -vicinity; and three moveable columns kept up the chase. The first -impulse of the Navarrese hero, when he found himself thus beset, was -to attack the enemy; but for this he was too weak. Turning back, he -marched above Pamplona by El Carrascal, and there he discovered that -two of their columns were close at hand; upon this he countermarched -towards Lumbier. Harispe was informed of his movements, and at -Irurozqui Mina found ♦FEB. 11.♦ the French in his front: his men had -made long and rapid marches for the three preceding days, nevertheless -they prepared for battle with their wonted resolution. Before the -firing began Harispe sent a cavalry officer with a flag, which -Cruchaga, who went out to meet him as an enemy, discovered just in time -as he levelled a pistol at him. The Frenchman said, he had matters of -great importance to treat of, and Mina therefore came to hear them. -His errand related to the treatment of prisoners; it was believed in -the French army that Mina’s soldiers gave no quarter, and he came to -request that this practice might no longer be continued. Mina on his -part disclaimed the system which was imputed to him, and required a -like declaration on the part of the enemy; to which the French officer -replied, that his general was distinguished for humanity, and that -all the officers of that division had received orders to treat such -of Mina’s men as might fall into their hands as prisoners of war, -since they now knew that they did not deserve to be styled brigands, -but defenders of their country. Mina observed in his dispatches, that -this officer behaved with perfect courtesy, and with more honour -than was usual for a Frenchman; and he clearly perceived that this -acknowledgment of the rights of war proceeded not from the humanity of -the general, but from the discontent of the miserable men under his -command, whom Buonaparte and his agents in Spain sent to butcher or to -be butchered. - -An affair ensued, in which Harispe lost half his cavalry in vainly -attempting to break the Spaniards. Five times he attacked their -position, and was as often repulsed; but Mina perceiving that a -movement was made to cut off his retreat, withdrew in time, in good -order, and keeping up a brisk fire. This continued till evening closed; -night set in with fogs, and the French and Spaniards got confused -and intermingled, firing upon their comrades: at length the latter -retired into a difficult pass, where the enemy did not venture to -follow them. Mina now determined, with the advice of Cruchaga and his -other officers, to break up his force into companies, sending each to -a different point; a measure which would distract the attention of the -enemy, who would thus lose sight of him, withdraw perhaps part of their -troops, and divide the others, and thus give him opportunity to collect -his companions again, and strike a blow when it was not expected. He -himself retained only twenty horsemen, with whom he meant to make -a circuit to preserve order among his scattered bands, and prevent -excesses of any kind. After awhile he came to a village near the -French border, where some of his companions had stationed themselves, -and where he hoped to give a little rest to his comrades; but an -overpowering force was brought against him, and he, again dispersing -his infantry, went with his little band of horsemen into France. Here -he found that his name was known, and his virtues honoured by the -mountaineers, while every heart cursed the tyrant who inflicted curses -upon Europe, and brought disgrace as well as misery upon France, by the -crimes which he compelled her to perpetrate. They offered all they had -to the Spaniards, but Mina would suffer nothing to be taken without -paying its fair price. - -It was not long before the French discovered with astonishment, that -Mina had entered France; they dispatched forces against him, which he -eluded, and, wandering about the borders of Roncesvalles, Viscarret, -and Olbayceta, surprised one of their parties, killing two officers -and seven men. A handful of men only were engaged, ... but it was a -well-timed success, and an auspicious scene, and Mina said, that the -Spanish spirit of old times shone in his comrades that hour. A greater -force, to which the fugitives had given the alarm, followed him during -the whole night, but without success; and he continued among the -mountains within the French border, waiting impatiently for better -prospects. “From thence,” says he, “I stretched my eyes over this -kingdom close at hand, covered with innumerable enemies, and I groaned -for her miserable condition; the imprisonment of so many of its good -inhabitants, the persecution and the banishment of the relations of my -companions rent my soul, seeing myself without the means for redressing -their wrongs.” - -But the opportunity which he expected, and which he provided by his -retreat, soon occurred; the greater part of the troops which had -been sent against him returned toward Zaragoza, and so well had -Mina instructed his officers, and so well did they execute their -instructions, that when he re-entered Navarre, his whole band were -re-assembled within four-and-twenty hours. “It would not have been -strange,” he said, “if some of the men, closely pursued as they had -been, and dispersed in scattered parties, as the only means of safety, -had returned home; but only a very few, who were sick, had done this, -and of them not a man without his officer’s permission.” During this -long pursuit, the enemy, less accustomed to fatigues and privations -than the hardy mountaineers of Spain, suffered a tenfold greater loss -than they inflicted; above 1000 of their men were invalided, and as -many more wounded in the incessant skirmishes which took place. - -♦MARCH 18.♦ - -A seasonable supply of flints, cartridges, and other necessaries, was -sent at this time to Mina by the Junta of Aragon. He was soon seen -at the gates of Estella; from that city he decoyed a hundred of the -garrison, by showing only a few of his men, whom they sallied to cut -off; then he rose upon them, killed half their number, and took the -rest prisoners under the very walls of the fortress, not one escaping. -A letter from Reille to Marshal Bessieres was intercepted shortly -afterwards, in which he said, “that by this imprudence of the governor -of Estella, they had lost more men in one foolish affair, than they had -taken from the enemy during a pursuit of two months. The brigands,” he -added, “had so many partisans, that their sick and wounded were in all -parts of the country, and yet it was impossible to detect them: the -public spirit was very bad, and the business could never be completed -in Navarre, till a place of deportation was appointed for all the -relations and connexions of the brigands, and strong escorts along the -road to convoy them thither.” - -♦MARCH 23.♦ - -Renewing their efforts for the destruction of an enemy who became every -day more popular among his oppressed countrymen, the French attacked -Mina a few days after his exploit before Estella, near Arcos. His -inferiority in numbers was compensated by his perfect knowledge of -every foot of the ground, the experience of his officers in their own -mode of warfare, and his confidence in all his followers. After an -action which continued nearly the whole day, he drew off in good order, -and scarcely with any loss, having killed and wounded nearly 400 of -the enemy. They obtained ♦MARCH 26.♦ a reinforcement, and renewed the -attack on the third day at Nacar, where he occupied a strong position, -and where he succeeded in repulsing them, with the loss of forty -killed, about 200 wounded, and seventeen prisoners. He now entered -Aragon, and while one part of his force, under Cruchaga, approached -Zaragoza, Mina, with three companies and a few horse, surprised a party -of the enemy consisting of 152 gendarmes and twenty-eight cavalry: -the horses, the commander, another officer, and seventy-seven of the -soldiers, were made prisoners, all the rest fell, not a man escaping. -Successes of this kind made Mina dangerous in more ways than one to -the invaders. Germans, Italians, and even French deserted to him. In -the course of five days fifteen hussars came over with their arms and -horses, and fourteen foot soldiers, besides some poor _juramentados_, -who were happy in an opportunity of joining their countrymen. - -The Junta of Valencia sent him a timely supply of arms; he issued -his proclamations through Navarre, and a man was soon found for -every musket. Another convoy from Valencia was on its way, and had -to cross the Ebro in front of Calahorra. Mina set forth to secure -its passage, leaving one battalion at Puente la Reyna to observe the -enemy in Pamplona, and another at Carcar to cover Lodosa, which the -enemy occupied, and from whence he apprehended most danger. When he -reached the river he stationed part of his little force upon the left -bank to guard against any attack from Lodosa, on that side also, and -with two companies forded, meaning to attack a body who occupied a -village on the other side, about a league from the ford. They fled at -his approach, leaving some of their effects behind them: 150 horse -also, who were in Calahorra, fled to Lodosa; and the passage being -thus freed, Mina received his convoy, and returned the same night to -Estella, ... for the French after their late loss had evacuated that -city, and he made it at this time his head-quarters. - -Well had it been for Spain if all the supplies which the Juntas of -Aragon and Valencia raised had been as well employed as the little -portion allotted to Espoz y Mina. The French were now so well aware -of the superiority of his followers over their troops in personal -conflict, that they never moved against him without artillery. In his -mode of warfare it was impossible for him to be provided with equal -arms; but one of his men, by name Josè Suescun y Garcia, contrived to -fix three barrels upon one stock and fire them by one lock; ♦MAY 17.♦ -they carried two ounce balls, and were found to succeed well the first -trial, which was in an action fought by Cruchaga near Tafalla, with an -inferior force against 1500 foot and 180 horse. Between 300 and 400 of -the enemy were killed and wounded, and twelve were made prisoners, whom -Mina, upon the proposal of the French, joyfully exchanged for an equal -number of his own men. - -At this time the Intruder went to Paris, for the ostensible purpose of -being present at the baptism of Buonaparte’s son. Mina was on the watch -to incommode him, as he said, upon his journey; but this wretched man -was too well aware of the danger not to take every possible precaution, -and occupied every place along the road with a strong force before -he ventured to advance. Mina had still his eye upon this road; and -shortly afterwards, when 6000 of the enemy from Pamplona and Tudela -were about to make a combined movement for the purpose of dislodging -him from Estella, he abandoned ♦MAY 22.♦ that place to them, as if in -fear of their numbers, and with the whole of his force entered the -province of Alava. He himself, with three of his four battalions and -the cavalry, reached Orbizu, the first village in that province, on the -morning of the next day; the fourth proceeded by a different route. -Here he received information that Massena was expected at Vitoria, on -his way to France, with an escort of 2000 men, after his defeat at -Fuentes d’Onoro. The hope of meeting with one who had been called the -Child and Favourite and Angel of Victory delighted Mina, and he set -off immediately in hopes of intercepting him; but Cruchaga, overcome -by an illness against which he had borne up for many days, was most -reluctantly compelled to remain behind. - -At five in the evening of the 24th they reached the Puerto de Azazeta, -and halted there till it was dark, lest they should be seen by the -enemy or some of his scouts, in passing some plains which were at no -great distance from Vitoria. Mina would not enter any village on his -way, for the French, under pain of rigorous punishment, had enjoined -all persons to give intelligence of his movements; and he was careful -not to compromise the people. On the 25th, at four in the morning, he -reached Arlaban, the mountain which forms the boundary between Alava -and Guipuzcoa, and here he chose his ground, placing one battalion in -the woods on the left of the road, two on the right, and the cavalry -upon the plain; the fourth he meant to station in a grove when it -should arrive, from whence it might surprise the enemy’s rear-guard. -There was a little village near, about six miles only from Vitoria; -and, that no information might be given by any of the inhabitants, he -marched them all off, old and young, into the mountains, and placed a -guard over them, ordering them to remain quiet for eight hours as they -valued their lives. - -Soon after these preparations were made, a messenger reached him with -news that Massena had arrived at Vitoria, and would halt there; but -that a great convoy was on the point of setting out, with a general in -one coach, a colonel and lieutenant-colonel and two women in another, -1100 prisoners, and an escort of 2000 foot and 200 horse. The hope -of delivering the prisoners repaid him for the disappointment of his -design against Massena. Not trusting too implicitly to the messenger, -for fear of deceit, he ordered him to be bound to a point of the -rock, and placed a guard over him, who was to put him to death if he -attempted to escape, but he promised him a munificent reward if his -information should be verified. They were not long in suspense. About -eight o’clock the enemy’s van appeared, ... 100 foot and twenty horse, -who were allowed to pass unmolested; a second party of thirty foot and -twelve horse passed in like manner, that Mina might not, by giving -the alarm too early, lose his object. The main body came next with -the prisoners, a number of carts laden with plunder, and one of the -coaches. A fire was opened upon them from the left by one battalion, -and the two others rushed out upon them from the right. The prisoners -threw themselves upon the ground that they might not fall by the -hands of their friends; then joyfully ran to join their deliverers. -Mina went to the coach, for the purpose of saving its passengers; the -two officers, however, refusing to surrender, defended themselves -with their sabres; one was killed; Colonel Lafitte, the other, was -wounded and made prisoner with the women. The French, though thrown at -first into confusion and dreadfully cut up, formed with the celerity -of well-disciplined and experienced troops; 600 foot and 100 horse -brought up the rear with the other coach: upon the first fire the coach -was driven back to Vitoria, escorted by the horsemen; the infantry -remained and got possession of a height, from whence they annoyed the -Spaniards, who were now completing their victory. Two hundred men from -the garrison of Salinas came to their succour, but they were dislodged -and driven to the gates of Salinas. Mina’s fourth battalion did not -arrive till the business was done: the men had made a forced march -of fifteen hours and were fasting, nevertheless they joined in the -pursuit. By this time reinforcements came to the enemy from Vitoria, -and the French in Salinas being joined by part of the garrison of -Mondragon, and of all the neighbouring posts, again showed themselves. -Mina drove them back, and then thought it advisable to secure what -he had gained; the affair had continued five hours, and his men had -neither eaten nor drank since ten in the morning of the preceding day; -he therefore retired with his spoils to Zalduendo, six hours’ distance -from the field. - -The French lost their whole convoy and above 1000 men, of whom -about 110 only were made prisoners. Among the slain was Valbuena, -who, having formerly been aide-de-camp to Castaños, had entered the -Intruder’s service, and distinguished himself by his cruelty to his -own countrymen. The booty was very great: Mina reserved one load of -specie for the public service, and his men took what they could find, -many loading themselves with gold, ... the plunder which their enemies -were conveying to France. The peasants’ artillery was tried on this day -for the second time with excellent effect; at the first discharge it -brought down above twenty of the French, and on the second dispersed -a column which had formed in the road. The loss of the Spaniards was -inconsiderable, but D. Pedro Bizarron, who that day commanded the -cavalry, was dangerously hurt, to the great mischief of Mina and all -his comrades. Many women were taken, they were treated with respect, -and set at liberty. Among the Spaniards who were delivered were -twenty-one officers; Garrido was one, the leader of a Guerrilla party -in Castille. - -Mina’s first care was to place the rescued prisoners in safety, and -this could only be done by getting them into Valencia. For this purpose -he sent to Duran and the Empecinado to co-operate with him, and pass -along the bank of the Ebro in order to protect their passage; but -Duran was too far distant, and the Empecinado was at this time closely -pressed by the enemy; he had therefore nothing to rely on but himself. -Accordingly he made preparations for throwing a bridge over the river, -and named the place where it was to be done; the materials were sent -towards this place, and he moved in the same direction: then in the -middle of the night turning aside marched to a part of the river twelve -miles distant, tried the depth by forcing his own horse into the water, -and making each of his cavalry take up a man behind him, in this manner -landed the whole in safety, while the enemy were waiting to attack him -when he should be employed in making his bridge. - -♦JUNE 6.♦ - -Next his band was heard of at Irun, when D. Josè Gorriz, who, according -to the Maccabean system, had succeeded his kinsman in the command of -the third battalion, forming a junction with the fourth under Ulzurrun, -marched against that place, defeated the garrisons of Oyarzun and -Beriatu, got possession of the stores of the Intrusive government at -Irun, and burnt the bridge which the French had constructed over the -Bidasoa, which there separates France from Spain; after which they -returned with their booty, though all the force of the adjoining posts -was collected to oppose them. Greater and more persevering efforts -were now made to destroy him. Caffarelli arrived to take the command -in Biscay, and his first object was to signalize himself by the -destruction of an enemy, for whose blood Buonaparte thirsted as he -had thirsted for that of Schill and of Hofer. Mina was in the village -of Mendigorria with three of his battalions and his cavalry, when -Caffarelli with one division came against him by Puente la Reyna, -another by the Valle de Echaurri; Reille advanced with a third by -Carrascal, and a fourth moved from Logroño upon Estella. The whole -force in ♦JUNE 14.♦ motion against him amounted to 8000 foot and 2000 -horse. Mina put himself in ambush near Carrascal, meaning to attack -Reille; he engaged him, and forced him to retire upon Tafalla: but when -the Guerrilla chief had advanced in pursuit as far as the village of -Barasoain, he discovered that Caffarelli, marching back from Puente, -had contrived to cut off the battalion which he himself commanded, -and place it between two fires. Reille and Caffarelli then, whose -joint force amounted to 700 horse and 4000 foot, attacked him with -as great advantage of ground as of numbers, and Mina for the moment -expected to see six of the seven companies of his battalion cut off. -Their desperate courage brought them off with the loss of twenty-three -killed and eighty taken; a heavy loss, but far less than there had -been cause to dread, ... and for which in the action they had revenged -themselves. He himself was in the most imminent peril: a party of -hussars surrounded him, and one of them aimed a blow which he had no -other means of avoiding but by stretching himself out upon his horse; -the horse at the same moment sprung forward and threw him; he recovered -his feet and ran; the horse, ... whether by mere good fortune, or that, -in the wild life to which Mina was reduced, like an Arab he had taught -the beast to love him ... followed his master, who then lightly leaped -into his seat, and, though closely pursued, saved himself. - -He got to Lerga with his men; Reille marched to Tafalla, Caffarelli -to Monreal; each division being thus three hours’ distance from him. -The next day he moved to Sanguesa, and rested there the whole day. On -the morrow he was apprized that Caffarelli was approaching Lumbier and -Reille Caceda, both points within two hours of him: upon this he sent -his cavalry along the river Aragon to call off their attention in that -direction, while with the infantry he took his route for the mountains -of Biqueza. The two hostile divisions followed him, one on the right, -and the other on the left, hoping again to place him between two fires: -he had the start of them only half an hour, and having gained the -mountain, put his men in order to defend the post; but in the evening -the enemy moved off, meaning to take him at more advantage, and he -reached the village of Veguezal. This was on the 16th of June; the next -day he was informed that Caffarelli and Reille, with the French from -the district of the Cinco Villas, would attack him on the 18th on the -three sides of the Puerto, Navascues, and Tiermas: he eluded them all -by marching to Iruzozgui. Caffarelli followed him as far as Artieda, -which was an hour and a half’s distance. Mina was not informed of this: -they met on the way to Aoiz; the Spaniards had the good fortune to gain -a strong position upon some heights, where they were able to repulse -the enemy, notwithstanding his forces were double in number, with the -loss of more than 300 killed. This gained them a day’s respite from -their pursuers: on the 20th they learnt that Reille had again joined -Caffarelli, and Mina once more resolved to divide his force, and thus -multiply the chances of escape. Cruchaga, with the second battalion, -took his course toward Roncesvalles, and he with the first and third -marched for Zubiri. On his way he learnt that the French in Aoiz had -been 6000 foot and 700 horse, who were now thus disposed of; 4000 were -marching to Zubiri, 2000 with 400 horse to the town of Urroz, and -Reille with 300 horse was gone to Pamplona; 200 who had escorted the -wounded were also on their way to Zubiri with a supply of ammunition. -Fearful as this intelligence was, his men ate their rations with -composure, and then amidst incessant rain turned to Larrainzar; ... -from thence he sent his third battalion to Bustan, and he himself, with -the remaining one marched for the village of Illarse. His own danger -was not diminished by this separation, for it seemed of more importance -to the enemy to secure his single person than to destroy the troop; -they followed close upon the scent: from Illarse they pursued him to -Villanueva in Araguil, where he arrived at night, and from whence he -set out at two in the morning: as little was he able to rest at Echarri -Aranaz; from thence, through the Puerto de Tizatraga, he made for the -Puerto de Lezaun; still they were close upon him; he got on to Los -Arcos, and the enemy halted at Estella, twelve miles distant. - -The French had formed their plan for hunting him down with perfect -knowledge of the country, meaning to hem him in on all sides among the -mountains; and they had assembled not only all their troops in Navarre -for this service, but had drawn soldiers from Alava also, and from part -of Castille, and were aided by reinforcements from France. Not less -than 12,000 men were now employed against him. Mina, however, knew -the ground as well as his pursuers, and never losing hope, and never -without resources, he once more divided his men into small moveable -columns, which he dispersed among the mountains in contrary directions, -but with such instructions, that whenever a favourable opportunity -arrived, the reunion might be effected as rapidly as before. The -French were thus compelled either to extend their line so far that -their strength would not be sufficient to cover it, or else to keep it -together without any object upon which they could bring it to bear. As -he expected, they found themselves at fault, and before they knew how -to act, or where to seek him, he had reunited his three battalions and -all his cavalry in Estella, where Cruchaga, with the other battalion, -hastened to join him, after having attacked the enemy in Roncesvalles, -killed and wounded twenty-five of them, and driven the rest into their -fort. - -Mina’s reputation was greatly raised by the ability with which he -extricated himself from so many dangers, and the loss which he so -frequently inflicted upon the enemy; but these persevering efforts of -the French had the desired effect of rendering it impossible for him -to undertake any enterprise which might tend to the relief ♦SUCHET, T. -2. 20. TARRAGONA.♦ of Figueras, or, by disturbing Suchet in Aragon, -operate in aid of Tarragona. That city, one of the most remarkable -in Spain for its monuments of antiquity, and for the historical -circumstances connected with it, stands about the distance of a -musket-shot from the sea shore, on a steep and rocky ♦ESPAÑA SAGRADA, -T. 24. P. 69.♦ eminence, where (in the words of Florez) it commands -and enjoys a free air, a clear sky, and its own fertile plain. Its -foundation being in an age beyond the reach of history, has been -variously ascribed to Tubal, Hercules, Teucer, Remus, a king of Egypt, -and a colony of Phocæans, by fablers who sought in their inventions -to gratify that allowable and useful pride which citizens learn to -take in the place of their birth and abode ... or to accredit their -own theories, or to support some baseless etymology of its name. This -alone is certain, that it was a considerable place before ♦YCART. -GRANDEZAS DE TARRAGONA, 65.♦ the Romans and Carthaginians contended -for the dominion of Spain; and the remains of its more ♦LABORDE VOYAGE -PITTORESQUE. INTROD. P. 31.♦ ancient walls, which excited the wonder -of antiquaries in the sixteenth century, excite in the present age -their sagacity, their conjectures, and their doubts; for, though -resembling those which are called Cyclopean in magnitude and solidity, -they differ from them in construction. The Scipios so greatly enlarged -and embellished it, as almost to be considered its refounders; and -on the division of the Peninsula under the Romans, it gave name to -that province which had before been called Citerior Spain. Augustus, -according to fond Spaniards, issued from Tarragona his ever memorable -decree that all the world should be taxed: here it was that the palm -was said to have grown upon his altar during his life; and the year -after his death the inhabitants sent deputies to Rome, soliciting -permission to erect a temple to him as a god: ... a fragment of that -altar, a single stone of that temple, and a few medals, are now the -only remains of their vile and impious adulation. When Galba was -declared ♦SUETONIUS.♦ emperor, the crown of gold for his inauguration -was taken from the temple of Jupiter in this city. The Egyptian Isis -was worshipped here, and the African goddess Cœlestis: and when -the Romish church had corrupted Christianity with the polytheism -and idolatry of Pagan Rome, changing the names, but retaining the -superstition, the craft, and the sin, it was then inferred that -Santiago _must_ have sanctified Tarragona by his presence, it being -certain that he was at Zaragoza when our Lady descended there with the -pillar from heaven. When the barbarians in the reign of ♦OROSIUS, L. -7. § 15.♦ Gallienus first entered Spain, Tarragona was reduced by them -almost to a heap of ruins; and it was the last place in that country -which the Romans retained. Many of the Gothic kings coined money there. -It underwent a second destruction from the Moors, in revenge for the -resolution with which the inhabitants resisted them. Louis the Pious -recovered it from them at the beginning of the 9th century, but the -Christians could not hold it long; nor is it known by whom it was -finally taken from the Mahommedans, nor when, except that it was some -time in the 11th century, ... an uncertainty, which shows how slowly it -had risen ♦ORDERICUS VITALIS, 892, QUOTED BY FLOREZ, T. 25. P. 116.♦ -from its ruins. Indeed, when Oldegar was made archbishop there, in the -year 1116, large oak and beech-trees were growing in the cathedral. -This personage, eminent during his life, as a politic prelate and saint -militant, and as a worker of miracles after his death, refortified the -city, and may be said to have refounded it. - -The ruined and almost desolate city, with all belonging or which ought -to belong thereunto, was given to this prelate and his successors in -the see, under the Romish church, by the Count of Barcelona, Ramon -♦FLOREZ, T. 25. APP. NO. V.♦ Berenguer 3; the deed of gift transferring -to the archbishop full power of every kind, stipulating only for an -alliance offensive and defensive with the Tarragonans. Oldegar, finding -that after ten years his means were not sufficient to complete the -cathedral, or to defend the city, transferred the grant to ♦ORDERICUS -VITALIS, L. 13. § 5. FLOREZ, T. 10. APP. ULT.♦ be held as a feud under -the see to a Norman knight, Rodbert Burdet by name, who had married -in that land, and had acquired there considerable possessions and a -great name; but ♦DIAGO. CONDES DE BARCELONA, P. 183.♦ this family, a -branch whereof continues to flourish in England, seems to have taken -no root in Spain. The tithes both of the sea and land were reserved -for the see: ... those of the nuts[26] alone from the Selva de Avellana -are said to have yielded in some years a thousand escudos. Funds for -completing the cathedral, the largest and massiest in Catalonia, were -raised by a contribution which the Pope imposed upon the suffragan -bishops, and by soliciting alms in aid of the work throughout the -province: but the city never recovered even a semblance of its former -prosperity. ♦FLOREZ, T. 24. 69.♦ Its circumference is now little more -than two miles, and the river Francoli, which, when it bore its ancient -name of Tulcis, ran close to Tarragona, is now a mile distant from -it. War had not been the cause of this improsperity; for after its -restoration, the Moors never attempted it; it suffered little in the -revolt of the Catalans; and nothing in the Succession War, the English -being received there by the inhabitants, and retiring from it after the -peace of Utrecht. But at the time when it might otherwise have partaken -the improvement which was then general in Spain, the neighbouring -town of Reus made an extraordinary advance in industry and opulence, -trebling its population in the course of fifteen years; and making Salo -its port, it had the effect rather of taking from Tarragona what trade -it might have had, than of contributing to it. - -When this unexpected war commenced, Tarragona was deemed so little -important as a fortress, that its garrison consisted only of fifty -men; it was now the only strong place which the Catalans possessed -upon the coast; every exertion had been made to strengthen its works, -and they who relied upon fortresses regarded it as the last bulwark of -Catalonia. The city was crowded with fugitives from the open country -and from towns in the enemy’s possession; there was a strong garrison; -and Tarragona had this advantage above every other place in the -province which had yet been besieged, that supplies and reinforcements -could at all times be thrown in by sea. Captain Codrington was in the -roads with the Blake, Invincible, and Centaur, ready to aid in any way -wherein the zeal and intrepidity of British seamen could be rendered -available. Under these circumstances, the spirit of the principality -being what it was, and Valencia with unexhausted resources close at -hand, a resolution like that of the Zaragozans and Geronans, or an -influencing mind like that of Palafox or of Mariano Alvares, would have -baffled all the efforts of the enemy; and unity of counsels, with a -competent leader in the field, might have rendered the siege fatal to -the besiegers. There were men and means in abundance; the inhabitants -as well as the garrison were prepared to act or to suffer; neither -will nor resolution were wanting; but there was no commanding mind, no -harmony of purpose; some hearts were accessible to fear, and some to -corruption. This Count Suchet knew, and could calculate as certainly -upon confusion and perplexity in their counsels as upon steadiness and -method in his own. - -♦MAY 2. - -SIEGE OF TARRAGONA.♦ - -He established his head-quarters at Reus: the inhabitants of that -busy town had been properly rewarded for the inclination which -they had shown toward the French; and their hatred toward them now -was in proportion to their sufferings and their repentance. Suchet -endeavoured to win them over by maintaining strict discipline, and by -courting the chief authorities, civil and religious. Expecting also an -obstinate resistance, he prepared extensive hospitals with all things -necessary to receive his wounded, and made arrangements for removing -them without delay from the trenches; measures whereby he deserved -and obtained the affections of the soldiery in a greater degree than -any other of the French generals in Spain. He pushed the siege with -characteristic vigour, and had soon the satisfaction to learn that -Campoverde, having ♦CAMPOVERDE ENTERS THE CITY AFTER A DEFEAT.♦ been -defeated before Figueras in attempting to relieve that fortress, had -hastened back to Tarragona by sea with the remainder of his troops, -who were more likely to dispirit the garrison by the distrust which -they had conceived of themselves and of their commander, than to bring -any increase of real strength. Sarsfield remained with one division -in the field, and threatened the enemy’s line from Mora to Reus. This -brave and enterprising officer annoyed them on that side; and that part -of the besieging army which was encamped on the high and dry level -ground at a distance from the Francoli and the Gaya, suffered for want -of water, having continually to repair and protect the aqueduct. The -most important of the outworks were Fort Francoli, on the left bank -of the river to the west of the city, and Fort Olivo: the latter was -a new fort, about 400 toises to the north, on ground so high that it -could not with safety have been left unoccupied; and this it was deemed -necessary to reduce before any attack could be made upon the body of -the place. On the part of the enemy’s engineers everything was done -which could be expected from a thorough practical knowledge of their -destructive art; and so vigorously were their advances resisted by the -Spaniards, that the wounded who were carried to the French hospitals -are stated by Suchet himself to have been from fifty to threescore -daily during the siege of this outwork. The Spaniards estimated them -as nearer 300. In one of the sorties General Salme was killed; his -body was buried under a part of the aqueduct; his heart embalmed, and -deposited under that well-known monument which is called the Tomb of -the ♦FORT OLIVO BETRAYED.♦ Scipios. Olivo held out till the night of -the 29th; nor would it then have been taken had there not been found -a wretch wicked enough to sell the blood of his comrades and the -interests of his country. The garrison, consisting of 2000, was to be -changed that night, the regiment of Illiberia returning into the town, -and that of Almeira taking its place: the French presented themselves -at the same time with the new garrison, while a false attack was made -in another quarter, and entered with them; others found their way -through a dry aqueduct, which the Spaniards had neglected either to -destroy or properly to secure, and Fort Olivo was thus taken, some 800 -Spaniards being made prisoners, and more than as many slain. For the -information which led to this carnage a price had been bargained, and -the money[27] was paid. - -♦GENERAL CONTRERAS.♦ - -At this time General Senen de Contreras arrived at Tarragona in a -frigate from Cadiz. He had distinguished himself when a young man, by -abridging the voluminous Military Reflections of the Marquis de Santa -Cruz, and was thought to have studied his profession so well that he -was sent by Charles III. on a travelling mission, to examine into -the military institutions of other countries. On this service he was -employed four years, visiting England, France, Prussia, Austria, and -Russia, and in the campaign of 1788 he served against the Turks. In the -war against revolutionary France he acted as aide-de-camp to General -Urretia in the Pyrenees; and in the present contest had afforded a -timely support to the Portugueze in Alemtejo and Algarve, ... had been -in the retreat of the central army, gaining some partial successes in -those disastrous days, ... and afterwards, in some critical situations -and some important stations, supported the reputation which he had -obtained. He landed now at Tarragona in an inauspicious hour, and had -immediately a command entrusted to him at the gate opposite Fort Olivo, -where he passed the first unhappy night after his arrival in receiving -the fugitives. On the following morning Campoverde assembled his chief -officers and the deputies of the superior Junta: it was agreed that an -effort for raising the siege should be made in the field; and while -the general in chief should be thus ♦CONTRERAS APPOINTED TO COMMAND IN -THE CITY.♦ employed, Contreras was appointed to command in the city. -The danger of the place, and the numerous defects of its incomplete -works, were obvious to all military men; and to no one more clearly -than to the general who now unwillingly took upon himself the charge -of defending it. He represented ♦JUNE.♦ that he was neither acquainted -with the troops and officers whom he was to command, nor with the -civil authorities with whom he should have to act, nor with the people -on whose energetic aid he must rely, nor with the place itself (of -which not even a plan could be produced), having, in fact, none of -that information which might be considered indispensable for such a -command. With this responsibility, however, Contreras was left; and -Campoverde ♦CAMPOVERDE GOES OUT TO ACT IN THE FIELD.♦ departed by sea -with his staff, and so many officers (every man seeming to act at his -own pleasure), that of the regiments in the garrison only two were left -with their own colonels or proper commanders. He issued a proclamation -before his departure, promising to return in the course of six or -eight days with an army, and make an effort, which was to be seconded -by the garrison, for raising the siege. The new commander had no -expectation that this promise would be performed; but the garrison and -the inhabitants looked with confidence to its fulfilment, ... for the -Spaniards are a hopeful people, and, all circumstances considered, they -had on no former occasion had such reasonable ground for hope. They -had lost about 3000 men during the siege, which they supposed to be a -less loss than the French had sustained, and they could more easily be -reinforced. If, indeed, the same means of defence had been resorted to -here as in Zaragoza and Gerona, Tarragona, defective as its works were, -must have been impregnable; it was secure against famine; it was in no -danger of pestilence; and its numbers might always have been kept up. -The enemy had broken the aqueduct, expecting to distress the besieged -by reducing them to use the brackish water of their wells; but in this -he was deceived, for no distress was occasioned by it. The very sight -of the English squadron, and the constant communication with it, and -its aid on all opportunities, contributed greatly to the confidence -which was felt. - -Contreras did not partake that confidence; his measures, however, were -such as might support it. He established a military police; he formed -the inhabitants into companies; and he employed the women in such -services as they were capable of performing. On their part, indeed, a -spirit was manifested such as the time required; no danger deterred -them from administering refreshments to the soldiers at their stations, -nor from bearing away the wounded: it was sometimes necessary to -restrain their ardour, but on no occasion did it need excitement. The -military chest was almost exhausted; the commander replenished it by -levying a contribution upon those merchants who had retired to Villa -Nueva with their effects. He gave ear to no overtures from the enemy -of whatever kind. When Suchet proposed a suspension of hostilities, -that the dead might be interred who lay in heaps around Fort Olivo, in -sight from the ramparts of the city, even that proposal was rejected; -and in that hot season of the year, and on that rocky soil where graves -could not be dug, the French, for their own sakes, were compelled as -long as the siege continued to consume the slain by fire. - -♦FORT FRANCOLI ABANDONED.♦ - -They gave the fort which they had won the name of Salme, from the -general who had fallen before it. And now their attacks were directed -against Fort Francoli, which they reduced at length to such a state -that the commandant found it necessary to abandon it as untenable, -destroying such stores as he could not remove. Hitherto there had -been no want of firmness in the besieged; but vigour, confidence, -and unanimity were wanting among their leaders. Three members of the -supreme Junta were in the city, in order that the civil power might -through them afford all the aid which the military might require: this -they did most unreservedly; but the proposals which they made met with -no correspondent consideration, and the soldiers complained of the -inaction in which they were kept. When Campoverde first entered the -place, it was supposed that he had invested Sarsfield with powers to -act for him both as governor-general of the province and ♦SARSFIELD.♦ -commander in the field; but Sarsfield was soon called after him to -Tarragona, and remained there after he had departed. This general -was one of the best officers in the Spanish service for an inferior -command, ... an intelligent, enterprising, intrepid, and honourable -man; but he was punctilious and irritable, and thought less of his -country and his duty than of his own personal importance, ... differing -in this most widely from Eroles, of whose high reputation and higher -virtues he was so jealous, that he regarded him with a dislike little -short of personal enmity. This same unhappy temper made it impossible -for him to act cordially with Contreras. In the field he might have -been far more serviceable than in the fortress, for in the field it -was that the best service might have been effected, and the French -acknowledged and feared his activity as a partisan; but though he kept -up that character in the sallies which he directed, his impractical -disposition marred all his better qualities. What he did ♦CATALUÑA -ATRIBULADA, 13.♦ was without consulting the governor; he neither -thought it necessary to concert operations with him, nor even to inform -him of the results. - -♦TROOPS SENT TO REINFORCE THE GARRISON, AND LANDED ELSEWHERE.♦ - -Meantime the siege was pressed with the utmost skill and exertions; -and on the part of the Spaniards there was as much want of concert -and ability without the walls as within. Troops were twice sent from -Carthagena to reinforce the place, and both times without arms, so -that when they arrived they were useless, there being already 2000 -men there more than there were weapons for; and therefore by desire -of Contreras they were carried on to Villa Nueva, there to be armed, -if Campoverde could arm them, or to take their own course! And on the -part of Campoverde himself there was such uncertainty, such seeming -apathy, that the British officers, who were exerting themselves with -indefatigable zeal, apprehended the worst consequences from the -incapacity which they now perceived in him. O’Donell, now Conde de -Bisbal, was not yet sufficiently recovered from his wound to take the -field: his services were never more needed than at this time, when -there was no lack of means or men, only of hearts and heads to direct -them. He consulted, however, with his brother, who had a command in -the Valencian army, and in concert with him and Captain Codrington -it was agreed that 4000 of the best Valencian troops should be sent -in British ships to reinforce the garrison, while the rest of that -army should move to the banks of the Ebro, and there, in concert -with the Aragonese, threaten Suchet’s depôts, the movement which of -all others he apprehended most. These troops, under General Miranda, -were accordingly embarked at Peñiscola, with written orders to land -at Tarragona; the intention being that they should join in a sally, -which Captain Codrington thought could not fail of success. Miranda, -however, refused to land, protesting that both his written and verbal -instructions forbade him to shut himself up in the fortress with his -division. This was neither the place nor the time for disputing; and -as little good service can be expected from one in whom good will is -evidently wanting, the division landed at Villa Nueva, according to -Campoverde’s desire, that they might join him at Igualada, and act upon -the besiegers’ flank. - -Suchet, meantime, was not without uneasiness: he had already lost 2500 -men, including 280 officers; and hitherto the chief advantage which he -had gained had been obtained less by force of arms than by corruption. -But the feeble irresolution of the Spanish leaders and their ruinous -delays gave him time, by which he profited like one who knew its value; -and on the evening of the 21st he assaulted the lower town; three -breaches had been made, and with all its defences, it was in the course -of an hour in his hands, at the cost of about 500 men. It is said that -the same means for insuring success had been provided here as at Fort -Olivo[28]. With the exception of a small number, all the Spaniards -were put ♦THE LOWER TOWN TAKEN.♦ to the sword in the town, at the port, -in the houses, and in pursuit ... to the gates of the upper town; only -160 prisoners were taken, most of whom were wounded; no more than these -were spared, while the number of bodies which the French collected and -burnt amounted to 1350. Suchet then held forth a threat which he had -now shown, that the troops whom he commanded were capable of carrying -into effect: “I ♦SUCHET’S THREAT.♦ fear much,” said he, “that if the -garrison wait for the assault in their last hold, I shall be forced to -set a terrible example, and intimidate Catalonia and Spain for ever by -the destruction of a whole city!” - -Sarsfield, who was slightly wounded in this action, embarked -immediately to join Campoverde and act in the field; this he did -without informing Contreras of his intention, and at a moment when -his presence was more needful than it had been at any former time. -An officer was appointed to succeed him as soon as his departure was -known; but before that officer could repair to his post, the enemy had -forced it, and were ♦THE MOLE AT TARRAGONA.♦ masters of the mole. Ten -years had not quite elapsed since that port had been a scene of proud -rejoicing, the King and Queen of Spain having visited it to inspect -the works at the mole, which having been commenced in the year 1790, -were then on the point of completion. The quarries being near at hand, -an enormous stone had been prepared for this occasion, on which an -image of Neptune, ten feet high, was placed, with one hand reining the -dolphin on which he stood, with the other holding his trident. The -huge mass was raised by the exertions of three hundred men, and let -down into its place in the sea. Neptune descending with it as into -his own empire, amid the sound of music, and the festive discharge -of artillery, and the exulting acclamations of myriads of beholders. -The beach which on that day had been lined with happy multitudes was -soon to become the scene of the most atrocious tragedy in this whole -dreadful war. - -♦CAMPOVERDE’S INACTIVITY.♦ - -The Junta of Tarragona were now so indignant at the conduct of -Campoverde, whose futile movements at this crisis were as injurious as -his inactivity, that they enclosed to him his own proclamation, issued -at the time of his departure, wherein he had promised to relieve them -in the course of a few days. Three weeks had now elapsed; he had been -reinforced with 4000 Valencian troops on whom he had not counted when -that promise was made; and there was a general outcry against his -unfitness for the command. Eroles alone acted with the spirit which the -exigence required, and succeeded in capturing a convoy of 500 laden -mules between Mora and Falset, and cutting off part of their escort. -Wherever his services were most needed there he was always to be found, -... seeking as little to aggrandize as to spare himself, his single -object being the deliverance of his country. The magazines at Reus were -not so well provided but that the loss of these supplies would have -been felt by the besiegers, if the city had been defended after the -manner of Gerona. But the Geronans were commanded by a man of the old -heroic stamp, and they had no base examples to discourage them: whereas -the garrison and the people of Tarragona saw nothing in the conduct of -their leaders and their countrymen but what was disheartening. While -the gun-boats and launches of the British squadron were employed every -night, and all night long, in annoying the enemy’s working parties, -there were two Spanish frigates which remained quiet spectators. While -the English were removing women, children, and wounded, in their -transports to Villa ♦ILL BEHAVIOUR OF THE SPANISH FRIGATES.♦ Nueva, -those frigates would not receive on board their wounded countrymen -who were sent off to them; and these poor creatures were left to lie -without assistance of any kind in the boats which brought them off till -relief was sent them from the British ships. This heartless disregard -of all duty called forth strong remonstrances from General Doyle, -as well as from Captain Codrington; and it was not till above 2000 -people had been removed in our transports that the positive orders of -Contreras, and the threat of General Doyle, that the captain of one of -their frigates should be put under arrest if he refused to receive the -wounded, compelled them to act as if they had some sense of honour and -humanity. Had the Spaniards in the fortress and in the field displayed -as much spirit and alacrity as was manifested by the British ships in -their aid, Contreras has declared that Tarragona could not have been -taken. - -♦COL. SKERRET ARRIVES WITH BRITISH TROOPS.♦ - -Suchet meantime pushed his attacks vigorously against the only -remaining defences of the city, aware that he had no time to lose, and -that if preparations were made for defending the streets and houses, -a war of that kind might detain him till efficient succours should -arrive by sea. Sir Edward Pellew, who had just taken the command of -the Mediterranean fleet, was hastening with all speed to assist the -besieged; and when the enemy’s batteries for forming a breach were -almost completed, a detachment of 2000 British troops under Colonel -Skerret arrived from Cadiz in the bay. He landed with his engineers, -and they perceived how ill the front which the French threatened was -able to withstand such batteries as would presently be opened against -it. There was but one point now at which a disembarkation could be -effected, and that point was flanked by the enemy. The disembarkation -would nevertheless have been made, and these troops would have saved -Tarragona, or fallen in its defence, if Contreras had not recommended -that they should co-operate with Campoverde from without: their -presence, he thought, might goad that general on to action, and give -reasonable hope of some decisive success in the field, from which alone -he looked for deliverance. Besides, he said, the garrison was numerous -enough; and as soon as the enemy should have opened their trenches, -and begun to batter in breach, he had determined to abandon the place, -thinking it of more importance to preserve 7000 fine troops, than to -defend the ruins of Tarragona. Skerret, therefore, met Eroles, who -came from Campoverde; and they agreed with Doyle and Codrington, that -the best plan would be for a sally to be made from the town with 4000 -men, and Skerret at the same time to land and join in it. But when they -came to consult with Campoverde himself and with Sarsfield, doubts and -difficulties were started; other schemes were proposed, discussed, and -rejected, and at length a written project of Campoverde’s was assented -to. He had just before required 3000 of the best troops from the -garrison: Contreras said, he would not commit such an error as to send -them: he sent, however, one of the regiments which had been specified. -Meantime, precious hours were let pass unprofitably by the Spaniards, -and the French the while were unremittingly active in their operations. - -♦TARRAGONA TAKEN BY ASSAULT.♦ - -On the 28th a breach had been made between two bastions capable of -only two, or, at the most, three men abreast. That afternoon there was -a strong cannonade: it ceased, and a dispatch came off from Contreras -to the squadron, saying that the British guns had silenced the enemy’s -batteries, that very little harm had been done to the place, and that -the breach was nothing; yet he said, knowing the city was not tenable, -he had determined upon leaving it with the garrison next day. While -the British officer was reading this dispatch, the enemy were seen -from the ships storming the breach, and in half an hour the place was -carried. The Spaniards, disheartened by all the previous events of the -siege, ... betrayed by some, and by others deceived and disappointed, -... abandoned themselves now: they were seized with a sudden panic; -... and there is nothing to alleviate, nothing to mingle with and -modify the horror wherewith the ensuing tragedy will be regarded as -long as the history of these times shall be held in remembrance. The -scene was shameful as well as shocking. Instead of maintaining the -breach, as the people of Gerona had done when suffering under disease -and famine; instead of attempting to cut their way through the enemy, -which at one time had less wisely and less generously been intended, -the soldiers fled. Without the satisfaction of selling their lives -dearly, or the sense of duty to console them in death, they suffered -themselves to be butchered without resistance. Some of the officers -tried every means to rally their men, but such efforts were in vain; -that moral discipline had been neglected by which Zaragoza and Gerona -have rendered themselves for ever worthy of admiration. The governor of -the place, Gonzalez, with a handful of brave men, defended himself till -the last, and fell. Contreras was wounded, and taken prisoner. The last -effort was made before the cathedral, whither a multitude of Spaniards -had betaken themselves; some in the vain hope that the sanctity of -the place might protect them, some that they might die before their -altars, and some to avail themselves of the vantage ground afforded by -the ascent, which is by a flight of threescore steps. The conquerors -made their way up under a destructive fire; and their fury, according -to Suchet, knew no bounds, till upon entering the cathedral they beheld -nine hundred wounded lying on the ♦MÉMOIRES, 2. 105.♦ pavement. Their -bayonets, he says, respected them; and he commends what he calls this -trait of humanity. Little was shown elsewhere; but the carnage was -chiefly among the inhabitants. Many thousands who had got over the -ramparts or through the embrasures, or through the gate of St. Antonio, -fled along the beach. The French field artillery and the batteries -opened a fire upon this mixed and flying multitude on one part; and on -another the cavalry charged among them, sabring the women and children, -and trampling them down. - -♦MASSACRE AT TARRAGONA.♦ - -These execrable conquerors kept up a heavy fire upon the landing-place, -where women and children stood grouped together, crowding to the -British boats; and they endeavoured to sink the boats that were -employed in this service of humanity. Suchet stated in his official -account that four thousand men were killed in the city, and a thousand -sabred or drowned in endeavouring to make their escape, ... “a horrible -massacre had been made,” he said, “with little loss on the side of the -conquerors; the terrible example which he had foreseen had taken place, -and would be long remembered in Spain!” From the Spaniards and from our -own officers we learned what was the nature of this example, which, -because it was threatened, must be believed to have been predetermined! -More than 6000 unresisting persons were butchered; old and young, -man and woman, mother and babe; and when the enemy had satiated -their thirst for blood they turned to the perpetration of crimes -more damnable than murder. In the streets and in the churches they -violated women who had escaped their first fury, only to suffer now -worse horrors before they died. Nuns and wives, and widows in the hour -when they were widowed, girls and children, were seized on by these -monsters, ... and, retaining their cruelty when rage and lust were -palled, they threw many of these victims, and of the wounded Spaniards, -into the burning houses. - -There were officers in this accursed army whose hearts revolted at -the wicked service in which they were engaged, and who at all times -redeemed themselves as far as they could by acts of individual -humanity. What little mercy was shown at Tarragona ... little indeed it -was, ... was owing to such men. But General Suchet was of the school -of terrorists[29]; his intention was to intimidate Catalonia and the -whole of Spain by this terrible example; and on the following morning -he ordered the Alcaldes and Corregidores from the surrounding country -to be brought together and led through the streets of Tarragona, that -they might see the bodies ♦CONTRERAS, P. 72.♦ which were lying there, -and report to their countrymen what they might expect if they dared -attempt resistance to the French! If, indeed, at ♦CAMPOVERDE RESOLVES -TO ABANDON CATALONIA.♦ any time it were possible to intimidate such a -people as the Catalans, who in all ages have shown the same invincible -resolution, it would have been now, when the last bulwark of the -province had fallen. By some strange imprudence the greater part of -their ammunition had been deposited there, and very little remained in -those parts of the country which were yet free. There still remained in -the field the remains of an army which they had clothed and armed at -their own cost, as well as raised among themselves; and which, often -as it had been defeated, had nevertheless shown a braver countenance -to the enemy, and inflicted upon him greater loss than any other in -the Spanish ♦JULY 1.♦ service. The general, however, held a council of -war at Cervera; the usual course when a commander wishes to shift from -himself the ignominy of the measures which he is prepared to take. It -was proposed to abandon the province, as if farther resistance were -hopeless. Eroles was not present; and though Sarsfield, who was the -first to give his opinion, declared that any one who should vote for -such an abandonment would be a traitor to his country, and that he and -his division would stand or fall with the principality, he received -only a faint and false support from Campoverde, and was consequently -outvoted; and an aid-de-camp of the general was sent to inform Captain -Codrington that they were on their march to Arens, there to embark, -leaving their horses on the beach. Codrington replied, that having -brought the Valencians thither for a special service, he felt himself -bound in duty to take their division on board, and return them to -the general and kingdom by which they had been spared; but that -he would not embark the army of Catalonia, and thus make himself a -party concerned in the abandonment of a province which he was sent -to protect. Upon receiving this answer, Campoverde determined upon -marching into Aragon, ... not upon any brave attempt, but for the -chance of making his way into some safer country; a determination which -so dismayed the Valencians, that nearly 2000 of them dispersed, as well -knowing how much better they could shift for themselves individually -than they were likely to fare in such an undertaking. The commander -now began to perceive that as the English would not take away his army -by sea, neither would the troops follow him by land; and there was a -general call that Eroles should take upon himself the command. ♦EROLES -REFUSES TO LEAVE IT.♦ But Eroles, who acted always from a worthier -motive than ambition, replied to the Junta of generals who would have -conferred it upon him in obedience to the voice of the people, that as -long as any of those who were his superior officers remained in the -principality, he must decline it; but that whenever, in pursuance of -the resolution which had been taken, they should pass the boundaries, -he would then, however unwillingly, take upon him that duty, rather -than see his country thrown into the worse anarchy which must otherwise -ensue. - -♦GENERAL LACY ARRIVES TO TAKE THE COMMAND.♦ - -That anarchy began already to be felt. The superior Junta at Solsona -were left to learn as they could the resolution that had been taken of -withdrawing the army which they had raised and provided; and deserters -were already collecting in bands and acting as guerrillas, or as -banditti, as opportunity invited. But the Junta, when they laid their -situation (dissembling nothing) before the British admiral, assured -him that they would persevere in the contest, because they knew that -the Catalans were more than ever unanimous in their abhorrence of -the invaders. Tarragona had been betrayed, not conquered: the enemy -might congratulate themselves upon their good fortune, not upon -victories well contested and fairly won; ... this was the language of -the people. At this crisis, General Luis Lacy arrived upon the coast -to take the command: the Duque del Infantado had been talked of for -it, and the Catalans wished for him; but the Duke was more in his -place at Cadiz; and a fitter commander than Lacy could not at that -time have been sent to a charge which might seem so hopeless. Eroles, -after a fruitless endeavour to meet him, sent him full information -of the state of affairs, and promised to support him in the command -whereto he was regularly appointed with all the personal exertions -of which he was capable, and all the ♦JULY 9.♦ influence that he -possessed in this his native province. The French were just then -endeavouring to cut off the Valencian division, and their movements -made the communication difficult between the army and the coast. The -remainder of that division, however (reduced to 2400, though not a man -had fallen, for they had never faced the enemy), made their way to -Arens de Mar, and were there embarked, Eroles detaining the enemy by a -feint at Mataro. Lacy then assumed the command of an army which he said -was non-existent: “Bad as I expected to find things,” said he, “they -are infinitely worse; and my only consolation must be, that there is -absolutely nothing left for me to lose.” - -♦MONTSERRATE TAKEN BY THE FRENCH.♦ - -The fortified points which the Catalans still retained were Berga, -Montserrate (for this had been made a military post), Figueras, -Cardona, and the Seu d’Urgel. Berga was dismantled by Lacy, because he -was unable to defend it, and it might have been a useful hold for the -French. Orders arrived from Paris to demolish Tarragona, preserving -only a redoubt there, to reduce Montserrate, and then prepare to march -against the kingdom of Valencia. Suchet was at the same time created -a marshal of the empire for his services; the massacre at Tarragona -was considered as no reproach to him, or the army by which it had been -perpetrated. By General Rogniat’s advice, the works which surrounded -the upper town were preserved, because they might be defended by a -thousand men: the other works were destroyed, and the greater part of -the artillery removed to Tortosa. Montserrate was then attacked; ... -its former peaceful inhabitants had removed to Majorca, and taken with -them in time the treasures of their sanctuary. Great enterprise and -activity were displayed in the attack; and the garrison, confiding too -much in the natural strength of the mountain, suffered themselves to be -surprised from its heights. This was a severe loss to the Catalans; for -it was now their chief depôt, and they had counted upon its security. -The ♦FALL OF FIGUERAS.♦ last calamity in this series of misfortunes -was the fall of Figueras. When it had been blockaded between four and -five months, and all the horses were eaten, the garrison sallied, and -attempted to force their way through the besiegers. An aid-de-camp of -the governor had deserted and given information of their purpose; the -enemy therefore were prepared to receive them; nevertheless they made -their way to the _abattis_, formed of trunks of trees, which they found -impenetrable; ♦AUGUST 19.♦ and after three attempts in the course of -one day, these gallant men were compelled to capitulate, three sacks of -flour being all the provisions which were left. During two preceding -days they had employed themselves in destroying whatever could be of -use to the enemy. Honourable terms were obtained, and Martinez was -made to say in his dispatch to his own Government that the garrison -were treated by the French with the generosity which characterises -that nation. That phrase would be rightly understood by ♦BASE USAGE -OF THE PRISONERS TAKEN THERE.♦ the Spaniards. It had been stipulated -that they should march out with their baggage, and deliver their arms -on the glacis. But no sooner had they given up their arms than they -were plundered; and they were marched into France in such a state -of destitution, that they were indebted for needful covering to the -humanity of the towns through which they passed. Eight hundred peasants -were among these prisoners. Buonaparte sent them to the hulks at Brest -and Rochefort, and there they were compelled to work with the convicts, -being distinguished from them only by a dress of different colour, not -by any difference in[30] treatment. - -When Figueras had been recovered from the enemy, it was asserted in the -Government gazette, that in consequence of that event the French had -abandoned Hostalrich and Gerona, and that the English had taken Rosas; -so readily did the Spaniards listen even to the idlest rumours of -success! The French in like manner believing, or professing to believe, -what they wished, gave out upon their recapture of this fortress -that the war in Catalonia was ended: so M. Macdonald affirmed in his -dispatches; and the vain boast was repeated in the Barcelonan journal, -though in that city undeniable proofs of its falsehoods were daily and -hourly received. One of the most remarkable men whom these troubles -had drawn from obscurity into active life was Jose ♦MANSO.♦ Manso, who -at the commencement of the struggle followed the humble occupation -of a miller upon a small patrimony of his own, near Barcelona; some -French officers, by their outrageous conduct towards him, roused in -him a spirit which under happier circumstances might never have been -awakened, and he began his honourable warfare against the invaders -with only three comrades. By a series of exploits skilfully planned -and bravely executed, he had gained for himself a high reputation, -which was in no slight degree enhanced by his moral worth; for it might -truly be said of him that he was without fear and without reproach. -When Manso entered upon this new course of life he was about two or -three and twenty years of age, and was so uneducated that he could -neither write nor read; but every portion of time that could now be -spared from his military duties was devoted to self-improvement, and -his progress in this kept full pace with his fortune. At this time -he held the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Catalan army; and when -Suchet, soon after the fall of Tarragona, was on his way to the capital -of the province, he, at the head of a detachment, harassed his march, -and succeeded in cutting off some fifty of the enemy and taking six, -between Ordal and Molins de Rey; but twelve of his soldiers were taken -in these skirmishes, and the French commander ordered some of them to -be shot, some to be hanged, and some to be burnt, though they claimed -the protection to which they were entitled by the laws of war, and -though they threw themselves at his feet and entreated mercy. His -orders were executed; some thirty peasants of St. Vincente, Molins de -Rey, and Palleja, who were working in the fields, were murdered in like -manner; and every woman who fell into the hands of these inhuman troops -became their victim. Manso issued a proclamation denouncing these -crimes before God and man; and declaring that the right of reprisals -which till then he had from humanity forborne to exercise should -instantly be enforced; he hung his six prisoners in the immediate -vicinity of Barcelona; and gave notice, that every Frenchman who from -that hour fell into his hands should be put to death, till the enemy -should have learnt to treat as prisoners of war brave men who were -fighting for their country, which had been perfidiously invaded, their -religion, which was insolently outraged, and their king, who had been -treacherously decoyed into captivity. - -♦CONDUCT OF THE JUNTA OF CATALONIA.♦ - -The French asserted also in their journals, that the Junta of Catalonia -had fled to Majorca, giving up the principality in despair. The -Spanish frigates had indeed run for that island, contrary to orders, -carrying with them the archives, and the money, stores, ammunition, -and medicines intended for the inland fortresses, and at that time -especially needed by them. But the Junta were at their post when -Catalonia was left to stand or fall by its own strength, and when -without their presence there could have been none to call forth or -direct it. In many parts of Spain the provincial Juntas disregarded -sometimes, and sometimes counteracted, the orders of the Government; -but here the duties of Government devolved upon the Junta. From Solsona -they now issued some of those proclamations which contributed so -greatly to support the national cause, calling upon their countrymen in -the language of hope and heroism and indignation, and exhorting them to -rely upon their good cause and their own right arms, and the justice -of the Almighty. The Barcelonan journal said that Lacy had fled with -the Junta. If they who made this assertion believed it themselves, they -♦LACY’S PROCLAMATION.♦ were speedily undeceived. That general declared -in a proclamation, that if his well-founded hope of soon seeing better -days should be disappointed, he would die with the last soldier rather -than abandon his post: eight days he allowed the dispersed troops for -rejoining their colours at the places fixed upon; those who should not -then have rejoined were to be pursued as deserters by the civil and -military authorities. “Catalans,” said he, “the country is in danger, -and now more than ever stands in need of your exertions. The Junta and -your general are bound to explain to you your situation, because true -courage consists not in being ignorant of danger, but in overcoming -it. The fall of Tarragona has made that situation critical in the -extreme, not desperate. There yet remain to us inextinguishable hatred -of oppression and ardent love of independence; ... there yet remain -to us strong-holds and mountains; ... there remain to us the arms of -our numerous and valiant youth for recovering what is lost, and for -making the enemy know that the attempt to conquer us is vain. With -fewer resources did Pelayo from the mountains of Covadonga begin the -deliverance of Spain: and there are not wanting to us chiefs who are -determined to follow his glorious example. Great efforts are necessary: -let our efforts then be united, and for those who have not spirit to -follow this resolution, let them abandon us and join the enemy, that -we may know whom to treat as enemies, and whom as friends. The priest, -the religioner, the father of a family, every one has wrongs to avenge, -every one has much to lose, and our country calls upon all. In all -parts the alarm-bell is heard, and wherever there are enemies, there -should be Catalans to fight them. War and vengeance must be our only -business; and, like our forefathers, let us leave to the women the care -of our houses and families!” - -♦RETREAT OF THE CAVALRY FROM CATALONIA TO MURCIA.♦ - -Yet while Lacy held this language, and used at the same time every -exertion for collecting the dispersed troops, he was obliged to dismiss -a body of cavalry, from utter inability to support them, or even to -feed the horses. Brigadier D. Gervasio Gasca commanded this division, -which contained twelve superior and 112 subaltern officers, 922 men, -and about 500 horses, the remains of the regiment of Alcantara, the -Numancian dragoons, Spanish hussars, _cazadores_ of Valencia, and -hussars of Granada. They had to make their way through Aragon, into -a free province, and incorporate themselves with the first army they -could find. The details of their march show the skill with which the -enemy had chosen his positions, so as to give him military command of -the country; for near as Valencia was, Gasca was six weeks on the way, -and travelled between 700 and 800 miles before he could effect his -junction with a Spanish army. He began this perilous retreat on the -25th of July, with his horses in miserable condition for want of food, -and without money; getting provisions and information as he could find -them; and having no means of procuring either, except such as chance or -charity might bestow. At Graus, a small party of the enemy were found, -whom they kept in check with a part of their force, while the rest -forded the Esera by Barazona. Making long marches, so as to outrun the -intelligence of the enemy, they succeeded in passing the rivers Cinca -and Gallego without opposition; but when they were in the district of -Las Cinco Villas de Aragon, knowing that the French from Barbastro -and Huesca were about to collect and cut them off, they made yet -longer marches, taking a more devious direction, and moving by night. -Notwithstanding these precautions, they were attacked at midnight near -the village of Luesia, by what force they knew not, but the fire came -from the village, and from a height which commanded the ground over -which they were passing. Gasca could not prevent his men from making a -precipitate retreat; he had only time to name a place of rendezvous; -and while the enemy, who consisted of 1000 foot, and from two to three -hundred horse, under the Polish general Chlopiski, hastened to cut -them off from the pass of the Gallego, Gasca avoided them by entering -Navarre, where he rested three days at Eybar, expecting help from -Espoz y Mina to effect the perilous passage of the Ebro. Three parties -of that distinguished leader’s cavalry came to assist and guide him: -their knowledge of the country was of essential service; they made -a rapid and unexpected march to one of the fords of the river; its -waters were swoln, and they were obliged in some places to swim: the -passage, however, was effected, and immediately Gasca marched from four -in the afternoon of one day till eight on the following morning, that -he might get out of reach of the garrisons of Tafalla, Caparroso, and -Tudela. The danger was now less imminent, though still sufficiently -great; they made shorter marches, varying their direction, according -to the intelligence they procured of the enemy; and thus, after six -weeks of such hardships as few people, except the Spaniards, could have -sustained, they joined the army in Murcia by the circuitous way of -Guadalaxara and Cuenca, having lost upon the road four officers, 153 -men, and 213 horses: the greater part of these men had been dispersed -in the night route at Luesia; the horses had mostly died upon the march. - -♦STATE OF THE ENEMY IN CATALONIA.♦ - -But the Catalans, in circumstances under which almost any other people -would have despaired, never lost hope; their saying was, that now, when -the fortified places were lost, the war was only begun. And indeed, -deplorable as the state of things was for the natives, it was far -more so for the invaders: they were masters of almost every fortress, -but their dominion did not extend beyond the walls. They levied -contributions upon the villages near, and this was all; ... they could -only move in large detachments, and wherever they moved they were -harassed by the armed peasantry and the Somatenes. The daily and hourly -cost of life at which they kept their ground was such, that the enemy, -who avowed their determination of extirpating half the inhabitants -in order to intimidate the rest, must have exhausted the resources, -if not the patience, of France, before such a determination could be -executed. In the preceding year Suchet had dispersed a proclamation, -declaring that Great Britain and her Spanish allies had made peace -with France, and acknowledged Joseph Buonaparte as king of Spain. The -French now circulated a report that negotiations were going on, and -with such probability of success, that Talleyrand had been sent to -London, and the Emperor himself had gone to the coast for the purpose -of expediting the business. But these artifices availed them nothing, -for Doyle contradicted their falsehood in addresses which were carried -everywhere, and eagerly received, ... and British ships were still upon -the coast, to act wherever opportunity might offer. - -♦LAS MEDAS RECOVERED BY THE SPANIARDS.♦ - -Every success at this time was of great importance in its moral -effect. Men are usually alive to hope in proportion as their natures -are generous; and the same cause, which throughout the war rendered -it impossible to depress the Spaniards, made them easily elated. -Of the patriotic journals which were published in every part of -Spain, scarcely a number appeared that did not contain details of -some skirmish, some guerrilla attack, some successful enterprise, or -hair-breadth escape, ... more animating than success in the recital. -These things, more even than signal victories, tended to excite a -military spirit, when no other advantage accrued from them. But of -the advantages which the Catalans at this time obtained, one was of -considerable importance. An expedition of Spaniards and English, -who in all were but a handful ♦SEPT. 1.♦ of men, recovered the isles -of Las Medas, which had been betrayed to the enemy the preceding -year. Colonel Green, the British commissioner, and Baron de Eroles, -commanded in this well-planned and well-executed attempt; and the -crew of the Undaunted frigate, Captain Thomas, displayed that zeal -and those resources in dragging guns up the rocks, by which British -seamen have often made themselves dreaded upon their enemies’ shores. -They found in the fort four guns and provisions for three months. -Both officers perceived how important it was to retain possession of -a place which at little expense might be rendered a second Gibraltar, -... for little was necessary to render it impregnable: here was a post -where they could receive supplies, and here a depôt might be securely -established. Eroles, therefore, dispatched orders for 500 men to come -and garrison it. The French were equally aware of the advantage which -the possession of this point would give their enemies. They brought -down a considerable force to Estardit, a village on the opposite shore, -and opened batteries against the island, which was within reach of -shells. The succours which Eroles had gone to expedite did not appear; -the force upon the island consisted only of 146 men, exhausted with the -fatigues they had undergone; and Colonel Green reluctantly yielding -to the representations of the officer ♦SEPT. 4.♦ of the Undaunted, -abandoned the works which he had begun, and with them the hopes which -he had formed, and blew up the fort. The opportunity, however, was -happily retrieved. Lacy, who felt the want of such a point to look to, -embarked with 200 men from Arens de Mar in the Undaunted; and taking -♦SEPT. 13.♦ with him labourers, tools, and stores in some transports, -re-occupied the islands, giving them the names of the Isles of -Restoration, because, he said, this might be considered as the first -step to the recovery of the principality. Water was discovered there, a -sufficient garrison established, and the fortifications commenced and -carried on in sight of the enemy on the opposite shore, and in defiance -of their batteries. Bomb-proofs for men and stores were soon made in a -situation favourable for such works. The chief battery was named Lacy -by the governor; but that general said he would not permit himself to -receive this honour, it should be called Montardit, in honour of the -last Catalan whom the French, having taken in arms, had put to death, -in violation of the laws of war. - -General Lacy, being unable to undertake any considerable attempt -against the enemy, determined, in the right spirit of a soldier, to -make activity and enterprise supply the want of numbers, and cut up the -invaders in ♦SUCCESSFUL ENTERPRISE OF LACY AND EROLES.♦ detail. They -had formed a chain of fortified posts from Barcelona to Lerida. These -he resolved to attack, and began by a rapid march upon Igualada, where -the enemy had fortified a Capuchine convent. Four hundred men with two -guns were to have joined him from Cardona; but he was disappointed of -this aid, for no means of moving the guns, nor for making the road -practicable for them, could be procured in time; all that could be done -was to surprise the town, and cut off as many of the French as possible -before they could take refuge in their fort. At three in ♦OCT. 4.♦ -the morning the sentinels were put to the sword, the enemy surprised -in their quarters, twenty-five prisoners were taken, and about 150 -killed; the rest escaped into the convent, as they got out of their -beds; and Lacy, seeing at daybreak that succours were coming to them -from Monserrate and Casa-Masana, retired to Col de Gusem, satisfied -with his success, and thence to Manresa. This made them suppose that -he had desisted from offensive operations; and a convoy which, in fear -of his movements, had been for some days detained at Cervera, ventured -to move toward Igualada. Eroles with half the Catalan force got before -it, and the commander-in-chief with the other half cut off its retreat. -A column with artillery sallied from Igualada to its assistance, but -came only to share in the defeat; ♦OCT. 7.♦ 200 were wounded and made -prisoners, the killed were in proportion, and the whole convoy was -taken. - -The general finding now that his presence was necessary in the Junta, -to forward the formation and organization of the army, left Eroles, -his second in command, to complete the plan, which had already so far -succeeded that the French, dreading a second attack, and weakened by -this last loss, retired precipitately from Igualada, Monserrate, and -Casa-Masana, to Barcelona. Eroles no sooner knew that Igualada had been -evacuated ♦OCT. 10.♦ than he marched against Cervera. The French, when -they saw him approaching, withdrew from the city into the university, -which they had fortified; and a body of 500 foot and thirty horse, -which had just arrived from Lerida to their support, turned back to -provide for its own safety. D. Luis de Creeft and D. Jose Casas were -sent to pursue them, while Eroles with one ten-pounder prepared to -attack buildings which had been designed by their founders for far -other purposes than those of war. This single gun threw down part of -the house in which it was planted; but Eroles turned the accident -to advantage; for while he affected to be replacing it, in order to -deceive the enemy, the gun was moved to another situation, from whence -it opened its fire, anew, and its carriage was rattled along so as to -make them believe that more artillery was about to be brought to bear. -Their commandant soon hung out the white flag, and 630 men were made -prisoners of war, at an expense to the Catalans of only ten in killed -and wounded. - -♦CORREGIDOR OF CERVERA TAKEN AND PUNISHED.♦ - -This conquest set free a considerable territory, which, ever since the -loss of Tarragona, had been at the enemy’s mercy. Creeft, meantime, -with a force inferior to that he was pursuing, followed the column -which was retreating to Lerida, and which on its way was joined by -the garrison of Tarrega, another post abandoned by the French in -their alarm. In this pursuit the corregidor of Cervera was taken -attempting to escape with the enemy; a man who had joined the French, -and, with the malevolence of a traitor, persecuted his own countrymen. -He had invented a cage in which to imprison those who did not pay -their contributions, or were in any way obnoxious to him: it was so -constructed as to confine the whole body, leaving the head exposed to -be buffeted and spit upon; and sometimes this devilish villain anointed -the face of his victim with honey to attract the flies and wasps. -“Tomorrow,” said Eroles in his dispatches, “the señor corregidor will -go out to parade the streets in this same cage, where the persons who -have suffered this grievous torment may behold him: _Discite justitiam -moniti, et non temnere Divos!_” The capture of this man was worth as -much, in the feelings of the people, as all the preceding success. - -♦EROLES ENTERS FRANCE AND LEVIES CONTRIBUTIONS.♦ - -Eroles, with the rest of his division, now hastened to Bellpuig, where -Creeft had blockaded about 400 French in the old palace of the Dukes -of Sesa, a castle of the fifteenth century, which they had fortified, -and which commanded the town. The besiegers had only one ten-pounder, -and the walls were more than seven feet thick. They had no time to -lose, for Latour, with the troops who had escaped from Igualada, and -the garrisons of the other evacuated posts, was preparing, in concert -with the enemies from Lerida and Balaguer, to march against them. -Unused as they were to such operations, and, as Eroles said, without -any other engineers than ingenuity and strong desire, they made three -mines which reduced ♦OCT. 14.♦ the castle almost to a heap of ruins: -184 prisoners were taken, the rest of the garrison perished. This -success completed Lacy’s plan, and set free the whole of the country -between Lerida and Barcelona. Eroles then, by a movement as judicious -as it was unexpected, while the French commanders were concerting plans -against him, marched by the Seu de Urgel to Puigcerda, where he routed -all the force that the enemy could bring against him: then having -occupied the pass of the Valle de Luerol, he entered France, and levied -contributions in Languedoc. It was the earnest wish of Baron de Eroles -that his troops in this expedition should be as much distinguished by -their good order, moderation, and humanity, as the French in Spain -were for their crimes. In every place, except one, this object was -effected; but in the little town of Marens, the only place where -resistance was made by the inhabitants and an armed force, a soldier, -in violation of his orders, set fire to one of the houses: the wind was -high, the flames spread, notwithstanding the efforts which were made -to stop them, and the whole place was burnt. Villamil, governor of Seu -de Urgel, who commanded this division of Eroles’ army, expressed his -regret for what had happened; “_But_, perhaps,” he said, “the furious -hand which committed the evil had been impelled by divine justice, that -France might behold an image of Manresa.” Every where else the orders -of the commander were rigidly observed; and the French, admiring the -humanity of an enemy who had been so grievously wronged, in many places -where they paid the required contribution, acknowledged the justice -of this retaliation. Some thousand sheep and corn, and specie to the -amount of 50,000 dollars, were the fruits of this first inroad of the -Spaniards into France. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIX. - - THE FRENCH ENTER GALICIA. LORD WELLINGTON THREATENS CIUDAD RODRIGO, - WHICH IS RELIEVED BY MARMONT. GENERAL HILL SURPRISES THE ENEMY AT - ARROYO MOLINOS. SIEGE OF MURVIEDRO. DEFEAT OF BLAKE, AND CAPTURE - OF VALENCIA. - - -♦1811. - -AUGUST. - -STATE OF PORTUGAL.♦ - -At no time had Lord Wellington’s situation been more uneasy than at -this: not so much because of the inadequacy of his means in the field, -for, such as they were, he was able to oppose the enemy and baffle him -at all points; as because of the distressed state of the Portugueze -Government, and the apprehended instability of his own. Marlborough -had had more various and conflicting interests to adjust and keep in -unison, but he had no other difficulty with his allies: he could rely -upon a sure support in the British cabinet, till he had beaten down -all opposition in the field; and the feelings both of the army and the -nation were with him. Lord Wellington might rely upon himself with a -confidence as well founded, but he could have no other trust. Nothing -was to be expected from any government which the Spaniards might form -for themselves; and it now began to appear that the inert part of the -nation, which must every where be the majority, would have been best -pleased to remain neuter if that had been possible, and let the French -and English fight the battle and bear the cost. Portugal, indeed, -had been delivered from the enemy: but there Lord Wellington had to -contend with intrigues and jealousies in the Government both at Lisbon -and Rio de Janeiro; and with the difficulties arising from want of -provisions, want of transports, and the state of the commissariat, -the persons employed in which were for the most part either idle -or dishonest, or ignorant of their duty; so that at this time the -Portugueze army, though brought by Marshal Beresford and the British -officers to an efficient state of discipline, was reduced to half its -nominal strength. Their troops were starving in the field, and dying in -the hospitals, for want of money. If there was much to complain of here -on the part of the Portugueze ministry, the conduct of Great Britain -itself was neither consistent nor generous. Engaged as we were in the -war, Lord Wellington thought we ought to have entered upon it with a -determination of carrying Portugal through it at whatever cost; that -for this purpose we should have required an efficient control over all -the departments of the state, have seen the resources of the country -honestly and exclusively applied to the objects of the war, and have -made up the deficiency whatever it might be: this he had recommended -from the beginning, but the influence which was exercised was less at -this time than it had been when the Convention of Cintra was concluded. - -♦EXPECTATION OF PEACE.♦ - -No general ever more anxiously desired to be placed at the head of an -army than Lord Wellington did now to be relieved from the command; but -of this he had no prospect, except from such a peace as would in its -certain consequences have given Buonaparte all that he was seeking -vainly to obtain by war. There was great apparent danger of this at -this time. In case of the death of the king, or the acknowledged -unlikelihood of his recovery (which now daily became more unlikely), -the French speculated upon a change of administration in England, and -the accession of the Whigs to power. The French officers eagerly -looked for this, expecting to make such a peace as would enable them to -withdraw from the Peninsula without loss of credit, and to re-enter it -as soon as their perfidious policy should have prepared a favourable -opportunity. In our own army also there were many who regarded the -probability of peace with as much complacency as if the end for which -the war had been waged would have been secured by it. These were -persons who neither by their acquirements, nor pitch of mind, were -qualified for the rank which they had attained in their profession; -who had not the slightest feeling or perception of the great interests -which were at stake, but knowing little, understanding nothing, and -criticising every thing, infected all about them with despondency and -discontent. - -♦DISPOSITION OF THE CONTINENTAL POWERS TO RESIST BUONAPARTE.♦ - -On the other hand, there was at this time, in many parts of Europe, -hopeful symptoms, of which Lord Wellington was well informed. Even when -Austria had concluded the most unfortunate of its struggles, with loss -of honour as well as loss of territory, one of the wisest heads in -Germany assured the British Government, that although the German courts -swarmed with men who were great calculators of all possible disasters, -and who knew nothing more of the human heart than its weaknesses and -its selfishness, ... the Germans themselves, though subjugated, were -not yet debased by their subjugation; they would one day revenge their -wrongs; a warlike spirit would be developed among them, which had been -neglected or suppressed by their feeble and corrupt governments; and -it would then be seen that there are times when enthusiasm judges more -wisely than experience, and when elevation of mind creates resources -for the talents which it calls forth. Russia, which had so long -been duped by Buonaparte, became sensible of his perfidy, when, in -violation of the treaty of Tilsit, he incorporated the Hanse towns and -the duchy of Oldenburgh with the French empire. An opposition to the -tyrant’s schemes was manifested in Sweden, where it was less to have -been expected: for when the French government demanded permission to -march troops through Sweden into Norway, and embark them there for -the purpose of invading England, the Swedish government refused, and -communicated its refusal to the British cabinet. Prussia, meantime, -was silently preparing to break its yoke; and in the course of this -autumn, arms, stores, and artillery to a considerable amount, were -shipped from England for its use. This was so secretly done, that not -a rumour got abroad of any expectations from that quarter; and if the -British ministry had acted with as much ability in the management of -the war, as in its other foreign relations, its conduct would now have -been entitled to unqualified praise: but no representations could as -yet induce it to make exertions proportionate to the opportunities that -invited, or the necessity that called for them. Whether Buonaparte -apprehended, or not, any opposition to his ambitious career in -the north of Europe, he was too able a politician to let pass the -opportunity of employing as large a force in the Peninsula as could be -supported there upon his predatory system of warfare; and accordingly -more than 50,000 troops were marched into Spain between the middle of -July and the end of September. - -♦PLANS OF SOULT AND MARMONT.♦ - -When Marmont and Soult, finding it impossible to take Lord Wellington -at advantage, separated on the Guadiana, their plan was, that the -former should keep the English in check, while Dorsenne, who had -succeeded Bessieres in the north, should enter Galicia, fortify Lugo, -seize Coruña by a _coup de main_, and in this manner once more obtain -military possession of the province. - -♦DORSENNE ENTERS GALICIA.♦ - -Abadia had just taken the command of the Galician army; it was in -wretched equipment, and without magazines of any kind; but the men -had confidence in their general, and when Spanish soldiers have this -feeling to invigorate them, they will support privations under which -the troops of almost any other nation would sink. His advanced guard -was at S. Martin de los Torres, and occupied the bridge of Cebrones; -one division was at Bañeza, another at the bridge of Orbigo, and -the reserve at Astorga. Dorsenne collected his troops in a line of -operations on the Ezla, the right leaning upon Leon, and the left at -Castro ♦AUGUST 25.♦ Gonzalo: then he crossed the Ezla, one division -marching upon the bridge of Orbigo, two upon Bañeza, and the reserve -upon Cebrones. Abadia well knowing the state of his own army, and the -strength of the country behind him, had formed his plans in case of -such an attack. The division at Bañeza withstood a charge of lancers, -and fell back in good order to Castro Contrigo, from whence its retreat -was unmolested to Puebla de Sanabria, the place appointed. - -♦RETREAT OF ABADIA.♦ - -The other divisions fell back from four in the evening, when the enemy -first presented themselves, till night had closed, when they were -all collected in Castrillo. The next day the French entered upon the -mountains behind Astorga in pursuit. The points of Manzanal and Molina -Seca were well defended, and though the Spaniards retired at both -points before superior numbers, they brought off with them the eagle -of the sixth regiment of infantry, which Abadia, in the name of the -army, dedicated to Santiago, and deposited in the chapel of that saint, -in his cathedral at Compostella. Seeing the force of the enemy, and -divining their purpose, he fell back to Ponferrada, covering, with -his little cavalry, a considerable body of men who were crippled for -want of shoes, and in the most dismal state of nakedness and want. The -ferry in Valdeorras, that gorge through which the river Sil entering -Galicia carries with it all the waters of the Bierzo, was the point -of re-union. The artillery at Villafranca was ordered back into the -interior, three regiments took a position upon the heights of Valcarcel -to cover the roads from that town, and another detachment was stationed -at Toreno for the double purpose of assisting the reserve and watching -Asturias. Abadia himself took a position at the Puente de Domingo -Florez. In the Vale of Orras he hoped to find provisions, meaning, as -soon as he should have collected enough for three days, and received -shoes for his men, to act upon the offensive, in co-operation with the -Portugueze general Silveira. - -♦LORD WELLINGTON OBSERVES CIUDAD RODRIGO.♦ - -The French hoped, that while Dorsenne was dispersing the Galician army, -and getting possession of that important province, Lord Wellington -would make some incautious movement upon Salamanca, and expose himself -to Marmont’s superior numbers, and far superior cavalry, in the -open country. Lord Wellington knew better in what manner to relieve -Galicia. Immediately upon his failure at Badajoz, his attention had -been directed to Ciudad Rodrigo, and orders were given for bringing -a battering train and siege stores up the Douro to Villa de Ponte, -whereby much of the difficulty experienced in Alentejo for want of -means of transport was avoided. General Hill had been left with 14,000 -men to guard that frontier; the rest of the army was collected on -the Agueda; and Lord Wellington fixing his head-quarters at Fuente -Guinaldo, kept his troops there in a healthy country, and rendered it -impossible for the enemy to throw supplies into Ciudad Rodrigo, unless -they advanced with an army strong enough to give him battle. Marmont, -♦DORSENNE RECALLED FROM GALICIA.♦ in consequence, recalled Dorsenne to -join him, that they might raise the blockade, and supply the fort with -provisions for a long time. Dorsenne, indeed, could not have advanced -without danger of having his retreat cut off; even in his own account, -wherein he asserted that the Galician army was entirely dispersed, -and could not possibly resume the offensive, he pretended to have -occasioned them no greater loss than that of 300 killed and wounded, -and 200 prisoners: but in reality no dispersion had taken place: if -he had pursued his original plan of descending upon Lugo and Coruña, -Abadia would have been in his rear, and the French knew by experience -what it was to encounter the peasantry of Galicia, armed against them, -and thirsting for vengeance. Dorsenne therefore retired more rapidly -than he had advanced, leaving behind him some of his wounded, and -provisions enough to supply Abadia’s army with three days’ consumption, -... a booty of no little consequence in the deplorable state of the -Spanish commissariat. The Spaniards in their turn advanced, and fixed -their head-quarters in Molina Seca, where ♦AUGUST 31.♦ they had won the -eagle four days before; and the French derived no other advantage from -their expedition, than the possession of Astorga, which they once more -occupied, and repaired its ruined fortifications. - -♦MOVEMENTS OF THE FRENCH TO THROW SUPPLIES INTO CIUDAD RODRIGO.♦ - -The relief of Ciudad Rodrigo was an object not less important to the -French in this part of the country than that of Badajoz had been on the -side of Extremadura, and equal exertions were made to effect it. Lord -Wellington had formed the blockade to make these exertions necessary, -not with any serious intention of attacking the town, an operation for -which he was not yet prepared. Two important objects were fulfilled -by making the enemy collect their force upon this point. It relieved -Galicia, and it drew from Navarre General Souham’s division, which had -been destined to hunt down Mina. Lord Wellington was perfectly informed -of Marmont’s plans; the only thing doubtful was the strength of the -enemy, and upon that head reports were as usual so various, that he -determined to see them, being certain of his retreat, whatever their -superiority might be, and ready to profit by any opportunity which -might be offered. As soon, therefore, as the French commenced their -movements with the convoy of provisions from the Sierra de Bejar, and -from Salamanca, he collected his army in positions from which he could -either retire or ♦SEPT. 22.♦ advance without difficulty, and from -whence he could see all that was going on, and ascertain the force of -the hostile army. - -The third division occupied a range of heights on the left of the -Agueda, between Fuente Guinaldo and Pastores, having its advanced guard -on the heights of Pastores, within three miles of Ciudad Rodrigo. -The fourth division was at Fuente Guinaldo, which position had been -strengthened with some works. The light division was on the right of -the Agueda, its right resting upon the mountains which divide Castille -and Extremadura. The left, under General Graham, who, having joined -Lord Wellington’s army, had succeeded Sir Brent Spencer as second in -command, was posted on the Lower Azava; D. Carlos d’España and D. -Julian Sanchez observed the Lower Agueda, and Sir Stapleton Cotton, -with the cavalry, was on the Upper Azava in the centre. The fifth -division was in the rear of the right, to observe the Pass of Perales, -for General Foy had collected a body of troops in Upper Extremadura. On -the 23rd, the enemy appeared in the plain near the city, and retired -again: the next morning they advanced in considerable force, and before -evening collected on the plain their whole cavalry, to the amount -of 6000, and four divisions of infantry; the rest of their army was -encamped on the Guadapero, immediately beyond the hills which surround -the plain; and on the following day an immense convoy, extending along -many miles of road, entered the town under this formidable escort. - -♦THE ALLIES FALL BACK.♦ - -On the 25th, fourteen squadrons of their cavalry drove in our posts -on the right of the Azava. General Anson’s brigade charged them, -pursued them across the river, and resumed the posts. But their chief -attention was directed toward the heights on the left of the Agueda; -and they moved a column in the morning, consisting of between thirty -and forty squadrons of cavalry, fourteen battalions of infantry, and -twelve guns, from Ciudad Rodrigo, against that point. The cavalry and -artillery arrived first, and one small body sustained the attack. A -regiment of French dragoons succeeded in taking two pieces of cannon; -the Portugueze artillerymen stood to their guns till they were cut -down; and the guns were immediately retaken by the second battalion -of the fifth regiment under Major Ridge. When the enemy’s infantry -were coming up, Lord Wellington saw they would arrive before troops -could be brought to support this division, and therefore he determined -to retire with the whole on Fuente Guinaldo. The 77th, which had -repulsed a charge of cavalry, and the second battalion of the 5th, -were formed into one square, and the 21st Portugueze regiment into -another, supported by General Alten’s small body of cavalry, and by the -Portugueze artillery. The enemy’s horse immediately rushed forward, -and obliged our cavalry to retire to the support of the Portugueze -regiment. The 5th and 77th were then charged on three faces of the -square; Lord Wellington declared, that he had never seen a more -determined attack than was made by this formidable body of horse, and -repulsed by these two weak battalions. They halted, and received the -enemy with such perfect steadiness, that the French did not venture to -renew the charge. - -In the evening, Lord Wellington had formed his troops into an -_echellon_, of which the centre was in the position at Guinaldo, the -right upon the pass of Perales, and the left at Navedeaver. In the -course of that night and of the ensuing day, Marmont brought his whole -army in front of the position. Fuente Guinaldo stands on an extensive -plain, and from the convent there the whole force of the enemy, and all -their movements, could be distinctly seen. Their force was not less -than 60,000 men, a tenth part being cavalry, and they had 125 pieces of -artillery. There was no motive for risking a battle, for the happiest -result would only have been a profitless and dearly-purchased victory, -as at Albuhera. Lord Wellington therefore retired about three leagues. -No movement was ever executed with more ability in the face of a -superior enemy; ... yet even this, performed with consummate skill and -perfect courage, without hurry, without confusion, and almost without -loss, presented but too many of those sights which make the misery of -a soldier’s life. The sick and hungry inhabitants of the villages were -crawling from their huts, too well aware of the fate which awaited -them if they trusted to the mercy of Buonaparte’s soldiers; women were -supplicating our troops to put their children in the provision cars; -and the sick and wounded were receiving medical assistance, while they -were carried over a rugged and almost impassable road. - -Lord Wellington formed his army, after this retreat of twelve miles, -with his right at Aldea Velha, and his left at Bismula: the fourth and -light divisions with General Alten’s cavalry in front of Alfayates, the -third and seventh in second line behind it. Alfayates, though now one -of the most wretched of the dilapidated towns in Portugal, was once a -Romish station, and has since been considered as a military post of -great importance. It is about a league from the border, standing so as -to command an extensive view over a beautiful, and in happier times a -fertile, country. Here Lord Wellington stood by the castle (one of the -monuments of King Diniz), observing the enemy with a glass. Marmont -had intended to turn the left of the position at Guinaldo by moving a -column into the valley of the Upper Azava, and thence ascending the -heights in the rear of the position by Castillejo; from this column he -detached a division of infantry and fourteen squadrons of cavalry to -follow the retreat of the allies by Albergaria, and another body of -equal strength followed by Forcalhos. The former drove in our piquets -at Aldea da Ponte, and pushed on to the very entrance of Alfayates. -Lord Wellington, with General Stuart and Lord Robert Manners, stood -watching them almost too long; for the latter, who retired the last -of the three, was closely pursued by ten of the enemy’s dragoons, -and might probably have been taken, if his horse, being English, and -accustomed to such feats, had not cleared a high wall, and so borne him -off. - -General Pakenham, supported by General Cole, and by Sir Stapleton -Cotton’s cavalry, drove the enemy back through Aldea da Ponte upon -Albergaria; the French being reinforced by the column which had -marched upon Forcalhos advanced again about sunset, and again gained -the village, from which they were again driven. But night had now -come on; General Pakenham could not know what was passing on his -flanks, nor was he certain of the numbers which might be brought -against him; and knowing that the army was to fall back farther, he -evacuated Aldea da Ponte during the night. The French then occupied -it; and Lord Wellington, falling back one league, formed his army on -the heights behind Soito, having the Sierra das Mesas on their right, -and their left at Rendo on the Coa. Here ended his retreat. Marmont -had accomplished the object of throwing supplies into Ciudad Rodrigo, -and could effect nothing more. Lord Wellington was not to be found at -fault. He had fallen back in the face of a far outnumbering enemy, -without suffering that enemy to obtain even the slightest advantage -over him. The total loss of the allies on the 25th amounted to -twenty-eight killed, 108 wounded, twenty-eight missing. On the 27th, -fourteen killed, seventy-seven wounded, nine missing. The hereditary -prince of Orange was in the field, being then for the first time in -action. - -♦THE FRENCH RETIRE.♦ - -While the British took their position behind Soito, the French -retired to Ciudad Rodrigo, and then separated, Dorsenne’s army toward -Salamanca and Valladolid, Marmont’s towards the pass of Baños and -Plasencia. Marmont boasted in his dispatches of having forced Lord -Wellington to abandon an intrenched camp, and driven him back with -great loss ♦MARMONT BOASTS OF HIS SUCCESS.♦ and confusion; “The Spanish -insurgents,” he added, “have felt the greatest indignation at seeing -themselves thus abandoned in the north as well as in the south; and -this contrast between the conduct of the English, and the promises -which they have incessantly broken, nourishes a natural hatred, which -will break out sooner or later.” “We should have followed the enemy,” -said Marshal Marmont, “to the lines of Lisbon, where we should have -been able to form a junction with the army of the south, ... which is -completely entire, and has in its front only the division of General -Hill, ... had the moment been come which is fixed for the catastrophe -of the English.” Soult, of whose unbroken strength Marmont thus -boasted, was at this time devising measures for destroying the army -which Castaños had recruited, or rather remade, since it had been so -miserably wasted after Romana’s death. General Girard therefore, with a -division of about 4000 foot and 1000 cavalry, was sent into that part -of Extremadura which was still free, thus to confine Castaños within -narrower limits, and deprive his army of those rations which it still, -though with difficulty, obtained, and which were its sole means of -subsistence; for in the miserable state of the Spanish commissariat and -Spanish Government, their armies subsisted upon what they could find, -and had little or nothing else to depend upon. - -♦GIRARD IN EXTREMADURA.♦ - -Girard took his position at Caceres, extending as far as Brozas. Of the -spirit in which his detachment acted, one instance will suffice. He -sent a party against the house of D. Jose Maria Cribell in Salvatierra, -an officer in the service of his country; they carried off his wife -in the fifth month of her pregnancy; plundered the house, even to the -clothes of her two children, one five years old, the other three, -and left these children naked to the mercy of their neighbours. The -presence of such a force greatly distressed the country, and produced -the intended inconvenience to Castaños; that general, therefore, -concerted with Lord Wellington a movement for relieving this part -of Extremadura by striking a blow against the enemy. The execution -was entrusted to general Hill, with whom a Spanish detachment was to -co-operate under Camp-Marshal D. Pedro Augustin Giron. - -General Hill, with such a portion of his force as was thought -sufficient for the service, moved from his cantonments in the -neighbourhood of Portalegre on the ♦GENERAL HILL MOVES AGAINST HIM.♦ -22nd of October, and advanced towards the Spanish frontier. On reaching -Alburquerque he learned that the enemy, who had advanced to Aliseda, -had fallen back to Arroyo del Puerco; and that Aliseda was occupied by -the Conde de Penne Villemur with the rear of the Spaniards. At that -place, the allies and the Spaniards formed their junction the next -day. The French occupied Arroyo del Puerco with 300 horse, their main -body being at Caceres. Penne Villemur, on the 25th, drove back their -horse to Malpartida, which place they held as an advanced post. At -two on the following morning the allies began their march upon this -place, in the midst of a severe storm; they arrived at daybreak; but -the enemy had retired in the night. Penne Villemur, with the Spanish -cavalry, and a party of the second hussars, followed them, skirmishing -as far as Caceres, supported by the Spanish infantry under D. Pablo -Morillo. Girard, as soon as he knew that the allies were advancing, -retired from that city, and General Hill received intelligence of his -retreat at Malpartida, but what direction he had taken was uncertain. -In consequence of this uncertainty, and of the extreme badness of the -weather, the British and Portugueze halted for the night at Malpartida, -the Spaniards occupying Caceres. - -♦OCT. 27.♦ - -The next morning General Hill, having ascertained that the enemy had -marched on Torremocha, put his troops in motion, and advancing along -the Merida road, by Aldea del Cano, and the Casa de D. Antonio; for as -this was a shorter line than that which Girard had taken, he hoped to -intercept him and bring him to action. On the march he learned that -the French had only left Torremocha that morning, and that their main -body had again halted at Arroyo Molinos, leaving a rear-guard at -Albala. This proved that Girard was ignorant of the movements of the -allies, and General Hill therefore made a forced march that evening -to Alcuescar, a place within four miles of Arroyo Molinos, where he -was joined by the Spaniards from Caceres. Everything confirmed the -British general in his opinion that the enemy were not only ignorant -of his near approach, but also off their guard; and he determined upon -attempting to surprise them, or at least bringing them to action, -before they should march in the morning. The troops, therefore, lay -under a hill, to be out of sight of the enemy; they had marched the -whole day in a heavy rain, the rain still continued, and no fires were -allowed to be made. - -♦ARROYO MOLINOS.♦ - -Arroyo Molinos is a little town situated at the foot of one extremity -of the Sierra de Montanches; this mountain, which is everywhere steep, -and appears almost inaccessible, forms a cove or crescent behind it, -the two points of which are about two miles asunder. The Truxillo road -winds under the eastern point; the road to Merida runs at right angles -with that to Alcuescar, and that to Medellin between the Truxillo -and Merida roads. The ground between Alcuescar and Arroyo Molinos is -a plain, thinly scattered with cork-trees and evergreen oaks; and -General Hill’s object was to place a body of troops so as to cut off -the retreat of the enemy by any of these roads. At two in the morning, -the allies moved from their comfortless bivouac: it was dark, the rain -was unabated, and the wind high, but in their backs: but this weather, -severe as it was, was in their favour, for it confirmed the French -in their incautious security. When Girard had first advanced into -Extremadura, he felt some uneasiness at the neighbourhood of General -Hill, and demanded succour, saying, that unless he was reinforced -he should not be able to resist in case the English should attack -him. But the little enterprise which the British and Portugueze army -had hitherto displayed, seems to have lulled him into a contemptuous -confidence; and there was no distinguished guerrilla leader to disturb -the enemy in this part of the country, since D. Ventura Ximenes fell in -a rencontre near Toledo. - -♦THE FRENCH SURPRISED AND ROUTED THERE.♦ - -The allies moved in one column right in front upon Arroyo Molinos, -till they were within half a mile of it: the column then closed in -a bottom under cover of a low ridge, and divided into three, the -enemy not having the slightest intimation of their approach. The left -column, under Lieutenant-Colonel Stuart, marched direct upon the town; -the right, under Major-General Howard, broke off to the right so as -to turn the enemy’s flank, and having marched about the distance of -a cannon-shot toward that flank, moved then in a circular direction -upon the farther point of the mountain crescent. Penne Villemur, with -the Spanish horse, advanced between these two columns, ready to act -in front, or to move round either of them, as occasion might require; -he had found a good road, but the English horse, owing to an error, -which, in so dark and tempestuous a night, might easily have been more -general, had gone astray, and were not yet come up. The French had had -a piquet about a mile from the town, which would have given the alarm, -if it had not retired just before the head of our column came to the -spot; for Girard had ordered the troops to be in motion at an early -hour. One brigade of his infantry had marched for Medellin an hour -before daylight: and when the allies were close at hand, Girard was -filing out upon the Merida road; the rear of his column, some of his -cavalry and his baggage, being still in the town. A thick mist had come -on, the storm was at its height, and the French general marched with -as little precaution as if he had been in a friendly country. When he -heard that an enemy was approaching in the mist, he laughed, and said, -“the English were too fond of comfort to get out of their beds in such -a morning; ... it could only be an advanced party of the Spaniards;” -... but while he was ordering his men to chastise these insurgents, the -Highland bagpipes played “_Hey, Johnny Coup, are ye waukin yet?_” and -the 71st and 92d charged into the town with three cheers. Their orders -were not to load, nor to halt for prisoners; but to force through every -obstacle between them and the enemy, without turning to the right or -left. - -A few of their men were cut down by the French cavalry, but they soon -drove the enemy every where before them at the point of the bayonet. -The enemy’s infantry, which had got out of the town, formed into two -squares, with their cavalry on their left, between the Merida and -Medellin roads, by the time our two regiments had forced their way to -the end of the town. Their right square being within half musket-shot, -the 71st promptly lined the garden walls, while the 92d filed out and -formed in line on the right, perpendicularly to the enemy’s right -flank, which was much annoyed by the well-directed fire of the 71st. -Meantime, one wing of the 50th occupied the town and secured the -prisoners, some of whom were surprised over their coffee; and the other -wing, with a three-pounder, which was all the artillery the allies -had brought, skirted the outside of the town, and fired with great -effect upon the squares. General Howard’s column was moving round their -left. Penne Villemur meantime engaged the enemy’s cavalry, till Sir -W. Erskine came up and joined him; they then presently dispersed the -French horse, and charged their infantry repeatedly, “passing through -their lines,” said a serjeant, “just like herrings through a net.” -The French were now in full retreat, when, to their utter dismay, -General Howard’s column appeared, and cut off the road. There was no -resource, but to surrender or disperse; all order was at an end ... the -cavalry fled in all directions, the infantry threw down their arms, and -clambered up the mountain, ... where, inaccessible as the way appeared, -they were pursued by General Howard, till the British became so -exhausted, and so few in number, that he was obliged to halt and secure -his prisoners. Morillo, with the Spanish infantry, one English and one -Portugueze battalion, having ascended by the Puerto de las Quebradas, -in a more favourable direction, continued the pursuit farther, and met -with more resistance; but they drove the enemy from every position -which they attempted to take, and pursued them many leagues, till -within sight of the village of St. Anna, when, being completely -exhausted with their exertions, they returned, having counted in the -woods and mountains upwards of 600 dead. - -In this brilliant affair, General Brun, the Prince de Aremberg, -two lieutenant colonels, thirty other officers, and 1400 men, were -made prisoners. The British and Portugueze loss amounted only to -seventy-one, that of the Spaniards was very trifling. The whole of the -enemy’s artillery, baggage, and commissariat was taken, the magazines -of corn which they had collected at Caceres and Merida, and the -contribution of money which he had levied upon the former town. A panic -was struck into the enemy, to such a degree, that Badajoz was shut for -two days and nights, all the fords of the Guadiana were watched, and -every detachment ordered to rendezvous at Seville. - -This expedition was less important in itself, than as it was the first -indication of a spirit of hopeful enterprise in the British army; it -seemed as if that army had now become conscious of its superiority, and -would henceforth seek opportunities of putting it to the proof. For -the Spaniards it was a well-timed success, when all their own efforts -tended only to evince more mournfully the inefficiency of their troops -and the incompetence of their generals. - -♦MARQUES DEL PALACIO APPOINTED TO THE COMMAND IN VALENCIA.♦ - -The Marques del Palacio had been appointed captain-general of the -kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia, and Murcia. He announced his coming in a -proclamation from Alicante, of a very different character from those -which had so greatly contributed to support the cause of Spain. “From -the moment,” said he, “that I set foot in this country, and knew the -fall of Tarragona, my spirit, far from being cast down, seemed as if -it had taken fresh courage to run to danger as well as to victory. Do -not hold me arrogant and vain, for my hopes are not rested upon the -arm of flesh. From afar I see the walls of Valencia of burnished and -impenetrable brass; and the more secure, inasmuch as the enemy cannot -perceive them. I see also a cloud of protection over the whole kingdom, -whereof that which for forty years protected the people of God was but -a type and a figure. The brazen walls are the Valencian breasts, which -have loyalty for their stamp and shield of arms; and the cloud which -protects us is the Queen of Angels, ... she who is the general of the -best appointed army, our adorable and generous Madre de desamparados, -_Mother of the helpless_, with her omnipotent Son. Heaven itself has -given the greatest proof of this truth, and of its predilection for the -city and kingdom of Valencia. Is there any other capital in all Spain -which has not been entered by some army of this Corsican robber, this -impious tyrant? Is there any other province which has twice repelled -the enemy from its centre, without walls and without armies? Heaven -and this invincible Deborah, or Judith, have saved us, and will save -us, if our conduct is not unworthy of her protection. Wonder not at -this language from a soldier! I am a Christian; I am an old Spaniard; -and I am persuaded that they are not earthly victories, but bolts from -heaven which reach the wicked, such as the Corsican and his generals, -whose principles are bad, and whose conduct is worse. I resign, -therefore, my staff to this Sovereign Queen: she has been the general -who has delivered the kingdom thus long: she it is who will deliver -all that is placed under this staff, no longer mine but hers, and the -Lord’s, who is the God of battles.” - -It would be wronging the Marques to break off here, for in other parts -of his address he spoke in the proper language of a Spaniard and a -general. “This is a holy war,” said he, “in which we must fight like -the Maccabees. Let him who feels for the public cause join us, and take -arms, and offer himself as a sacrifice, and put forth his hand, and -advance, and attack, and triumph. Confide in the Government, and it -will confide in you. If there is conduct in the chiefs, there will be -conduct in the people; moderation in the expenditure, and there will -be plenty in the army; order in private families, and it will display -itself in public actions; activity in individuals, and the army will -be invincible. Let there be obedience, union, fidelity, justice, and -truth, and God will fight with us.” - -Unfortunately, there were many in Valencia upon whom the first part of -this address was likely to have more effect than the second. A friar, -preaching in the Plaza Catalina, said to his auditors, “If the Cortes -think of abolishing our holy order, and that of our sisters the nuns, -obey them not, ye armed Valencians, but oppose such mandates like -lions. We are the servants of God, whom you must obey rather than man. -The English themselves, though they have an excellent constitution, -must eventually fall for want of the blessing of the Catholic faith. -Ask not for cannon and gunpowder, but rather fly to your altars; and -instead of any vain attempt to resist the victorious French by force -of arms, implore the aid of Heaven, which alone can avert the heavy -calamities that threaten you.” Zaragoza is as Catholic a city as -Valencia, but it was not by such sermons as this that the heroism of -the Zaragozans was excited and sustained! - -♦BLAKE TAKES THE COMMAND.♦ - -Zaragoza had defended itself without any other reliance than what -the inhabitants placed in themselves. Valencia prepared for its -defence under very different circumstances. The Regent, General -Blake, embarking with all the force he could collect, had landed at -Almeira to take the command in those provinces, which, since the fall -of Tarragona, were so seriously menaced. From thence he proceeded to -Valencia, with full powers, civil as well as military, and the whole -strength of the executive authority, to carry into effect whatever -measures he might think needful. The collected force under his command -was more than equal in number to that of the invaders; one division -of 6000 men, taking its name from the field of Albuhera, had attained -discipline upon which the officers could rely, and reputation which -every effort would be made to support. Some of the generals also -stood high in public opinion; Lardizabal had distinguished himself in -Lapeña’s expedition; and Zayas was thought by the English, as well as -by his own countrymen, one of the best officers in the Spanish service. -But Blake himself inspired no confidence wherever he went; he had the -reputation of being an unfortunate general; and what credit he acquired -in the battle of Albuhera had been lost by his subsequent movements -in the Condado de Niebla. The Valencians, therefore, were unwilling -to receive him, and would fain have persuaded the Marques del Palacio -to retain the command, to which, in these times of insubordination, a -popular election would have been considered as conferring a legitimate -right; but the Marques had been bred in a better school, and though -he had some reason to complain of the manner in which he was thus -suddenly superseded, demeaned himself toward his successor with a -frankness and cordiality deserving a better return than they obtained. -In the course of more than thirty years’ service, it had been his good -fortune never to incur the slightest disaster in any command which -he had held; twice during the present war, having been appointed to -armies which he found incomplete and ill-equipped, he had placed them -upon a respectable footing; and being then removed from the command, -they had presently under his successors been dispersed or destroyed; -he was popular, therefore, because no miscarriage could be laid to his -charge. Embarking from Cadiz for Alicante on the day that Tarragona -was taken, he brought with him no supplies either in men, arms, or -money, nor was any thing sent after him; it seemed as if the eastern -provinces were left to their own resources; and Alicante and Orihuela, -from whence he might have drawn supplies, were separated from his -government. The Murcian army consisted nominally at this time of 20,000 -foot and 5000 horse; he asked for 3000 of these men and 600 cavalry, -and they were refused. The effect of this was, that feeling he had no -external support to look for, he formed his plans for defence upon the -nature of the country, and that moral resistance, in which the strength -of the Spanish cause consisted: but Blake coming with the entire -confidence of the executive Government, of which he was a member, had -the Murcian forces at his command, and seemed to think his military -means so fully sufficient, that he disregarded all other resources. -The Marques would have defended the strong ground through which the -enemy must pass before they could attack Murviedro. Between that town -and Valencia is a labyrinth of water-courses, gardens, plantations, -and deep narrow roads, through which no force could penetrate against -the resistance of a determined people; ... and if that resistance had -been overcome, he would have cut the dikes and inundated the country. -These plans he communicated to Blake, who never bestowed a thought upon -them, contemplating no measures which were not in the ordinary course -of tactics, and thinking, that if the punctilios of his profession were -correctly observed, nothing farther could be required on the score of -honour or of duty. - -♦MURVIEDRO.♦ - -Murviedro is an open town twelve miles east of Valencia, but its -fortress, called the Castle of San Fernando de Sagunto, was, both for -its natural strength and artificial defences, a most formidable post. -D. Luis Maria Andriani commanded there with a garrison of 3500 men, who -had volunteered for its defence. The name which that fortress bore, -and the knowledge of the resistance which upon that spot had been -made against Hannibal, as it might well have given confidence to its -defenders, induced Suchet to expect greater difficulty in its conquest -than any which he had yet overcome. The Roman theatre here, which -was one of the most perfect remains of the ancients, and the other -antiquities of this sacred spot, were held in such proper estimation by -the Spanish Government, that in 1785, under the ministry of the Conde -d’Aranda, an officer was appointed to preserve them. When it was deemed -necessary to fortify the place, the engineers condemned the theatre; -the conservator appealed to the Cortes, and the Cortes unanimously -agreeing that it would be a reproach to the nation if this precious -monument should be destroyed, addressed the Regents, requiring them -to give orders for its careful preservation: but such considerations -could no longer be allowed, when the paramount interests of the nation -were at stake, and instructions were given to make any demolition which -might be required for the security of the place. Andriani entered upon -his command there in the middle of September, and a few days afterwards -the French from Tortosa and from Aragon began their march toward -Valencia. Suchet had with ♦SUCHET TAKES POSSESSION OF THE TOWN.♦ him -all the disposable troops from Aragon and Catalonia, ... withdrawing -many of the less important garrisons and smaller detachments, in -full confidence that there was neither energy enough in the general -Government of Spain, nor union enough among the provincial authorities, -to take advantage of the opportunity which was thus afforded them. He -arrived before Murviedro on the 21st, and took possession of the town. -Blake, who had advanced thither to see that the garrison was complete, -and the place provided for defence, offered no resistance when the -enemy approached, but retired within an intrenched camp, on the right -of the Guadalaviar; it rested with its right upon the sea, and covered -the city of Valencia; he had the Murcian army behind him in reserve. -The divisions of Obispo and Villacampa, under Carlos O’Donnel, had been -recalled from the frontiers of Castille and Aragon: these remained in -the field and formed his left; 4000 men occupied Segorbe and Liria, and -Bassecourt, with about 2000, was in Requeña and Utril: besides these -forces the commander-in-chief had 1600 cavalry, part of them veteran -troops. - -Against such means of resistance Suchet would never have ventured -to advance if he had not despised the Valencians. With an abundant -population, brave and patriotic enough to offer themselves to any -danger and submit to any sacrifices, ... and with resources greater -than those of any other province from its redundant fertility, Valencia -had scarcely made an effort in favour of its neighbours. When, at the -earnest requisition of the British naval commander on that coast, a -body of its troops had been detached into Catalonia, they were embarked -without muskets, because there was an established regulation, that -before they left the province their arms must be deposited in the -arsenal. After arms had been provided for them, it was judged necessary -to march them into Aragon; but they refused to enter that kingdom, -because they had not been sent with that intention, and in consequence -they returned to Valencia without having faced the enemy. Whenever, -indeed, the Valencian army had faced them, some glaring misconduct had -appeared, and some lamentable disaster been the necessary result. The -spirit of provincialism ceased to paralyse them when the enemy was -within their own territory, but Suchet still calculated upon want of -discipline in the men, and want of skill in the leaders; some reliance, -too, he placed upon those means of seduction by which France had -triumphed as often as by her arms. - -♦THE FRENCH REPULSED IN AN ASSAULT.♦ - -The day after he reached Murviedro, he assaulted the fort at two in the -morning; in three places the escalade was attempted, but the French -were repulsed at all points with the loss of their ladders, and of more -than 400 killed and wounded. Suchet was induced to make this dangerous -attempt by his engineers, who discovered two old breaches which had not -♦MEM. 2. 161.♦ been effectually repaired, and who were sensible of the -great difficulties they should have to encounter in a regular siege. -His men, too, he says, since their exploits at Tarragona, regarded it -as pastime to march to an assault; but the way there had been prepared -for them by corruption. They kept possession of the town, broke through -the party walls of the houses, that they might communicate without -exposing themselves ♦OCTOBER.♦ to the garrison’s fire, barricadoed the -streets, and planted guns in those houses which looked toward the fort. -This was not effected without loss, and they had not yet brought up -their battering train; it was to come from Tortosa, and the little fort -of Oropesa in their rear commanded the road. Suchet gave directions -for reducing this, and acted in the meantime against the troops in the -field. Obispo was attacked on the 30th at Seneja, and driven back upon -Segorbe; there he rallied, but reinforcements came to the enemy, which -again gave them the superiority; they entered Segorbe in pursuit of -his broken troops, put all who resisted to the sword, and drove him -towards Liria. The next object of Suchet was to drive Carlos O’Donnel’s -division beyond the Guadalaviar. On the night of October 1st he marched -against it; the advanced guard was attacked and routed at Betero; the -main body at Benaguacil. Little loss was sustained by the Spaniards -in these actions, but they did not contribute to raise the character -of the Valencian troops in the eyes of their enemies; and Suchet, who -knew that the struggle would be with Blake, endeavoured to provoke that -general into the field, by reproaching him for having remained idle in -Valencia while two divisions of his army were defeated. - -♦OROPESA TAKEN BY THE ENEMY.♦ - -He had made himself, however, already so far master of the field, as -to continue his operations against Murviedro without interruption. -Oropesa surrendered on the 11th, after a cannonade of a few hours; -Captain Eyre, in the Magnificent, had just arrived to assist it, but -he came only in time to bring off the garrison of a tower about a mile -distant. Artillery and tools could now be safely brought from Tortosa; -and a week afterwards a practicable breach was effected. Twice in the -course of a day and ♦OCT. 11.♦ night the French attempted to storm it, -and were repulsed with great slaughter. The fort, though, according -to the inveterate habit of procrastination which has for centuries -been the reproach of Spanish policy, its works were incomplete, yet -was capable of ♦A SECOND ASSAULT REPELLED.♦ making a very formidable -resistance; for it was so constructed as to form four parts, each of -which might be defended after the others were taken. Blake calculated -upon the impetuosity of the enemy, the steadiness of the garrison, and -the patriotism of the governor; the two former did not deceive him: and -he had laid down for himself a wise plan of operations; which was to -abstain from battle, in hope that the French would weaken themselves in -the siege, and might be compelled to retreat by movements upon their -flank and on the side of Aragon. - -♦GUERRILLA MOVEMENTS IN AID OF MURVIEDRO.♦ - -It was part of this plan to surprise the French in Cuenca, and thus -cut off Suchet’s communication with Madrid: this expedition was -committed to General Mahy, with whom the Conde de Montijo was to -co-operate. The attempt proved ineffectual, and Mahy returned with -his division to join the commander-in-chief. In Aragon the Spaniards -were led by men of a different stamp, and their movements would have -led to very different results, if the spirit of provincialism, and -that insubordination which long habits of military independence can -scarcely fail to produce, had not frustrated fair beginnings, and -bright prospects of success. A decree of the Cortes had attached the -guerrilla parties to the armies of their respective districts, and -given rank to their leaders, leaving them to pursue their own system -of warfare at their own discretion, but subjecting them thus to a -military superior whenever they should be called upon. By virtue of -this decree, Duran and the Empecinado, who commanded, the one in Soria, -the other in Guadalaxara, each with the rank of brigadier, had been -ordered by Blake to unite and enter Aragon, which Suchet had drained of -troops for his expedition against Valencia. It was not easy to bring -these irregular companies under any restraint of discipline: the Junta -of Guadalaxara were not willing to part with the Empecinado’s band; -the men themselves were not willing to leave what they considered as -their own district; disputes broke out ♦DISPERSION OF THE EMPECINADO’S -TROOPS.♦ among them when their leader was not present; they turned -their arms upon each other at Villaconejos: after an affray in which -some were killed and many wounded, the rest dispersed, were overtaken -by the French, and suffered great loss; and ♦M. DEL PALACIO, TRASLADO A -LA NACION ESPANOLO, P. 19.♦ Cuenca was in consequence again entered by -the enemy, who committed their usual enormities there. The Empecinado, -however, was soon heard of again: he formed a junction with Duran, and -their collected force was computed at about ♦HIS SUBSEQUENT SUCCESSES -IN CONJUNCTION WITH DURAN.♦ 4000 men. With the greater part of this -force they appeared before the city of Calatayud, where the enemy had -a garrison of between 800 ♦SEPT. 26.♦ and 900 men. Not expecting so -bold a measure on the part of the guerrillas, the French upon sight -of them sent out a detachment, who took post upon an eminence before -the city, where there was a ruined castle. Of that detachment about -fifty were killed, and as many made prisoners, not a man escaping. The -garrison then, and all the persons connected with them, took shelter -in the convent of the Mercenarios. This edifice had been fortified, -and was one of those posts which gave them military possession of the -country. The Spaniards had no artillery, and having in vain attempted -to burn it, began to mine. This was a branch of warfare in which they -had little skill and less experience: ... on the third day the mine -was ready; it was exploded, and produced no effect; two others were -immediately commenced. Meantime a reinforcement of 200 foot and fifty -horse, the precursors of a larger force from Zaragoza, came to relieve -the besieged; ... the Empecinado hastened to meet them, routed them, -and chased them as far as Almunia, taking the colonel who commanded, -and more than 200 of their muskets and knapsacks, which they threw away -to disencumber ♦OCT. 3.♦ themselves in flight. On the sixth day of the -siege, the match was laid to the second mine, which produced little -more effect than the first: the third, however, was more successful; -it brought down part of the wall of the church, and the French then -capitulated, on condition that the officers should be sent to France -on their parole. Five hundred men were made prisoners, and about -150 killed and wounded were found in the convent. There were found -here provisions and money which had been collected by the intrusive -government: the grain was sold at a fair price to the inhabitants of -the district for seed: this Duran and the Empecinado thought necessary, -that they might lessen as much as possible the evils arising from -the state of waste to which that part of the country was abandoned. -Soon afterwards more than 3000 French arrived, hoping to recover the -plunder; but the Guerrilla chiefs gave them no opportunity of effecting -this, and the next day the enemy returned into Navarre, whither they -were recalled to resist Espoz y Mina. - -♦A PRICE SET UPON THE HEADS OF MINA AND HIS OFFICERS.♦ - -General Reille, with two divisions, had used his utmost endeavours -to destroy this most enterprising of the Guerrilla chiefs; and Mina, -compelled once more to break up his little army into small bodies, had -for three and fifty days eluded the enemy, by continual marches and -countermarches among the mountains, suffering hunger, nakedness, and -every kind of fatigue and privation, with that unconquerable spirit -of endurance which is the characteristic virtue of the Spaniards. To -effectuate his long-desired object, the French general, in the spirit -of ♦AUG. 21.♦ the wicked government which he served, set a price upon -the heads of these gallant men, offering 6000 dollars for that of Mina, -4000 for Cruchaga’s, and 2000 each for those of Gorriz, Ulzurrun, and -Cholin. This detestable expedient failed also. A traitor, by name D. -Joaquin Geronimo Navarro, then offered to treat with the Guerrilla -chief, and win him over to the intruder’s cause; or, if he failed in -this, to seize him at a conference. Mina obtained intelligence of this -second part of the plot, and when he was invited to confer with Navarro -upon matters which, it was said, nearly concerned his own interest, -and that of his men, and the welfare of the kingdom, he replied, that -Navarro must come and treat with him in person. The traitor accordingly -appointed a meeting at the village of ♦SEPT. 14.♦ Leoz, whither he -came, accompanied by D. Francisco Aguirre Echechuri, D. Jose Pelon, -and Sebastian Irujo de Irocin. Mina, with his adjutant Castillo, met -them, partook of a supper which they had prepared, listened to their -proposals; then, being beforehand in the intended surprisal, seized -them, called in his assistants, and delivered them over to a council of -war, by whose sentence they were put to death. - -Lord Wellington’s movement upon Ciudad Rodrigo at this time compelled -Marmont to withdraw his troops from Navarre. Immediately Mina reunited -his men, and occupied Sanguesa. “Vengeance,” he cried, “for the victims -who have been sacrificed because they performed their duty to their -country! While some of these are at rest in the grave, others in -dungeons, or led away into captivity in France, I will take vengeance -for their wrongs. Arms and ammunition, arms and ammunition, ... I ask -arms and ammunition of the nation and of all Europe, for public and -for private vengeance. My division will carry on the war as long as a -single individual belonging to it shall exist.” From Sanguesa he looked -about him where to annoy the enemy with most effect: while Duran and -the Empecinado were employed on the right bank of the Ebro, he thought -he might act upon the left, by cutting off the French garrisons. The -first which he assailed consisted of forty foot and seventy horse, at -Egoa de los Caballeros, who kept close within their fort, in fear of -such a visit. While he was mining the fort, the enemy during the night -broke through the wall on the opposite side, and fled. The sudden -cessation of their fire gave cause for suspecting what they had done: -they were pursued, and twenty of the cavalry were all who effected -their escape to Zaragoza. ♦MINA’S SUCCESS AT AYERBE. OCT. 16.♦ He then -marched against Ayerbe, and began to mine a convent which the French -had fortified there. While he was thus employed, 1100 French, with -forty horse, came from Zaragoza to relieve the besieged, and cut off -the Navarrese, who were only 900. Mina drew off his men as soon as he -heard of their approach, and posted the infantry upon a height above -the road; sending out parties to harass the enemy, and then fall back -upon the main body. The French advanced, mocking the brigands, as -they called them, and telling them to go to Valencia for bayonets, -and they encouraged each other to attack with the bayonet, saying -the brigands were without that weapon: but they were repulsed in -their attempt to win the height, leaving nineteen dead and forty-nine -wounded upon the field. They then proceeded to Ayerbe, received a -supply of ammunition there, and being joined by twenty horse from the -garrison, took the road to Huesca. Mina, though inferior in numbers, -was superior in cavalry, having 200 horse, and of this superiority he -made full use. With 160 horse he followed close upon the rear of the -enemy, and impeded their march in the plain till his infantry came -up. Part under Cruchaga got upon their left flank, another column -under Barena menaced them in the rear, a flank company supported this -movement, and on the right and in front Mina brought his cavalry. -Unlike the French generals, who, whenever they boasted of victory, -showed the baseness of their own nature by depreciating and vilifying -their opponents, Mina bestowed the highest praise upon the courage and -discipline of the enemy in this action. They formed themselves into a -square, closing their files with the utmost coolness as fast as the -men fell. Three times the Spaniards broke them, pouring in their fire -within pistol-shot. They formed a fourth time; Cruchaga then, after -pouring in a volley, attacked them with the bayonet; at the same moment -they were assailed in the same manner by the rest of the infantry; -they were again broken, and the cavalry began to cut them down. The -commander, seventeen officers, and 640 men laid down their arms and -were made prisoners. The French cavalry also surrendered; but thinking -that they saw a favourable opportunity for escaping, they wounded -some of the unsuspecting Spaniards, and rode off. This conduct met -with its merited punishment; they were so closely pursued, that five -only reached Huesca, and two of those were cut down at the gates; the -remaining three were all who escaped of the whole detachment. Among the -Spaniards Lizarraga fell, who commanded the cavalry that day. Mina, -whose horse had been shot under him, immediately advanced to Huesca; -the garrison had fled, leaving behind them some of their effects, and -five Spanish officers, who thus received their liberty from the hero of -Navarre. - -♦CRUCHAGA CARRIES OFF THE ENEMY’S STORES FROM TAFALLA.♦ - -Mina was now embarrassed with his prisoners: he marched them to the -coast, in hopes there to find means of embarking them for Coruña, and -fortunately the Iris, Captain Christian, was in sight, and took 400 -of them on board. While he was thus employed, Cruchaga learnt that -the French had collected considerable stores of grain in Tafalla, -relying in perfect security upon the fortifications, where they had -mounted four pieces of cannon, and upon the situation of that city -on the road to Zaragoza, within reach of succour from Pamplona and -Caparrosa. From Sanguesa he watched the motions of the French. By a -rapid march he reached S. Martin de Ujue, two short hours distant from -the city, and he took such effectual means for keeping his movements -secret, that no intelligence could be given to the enemy. At daybreak, -he approached Tafalla with that silence which he said was peculiar to -his troops: they surprised the guard, the French retired within their -fort, Cruchaga entered with music before him, as in triumph, and loaded -the grain upon beasts which he had brought with him for the purpose. -It had not been his intention to attempt any thing against the enemy’s -works: but his men heard that a priest, a number of peasants, and -about thirty women, were confined in a fortified convent, because -they had relations in the service of their country, or were suspected -of favouring their country’s cause; and they attacked the convent. The -French abandoned it, and fled to their other works, leaving good spoil -behind them to the conquerors. They, however, rejoiced more in having -delivered their countrymen from these oppressors, than in the important -stores which they obtained by the day’s expedition; and before they -left Tafalla, they drew up in the centre of the city, and the band -played, to comfort, Cruchaga said, the hearts of the Spaniards! - -♦MINA’S OBJECT IN SOLICITING FOR MILITARY RANK.♦ - -Mina had obtained military rank for himself and his officers, and was -now colonel and commandant-general of the division of Navarre, under -which appellation his troops were considered as attached to the seventh -army under Mendizabal. Pre-eminent as were the services of this chief -and his followers, they did not obtain this rank without repeated -solicitations, and the direct interference of the Cortes; for the -Regency at first would only concede them the title of _urbanos_[31], -or local militia. The fitness of this designation was well exposed by -Sr. Terreros: “They,” said he, “who go among the mountains hunting -the wild beasts of France, and bathing their weapons in French blood, -are local militia! and they who live at home and drag their sabres at -their heels in coffeehouses, are regulars and veterans!” ... Mina’s -object in soliciting rank in the regular army was, that his men when -they fell into the hands of the enemy might not be put to death as -insurgents; but, like the Empecinado, and Manso, and Ballasteros, he -found that men who were equally destitute of honour and humanity -could only be made to observe the ordinary usages of war by the law -of retaliation. Repeatedly and earnestly had he applied to the French -generals, conjuring them to respect the laws of war; nor did he cease -to remonstrate till farther forbearance would have been a crime. -In the course of two days twelve peasants were shot by the French -in Estella, sixteen in Pamplona, and thirty-eight of his soldiers, -and four officers, were put to death: Mina then issued a decree for -reprisals, exclaiming, ♦HIS DECREE FOR REPRISALS.♦ that the measure -was full. He began his manifesto by contrasting his own conduct with -that of these ferocious invaders; then declared war to the death and -without quarter, without distinction of officers or soldiers, and -especially including by name Napoleon Buonaparte. Wherever the French -might be taken, with or without arms, in action or out of it, they -were to be hung, and their bodies exposed along the highways, in their -regimentals, and with a ticket upon each specifying his name. Every -house in which a Frenchman should have been hidden should be burnt, -and its inhabitants put to death. If from any village information were -given to the enemy that there were volunteers there, such volunteers -not amounting to eight in number, five hundred ducats should be levied -upon that village, for the information; and if any volunteer in -consequence should have fallen into the hands of the French, four of -that village should be chosen by lot and put to death. Mina’s anxiety -not to bring the inhabitants into danger is apparent in this decree; -he seems to have thought that if as many as eight volunteers were in -one village, the imminent hazard of concealing them might exempt the -people from punishment for informing against them. He declared Pamplona -in a state of siege, and the villages and buildings within a mile -round the walls; within this line no person was to pass on pain of -death; the parties who should be stationed to observe it were ordered -to fire upon any one who trespassed beyond the bounds assigned, and if -they apprehended him, wounded or unwounded, to hang him instantly upon -the nearest tree. All persons who wished to leave that city should be -received with the humanity of the Navarrese character; they were to -present themselves to him in person; ... if a whole family came out, it -was sufficient that the head should appear. Deserters of all ranks were -invited by a promise that they might, at their own choice, either serve -with him or go to England, or return to their own country; in either -of which latter cases, he undertook to convey them to one of the ports -on the coast; and he decreed the punishment of death against all who -should kill or betray a deserter, or refuse him shelter and assistance. -All persons were forbidden to go beyond the limits of their respective -villages without a passport from the Alcalde or Regidor, signed by -the parochial priest, or by some other inhabitant in places where no -priest resided: whoever should be apprehended without one was to be -shot: the innkeepers were charged to demand the passport from all their -guests, and seize every person who could not produce one, and deliver -him over to the first Guerrilla party. If any village should pay, or -influence the payment of the forty _pesatas_ per week, which the enemy -had imposed upon the parents and relations of the volunteers, (the name -by which Mina always designated his followers,) the property of the -magistrates, priests, and influential persons of that village should be -confiscated at discretion. And in requital for this imposition of the -Intrusive Government, he imposed a weekly mulct of twice that sum upon -the parents, brothers, and kinsmen, of those persons who were in the -employ of the French at Pamplona. This decree was to be circulated in -all the cities, towns, valleys, and _cendeas_ (parochial, or district -meetings) of Navarre; it was to be proclaimed every fifteen days, and -to be read by the officiating priest in every church on the first and -third Sundays of every month: wherever this duty was omitted, the -magistrates, priests, _escribanos_, or town-clerks, and two of the -influential inhabitants, were declared subject to military ♦DEC. 14.♦ -punishment. He dated this decree from the field of honour in Navarre, -and the Government ratified it by inserting it in the Regency’s Gazette. - -♦DURAN AND THE EMPECINADO SEPARATE.♦ - -The movements of the Guerrilla leaders on the Ebro, as well as in -Navarre and Upper Aragon, made Suchet feel that he had placed himself -in a situation in which every day that deferred his success increased -his danger; nor was he without uneasiness on the side of Catalonia, -where the Catalans carried on their warfare with such vigour, that the -French could aim at nothing more than preserving and provisioning their -fortified posts. His communication with Tortosa was interrupted by the -armed peasantry; scarcity began to be felt in his camp, and he was -obliged to detach 4000 men to protect a convoy going from Zaragoza. It -was Blake’s hope that Duran, the Empecinado, and Mina, might threaten -that city, and perhaps succeed in delivering it from its oppressors. -The plan was well concerted, and if it had been executed, Suchet -would hardly have ventured to maintain his ground in the kingdom of -Valencia. The attempt, however, was not made; for some difference arose -between Duran and the Empecinado, and instead of forming a junction -with Mina, they separated from each other. By this time Murviedro was -closely pressed, a battery of eight four-and-twenty pounders had been -constructed, and the governor made signals of distress. The ♦BLAKE -DETERMINES TO GIVE BATTLE.♦ Spaniards were eager for battle; and -Blake, foregoing his first and better resolution, consented to gratify -them, in the hope that one victory, when victory certainly appeared -attainable, and would be of such immense importance, might repay him -for the many disasters which he had sustained. He advanced, therefore, -on the 24th about noon, and took post for that night on the height of -El Puig, his right resting on the sea, and his left upon Liria. - -♦BATTLE OF MURVIEDRO.♦ - -The country between Valencia and Murviedro is like a closely-planted -orchard, bounded by the sea on the right, and on the left terminating -at some distance from the foot of the mountains which separate Valencia -from La Mancha, Cuenca, and Aragon. Three great carriage roads cross -this land of gardens; and by these three roads the attack was to be -made; for though, from the nature of the ground, the left wing could -not be united with the centre and the right, it was thought that this -would be a less inconvenience than to leave open either of the three -roads. It was of especial consequence to occupy the left road, that -of Betera; for should Suchet, as might be expected, endeavour to -anticipate the attack, he might otherwise send his main body in this -direction, where the mountains would cover them, and the open country -give free scope for his cavalry and for those manœuvres, in which Blake -knew but too well the superiority of the enemy. - -On the next morning the army was put in motion. Zayas commanded the -right, Lardizabal the centre, Carlos O’Donnell the left, consisting -of the Valencian division under Miranda, and the Aragonese under -Villacampa: Mahy, with the Murcian division, was to support this wing; -Blake, with another body of reserve, remained upon El Puig. The left -wing was to begin the attack, relying upon the support which they -would receive from the centre and the other wing, who were to accompany -the movement and cover them on the right: this, it was thought, would -be a resource in case of a want of firmness on their part, which would -not have been the case had a different disposition been preferred. If -there was an error in Blake’s disposition, it was in thus trusting -the principal attack to that part of his army upon which he had least -reliance. - -Suchet, who desired nothing so much as an action, prepared to meet his -antagonist, leaving six battalions to continue the siege. At eight -in the morning his sharp-shooters were briskly driven back; and from -that moment, he says, he knew that he had to contend with troops very -unlike those of Valencia. Some strong columns outflanked him on the -left, and his right, which was a league distant from the main body, was -outflanked also by O’Donnell. Both armies began their movements at the -same time: about half way between them on the left of the Spaniards, -where the fate of the battle was to be decided, was a ridge of ground, -which offered some advantage, and which both parties endeavoured to -gain. The sharp-shooters of O’Donnell’s division running with eagerness -towards this point, drove back that part of the French cavalry which -covered the enemy’s advance: they got possession, and were supported -by two battalions and some field-pieces; but their ardour had been -inconsiderate, for they had separated too much from the columns, and -the French, who knew how to avail themselves of every opportunity which -was offered, speedily dislodged them by a well-supported charge. - -This error was fatal; for the want of discipline was felt in leaving -the ground, as it had been in winning it: one battalion after another, -after a feeble resistance, was thrown into disorder, and abandoned the -field. It was now that Mahy with the reserve should have endeavoured -to support them and retrieve the day, but the order for him to attack -did not arrive in time, and he did not advance in time without it: -and seeing that the chief efforts of the enemy would now be directed -against him, and that his cavalry abandoned him on their approach, he -immediately commenced his retreat. While the fate of the left wing was -thus decided, Suchet broke through the centre: not without a brave -struggle on the part of the Spaniards. D. Juan Caro, the brother of -Romana, who commanded a body of cavalry on the left of the centre, -made a desperate charge against the enemy’s horse, though they were -supported by artillery, and defended by a mud wall. The Spaniards -leaped the wall, Colonel Ric of the grenadiers leading the way, and -cut down the French at their guns. The enemy’s reserve came up, and -the second line of the Spaniards, which should have supported them, -having been unhappily detached to reinforce the vanguard, the guns were -retaken, and Caro himself was made prisoner. - -The centre of the Spanish army was now defeated: Lardizabal, however, -supported the character which he had gained at Santi Petri, and -collecting some cavalry, checked the enemy and covered the retreat of -his troops. But it was on the right that the Spaniards displayed most -resolution; and had all the army behaved like Zayas and the division -of Albuhera, Blake’s highest hopes might have been accomplished. -They, though unsupported on their left, cleared the road before them, -and when the day was lost in the other part of the field, repeatedly -repulsed the superior forces which were brought against them. By the -account of Suchet himself, the action was maintained here with great -slaughter: they covered their left with a battalion in mass, and -stood their ground till their cartridges were consumed, ... Zayas then -sent for more, but Blake ordered him to retreat. This movement was -admirably executed, all the wounded were removed, and so little were -the men dispirited, that twice they demanded to be allowed to charge -with the bayonet. They occupied the houses in the village of Puchole, -and fired from the roofs and windows; but here, by an error, for which -the commandant of the imperialists of Toledo was suspended, the remains -of the Walloon battalion were surrounded and made prisoners. When the -fugitives had reached Tuna, the reserve was ordered to retreat, and -Zayas brought them off in the face of the enemy. - -This was the best action which had yet been fought by the Spaniards, -but it was most unfortunate in its results, and the issue proved but -too plainly that it ought not to have been hazarded. By the French -account 4639 prisoners were taken, four stand of colours, and sixteen -pieces of cannon; the killed and wounded were estimated at 2000 men; on -their own part they acknowledged only 128 men killed and 596 wounded. -Suchet was struck by a ball on the shoulder, General Harispe had two -horses killed under him, and two others of the French generals were -wounded: the manner in which they exposed themselves, and the number of -officers of rank whose names appeared among the wounded, prove that the -victory was not achieved without difficulty, nor without greater loss -than the official account admitted. - -♦MURVIEDRO SURRENDERED.♦ - -The garrison of Murviedro, when they saw the battle commence, threw -their caps into the air with shouts of joy, calling to their countrymen -to come on to victory. In the evening, Suchet, leaving his army a -league from Valencia, returned to the camp: a breach had been made -during the day, which was not yet practicable, but by the fire of -some hours longer would have been rendered so; the French general had -no inclination to assault the walls again; ... it was of consequence, -he said, to profit by the victory which had been gained under the eyes -of the garrison; ... and the governor’s want of constancy, or perhaps -of integrity, enabled him to do this most effectually; for Andriani -had no sooner satisfied himself that General Caro was really taken -prisoner, than, as if the victory of the French had destroyed all -hopes, he capitulated with more than 2500 men. “Thus,” said the French, -“we became masters of a place which had so long resisted Hannibal.” -Had Andriani been as true to the cause of his country as the soldiers -under him, the second siege might possibly have become as famous as the -first. A successful assault could only have put the enemy in possession -of a fourth part of the fort, when there would have been three more -breaches to make, and three more ♦MÉMOIRES, 2. 191.♦ attacks. It was -the governor’s duty to have resisted to the last extremity; but to that -extremity he was not reduced. By Suchet’s own statement, the place was -in no danger, and notwithstanding all the efforts of his engineers and -all their skill, nothing could be less certain than the success of a -new assault. - -Blake, in the orders which he issued on the following day, said that -he was dissatisfied with certain corps, and with some individuals, -and that as soon as their cowardice was juridically proved, he would -punish them with all the rigour of national justice. But in general he -declared, that the conduct both of officers and men, and especially -that of the division under Zayas, had been satisfactory. “For himself,” -he said, “he was sufficiently accustomed to the vicissitudes of war, -not to be surprised at the ill success of the action, and he was not -the less confident of being able to repel the invasion of the enemy.” -But Blake did not feel the confidence which he affected. He confessed -afterwards, that after the fall of Tarragona, the loss of Valencia -was to be apprehended; but that the brilliant manner in which the -defence of Murviedro was begun, the forces which its defence gave -time for assembling, and the spirit of the officers and troops, had -given well-founded and flattering hopes, which continued till this -battle extinguished them. From that moment, he said, nothing but what -was gloomy presented itself; only some political revolution, or other -extraordinary event, which should deprive Suchet of his expected -reinforcements, could save Valencia; and his plan was to defend the -lines which had been formed for its protection as long as possible, -without entirely compromising the safety of his army. - -♦VALENCIA.♦ - -Valencia stands in an open plain, upon the right bank of the -Guadalaviar, about two miles from the sea. Its old ramparts were at -this time in good preservation; but works of antiquity are of little -use against the implements of modern war. They were thick walls of -brick-work, flanked with round towers at equal distances, and without -moats. The river flows at the foot of the walls the whole extent of -the eastern side, separating the city from its suburbs; the suburbs, -being of later date than the town, are more open and commodiously -built, and contain a larger population; including them, the number -of inhabitants is estimated at 82,000. The adjoining country is in -the highest state of cultivation; and the city, from its history, its -remains of antiquity, and the customs of the people, is one of the most -interesting and curious in the whole Peninsula. In no part of Spain, -nor perhaps of Christendom, were there so many religious puppet-shows -exhibited; nowhere were the people more sunk in all the superstitions -of Romish idolatry, and, if the reproaches of even the Spaniards -themselves may be credited, there was as little purity of morals as of -faith. It is a proverbial saying, that in Valencia the meat is grass, -the grass water, the men women, and the women[32] nothing. But if the -Valencians were, as a censurer has said of them, light equally in -mind and body, the cause has been wrongly imputed to their genial and -delicious climate; the state of ignorance to which a double despotism -had reduced the nation, and the demoralizing practices of the Romish -church, sufficiently account for their degradation. - -The Guadalaviar at Valencia is about a hundred yards wide; it is -usually kept low, because its waters are drawn off by canals, which -render the adjoining country like a rich garden; but in the rainy -season the stream is so strong, that it has frequently swept away its -bridges. There are five of these, fine structures, and so near each -other, that all may be seen at once. Two had been broken down, and -the other three were covered by _têtes-de-pont_. There had been ample -time to provide for defence, and much labour and much cost had been -bestowed upon the works which were deemed necessary. A small ditch -filled with water was made round the wall, with a covered way; works -also were constructed to defend the gates; but the Valencians chiefly -relied upon their intrenched camp, which contained within its extensive -line the city, and the three suburbs upon the right bank. These works -were fortified with bastions, and mounted with 100 pieces of cannon; -they extended from the sea to Olivette; but as the point in which they -terminated was weak, because it could be attacked in the rear by the -left bank, other interior works were commenced, for the purpose of -insulating this from the rest of the line. The engineers relied also -upon their command of the river, meaning to cover the approaches by -inundations, and to fill the fosses of their camp, which might easily -be done, the ground being a low plain intersected by numerous canals. - -♦SUCHET SUMMONS VALENCIA.♦ - -Suchet summoned the city the day after his victory, saying, that he -had taken 8000 prisoners, many generals, and the greater part of -Blake’s artillery, and calling upon the governor to save Valencia from -the calamities and outrages which a vain resistance must inevitably -draw upon it, and of which all the fortresses besieged and taken by -the French presented terrible examples. He promised an amnesty for -the past, offered the people his special protection, and assured them -that the French would endeavour, by generous proceedings, to make them -forget the evils of war, and the horrible anarchy in which they had -so long been plunged. Blake published this summons, and did not think -proper to reply to it; at the same time he appealed to the people as -witnesses of the valour with which the troops had fought, and the good -order in which they had effected their retreat, for the purpose of -occupying their former position. - -♦HE ESTABLISHES HIMSELF IN THE SUBURB, AND IN THE PORT.♦ - -The enemy soon closed upon the city, and established themselves in the -suburb called Serrano, on the left bank of the river, not, however, -without considerable opposition. They won their way foot by foot, -and carried the last house by sapping and mining. Had the spirit of -which the people here gave proof been properly fostered and directed, -Valencia would have been safe. Having gained the suburb, they formed a -contravallation of three strong redoubts, having seven feet water in -their ditches, with two fortified convents and some houses, to confine -the besieged within their têtes-de-pont. The fire of the Spaniards -was well directed to annoy them during these operations; but the loss -inflicted upon the enemy by no means counterbalanced the advantage -which they had gained, in possessing themselves of the fortified -convents in the suburb. Next they occupied the Grao, which is the port -of Valencia. - -Suchet’s left was now at the Grao, his right at Liria, and his centre -in the suburbs. Using every possible exertion to ensure success, he -brought up in the course of December 100 four-and-twenty pounders, -thirty mortars and howitzers; and when this formidable train was -ready, and his reinforcements had arrived, he put the army in motion -for decisive operations. On the night between the 25th and 26th of -December, two bridges were rapidly constructed by the engineers, a -league from Manisses, above all the sources of the different waters, in -order that the troops might not be engaged in a labyrinth of canals. -Blake had posted his infantry from the sea to Manisses, and his cavalry -on more elevated ground above that village, to cover his left. He had -fortified the villages of Mislata, Quarte, and Manisses, on the banks -of the river, and connected them by lines with artillery. His great -object was to keep possession of Quarte and S. Onofre; as long as that -was done, and the cavalry retained its position, it would be in his -power either to risk a general action, drawing from Valencia all the -troops for that purpose; or to evacuate the city, and leaving only a -small garrison for the purpose of capitulating, draw off and save the -great body of the army. And even if the enemy should succeed in turning -the left wing, and thus cut off his retreat by the great road, it was -scarcely possible, he thought, that the two Cullera roads should be -intercepted on both sides of the lake of Albufera. - -The general’s hopes were, as usual, frustrated by the misconduct of -those in whom he trusted, and by the ♦DEC. 26.♦ rapidity of Suchet’s -movements. At daybreak the two bridges were completed, three divisions -of infantry and the whole of the horse passed, and drove back the -Spanish cavalry; and the French getting possession of the sluices, -turned the waters of the canals into the river, and thus deprived -Valencia of one means of defence on which she had relied. Another -division crossed the river between Quarte and Mislata to occupy the -Spaniards in front. Here Zayas again displayed that resolution, and -that military skill, which made him more, perhaps, than any other man -at this time the hope of the Spanish armies; but the troops on the -left, where Mahy commanded, gave way, as they had done in the former -action; they abandoned the intrenchments at S. Onofre, ... the vital -points of the line, ... without even waiting for an attack, and retired -from Manisses almost upon the first fire. Mahy, with about 5000 men, -reached Alcira, abandoning the artillery; the rest of the division was -unaccounted for; the loss in killed could have been little or none, -and the French made no boast of the numbers which they had taken; they -who were missing then must mostly have dispersed in their flight, the -unavoidable consequence when men have lost all confidence in their -leaders. - -The investment of Valencia was completed before the close of the day; -and Suchet, again turning against the Spaniards those advantages of -which they had so little availed themselves, secured himself everywhere -by the canals and fosses with which the ground was intersected. Still -the lines remained which the Valencians had for three years been -employed in constructing; but after the labour, and the cost which -had been expended upon them, when the hour of need came they were -found, or thought to be, untenable. Blake, with the troops who were -without the city, might still have effected a retreat; but he wished -to save as much of the army as possible, and to prepare the people -for a catastrophe which they had never looked on to, and to which he -perceived they would not be induced to submit, till they felt the -uttermost necessity. Such, indeed, was their disposition, that men like -Santiago Sass, and D. Pedro Maria Ric, and such women as the Countess -Burita, would have protected them better than Blake with his army and -all his lines and defences. - -♦THE ARMY ENDEAVOURS TO ESCAPE.♦ - -A council of war was held, and it was agreed unanimously that the -army should endeavour to effect its escape on the night of the 28th. -They went through the gate of S. Jose; but before they had gone far, -the advanced posts discovered them; about 300 men made their way to -the mountains under favour of the darkness, about as many more were -killed or drowned in the canals, and the rest withdrew within their -intrenchments, having no confidence in the works, nor in their general; -and their general having none in them, nor in himself, nor any hope -from without or from ♦XATIVA SURRENDERED.♦ within. An event more -discouraging than the surrender of Murviedro occurred the day after -this attempt, for the town of St. Philippe, half way on the road to -Alicante, was given up without opposition to Suchet’s advanced guard. -This place had distinguished itself in the War of the Succession for -its inflexible fidelity to the Austrian party. The inhabitants defended -themselves, as Marshal Berwick relates, with unheard-of firmness, -maintaining street by street and house by house, for eight days after -his troops were within the walls; in revenge for which he razed the -town; all the surviving inhabitants were removed to Castile, and -forbidden on pain of death ever to return; and Philip, when a new town -was erected on the ruins, abolished its old name of Xativa, and imposed -upon it that of St. Philippe.... Even the new race of inhabitants felt -this name as a reproach; and but a few months before this cowardly -surrender, the Cortes, at their petition, had passed an edict restoring -the old appellation. It was just restored in time to be disgraced. -The French found a great quantity of provisions and a million of -cartridges, ... hoarded there for this shameful end! - -While the enemy succeeded thus, almost without opposition in every -thing they attempted, Blake resolved to make a second trial at -escape; but the people ♦BLAKE ABANDONS THE LINES AND RETIRES INTO THE -CITY.♦ compelled him to give up this project, and remain in patient -expectation of a fate which he no longer made an effort to avert. This -he calls an inconsiderate popular movement; but the people, who saw -their works as yet untouched, above 16,000 regular troops to defend -them, including the best officers and artillerymen in the service, -with artillery and military stores in abundance, and the population of -the city ready and eager to bear their part in the defence, might have -encouraged a general to hope, and ought to have inspired him with a -more ♦1812.♦ heroic despair. Suchet opened his trenches on the first -night of the new year; on the fourth they were advanced within fifty -toises of the ditch. Blake then called another council, the result of -which was, that the lines were abandoned, and the troops retired into -the city, taking with them their field artillery, but leaving eighty -pieces behind. - -The French general says, that the astonishing desertion from the -Spanish army induced Blake to abandon these vast and important -works. Blake himself assigned no such cause, but the desertion must -undoubtedly have been very great, ... a commander who feels no hope can -excite none. The suburb of Quarte was immediately seized by the enemy, -and Suchet bombarded the city during the whole of the fifth. The next -morning he sent in a summons, “thinking,” he says, “that an army which -had just abandoned works of such strength, mounted with eighty-one -pieces of cannon, would call loudly for capitulation, now that they -saw the effects of ♦THE CITY A SECOND TIME SUMMONED. JANUARY.♦ a -bombardment upon a city which at that time contained no fewer than -200,000 souls.” The summons was in these words: ... “General, the laws -of war assign a period to the sufferings of the people; this period -has arrived. The imperial army is now within ten toises of the body of -your fortress; in some hours several breaches may be effected; and then -a general assault must precipitate the French columns into Valencia. -If you wait for this terrible moment, it will no longer be in my -power to control the fury of the soldiers, and you alone will have to -answer to God and man for the evils which must overwhelm Valencia. The -desire to spare the total ruin of a great city determines me to offer -you an honourable capitulation: I engage to preserve to the officers -their equipages, and to respect the property of the inhabitants. It -is unnecessary for me to add, that the religion we profess shall be -revered. I expect your reply in two hours, and salute you with very -high consideration.” - -Blake replied, “Yesterday, perhaps before noon, I might have consented -to change the position of the army, and evacuate the city, for the -sake of saving its inhabitants from the horrors of a bombardment; -but the first twenty-four hours which your excellency has employed -in setting it on fire have taught me how much I may depend upon the -constancy of the people, and their resignation to every sacrifice -which may be necessary, in order that the army may maintain the honour -of the Spanish name. Your excellency may consequently continue your -operations; and as to the responsibility before God and man, for all -the misfortunes which the defence of the place occasions, and all -those which war brings with it, it cannot attach to me.” This ♦SUCHET -EXPECTS A DESPERATE RESISTANCE.♦ reply led Suchet to apprehend he -should have to encounter a Zaragozan resistance. “The general,” said -he in his dispatches, “is no longer the master; he is obliged to obey -the decisions of a fanatical Junta, composed of seven persons, five of -whom are Franciscan monks, and the other two butchers of Valencia; the -same who, about three years ago, directed the massacre of 400 French -families that were ordered out of the country. I therefore continue my -operations with vigour against the place, which at this present moment -counts a population of 200,000 souls. Five of the principal chiefs -of the insurgents are now within its walls, with all their property, -and whatever fanatics or madmen are yet left in Spain. The engineers -will open their works under the walls. The artillery raises formidable -batteries; and notwithstanding the rains, it will in a few days be -able to make a breach in the last enclosure. The army is waiting with -impatience for the attack, and if we should have to make a war of -houses, as at Zaragoza, it will be rendered of short continuance, by -the ability and rapidity of our miners.” - -Had the Valencians resorted to this mode of defence, Suchet’s miners -would have found themselves engaged in an extraordinary subterranean -war, among the Roman sewers; but after relying so long upon the army, -and a military defence, it was too late to organize the people for that -better system, which, if it had been determined upon from the first, -might have proved successful, and which, even in its most disastrous -termination, would have added as much to the strength of Spain as to -the honour of Valencia. But Blake had nothing of the heroic character -which had been displayed so eminently in Zaragoza and Gerona. He was a -soldier, skilful enough in his profession, to have held a respectable, -perhaps a high rank, if he had commanded well-disciplined troops; and -now at the last he performed all that ♦HE BOMBARDS THE CITY.♦ the code -of military duty requires. Three days and nights Suchet bombarded -the city, which was so utterly unprovided for such an attack, that -the people had not even cellars in which to take shelter: the enemy -continued their approaches, till they had effected a lodgement in the -last houses of the suburbs, and placed mines under two of the principal -gates. Blake then offered to give up the city, on condition that he -might march out with the army. Such terms were of course rejected; a -council of war was therefore held, and terms of capitulation proposed, -to which Suchet agreed the more readily, because, according to the -system of Buonaparte, he meant to be bound by them no farther than -suited his interest, or his inclination. The troops were to be made -prisoners of war, the inhabitants and their property protected, and no -inquiry made into the conduct of those who had taken an active part -in the war. In one point the Spanish general exceeded his powers; -forgetting that he was no longer in a situation to act as one of the -Regents, and that even his free and voluntary act would have required -the consent and approbation of the other members of the executive, he -agreed that the French prisoners in Majorca, Alicant, and Carthagena, -should be exchanged. - -This capitulation delivered into the hands of the enemy 16,131 -effective troops of the line, besides about 2000 in the hospitals, -1800 cavalry and artillery horses, twenty-two generals, Zayas and -Lardizabal among ♦JAN. 9. BLAKE SURRENDERS THE CITY TO THE ARMY.♦ -them, 893 officers, and 374 pieces of cannon. The most irreparable -loss was that of fifty good artillery officers, formed in the school -of Segovia, nearly 400 sappers and miners, and 1400 old artillerymen. -The battle of Ocaña drew after it more disastrous consequences, but -the loss in itself had been far less severe. Thus terminated General -Blake’s unfortunate career; his failure at Niebla was the only one of -his many misfortunes which was disreputable, but all experience was -lost upon him: often and severely as he had felt the want of discipline -in his troops, his obstinacy was not to be overcome, and he never would -consent that the Spanish army should be brought into an efficient state -of discipline by the English, though he had seen that a similar measure -had delivered Portugal, and must have known that it would as certainly -deliver Spain. But though the loss of a general, thus incorrigible in -error, and whose continual ill fortune was such as almost to deprive -the army under him of all hope, could not be regretted for the sake of -Spain, Blake himself, amid all his errors and misfortunes, maintained -the character of a brave man, and it was not possible to read his last -dispatch without some degree of respect as well as compassion. “I -hope,” said he, “your highness will be pleased to ratify the exchange -which has been agreed upon, and to transmit orders in consequence -to Majorca. As to what concerns myself, the exchange of officers of -my rank is so distant, that I consider the lot of my whole life as -determined; and therefore, in the moment of my expatriation, which is -equivalent to death, I earnestly entreat your highness, that if my -services have been acceptable to my country, and I have never yet done -anything to forfeit the claim, it will be pleased to take under its -protection my numerous family.” - -Suchet observed the capitulation like a Frenchman of the new system. -He had promised that no man should be molested for the part which he -had taken; but no sooner was he master of the city, than he sent 1500 -monks and friars prisoners into France, and executed in the public -square some of those who were most distinguished for their zeal in the -national cause. - - - - -CHAPTER XL. - - ATTEMPT ON ALICANTE. PENISCOLA BETRAYED. NEW REGENCY. TARIFA - UNSUCCESSFULLY BESIEGED BY THE FRENCH. RECAPTURE OF CIUDAD - RODRIGO AND BADAJOZ. - - -♦1812.♦ - -M. Suchet was rewarded for his services with the title of Duc -d’Albufera, and with a grant of the revenues arising from the lake of -that name near Valencia, and from the domains adjoining. He was told -that he had now to obtain possession of Alicante and Carthagena, and -then the only remaining points from which the war could be kept up on -that side of Spain would be closed. It ♦JANUARY. ATTEMPT ON ALICANTE.♦ -was, indeed, considered at Cadiz, that Alicante might soon be expected -to fall in consequence of the loss of Valencia; and Carthagena was -regarded as so insecure, that the Conde de la Bisbal suggested the -propriety of occupying the heights which command it by a British -force. Before this precaution was taken, a premature demonstration -against Alicante had the effect of putting the inhabitants upon -their guard. To secure the success of Suchet’s operations against -Valencia, Marshal Marmont, pursuant to Buonaparte’s instructions, -had sent General Montbrun, with two divisions of infantry and one of -horse, to co-operate with him, by manœuvring against the corps of -Mahy and Freyre, which he was either to cut off or compel to return -into Alicante; but his orders were, at all events, to rejoin the army -of Portugal from which he had been detached by the twentieth of the -month at latest. Montbrun reached Almanza on the day that Valencia -capitulated; nevertheless, in opposition to Suchet’s advice, he -persisted in advancing to Alicante, which he summoned to surrender, -and then throwing in a few shells, commenced his return toward Madrid, -having raised the spirits of the Spaniards by this unsupported and -unsuccessful attempt, and afforded to a more vigilant enemy an -opportunity which was not lost. - -♦DÉNIA SURRENDERED.♦ - -Suchet followed up his success by sending a division against the little -town and port of Dénia, which, though protected by a respectable -fortress, was surrendered without resistance: he then sent General -Severoli against Peniscola, a place so strong by nature, and so well -secured by art, that it had obtained the name of Little Gibraltar, -and was, in fact, impregnable ♦PENISCOLA BETRAYED BY GARCIA NAVARRO.♦ -by any regular attack. But General Garcia Navarro commanded there: he -had been taken prisoner in 1810, had escaped from France, was trusted -with this important post, and now betrayed his trust, and entered the -Intruder’s service, saying, he would rather share the fate of his -country and submit to the French, than act under English orders. As -this man was one of the basest traitors who deserted his country in -its need, so was he the most unlucky in timing his treason; for so -great a change was presently effected in the relative situation of the -contending powers, as to make it apparent even to himself that he had -taken the losing side, and would have only perpetual infamy for his -reward. About the same time, but in a very ♦CARRERA KILLED IN MURCIA.♦ -different manner, the Spaniards lost General D. Martin de la Carrera, -who had distinguished himself in the recovery of Galicia, and had borne -throughout the war an honourable name. He now commanded the cavalry -of the Murcian army: a French detachment from Granada under General -Soult, the Marshal’s brother, had entered the city of Murcia and -were raising contributions there, when Carrera attacked them with his -advanced guard, gallantly, but unsuccessfully; for though he took them -by surprise, their numbers were greater than he had expected to find, -and he fell in the market-place, fighting bravely till the last. The -French having sacked the city abandoned it during the night, and on the -morrow Carrera was interred with all the honours which the inhabitants -could bestow. On that day month his exequies were performed in the -cathedral as a public solemnity, the General D. Jose O’Donnell, with -Generals Mahy, Freyre, and other officers attending; the foundation -of a monument to his memory was laid upon the spot where he fell; and -O’Donnell and the other officers, touching the stains of his blood with -their swords, swore like him to die for their country whenever the -sacrifice of their lives should be called for, and added to that vow, -one of perpetual hatred towards the French. - -♦NEW CONSTITUTION.♦ - -The Cortes, meantime, as if they were equally certain that the country -would be delivered from its merciless invaders, and that no measures -which they could take would accelerate the deliverance, employed -themselves with unhappy diligence in forming a new constitution: -a small but zealous minority succeeded in dictating this to their -reluctant but less active colleagues; and in its details, as little -regard was paid to the opinions and feelings of the people, as to -the rights of the aristocracy and the fundamental principles of the -government. The public were far more interested in a change of the -Regency ... for the removal of ♦CHANGE OF REGENCY.♦ Blake after his -manifold misfortunes was considered as a gain, even though accompanied -with the loss of an army. The new Regency consisted of the Duque del -Infantado, at that time ambassador in England; D. Joaquin Mosquera -y Figueroa, who was one of the Council of the Indies; D. Juan Maria -Villavicencio, a lieutenant-general in the navy; D. Ignacio Rodriguez -de Rivas, of the royal council, and the Conde de la Bisbal. A new army -was set on foot in Murcia, to supply the place of that which had been -carried into captivity with Blake; and the national hopes were raised -by successes in other quarters, as brilliant as they were at this time -unlooked for. - -♦BALLASTEROS RETREATS TO THE LINES OF ST. ROQUE.♦ - -Ballasteros had been appointed to the command in Andalusia, following -a system of war like that of the Guerrillas, which was best suited -both to his own talents and the indiscipline and wretched equipment -of his troops, he had inflicted more loss upon the enemy than they -sustained from any of the regular Spanish armies. In vain did M. Soult -boast repeatedly of defeating and putting him to flight; the men who -dispersed to-day collected again on the morrow: and while the French -were rejoicing for having routed him at one point, they heard that he -had re-appeared in force at another, and made himself felt when he was -least dreaded. In September he landed at Algeziras to act in aid of the -mountaineers of Ronda: a movement was then planned by the enemy for -cutting him off, and for getting possession of Tarifa, an important -point which they had hitherto neglected, as if in full expectation -that no measures for securing it would be thought of by the Spaniards -and their allies till it should be too late. After some slaughter of -the peasantry and some partial actions, General Godinot advancing -with 5000 men from Prado del Rey, found Ballasteros well posted in -front of Ximena: he retired to collect a stronger force, and having -been joined by two columns under Generals Barroux and Semele advanced -again with from 8 to 10,000 men, meaning to march upon St. Roque, -occupy the coast, and get possession of Tarifa by a _coup de main_. -Ballasteros, who had not half that ♦OCT. 10.♦ number in a state of -discipline on which any reliance could be placed, fell back upon the -heights of St. Roque, and took a position on the right of the town: -four days afterwards the French appeared, and endeavoured to bring on -an engagement; but Ballasteros knew his own weakness: he fell back upon -the old Spanish lines, and all the inhabitants of St. Roque flying -from their town, took shelter under the guns of Gibraltar. The French -invited them to return to their houses, with promises of security and -protection; but bitter experience had now taught the Spaniards what -French protection meant, and they threw themselves upon the compassion -of their allies. Rations were allotted both for them and the Spanish -troops, and the reservoirs and tanks were emptied for their use. - -So busy and so stimulating a scene had not been witnessed from -Gibraltar since the last siege of the rock. The fugitives, without -any other accommodation or means of subsistence than what charity -could supply them, were scattered about in all directions near the -bay-side barrier; the French occupied the heights, and Ballasteros, -with his hardy and half-naked bands, remained under protection of the -rock, waiting in hope that want would soon compel the enemy to retire, -for previous arrangements had been made for annoying them in ♦TARIFA -ATTEMPTED BY THE FRENCH.♦ the rear and cutting off their supplies. -Godinot was not more successful in his design of seizing Tarifa. -Aware that such an attempt would be made, and warned by the example -of Tarragona to take measures for resisting the enemy in time, the -Spanish government dispatched a force under D. Francisco de Copons to -garrison the town; and 1000 British infantry, with a detachment of -artillery under Colonel Skerrett, embarked at the same time for the -same service. This, it was supposed, would also operate as a diversion -in favour of Ballasteros. The British troops landed on the very day -that Ballasteros fell back under the rock; but a strong easterly gale -delayed the Spanish part of the expedition. On the 18th about 1500 -of the enemy advanced against Tarifa by the pass of La Pena; but the -road could be commanded from the sea, and our vessels fired upon them -with such effect that they turned back. Godinot meantime felt severely -the want of supplies; for the mountaineers of Ronda, and the parties -which Ballasteros had appointed for that purpose, intercepted his -communications and cut off his detachments. Three days, therefore, -after his ineffectual demonstration against Tarifa, he retreated by -Ximena upon Ubrique. Ballasteros was soon at his heels, and falling -upon the division which composed the rear-guard, put it to flight, -pursued it for three leagues, and brought away prisoners, knapsacks, -and arms in abundance. He soon obtained a more important advantage: -dividing his army for the purpose of deceiving the enemy, he collected -it by a ♦NOV. 5.♦ general movement from different directions to one -point, in the village of Prado del Rey, and marching from thence by -night, surprised Semele at daybreak. This general had taken his station -at Bornos upon the right bank of the Guadalete, with 2000 foot, 160 -horse, and three pieces of artillery. All the mules and baggage fell -into the hands of the Spaniards; about 100 prisoners were taken, and -the corps was put ♦OCT. 5.♦ to flight. This fresh misfortune proved -fatal to Godinot, whom Soult recalled to Seville. On his arrival in -the evening he went to rest; early the next morning he came out of his -chamber, took the musket of the sentry unobserved, and blew out his own -brains. - -The plans of Marshal Soult, however, were not to be frustrated by -partial reverses, though they were impeded by them. France has rarely -or never had an abler man in her service than this general, nor -one who might have attained a higher reputation, if his consummate -abilities had not been devoted to the service of a tyrant, and sullied -by cruelties which bring disgrace upon France and upon human nature. -He had lost Tarifa by relying too confidently on the supineness and -inattention of the allies. The French entered it when they first -overran Andalusia; and having, as they thought, taken possession, -passed on to other points of more immediate importance. The governor -of Gibraltar, General Colin Campbell, seized the opportunity, and -occupied it with about 250 men and thirty gunners under Major Brown of -the 28th. A few weeks afterwards, a thousand French arrived to garrison -it: the general hatred of the Spaniards prevented them from getting -any information but what their own people, and the few traitors whom -they had seduced, could supply; and their troops were under no little -surprise when they found the gates closed against them. They drew up -below the eastern hills, within musket-range, and poured their bullets -into the town; and they entered the suburbs, where several of our men -were killed; but they were without artillery, and seeing a detachment -issue through the sea-gate to take possession of the south-east hills, -and bring some guns to bear upon their flank, they hastily retired, and -made no farther attempt to occupy the place, till this time. - -♦TARIFA.♦ - -Tarifa is believed to have been a settlement of the Phœnicians. It -derives its present name from Tarik, who first led the Moors into -Spain, and who is said to have built the castle. The town had long· -been declining, till the late wars in which Spain had been involved -with England, in consequence of her unhappy connexion with France, -gave it a new importance: for a little island which stands out boldly -into the Straits off the town rendered it a favourable station for gun -boats; and during the late war these boats inflicted greater losses -upon the trade of Great Britain than it suffered from all the fleets -of all her enemies. There were two half-moon batteries and a martello -tower on the island; but when the Spaniards at the commencement of -this dreadful struggle formed their alliance with Great Britain, -these works, with the whole line of defence along the Straits, were -dismantled, lest the French should at any time turn it against the best -ally of Spain. The enemy occupied no point which in so great a degree -commanded the straits; and Soult was now the more desirous of obtaining -it, because he was at this time negotiating with Morocco, and the -possession of Tarifa, which is only five leagues distant from Tangiers, -would render it impossible for England with all her naval means to -prevent him from receiving corn; and thus the difficulty of supplying -the French armies would be greatly lessened, if not altogether removed. - -♦TARIFA REGARRISONED BY THE ENGLISH.♦ - -The little garrison which had saved this important place was withdrawn -for the expedition under Generals Lapeña and Graham, and when the -latter re-entered the Isle of Leon, he left Tarifa uncovered; -but General Colin Campbell a second time secured it, by sending -thither the marines from the ships at Gibraltar. Soon after it was -re-garrisoned, Major King of the 82nd was appointed to the command, -and he and the Spanish governor, D. Manuel Daban, delayed not to take -precautions against a danger, the approach of which now began to be -apprehended. Piquets were placed at La Pena, at Facinas, and Port -Alanca, and provisions were laid in for a siege. The first movement -of the enemy indicated their ultimate object; D. Antonio Begines de -los Rios, an officer who had distinguished himself daring General -Lapeña’s expedition, and who was now stationed at Algeziras, made a -representation of the approaching danger, and General Campbell directed -that some field works should be thrown up on the island to secure a -retreat, in case a retreat should be unavoidable. These works excited -some jealousy in the governor; but Major King explained to him their -use and necessity; and Ballasteros, who inspected them about the same -time, expressed in animated terms his gratitude to the British nation, -seeming at that time, like a brave and generous man, to feel no petty -suspicions, or lingering of old prejudices, or resentment of false and -ill-directed pride. - -♦COL. SKERRETT AND COPONS ARRIVE THERE.♦ - -In the middle of October, Colonel Skerrett arrived with about 1200 men, -and took the command of the garrison; and in a few days D. Francisco -de Copons followed him with 900 Spaniards and about 100 cavalry. The -Spanish general demanded that the keys of the town should be given -up to him, and Colonel Skerrett would have acceded to this, if it -had not been represented, that his predecessors had kept possession -of the keys, first to guard against any treachery; secondly, because -the brother of the governor was in the French service; and, thirdly, -as it was more conformable to the honour of the British nation. The -validity of the two former reasons had been but too often proved: the -latter might well have been dispensed with; on the part of England -there was no point of honour implicated, and the British officer acted -as he did for the welfare and security of Spain. The question was -referred by Colonel Skerrett to Governor Campbell’s decision; and the -rapid approach of the enemy, and the hearty co-operation of the allies -against him, removed all jealousies which otherwise might have arisen. - -♦THE FRENCH INVEST THE TOWN.♦ - -The French advanced in such superior numbers, that little attempt -could be made to oppose or impede them. They took possession of the -surrounding hills on the 19th of December, and lighted fires, which -were supposed to be for the purpose of misleading our gun-boats; for -these vessels annoyed them materially by keeping up a brisk fire upon -the pass of La Pena and the hills near the beach. By the following -night the town was closely invested, after a warm day’s work, in which -the artillery on both sides played with destructive effect. One of the -enemy’s shells killed an artillery driver and eight artillery horses; -fourteen Spaniards were killed by another. The allies lost seventy-one -in killed and wounded; the loss of the enemy was also great. Four -ten-inch mortars on the island were seen to do terrible execution; one -of their shells burst in the centre of a column, and towards evening, -when the enemy were most heated and exposed themselves most, they were -evidently checked by the unexpected resistance which they met with. The -siege was now fairly commenced, and the cavalry and staff-horses, as -no longer useful, were sent to the island, from thence to be embarked -on the first opportunity. An account of the enemy’s force was obtained -from a serjeant who was brought in prisoner; there were 11,000 men, he -said, with eighteen pieces of cannon, long sixteen pounders, and two -howitzers; Marshal Victor commanded. The prisoner entreated that he -might not be given up to the Spaniards. When he was asked whether he -thought the French would succeed in the siege, he replied, “That their -Emperor Napoleon had given them positive orders to take the place, -and he generally provided means adequate to the end in view.” The man -appeared sensible and well informed; this confidence in the wisdom with -which their operations were directed was probably common to the whole -French army, and it constituted half their strength. - -♦DOUBTS WHETHER THE TOWN COULD BE DEFENDED.♦ - -The allies were not equally confident that they should be able to -defend the place; and the commanding-officer of the flotilla surveyed -the coast of the island, to fix upon a spot for embarking the garrison, -if they should be compelled to evacuate both posts. A precaution of -this kind, if it had been publicly known, might have contributed, by -disheartening the men, to produce the catastrophe which it seemed to -anticipate; but it was the duty of the commanders to think of the -worst result, while they hoped and acted for the best; and when they -remembered what weak walls and insufficient works were opposed to a -numerous enemy, experienced in all the arts of war, and more especially -in the attack of fortified places, it was not without good reason that -they thought it expedient to provide a place for embarkation. Hitherto, -however, the defence had been well and fortunately conducted; and -the fire of the gun boats and from the island was so well directed, -that great part of the enemy’s stores and their heavy artillery had -not yet been able to come through the pass of La Pena. By daybreak on -the 24th, the French had brought their approaches within 400 yards, -immediately opposite the north-east tower. That morning an express -arrived from Cadiz, with orders for Colonel Skerrett to embark his -brigade: a council of war was held, but not for the purpose for which -such councils under such circumstances are usually convened; ... a -right spirit prevailed among the British officers, and they determined -that the place should not be abandoned. To go once in his life, as -Colonel Skerrett had done, to the relief of a besieged town, and -see its imminent distress, without bearing part in its defence, was -sufficient grief for a brave and generous man; the French had insulted -and vilified him for not having done at Tarragona what no want of will -prevented him from doing; opportunity was now given him of showing them -his real character, and he did not fail to improve it. - -♦DECEMBER.♦ - -On the night between Christmas eve and Christmas day, the French -broke ground opposite the east tower at 400 yards distance, and on -the following night they strengthened their approaches at all points, -and advanced 150 yards nearer to the east and north-east towers. At -both points they opened a fire from a number of wall-pieces, and fired -musketry and wall-pieces through pyramids of earth-sacks from the -summit of one of the hills. Thence they poured their bullets over the -whole town, but the men were so well covered that little hurt was done. -The fire of the garrison was equally brisk and more successful; ... -it was not, however, possible to prevent the enemy from advancing in -works, carried on upon the perfect rules of art; and in case it should -be found impossible to maintain Tarifa, final arrangements were made -for the order of retreat, and signals established with the island, -to signify when the island was to fire on the breach, the suburbs, -and on the town, so that our troops might be saved from any error in -the possible confusion, and as much loss as possible inflicted on the -assailants. - -A heavy fire was opened on the 29th from two batteries; one bore upon -the flotilla boats, which were then at anchor in the eastern bay, -and they were fain to cut their cables and put to sea. This battery -then threw shot and shells to almost every part of the island. The -men received little hurt, for they were at work at the traverses; -but two of the female inhabitants of the town, who had taken refuge -there, were wounded, one losing a leg, and several horses and mules -were killed. The other was a breaching battery planted in the valley, -nearly opposite the Retiro tower, at three hundred yards distance. By -the evening a breach about five feet wide was made to the right of this -tower. The eastern tower was as yet untouched, but the enemy approached -it by sap within fifty yards. Some of the inhabitants were killed and -wounded in the course of the day retreating to the island. The men -suffered little, for they were ordered to keep under cover. Their -spirit was manifested upon an occasion which might have led to the -worst consequences. One of our artillery officers spiked two guns; the -troops were exceedingly indignant when it was whispered among them, and -they expressed their discontent at the apprehension of being made to -abandon the town, without having a fair set-to with the enemy. General -Copons appeared highly enraged when he was informed of what had been -done; and the temper which both Spaniards and English displayed at this -circumstance taught them how well each might rely upon the other in -this their common cause. - -♦DEC. 30. - -THE GARRISON SUMMONED.♦ - -The next day, by ten in the morning, the breach had been enlarged -to three-and-twenty yards, and about noon a flag of truce arrived; -... it was a service of danger to carry it, the day being so foggy, -that the flag could scarcely be seen. General Leval who commanded the -besieging troops, summoned the governor, saying, “that the defence made -by the fortress under his command had sufficiently established that -fair name which is the basis of military honour: that in a few hours -the breach would be practicable, and that the same honour which had -prompted him to resistance, imposed it now as a duty upon him to spare -the lives of a whole population, whose fate was in his hands, rather -than see them buried amid the ruins of their town.” Copons answered in -these words: “When you propose to the governor of this fortress to -admit a capitulation, because the breach will shortly be practicable, -you certainly do not know that I am here. When the breach shall be -absolutely practicable, you will find me upon it, at the head of my -troops to defend it. There we will negotiate.” After receiving his -reply, the French renewed their fire upon the breach, but most of the -balls passed through it into the houses which stood opposite. - -♦THE FRENCH REPULSED IN AN ASSAULT.♦ - -Preparations were now made on both sides for the assault, and at -eight on the following morning the enemy advanced from their trenches -in every direction. 2000 of their men moved by the bed of the river -in front of the breach; the 87th regiment flanked the breach to the -north and south, leaving two companies in reserve to bayonet the -assailants if they should leap the wall. This, however, was not much -to be apprehended; for the town is built in a hollow, and in that part -the wall on the inside was fourteen feet lower than on the out. The -breach opened into a narrow street, which had been barricaded on each -side, and was well flanked and secured with _chevaux-de-frize_, for -which the iron balconies, commonly used in Spanish towns, furnished -ready and excellent materials. When Colonel Gough saw them advancing, -he drew his sword, threw away the scabbard, and ordered his band to -strike up the Irish air of _Garry-Owen_. The men immediately cheered, -and opened their fire. The 47th, who lined a wall which descended from -the south-east tower, and flanked the enemy’s columns, did the same, -and the carnage made among the enemy was such, that they halted for -a moment, as if dismayed, then ran to the edge of the breach. This -they saw was impracticable, and hurrying off under the wall, they made -a dash at the portcullis. Here the barricade was impenetrable, and -finding themselves in a situation where courage could be of no avail, -and where they were brought down by hundreds, they fled. Colonel Gough -seeing them fly, bade his band strike up _St. Patrick’s Day_, and the -men were so inspirited, that it was scarcely possible to restrain them -from pursuing the fugitives up to their very trenches[33]. - -The enemy suffered severely in their flight; hand-grenades from -the houses were thrown upon those who fled by the wall, in hope of -security, and a six-pounder on the north-east tower flanked them. The -two leading officers of the column remained under the wall, and were -taken prisoners. A flag of truce was soon sent, to ask permission to -bury the dead. About 500 had fallen; and it was a miserable sight to -see the wounded crawling under the breach: about forty, many of whom -were officers, were brought into the town. On the part of the garrison -ten were killed and seventeen wounded. - -♦JANUARY. - -EFFECTS OF A STORM ON BOTH PARTIES.♦ - -The old year was now terminated with triumph and rejoicing at Tarifa, -but the new one came in with mourning. A dreadful storm of wind and -rain came on from the eastward, and two Spanish gun-boats, full of -fugitives from the town, were wrecked under the guns of the island. -Two-and-forty persons perished. The inhabitants who were hutted on -the eastern side of the island, were overwhelmed by the surge, all -lost their property and many of them their lives. Many more perished -by the storm than had fallen in repelling the assault. The weather, -however, brought with it some compensation to the Spaniards for this -destruction; the few shells which the enemy threw during the day fell -dead, giving proof that their ammunition had suffered, and neither -that day nor the next did they make any farther attempt on the breach, -nor move any of their guns to batter a more assailable point. During -the night of the first, the wind blew up many of the tents on the -island, and exposed the men to the storm. On the second, the rain -increased, and the wind fell; in the course of the ensuing night, a -party sallied, and found the lower trenches of the enemy so flooded -by the rains, that their piquets had abandoned them. Some deserters -now came in, and declared that two regiments had refused to assault -the breach a second time; that the sufferings which they endured from -the weather had excited a mutinous expression of discontent among the -foreigners in their army and that Victor had, in consequence of these -things, thought it necessary to send for Soult, who was arrived, and -now at the convent of La Luz. Other deserters confirmed this account, -and added, that there were about 1000 sick, and that the swelling of -the rivers cut off their supplies, and was likely to cut off their -retreat. - -The besieged did not rely too confidently upon their good fortune, -and these favourable tidings, which all appearances, as far as they -could, seemed to corroborate. Ballasteros, with 2000 of his best -troops, embarked at Algeziras, to assist in the defence of Tarifa; -but the weather prevented him from sailing, and the commander seeing -that the enemy were removing their guns higher up, and expecting that -another breach would be made, applied to General Colin Campbell for a -reinforcement. The light companies of the 9th regiment were immediately -dispatched, and landed in the course of the day, and in the following -night farther succours arrived. Toward evening, a column of the enemy -was seen advancing from La Luz, and a deserter brought intelligence -that they proposed to attack at the same time the town, the island, -and St. Catalina, ... a conical hill on the land side of the isthmus, -which was occupied as an outwork to the island; if they failed in these -simultaneous attacks, they meant to raise the siege. About an hour -after night had closed, they approached close to the eastern wall, and -poured a fire of musketry into the town; the whole of the garrison -immediately repaired to their alarm posts, and the guards on the wall -returned their fire with good effect. It was intended only for a feint, -and the enemy presently withdrew. About midnight, the garrison were -again called out by a firing on all sides of the town; the firing -suddenly ceased, and a little before daybreak it was discovered that -the enemy had retreated during the darkness. ♦JAN. 4.♦ When morning -opened, nothing but their rear guard was in sight; the light troops -pursued them as far as the river Salado, ... memorable as the place -where the Moors made their last great effort for the conquest of Spain, -and where they received from the allied armies of Castille and Portugal -one of the greatest and most important defeats which history has -recorded. - -The French buried their cannon and left behind them great part of -their stores, and what they attempted to remove, the weather and the -state of the roads compelled them to abandon upon the way. Their loss -was computed at not less than 2500 men, ... a number exceeding that -of the garrison. The siege had continued seventeen days; the wall in -front of the town was but a yard thick, and incapable of bearing heavy -artillery; a breach had been open in it for seven days. Here for the -first time, the French learned in what manner Englishmen could defend -stone walls, and Lord Wellington was about to show that they could -attack them with the same spirit and the same success. - -♦GEN. HILL OCCUPIES MERIDA.♦ - -General Hill, after his surprisal of the French at Arroyo Molinos, had -returned to his cantonments in Alentejo, watching an opportunity for -a second blow. Towards the end of December, he made a rapid movement -upon Merida in the hope of surprising them there also, but this was in -part frustrated by the accident of falling in with a detachment which -was on a plundering excursion, and which retreating with great skill -and bravery before our advanced guard, gave the alarm. Upon this the -enemy evacuated the city, leaving unfinished the works which they were -constructing for its defence, and abandoning a magazine of bread and -a considerable quantity of wheat. The British general, then hearing -that Drouet was collecting his troops at Almendralejo, marched upon -that town: but the French had retired, leaving there also a magazine -of flour; the state of the weather and of the roads, which were -daily becoming worse, prevented General Hill from pursuing; having, -therefore, cleared this part of Extremadura of the French (for they -retreated to the south), he cantoned his troops in Merida and its -vicinity, and waited for other opportunities and a fairer season. - -♦ATTEMPT TO CARRY OFF SOULT.♦ - -The Guerrillas failed about the same time in an attempt which, if it -had proved successful, would in the highest degree have gratified -the vindictive spirit of the Spaniards. Zaldivar laid an ambush for -Marshal Soult, and if a goatherd had had not apprized him of his -danger, that able commander would have been at the mercy of men as -merciless as himself. A successful achievement by D. Julian Sanchez -perhaps induced Zaldivar to undertake this well-planned, though less -fortunate, adventure. That chieftain, soon after the relief of Ciudad -Rodrigo, formed a scheme for driving off the cattle, which had been -introduced into the city, and were driven out every morning to graze -under the guns of the place. He not only succeeded in taking the -greater part of them, but made the governor, Regnauld, prisoner, who -with ♦OCT. 15.♦ a small escort had crossed the Agueda, thinking himself -perfectly safe, within sight of the fort and under its guns. About the -same time an accident occurred, which showed the gratitude as well -as the enterprise of the Spaniards. Colonel Grant, of the Portugueze -♦COL. GRANT RESCUED BY THE GUERRILLAS.♦ army, who had on many occasions -distinguished himself, was surprised at El Aceuche, and made prisoner. -D. Antonio Temprano, who commanded a squadron of hussars, obtained -intelligence that he had passed through Oropesa, on the way to -Talavera; “and because,” he said, “of the singular estimation in which -this officer deserved to be held for his services,” he determined, -if it were possible, to rescue him: for this purpose he placed an -ambush within shot of Talavera during five successive days; and on the -fifth, succeeded in delivering Colonel Grant and a Portugueze officer, -his companion in misfortune, at a time when they both expected to be -consigned to hopeless captivity. - -♦STATE OF FEELING AT MADRID.♦ - -That Temprano’s detachment should have remained five days so near a -populous city like Talavera, and no information be given to the French -garrison, is one of the many proofs which were daily occurring, how -entirely the Spanish people hated the government which Buonaparte was -endeavouring to force upon them. Meantime, even from Madrid, in spite -of the vigilance of a French police, and the rigour of a military -government, which, knowing itself to be detested, sought only to -maintain itself by fear, the inhabitants found means of sending not -only intelligence, but even supplies, to their brethren in arms. It is -related in one of the Spanish journals, as a proof of the patriotism of -the capital, and the confidence which the Spaniards there placed in -each other, that a lady gave into the hands of a carrier, whom she met -in the street, and had never seen before, a large bundle of lint and -bandages, for the nearest military hospital of her countrymen, and it -was accordingly delivered to the Junta of Leon, to be thus disposed of. -Romana’s army was clothed by contributions from Madrid. - -The ambition of the French government has been at all times well -seconded by the activity and talents of its subjects, and by that -lively interest, which more than any other people they feel for the -glory of their country; but its policy has always been counteracted by -other parts of the French character. While the Intrusive Government and -the generals upon every occasion reminded the Spaniards that they were -orthodox Roman catholics like themselves, and that the English were -heretics endeavouring thus, by raising religious animosities, to excite -disunion between them and their allies, they could not refrain from -outraging the feelings of the Spaniards, by the grossest mockery of all -things which were held sacred. Masquerades were given at Madrid on the -Sundays in Lent, and the people were shocked at seeing masks in the -characters of nuns, friars and clergy in their surplices, in the public -places of promenade, and at the theatre. They were still more offended -at beholding one in episcopal habits, and another with a cope, and -the other habits of the altar. At Albarracin and Orihuela, the French -gave balls, and exhibited a bull-fight on Holy Thursday, the cost of -which they levied upon the villages round about. “The robbery,” said -the Spaniards, “can surprise no one after our long experience of their -insolence and rapacity; but that which wounds to the quick a feeling -and pious soul, is the atrocious and sacrilegious insult which these -wretches offer to human nature, and to the religion of that God whom -they profess to adore. Common banditti commit murder after robbery, -... but to suck the blood of a victim, to expose him to a thousand -torments, and to compel him after all to outrage religion, the only -consolation and hope which he has left, and to make him with his last -tears deplore the most sacrilegious of their excesses, this is peculiar -to Buonaparte and his soldiers.” - -♦STATE OF THE COUNTRY.♦ - -The conduct of the French in other respects was such as heightened -this feeling of abhorrence; everywhere the people groaned under their -exactions, their cruelties, and their intolerable insolence. It seemed -as if it were the wish of Buonaparte and his ferocious agents utterly -to depopulate a country which they found it impossible to subdue. -Dreadful as war always is, no ordinary war could have brought upon any -nation such complicated miseries. It was impossible for those even who -would have been contented to bow, like bulrushes, before the storm, to -obtain security by any course of conduct; the orders of the Intrusive -Government were met by counter orders from the legitimate authority; -and they who obeyed that authority were, on the other hand, exposed -to the penalties enacted in the Intruder’s name. Buonaparte and his -wicked agents expected to govern Spain by terror, little thinking, -when the plan of usurpation was laid, that the character of the nation -would compensate for the imbecility of its rulers; that his system of -terror would be met by counter terrors; and that the people for whom he -proclaimed there was no safety but in obedience would, on their part, -proclaim that obedience, when carried farther than mere passive and -inevitable submission to immediate force, was a crime which would draw -upon the temporizing and the timid the very evil they sought to avert. -Nothing but that patient, persevering, obstinate, inflexible, and -invincible spirit of local patriotism which for more than two thousand -years has distinguished the Spaniards above all other nations, could -have supported them through such a struggle; while the allies, by whom, -under Providence, their deliverance was to be effected, were acquiring -confidence in their own strength, and experience, and some of that -wisdom in which at the beginning of the contest they were lamentably -wanting. But, meantime, the sufferings of the Spaniards were of the -severest kind, and as general as they were severe. There was scarcely a -family in the Peninsula, from the highest to the lowest, of which some -member had not been cut off by the sword. The affluent were deprived -of their property; the industrious of their employment; men of letters -were bereaved of the books and papers which had been the occupation and -delight of their laborious, and honourable, and disinterested lives; -and they who had grown grey in convents were driven out to beg for -bread among those who were themselves reduced to want. - -The Intruder, meantime, was in a condition which was truly pitiable, -if one who had allowed himself to be made the ostensible cause of such -wide-spreading misery and desolation had not forfeited all claim to -pity. This phantom of a king had neither money to pay his ministers -and dependents, nor authority over the armies which acted in his -name. The Frenchified Spaniards who composed his ministry, and the -French generals, agreed in despising him, ... this being almost the -only point in which they agreed: on the part of Urquijo Azanza, and -their colleagues, there was some commiseration mingled with their -contempt; their object had been to effect a change of dynasty, under -the protection of France, not to reduce Spain to the state of a -province; and they could not perceive that Joseph Buonaparte was the -mere puppet of his perfidious brother, without self-reproaches and -unavailing regret. For their own sakes, therefore, they preserved the -forms of respect toward him; but the generals were restrained by no -such feeling; they set his orders at nought, and looked only to France -for instructions. The object of the officers was to enrich themselves -by pillage; that of the commanders was to carve out dukedoms, and -provinces, and principalities, which they might govern by the sword -while Buonaparte lived, and perhaps maintain for themselves by the same -tenure after his death. - -♦THE INTRUDER GOES TO FRANCE.♦ - -Sick of his miserable situation, the Intruder went to France, to -represent the deplorable state of Spain, and press upon Buonaparte the -necessity of providing an adequate support for the government which he -had established, if he could not send into the Peninsula such a force -as should expel the English, and bear down all resistance. He himself -perhaps would have rejoiced if Buonaparte would have executed his old -threat of annexing Spain to the French empire, and treating it openly -as a conquest, ... for Joseph had neither the talents nor the temper -of an usurper: without virtue to refuse obedience to his tyrannical -brother, and yet without those vices which would make him heartily -enter into his plans, his only resource was in sensualities, for his -criminal compliance had left him no other consolation. This propensity -he would far rather have indulged in retirement and security: but the -views and wishes of his ministers were widely different: the direct -usurpation of Spain by Buonaparte would have reduced them at once to -insignificance, and placed them upon a level with Godoy, whom they, -perhaps, as well as their worthier countrymen, regarded as a traitor; -for certain it is, that among these unhappy men there were some who -began their career with good feelings, and a sincere love of their -country, and who were betrayed by error and presumptuousness, and their -connexion with France, into guilt and infamy. They dreaded nothing so -much as Joseph’s retirement, and rejoiced in his return to Spain as at -a triumph. - -♦DISTRESS BOTH OF THE INTRUSIVE AND LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT.♦ - -It suited not the immediate policy of Buonaparte to displace his -brother. Moscow instead of Madrid occupied at this time his ambitious -thoughts, and supplying with men the Intrusive Government, he left it -to shift as it could for means. So distressed was Joseph for money, -that the plate of the royal chapel at Madrid was sent to the mint, -though such an act would make him at once odious for sacrilege, and -contemptible for poverty, in the eyes of the people. In want of other -funds for his emissaries to America, he sent a large quantity of -quicksilver to be sold at Alicante: the governor there discovered -for what use the produce was designed, and seized 1700 _arrobas_, -and the agents who had it in charge. A great effort was made to pay -some of the public arrears on Buonaparte’s birthday, the fifteenth of -August, for which day St. Napoleone had been foisted into the Spanish -calendar. 100,000 _reales de vellon_ were paid on this anniversary to -the ministers. Lledo, the comedian, received 18,000, and 100 each were -distributed to some ladies of rank, who were reduced to petition the -Intruder for bread! A bull-fight was given at Madrid on this day, at -which all the bulls were white; long preparation therefore must have -been necessary for collecting them: D. Damaso Martin, the Empecinado’s -brother, carried off from the meadows of Puente de Viveros 300, which -had been destined for these ferocious sports in the capital. - -The legitimate government, meantime, was not less distressed than that -of the Intruder: as far as the contest lay between them, it was carried -on on both sides almost without any certain revenue on which either -could rely. The chief resources of the Spaniards, at the commencement -of the struggle, had been in America, and these had been cut off by -a series of deplorable events, in which it is difficult to say which -of the opposite parties was most culpable. This was now the fourth -year of the war; the spirit of the people, and the defects of their -military system, had been abundantly proved; nothing was wanting but -to remedy those defects by raising an army under the direction of Lord -Wellington, who had delivered Portugal, and might by similar means -speedily and certainly have delivered Spain. Many causes prevented -this; one is to be found in a jealousy or rather dislike of England, -which had grown up in the liberal party with their predilection for -republican France, and which continued with other errors from the same -source, still to actuate them. The pride of the Spanish character was -another and more widely influencing cause: the Spaniards remembered -that their troops had once been the best in the world; and this -remembrance, which in the people so greatly contributed to keep up -their spirit, in the government produced only a contented and baneful -torpor which seemed like infatuation. The many defeats, in the course -of four years, which they had sustained, from that at Rio Seco to the -last ruinous action before Valencia, brought with them no conviction to -the successive governments of their radical weakness and their radical -error. After Lord Wellington had driven Massena out of Portugal, it was -proposed that the command of the frontier provinces should be given -him, and that an army should be raised there under him: it was debated -in a secret sitting, and rejected by an hundred voices against thirty. - -“There are three classes of men,” said Dueñas, “who will break up -the Cortes, unless the Cortes breaks down them: they who refuse to -acknowledge the sovereignty of the nation, calling it a mere chimera, -and saying there is no sovereignty except that of the king; they who -distrust our cause, and say that the few millions who inhabit Spain -cannot make head against all Europe; and, lastly, they who imagine, -that as the French have conquered while they despise God, we may do the -same.” The deputy’s fears of the first and third of these classes were -groundless, and there were but few of the second, ... but few Spaniards -who despaired of Spain. Nothing, however, could tend so much to -increase their number as the conduct of the government; it might well -be feared that a system, if system it could be called, which trusted to -its allies, and to the events that time and chance might bring forth, -would at length exhaust the hopes and the constancy, as well as the -blood, ♦SCHEMES FOR STRENGTHENING THE GOVERNMENT.♦ of the Spaniards. -All considerate persons could not but perceive that the present -government was in no respect more efficient than that of the Central -Junta had been, which, for its inefficiency, would have been broken up -by an insurrection, if it had not prevented such a catastrophe by a -timely abdication. As a remedy for this evil, the Cortes thought at one -time of taking the executive into their own hands, and administering it -by a committee chosen from their own members; but the resemblance which -this bore to the system pursued by the French National Convention, -during the worst stage of the revolution, deterred those who favoured -it from bringing forward a proposal that would reasonably have alarmed -the greater part of the assembly, and have disgusted the nation. -They who were of opinion that the Regency would be more effective if -vested in a single person than in three or five, knew not where that -person was to be found who should unite ♦CARDINAL BOURBON.♦ legitimate -claims with individual qualifications. Cardinal Bourbon occurred to -them, but as one who had neither the personal respectability, nor -the ♦THE INFANTE D. CARLOS.♦ capacity desired. The Infante D. Carlos -was supposed to possess sufficient strength of character, and it was -not doubted, that if opportunity of attempting to escape could be -offered him, he would be not less desirous to avail himself of it -than Ferdinand had, luckily for himself, been found of shrinking from -the danger; but the failure in Ferdinand’s case had greatly increased -both the difficulties and dangers of ♦THE PRINCESS OF BRAZIL.♦ such -an attempt. There remained the princess of Brazil, whose right to the -Regency, under existing circumstances, was admitted by the Council of -Castille. She had spirit and abilities equal to the charge; but, on -the other hand, she was known to be of an intriguing and dangerous -disposition, ... one who, being, by reason of her station, sure of -impunity in this world for any thing which she might be inclined to -commit, believed that her father-confessor could at all times make her -equally secure in the next, and was notoriously disposed to make full -use of these convenient privileges whenever any personal inclination -was to be gratified or any political object to be brought about. Yet -with this knowledge of her character, those British statesmen who -were best acquainted with the affairs of the Peninsula at that time, -and with what advantages we might carry on the war there, if it were -vigorously pursued, and what were the impediments which in far greater -degree than the entire force of the enemy impeded our progress, agreed -in opinion, that it should be the true policy of England to support -her claim, regarding the possible consequences in Portugal, of her -appointment to the Spanish Regency, as a consideration of inferior -moment. There would yet be a difficulty concerning the place to be -fixed on for her residence: Lisbon it could not be: ... pre-eminently -fitted as that city was to be the capital of the united governments, -the ill-will between the Portugueze and Spaniards, which the -circumstances of the present war unhappily had not tended to diminish, -rendered this impossible; and, for the same reason, Cadiz was hardly -less objectionable. It was thought, therefore, that the princess might -best reside at Madeira, and govern in Spain through a Vice-Regent. -The conduct of the Cortes in arrogating the title of Majesty, and -exercising, as, in fact they did, the executive government through -successive Regencies, which they nominated and dissolved at pleasure, -made persons who were otherwise averse to it accede to this scheme as -involving fewer inconveniences than any other which could be proposed. - -♦STATE OF THE PORTUGUEZE GOVERNMENT.♦ - -Some change also, and of the same kind, appeared to be not less -desirable in Portugal. The arrangement which placed the Portugueze -army under a British general, introducing at the same time a large -proportion of British officers into that army, and that which placed -the whole military establishment under a British commander-in-chief, -had been necessary, and the Portugueze themselves were sensible that it -was so. But it was not wisely done to put the Portugueze fleet under -a British admiral, nor to make the British ambassador a member of the -Regency: in the first instance, a great expense was incurred in time -of extreme want; in both, some offence was given to national feeling; -and in neither was there any advantage gained. Sir Charles Stuart was -in no enviable situation; there was a constant opposition between -him and the Souzas, who had great influence at the court of the Rio, -whose intentions were not to be suspected, and whose abilities were -of no common order, but whose deep prepossessions prevented them from -adapting their views to the actual circumstances of the country. When -he exerted himself to rectify habitual disorders, and provide for -demands which were continually recurring, and which it was ruinous -to neglect, the whole host of intriguers was in action against him, -and he incurred the dislike of the prince, of whose ear his opponents -had possession: on the other hand, the repeated complaints from -head-quarters against the misconduct of the Portugueze government -under which the native army was mouldering away more rapidly than it -had been formed, seemed to include him of course among the persons -upon whom the blame was laid. Yet his colleagues, as well as he, were -more to be pitied than condemned, for what they left undone. The whole -revenues of the house of Braganza were at this time remitted to Brazil, -... no unfit arrangement, as the family was there to be supported. -But the court received also the revenues from Madeira and the Western -Isles, and the establishments in Africa, and yet called for money from -Portugal! It had left so great a part of the old court establishment -there that the expenses of that part exceeded the whole produce of the -crown lands; and it was continually sending persons from Brazil, to be -provided for at home; ... this, at a time when Portugal with only half -its former revenues, and with a ruined people, had to support an army -fourfold more numerous than in its days of prosperity! - -The prince of Brazil was jealous of his prerogative; ... and there were -those about him who lost no opportunity of insinuating that England -aimed at establishing a permanent influence over the government of -Portugal. This was so old an art of faction, that even from new -circumstances it could derive no strength; and although, if he were -at Lisbon, he would be within reach of the insidious proposals of the -French, who would have no difficulty in finding intriguers to second -them, yet, on the whole, those persons whose opinions carried most -weight thought it desirable that he should be urged to return, his -presence nearer Lisbon being as necessary as that of the princess -was deemed to be at Cadiz. But the statesmen who advised this seem -to have overlooked the circumstances of Brazil, where at that time -the presence of the court was the only check upon the revolutionary -spirit which was then gathering strength: that consideration alone must -have detained the prince there; and if the claim of the princess had -been more popular than it was at Cadiz, the conduct of the Portugueze -diplomatists on this occasion was sufficient to ruin it. - -♦M. WELLESLEY’S VIEWS.♦ - -Marquis Wellesley, whose views were always comprehensive, thought that -nothing of importance could be done in the field, unless an efficient -Spanish army were raised of 30 or 40,000 men. To expect any thing from -it under its present establishment, he argued, would be to deceive -ourselves; ... any thing short of a thorough reform under a British -commander and British officers, Great Britain providing also for the -pay and subsistence of the whole, would be fruitless; and this we could -not afford. But we might take into our pay an army of 30,000 men, and -assist Spain with a loan of five or six millions for raising another: -a much larger sum would be saved by this expenditure if it shortened -the war a single year; and that it might be so shortened, no one who -had faith in British courage, and knew the capacity of the British -commander, could doubt. But Marquis Wellesley had not that ascendancy -in the cabinet to which in the opinion of his admirers he was entitled, -and which, perhaps, he had expected to assert. His colleagues might -have acted with more vigour, if their tenure of the government had been -more secure; the sense of that insecurity, and the constant struggle -wherein they were engaged at home, made them regard difficulties as -insuperable, which would have disappeared if they had had sufficient -confidence in themselves. - -This want of energy must have been fatal, if Lord Wellington had not -been eminently qualified for the arduous situation in which he was -placed. Both his mind and body were equal to all that was required from -them. He rose about four, and after a slight breakfast was usually -on horseback from daylight till about the hour of noon. He was then -employed till three, in transacting business with the officers of the -army, or in writing his orders and letters, answering every dispatch -and letter as it was brought before him. At three he dined, was on -horseback again at five, till evening closed, and was then employed -in business till ten, when he retired to rest. Mortifying as it was, -having in himself glorious anticipations of what he could effect with -adequate means, at the same time to feel himself crippled for want of -them; no embarrassments ever had the effect of perplexing his judgment, -or leading him to despond; but making his preparations with long -forethought, he waited the opportunity for attempting whatever his -means allowed him to undertake. - -♦LORD WELLINGTON PREPARES FOR THE SIEGE OF CIUDAD RODRIGO.♦ - -The force with which he intended to besiege Ciudad Rodrigo consisted of -17,000 British, and 14,000 Portugueze, ... so inferior to what Marmont -might bring into the field against him, that every thing depended -upon secrecy in his plans, and celerity in their execution. That he -would undertake the siege was what every officer who reasoned, or -talked about the ensuing campaign, could not but conclude; but when -it was his intention was not communicated even to those persons in -whom he placed most confidence, and of whom he entertained the[34] -highest opinion. The works of Almeida which Brennier had demolished, -when with so much credit to himself he abandoned the place, were -restored; British and Portugueze troops in equal numbers being -employed upon them, and receiving working money, and such of them as -were bricklayers or stonemasons, and acted as artificers, double pay. -This, which the French might consider a defensive measure, was for -the purpose of providing a safe depôt for the battering train. That -train was conveyed up the Douro forty miles, farther than the boats -of the country had navigated the river before, our engineers having -removed the impediments which rendered it innavigable. There had been -such difficulty in obtaining means of transport, that for this reason -alone, Lord Wellington had been obliged to undertake feeding all the -Portugueze troops that were incorporated in the British divisions. -The system of the Portugueze commissariat was to embargo carts and -cattle for this service, ... a grievous evil to the owners, who knew -that they were likely never to be paid, and that their beasts would -probably be worked to death; unless, therefore, they were closely -watched, they, as might be expected, deserted, and left the supplies -to take their chance. Nor, when British faith was pledged for payment -of the commissariat accounts, was there any perceptible amendment, -so long as the means of transport were to be supplied by the local -authorities: these authorities showed little alacrity in executing -the orders of government, and the people as little in obeying their -requisitions; for the magistrates being delivered from immediate danger -had relapsed into that apathy which had long pervaded every department -of the body politic. There were 20,000 carts in Alentejo, and yet, -when Lord Wellington was on that frontier, it was with difficulty that -600 could be procured for the service of the army. The institutions of -the country were excellent; but government could not enforce the laws, -and the magistrates would not: the British were the only persons who -observed them, and by that observance, subjected themselves to serious -inconvenience; they depended upon the civil magistrate, who neglected -his duty, and they were then left to shift for themselves. To prevent -this evil, a waggon train was now attached to the British commissariat, -and upwards of 600 carts, each capable of carrying eight hundred -weight, and upon a better construction than the primitive carts of -the country, were built at Lisbon, Porto, and Almeida. To this latter -place the battering train was conveyed towards the close of November; -and when relying upon Lord Wellington’s comparative weakness, and the -improbability of his attempting any serious operation at that season, -Marmont had detached Montbrun to the eastern coast, and Dorsenne -had ordered two other divisions to Asturias and the Montaña: the -allied troops began to make fascines and gabions at their respective -head-quarters on the 27th of December; and the 6th of January was fixed -for the investment of Ciudad Rodrigo. - -♦1812. - -JANUARY.♦ - -The time of year, and the exhausted state of the country, contributed -to deceive the French: they did not suppose that Lord Wellington would, -in the depth of winter, undertake an operation of such importance, -nor that his army could long endure the privations to which they must -be exposed. Every thing which could serve for the support of man or -beast had been consumed for miles and miles around; and on that part -of the frontier there was little grain at any time, the tract for corn -commencing at Salamanca and its neighbourhood, where the enemy were -cantoned. The allied troops were four days together without bread; and -the officers purchased it at the rate of three shillings the quartern -loaf, and at one time five. The horses, though hardy as if they had -never stood in a stable, and rough as if never groom had laid his hand -upon their coats, began to fail; all the straw having been consumed, -they had nothing to subsist on except coarse long grass pulled up from -under the trees, and so thoroughly sun-dried that little nourishment -was left in it. Because of this scarcity, the three brigades of cavalry -took the outpost duty in rotation, ... and the regiments lost about -fifty horses each by starvation. - -A heavy rain fell on the first night of the new year; and the weather -continued so inclement till the fifth, that the investment was -necessarily deferred till two days later than the time originally -fixed. General Mackinnon’s brigade marching from Aldea da Ponte to -Robledo, six-and-twenty miles through a continued oak forest, had in -many places to make their way knee-deep in snow; between 300 and 400 -men were left on the road, of whom some died on the march, several -afterwards of fatigue. There was no camp-equipage with the army, -nor cover near the town; the troops were therefore cantoned in the -nearest villages, and it was regulated, that the light, first, and -third divisions, should alternately take the duties of the siege, each -remaining four-and-twenty hours on the ground. - -♦CIUDAD RODRIGO.♦ - -Ciudad Rodrigo stands in the middle of a plain some sixteen miles in -circumference, surrounded by hills, which rise gradually, ridge behind -ridge above each other on every side, far as the eye can reach. From -those heights, at a distance of ten or twelve miles, the movement of -the British army might be perceived; but the enemy seem at this time -to have exercised no vigilance, and voluntary information was never -given them by the Spaniards. The city is on a rising ground, on the -right bank of the Agueda, which in that part of its course forms many -little islets. The citadel standing on a high mount has been likened, -for its situation, to Windsor Castle. The works were old, and in many -respects faulty; and the suburbs, which are about three hundred yards -from the town on the west, had no other defence, at the time of the -former siege, than a bad earthen intrenchment hastily thrown up; but -the French had made strong posts of three convents, one in the centre -of the suburbs, and one on either flank; and they had converted another -convent just beyond the glacis on the north-west angle of the place -into an infantry post. Being thus supported, the works of the suburbs, -bad as they were, were thought fully capable of resisting a ♦COLONEL -JONES’S JOURNAL OF THE SIEGE, PP. 82–3.♦ _coup de main_. The ground is -every where flat and rocky except on the north, where there are two -pieces of rising ground, one at the distance of six hundred yards from -the works, being about thirteen feet higher than the ramparts, the -other at less than a third of that distance, nearly on a level with -them: the soil here is very stony, and in the winter season water rises -at the depth of half a foot below the surface. The enemy had provided -against an attack on this side, by erecting a redoubt upon the higher -ground, which was supported by two guns, and a howitzer in battery on -the fortified convent of S. Francisco at four hundred yards distance; -and a large proportion of the artillery of the place was in battery to -fire upon the approach from the hill. - -On this side, however, it was deemed advisable to make the attack, -because of the difficulty of cutting trenches in a rocky soil, and the -fear of delay in winning the suburbs, ... the garrison being sure of -relief if they could gain even but a little time. On this side, too, -it was known, by Massena’s attack, that the walls might be breached -at a distance from the glacis; whereas, on the east and south it was -doubtful, because of a fall in the ground, whether this could be done -without erecting batteries on the glacis: but here a small ravine at -the foot of the glacis and its consequent steepness, would conceal the -workmen during their operations for blowing in the counterscarp, a -circumstance which had great ♦COLONEL JONES’S JOURNAL, 84.♦ weight in -forming the plan of an attack, where not a single officer had ever seen -such an operation performed. - -Time was of such importance, and such preparations had been made -before the army moved from its quarters, that ground was broken on -the very night of the investment. At nine that night, a detachment -under Lieutenant ♦A REDOUBT CARRIED.♦ Colbourne of the 52nd attacked -the redoubt on the upper _teson_ or hill. Lieutenant Thomson (of the -Royal engineers) preceded the detachment with a party of men carrying -ladders, fascines, axes, &c.: he found the palisades to be within three -feet of the counterscarp, and nearly of the same height: fascines were -immediately laid from the one to the other, by which, as by a bridge, -part of the storming party walked over. When they came to the escarpe, -which was not revêted, the men scrambled up, some of them sticking -their bayonets into the sods, and so entered the work; while another -party went round to the gorge, where there was no ditch, and forced the -gate. Only four of the garrison escaped into the town, and only three -were killed; two officers and forty-three men were made prisoners; the -loss of the assailants was six men killed, three officers and sixteen -men wounded. A lodgment was then made on the hill near the redoubt, and -with little loss, because the enemy directed their fire chiefly into -the work; and a communication was opened to it. - -The siege was carried on with extraordinary vigour; and Lord Wellington -calculating upon intelligence which he received, that Marmont would -advance to relieve the place even before the rapid plan of operations -on which he had determined could be carried through, resolved to form -a breach, if possible, from the first batteries, and storm the place -with the counterscarp entire, if he could not wait until it should be -blown up. The weather increased the difficulties of the undertaking: -while the frost continued, men could not work through the night; and -when it broke, they who were employed in the sap worked day and night -up to their knees in water, under the declivity of a hill down which -the rain had poured. Of 250 mules attached to the light division, -fifty died in conveying ammunition to the breaches, ... destroyed by -being overworked, and by want of needful rest and sufficient food. -The garrison were encouraged, not only by the confident expectation -of relief, (for they knew Marmont was strong enough to effect it, -and could not suppose that, for want of foresight, he had disabled -himself for attempting it in time,) but also by the failure of the -allies at Badajoz, and the inferiority of our engineering department. -They omitted no means of defence, and neglected no opportunity which -presented itself. On the night, between the 13th and 14th, the convent -of ♦CONVENT OF SANTA CRUZ TAKEN.♦ Santa Cruz, in which they kept a -strong guard, was attacked and taken. From the steeple of the cathedral -which commanded the plain, and where there was always an officer on -the look-out, they noticed a careless custom, that when the division -to be relieved saw the relieving division advancing, the guards and -workmen were withdrawn from the trenches to meet it; sore weariness and -pinching cold were present and pressing evils, which made them overlook -the danger of leaving the works unguarded at such intervals. Profiting -by this, some 500 men made a sortie at the right point of time, upset -most of the gabions which during the preceding night had been placed -in advance of the ♦JANUARY 14.♦ first parallel, penetrated some of -them into the right of that parallel, and would have pushed into the -batteries and spiked the guns, had it not been for the steady conduct -of a few workmen, whom an officer of engineers collected into a body; -on the approach of part of the first division, they retired into the -town. - -♦CAPTAIN ROSS KILLED.♦ - -Captain Ross of the engineers, one of the directors, was killed by -a chain shot from St. Francisco’s: he was brother to that excellent -officer who afterward fell at Baltimore, and was himself a man of great -professional promise, uniting with military talents, a suavity of -manners, and a gentleness of disposition, especially to be prized in a -profession where humanity is so greatly needed. His friend and comrade, -Lieutenant Skelton, was killed at the same time, and buried with him, -in the same grave, in a little retired valley, not far from the spot -where they fell. Colonel (then Captain) Jones, (to whose history of the -war, and more especially, to whose Journal of the Sieges this work is -greatly indebted,) placed a small pedestal with an inscription to mark -the grave, and with prudent as well as christian feeling, surmounted -it with a cross. That humble monument has, because of its christian -symbol, been respected; ... Spaniards have been seen kneeling there, -and none pass it without uncovering their heads. - -A howitzer placed in the garden of St. Francisco’s convent so as to -enfilade one of the batteries, had caused many casualties and impeded -the progress of the work. The convent also looked into the rear of the -second parallel. Two guns which were opened upon this edifice on the -14th, at the same time that twenty-five were opened against the walls -of the place, did not drive the enemy from their advantageous post; a -party, therefore, of the 40th regiment was ordered to force into it at -dusk, and as soon as they had escaladed ♦ST. FRANCISCO’S TAKEN AND THE -SUBURBS.♦ the outer wall, the French, leaving their artillery, retired -into the town, not from the convent only, but from the suburbs, which -were immediately occupied by the 40th. - -The batteries had injured the wall so much on the second day, as to -give hopes of speedily bringing it down. A fog compelled them to cease -firing on the 16th; the engineers took advantage of the cover which -the fog afforded them, and placed fifty gabions in prolongation of -the second parallel. That parallel was pushed to its proper extent on -the left in the course of the night, and the lower _teson_ crowned by -it. The sappers also broke out the head of the sap: but they could -do nothing on the hill, and but little in the sap, because of their -inexperience, and because the enemy’s artillery knocked over their -gabions, nearly as fast as they could be ♦COL. JONES’S JOURNAL OF -SIEGES, 102.♦ replaced. Yet, the assistance which the engineers derived -from the men of the third division, who had been instructed in sapping -during the summer, was invaluable, and enabled them to push the -approaches three hundred yards nearer than at the attack of Badajoz, -under a much heavier fire. An unusual length of time was nevertheless -required for throwing up the batteries, owing to the small front of -the work, against which the enemy directed an incessant fire of shell; -they fired during the siege 11,000 shells and nearly 10,000 shot upon -the approaches: their practice was remarkably accurate, and not one -shot was fired at them in return. “It was not unfrequent to have three -or four large shells in the course of an hour explode in the middle -of the parapet of a battery, each having the effect of a small mine, -and scattering the ♦COL. JONES’S JOURNAL OF SIEGES, 103.♦ earth in -every direction. In consequence of this dire destruction, the parapets -were of necessity made of a great thickness.” But on the other hand, a -confidence was felt both by the officers and men, which they had not -partaken at either of the former sieges; the officers had sufficient -means at their disposal, and the men seemed, to perceive that the -operations were differently conducted. The artillery was excellent, as -well as ample in quantity, and its effect was materially improved by a -circumstance in which accident corrected an actual defect of science. -There happened to be a considerable quantity of shot in the fortress at -Almeida, and of all calibres; when there was such want of transport for -bringing shot from the rear, it became of great importance to take as -many of these as could be made serviceable: shot of a larger size than -what are commonly employed were thus accidentally brought into use, -and some 2000 or 3000 of what are termed very high shot were brought -forward during the latter days of the ♦SIR H. DICKSON, IN SIR HOWARD -DOUGLAS’S TREATISE ON NAVAL GUNNERY, P. 84.♦ siege. The consequence -was, that because the windage was thus diminished, the firing became -so singularly correct, that every shot seemed to tell on the same part -of the wall as the preceding one; whereas, when shot of the ordinary -size were fired at the same distance, some struck high and others low, -although the pointing was carefully the same. - -On the 17th, a breach had been made, and the guard in the second -parallel kept up a continued fire through the night, to prevent the -garrison from clearing it. At daylight following, a battery of seven -twenty-four pounders opened upon an old tower; and next day when this -tower had nearly been brought down, and the ♦JAN. 19.♦ main breach -appeared practicable, Lord Wellington, after a close reconnoissance, -resolved upon giving the assault at seven o’clock that evening. The -enemy were perfectly prepared; they had constructed intrenchments -on the ramparts near the breach, by means of cuts through the -_terre-plein_, perpendicular to the parapet, with a breast-work in rear -of them, to enfilade and rake the whole: so that if the assailants -gained the summit of the breach, their alternative must be either to -force the intrenchments, or get down a wall sixteen feet in depth, at -the bottom of which impediments of every kind had been arrayed. - -♦THE PLACE TAKEN BY ASSAULT.♦ - -At dusk the columns of attack were formed, and they moved forward at -the rising of the moon: 150 sappers, under the direction of Captains -M’Leod and Thomson, royal engineers, and Captain Thompson of the -74th, advanced from the second parallel to the edge of the ditch, -each man carrying two bags filled with hay, which they threw into the -ditch, reducing its depth thus from nearly fourteen feet to eight. -Major-General Mackinnon followed close with his brigade, consisting of -the 45th, 74th, and 88th, ... the men jumped into the ditch upon the -bags; the enemy, though not yet wanting in heart, wanted the coolness -of deliberate courage: they had accumulated shells and combustibles -upon the breach, and at the foot of it, but they fired them too soon, -so that the tremendous discharge was mostly spent before the troops -reached their point of action. Ladders were instantly fixed upon the -bags; they were not sufficient in number, the breach being wide enough -for a hundred men abreast; but the short delay that this occasioned -produced no evil, for the 5th arrived from the right to take part in -the assault, and their eventual success was facilitated by the speedier -progress of the light division on the left. That division moved -simultaneously with Mackinnon’s column from behind the convent of St. -Francisco against the little ♦CRAUFURD MORTALLY WOUNDED.♦ breach, under -a heavy fire of musketry from the ramparts, by which Major-General -Craufurd, who commanded, and was considerably in front, animating -his men and leading them on, was mortally wounded. The counterscarp -here was not so deep, the breach was not obstinately defended, and no -interior defence had been prepared, so that the assailants carried it -without much difficulty, and began to form on the ramparts. Meantime -Major-General Mackinnon’s brigade, aided by the 5th, after a short but -severe struggle gained the summit of the great breach. Giving up the -breach, where first one mine was sprung and then a smaller, though -neither with much effect, the enemy retired behind a retrenchment, -where they stood their ground resolutely, and a severe contest ensued. -But Brigadier-General Pack, who had been ordered with his brigade to -make a false attack upon the southern face of the fort, converted it -into a real one; and his advanced guard under Major Lynch, following -the enemy’s troops from the advanced works into the _fausse braye_, -made prisoners of all opposed to them: and while the garrison was thus -disheartened on one side, the success of the light division on the -other took from them all hope as soon as it was known; they gave way at -once, and the retrenchment was carried. The brigade then dividing to -the right and left, General Mackinnon said to Ensign Beresford, “Come, -Beresford, you are a fine lad, we will go together!” ... these were -the last words which he was heard to utter, for presently some powder -exploded; Beresford was blown up, but fell without much injury into -the arms of Mackinnon’s aide-de-camp ♦MACKINNON KILLED.♦ Captain Call. -Mackinnon himself was among the many brave men killed by the explosion, -and in him the nation lost an officer of the highest promise in the -British army. - -The enemy were now driven at the point of the bayonet into the great -square, and were pursued from house to house, till they threw down -their arms and called for quarter; and this was granted them, in the -first heat of the onslaught, when, as they afterwards confessed, -judging from what they themselves would have done, they expected -nothing else than to be massacred. The place was won about nine at -night: the troops, British and Portugueze, spread themselves all over -the town, and got at the stores; but fortunately a guard was placed in -time over the spirit-magazine, in which fifty pipes of good cogniac -were found: had the men got at these, the amount of deaths would have -been increased. It was a scene of wild disorder till daylight. The -night was miserably cold, and the men crowded into the ruined houses -to make fires: these rotten edifices soon caught the flames, and the -conflagration became dreadful. Very little booty was to be gained in a -town which the French had sacked, and which, indeed, had been deserted -before they occupied it upon their conquest; what the men found was -wholesome as well as welcome after their late hard fare, and they -were seen each carrying three or four loaves stuck upon his bayonet. -The enemy had pulled down many of the houses for firewood, and those -which were nearest the ramparts had been demolished by our guns, though -especial care had been taken to spare the town by battering it only in -breach. - -The governor, General Banier, was made prisoner, with seventy-eight -officers and 1700 soldiers. Great quantities of ammunition and stores -were found, a well-filled armoury, and an arsenal abundantly supplied; -109 pieces of ordnance mounted on the ramparts; and moreover, the -battering-train of Marmont’s army, consisting of forty-four guns with -their carriages. The loss of the allies consisted of three officers -and seventy-seven men killed, twenty-four wounded and 500 during -the siege; six officers and 140 men killed, sixty and 500 ♦GENERAL -CRAUFURD.♦ wounded, in storming the breaches. Craufurd’s wound, though -severe, was not thought dangerous, but it proved fatal on the fifth -day. He had entered the army at the age of fifteen, and in the course -of two-and-thirty years few officers had seen so much or such varied -service. Early in life his abilities and professional zeal were noticed -by his then colonel, Sir Charles Stuart, than whom no man was better -qualified to appreciate them. During peace he pursued the study of his -profession in all its branches upon the continent for three years, -then went to India, and there distinguished himself in two campaigns -under Lord Cornwallis. He was employed on a military mission with -the Austrian armies during the years 1795, 1796, and 1797, and again -in 1799; was made prisoner in the ill-planned and not more happily -executed expedition against Buenos Ayres; and afterwards commanded the -light division of Sir John Moore’s army in Spain. With that miserable -retreat his course of ill fortune terminated. He joined Sir Arthur -Wellesley the day after the battle of Talavera; sustained a severe -attack from very superior numbers and in a perilous position upon the -Coa; signalized himself at Busaco; rejoined his division after a short -absence, when the troops were drawn up for action at Fuentes d’Onoro, -and was saluted by them with three cheers in presence of the enemy. -“I cannot report his death,” said Lord Wellington in his dispatch, -“without expressing my sorrow and regret that his Majesty has been -deprived of the services, and I of the assistance of an officer of -tried talents and experience, who was an ornament to his profession, -and was calculated to render the most important services to his -country.” He was buried with all military honours in the breach before -which he received his mortal wound. - -♦GENERAL MACKINNON.♦ - -Mackinnon also had been interred in the breach which he had won; but -this was done hastily, by some pioneers under General Picton’s orders, -and the officers of the Coldstream guards, in which regiment he had -long served, removed his body to Espeja, and there deposited it with -due honours. In Craufurd the army lost one of its most experienced -officers; in Mackinnon one of the greatest promise, in whom were -united all the personal accomplishments, intellectual endowments, -and moral virtues which in their union constitute the character of a -perfect soldier. He was one of those men whom the dreadful discipline -of war renders only more considerate for others, more regardless of -themselves, more alive to the sentiments and duties of humanity. He was -born near Winchester in 1773, but his father was chief of a numerous -clan in the Hebrides. His military education was commenced in France, -his family having removed to Dauphiny because of his elder brother’s -state of health; and Buonaparte, then a military student, was a -frequent visitor at their house. It is one of the redeeming parts of -Buonaparte’s character, that he never forgot his attachment to that -family; that during the peace of Amiens he invited them to France, -where they might receive proofs of it; and that when he heard of -General Mackinnon’s death, he manifested some emotion. He entered the -army in his 15th year, served three years as a subaltern in the 43rd, -was employed at the commencement of the war in raising an independent -company, and then exchanged into the Coldstream guards. During the -Irish rebellion, he was attached to the staff as major of brigade to -Sir George Nugent; and distinguishing himself greatly in that horrible -service, was distinguished also for his humanity. He was in the -expedition to the Helder, volunteered to Egypt, and was at the siege of -Copenhagen. In 1809 he joined the army in Portugal, was at the passage -of the Douro, and had two horses killed under him at Talavera; how ably -he conducted himself when left in the charge of the wounded after that -action has been related in its proper place. At Busaco he displayed -so much skill and promptitude, that Sir Arthur, immediately after the -battle, returned him thanks in person. He distinguished himself also -on many occasions during Massena’s retreat, and led that last charge -against the French at Fuentes d’Onoro which drove them finally from the -ground. The unwholesome heat in the vicinity of Badajoz induced some -recurrence of a disease with which he had been attacked in Egypt, and -he returned for a few weeks to England there to recruit his health. In -1804 he had married a daughter of Sir John Call: she planted in his -garden a laurel for every action in which her husband was engaged; -and when in his last visit she took him into the walk where they were -flourishing, he said to her, that she would one day have to plant a -cypress at the end. Perhaps this country has never sustained so great a -loss since the death of Sir Philip Sidney. - -♦MARMONT’S MOVEMENTS DURING THE SIEGE.♦ - -Without delay the approaches were destroyed and the works repaired. -On the 27th the place had been again rendered defensible. Marmont -was at Toledo when he received the first tidings of its investment. -Hastening to Valladolid, he stated in his dispatches to France on the -16th, that he had collected five divisions for the purpose of throwing -supplies into Ciudad Rodrigo, but finding that force inadequate, he -had been fain to recall two divisions from the army of the north: -with these he should have 60,000 men, and events might then be looked -for as momentous in their results as they would be glorious for the -French arms. Massena had been a month in reducing that fortress; the -calculation was, that it might hold out against a regular siege, -to which there should be no interruption from without, four or -five-and-twenty days; Marmont expected to be in good time if he came to -its relief on the 29th; ... but his army was not collected at Salamanca -till the 24th; and when he announced to his own government the loss of -the place, in which he said there was something so incomprehensible -that he would not allow himself to make any observation upon it, it -was too late to make any movement for its recovery. The weather, -which had so often been unfavourable to the allies, favoured them on -this occasion; heavy rains, which cut off their communications, and -which would have rendered it impossible to fill in the trenches and -close the breaches, did not commence till four days after the place -had been rendered secure against a sudden attack; and Marmont, whose -battering-train had been captured with it, could attempt nothing more. - -Castaños was present at the siege, and to him as Captain-General of -that province the place was given up. Before its capture, the Alcaldes -of 230 _pueblos_ had repaired to his head-quarters, to testify their -own fidelity and that of their respective communities. Lord Wellington -bore testimony in his dispatches as well to the loyalty and general -good-will of the Spaniards in those parts, as to the assistance he had -derived from Brigadier Alava; and from Julian Sanchez and D. Carlos -de España, who with their two bands had watched the enemy on the -other side the Tormes. A thanksgiving-service for the reconquest was -performed with all solemnity at Cadiz; and the Cortes, in conformity -with the proposal of the Regency, conferred upon Lord Wellington ♦LORD -WELLINGTON MADE DUQUE DE CIUDAD RODRIGO.♦ the rank of a Grandee of the -first class, and the title of Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo. The tidings -could not have been more unexpected by Buonaparte himself, than it was -by the opponents of administration in England. At the commencement of -the session, they, in their old tone of dismay, had repeated their -denunciations of discomfiture and utter failure: ministers were again -arraigned by them for their obstinate blindness, ... for their wanton -waste of money and of the public strength, and for persisting in -flattering and fallacious language when they had brought the nation -to the very brink of ruin! Sir ♦SPEECHES OF SIR F. BURDETT AND MR. -WHITBREAD.♦ Francis Burdett said, that whatever had been done by -England for the rights of the King of Spain (who had resigned his whole -pretensions to Buonaparte), nothing had been done for the Spanish -people; that even if the cause of Spain had been honourably undertaken -by the British government, it had now become perfectly hopeless; our -victories were altogether barren, and the French were making regular -and rapid strides towards the subjugation of the Peninsula: but -these evils, he said, arose from the system of corruption which an -oligarchy of boroughmongers had established; and as things now were, -the progress of France was more favourable to liberty than the success -of England would be! With more curious infelicity in his croakings, -Mr. Whitbread observed, that Lord Wellington after pursuing Massena -to the frontiers had been obliged to fall back; that his attempt upon -Ciudad Rodrigo had proved abortive; that every thing which we could -do for Spain had already been done; and though the first general of -the age and the bravest troops in the world had been sent to her -assistance, nothing had been accomplished, and, in short, the French -were in military possession of Spain. A month had not elapsed after -the delivery of these opinions, ♦VOTE OF THANKS TO LORD WELLINGTON. -HE IS CREATED AN EARL.♦ before the thanks of Parliament were voted to -Lord Wellington for the recovery of Ciudad Rodrigo, he was created -an Earl of the United Kingdom, and an additional annuity of 2000_l._ -granted to him in consideration of his signal services. In the course -of the debate, Mr. Canning took occasion to state that a revenue of -5000_l._ a year had been granted to Lord Wellington by the Portugueze -government when they conferred upon him the title of Conde de Vimeiro; -that as Captain-General of Spain, 5000_l._ a year had been offered him, -and 7000_l._ as Marshal in the Portugueze service; all which he had -declined, saying, he would receive nothing from Spain and Portugal in -their present state; he had only done his duty to his country, and to -his country alone he would look for reward. - -♦PREPARATIONS FOR THE SIEGE OF BADAJOZ.♦ - -The Earl of Wellington was already preparing for a more arduous siege. -Eighteen 24-pounders had been reserved at Lisbon for this service, when -the battering-train intended for Ciudad Rodrigo was sent from the Tagus -to the Douro. These, with some iron guns which the Russian fleet had -left there, and with the engineers’ stores, were embarked at Lisbon in -large vessels, as if for some remote destination, then transhipped at -sea into smaller craft, and conveyed up the Sadam to Alcacere do Sal. -Fascines and gabions were prepared at Elvas. The line of supply was -changed from the Douro to the Tagus; and as the Beira frontier must -for awhile be left open to the enemy’s incursions, directions were -given for forming a temporary depôt at Celorico, the nearest point -where it could be deemed safe, and a grand magazine beyond the Douro. -Ciudad Rodrigo was in some degree provisioned, as well as rendered -thoroughly defensible against any attack that the French had means of -making; and the troops were then put in motion, glad to remove from -an exhausted country, where the labour of procuring forage amounted -to constant occupation for the cavalry, none being to be found except -the straw which the peasants had reserved and endeavoured to conceal, -as the only subsistence left for their remaining cattle. Corn was so -scarce that the very few officers who could afford such an expenditure -paid the enormous price of fourteen dollars the _fanega_ for it, in -prudence, as well as in mercy to their beasts; and the owner, loading -his horse with his own precious provender, performed the march himself -on foot. One division of infantry remained on the Agueda, covered by -a few cavalry posts. The main body proceeding by rapid marches to -the Tagus crossed it, some at Abrantes, some at Villa Velha. Lord -Wellington having completed his arrangements at Ciudad Rodrigo, and -given it finally over to the Spaniards, set out for Alemtejo on the -5th of March, and on the 11th his head-quarters were fixed at Elvas. -On the 16th, the preparations being completed, a pontoon bridge was -thrown across the Guadiana about a league below Badajoz; and the light, -3rd, and 4th divisions, under Lieutenant-Colonel Barnard, Generals -Picton and Colville, crossed and invested the place without opposition. -General Graham, with the 1st, 6th, and 7th divisions of infantry, and -Generals Slade and Le Marchant’s brigades of cavalry, advanced to Los -Santos, Zafra, and Llerena, to oppose any movements on the part of -Marshal Soult; while Sir Rowland Hill with the 2nd division, General -Hamilton’s Portugueze division, and a brigade of cavalry, moved from -their cantonments near Alburquerque to Merida and Almendralejo, thus -interposing between Soult and Marmont, if the latter should march from -Salamanca with the intention of forming a junction as in the preceding -year. - -♦PREPARATIONS FOR ITS DEFENCE.♦ - -The governor, G. Baron Philippon, had obtained intelligence from his -spies of the preparations which were making at Elvas, and had apprised -Soult accordingly that there was probably an intention of again -besieging Badajoz; but it was not till the day before Lord Wellington -arrived at Elvas that he knew a battering-train had been collected -there, and that the allies were concentrating their forces near the -Alemtejo frontier. He had before this applied for a supply of powder -and shells, a convoy of which was twice sent from Seville, and twice -by Sir Rowland Hill’s movements forced to put back, though the Comte -d’Erlon, General Drouet, had been charged to protect it. The place had -been greatly strengthened since the last unsuccessful siege, especially -on the side which had then been attacked. Upon the spot where the -allies had planted their breaching-battery against Fort St. Christoval, -a lunette had been constructed by Marshal Soult’s orders: its ditches -were cut in the rock to the depth of 14½ feet below the _Berme_: a -powder-magazine and a bomb-proof for fifty men had been constructed -there, and every means taken for securing it against a _coup-de-main_. -The Tête-de-Pont also had been strengthened, and its communication with -Fort St. Christoval repaired, so that on that side the place presented -a most formidable appearance. The Pardaleras too had been repaired -and strengthened, and magazines established in the castle, into which, -and into the citadel, it was the governor’s intention to retire if -the place should be rendered no longer tenable. The enemy had also -formed galleries and trenches at each salient of the counterscarp in -front of what they supposed would be the point of attack, that they -might form mines under the breaching-batteries, and afterwards sink -shafts for other mines, whereby to destroy the works in proportion as -the assailants should gain them, and thus leave only a heap of ruins -if the place should be taken. No foresight indeed had been wanting on -the governor’s part. The peasantry having taken flight at the first -siege and left their lands uncultivated, he had given directions for -ploughing them with the oxen which were intended for slaughter, and -they were sown by the soldiers within a circle of 3,000 yards: the -kitchen gardens had also been distributed among the different corps -and the officers of the staff, and in these they had a valuable -resource. Wood was wanting for blinds and for palisades, for these -had been almost wholly destroyed during the former siege: they had no -means of transport for it, and it could only have been procured from -a dangerous distance: to make charcoal, they were fain to dig up the -root of olive-trees which had been burnt. A convoy of some threescore -mules laden with flour arrived a few days before the investment, when -the garrison had about five weeks’ provisions in store. The miserable -townspeople were worse provided: most of those who could remove without -exposing themselves to extreme distress had left the city before it was -first attacked; others forsook it now, who had experienced the horrors -of two former sieges, ... old men, women, and children, carrying what -little had been left them, were on the road in every direction, flying -from a renewal of these horrors. The population was reduced from 16,000 -to little more than a fourth of that number, who thought better to -abide the worst where they had a place wherein to lay their heads, than -to perish as wanderers. - -Though the allied army had now no want of means as in the former siege, -they had no miners, nor was there any person there who had ever seen -such duty performed; the sappers too had had very little experience. -The only course which could be pursued was to batter from a distance -the Trinidad bastion where the counterguard in its front had not been -finished: this could be done from the hill on which the Picurina -redoubt stands; and that redoubt must be carried and connected with the -first parallel. The plan was so hazardous, and so little according to -rule, that “it never was for a moment ♦COLONEL JONES’S JOURNALS, 298.♦ -approved by any one employed in drawing it up, or in the execution of -it.” No one doubted its success more than Lord Wellington himself; but -it was deemed necessary to reduce Badajoz, and there was no chance of -reducing it by any other course. - -♦SIEGE OF BADAJOZ.♦ - -On the night of the 16th the besiegers broke ground during a storm of -wind, with heavy and uninterrupted rain. It was so dark that nothing -could be seen by the enemy, and the tempest prevented them from hearing -the working parties, who under these favourable circumstances were not -discovered till daylight, although only 160 yards from the covered way -of the fort. The ensuing night also was well employed. The weather -continued so rainy that the trenches were knee-deep in mud and water. -Had the soil been heavier, it would not have been possible to bring up -the heavy artillery; manual assistance, as well as sixteen bullocks, -being required to draw along each piece. It was a severe service for -the three divisions, who had to go through more than double the work -which had occupied four at Ciudad Rodrigo; and their tents were far -from being proof against such rain. On the 18th the garrison made a -sally with 1500 infantry and forty horse: they formed unobserved in the -communication from the lunette S. Roque to the Picurina, then pushed -forward, and were in the parallel before the workmen could stand to -their arms; at the same moment the cavalry came round the right flank -of the parallel at a hand gallop, and were presently in the depôts, -a thousand yards in the rear of the trenches. There they made great -confusion among the unarmed men, but retired on the appearance of -troops before they could destroy any thing. They took two or three -officers prisoners, tied them to their saddles, and cantered off with -them some hundred yards, but on their falling from fatigue let them go. -The infantry meantime filled in a small part of the parallel before -the coverers came to the relief of the working parties: they were then -driven back in great confusion, carrying off about 200 intrenching -tools. But this sortie cost the allies about 150 men in killed and -wounded; the commanding engineer, Lieutenant-Colonel Fletcher, being -among the latter. - -The weather, which had at first covered the operations of the allies, -continued now so rainy as to impede them: the trenches were filled with -water, and there was no possibility of draining them, the ground being -a dead level; it was necessary to empty them and make an artificial -bottom of fascines. On the 21st the enemy advanced two field-pieces on -the right of the Guadiana to enfilade the parallel: such an intention -having been apprehended on the preceding day, the parallel had been -thrown back during the night; these guns, therefore, did little -mischief, and they were compelled to withdraw them by a few riflemen -posted on the banks of the river. But on the following night they -threw up cover for three field-pieces there, brought them out soon -after daybreak, and kept up a very destructive fire throughout the -day, their shot pitching into the parallel at a range of 1400 yards. -The inconvenience of having left the place open on that side was then -felt, and the 5th division was ordered from Campo-mayor to invest it. -That evening the trenches were again filled by one of those showers in -which the rain seems rather to pour down in streams than to fall in -drops: the pontoon bridge was carried away by the rise of the Guadiana, -and the current of that river became so rapid that the flying bridges -could with difficulty work: it became doubtful, therefore, whether the -army could be supplied with provisions, and whether guns and ammunition -could be brought over for the attack; and it began to be seriously -apprehended, that if the weather continued thus to favour the enemy the -siege must be raised. - -An immediate improvement relieved that apprehension: the trenches -were rendered passable during the night; the morning was fine: it was -apparent that the enemy had mistaken the intended point of attack, for -they had large parties employed in strengthening places against which -nothing was designed: the batteries were so advanced that there seemed -no doubt of their opening on the morrow, when at three in the afternoon -the skies again began to pour down; every part of the trenches was -again filled with rain: no advance could be made next day, the ground -being so completely saturated that the water stood everywhere in pools, -... the earth was too wet to retain any form, the revetements of the -batteries fell, no solid foundation upon which to lay the platforms -could be obtained, and the guns could not be brought across the fields. -But on the following afternoon the weather became fine; the batteries -were completed in the course of the night; they opened on the forenoon -of the 25th; and being now secured by a good parallel, and the -batteries enfilading all the faces and flanks of the place which bore -on Fort Picurina, it was determined to assault that fort that night. - -The enemy, as soon as they perceived what point was immediately -threatened, took every means for strengthening it, and abandoning -their works on the right bank deepened the ditch of the Picurina, -and strengthened the gorge with a second row of palisades: they also -formed galleries communicating with each other, and brought a reverse -fire to flank the ditches. Under the three angles of the glacis they -placed fougasses, and arranged upon the parapets loaded shells and -barrels of combustibles, which were to be rolled among the assailants -at the moment of assault; and that each man might have several pieces -to discharge, 200 loaded muskets were ranged along the interior crest -of the parapet. With these preparations the governor calculated upon -a good defence. Six batteries played upon the fort and the town, and -were answered from a greater number of guns: the Portugueze gunners -stood to their cannon with as much coolness, and directed them with as -much precision, as the British: it was impossible to say whether the -guns of the besiegers or of the besieged were best served, and this -uninterrupted roar of artillery was continued till sunset with great -destruction on both sides. Captain Mulcaster of the engineers, an -officer of great ability, was killed in the parallel by a cannon-shot. - -Major-General Kempt, who commanded in the trenches, directed the -assault of the fort. Two detachments of 200 men each were formed in -the parallel: both were to quit it at the same time by signal; the one -under Lieutenant Stanway, on the extreme left, to move round the right -flank of the work and endeavour to force the gorge; the other under -Lieutenant Gipps, from an opening about the middle of the parallel, to -move direct upon the communication from the town to the fort, leave -100 men there to prevent succour from being sent, and with the other -hundred to march upon the work with the twofold purpose, of aiding the -left detachment in forcing the gorge, and of preventing the garrison -from escaping. Another 100 men under Captain Holloway, R. E., were -formed in one of the batteries to assist the others by a front attack, -if they should find much difficulty in forcing in at the gorge. About -ten o’clock the signal was made: the left party reached the gorge -undiscovered; but when they attempted to cut down and force over the -palisades, so heavy a fire of musketry was opened upon them that none -could effect it. That half of the right detachment which proceeded -to the gorge was received also with such a fire, that their attempts -to get over the palisade were fruitless: instead of persevering in -the desperate endeavour, they drew round to the left flank of the -work where the ditch was not flanked, fixed their ladders against the -escarpe, and were presently on the top of the parapet overlooking the -enemy, who defended the rear: at the same moment Captain Holloway’s -party from the battery forced in at the salient angle, ... but both -that officer and Lieutenant Gipps were wounded. The garrison seeing -the assailants within the works ran into a guard-house, and there -barricadoed themselves: the troops were not prepared to dislodge -them; they had lost their leaders; and while they were uncertain how -to proceed, a report arose that a large detachment was coming from -the town to relieve the fort. It seemed in their confusion as if they -were on the point of abandoning the place; and the garrison supposing -this to be the case, came out of the guard-house. But at that critical -moment General Kempt by great exertions restored their confidence: -they turned upon the enemy, and of the 300 who composed the garrison -scarcely any escaped. They fought resolutely to the very last, their -officer setting them a brave example: several threw themselves into the -water and were drowned, about 70 only were made prisoners. The loss of -the assailants was greater: four officers and 50 men were killed, 15 -officers and 250 men wounded. It was found, upon inspecting the fort, -that the batteries had done very little to facilitate its capture; and -the engineers said, that had they been aware how little it was injured, -they would not have recommended the escalade so soon. The advantage -which had been gained was of great importance; but those successes are -dangerous in their consequences, as well as dearly bought at the time, -in which courage performs what ought to be the effect of skill. - -The enemy, who undervalued the skill of our engineers, and had such -an opinion of British valour that they thought nothing too rash or -too desperate for it to undertake, supposed that a general assault -was intended. And about the time when the Picurina had been carried, -the alarm-bell rang in the town, rockets were thrown up, and a random -fire of musketry and cannon was opened from every part of the works. -Presently, the alarm of a sortie was given by a drum beating in the -lunette of S. Roque; the guard of the trenches commenced a heavy fire, -this occasioned a heavier firing from the town, which again increased -that from the trenches, and it was not till long after midnight that -the vain alarm on both sides subsided. It had not been without some -cause; a battalion had been ordered out to succour the fort, but so -late as to sustain a heavy fire from it, which compelled them to retire -with the loss of twenty men. A lodgement was then formed on the -_terre-plein_ of the fort, which lodgement was knocked to pieces in the -course of the following day, by a constant and very heavy fire from -the town; but before night the sappers completed a fresh one. Other -batteries were now constructed, and the enemy then perceiving that the -Trinidad and Santa Maria bastions were the objects of attack, used all -possible means for strengthening them. - -The enemy imputed the loss of the Picurina to the misconduct of its -garrison; the captain of artillery had been wounded in the course of -the day, and relieved by one who was thought not to have shown equal -courage: no use had been made of the loaded shells and combustibles; -but if the fort had been well defended, the governor thought the -allies would have failed, as they did in their assault during the -former siege. A singular stratagem was now practised by the commanding -officer of the engineers, Colonel Lamarre, which, if accident had not -frustrated it, would have cost the allies dear. Captain Ellicombe, -going at dusk to adjust the lines of direction of the sap for the -night, found those returns which were already begun, in a good line, -clear of enfilade, but that which was marked by the white line and -not yet commenced, fell in the direct enfilade of three guns: this he -mentioned as a lucky discovery, and it was supposed to have been the -effect of accident, the line it was thought having, at the time of -laying it down, caught unobserved in the dark against some stone or -bush. But it was afterwards ascertained that a soldier had been sent -out from the place just as evening closed, to remove it, and bring it -directly under fire. - -It was against the lunette of S. Roque that these works were intended; -could the enemy be driven thence, a dam which retained the waters of -an inundation might be broken down, and the works might then be pushed -much nearer to the place. More skill and more courage could not have -been displayed than were manifested by the garrison, animated as they -were by former success, and by the expectation of being speedily -relieved. On the other hand, Lord Wellington was not without cause to -apprehend that a second battle of Albuhera might be to be fought. On -the 30th of March it was understood that Soult was advancing, and the -5th division was therefore withdrawn from before St. Christoval and -marched to the front, some Portugueze cavalry being stationed to watch -the town on that side. Two breaching batteries opened next day on the -Trinidad bastion, but these produced no considerable effect, and the -sappers had made little progress against ♦APRIL 4.♦ S. Roque’s, when -Marshal Soult advanced to Llerena. It was then intended to leave ten -thousand men for guarding the trenches, and to give him battle with -the remainder of the army: the covering army was about to fall back on -Talavera la Real. But at noon on the 5th, Lord Wellington reconnoitred -the trenches and thought they might immediately be assaulted: in the -afternoon he determined to defer the assault till the following day, -and meantime endeavour to break the curtain between the Trinidad -counterguard and an unfinished ravelin. Fourteen guns opened upon -♦APRIL 6.♦ this curtain at daylight; in two hours the walls were -brought down, and by four so practicable a breach, as it appeared, -was formed, that the assault was ordered for ten o’clock that night. -The attack was to be at three points: that of the castle by escalade; -those of the Trinidad and S. Maria bastions by storming the breaches. -The castle was to be assailed by the 3rd division under Major-General -Picton; La Trinidad by the 4th under Major-General Colville, and Santa -Maria by the left under Lieutenant-Colonel Barnard. At the same time, -S. Roque’s was to be assaulted by a party from the trenches, and the -5th division to alarm the enemy by threatening the Pardaleras and the -works towards the Guadiana. - -Meantime the French were indefatigable in preparing for defence. They -imputed it as a gross fault to the British engineers that they had not -destroyed the counterscarps, an operation which there was no time for -performing, even if it had been possible to perform it without men more -accustomed to such labours than any in the allied army: but because -this had been impossible, the enemy were enabled to form at the foot -of their counterscarps, and behind the breaches the most formidable -obstructions which destructive ingenuity could devise. Night and day -they were employed in clearing away the rubbish, destroying the ramps -of the covered way, and making retrenchments behind the trenches. The -fallen parapets were replaced with fascines, sandbags, and wool-packs; -casks filled with tarred straw, powder, and loaded grenades, were -arranged along the trenches, and large shells with them. Immediately -in front of the breaches at the foot of the counterscarp, sixty -fourteen-inch shells were placed in a circular form, about four yards -apart, and covered with some four inches of earth, and a communication -formed to them with powder hoses placed between tiles in the manner of -mine-tubes. _Chevaux-de-frise_ were formed of sabre blades; ... all the -artillery stores were turned to account; even a large boat was lowered -into the ditch and filled with soldiers to flank one of the breaches, -where it was of great use. - -An extraordinary circumstance, which might be called accidental, -contributed greatly to the terrible effect of these formidable -preparations. The Spaniards at some former time intending to have -strengthened Badajoz, had commenced their improvements, as usual with -them, upon a great scale, and, as usual also, left them unfinished. -Thus they had so greatly widened the ditch as to include within it the -covered way and part of the glacis of the original trace; designing -to build a ravelin to this front, this old glacis and covered way in -the space which was to be occupied by that work were not removed, and -they remained in the ditch like an ill-shapen rock. The interior of -this being the old counterscarp, the front of it, where it had been cut -down to admit of building the new one, was very steep and difficult of -ascent. The light and 4th divisions, at the hour appointed, entered the -covered way without difficulty; bags of hay were then thrown down, and -ladders placed down the counterscarp: they descended readily, and the -ditch was presently filled with men. The 4th division, which was on the -right, mistook these old works in the ditch for the breach, cheered -each other up, and mounted with alacrity; but when they had reached the -summit they found themselves there exposed to the fire of the whole -front, with a difficult descent before them, the space between them -and the foot of the breaches appearing like a deep ditch; there were -in reality very deep excavations in many parts of it, sufficiently -extensive to prevent an indiscriminate rush forwards: and water had -been introduced along the counterscarp, by means of which all approach -to the breach either in the face or curtain was precluded, except by -passing over the seeming rock, between which and the foot of the breach -the space was so restricted that a body of men could advance in only a -very small front. The night was very dark, and this it was felt would -render any confusion irremediable; but confusion presently arose, for -the engineer who led the light division was killed before he got to -the ditch, and being the only person who knew the way to the breach -which they were to have assaulted, they were directed too much to the -right, and got upon the same summit where the 4th stood hesitating -and perplexed, and thus the confusion was increased, and both crowded -towards the great breach, instead of taking each its own. They had -only five or six ladders to descend by, which could take only four at -once, and this close under the main force of the garrison, selected and -placed there as at the post of danger, and most of them having three -spare muskets, with people to load them in the rear as fast as they -could be discharged. The assailants were so thickly crowded on the -glacis and in the ditch, that it was not necessary to aim at them; but -fire-balls were cast among them, which effected the double mischief -of increasing their confusion, and rendering all their movements as -distinctly visible as if it had been noon-day; the oldest soldiers -declared that they had never before been exposed to so rapid and -murderous a fire. Major-General Colville fell among the first, severely -wounded in the thigh, ... the last sound which he heard before he -fainted was the voice of Captain Nicholas of the engineers, exhorting -his men in the ditch. That young and excellent officer, whose charge -it was to lead the 4th division to the breach, after twice essaying -to reach the top, fell wounded by a musket which grazed his knee-pan, -a bayonet thrust in the great muscle of his right leg, his left arm -broken, and his wrist wounded by musket-shot; ... yet, in that state, -seeing his old friends and comrades, Colonel Macleod and Captain James, -fall, and hearing the men ask who should lead them to the third onset, -he rallied, and ordered two of his men to bear him up in their arms. -Two brave fellows attempted this most perilous service; they had just -reached the top when one of them was killed, and at the same moment, -Nicholas received a musket-ball, which passed through the chest, -breaking two of his ribs upon the way, upon which he fell from the top -to the bottom of the breach mortally hurt, and receiving further injury -from bruises in his fall. - -Never were brave men exposed to slaughter under more frightful -circumstances. The breach would not admit of more than fifteen abreast: -the assailants repeatedly reached the summit, though the slope was -covered with planks full of spikes. There they found the entrance -closed with _chevaux-de-frise_ which it was neither possible to break -down nor to cut away, nor to get over. Many gashed their hands in -attempting to pull them down at the muzzle of the enemy’s muskets, from -which a new species of shot, which the soldiers called musket-grape, -was poured in upon them in one continuous discharge; ... it consisted -of slugs fastened together, and resembled grape-shot in miniature. -Under this incessant fire, shells, hand-grenades, bags of powder, and -every destructive form of missile or combustible that ingenuity could -invent, were hurled into the ditch. Gunpowder, it is said, had never, -since the hour of its discovery, been employed with more terrific and -terrible effect. The explosions frequently created a light more vivid -than broad day, which for a moment was succeeded by utter darkness, ... -and then again the whole ground seemed to be vomiting fire under their -feet and every where around them, while they had no possible means -either of defending themselves or of retaliating. The officers led -their men so close to the enemy’s guns, that they felt the wadding as -well as the ball; when one fell another took his place; but as it had -been impossible to recover from the first confusion, the men could not -be moved like a machine in collective strength; individual efforts were -all that could be made, and these, though made with devoted courage, -were necessarily vain, the best and bravest putting themselves -forward, and sacrificing themselves; till at length the troops, knowing -it hopeless to make any farther effort, and yet too high spirited to -retreat, stood patiently in the ditch to be slaughtered. It was not -till more than two hours after the commencement of this carnage, that -Lord Wellington, being made acquainted with their situation, ordered -these two divisions to be withdrawn and to be formed a little before -daylight for a fresh assault. He might well indeed conclude, that -after the blood which had already been shed there, success was to be -purchased at any cost; and certainly there would have been much more -chance of success in the second attempt than in the first, when it -might be made in good order, and when the enemy’s trains had been -fired, and their combustible preparations expended. - -This might probably have been his determination, if no advantage -had been obtained in any other part; but immediately before he gave -this order, he received intelligence, that the 3rd division was in -possession of the castle. Major-General Kempt, who led this attack, was -wounded in crossing the river Rivellas below the inundation, a fire -having been opened upon them from the whole of the eastern works, as -soon as they reached that stream. It was General Philippon’s intention, -if the breaches should be forced, to retire into the castle, which had -the strength of a citadel: with this and the _tête-du-pont_, and Fort -Christoval, he might yet have held out some days, and give time thereby -for those movements which he supposed would again be made for his -relief. With this view he had strengthened and stored it; all its gates -had been built up, and the ramparts were covered with large Spanish -shells, stones, beams, and whatever could be thrown upon the heads -of the assailants. By means of these preparations, a most obstinate -resistance was opposed to the escalade, and for a considerable time all -who attempted to rear the ladders were destroyed. At length an entrance -was forced up one ladder at an embrasure; the defence immediately -slackened, and other ladders were quickly reared, with that alacrity -which the feeling of success inspires. An officer of the German Legion, -Girsewald by name, who was remarkable for his bodily strength, was one -of the first who mounted. A French soldier fired at and missed him, -then made a thrust with the bayonet; Girsewald, with his left hand, -parried the bayonet and seized it, and held it so firmly, that the -exertions which the Frenchman made for recovering his weapon, assisted -him in mounting, till he got high enough to aim a blow in his turn, -with which he severed his antagonist’s head from his shoulders. A false -report having been made to Philippon that one of the bastions had been -entered by the assailants, the falsehood of that intelligence made him -doubt and hesitate when he heard they were escalading the castle. Two -companies which he intended to order thither, by some mistake either in -giving or understanding the order, went to the breaches instead, where -they were not wanted; and four others, which took the right direction, -arrived too late: the castle had been taken; they were received by a -heavy fire of musketry, and dispersed with loss. One of the last shots -which were fired struck Girsewald on the knee; he would not let the -limb be amputated, and therefore the wound proved fatal. - -The 5th division were not less successful, though the party with the -scaling ladders lost their way, and Lieutenant-General Leith could not, -in consequence, move till it was after eleven o’clock. The bastion -of S. Vicente which he attacked was fully prepared for defence, and -the troops were discovered when on the glacis; yet they forced in -by escalade. Major-General Walker then advanced along the ramparts -to fall on the rear of the enemy who were defending the breaches; -the troops, when driving the French before them, were opposed by a -single field-piece placed on the _terre-plein_ of the curtain; the -gunner lighted a port fire as they approached: at the sudden blaze of -light, one who was among the foremost in pursuit cried out “A mine!” -That fearful word ran through the line of pursuers; the very men who -had so bravely won the bastion, as if their nature had been suddenly -changed, took panic, and in spite of their general’s efforts, who was -severely wounded while endeavouring to rally them, were driven back by -the bayonet to the place whereat they had entered: but by this time -the reserve had formed there, the pursuers in their turn were checked, -and the British marched immediately to the breaches, from which the -defenders then dispersed, seeing that all was lost. This attack might -have been spared if any signals had been agreed upon by which Picton’s -success should have been made known; for want of such concertment, -General Leith’s attack was made after the escalade had succeeded; -he met with the same opposition as if the fate of the place had not -been decided in another quarter, ♦COL. JONES’S SIEGES, 303.♦ and thus -Badajoz may be said to have been twice carried that night. Philippon -with his staff retired into Fort Christoval, and surrendered in the -morning. - -The place was plundered during the remainder of the night and on the -following day, nor could order be restored till the day afterwards. -The doors were forced by firing through the locks, and most of the -inhabitants had placed a table immediately in the entrance of their -houses, with a candle and a bottle of brandy, supposing that this -would content the soldiers: the consequence was that, excited as they -already were, they became half mad with the fiery spirit. But whatever -excesses they committed, their excitement took the form of good -fellowship toward their defeated enemies; and they were seen walking -about with the French soldiers, arm in arm, inviting them to drink, and -taking every care of them. As soon as fresh troops could be brought -up from the corps of observation, they were marched in, and order was -then restored. 59 officers and 744 men were killed on the night of the -assault; 258 officers wounded and 2600 men; the total number of killed -and wounded during the siege was 5000. The garrison consisted of nearly -5000, of whom about 3500 were made prisoners. - -♦SOULT ADVANCES TO RELIEVE THE PLACE, ... AND RETREATS.♦ - -On this occasion the French Marshals had been less alert than during -the former siege, and they had not acted so well in concert. Marshal -Soult left Seville on the 1st, with all the force he could collect. On -the 4th he reached Llerena; and having arrived at Villa-Franca, two -marches only from Badajoz, on the 8th, he there learned that the city -had been taken on the night of the 6th. The inhabitants reported, that -his chagrin at this intelligence was manifested in fits of intemperate -anger, and that he broke nearly all the plates and dishes within his -reach. Before daylight he commenced his retreat; the allied cavalry -immediately followed his march, and on the 11th, attacked his rear -guard (consisting of General Drouet’s cavalry, 2500 in number) at -Usagre, and drove them to Llerena, killing many, and bringing away -about 150 prisoners, and nearly as many horses. It was believed -throughout this part of the country, that Ballasteros had entered -Seville; and the people giving, with their characteristic credulity, -implicit belief to the idle rumour, made rejoicings everywhere for -the supposed success, and seemed wholly to disregard the recapture of -Badajoz. - -If Ciudad Rodrigo had been provisioned at this time as it ought to, -and as Lord Wellington expected it would have been, his intention was -immediately after the capture of Badajoz to have advanced upon Seville -with 40,000 men; that movement would instantly have raised the siege -of Cadiz, and Soult might probably have been obliged to withdraw from -Andalusia, and take up a defensive position on the Tagus. But the -British Commander’s operations were still crippled by the insufficiency -of his means; the Spaniards were not to be relied on for any exertions, -however necessary, for their own deliverance; the Portugueze were -paralysed by the poverty to which the government and the nation were -reduced; and the British ministry were not yet sufficiently encouraged -by success and by popular opinion, to increase their efforts and -therewith an expenditure ♦MARMONT ENTERS BEIRA.♦ already unexampled in -amount. Marshal Marmont, meantime, supposing that Soult would be able -to raise the siege of Badajoz, thought the opportunity favourable for -an attempt upon the Beira frontier. Lord Wellington had foreseen this, -and had ♦ARRANGEMENT FOR THE DEFENCE OF THAT FRONTIER.♦ little means of -providing against it. Relying, however, upon the officers whom he had -left in command at Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, for all that could be -done by vigilance and sound judgment, he had directed General Bacellar -to collect the Portugueze militia corps and march thither, ... Sylveira -to protect the Tras-os-Montes, and Brigadier-Generals Sir Nicholas -Trant and Sir John Wilson to cover that part of Beira extending from -the Douro along the Coa to Sabugal, with especial orders to look to the -safety of a considerable magazine of ammunition at Celorico. Bacellar -fixed his head-quarters at Lamego; the two Anglo-Portugueze Brigadiers -had about 3500 men, but only a single squadron of dragoons between -them, and but a small proportion of the men had served with them in the -former campaigns. In Portugal, the militia is a service in which no -man willingly either enters or continues, for they receive only half -the pay of the regular soldier, and half the ration of provisions, -and are clothed at their own expense. This body is composed wholly -of married men, or of widowers having children, these being the only -persons exempted from the conscription: such men were naturally anxious -and desirous of returning home, whenever, by means of favour or of -corruption, they could obtain leave; in the interval of the campaign, -their places were supplied by others of the same class; two-thirds -at least of the whole number consisted of such raw recruits, and the -others had not been exercised one day since they were disbanded in the -spring of the preceding year. - -♦MARMONT DETERRED BY A FEINT FROM ASSAULTING ALMEIDA.♦ - -Marmont did not know how weak a force could be brought into the -field rather to observe his movements than to oppose them; but he -knew that Ciudad Rodrigo was ill-stored with provisions, and that -the injury which Brennier had done to the fortifications of Almeida -when he abandoned that place had been insufficiently repaired. -Advancing, therefore, from Salamanca with about 20,000 men, including -1200 cavalry, he summoned Ciudad Rodrigo: the Spaniards had made so -little progress in repairing the works, that he might probably have -carried it by escalade; but the French had now lost something of -their confidence; he was afraid of committing himself, and leaving -one division to blockade it, proceeded with the rest of his army -towards Almeida. Colonel Le Mesurier commanded in that fortress, and -its safety depended much more upon the character of its commander -than upon its own strength or that of the garrison, which consisted -entirely of militia. Trant, arriving with his division upon the Coa -just at this time, and receiving intelligence there of the enemy’s -movements, proceeded without delay to occupy the position of the Cabeço -Negro, which Lord Wellington had occupied during Massena’s operations -against Almeida: the French were already arriving before that place, -and it was with difficulty that a corps of between 7 and 800 Spaniards -under D. Carlos d’España escaped their close pursuit and effected a -junction with this body of Portugueze. It was of great consequence to -communicate with Colonel Le Mesurier now. Trant, though exposed to the -fire of the French advanced posts, effected this, and during a short -interview, they agreed upon the course to be pursued in case Almeida -should be seriously threatened; and also, that during the night an -attempt should be made to impose upon the French by making show as of -a considerable force upon the left bank of the Coa. Accordingly, fires -were kindled to the right and left of the position; and the enemy, -deceived by this easy stratagem into a belief that a corps of British -troops was present, gave up their intention of assaulting the fortress; -they only threw forward a reconnoitring party upon the glacis, which -the Governor drove back with loss. - -Had Marmont assaulted the place, he might probably have captured it, -and would have found there a battering-train, which would have enabled -him to break ground before Ciudad Rodrigo. On the following morning he -withdrew, and leaving Almeida in the rear proceeded to Sabugal, where -he established his head-quarters: it was now at his option either -to advance upon the Tagus by Castello Branco, or by Guarda upon the -Mondego and Celorico; but his operations had neither been ♦ADVANCE OF -THE FRENCH TO CASTELLO BRANCO AND THEIR RETREAT.♦ well concerted, nor -were they vigorously pursued. His advanced guard followed the first -hussars, who had been left under Major-General Alten in front of Ciudad -Rodrigo, through Lower Beira, but at a distance; and they entered -Castello Branco, that officer having fallen back thither, and retiring -from thence before them with Brigadier-General Le Cor’s brigade of -militia which had been stationed there. The hospital and the stores -were removed beyond the Tagus. The enemy did not cross the river in -pursuit, and when Alten and Le Cor recrossed, the French retreated, -evacuating the city two days after they had taken possession of it. - -♦MARMONT ATTEMPTS TO SURPRISE THE PORTUGUEZE AT GUARDA.♦ - -Meantime Bacellar, who had removed his head-quarters to Celorico, -instructed Trant and Wilson to occupy Guarda, relying upon Dumouriez’ -erroneous opinion of the advantages of a position which Lord Wellington -afterwards pronounced to be the most treacherous one in Portugal. They, -though they were not at that time aware of the defects of the ground -which they were ordered to take, would far rather have moved behind the -Mondego, from whence the magazines at Celorico might have been better -protected. The French were dispersed over a large extent of country -for the purpose of procuring provisions, and for plunder; but Marmont, -having collected about 10,000 of his men and half his cavalry, on the -evening of the day on which his advanced guard retired from Castello -Branco, advanced upon Guarda, expecting to surprise the Portugueze -divisions there. A hundred men under a Captain and two Lieutenants -had been stationed about half a mile in front of the town, on the -Sabugal road. Marmont himself advancing with 500 cavalry, surprised and -captured the out-piquet of the party, and pushed on within 200 yards -of the city, but hearing the drums beat to arms, and being unsupported -by infantry, he thought it prudent to fall back upon his main force. -The Portugueze, who at that moment could have offered little resistance -even to a less formidable enemy, soon drew up on the outside of the -town, towards the danger; it was just at daybreak, and they ascertained -the great superiority of the French in time to commence their retreat. -Guarda being untenable, and the troops having only rations for the -present day, and depending upon Celorico for supplies which would now -be cut off, Trant, therefore, in concurrence with Wilson’s opinion, -resolved to retire behind the Mondego, which was about six miles -distant. Two battalions were continued in position, while the remainder -retired through the town, and took up ground in its rear unobserved by -the enemy; but no sooner were the whole set in motion than the French -cavalry followed, threatening to charge the columns. The ground for -about five miles was entirely open; but a regiment was successively -halted in echelle for the protection of the troops in march, and by -this means the movement went on in perfect order, till the moment when -all danger seemed to be at an end. - -♦FLIGHT OF THE PORTUGUEZE MILITIA BY THE MONDEGO.♦ - -Immediately before the road to Celorico reaches the Mondego, it -descends a sloping ground, much broken and covered with wood. The -enemy’s horse was by this time pressing them close; Trant, therefore, -halted his rear-guard of one battalion within the wood, about a hundred -yards from the summit of the hill, where they could not be attacked -by cavalry, and where by making a stand, they might have gained time -for the rest of the troops to ford the river and form on the opposite -side. But it had not ceased raining for some hours, and when they -were ordered to fire upon some of the French who dismounted, and were -firing their carabines upon them, very few of the firelocks went off; -the men instantly lost confidence, and every one thought to escape -unnoticed by favour of the ground. Trant presently found himself with -not more than a hundred men besides the officers of his staff and of -the regiment. The panic which these fugitives spread was increased -by the small party of Portugueze cavalry, which having been employed -thus far in watching the enemy, retreated with too much precipitation -through the rear-guard, glad to find themselves in comparative safety -among the trees; and some of them escaping to the main body, it was -supposed from their report that the whole of the rear-guard had been -cut off. All efforts of the officers were in vain; they took to flight; -the enemy’s cavalry descended the hill unopposed, and made about two -hundred prisoners without killing or wounding a single man. Five -colours were lost in this rout, the bearers having either hid them in -the wood, or thrown them into the Mondego; and a few men were drowned -in hurrying over the river. Some of the fugitives hastened to Celorico, -declaring that the enemy were in full pursuit, and continuing their -flight, they spread the same report all the way to Coimbra. It had this -ill effect at Celorico that the officer in charge of the depôt there -set it on fire, concluding hastily, that what these persons reported as -eye-witnesses, must to its ♦MARMONT RETREATS.♦ whole extent be true. -But night had closed opportunely for the Portugueze; their officers -succeeded in rallying them beyond the river, and the French did not -attempt to pass, waiting till the morning: during the night Marmont -received unwelcome tidings that Badajoz had fallen, and that Lord -Wellington was on his way to the north; he therefore retraced his -steps towards Sabugal, concentrated his army there, and then commenced -his retreat upon Salamanca, raising the blockade of Ciudad Rodrigo. The -enemy in this expedition had robbed and murdered the inhabitants as -usual; but they derived no advantage from it whatever, having attempted -more than they could execute, and leaving unattempted what they might -have achieved. - -Marshal Beresford noticed the conduct of the militia in the severest -terms; and it is worthy of remark, that the order which contained this -censure found its way into the Moniteur, ... of so much consequence -was it deemed at Paris to depreciate the Portugueze soldiers now -when the French had begun to find them formidable. An _alferes_ and -two serjeants were brought to trial at Coimbra, for cowardice, and -for spreading fearful and false reports upon their flight: they were -condemned to death and executed. The Porto militia regiment in which -the panic had begun was deprived of its colours till it should recover -its character in the presence of the enemy; two other regiments which -had lost theirs were not to have them restored till, in like manner, -they had effaced the stain of their late conduct; and the Penafiel -militia, which had lost one and preserved the other, was ordered to -deposit that other with the _Camara_ of their town till they should -have approved themselves worthy to be intrusted with it again. As this -was the only instance in which the Portugueze had disgraced themselves -since their military establishment had been reformed, it was treated -with the greatest severity. - -♦LORD WELLINGTON RETIRES TO BEIRA.♦ - -Lord Wellington, as soon as he heard of Soult’s retreat, had put -his army in motion toward the Beira frontier. He established his -head-quarters at Fuente Guinaldo; the troops were cantoned between -the Agueda and the Coa; and though the magazines at Celorico had been -destroyed, those beyond the Douro sufficed for their supply. Here, -therefore, they rested awhile to recruit their strength. Their means of -transport were employed in provisioning Badajoz, and Lord Wellington -prepared to follow up the brilliant successes of the campaign. - - - - -CHAPTER XLI. - - MARQUIS WELLESLEY RESIGNS OFFICE. OVERTURES OF PEACE. MURDER OF MR. - PERCEVAL. NEGOTIATIONS FOR FORMING A NEW ADMINISTRATION. SIR - ROWLAND HILL’S SUCCESS AT ALMARAZ. BATTLE OF SALAMANCA. - - -♦1812.♦ - -The year which had commenced thus auspiciously for the British arms -was distinguished also by important events both at home and on the -continent, ... events which materially affected the conduct and the -issue of ♦MARQUIS WELLESLEY RESIGNS OFFICE.♦ the war. Early in the -year Marquis Wellesley resigned the seals of his office: he could not -prevail upon his colleagues in the cabinet to place such means at -the disposal of Lord Wellington as might enable him to follow up his -advantages with every human certainty of complete success; and he was -impatient of continuing in a subordinate station to Mr. Perceval, whom -he seems to have estimated far below the standard of his worth. The -seals were put into the Earl of Liverpool’s hands till a successor -should be appointed. ♦RESTRICTIONS ON THE REGENCY EXPIRE. FEB. 13.♦ -At this time the restrictions on the Regency were about to expire, -and the Prince addressed a letter to his brother the Duke of York, -saying how much it would gratify him if some of those persons with -whom the habits of his public life had been formed would strengthen -his hands and constitute a part of his government; and authorizing -him to communicate his wishes to Lord Grey, who would make them known -to Lord Grenville. “The national faith,” said the Prince, “has been -preserved inviolate towards our allies; and if character is strength, -as applied to a nation, the increased and increasing reputation of his -Majesty’s arms will show to the nations of the continent how much they -may still achieve when animated by a glorious spirit of resistance to -a foreign yoke. In the critical situation of the war in the Peninsula, -I shall be most anxious to avoid any measure which can lead my allies -to suppose that I mean to depart from the present system. Perseverance -alone can achieve the great object in question; and I cannot withhold -my approbation from those who have honourably distinguished themselves -in the support of it. I have no predilections to indulge, ... no -resentments to gratify, ... no objects to attain but such as are common -to the whole empire.” - -♦COMMUNICATION FROM THE PRINCE TO THE LEADERS OF OPPOSITION. - -JANUARY 7.♦ - -It was not likely that this communication to the two joint leaders of -the Opposition would bring them to act in concert with Mr. Perceval, -whom having tried and proved, the Prince would not now have abandoned. -Earl Grey had said in the debate on the address, “he should feel -unhappy if he departed from that House without declaring that he -retained all the opinions which he before held on subjects of great -magnitude, ... opinions confirmed by experience and the evidence of -facts, ... opinions which he should ever be ready to maintain and -defend, the system that had been adopted having been, in fact, the -source of almost all our present and impending calamities.” Lord -Grenville’s language on the same occasion had been to the same purport: -“The framers of the Prince Regent’s speech,” he said, “were the very -men who by their obstinate blindness had brought the country to the -brink of ruin, and who, in the midst of the distresses they themselves -had occasioned, still held the same flattering and fallacious language. -He would protest against a continuance of those measures which had -brought such calamities on the country, ... calamities so real and -momentous, that they must soon press themselves with irresistible force -on their lordships’ attention, whether or not they were willing to give -them the consideration they deserved. People might choose to close -their eyes, but the force of truth must dispel the wilful blindness; -they might choose to shut their ears, but the voice of a suffering -nation must sooner or later be heard. He still retained his objections -to every part of the system which he had so often condemned; he still -deprecated that wanton waste of money and of all the public resources, -when it was more necessary than ever to husband them with the most -provident care.” - -♦REPLY OF LORDS GREY AND GRENVILLE.♦ - -The two lords framed their reply to the Duke of York’s communication -in conformity with these declared opinions: “No sacrifice,” they said, -“except those of honour and duty, could appear to us too great to be -made, for the purpose of healing the divisions of our country, and -uniting both its government and its people. All personal exclusion we -entirely disclaim; we rest on public measures; and it is on this ground -alone that we must express, without reserve, the impossibility of our -uniting with the present government. Our differences of opinion are -too many and too important to admit of such an union: ... they embrace -almost all the leading features of the present policy of the empire.” -Then touching upon the state of Ireland, “We are firmly persuaded,” -they said, “of the necessity of a total change in the present system of -government in that country.” - -The great body of the nation dreaded at this time nothing so much as -any change in the ministry which would bring the despondents into -office; they therefore regarded this refusal of the Prince Regent’s -overture with the greatest satisfaction; but it gave offence to others -of that party, who looked upon themselves with some reason as having -been included in the overtures, and were of opinion that they ought to -have been consulted before such an answer was returned; there might -have been a distribution of loaves and fishes; and though the two lords -were not hungry, they were: ... this ♦MARCH.♦ the public learned from -their complaints. The seals of the foreign department were now accepted -by Lord Castlereagh, who while out of office, instead of entering into -opposition, had supported the measures of a cabinet whose general -course of policy he approved, and in whom the ministry, if they gained -little accession of strength in public opinion, obtained an active and -useful colleague, on whose intrepidity and honour and straightforward -integrity they could rely. - -♦LORD BORINGDON’S MOTION. - -MAR. 19.♦ - -Lord Boringdon, however, thought proper to move in the House of Lords -for an address to the Prince Regent, requesting that he would endeavour -to form a cabinet which might effectually call forth the resources -of the empire. “The motion was founded,” he said, “on his deep sense -of the alarming evils which threatened the safety of the nation, and -on the imperative necessity of obtaining an efficient administration -capable of averting them; ... for the darkest and most gloomy prospects -now surrounded us; dangers were pressing upon us on every side, and -at this same time the means of averting them were weakened.” The -Catholic question was largely introduced in the ensuing debate; a -party in Parliament using that question as a means for harassing -the administration, while men of worse intentions but far greater -foresight employed it as an engine by which they expected to separate -Ireland from England, eradicate the Protestant Church in one country, -and finally subvert the constitution of the other. But the public -looked with much more interest to the opinions concerning the war -expressed by those who, notwithstanding their late refusal of office, -were supposed to be expectant of it; and upon this point Earl Grey’s -sentiments seemed to have undergone some modification. “Certainly,” -he said, “he was not prepared to affirm that it was expedient to -recall our troops immediately home, but certainly he did not wish to -proceed in that expensive mode of warfare without having some military -authority as to the result of it. He ♦SPEECH OF EARL GREY.♦ thought, -and most decidedly, that a reduction of our expenditure was called -for by reflections of the most urgent and powerful kind, ... but if -any thing like a certainty of success could be shown in the schemes -that were devised, then all his hesitations would be removed, and he -should consider even the most extensive scale of foreign operations as -recommended by the principles of economy itself. He felt warmly the -justice of that cause which we were maintaining in the Peninsula. No -cause related in the annals of mankind ever rested more entirely on -sentiments of the most honourable feeling, or was more connected (if -circumstances were favourable) with principles of national advantage. -The spectacle exhibited was the most interesting that could engage -the sympathies or the attention of the world; and it was impossible -not to wish to afford assistance to the noble struggle of a free -people, against the most unparalleled treachery, the most atrocious -violence, that ever stained or degraded the ambition of despotic -power. But those principles upon which the prosecution of that war -could be defended must be reduced to a mere speculative theory, unless -supported by adequate exertions from the Spanish people and the Spanish -government. Without that necessary co-operation, all our efforts must -prove useless. The success of our arms during the last two years -had been called complete: he could coincide in no such declaration, -knowing, as every other man knew, that the defence of Portugal must -be impracticable after Spain should be entirely subdued. We had -unquestionably achieved much, and in the capture of Cuidad Rodrigo -he concurred in the admiration justly due to the great commander who -conducted that important enterprise. But when he looked to another -part of that kingdom, and saw Badajoz in possession of the enemy, ... -when he looked to Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia, ... he was at a loss to -discover what new prospects of success had dawned upon the Spaniards. -Those conquests opened to the enemy a free communication between all -their divisions, and they would soon be enabled by that circumstance -to bring the whole weight of their united forces against the British. -He did think, too, that ministers had been culpably negligent in not -having exerted in that quarter the means actually in their power, by -employing a considerable naval force for the purpose of lending our -allies more effectual succour. Such a system, if properly conducted, -would in all probability have enabled the Catalans to expel their -invaders. Where then were the symptoms of this boasted success? Lord -Wellington, at the head of 62,000 as effective men as were ever led -into the field, had been compelled to remain on the defensive! With a -force greater than that commanded by the Duke of Marlborough at the -most splendid era of our military history, Lord Wellington had found -himself limited to the pursuit of a defensive system!” - -♦OVERTURE FROM THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT.♦ - -Lord Boringdon’s motion met with little support, and the tidings -of Lord Wellington’s success at Badajoz contributed to confirm the -confidence which the great majority of the public felt in the existing -administration. The fall of that fortress was so decisive a proof -of British enterprise and courage, that Buonaparte would not allow -it to be mentioned in the French newspapers; and under his vigilant -despotism the French people could know nothing more of public affairs -than he thought proper to communicate. At this time he was preparing -for an expedition upon a greater scale than any which he had before -undertaken, and to a greater distance than he had yet advanced in his -career of conquest. An overture for peace to the British Government, -upon grounds which he knew to be inadmissible, served now, as on -former occasions, for a prelude to this new drama of his ambition. -“His Majesty the Emperor,” the Duc de Bassano said in a ♦APRIL 17.♦ -communication to Lord Castlereagh, “being constantly actuated by -sentiments friendly to moderation and peace, and moved by the awful -circumstances in which the world is at present placed, is pleased -again to make a solemn and sincere attempt for putting an end to the -miseries of war. Many changes have taken place in Europe during the -last ten years, which have been the necessary consequence of the war -between France and England, and many more changes will be effected by -the same cause. The particular character which the war has assumed -may add to the extent and duration of these results. Exclusive and -arbitrary principles cannot be combated but by an opposition without -measure or end; and the system of preservation and resistance must have -the same character of universality, perseverance, and vigour. This -might have been prevented if the peace of Amiens had been observed.” -Having referred then to the overtures which Buonaparte had made in the -years 1805, 1808 and 1810, the French minister proceeded thus: ... -“I will express myself, Sir, in a manner which your excellency will -find conformable to the sincerity of the step that I am authorized to -take; and nothing will better evince the sincerity and sublimity of it -than the precise terms of the language which I have been instructed to -use. What motives should induce me to envelope myself in formalities -suitable to weakness, which alone can find its interest in deceit?... -The affairs of the Peninsula and of the Two Sicilies are the points -of difference which appear least to admit of being adjusted.... I am -authorized to propose an arrangement of them on the following basis: -... The integrity of Spain shall be guaranteed. France shall renounce -all intention of extending her dominions beyond the Pyrenees. The -present dynasty shall be declared independent, and Spain shall be -governed by a national constitution of her Cortes. The independence -and integrity of Portugal shall also be guaranteed, and the house of -Braganza shall have the sovereign authority. The kingdom of Naples -shall remain in possession of the present monarch, and the kingdom -of Sicily shall be guaranteed to the present family of Sicily. As a -consequence of these stipulations, Spain, Portugal and Sicily shall be -evacuated by the French and English land and naval forces. With respect -to the other subjects of discussion, they may be negotiated upon this -basis, that each power shall retain that of which the other could not -deprive it by war. Such, Sir, are the grounds of conciliation offered -by his Majesty to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent. His Majesty, -the Emperor and King, in taking this step, does not look either to the -advantages or losses which this empire may derive from the war, if it -should be prolonged: he is influenced simply by considerations of the -interests of humanity, and the peace of his people. And if this fourth -attempt, like those which have preceded it, should not be attended -with success, France will at least have the consolation of thinking -that whatever blood may yet flow, will be justly imputable to England -alone.” - -♦LORD CASTLEREAGH’S REPLY.♦ - -This overture was answered as it deserved; Lord Castlereagh was -instructed, before he entered into any explanations, to ascertain the -precise meaning attached by the French Government to its proposal -concerning the actual dynasty and government of Spain. “If,” said he, -“as His Royal Highness fears, the meaning of this proposition is, that -the royal authority of Spain and the government established by the -Cortes shall be recognised as residing in the brother of the head of -the French Government, and the Cortes formed under his authority, not -in the legitimate sovereign Ferdinand VII., and his heirs, and the -extraordinary assembly of the Cortes, now invested with the power of -the government in that kingdom, in his name and by his authority, I am -commanded frankly and explicitly to declare, that the obligations of -good faith do not permit His Royal Highness to receive a proposition -for peace founded on such a basis. But if the expressions apply to the -actual government of Spain, which exercises the sovereign authority in -the name of Ferdinand VII., upon an assurance of your Excellency to -that effect, the Prince Regent will feel himself disposed to enter into -a full explanation upon the basis which has been transmitted; it being -his most earnest wish to contribute, in concert with his allies, to -the repose of Europe; and to bring about a peace which may be at once -honourable not only for Great Britain and France, but also for those -states which are in amity with each of these powers. Having made known, -without reserve, the sentiments of the Prince Regent with respect to a -point on which it is necessary to have a full understanding previous -to any ulterior discussion, I shall adhere to the instructions of his -Royal Highness, by avoiding all superfluous comment and recriminations -on the accessary objects of your letter. I might, advantageously -for the justification of the conduct observed by Great Britain at -the different periods alluded to by your Excellency, refer to the -correspondence which then took place, and to the judgment which the -world has long since formed of it. As to the particular character the -war has unhappily assumed, and the arbitrary principles which your -Excellency conceives to have marked its progress, denying as I do, -that these evils are attributable to the British Government, I at the -same time can assure your Excellency, that it sincerely deplores their -existence, as uselessly aggravating the calamities of war; and that its -most anxious desire, whether at peace or at war with France, is to have -the relations of the two countries restored to the liberal principles -usually acted upon in former times.” - -No answer was attempted to this unanswerable reply; and the signal -success of the British arms since the commencement of the year had so -far raised the public spirit, that no attempt was made in Parliament -to ground upon the failure of these overtures any accusation against -the ministers for wantonly prolonging the war. With a great majority -in both Houses, and a still greater in the nation, with the confidence -also of the Prince Regent, which was now no longer doubtful, the -administration seemed, for the first time since the king’s ♦MR. -PERCEVAL MURDERED. MAY 11.♦ malady, to be firmly established, when -Mr. Perceval was shot through the heart, in the lobby of the House of -Commons, by a madman. The murderer was a person who, having failed -in some mercantile speculations at Archangel, and having been thrown -into prison there, imagined himself wronged by the Russian Government, -and by the British Government, because it had not taken up his cause, -concerning which he had molested both governments, with repeated -and groundless memorials; for the business was entirely of a private -nature, in which they could not interfere. He made no attempt to -escape. “My name,” he said, “is Bellingham; it is a private injury; -it was a denial of justice on the part of government. I know what I -have done. They have driven me to despair by telling me at the public -offices that I might do my worst. I have obeyed them: I have been -watching more than a fortnight for a favourable opportunity; I have -done my worst, and I rejoice in the deed!” He had no personal enmity -to Mr. Perceval, with whom, as it happened, he had not at any time -communicated; and he would rather have had Lord Levison Gower for his -victim, who, having been ambassador in Russia, ought, according to his -opinion, to have interfered. - -Bellingham was insane on the single point of his own imagined injuries; -but his insanity was of a kind which, for the sake of society, must not -be pleaded in bar of justice before an earthly tribunal. The murder -was committed on a Monday, and as the sessions had commenced at the -Old Bailey, he was brought to trial on the Friday, and executed on -the Monday following. On this occasion, it was seen to what a degree -seditious journalists, the most nefarious that ever were allowed -to make a free press their engine for mischief, had succeeded in -corrupting no small portion of the ignorant and deluded multitude. When -he was conveyed from the House of Commons to Newgate, in a carriage -♦CONDUCT OF THE POPULACE.♦ and under an escort, an attempt was made -to rescue him, and the soldiers were hooted. The mob which collected -next day in Palace-Yard uttered the most atrocious exclamations. Before -it was known that Bellingham was an object of commiseration as well -as horror, he was extolled in pot-houses as a friend to the people, -who had done them good service in killing a prime minister; exulting -anticipations were expressed that this was but the beginning, and that -more such examples would follow; healths were drunk to those members of -Parliament, whose language at various times (whatever their intentions -may have been) had been mischievous enough to bring upon them the -stigma of such popularity: and in certain manufacturing places public -rejoicings were made for the murder of a minister, who both in private -and in public life was absolutely without reproach. In public life -he was without fear also: this kingdom was never blest with a more -intrepid nor a more upright minister; he feared God, and therefore he -had no fear of man. There were persons who upon his elevation alluded -to the Knight of the Round Table, from whom his family derive their -descent, and said that Sir Perceval was not the man who could sit -in the “Siege Perilous.” That seat, however, he took, and filled it -worthily; and like his ancestor in the romance, he was qualified to do -this by the purity as well as by the strength of his character. A sense -of religious duty was the key-stone which crowned his virtues and his -talents, and kept them firm. - -A grant of £50,000 for the twelve children of Mr. Perceval was voted -by Parliament, with a pension of £2000 to his widow, and to the eldest -son, whose reversion was subsequently commuted for one of those -sinecures, against which, if they were always thus properly bestowed, -no voice would be raised. The loss of the murdered minister was thus -repaired to his family, as far as it was reparable; but how was his -place in the ♦OVERTURES FROM THE MINISTRY TO M. WELLESLEY AND MR. -CANNING. MAY 17.♦ cabinet to be supplied? Overtures were made to Mr. -Canning and Marquis Wellesley, as persons who were understood to act -in unison, and who in their views of foreign policy differed in no -respect from the existing ministers. They were informed that the -Prince naturally looked to them, because he was desirous of continuing -his administration upon its present basis, and also of strengthening it -as much as possible by associating to it such persons in public life as -agreed most nearly and generally in the principles upon which public -affairs had been conducted. Lord Liverpool, by whom this communication -was made, stated that his colleagues wished him to be appointed First -Lord of the Treasury, and that their wish was known to the Prince, when -His Royal Highness charged him with this negotiation; he added also, -that Lord Castlereagh was to retain his office, and act as leader in -the House of Commons. - -It is probable that Mr. Canning was offended at this latter intimation, -though he manifested no such displeasure: it is probable that he -thought himself disparaged when that part of the business of the -House of Commons for which he could not but be conscious that he -was pre-eminently qualified, was assigned to a person who was in -oratorical powers greatly his inferior. Marquis Wellesley may also be -supposed to have felt a kindred disappointment; he could number few -followers in Parliament, but he had other friends, who for some time -had been endeavouring with more zeal and activity than discretion, -to persuade the nation that he was the only statesman capable of -conducting the government at a crisis when the interests of all Europe -were at stake. But in this, though they appealed to his vigorous and -splendid administration in India, they altogether failed. No doubt -was entertained of his surpassing abilities, nor of his comprehensive -views, nor of the energy with which he was capable of acting upon them. -But that was wanting on which the British people in the healthy and -natural state of public feeling were accustomed to rely; he had to a -certain degree their admiration, but not their confidence. And while -his merits as an Indian governor were understood by those only who were -conversant with Indian affairs, the villanous calumnies with which he -had been assailed for his conduct in that distant country were more -widely known, and were moreover fresher in remembrance. - -♦M. WELLESLEY’S REASONS FOR DECLINING THEM.♦ - -He gained no ground in public opinion by his conduct in the -negotiation. The difference upon the Roman Catholic question between -himself and the cabinet which he was invited to join, “was of the -utmost importance,” he said, “and would alone compel him to decline -the proposition.” But that question, though in its consequences more -mischievous than any by which these kingdoms have been agitated since -the Restoration, was of no pressing importance at that time, nor could -all the arts and efforts of those who promoted it induce the nation to -think it so. He asked also, whether all those persons designated by the -name of the opposition were to be excluded from the proposed scheme of -administration; “an inquiry which,” he said, “originated in his sincere -conviction (founded upon an attentive observation of the general -state of public opinion, and of the condition of the empire) that no -administration which should not comprise some of those persons, could -prove advantageous to the Prince Regent, conciliatory towards Ireland, -and equal to the conduct of the war, on a scale of sufficient extent.” -Marquis Wellesley must have been strangely deceived when he supposed -that public opinion supported him in this notion: and it is even more -remarkable that he should have expected those persons to co-operate -with him in his vigorous plans for prosecuting the war, knowing as he -did, that from the beginning they had considered it as hopeless, and -had not less repeatedly than confidently predicted its total failure. -Farther, the Marquis stated that the considerations which had induced -him to resign office had since acquired additional force, and would -constitute an insuperable obstacle to his acceptance of any station -in the present administration. He had withdrawn from Mr. Perceval’s -because his general opinions on various important questions had not -sufficient weight in that cabinet to justify him towards the public, or -towards his own character in continuing in office. “My objection,” said -he, “to remaining in that cabinet arose, in a great degree, from the -imperfect scale on which the efforts in the Peninsula were conducted. -It was always stated to me that it was impracticable to enlarge that -system. I thought it was perfectly practicable; and that it was neither -safe nor honest towards this country or the allies to continue the -present inadequate scheme. Since my resignation it has been found -practicable to make some extension; but it is still intimated, that my -views are more extensive than the resources of the country can enable -the government to reduce to practice. I, however, still entertain the -same views and opinions, without diminution or alteration; and I am -convinced that a considerable extension of the scale of our operations -in the Peninsula, and also an effectual correction of many branches -of our system in that quarter, are objects of indispensable necessity -and of easy attainment. With such a decided difference of opinion in -relation to the conduct and management of the war, my return into -a cabinet composed as the present is, would offer to me no better -prospect than the renewal of discussions which have hitherto proved -unavailing.” - -♦MR. CANNING’S.♦ - -Mr. Canning rested his refusal of office solely upon the Catholic -question: “To accept it,” he said, “would be to lend himself to -the defeating of his own declared opinions on that most important -question; opinions which were as far as those of any man from being -favourable to precipitate an unqualified concession. But by entering -into the administration while all consideration of that question was -to be resisted, I should incur,” said he, “such a loss of personal -and public character as would disappoint the object which His Royal -Highness the Prince Regent has at heart, and must render my accession -to his government a new source of weakness rather than an addition -of strength.” Lord Liverpool had stated to Mr. Canning, that Lord -Castlereagh had from motives of delicacy absented himself from the -cabinet when the grounds on which the overture was to be made were -discussed; and that he would be no obstacle in the way of arrangement. -This was consistent with the manliness and generosity of Lord -Castlereagh’s character, and it was received in a corresponding spirit -by Mr. Canning. “After the expressions,” said he to Lord Liverpool, -“with which you were charged on the part of all your colleagues, I -should not be warranted in omitting to declare that no objection of a -personal sort should have prevented me from uniting with any or all -of them, if I could have done so with honour.... I cannot deny myself -the satisfaction of adding, that the manner of your communication -with us has entirely corresponded with the habits and sentiments of a -friendship of so many years; a friendship which our general concurrence -on many great political principles has strengthened, and which our -occasional differences have in no degree impaired.” - -♦M. WELLESLEY’S STATEMENT.♦ - -If the failure of this overture disappointed the hopes which ministers -had reasonably entertained of strengthening themselves by the accession -of the two persons who were most in accord with them upon all points of -foreign policy, it had no tendency to widen their differences; but just -as it terminated, a statement of the causes which had induced Marquess -Wellesley to resign found its way into the newspapers through the -indiscretion of some of his friends. It spoke in no measured terms of -his late colleagues: in his judgment, it was said, the cabinet neither -possessed ability and knowledge to devise a good plan, nor temper and -discernment to adopt what was recommended to them: ... it said also -that Marquis Wellesley could not pay any deference to Mr. Perceval’s -judgment and attainments without injury to the public service: that if -his own opinions had been adopted, he might have been willing to have -served with him, but would never have consented to serve under him in -any circumstances: that he had offered to act under Earl Moira or Lord -Holland, and made no exception to any person as prime minister but Mr. -Perceval, whom he considered incompetent to fill that office, although -sufficiently qualified for inferior stations. The publication of this -statement would have been indiscreet at any time; but being published -a few days only after the murder of Mr. Perceval, it excited a strong -feeling of displeasure. Just at this juncture, Mr. Stuart Wortley -♦MR. STUART WORTLEY’S MOTION.♦ moved in the House of Commons, that an -address should be presented to the Prince, praying him to take measures -for forming a strong and efficient government. This ill-judged motion -was carried by a small majority; and the Prince in consequence sent for -Marquis Wellesley, and desired him to form a plan of an administration. -The Marquis requested Mr. Canning, as the channel which might be ♦MAY -23. M. WELLESLEY CHARGED TO FORM AN ADMINISTRATION.♦ most agreeable to -Lord Liverpool, to inquire whether he and all or any of his colleagues -would form part of a ministry constituted upon the principles of taking -the Catholic question into early consideration, with a view to its -final and satisfactory settlement, and of prosecuting the war in the -Peninsula with the best means of the country. There was the strongest -wish, it was added, to comprehend in the arrangement, without any -individual or party exclusion whatever, as many as possible of such -persons as might be able to agree in giving their public service to -the country upon these two principles. With regard to the distribution -of offices nothing was stipulated; every thing, therefore, was open to -be arranged ♦THE MINISTERS REFUSE TO ACT WITH HIM.♦ to the honour and -satisfaction of all parties. An immediate answer was returned by Lord -Liverpool, for himself and his colleagues, saying, that it was not -necessary for them to enter into any discussion of the two principles, -because they all felt themselves bound, particularly after what had -recently passed, to decline the proposal of becoming members of an -administration to be formed by Marquis Wellesley. - -♦LORDS GREY AND GRENVILLE ALSO DECLINE.♦ - -Marquis Wellesley made a similar communication to Lords Grey and -Grenville, and through them to their friends, observing, that -he neither claimed nor desired for himself any place in the new -arrangement, looking upon himself merely as the instrument of executing -the Prince’s commands in this instance. Lords Grey and Grenville -professed in reply, that they felt it to be the duty of all public -men at such a moment; both by frank and conciliatory explanations of -principle, and by the total abandonment of every personal object, to -facilitate the means of giving effect to the late vote of the House of -Commons, and of averting the imminent and unparalleled dangers of the -country. They cordially agreed with him upon the Catholic question. As -to the second point, “No person,” they said, “feels more strongly than -we do the advantages which would result from a successful termination -of the present contest in Spain; but we are of opinion, that the -direction of military operations in an extensive war, and the more or -less vigorous prosecution of those operations, are questions not of -principle but of policy; to be regulated by circumstances in their -nature temporary and fluctuating, and in many cases known only to -persons in official stations; by the engagements of the country, the -prospect of ultimate success, the extent of the exertions necessary -for its attainment, and the means of supporting those efforts without -too great a pressure on the finances and internal prosperity of the -country. On such questions, therefore, no public men, either in or out -of office, can undertake for more than a deliberate and dispassionate -consideration, according to the circumstances of the case as it may -appear, and to such means of information as may then be within their -reach. But we cannot in sincerity conceal from Marquis Wellesley, -that in the present state of the finances we entertain the strongest -doubts of the practicability of an increase in any branch of the public -expenditure.” Lords Lansdowne and Holland concurred in this answer of -the two opposition leaders. Earl Moira’s reply was, “That a plan of -government on the basis proposed would have his most cordial wishes; -but that this declaration was not to imply any engagement on his part -to accept office.” In the subsequent correspondence, Marquis Wellesley -and Mr. Canning said respecting the Catholic question, that they did -not conceive any farther parliamentary proceeding to be necessary or -practicable that session, than such as might be sufficient to ensure, -either by compulsion upon a hostile administration, or by pledge from a -friendly one, the consideration of the question during the recess, with -a view to its being brought before Parliament by the recommendation of -the Crown early in the ensuing session.” Earl Grey replied to this, -“That he should very reluctantly abandon the hope of passing a bill -even during the present session for the repeal of the disabilities -whereof the Catholics complained; but if this could not be done, he -held it indispensable that the most distinct and authentic pledge -should be given of the intention both of the executive government and -of Parliament to take the matter up as one of the first measures of the -next.” Touching the conduct of the war, “It is impossible,” said he, -“to reduce a question of this nature to any fixed principle. Whatever -we can say with our present means of information must necessarily be -general and inconclusive. I can have no hesitation in subscribing to -the proposition, that if it shall be found expedient to continue the -exertions we are now making in the Peninsula, they should be conducted -in the manner best calculated to answer their end.” - -♦M. WELLESLEY RECEIVES FULLER POWERS. - -JUNE 1.♦ - -Here Marquis Wellesley’s commission ended: but the ministers considered -themselves as holding office only till their successors should be -appointed; and in a few days the Marquis received full authority to -form an administration on the two principles which he had laid down, -and he was specially instructed to communicate with Lords Grey and -Grenville. The Prince signified his pleasure that Marquis Wellesley -should conduct the formation of the administration in all its branches, -and should be first Commissioner of the Treasury; and that Earl Moira, -Lord Erskine, and Mr. Canning should be members of the cabinet. A -cabinet formed on an enlarged basis must be extended to the number -of twelve or thirteen members; and the Prince wished Lords Grey and -Grenville to recommend four persons if it consisted of twelve, five if -it should consist of thirteen; these persons to be selected by the two -lords without any exception or personal exclusion, and to be appointed -by His Royal Highness to such stations as might hereafter be arranged. -It was added, that entire liberty had been ♦THE TWO LORDS PERSIST IN -THEIR REPLY. JUNE 3.♦ granted to Marquis Wellesley to propose for -the Prince’s approbation the names of any persons then occupying -stations in His Royal Highness’s councils, or of any other persons. -In reply, the two lords repeated their declaration, that no sense of -the public distress and difficulty, no personal feelings of whatever -description, would have prevented them from accepting with dutiful -submission any situations in which they could have hoped to serve His -Royal Highness usefully and honourably; “But the present proposal,” -they said, “could not justify any such expectation. We are invited,” -they pursued, “not to discuss with your lordship, or with any other -public men, according to the usual practice in such cases, the various -and important considerations, both of measures and of arrangements, -which belong to the formation of a new government in all its branches; -but to recommend to His Royal Highness a number, limited by previous -stipulation, of persons willing to be included in a cabinet of which -the outlines are already definitively arranged. To this proposal we -could not accede without the sacrifice of the very object which the -House of Commons has recommended, ... the formation of a strong and -efficient administration.... It is to the principle of disunion and -jealousy that we object; ... to the supposed balance of contending -interests in a cabinet so measured out by preliminary stipulation. The -times imperiously require an administration united in principle and -strong in mutual reliance; possessing also the confidence of the Crown, -and assured of its support in those healing measures which the public -safety requires, and which are necessary to secure to the government -the opinion and affections of the people. No such hope is presented -to us by this project, which appears to us equally new in practice -and objectionable in principle. It tends, as we think, to establish -within the cabinet itself a system of counteraction inconsistent with -the prosecution of any uniform and beneficial course of policy. We -must therefore request permission to decline all participation in a -government constituted upon such principles, satisfied as we are that -the certain loss of character which must arise from it to ourselves -could be productive only of disunion and weakness in the administration -of the public interests.” - -♦EARL MOIRA’S LETTER TO EARL GREY.♦ - -This called forth an explanatory letter to Earl Grey from Earl Moira, -who thought that the answer of the two lords conveyed an oblique -imputation upon him, as a party involved in the procedure. “You -represent the proposition,” said he, “as one calculated to found a -cabinet upon a principle of counteraction. When the most material of -the public ♦JUNE 3.♦ objects which were to be the immediate ground of -that cabinet’s exertion had been previously understood between the -parties, I own it is difficult for me to comprehend what principle of -counteraction could be introduced.... With regard to the indication -of certain individuals, I can assert, that it was a measure adopted -through the highest spirit of fairness to you and your friends. Mr. -Canning’s name was mentioned because Marquis Wellesley would have -declined office without him, and it was a frankness to apprize you of -it; and Lord Erskine’s and mine were stated with a view of showing, -that Marquis Wellesley, so far from having any jealousy to maintain -a preponderance in the cabinet, actually left a majority to those -who had been accustomed to concur upon most public questions; and he -specified Lord Erskine and myself, that you might see the number -submitted for your exclusive nomination was not narrowed by the -necessity of advertence to us. The choice of an additional member of -the cabinet left to you must prove how undistinguishable we consider -our interests and yours, when this was referred to your consideration -as a mere matter of convenience, the embarrassment of a numerous -cabinet being well known. The reference to members of the late cabinet, -or other persons, was always to be coupled with the established point, -that they were such as could concur in the principles laid down as -the foundation for the projected ministry; and the statement was -principally dictated by the wish to show that no system of exclusion -could interfere with the arrangements which the public service might -demand. On the selection of those persons, I aver, the opinions of you, -Lord Grenville, and the others whom you might bring forward as members -of the cabinet, were to operate as fully as our own; and this was to be -the case also with regard to subordinate offices. The expression that -this was left to be proposed by Marquis Wellesley was intended to prove -that His Royal Highness did not, even in the most indirect manner, -suggest any one of those individuals. It is really impossible that the -spirit of fairness can have been carried further than has been the -intention in this negotiation. I therefore lament most deeply that an -arrangement, so important for the interests of the country, should go -off upon points which I cannot but think wide of the substance of the -case.” - -This frank and manly remonstrance produced no effect upon the -determination of the two lords. The objections stated in their joint -letter “could not,” they said, “be ♦JUNE 4.♦ altered by a private -explanation, which, though it might lessen some obvious objections to a -part of the detail, still left the general character of the proceeding -unchanged. They were, however, happy to receive it as an expression of -personal regard, and of that desire which they readily acknowledged -in Lord Wellesley and Moira, and which was reciprocal on their own -part, that no difference of opinion on the matter in question should -produce on either side any personal impression which might obstruct -the renewal of a conciliatory intercourse whenever a more favourable -opportunity ♦M. WELLESLEY RESIGNS HIS COMMISSION.♦ shall be afforded -for it.” Marquis Wellesley then thought it indispensably necessary -for his public and private honour to declare in parliament that he -had resigned the commission with which the Prince had charged him. -Something he lost in public opinion through the indiscretion of his -friends, which had rendered it impossible for his former colleagues -ever again cordially to unite with him; something on the other hand he -gained by the unavoidable comparison which was drawn between the fair -and explicit straight-forwardness of his overtures to the two lords, -and the captious manner in which they had been received. - -♦NEGOTIATION WITH EARL MOIRA. - -JUNE 5.♦ - -Earl Moira now, after conferring with the Duke of Bedford, addressed -a note to the two lords. “Venturing, as being honoured,” he said, -“with the Prince Regent’s confidence to indulge his anxiety that -an arrangement of the utmost importance to the country should not -go off on any misunderstanding, he entreated them to advert to his -explanatory letter, and desired an interview with them, if they thought -the disposition expressed in that letter were likely to lead to any -co-operation. Should the issue of the interview be according to his -hope, he would then solicit the Prince’s permission to address them -formally: the present mode he had adopted for the sake of precluding -all difficulties in the outset.” The two lords replied, “That they -were highly gratified by the kindness of the motive on which Earl -Moira acted; that personal communication with him would always be -acceptable and honourable to them, but they hoped he would be sensible -that no advantage was likely to result from pursuing this subject by -unauthorized discussion, and in a course different from the usual -practice. Motives of obvious delicacy,” they said, “must prevent their -taking any step toward determining the Prince to authorize Earl Moira -to address them personally. They should always receive with dutiful -submission His Royal Highness’s commands, in whatever manner and -through whatever channel he might be pleased to signify them; but they -could not venture to suggest to His Royal Highness, through any other -person, their opinions on points on which His Royal Highness was not -pleased to require their advice.” - -Earl Moira reported this to the Prince, and being then provided with -the required formalities, he renewed his overture, but with diminished -hope. “Discouraged,” he said, “as he must be, he could not reconcile it -to himself to leave any effort untried, and he had therefore adopted -the principle of the two lords for an interview, though doubting -whether the desired conclusion could be so well advanced by it as by -the mode which he had suggested. He had now the Prince’s instructions -to take steps for the formation of a ministry, and was specially -authorized to address himself to Lords Grey and Grenville, with whom, -therefore, in company with Lord Erskine, he requested an interview.” -It was one characteristic of these remarkable negotiations, that -whatever passed in conversation between the parties was minuted, and -that publicity was given to those minutes and to all the notes which -were interchanged ... a mode of proceeding neither prudent in itself -nor as a precedent. At this meeting, what Earl Moira considered the -preliminary points were satisfactorily disposed of; the two lords, it -was declared, might pursue their own course of policy both with regard -to Ireland and to the United States of America, and the majority which -they were to have in the cabinet assured them the same preponderance -upon other questions. There was, however, another preliminary which -appeared to them of great importance, and which they thought it -necessary to bring forward immediately, lest farther inconvenient and -embarrassing delay might be produced, if this negotiation should be -broken off in a more advanced state: no restriction was laid on their -considering any points which they might deem useful for the Prince’s -service; they asked, therefore, whether this full liberty extended -to the consideration of new appointments to those great offices of -the household which have usually been included in the political -arrangements made on a change of administration; and they intimated -their opinion, that it would be necessary to act on the same principle -now. Earl Moira answered, “that the Prince had laid no restriction -upon him in that respect, and had never pointed in the most distant -manner at the protection of those officers from removal” but he -added, “that it would be impossible for him to concur in making the -exercise of this power positive and indispensable in the formation -of the administration, because he should deem it on public grounds -peculiarly objectionable.” To this Lords Grey and Grenville replied, -“That they also acted on public grounds alone, and with no other -feeling whatever than that which arose from the necessity of giving to -a new government that character of efficiency and stability, and those -marks of the constitutional support of the Crown, which were required -for enabling it to act usefully for the public service; and that on -these grounds it appeared indispensable that the connexion of the -great offices of the court with the political administration should be -clearly established in its first arrangement.” This decided difference -having been thus expressed on both sides, the conversation ended -here, with mutual declarations of regret: and here also, to the great -satisfaction of the public, ended all negotiations with the two leaders -of Opposition, at the very time when, but for their own marvellous -mismanagement, the government would have been delivered into their -hands. - -♦THE OLD MINISTRY IS RE-ESTABLISHED. - -JUNE 8.♦ - -On the second day after this decisive interview, Lord Liverpool -informed the House of Lords that the Prince had been pleased to -appoint him first Commissioner of the Treasury, and had authorized -him to complete the other arrangements of the administration. This -led to a conversation, in which Earl Moira stated what his views had -been in these transactions ... and declared his determination to -support the ministry, so far as they might act consistently with the -principles which had guided his political life. He had ♦M. WELLESLEY’S -EXPLANATION.♦ called upon Marquis Wellesley to explain what he meant by -asserting that dreadful personal animosities had manifested themselves -in the course of the negotiation. The Marquis replied, “That he had -used the words advisedly; and no better proof of the charge could be -required than the language of Lords Liverpool and Melville, one of whom -had expressly declined to be a member of any administration formed by -him, and the other had stated his objection as a matter of personal -feeling.” Lord Harrowby made answer to this: ... “On the very day,” he -said, “on which Mr. Stuart Wortley’s motion was carried, he and his -friends had agreed to form part of an administration of which Marquis -Wellesley was to have had the lead; but subsequent circumstances had -made them alter that determination. The statement in which the Marquis -accused his late colleagues of incapacity to conduct the government had -wounded them through the memory of him who had just fallen by the hand -of an assassin, whom they had considered as the life and soul of their -cabinet, and whom they in the highest degree respected and esteemed; -... a man of unimpeachable integrity, who never wanted defence in the -eyes of those who knew his value. That statement had produced feelings -in himself and his friends which rendered it impossible for them -cordially to unite with the Marquis in any administration. Marquis -Wellesley replied, “That what had been just said confirmed the truth of -his assertion, but he acquitted himself of any part in the publication -of the statement. As soon as his resignation was known, some of his -friends,” he said, “took down in writing his account of it in the -expressions which fell from him in the heat of conversation: though -they had often been solicited to publish this, they had uniformly -refused, and he himself was horror-struck when he saw it in the public -newspapers: for the statement,” he said, “was not his; it contained -expressions which he would not have used in a document intended for -the public eye, more especially at a moment when the country had just -lost a man of the most irreproachable character, of the most perfect -integrity, of the mildest heart, of the most amiable qualities, having, -indeed, been distinguished by every private virtue. But it was no -reproach to any man to be thought unfit for the supreme direction -of government; and though he looked upon the act which deprived Mr. -Perceval of his life as a stain on humanity, he never considered him, -when living, as a fit person to lead the councils of this great empire. -He admitted that he had never formally dissented in the cabinet from -the opinions of his colleagues, though he had frequently put them in -full possession of his own: he declared also, that there were many of -their measures which he highly approved, and that he would give them -his cordial support, as far as that could be done consistently with the -deliberate opinion which he had formed on the great points of national -policy: but he concluded by repeating, that they had opposed obstacles -to the establishment of an efficient administration, and that those -obstacles originated in personal feelings.” - -There was no tendency in this speech to conciliate, but it was not -likely farther to displease those whom Marquis Wellesley had already -wounded, nor to wound ♦EARL GREY.♦ others. Earl Grey then rose to -make his explanation and his charges. “For himself,” he said, “no man -could be more anxious than he was, even as far as was consistent with -his honour, to outstretch a feeble but a ready hand to save a sinking -nation. But a strong suspicion had operated on his mind throughout -the recent negotiations, that he and his friends were either not to -be admitted into the cabinet at all, or, if admitted, to be bound -down in such a manner that the public should be secured against the -influence of the principles and measures to which, during their whole -parliamentary existence, they had been pledged.” Alluding then to -Marquis Wellesley and Earl Moira, he said, “that though in his late -intercourse with them he could discover nothing but an unceasing and -earnest desire to conciliate, and a laudable anxiety for the general -good, he nevertheless suspected that they themselves had been deceived, -and were not aware of the secret management of which they had been -made the instrument.” ♦EARL MOIRA’S REPLY.♦ Earl Moira replied with -becoming warmth to the imputation, solemnly declaring, “that he had -undertaken the negotiation without a single particle of reservation -in the authority with which he was intrusted; that he had stated to -Lords Grey and Grenville, beyond the possibility of misapprehension, -that his instructions were of the most liberal and unlimited nature, -and that the transaction from beginning to end had been conducted -with a severity of fairness, if he might use the expression, which -was perfectly unparalleled. I claim,” said he, “of the noble Earl a -statement of the particular circumstances to which he alludes, that I -may repel the assertion in as haughty a tone as he has ventured to make -it. My lords, I feel that I have not deserved this reproach: it is a -disgrace which I do not merit, and which I cannot bear. If he can bring -forward but the shadow of a proof that even unknowingly I submitted -to be made such an instrument, I shall bow my head to his reproof, -and to the degradation which must ensue. If he cannot, I shall repel -the imputation as proudly as it was made. There was never in the most -insignificant point the slightest reservation or hint of reservation: -the powers given to me were complete and ample; and whenever limited, -they were limited only by me from a sense of what was due to the -public. I now call upon the noble Earl more satisfactorily to explain -his meaning.” But Earl Grey contented himself with hinting that he -might find some future opportunity for a more distinct explanation; and -he let it appear that he himself was the person to whom the authority -for forming an administration ought, in his opinion, to have been -intrusted. Lord Grenville, with more judgment, avoided all offensive -topics in his speech; the points which Earl Grey and he had refused -to concede were, he averred, of material and fundamental importance, -and they never would consent to become members of a ministry founded -on a principle which, in their deliberate opinion, was calculated to -overthrow the practice of the constitution. - -♦MR. STUART WORTLEY’S SECOND MOTION.♦ - -But it was in the House of Commons that it was made known with what -hasty imprudence the two lords had broken off their negotiation with -Earl Moira. Mr. Stuart Wortley, who ought to have learned from the -result of his former motion how bootless the repetition of such an -experiment must prove, moved for a second address to the Prince, -regretting that the first had not led to its expected consequences, -and expressing the anxiety of the House that the arrangements for -establishing an efficient administration should speedily be brought -to a close. But the House was not disposed a second time to entertain -such a motion. The temper in which Earl Moira’s overtures had been -rejected drew forth severe comments in the course of the debate; and -a statement which ♦LORD YARMOUTH’S STATEMENT.♦ Lord Yarmouth made -on the part of the household produced a strong impression both in -and out of Parliament. “With respect to the household,” he said for -himself and his friends, “that it was their intention to resign their -situations before the new administration should enter upon office. -This intention,” he affirmed, “was well known: they had taken every -means of stating it in quarters whence it was likely to reach the -interested parties, and in particular they had communicated it to one -who took an active part in the negotiation, and with whom all who -knew him confessed it was a happiness to spend their private hours.” -Mr. Sheridan, who was the person intended, confirmed this statement. -“They took every means short of resignation,” Lord Yarmouth continued, -“to show that they never wished to have any connexion with the noble -lords; and their intention originated in a wish to save the Prince from -the humiliation which he must have experienced at seeing them turned -out of office, ... a humiliation which could only serve to convey an -unfavourable impression against the government throughout the country. -He did not speak in the name of one or two, but of all the officers of -the household: they stated expressly to his Royal Highness that they -wished to resign, and not to be turned out; and all they requested was, -that they might know ten minutes before certain gentlemen received -the seals that such a circumstance was to take place: before God -he declared that this had been their intention, and that the only -principle by which they were actuated was to save the Prince from -humiliation; for they could not but consider the attempt at making this -change in the household a preliminary to entering upon the negotiation -as calculated to humiliate his Royal Highness in the eyes of the -country.” - -The party who were in opposition seemed to think it preposterous that -the existing ministers should presume to hold their offices. “It was -monstrous,” Lord Milton said, “to see men who were held up repeatedly -to scorn and ridicule brave public opinion and return into power!” -♦LORD CASTLEREAGH’S SPEECH.♦ Lord Castlereagh defended himself and -his colleagues with considerable address, and ably performed the not -very difficult task of contrasting their conduct with that of their -assailants. “The proposed address,” he said, “contained no expressions -to which he could hesitate in becoming a party, neither should he to -the further expression of a hope that the Prince would avail himself -of any opportunity for strengthening the present administration: ... -but such an address was uncalled for by any message from the Crown: it -could lead to no practical result; its obvious import was to insinuate -that the administration was not likely to possess the confidence of -the country; and this insinuation was founded upon its structure, -not upon its conduct: he could not then think it possible that the -House would sanction it for no other purpose but to disqualify the -government from the arduous task in which it was engaged. The late -transactions would induce the House not again to push the principle -which they had so strongly asserted. A proceeding so sudden was not to -be found in English history as that which they had lately seen, when -the House decided, not against a ministry who had proved themselves -unworthy of confidence, but against an administration the formation of -which was but in progress. This precedent he hoped future Parliaments -would never follow; for those must be blind who could not see the -calamitous consequences which the occurrences of the last three weeks -were calculated to produce on our foreign and domestic relations. Three -or four distinct negotiations had failed, and the Crown was obliged to -call on the present cabinet to charge itself with the affairs of the -country. It was his consolation to think, that while on the one hand he -and his colleagues had never stood between the Crown and the people, -so on the other hand they had never shown a disposition to shrink -from the discharge of public duties, deterred as they otherwise might -be by the accumulated difficulties which the late transactions had -occasioned. For he could not help thinking that the course which had -been pursued was most injurious, and might be fatal to the interests -of the public. Never in former times had a negotiation between public -men been exhibited to the eyes of Parliament and the country at large, -and exposed to all the invidious comments which the malignity and the -ignorance of mankind might pass upon them. For his part, he could never -augur well of any negotiation in which two men could not approach -each other in a private room, although on public principles, without -coming armed with pen and ink, and prepared to let every thing they -might utter go forth immediately for the judgment of the public! -The consequences in this instance would, he trusted, have the effect -of preventing the recurrence of such scenes for the time to come.... -It was a painful task for him to speak of the overtures from Marquis -Wellesley, though he disclaimed any thing like personal animosity to -him. The paper which had appeared he understood to have been published -without the noble Marquis’s consent; but after such a statement had -appeared, describing as it had described Mr. Perceval and those who -acted with him, he appealed to the House whether gentlemen situated as -his colleagues were could without degradation meet such an overture in -any other way than that in which it had been met? He entertained the -sincerest respect for Marquis Wellesley, with the highest admiration -for his accomplishments and his talents; and those feelings were -heightened by the consideration that he was the brother of the -greatest soldier this country had produced. For him, therefore, it was -peculiarly painful to be called on to decide on such an occasion; but -when one answer only could be given by his colleagues, thinking as he -did, though not included in it, that the description which had been -given of them was unjust, he must have abandoned every sense of duty -if he had not been anxious to repel the charge.” Having then touched -upon Earl Moira’s negotiation with the two lords, and observed that the -question concerning the household had been taken up in a tone which the -country would never countenance in those who approached the throne, he -concluded thus: ... “And now all I have to say for ministers is, that -they claim the constitutional support of Parliament till their actions -seem to speak them unworthy of it; and though the present government -may not possess within itself all those attributes which we have heard -given to broad and extended administrations, they have at least one -recommendation to public confidence (and it is not a small one), that -they have no disunion among themselves. We have no private ends to -answer; we are anxious to serve our country, to do our best, and to -submit our conduct to the judgment of Parliament.” - -With these remarkable circumstances was that ministry formed, -under whose administration the French were beaten out of Spain, -and Buonaparte’s empire overthrown. For the second time since the -commencement of the war it had rested with the leaders of opposition -whether or not they should take the government into their own hands; -and for the second time, by an overweening opinion of their own -importance, and a most undue depreciation of those whom they expected -to displace, they disappointed their own hopes, and in an equal degree -the apprehensions of the nation. The sound part of the public, and they -were a large majority, regarded the result with as much satisfaction as -they had felt upon the recapture of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz; they -looked upon it as tantamount to a great victory over the enemy, and the -enemy would indeed have seen in a contrary result the surest presage of -their own success; for what more could the French ministers desire than -that the British government should be conducted by men who from the -beginning of the war in ♦MAY.♦ Spain up to this crisis had pronounced -their own cause to be hopeless? That danger was no longer to be feared; -and although the cabinet had lost its ablest member in Mr. Perceval -... the only member who united in himself powerful ability with sound -judgment, and strength of character with strength of principle, and -who commanded in an equal degree the respect of his opponents and the -confidence of his friends, the opposition had lost more in the exposure -of their temper and the total frustration of their hopes, which was as -much the proper as the necessary consequence. - -The only unfortunate circumstance in these transactions was, that -Marquis Wellesley should have been excluded, or rather should -have excluded himself, from a place in the ministry: whatever his -own expectations might have been, his friends had expected to see -him at its head; and had Lord Wellington been supplied with such -reinforcements as in that event might have been looked for, it was -believed in the army that in the course of the year he would have -driven the French out of Spain. The Spanish Government was at this -time ♦PECUNIARY ASSISTANCE TO THE SPANIARDS.♦ little satisfied with -Great Britain, because greater pecuniary assistance was not afforded -them from resources which they supposed to be infinite. It was indeed -the opinion of those whose opportunities of information enabled them -to form a just opinion upon the subject, that the Spaniards could -make no efficient exertion unless they were aided with two millions a -year in money and one in provisions, which might be procured at Cadiz -from America and from the Mediterranean by bills on England: but the -British Government consented only to give 600,000_l._ in the course of -the current year, with arms and clothing for 100,000 men; at length -it agreed that the money should be one million. The Spaniards did not -remember with how little wisdom and effect the large supplies which -they had hitherto received had been expended; and in England sufficient -allowance was not made for the peculiar difficulties in which Spain -was placed: and while the errors of its successive governments were -strongly perceived, sufficient credit was not given for the national -spirit which had displayed itself with such unexampled and invincible -endurance. - -♦PROPOSAL CONCERNING SPANISH TROOPS.♦ - -Some persons there were who were of opinion that no sure progress could -be made towards the deliverance of Spain, unless a Spanish army were -created on whose operations Lord Wellington could calculate and rely. -But the opinion was abandoned upon farther knowledge of the Spaniards: -the officers, with some rare and noble exceptions, were too ignorant, -too idle, too prejudiced, and too proud, to receive instruction from -their allies; and British officers could not be introduced in any -useful number, for this would have offended the national pride. It was -suggested by Mr. Tupper, who in his station as consul at Valencia had -acted with great zeal and ability in the common cause, that the foreign -regiments in the Spanish service might be taken into English pay, and -officered by British officers. They still retained their foreign names, -and were under foreign officers, but were chiefly composed of Spanish -recruits: this, therefore, he argued, might be done without wounding -the pride of the Spaniards, offending their prejudices, or injuring -the interests of any class of men; whereas to place the Spanish army -under the same subordination as the Portugueze, though the people, and -especially the soldiers themselves, might like it, must be impossible, -so great would be the opposition of the officers and of all the -higher classes. This suggestion, for whatever reason, was either not -entertained, or not found practicable; and the only arrangement made at -this time was, that the Spaniards allowed 5000 men to be enlisted and -incorporated with the allies. Some hope, however, was entertained from -a diversion to be made on the eastern coast by a British force from -Sicily in conjunction with ♦PLAN OF A DIVERSION FROM SICILY.♦ a Spanish -division, which by General Whittingham’s recommendation had been formed -in Majorca, and trained there under his directions. This force it was -thought, if its operations were well planned and vigorously pursued, -might compel the French to withdraw from the southward; and engaged as -it was now evident that Buonaparte would be in his Russian war, the -deliverance of Spain might be hoped for as now not long to be delayed. - - -END OF VOL. V. - - -Printed by WILLIAM CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street. - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] The importance which was at that time attached to it led the -Archbishop Pierre de Marca to remark _cujus momenti sit Dartosa in -bello Hispaniensi; quæ cum sita sit in trajectu Iberi, latam aperit -viam ad faciendam irruptionem in reliquas Hispaniarum regiones, unde -ex hujus urbis deditione ingens Maurorum Sarracenorumque metus_. Marca -Hispanica, 294. - -[2] On the one side _La España reconocida a la intrepidez Britanica_, -on the other _Alianza eterna_. - -[3] They gave four dollars for the measure of rice (for example), which -at Port Mahon would have produced only half a dollar. - -[4] When this practice was discovered, and some of them searched -in consequence, a mortar was found in one of them. These boats had -forfeited all claim to indulgence, in the first year of the war, when -they boarded a British prize, and carried her in. - -[5] _Se preciaba de buen tirador, y se divertia en esto._ Diario de -Tortosa. - -[6] Major Von Staffe (340–2) dates this affair in November, instead of -the following month. If there could be any doubt between his authority -and that of Eroles’s dispatch, this circumstance would determine it. - -[7] _No era imaginable frustrase mis calculos, atendida la -circumspeccion con que se formaron, la exactitud de los datos, y el -valor de la tropas; pero casualidades funestas, que no pueden entrar en -la prevision de un gefe superior, que fia una parte de sus esperanzas á -la suerte, y á manos subalternos, hicieron inutiles mis tareas._ Thus -he expresses himself in his official dispatch. - -[8] The French officers, who went on board the frigate after this -affair to propose an exchange, walked along the main deck, where some -of the wounded were lying between the guns for the sake of the air, and -with a spirit perfectly worthy of the cause in which they were engaged, -and the character they had acquired in it, asked them insultingly when -they would be pleased to pay them another visit on shore! - -[9] No account (as far as I can discover) of this disgraceful action -was published by the Spanish Government. There was no longer the same -magnanimity in relating its misfortunes as in the days of the Central -Junta. - -[10] _Guerra de Moros contra estos infideles._ - -[11] _Escaramuzas, celadas, rebatos, ardides,--son nombres castellanos -de la antigua milicia, la mas necessaria en la guerra domestica._ - -[12] The Chaleco states this fact himself in the _Relacion de sus -Meritos_, which he published at the end of the war! - -[13] Lord Blayney saw them there; victims of retaliation he calls them, -and says that the French General and his officers, who were conducting -him prisoner to Madrid, could not help expressing their detestation of -the barbarous manner in which the war was carried on. - -[14] Thus this Merino is described as _el terror de la comarca; y -su caracter feroz está indicado en lo fiero de su semblante, y en -lo membrudo y velloso de su cuerpo. Este es el Cura decantado._ But -it should be added, that the man who is thus described spared his -prisoners, and conducted them to Alicant. The general appearance of the -guerrillas is described by a British officer as “horribly grotesque; -any thing of a jacket, any thing of a cap, any thing of a sword, -pistol, or carbine, and any thing of a horse.” - -[15] _Sea la España toda otra Numancia o Sagunto; y veremos -desde el empireo, si estos impios espiritos fuertes se atreven a -pasearse tranquilos por la silenciosa morada da nuestros tremendos -manes._--Diario de las Cortes, T. 2. 172. - -[16] An intercepted despatch from Berthier to Massena had informed him, -on the authority of the English newspapers, that the British army did -not amount to more than 23,000 men; that a reinforcement of 3000 had -reached Lisbon; and, therefore, he had little to apprehend from their -resistance; the Portugueze were about as many, and his force was fully -sufficient to ensure success. - -[17] A small edition of Pindar, which he had brought from the north, -was in his pocket when he died. It is now in the possession of my -friend Mr. Locker. - -[18] An officer whose journal is before me, and who entered Alcobaça -on the 7th, describes what were supposed to be the bodies of Pedro and -Ignez as having been well embalmed, and having each a great deal of -hair still attached to the head. - -[19] A French orderly book was found near Batalha, in which it appeared -what number of men were daily ordered upon the service of destroying, -as far as they could, that beautiful edifice, one of the finest in -Europe. - -[20] Marshal Victor, in his official account, affirmed, as positively -as falsely, that there were 22,000 men, among whom were at least 8000 -of the best English troops; thus, according to the system of his -government, doubling the number of his opponents. - -[21] The following epitaph upon Alburquerque, worthy of the author and -of the subject, is the composition of Mr. Frere:-- - - “Impiger, impavidus, spes maxima gentis Iberæ, - Mente rapax, acerque manu bellator, avita - Institui monumenta novis attollere factis; - Fortunâ comite, et virtute duce, omnia gessi; - Nullâ in re, nec spe, mea sors incœpta fefellit. - Gadibus auxilium tetuli, patriamque labentem - Sustentavi; hæc meta meis fuit ultima factis, - Quippe iras hominum meritis superare nequivi. - Hic procul a patriâ vitæ datus est mihi finis, - Sed non laudis item; gliscit nova fama sepulto, - Anglorum quod testantur proceres populusque, - Magno funus honore secuti, mœstitiâque - Unanimes. Æterna, pater, sint fœdera, faxis, - Quæ pepigi. Nec me nimium mea patria adempto - Indigeat, nec plus æquo desideret unquam. - Sint fortes alii ac felices, qui mea possint - Facta sequi, semperque benignis civibus uti.” - -[22] This lady is known with her own hand and that of her waiting -woman, to have vaccinated above 12,000 persons. The Royal Academy of -Sciences at Lisbon presented her with a medal in acknowledgment and -commemoration of the services which, in public and private, she was -continualy rendering to humanity. - -[23] The dispatch, however, like other falsehoods of the same kind, -carried with it its own confutation; for it stated that the allies made -no prisoners except two or three hundred wounded, who were left on the -field; but the same dispatch said, that the French kept the field for -two days, retaining the position they had won, ... how then could the -wounded who were left upon the field have fallen into the hands of the -allies? But throughout this war the remark made some three centuries -ago by the Flemish historian Meyer was verified, that _res suas Galli -non majore solent SCRIBERE fide, quam GERERE_. - -[24] Diario de Manresa, April 20. - -[25] _Voilà qui est militaire_ was the phrase in which Buonaparte -expressed his approbation. - -[26] Sixty thousand bushels, from the woods at the foot of the western -mountains, were shipped in the year 1775.--SWINBURNE. - -[27] This, which was suspected at the time, I happen to _know_. - -[28] Contreras insinuates as much in his account of the siege. I -have heard it asserted as a thing believed by those who had the best -opportunity of forming a true opinion; but the assertion was not -supported by direct evidence, as in the case of Fort Olivo. - -[29] There was a town called Bedouin in the department of Vaucluse, -which contained about 500 houses and some 2000 inhabitants: they had -a good trade in silk, and the place was flourishing. In the month of -May, 1794, the tree of liberty which had been planted without this -town was cut down during the night. Fearing in those dreadful times -the consequence of this act of individual indiscretion, the townsmen -themselves informed the deputy Maignet of it, an ex-priest, who was -then upon a Robespierrean mission in the department. This availed -nothing in their favour: he issued a decree proscribing not only -the people of Bedouin, but of the surrounding communes also, and -condemned the town to be burnt. An officer, by name Suchet, commanded -the battalion which accompanied Maignet’s commission to execute this -decree. Sixty fathers of families, after the mockery of a revolutionary -trial, were put to death, those who were spared being placed at the -foot of the scaffold during the execution. Suchet then gave the word -for setting fire to the town, and it was burnt to the ground. The -church was the only building which was not destroyed by the flames, -and that was demolished by means of gunpowder. Such of the inhabitants -as had fled were hunted out in their retreats by the soldiers of the -detachment, and shot like wild beasts. The answer of Robespierre’s -Committee of Public Safety to the report of this transaction was, _Le -Comité est satisfaite de la conduite de Maignet_. - -_Prud’homme, Hist. des Erreurs, des Fautes, et des Crimes commis -pendant la Revolution Française, t. 2. 170–176._ - -I know not whether the Suchet of Tarragona was the Suchet of Bedouin. -If he was not, then has France produced two monsters of the name -instead of one. - -[30] One of the first acts of the provisional government upon the -overthrow of this tyrant, was to give orders for the liberation of -those injured Catalans, and their removal to Spain; considering, they -said, that the violence committed upon men, whose only offence was that -of having fought in defence of their country, outraged humanity, and -the laws which were consecrated by the nations of Europe. - -[31] _Por Urbano se debe entender en mi concepto_, said Sr. Aner in the -debates upon this subject, _aquel que se halle armado para conservar -la tranquilidad de los pueblos, y quando mas para La defensa interior -de una provincia, sin tener que salir jamas de ella_. Diario de las -Cortes. T. 4. p. 103. - -[32] - - _La carne es yerva, la yerva agua, - Los hombres mugeres, las mugeres nada._ - -[33] “Colonel,” said one of the 87th, the regiment which took the eagle -at Barrosa, “Colonel, I only want to _taich_ ’em what it is to attack -the _Aiglers_.” - -[34] One of those friends obtained leave to go to England at the -beginning of the winter. Upon rejoining the army after the capture -of the place, he expressed his sorrow to Lord Wellington that his -request should have been granted at a time when an enterprise of such -importance was contemplated. Lord Wellington replied to this effect: -“Perhaps, ... you did me better service by your absence, than you could -have rendered had you been on the spot. Have you never said that your -presence was required at home for your own family affairs, and that it -was your intention to ask leave as soon as the campaign was over and -nothing more was to be done? And do you suppose that Marmont had not -heard this, and known of your departure?” - - - - - _Albemarle Street._ - -MILITARY HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY, VOYAGES AND TRAVELS, &c., - -PUBLISHED BY - -MR. MURRAY. - - -THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON’S DISPATCHES during his various CAMPAIGNS, -from 1799 to 1818. Compiled from Authentic Documents, by Lieut.-Col. -GURWOOD. 8vo., 20s. each Vol. - -Vols. I. to III.--India. Vol. IV.--Spain; from the Landing in the -Mondego, 1808, to the Battle of Talavera, 1809. Vol. V.--Preparations -for the Defence of Portugal. Vol. VI.--Battle of Busaco--Occupation -of the Lines of Torres Vedras--Retreat of Marshal Massena. Vol. -VII.--Peninsular War, continued. Vol. VIII.--Ditto, June 1811 to -February 1812. - - -MARQUESS WELLESLEY’S DISPATCHES, MINUTES, and CORRESPONDENCE. 8vo., 30s. - - -SIR JOHN MALCOLM’S LIFE of the GREAT LORD CLIVE. Collected from the -Family Papers communicated by the EARL of POWIS. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: History of the Peninsular War Volume V (of 6) - -Author: Robert Southey - -Release Date: September 30, 2019 [EBook #60390] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF THE PENINSULAR WAR, VOL 5 *** - - - - -Produced by Brian Coe, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class="all"> - -<div class="sec"> -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="center">Transcriber’s Note:</p> -<p class="covernote">Cover created by Transcriber and placed in the Public Domain.</p> -<p class="center"><a href="#Transcribers_Notes">Notes at the end</a> of this eBook explain special -notation used to highlight Sidenotes.</p> -</div> - -<h1>HISTORY<br /> -<span class="xxsmall wspace">OF THE</span><br /> -<span class="larger">PENINSULAR WAR.</span></h1> - -<div class="p2 poem-container"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i18">“Unto thee<br /></span> -<span class="i0">“Let thine own times as an old story be.”<br /></span> -</div> - -<div class="attrib"><span class="smcap">Donne.</span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p class="p2 center large vspace"> -BY ROBERT SOUTHEY, ESQ. LL.D.<br /> -<span class="smaller">POET LAUREATE,</span></p> - -<p class="center smaller vspace">HONORARY MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SPANISH ACADEMY, OF THE<br /> -ROYAL SPANISH ACADEMY OF HISTORY, OF THE ROYAL<br /> -INSTITUTE OF THE NETHERLANDS, OF THE<br /> -CYMMRODORION, OF THE MASSACHUSETTS<br /> -HISTORICAL SOCIETY, ETC.</p> - -<p class="p2 center larger">A NEW EDITION.</p> - -<p class="p2 center"><i>IN SIX VOLUMES.</i></p> - -<p class="p1 center larger">VOL. V.</p> - -<p class="p2 center vspace large">LONDON:<br /> -<span class="smaller">JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET.<br /> -<span class="smaller">MDCCCXXXVII.</span></span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="newpage p4 b0">Ἱστορίας γὰρ ἐὰν ἀφέλῃ τις τὸ διὰ τί, καὶ πῶς, καὶ τίνος χάριν -ἐπράχθη, καὶ τὸ πραχθὲν πότερα εὔλογον ἔσχε τὸ τέλος, τὸ καταλειπόμενον -αὐτῆς ἀγώνισμα μὲν, μάθημα δὲ οὐ γίγνεται· καὶ -παραυτίκα μὲν τέρπει, πρὸς δὲ τὸ μέλλον οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ τὸ παράπαν.</p> - -<p class="p0 sigright"> -<span class="smcap">Polybius</span>, lib. iii. sect. 31. -</p> - -<hr /> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iii">iii</span></p> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 id="CONTENTS_OF_THE_FIFTH_VOLUME">CONTENTS OF THE FIFTH VOLUME.</h2> -</div> - -<table id="toc" summary="Contents"> - <tr class="smaller"> - <td> </td> - <td class="tdr">Page</td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap notpad" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIII">CHAPTER XXXIII.</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marshal Macdonald succeeds Augereau in Catalonia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Siege of Mequinenza</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_2">2</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mequinenza taken</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_4">4</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lili appointed to the command in Tortosa</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_4">4</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Tortosa</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_5">5</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Preparations for the siege of that city</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_6">6</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The enemy appear before it</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_7">7</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">O’Donell visits the city</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_8">8</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Macdonald enters the plain of Tarragona</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Affair near Tarragona</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_10">10</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Macdonald retires</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_10">10</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">O’Donell surprises the enemy at La Bisbal</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_11">11</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The enemy’s batteries on the coast destroyed</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Captured provisions purchased for the French in Barcelona</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lili’s preparations for defence</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_16">16</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Ferdinand’s birthday celebrated in Tortosa</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_17">17</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Conduct of the French general concerning Marshal Soult’s decree</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_18">18</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Successes of Eroles</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_20">20</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Edict against the Junta of Aragon</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_22">22</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Molina de Aragon burnt by the French</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_23">23</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Bassecourt takes the command in Valencia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_24">24</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Defeat of the Valencians at Ulldecona</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Captain Fane taken at Palamos</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_26">26</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Trenches opened before Tortosa</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">O’Donell’s plan for relieving it</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_28">28</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Tortosa surrendered</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Sentence on the governor for surrendering it</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Col de Balaguer surrendered</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_30">30</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Commodore Mends destroys the batteries on the north coast of Spain</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_31">31</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Expedition under Renovales to Santona</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_32">32</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Wreck of the Spanish vessels</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_34">34</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Expedition under Lord Blayney</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mountains of Ronda</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Ortiz de Zarate</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Blayney sails from Gibraltar</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_38">38</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">He lands near the castle of Frangerola</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_38">38</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Failure of the expedition</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Blayney and the British troops taken</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Defeat of general Blake</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_41">41</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Irregular war</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_42">42</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">State of the guerrilla warfare</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Andalusia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_48">48</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mountains of Ronda</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_49">49</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Extremadura</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_51">51</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">D. Toribio Bustamente</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_51">51</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">D. Francisco Abad, el Chaleco</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_52">52</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Ciria, the Nero of La Mancha</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_53">53</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">New Castille</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_54">54</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">D. Ventura Ximenez</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_54">54</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Guerrilla banditti</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Crimes of Pedrazuela and his wife</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Alcalde of Brihuega</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_57">57</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Joseph’s escape from the Empecinado</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_57">57</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iv">iv</span></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Desertion of the Juramentados</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_58">58</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Junta of Guadalaxara</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_59">59</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Medico</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_59">59</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Fourscore French burnt in a chapel</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_60">60</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Cruelties and retaliations</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_60">60</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Old Castille</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_61">61</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Cura</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_61">61</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Aragon</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_62">62</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Canterero</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_63">63</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Alcalde of Mondragon</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Asturias</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Porlier</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">D. José Duran</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Xavier Mina</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_66">66</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">His capture</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_67">67</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Espoz y Mina elected to succeed him</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_67">67</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIV">CHAPTER XXXIV.</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Schemes of the instrusive government</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_73">73</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Cortes</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_74">74</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mode of election</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Regulations proposed by the Central Junta</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_81">81</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Regency delays the convocation</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_81">81</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Cortes convoked</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_83">83</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Commencement of their proceedings</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_84">84</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Oath required from the Regents</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_86">86</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Bishop of Orense scruples to take the oath</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_87">87</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">First measures of the Cortes</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_90">90</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Duke of Orleans offers his services</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_91">91</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Second Regency</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_92">92</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marquis of Palacio refuses to take the oath</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_93">93</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Tyrannical conduct of the Cortes towards him</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_94">94</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Self-denying ordinance</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_95">95</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Liberty of the press</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_96">96</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">State of the press</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_100">100</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">El Robespierre Español</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Debates concerning Ferdinand</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Decree concerning him</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_104">104</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Character of the Cortes</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_106">106</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXV">CHAPTER XXXV.</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Expectations of the French</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_109">109</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Gardanne enters Portugal, and marches back again</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_110">110</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Drouet enters with 10,000 men</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_111">111</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Rash operations of Silveira</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Conduct of Drouet’s corps</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French army left to subsist upon the country</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_114">114</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Conduct of that army towards the inhabitants</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_115">115</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Skill of the marauders</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_118">118</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Massena perseveres in remaining against Ney’s advice</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_121">121</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">State of the people within the lines</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_122">122</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">False statements in France</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_124">124</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Opinions of the opposition in England</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_125">125</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Schemes of co-operation with Soult</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_126">126</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Olivença taken by the French</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_127">127</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Badajoz invested</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_128">128</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Death of Romana</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_128">128</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Destruction of his army</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_130">130</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Governor of Badajoz killed</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Imaz appointed to succeed him</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Massena begins his retreat</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_134">134</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Badajoz surrendered</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_135">135</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Skill and barbarity of the French in their retreat</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_140">140</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Havoc at Alcobaça</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_142">142</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">And at Batalha</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_144">144</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Direction of the enemy’s retreat</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_144">144</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Affair before Pombal</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_145">145</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Before Redinha</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_146">146</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">They appear before Coimbra</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_147">147</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Montbrun fears to enter it</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_147">147</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Distress of the enemy</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_149">149</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Affair on the Ceyra</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_152">152</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Resistance made by the peasantry</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_154">154</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Guarda</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_156">156</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Coa</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_157">157</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Sabugal</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_157">157</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Action before Sabugal</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_158">158</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French repass the frontier</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_161">161</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Opinions of the Whigs at this time</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_162">162</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_v">v</span></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Ponsonby</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_162">162</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Freemantle</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_162">162</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">General Tarleton</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_163">163</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Grenville</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_164">164</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVI">CHAPTER XXXVI.</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Expedition from Cadiz</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_165">165</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lieutenant-General Graham</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_165">165</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Apprehensions of the enemy</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_166">166</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The troops land at Algeciras</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_167">167</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">They pass the Puerto de Facinas</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_167">167</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lapeña’s proclamation</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_168">168</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Advance against Veger</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_169">169</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Junction of the troops from St. Roques</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_170">170</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French attack Zayas, and are repulsed</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_171">171</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Passage of the Lake of Janda</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_172">172</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Position of the enemy</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_173">173</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Communication with the Isle of Leon opened</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_174">174</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Heights of Barrosa</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_175">175</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">General Graham marches back to the heights</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_176">176</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Battle of Barrosa</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_177">177</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Diversion on the coast</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_179">179</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Cortes demand an enquiry</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_180">180</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Outcry in England against Lapeña</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_180">180</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Ward’s speech</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_181">181</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Perceval</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_182">182</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Whitbread</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_182">182</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Remarks on the failure of the expedition</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_184">184</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Death of Alburquerque</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_187">187</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">His epitaph by Mr. Frere</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_189">189</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVII">CHAPTER XXXVII.</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Opinions of the opposition writers at this time</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_190">190</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Address of the Portugueze government to the people</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_193">193</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Wellington asks relief for the suffering Portugueze</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_195">195</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Parliamentary grant for the relief of the Portugueze</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_196">196</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Earl Grosvenor demurs at it</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_196">196</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marquis of Lansdowne</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_197">197</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Ponsonby</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_197">197</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Public subscription</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_198">198</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Honourable acknowledgement of this relief by the Prince of Brazil</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_198">198</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Distribution of the grant</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_198">198</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Children famished at Santarem</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_199">199</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">State in which the French left the country they had occupied</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_199">199</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Pombal</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Santarem</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Leyria</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_201">201</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Political effect of this distribution</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_203">203</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marshal Beresford goes to Alentejo</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_205">205</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Valencia de Alcantara, Alburquerque, and Campo Mayor taken by the French</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_206">206</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Beresford arrives on the frontier</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_206">206</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Affair near Campo Mayor</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_207">207</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Measures concerted with the Spaniards</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_209">209</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Bridge constructed at Jurumenha</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_210">210</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Passage of the Guadiana</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_211">211</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Olivença retaken</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_212">212</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Claim of the Portugueze to that place</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_213">213</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French retire from Extremadura</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_215">215</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Siege of Badajoz undertaken</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_216">216</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Bridge at Jurumenha swept away</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_217">217</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Wellington recalled to Beira</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_218">218</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Inactivity of the Spanish commander in Galicia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_218">218</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Country between the Agueda and Coa</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_219">219</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Massena’s address to his army</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_220">220</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Battle of Fuentes d’Onoro</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_220">220</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French retire</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_227">227</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Escape of the garrison from Almeida</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_228">228</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marmont succeeds Massena in the command</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_230">230</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Wellington recalled to Alentejo</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_231">231</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Badajoz besieged</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_231">231</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Interruption of the siege</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_232">232</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Arrangement between Lord Wellington and Castaños concerning the command</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_233">233</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_vi">vi</span></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Reasons for giving battle</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_234">234</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The allies assemble at Albuhera</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_234">234</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Battle of Albuhera</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_236">236</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Siege of Badajoz resumed</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_244">244</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Unsuccessful attempts upon Fort Christoval</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_245">245</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The siege raised</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_246">246</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Junction of Soult and Marmont</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_247">247</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The allies take a position within the Portugueze frontier</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_248">248</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Soult boasts of his success</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_249">249</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Blake’s movements</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_250">250</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">He fails at Niebla and returns to Cadiz</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_251">251</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French armies separate</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_252">252</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXVIII">CHAPTER XXXVIII.</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Plans of the French in Catalonia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_253">253</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Pyrenean provinces administered in Buonaparte’s name</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_254">254</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">State of Aragon</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_255">255</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">System of the French commander</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_255">255</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Good effect of paying the troops regularly</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_257">257</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">British goods burnt at Zaragoza</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_257">257</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Preparations for besieging Zaragoza</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_258">258</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Manresa burnt by Macdonald</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_260">260</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Scheme for the recovery of Barcelona frustrated</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_262">262</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Figueras</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_263">263</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Attempt upon that place</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_264">264</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">It is taken by surprise</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_265">265</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Rovira rewarded with preferment in the church</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_267">267</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Suchet refuses to send the troops which Macdonald required from him</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_269">269</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Eroles introduces troops into Figueras</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_270">270</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French blockade it</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_270">270</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Attempts to destroy Mina</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_272">272</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Tarragona</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_291">291</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Siege of that city</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_295">295</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Campoverde enters it after a defeat</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_296">296</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Fort Olivo betrayed</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_297">297</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Contreras appointed to command in the city</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_298">298</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Campoverde goes out to act in the field</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_298">298</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Fort Francoli abandoned</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_300">300</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Troops sent to reinforce the garrison, and landed elsewhere</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_301">301</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The lower town taken</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_303">303</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Suchet’s threat</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_303">303</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The mole at Tarragona</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_303">303</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Campoverde’s inactivity</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_304">304</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Ill behaviour of the Spanish frigates</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_305">305</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Colonel Skerrett arrives with British troops from Cadiz</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_305">305</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Tarragona taken by assault</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_306">306</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Massacre there</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_308">308</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Campoverde resolves to abandon Catalonia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_310">310</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Eroles refuses to leave it</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_311">311</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">General Lacy arrives to take the command</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_311">311</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Montserrate taken by the French</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_312">312</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Fall of Figueras</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_313">313</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Base usage of the prisoners taken there</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_314">314</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Manso</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_314">314</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Conduct of the Junta of Catalonia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_316">316</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lacy’s proclamation</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_316">316</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Retreat of the cavalry from Catalonia to Murcia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_317">317</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">State of the enemy in Catalonia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_319">319</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Las Medas recovered by the Spaniards</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_320">320</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Successful enterprises of Lacy and Eroles</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_322">322</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Corregidor of Cervera taken and punished</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_324">324</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Eroles enters France and levies contributions</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_324">324</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXXIX">CHAPTER XXXIX.</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">State of Portugal</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_327">327</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Expectation of peace</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_328">328</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Disposition of the continental powers to resist Buonaparte</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_329">329</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Plans of Soult and Marmont</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_330">330</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Dorsenne enters Galicia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_331">331</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Abadia retreats</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_331">331</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Wellington observes Ciudad Rodrigo</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_332">332</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Dorsenne recalled from Galicia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_333">333</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Movements of the French to throw supplies into Ciudad Rodrigo</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_333">333</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_vii">vii</span></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The allies fall back</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_335">335</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French retire</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_338">338</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marmont boasts of his success</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_338">338</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Girard in Extremadura</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_339">339</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">General Hill moves against him</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_340">340</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Arroyo Molinos</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_341">341</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French surprised and routed there</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_342">342</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marques del Palacio appointed to the command in Valencia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_345">345</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">His proclamation</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_345">345</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">He is superseded by Blake</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_347">347</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Murviedro</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_349">349</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Suchet takes possession of the town</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_350">350</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French repulsed in an assault</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_351">351</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Oropesa taken by the enemy</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_352">352</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">A second assault repelled</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_353">353</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Guerrilla movements in aid of Murviedro</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_353">353</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Dispersion of the Empecinado’s troops</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_355">355</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">His subsequent successes in conjunction with Duran</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_355">355</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">A price set upon the heads of Mina and his officers</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_356">356</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mina’s success at Ayerbe</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_357">357</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Cruchaga carries off the enemy’s stores from Tafalla</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_359">359</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mina’s object in soliciting for military rank</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_360">360</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">His decree for reprisals</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_361">361</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Duran and the Empecinado separate</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_363">363</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Battle of Murviedro</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_364">364</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Murviedro surrendered</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_367">367</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Valencia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_369">369</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Suchet summons the city</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_371">371</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">He establishes himself in the suburb and in the port</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_371">371</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The army endeavours to escape</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_374">374</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Xativa surrendered</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_374">374</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Blake abandons the lines and retires into the city</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_375">375</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The city a second time summoned</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_376">376</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Suchet expects a desperate resistance</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_377">377</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">He bombards the city</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_378">378</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Blake surrenders the city to the army</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_379">379</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XL">CHAPTER XL.</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Attempt on Alicante</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_381">381</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Dénia surrendered</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_382">382</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Peniscola betrayed by Garcia Navarro</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_382">382</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Carrera killed in Murcia</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_382">382</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">New constitution</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_383">383</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Change of Regency</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_383">383</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Ballasteros retreats to the lines of St. Roque</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_384">384</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Tarifa attempted by the French</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_385">385</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Tarifa</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_387">387</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Tarifa re-garrisoned by the English</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_388">388</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Colonel Skerrett and Copons arrive there</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_389">389</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French invest the town</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_390">390</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Doubts whether it could be defended</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_391">391</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The garrison summoned</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_393">393</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The French repulsed in an assault</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_394">394</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Effects of a storm on both parties</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_395">395</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Siege raised</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_396">396</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">General Hill occupies Merida</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_398">398</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Attempt to carry off Soult</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_398">398</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Colonel Grant rescued by the Guerrillas</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_399">399</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">State of feeling at Madrid</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_399">399</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">State of the country</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_401">401</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Intruder goes to France</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_403">403</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Distress both of the Intrusive and Legitimate Governments</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_404">404</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Schemes for strengthening the Spanish government</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_406">406</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Cardinal Bourbon</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_407">407</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The Infante Don Carlos</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_407">407</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Princess of Brazil</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_407">407</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">State of the Portugueze government</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_408">408</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marquis Wellesley’s views</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_410">410</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Wellington prepares for the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_411">411</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Ciudad Rodrigo</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_415">415</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">A redoubt carried</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_416">416</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Convent of Santa Cruz taken</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_418">418</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Captain Ross killed</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_418">418</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_viii">viii</span></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">St. Francisco’s and the suburbs taken</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_419">419</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The place taken by assault</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_421">421</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Craufurd mortally wounded</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_422">422</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mackinnon killed</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_423">423</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">General Craufurd</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_424">424</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">General Mackinnon</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_425">425</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marmont’s movements during the siege</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_427">427</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Wellington made Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_428">428</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Speeches of Sir Francis Burdett and Mr. Whitbread</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_428">428</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Wellington created an Earl</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_429">429</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Preparations for the siege of Badajoz</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_429">429</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Preparations for its defence</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_431">431</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Siege and capture of that city</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_433">433</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Soult advances to relieve the place, and retreats</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_448">448</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marmont enters Beira</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_449">449</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Arrangement for the defence of that frontier</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_449">449</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marmont deterred by a feint from assaulting Almeida</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_450">450</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Advance of the French to Castello Branco, and their retreat</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_452">452</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marmont attempts to surprise the Portugueze at Guarda</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_452">452</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Flight of the Portugueze militia by the Mondego</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_453">453</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marmont retreats</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_454">454</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Wellington retires to Beira</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_455">455</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdc chap" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XLI">CHAPTER XLI.</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marquis Wellesley resigns office</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_457">457</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Restrictions on the Regency expire</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_457">457</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Communication from the Prince Regent to the leaders of opposition</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_458">458</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Reply of Lords Grey and Grenville</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_459">459</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Boringdon’s motion</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_460">460</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Speech of Earl Grey</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_461">461</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Overture from the French government</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_462">462</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Castlereagh’s reply</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_465">465</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Perceval murdered</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_466">466</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Conduct of the populace</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_467">467</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Overtures from the Ministers to Marquis Wellesley and Mr. Canning</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_468">468</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marquis Wellesley’s reasons for declining them</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_470">470</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Canning’s</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_471">471</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marquis Wellesley’s statement</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_472">472</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Stuart Wortley’s motion</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_473">473</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marquis Wellesley charged to form an administration</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_473">473</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The ministers refuse to act with him</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_474">474</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lords Grey and Grenville also decline</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_474">474</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marquis Wellesley receives fuller powers</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_476">476</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The two lords persist in their reply</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_477">477</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Earl Moira’s letter to Earl Grey</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_478">478</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marquis Wellesley resigns his commission</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_480">480</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Negotiation with Earl Moira</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_480">480</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">The old Ministry is re-established</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_483">483</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Marquis Wellesley’s explanation</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_483">483</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Earl Grey’s</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_485">485</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Earl Moira’s reply</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_485">485</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Mr. Stuart Wortley’s second motion</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_487">487</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Yarmouth’s statement</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_487">487</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Lord Castlereagh’s speech</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_488">488</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Pecuniary assistance to the Spaniards</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_492">492</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Proposal concerning Spanish troops</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_493">493</a></td></tr> - <tr> - <td class="tdl">Plan of a diversion from Sicily</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_493">493</a></td></tr> -</table> - -</div> - -<div class="main"> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">1</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 id="HISTORY" class="vspace"><span class="smaller">HISTORY</span><br /> -<span class="xxsmall">OF THE</span><br /> -<span class="gesperrt">PENINSULAR WAR</span>.</h2> -</div> - -<hr class="narrow" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXXIII" class="nobreak p2">CHAPTER XXXIII.<br /> - -<span class="subhead">CATALONIA. MEQUINENZA AND TORTOSA TAKEN. EXPEDITIONS ON THE -COASTS OF BISCAY AND OF ANDALUSIA. GUERRILLAS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1810.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p class="in0"><span class="firstword">While</span> Lord Wellington detained in Portugal the -most numerous of the French armies, defied their -strength and baffled their combinations, events of great -importance, both military and civil, were taking place -in Spain.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marshal Macdonald succeeds Augereau.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The command in Catalonia had devolved upon Camp-Marshal -Juan Manuel de Villena, during the -time that O’Donell was invalided by his wound. -He had to oppose in Marshal Macdonald a -general of higher reputation and of a better stamp than -Augereau. Augereau had passed through the revolutionary -war without obtaining any worse character than -that of rapacity; but in Catalonia he manifested a ferocious -and cruel temper, of which he had not before -been suspected. Every armed Catalan who fell alive -into his hand was sent to the gibbet: the people were<span class="pagenum" id="Page_2">2</span> -not slow at reprisals, and war became truly dreadful -when cruelty appeared on both sides to be only the -exercise of vindictive justice: it was made so hateful to -the better part of the German soldiers, and to the -younger French also, whose hearts had not yet been -seared, that they sought eagerly for every opportunity -of fighting, in the hope of receiving wounds - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Von Staff, 296.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -which should entitle them to their dismission, -or, at the worst, of speedily terminating a life which -was rendered odious by the service wherein they were -engaged.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Siege of Mequinenza.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The force under Macdonald’s command consisted of -21,000 men, including 2000 cavalry, and of -16,500 employed in garrisons and in the points -of communication; the army of Aragon also, which -Suchet commanded, was under his direction. They -could not in Catalonia, as they had done in other parts -of Spain, press forward, and leave defensible towns behind -them: it was necessary to take every place that -could be defended by a resolute people, and to secure it -when taken. After Lerida had been villanously betrayed -by Garcia Conde, Tortosa became the next point -of importance for the French to gain, for while that city -was held by the Spaniards, the communication between -Valencia and Catalonia could not be cut off. Tarragona -and Valencia were then successively to be attacked, but -Mequinenza was to be taken before Tortosa was besieged. -This town, which was called Octogesa when the Romans -became masters of Spain, which by the corrupted name -of Ictosa was the seat of a bishop’s see under the Wisigoths, -and which obtained its present appellation from -the Moors, was at the present juncture a point of considerable -importance, because it commanded the navigation -of the Ebro, being situated where that river -receives the Segre. It was now a decayed town with a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">3</span> -fortified castle: the works never had been strong, and -since the Succession-war had received only such hasty -repairs as had been made, at the urgent representations -of General Doyle, during the second siege of Zaragoza. -These preparations had enabled it to repulse the enemy -in three several attempts after the fall of that city. It -had now, by Doyle s exertions, been well supplied with -provisions, but every thing else was wanting; the garrison -consisted of 700 men, upon whose discipline or -subordination the commander, D. Manuel Carbon, could -but ill rely. He himself was disposed to do his duty, -and was well supported by some of his officers.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">May 18.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Six days after the betrayal of Lerida the French Colonel -Robert was sent with three battalions to commence -operations against this poor fortress; he tried to -force the passage of a bridge over the Cinca, which was -so well defended, that it cost him 400 men. Between -that river and the Ebro, Mousnier’s division approached -so as to straiten the place, and a bridge of boats was -thrown across the Ebro, and a tête-du-pont constructed -to cut off the besieged from succour on that side. The -operations were conducted with little skill or success, -till at the expiration of a fortnight Colonel Rogniat came -to direct them. Carbon then found it necessary to -abandon the place, and retire into the Castle; to this he -was compelled less by the efforts of the enemy than by -distrust of his own men, who now becoming hopeless of -relief, took every opportunity of deserting. His only -armourer had fled, so had his masons, his carpenters, and -his medical staff, the latter taking with them their stores. -Four of the iron guns had burst, ... two brazen ones were -rendered useless; and the Castle, which the people -looked upon as impregnable, was not only weak in itself, -but incapable of long resistance, had it been stronger, -for want of water: there was none within the works; it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">4</span> -was to be brought from a distance, and by a difficult - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">June.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -road. The governor represented to the captain-general -that his situation was truly miserable; -that the best thing he could do, were it possible, would -be to bring off the remains of the garrison; but they -were between the Ebro and the Segre, and the banks of -both rivers were occupied by the enemy. A force of at -least 3000 men would be required to relieve him ... -whereas 500 might have sufficed if they had been sent -from Tortosa in time.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mequinenza taken.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>This dispatch was brought to Villena by a peasant -who succeeded in swimming the Segre with it; -and an attempt accordingly was made to relieve -the Castle, but it was made too late. General Doyle, -whom the Junta of Tortosa had addressed entreating him -to continue his services to Mequinenza, asked and obtained -the command of the succours, and was on the way -with them, when they were met by tidings that the garrison - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">June 8.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -had surrendered. The course of the Ebro -from Zaragoza was now open to the enemy, and -they prepared immediately to besiege Tortosa. If Suchet -had known the state of the city at this time, he might -have won it by a coup-de-main. The suspicions of -the people had been re-inflamed by the betrayal of -Lerida; the fall of Mequinenza excited their fears; - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lili appointed to the command in Tortosa.<br /><span class="extlink">Vol. i. 731–735.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and an insurrection was apprehended, to prevent which -Villena requested Doyle to hasten thither, and act as -governor till the Conde de Alache, D. Miguel de Lili y -Idiaquez, should arrive. This nobleman had -displayed such skill and enterprise in the painful -but fortunate retreat which he made with a -handful of men after the wreck of the central -army at Tudela, that it was thought no man -could be more adequate to the important service -for which he was now chosen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">5</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Tortosa.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Tortosa stands upon the left bank of the Ebro, about -four leagues from the sea; it is on the high -road by which Catalonia communicates with the -south of Spain. Before the Roman conquest the Ilercaones -had their chief settlement here, and the place was -called after the tribe Ilercaonia; Dartosa was its Roman -name, which either under the Goths or Moors passed -into the present appellation. It was taken from the -Moors<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> by Louis le Debonnaire, during the life of his -father Charlemagne, after a remarkable siege, in which -all the military engines of that age seem to have been -employed. The governor whom he left there revolted, -called in the Moors to his support, and they took it for -themselves. It was conquered from them by Ramon -Berenguer, Count of Barcelona, in the middle of the -twelfth century; and in the year following was saved -from the Moors by the women, who took arms when the -men were almost overpowered, rallied them, and animated -them so that they repulsed the entering enemy: -in honour of this event a military order was instituted, -and it was enacted that the women of Tortosa should -have precedence of the men in all public ceremonies. -During that revolt of the Catalans which was one of the -many and great evils brought upon Spain by the iniquitous -administration of Olivares, Tortosa declared early -for the provincial cause; but it was reduced to obedience -soon and without violence, and the city, which then contained -2000 inhabitants, was secured against any sudden -attack. Marshal de la Mothe besieged it in 1642, and -effected a breach in its weak works: he was repulsed in -an assault with considerable loss, and deemed it necessary<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">6</span> -to raise the siege. Six years afterwards the French, -with Schomberg for their general, took it by storm, ... -the bishop and most of the clergy falling in the breach. -It was retaken in 1650. In the Succession-war this -place was gladly given up to the allies by the people, as -soon as the capture of Barcelona by Lord Peterborough -enabled them to declare their sentiments. The Duke of -Orleans took it in 1708 by a vigorous siege, and through -the want of firmness in the governor; had it held out -two days longer, the besieging army must have retired -for want of supplies. Staremberg almost succeeded in -recovering it by surprise a few months afterwards; and -in 1711 he failed in a second attempt. From that time the -city had flourished during nearly an hundred years of -internal peace; the population had increased to 16,000; -the chief export was potash; the chief trade in wheat, -which was either imported hither or exported hence, according -as the harvest had proved in the two provinces -of Catalonia and Aragon. But during this long interval -of tranquillity, while the city and its neighbourhood -partook the prosperity of the most industrious province -in Spain, the fortifications, like every thing upon which -the strength and security of the state depended, had -been neglected, and were falling to decay.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Preparations for the siege of that city.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>This place, which could only have opposed a tumultuous -resistance if the French had immediately -pursued their success, was soon secured against -any sudden attack by Doyle’s exertions. He -had given up his pay in the Spanish service to the use -of this province, and the confidence which was placed in -him by the people and the local authorities, as well -as by the generals, gave him influence and authority -wherever he went. Every effort was made for storing and -strengthening the city, while the enemy on their part -made preparations for besieging it in form. Mequinenza<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">7</span> -was their depôt for the siege: from thence the artillery -was conveyed to Xerta, a little town two leagues above -Tortosa on the Ebro, which they fortified, and where -they established a tête-du-pont: another was formed at -Mora, half way between Mequinenza and Tortosa; the -navigation of the river was thus secured. The roads -upon either bank being only mountain paths, which were -practicable but for beasts of burthen, a military road was -constructed from Caspe, following in many parts the line -of that which the Duke of Orleans had formed in the -preceding century. A corps of 5000 infantry and 500 -horse was to invest the city on the right bank, while -another corps of the same strength watched the movements -of the Catalan army. One division Suchet had -left in Aragon, where the regular force opposed to it -had almost disappeared in the incapable hands of D. -Francisco Palafox. He had as little to apprehend on the -side of Valencia; neither men nor means were wanting -in that populous and wealthy province, but there prevailed -a narrow provincial spirit, and General Caro remained -inactive when an opportunity was presented of -compelling the French, who were on the right bank, to -retire, or of cutting them off. The other part of the besieging -army was not left in like manner unmolested, for -O’Donell had by this time recovered from his wound, -and resumed the command.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The enemy appear before the place.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On the 4th of July the enemy appeared on the right -bank, and occupied the suburbs of Jesus and -Las Roquetas; they took possession also of the -country-houses which were near the city on that -side, but not without resistance. On the 8th they attacked -the tête-du-pont, expecting to carry it by a sudden -and vigorous attempt; they were repulsed, renewed the -attempt at midnight, were again repulsed, and a few -hours afterwards failed in a third attack. They were<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">8</span> -now satisfied that Tortosa was not to be won without -the time and labour of a regular siege. They had seen -also a manifestation of that same spirit which had been -so virtuously displayed at Zaragoza and Gerona. For -the Tortosan women had passed and repassed the bridge -during the heat of action, regardless of danger, bearing -refreshments and stores to the soldiers; two who were -wounded in this service were rewarded with medals and -with a pension. They enrolled themselves in companies -to attend upon the wounded, whether in the hospitals or -in private houses. There was one woman who during -the whole siege carried water and cordials to the troops -at the points of attack, and frequently went out with them -in their sallies; the people called her La Titaya, and she -was made a serjeant for her services. The men also -formed themselves into companies, and it was evident -what might be expected from the inhabitants, if their -governor should prove worthy of the charge committed -to him. Velasco, who held the command till the -Conde de Alache should arrive, was incapacitated by -illness for any exertion. The garrison, encouraged by -their success in repelling the enemy, made a sally on the -10th with more courage than prudence, and lost about -100 men; the next day the French began their regular -approaches.</p> - - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>O’Donell visits the city.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>O’Donell’s first care upon resuming the command of -the army was to strengthen Tortosa and provide -it against the siege, which if he could not prevent -he would use every exertion to impede and -frustrate. Lili arrived there in the middle of July, and -a convoy of provisions with him: Velasco then left the -place, and retired to Tarragona, broken in health. Stores -and men were introduced till the magazines were fully -replenished, and the garrison amounted to 8000 effective -men. On the night of the 21st the enemy made another<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">9</span> -attack upon the tête-du-pont, as unsuccessfully as before. -Some days afterwards O’Donell came there to inspect -the place; he thanked the inhabitants for the good-will -which they were manifesting, and the readiness with -which they had cut down their fruit-trees and demolished -their villas in the adjoining country, sacrificing every -thing cheerfully to the national cause. He directed -also a sally, which was made with good effect, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Aug. 3.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -some of the enemy’s works being destroyed: -Lili was present in this affair, and was wounded. -Having seen that every thing was in order here, and -promised well, the general returned to his army.</p> - -<p>But O’Donell deriving no support from either of the -neighbouring provinces, had on the one hand to impede -Suchet’s operations, and on the other to act against Macdonald. -Before that Marshal could take any measures -in aid of the besieging army, he had to introduce a convoy - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Macdonald enters the plains of Tarragona.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -into Barcelona. Having effected this object, -and baffled the force which endeavoured to prevent -it, he moved upon the Ebro; by this movement -O’Donell was compelled to withdraw the division -which kept in check the French corps upon the left bank; -and Suchet, seizing the opportunity, passed that corps -across the river, and advanced against the Valencian army, -with which Caro had at last taken the field, ... only to -make a precipitate retreat when it was thus attacked, -and leave the enemy without any interruption from that -side. Macdonald meantime easily overcoming the little -resistance that could be interposed entered the plain of -Tarragona, and took a position at Reus, with his whole -disposable force, raising contributions in money and every -kind of stores upon that unhappy town, while his troops -pillaged the surrounding country. Tarragona was at this -time but weakly garrisoned, and some apprehension was -entertained that it might be his intention to lay siege to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">10</span> -it. Campoverde’s division, therefore, was immediately -removed thither from Falset, and O’Donell himself entered -the place, and occupied the height of Oliva and -the village of La Canonja, endeavouring by activity and -display to make the most of his insufficient force. Before -daybreak this latter post was attacked by the French in - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Aug. 21.</span><br />Affair near Tarragona.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -strength, ... the Spaniards fell back till O’Donell -came to their support; he supposed the enemy’s -object was to reconnoitre the place, and this he -was desirous to prevent. Captain Buller, in the Volontaire -frigate, was near enough distinctly to hear and see the -firing; immediately he sent his launch and barge with some -carronades in shore, and anchored the ship with springs -in four fathoms water, to support the boats, and act as circumstances -might require. These boats acted with great -effect upon the right flank of the French; and the frigate -bringing its guns to bear upon the enemy’s cavalry, -which was forming upon a rising ground, dislodged them; -so that they retreated to their position with the loss of -about an hundred and fifty men. On the same day -Captain Fane, in the Cambrian frigate, and some Spanish -boats, performed a like service at Salou, driving from -thence, with the loss of some forty men, a detachment of -the enemy who had gone thither to plunder the place. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Macdonald retires.<br /><span class="date">Aug. 25.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -On the fourth day after this affair the French -retreated, leaving 700 sick and wounded in the -hospital at Reus, and 200 at Valls. Their rearguard -was overtaken in the town of Momblanch, and the -plunder which they had collected there was recovered: -but a Spanish general was put under arrest for not -having improved the advantage which he had gained. -They suffered also a considerable loss by desertion. -Nearly 300 Italians deserted from Reus, and 400 more -during the expedition.</p> - -<p>Suchet with 3000 men had moved down upon Momblanch,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">11</span> -to cover a retreat which was not made without -danger. This movement left Tortosa for a -while free of access, and large supplies were -promptly introduced. Macdonald now took a -position near Cervera, as a central point, from -whence he could cover the besieging army before Tortosa, -and threaten the rear of the Spaniards upon the -Llobregat, and where he could occupy an extent of -country capable of supplying him with provisions. But - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>O’Donnell surprises the enemy at La Bisbal.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -this afforded opportunity to O’Donell for renewing that -system of warfare which he had carried on successfully -against Augereau. He embarked a small detachment at -Tarragona, provided with artillery, which sailed under -convoy of a small Spanish squadron and of the Cambrian -frigate. On the 6th of September he put himself at the -head of a division at Villafranca, having directed the -movements of his troops so as to make the French infer -that it was his intention to interpose between them and - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">September.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Barcelona. Leaving Campoverde to throw up -works near La Baguda, and secure that pass, he -proceeded to Esparraguera: from thence he reconnoitred -El Bruch and Casamasanes, and leaving Eroles to guard -that position, ordered Brigadier Georget to take post at -Mombuy, close by Igualada, and Camp-Marshal Obispo -to advance by a forced march from Momblanch, and place -himself upon the heights to the right and left of Martorell. -This was on the 9th: that same night he ordered -Campoverde to march the following morning and join -him at S. Culgat del Valles, sending a battalion to reinforce -Georget, but letting no one know his destination. -The whole division reached Mataro on the 10th, Pineda -on the following day; from thence a party under the -Colonel of Engineers, D. Honorato de Fleyres, was dispatched -to take post at the <i>Ermida</i> of S. Grau, while -O’Donell proceeded to Tordera. Before he left Pineda<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">12</span> -he received intelligence that the squadron had commenced -its operations auspiciously. Doyle had landed at Bagur, -taken forty-two prisoners there, and with the assistance -of the Cambrian’s boats destroyed the battery and carried -off the guns. Being now about to leave the garrison of -Hostalrich in his rear, O’Donell sent off a detachment -towards that fort, and another toward Gerona, that they -might lead the French in both places to suppose he was -reconnoitring with a view to invest them. On the 13th -he reached the village of Vidreras, falling in on the way -thither with an howitzer and a field-piece which had been -landed for him at Calella. At Vidreras the two last -detachments which he had sent off rejoined him, having -performed their service with great success, the one party -bringing off nine prisoners from the suburbs of Hostalrich, -whom they had taken in the houses there, the other -eleven from under the walls of Gerona.</p> - -<p>This long movement had been undertaken in the hope -of cutting off the French who occupied S. Feliu de -Guixols, Palamos, and La Bisbal. The larger force was -at La Bisbal under General Schwartz; and that he -might have no opportunity to reinforce the two weaker -points, it was O’Donell’s intention to attack him there, -at the same time that Fleyres, dividing his detachment, -should attack both the other garrisons. From Vidreras -to La Bisbal is a distance which in that country, where -distances are measured by time, is computed at eight -hours, the foot-pace of an able-bodied man averaging -usually four miles in the hour; but at this time much -depended on celerity. At daybreak on the 14th he -renewed his march with the cavalry regiment of -Numancia, sixty hussars, and an hundred volunteer -infantry, who thought themselves capable of keeping up -with the horse. The regiment of Iliberia followed at a -less exhausting pace; and the rest of the division, under<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">13</span> -Campoverde, went by way of Llagostera to post itself -in the valley of Aro, as a body of reserve, and cut off the -enemy in case they should retire from the points which -they occupied. O’Donell proceeded so rapidly that he -performed the usual journey of eight hours in little more -than four, the infantry keeping up with the horse at a -brisk trot the whole time. As soon as they reached La -Bisbal, Brigadier Sanjuan, with the cavalry, occupied all -the avenues of the town, to prevent the enemy, who upon -their appearance had retired into an old castle, from -escaping; some cuirassiers who were patrolling were -made prisoners; the Spanish infantry took possession of -the houses near the castle, and from thence and from the -church tower fired upon it. They rung the Somaten, -and the peasants who were within hearing came to join -them. O’Donell perceiving that musketry was of little -avail, and that Schwartz did not surrender at his summons, -resolved to set fire to the gates; but in reconnoitring -the castle with this object, he received a musket-ball -in the leg, the sixteenth which had struck him in -the course of this war. Just at this time a detachment -of an hundred foot, with two-and-thirty cuirassiers, came -from the side of Torruella to aid the garrison. Sanjuan -charged them with his reserve; the cuirassiers fled toward -Gerona, all the infantry were taken, and a convoy -of provisions with its escort fell into the hands of the -Spaniards. The regiment of Iliberia, quickening its -march when it heard the firing, now came up; at nightfall -the enemy were a second time summoned, and -Schwartz, seeing no means of escape, was then glad to -have the honours of war granted him, upon surrendering -with his whole party, consisting of 650 men and 42 -officers.</p> - -<p>Fleyres meantime leaving S. Grau at two on the morning -of the same day, divided his force, and directed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">14</span> -Lieutenant-Colonel D. Tadeo Aldea, with 300 foot and -20 horse, against Palamos, while he with the same number -of horse and 250 foot proceeded against S. Feliu de -Guixols; 150 men being left as a reserve for both parties -upon the heights on the road to Zeroles. Both were -successful. The Spaniards were not discovered as they -approached S. Feliu till they were within pistol-shot of -the sentinel; and the enemy, after a brisk but short resistance, -surrendered when they were offered honourable -treatment in O’Donell’s name. Thirty-six were killed -and wounded here; 270 men and eight officers laid down -their arms. At Palamos the enemy had batteries which -they defended; but there the squadron co-operated, and -after the loss of threescore men, 255, with seven officers, -surrendered. Seventy more were taken on the following -day in the Castle of Calonge. The result of this well-planned, -and singularly fortunate expedition, which succeeded -in its full extent at every point, was the capture -of one general, two colonels, threescore inferior officers, -more than 1200 men, seventeen pieces of artillery, magazines -and stores, and the destruction of every battery, -fort, or house which the enemy had fortified upon the -coast as far as the Bay of Rosas. The British seamen -and marines had exerted themselves with their characteristic -activity and good-will on this occasion; and Captain -Fane, though suffering under severe indisposition at the -time, had landed with Doyle, and put himself forwards -wherever most was to be done. O’Donell, to mark the -sense which was entertained of their services, ordered a -medal to be struck for the officers and crew, with appropriate<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> -inscriptions.</p> - -<p>The Spaniards had only ten men killed and twenty-three -wounded; but O’Donell was disabled by his wound,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">15</span> -and a General who had displayed so much ability, and in -whose fortune the soldiers had acquired confidence -could ill be spared. The system of maritime -enterprise which had been thus well commenced - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The enemy’s batteries on the coast destroyed.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -was actively pursued. Upon General Doyle’s -representation it was resolved to attack the batteries -which the enemy had erected upon the coast between -Barcelona and Tarragona, and by means of which, with -few men, they kept the maritime towns in subjection; -they were placed always in commanding situations, ... -boats with supplies lay at anchor under them all day, in -safety from the cruisers, and under cover of the night -crept along shore toward their destination. Doyle embarked -for this service, and with the aid of Captain -Buller, in the Volontaire, effectually performed it, destroying -every battery, and carrying off the artillery and -stores. The same service was performed a second time -upon the coast between Mataro and Rosas, where the -enemy had re-occupied stations; the batteries were again -destroyed, their coasters taken, and the Spanish Lieutenant-Colonel -O’Ronan, who embarked in the Volontaire -with authority from the provincial government, collected -the imposts and levied contributions upon those persons -who traded with France, or were known partizans of the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">October.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -French. He had the boldness to enter the town -of Figueras with twenty-five men, and draw -rations for them in sight of the enemy’s garrison; but in -this cruise the Volontaire suffered so much in a gale of -wind, that it was necessary to make for Port Mahon.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Captured provisions purchased for the French in Barcelona.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The British ships rendered essential service to the Catalans -at this time, and were at all times useful -in keeping up their hopes, and rendering it -more difficult for the enemy to obtain supplies. -The spirit of the people was invincible; and -under such leaders as Manso, and Rovira, and Eroles,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">16</span> -they were so successful in desultory warfare, that a land -convoy for Barcelona required an army for its escort, and -the French government was informed, that precarious as -the supply by sea was, they must mainly trust to it. Indeed -no inconsiderable part of the provisions which were -sent by sea found its way to Barcelona after it had fallen -into the hands of the British squadron. The cargoes -were sold by the captors at Villa Nova, where there were -persons ready to purchase them at any<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> price: ... these -persons were agents for the enemy; and when the magazines -were full, a detachment came from Barcelona -and convoyed the stores safely to that city, which is not -twenty miles distant. The indulgence also which was -intended for the Spaniards in Barcelona, in allowing -their fishing-boats to come without the mole, was turned -to the advantage of the garrison. There were about 150 -of these boats, and upon every opportunity they received -provisions and stores<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">4</a>, which they carried in for some -time without being suspected.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lili’s preparations for defence.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Suchet meantime could make no progress in the siege -of Tortosa; though the Valencians left him undisturbed -on their side, he could undertake no -serious operations till the other part of his army -could be brought down to complete the investment of -the place, and till Macdonald should be in a situation to -cover the besieging force, which that General could not -do till he received reinforcements, his strength being -wasted by the losses which he was continually suffering -in detail, and by the numerous desertions which took -place. Doyle’s address to the foreigners in the French -service, in their respective languages, had produced no<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">17</span> -inconsiderable effect; copies of it were fired from the -town in shells, and by that means scattered among the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Sept. 7.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -besiegers. As soon as it was known that the enemy’s -heavy guns had arrived at Xerta, Lili issued a -proclamation to the inhabitants, requesting that -all who were not able to take arms and bear an active -part in its defence would withdraw, while a way was yet -open: the place, he said, had no shelter for them when -it should be bombarded, nor could provisions be afforded -them. But the invaders, he added, deceived themselves -if they supposed that his constancy was to be shaken by -the fears and lamentations of old men and children and -of a few women, or if they expected to find another Lerida -in Catalonia; for he and his garrison had sworn, -and he now repeated the vow, that Tortosa should not -be yielded up till it had surpassed, if that were possible, -the measure of resistance at Zaragoza and Gerona. He -issued an order also that as soon as the first gun should -be discharged against the place, the door of every house -should be open day and night, and vessels of water kept -there in readiness for extinguishing fires, ... and lights -during the night.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Ferdinand’s birthday celebrated in Tortosa.<br /><span class="date">Oct. 14.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Buonaparte’s birthday recurred about this time, and -the French general sent a letter into the city, -informing the governor that it would be celebrated -in due form with a discharge of cannon. -Lili corresponded to this courtesy by sending a -similar communication on the eve of Ferdinand’s anniversary; -at the same time he sent the official notice -which had reached him, that the yellow fever had broken -out in certain ports of the Mediterranean, and that some -ships were infected with it: this information, he said, -was given as humanity required, in order that the -enemy might take all possible precautions against the -contagion in those parts of the country which were<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">18</span> -occupied by their troops. The holiday was observed -with its usual solemnities and pageants, as if there had -been no hostile encampment without the walls: in the -morning there was service in the churches; in the -afternoon the holy girdle, a relic of which Tortosa -boasted, was carried in procession, a masque of giants -going before it, accompanied by persons performing a -provincial sword-dance, and followed by all the corporate -bodies, civil and ecclesiastical, and by the military, -with music, and banners displayed. Bull-fights with -young animals who were neither tortured with fireworks -(as is the manner in the serious exhibitions of -that execrable sport) nor slaughtered, were held in the -streets, and the day concluded with a ball, a banquet, -and an illumination.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Conduct of the French general concerning Marshal Soult’s decree.<br />See <span class="extlink">vol. ii</span>.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The next communication of Lili to the French general -was not received so courteously by Harispe, -who at that time was left in command of the -besieging army. The Spaniards sent him copies -of the decree issued by the Regency in -consequence of Soult’s infamous edict against -the Spanish armies, both edicts being printed on -one sheet, in parallel columns; Lili sent them with a -flag of truce, saying it was his duty to put the French -general and his commander-in-chief in possession of this -royal decree. Harispe replied, that he should always -receive the Spanish commander’s messengers with pleasure, -when they were the bearers of decent and useful -communications; but in the present instance he must -detain them prisoners of war, inasmuch as they seemed -to have no other object than that of scattering satirical -writings. If this reply had not been accompanied by -an act in violation of the laws of war, it would have -been satisfactory to the Spaniards; for the French general -could not more plainly have shown the opinion<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">19</span> -which he entertained of Marshal Soult’s decree, than -by thus affecting to believe that it was spurious. The -besieging army, however, had given some examples -of that merciless system upon which the intrusive government -required its generals to act; ... for the bodies -of some peasants were taken out of the river, with many -bayonet wounds about them, and their hands tied: they -were interred in the city, where the circumstance and -the solemnity made a strong impression upon the people. -There was a Piemontese, who, having resided more -than twenty years in Tortosa, went over to the French, -and rendered them all the service which his knowledge -of the place and the country enabled him to perform. -This treason on the part of a naturalized foreigner excited -a strong desire for vengeance; some peasants -watched his movements, laid wait for him, surprised -him, and carried him prisoner into the city, where he -was tried, and condemned to be shot in the back, under -the gallows; that mode and place of death being chosen -as the most ignominious, there being no hangman there. -The besieged were gratified by another act of vengeance. -An officer in the French army, before the serious business -of the siege began, amused<a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> himself, from a -favourable station, with bringing down such individuals -as came within reach of his gun. At length a deserter -gave information that this unseen marksman’s -stand was in a house called <i>la Casilla Blanca</i>, upon -which the commandant of artillery, D. Francisco Arnau, -went with his piece to a good station on the bank of the -river, and getting aim at him while he was engaged in his -murderous sport, had the satisfaction of seeing him fall.</p> - -<p>Though the enemy had established two bridges with -a tete-du-pont to each between Mequinenza and Tortosa, -they had not been able to render the passage of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">20</span> -the river secure. Their boats were sometimes intercepted -and sometimes sunk; and everywhere a system -of war was carried on by which the armies of Macdonald -and Suchet were so harassed, that the operations -of the siege were impeded during five months. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Successes of Eroles.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Some brilliant achievements were performed in the Ampurdan -by Baron Eroles, an officer who rendered -himself so obnoxious to the enemy by -the activity and success with which he discharged his -duty to his country, that there was an order in the -French army to hang him as soon as he should fall -into their hands. The German troops in Catalonia had -at this time been reduced by deaths, captures, and desertions, -to such a state of inefficiency, that the few -survivors were permitted to leave Spain, and stationed -on the South coast of France; there in the enjoyment -of rest and a benign climate, to recruit their broken -health, before they returned to their respective countries. -Some troops only were left in the garrisons of -Lerida and Barcelona, ... the remainder, a few hundreds -only of as many thousands, gladly departed from a -country in which they had committed and suffered so -many evils. Their place in the Ampurdan was supplied -by a reinforcement of 5000 French, under General Clement; -the new general, to signalize his entrance, entered -Olot with 3000 men, and got possession of the -stores which were deposited there, with which, and with -the spoils of the town, he departed early on the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Dec. 6.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -second day, having thus far successfully effected -his purpose. Eroles was at Tornadis at this time, where -he had collected his troops; and they were receiving -their rations when intelligence was brought him that -the enemy had left Olot, and were on their way to Castellfullit. -A cry arose from the Catalans that they did -not want their bread and their brandy then; what they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">21</span> -wanted was cartridges, and to kill the French. The -men knew their commander, and he knew his people, -for what kind of service they were fit, and how surely -they might be relied on in that service. The enemy had -had two hours’ start, but they were impeded with artillery -and plunder, and apprehending no danger, had -made no speed: the Catalans had the desire of vengeance -to quicken them, and performing in less than an -hour and a half what is estimated at a three hours’ -journey, they came up with the rearguard at Castellfullit, -attacked and routed it. The French rallied, took -a position on the plain of Polligé, where they were protected -by the cavalry and their guns, and thus awaited -for Eroles to attack them. His dispositions, however, -as soon as he had reconnoitred the ground, were made -for turning both their flanks; and when to prevent this -they attacked his centre, their cavalry were repulsed, the -attempt wholly failed, and they retreated to another -position near S. Jayme. From thence they were driven, -and fell back upon a battalion which had now formed -in the plain of Argalaguer, and were protected by the -buildings in that village; but supposing the few horse -which Eroles then brought forward to be part of a -greater force, Clement withdrew his men to a near -wood, on the other side of a stream. Encouraged by -success, the Catalans attacked them there also, drove -them successively from thence and from Besalu, and -did not give up the pursuit till night closed. In this -affair Clement lost more than a thousand men, the Spaniards -twenty-five killed and fifty wounded: scarcely -any prisoners were taken; the French were persuaded -that no quarter would be given, and in that persuasion -some had run upon the bayonets of the Spaniards, -and some had thrown themselves down a precipice near -Castellfullit. The whole detachment would have been<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">22</span> -destroyed if Eroles had had his cavalry, but they had -been detached before he knew of the enemy’s movements, -and the utmost exertions did not suffice to bring -them up in time. The Baron observed with satisfaction, -in his dispatches, that they had been favoured with this -victory by the patroness of Spain, on the<a id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">6</a>festival of -whose conception it had been won.</p> - -<p>Such, indeed, was the spirit which the French found -in Catalonia, and such the exasperated temper on their -part which this unexpected and brave resistance had -occasioned, that they said it would be necessary to exterminate -one-half the Catalans in order to intimidate -the other. They found a similar spirit in Aragon; but -there the country had not the same natural strength, nor -was there a single fortress to afford protection to the -people. The army, however, under D. Joze Maria -Carvajal, was again in activity; and though, owing to -the incapacity of their commanders in the first years of -the war, and the want of means in the utter destitution -wherein it was afterwards left, it was never fortunate -enough to perform any splendid or signal service, it -deserved this praise, that for patience and constancy -under the most trying circumstances, this of all the -Spanish armies was that which during the contest deserved -most highly of its country. The severest means -were used to intimidate the Aragonese, but in vain. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Edict against the Junta of Aragon.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Suchet, as governor-general of that kingdom -for the intrusive government, published a decree, -saying, it had come to his knowledge that -a set of senseless men, who had the ridiculous audacity -to style themselves the Junta of Aragon, had fixed -themselves in the village of Manzanera, from whence<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">23</span> -they endeavoured to disturb the tranquillity of the Aragonese, -by their incendiary libels, and despotically took -possession of the public revenues and stores: he gave -orders, therefore, that they should be pursued, delivered -over to a military tribunal, and be sentenced within -twenty-four hours: that the people of Manzanera, or of -any other place to which they might betake themselves, -should drive them out, or, failing so to do, receive an -exemplary punishment, the Ayuntamiento and the parochial -priest being responsible in their goods and persons -for the behaviour of the inhabitants in this point: every -place which received them was to be punished irremissibly, -and the authorities to suffer ignominious death by -the gallows. The Junta of Aragon, to show how they -regarded this decree, printed it in their own Gazette, -well knowing that nothing could contribute more to keep -up that feeling in the nation which it was their duty to -encourage and to direct. They called attention also to -the important circumstance, that this decree was issued -not in the name of Joseph the Intruder, but in that of -the emperor of the French, King of Italy, and Protector -of the Confederation of the Rhine, of whose -intention to include Spain, if he could, among the states -subjected to him, no equivocal indication was here -afforded. The intrusive government, however deceitful -in its promises, was always sincere in its threats. Of this -every province had abundant proofs, and none more than - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Molina de Aragon burnt by the French.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -that in which Suchet commanded. The city of -Molina de Aragon in an especial manner provoked -the vengeance of the invaders by the -disposition which the inhabitants manifested, who, as -often as the French entered it, took refuge in the woods - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Nov. 1.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and mountains: the enemy at length set fire to -it on all sides, and three parts of the city were -consumed. But acts of this kind, which proved the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">24</span> -intention of the invaders to reduce Spain to a desert -rather than leave it unsubdued, served only to confirm -the Spaniards in that resolution which rendered their -subjugation impossible.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Bassecourt takes the command in Valencia.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>While Carvajal impeded Suchet’s operations from -the side of Aragon, some efforts were made from -Valencia; a province where, with ample means, -little exertion had been found, and less ability -to direct it. The Regency relied upon the unexhausted -resources which existed there, believing that if the -Valencian force were well employed, even though it -should not undertake any grand operations, Tortosa -could not be taken by less than 30,000 men. But -when Bassecourt arrived to take the command there, -he found the army in a miserable condition both as to -equipments and discipline, which might have made him -hopeless of success in any other warfare than that -desultory one, wherein inexperienced troops may be -trusted, and in which nothing is lost if they find or -fancy it necessary to disperse and provide every man -for his own safety. Some field-pieces had been sent -from Valencia to the army of Aragon: the French obtained -intelligence of this, and a strong detachment - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 31.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -under the Polish General Chlopisky entered -Teruel to intercept this artillery, when General -Villacampa, for whom it was intended, was at Alfambra, -six hours distant: ... the officer in charge of the -guns endeavoured to retreat with them, but was pursued -and overtaken at Alventosa, and the whole fell -into the enemy’s hands. After this success Chlopisky -sought to inflict another blow upon Villacampa’s division, -and an affair took place between Villel and La -Fuensanta, which the Spaniards considered as a victory -on their part, because, though compelled to retire from -the ground, they had not been pursued, nor had any<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">25</span> -dispersion taken place. Somewhat better fortune attended - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Nov. 12.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -a maritime expedition from Peñiscola, -which was planned by General Doyle and executed -by his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant-Colonel San -Martin; by this force the strong tower of S. Juan, -which commanded the Puerto de los Alfaques, was -surprised, and immediately garrisoned and stored; and -thus the enemy were deprived of a port in which their -corsairs and coasters found protection. A land expedition, -undertaken at the same time in the hope of -cutting off a French detachment at Trayguera, failed -altogether; the French had withdrawn in time, and -receiving a timely reinforcement, compelled the Spaniards - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Defeat of the Valencians at Ulldecona.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -in their turn to retreat. No loss was -sustained in this attempt. General Bassecourt -was less fortunate in an enterprise of greater -moment; he projected an attack upon Suchet’s army, -which if it succeeded, should have the effect of breaking -up the siege; ... this general had not yet learnt how -little either his men or officers were to be relied on in -any combined or extensive operations; in full expectation<a id="FNanchor_7" href="#Footnote_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> -that every thing would be executed as exactly as - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Nov. 26.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -it had been planned, he left Peñiscola at night, -put himself at the head of his central division, -and reaching the bridge over the Servol, beyond Vinaroz, -halted there to give time for the movements of his -right, under Brigadier Porta, which took the road of -Alcanar. Having, as he supposed, allowed a sufficient -interval for this, he proceeded towards Ulldecona, and -halted a little before five in the morning at a place<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">26</span> -called Hereu. Here he inspected his troops, and promised -them a speedy triumph, when a messenger arrived -from Porta, requesting that the signal for attack might -be delayed, inasmuch as his division had not been able -to get forward with the speed which they had calculated -on. Bassecourt waited impatiently a full hour till day -began to break; then, as success depended in great -measure upon surprising the enemy, he sent his advanced -parties forward to attack the French outposts, -and directed his cavalry to gallop into the town as soon -as the gun should be fired and the rocket discharged -that were the signal for attack. General Musnier’s -division was quartered here; Bassecourt’s made three -attempts to force its position, but not hearing any firing -either to the right or left, he perceived that on both sides -his combinations had failed, and deemed it therefore necessary -to retreat. He succeeded in reaching Vinaroz, ... -there Porta joined him with the right column; there he -halted to give the harassed troops some rest, and to obtain -some intelligence of his left; ... and there the enemy -surprised him. The men instantly took to flight, and -all that his personal exertions could effect, was to keep -a few of the better soldiers together, and, under protection -of his cavalry, reach Peñiscola with them.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Captain Fane taken at Palamos.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The disgrace of this affair was greater than the -loss, which the French estimated at 3000 men. -They were more elated by an advantage which -they obtained shortly afterwards against an -enemy over whom it was seldom that they had any real -success to boast. The boats of the English squadron - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Dec. 13.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -attacked a convoy of eleven vessels laden with -provisions for Barcelona, and lying in Palamos -Bay, the French having re-occupied that town. The -batteries which protected them were destroyed, the magazines -blown up, two of the vessels brought out, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">27</span> -the rest burnt, ... and our men, having completely effected -their object, were retiring carelessly, when two -Dutchmen, who were in the British service, went over -to the enemy, and told them that the sailors had but -three rounds of ammunition left. The French were at -this time joined by a party from S. Feliu, and the English, -instead of retreating to the beach, where the ships -might have covered their embarkation, took their way -toward the mole, through the town, not knowing that it -had been re-occupied. The boats made instantly to -their assistance, and suffered severely in bringing them -off, the loss amounting to thirty-three killed, eighty-nine -wounded, and eighty-six prisoners, Captain Fane among -the latter. The enemy behaved with great inhumanity -in this affair; they butchered some poor fellows who had -stopped in the town and made themselves defenceless -by drunkenness; ... and they continued to fire upon a -boat after all its oars were shot away, in which a midshipman -was hoisting a white handkerchief upon his -sword, as the only signal that could be made of surrendering, -till of one-and-twenty persons who could neither -fight<a id="FNanchor_8" href="#Footnote_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> nor fly, all but two were wounded, ... when another -boat came to their assistance, and towed them off.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Trenches opened before Tortosa.<br /><span class="date">Dec. 15.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Macdonald now, whose army had been reinforced, -took a position at Perillo and at Mora, to cover -the siege against any interruption on the side of -Tarragona, the only quarter from whence an -effort in aid of Tortosa could be apprehended; -and Suchet, secure from all farther attempts either from -Valencia or Aragon, passed twelve battalions across the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">28</span> -river at Xerta to the left bank, and in one day completed -the investment of the place. The besiegers had great -difficulties to overcome, the soil being everywhere rocky, -... so that the engineers were obliged to form parapets -and sacks of earth, and in many places to work their way -in the trenches by means of gunpowder. The trenches -were opened on the night of December 20; and the siege -from that hour was carried on with an alacrity and skill -in which the French are never wanting. On the twelfth -night the enemy had established themselves at the bottom -of the ditch; they had then bombarded the city for four -days, ... two days they had been engaged in mining, and -there were three breaches in the body of the place: but -there were nearly 8000 troops within the walls; there -was a brave and willing people, and there were the examples -of Zaragoza and Gerona. They were in no -danger of famine, for the place had been abundantly provided; -there was no want of military stores, and the besieging -army did not exceed 10,000 men.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>O’Donell’s plan for relieving the place.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Meantime O’Donell had concerted a bold and hopeful -enterprise for its relief. He knew that there -were provisions and ammunition sufficient for -two months’ consumption in the city; he had -full reliance upon the disposition of the people, and the -whole conduct both of the garrison and the governor -from the time that the enemy appeared before the walls -had given him reason to confide in both. With his own -force he was aware that nothing could be done against -the besieging army, covered as it was by Macdonald; -but he proposed that Bassecourt should supply 3000 foot -and 500 horse from the Valencian army; that the central -army should detach 4000 foot and 200 horse; that these -should unite under Carvajal with such forces as Aragon -could furnish, make demonstration upon the Ebro as if -their intention was to succour Tortosa, but there turn off<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">29</span> -from the most convenient point, and by forced marches -proceed to Zaragoza, whither O’Donell would at the -same time detach 4000 foot and 400 horse by way of -Barbastro. It was believed that the French at this -juncture had not more than 4000 men in the whole of -Aragon, and the garrison of Zaragoza consisted almost -wholly of convalescents and invalids. Bassecourt assented -heartily to this well-devised plan; from the central -army a refusal was returned, ... perhaps it could not -then have mustered even the small force that was required -from it; but upon receiving this reply Bassecourt dispatched -an officer to the Empecinado, and that intrepid -and excellent partisan cheerfully engaged to co-operate. -Carvajal held himself in readiness; and at no moment -during the war was it so probable that a great success -might be obtained with little hazard. For it was not -doubted that Suchet would precipitately break up the -siege of Tortosa, rather than allow the Spaniards time to -strengthen themselves in Zaragoza; that they could -enter it was certain, ... and no other possible event could -have diffused such joy throughout all Spain. All arrangements -having been concluded between the Empecinado, -Carvajal, and Bassecourt, O’Donell’s aid-de-camp, -who waited for this at Valencia, set off instantly for - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Tortosa surrendered.<br /><span class="date">1811. Jan. 2.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Tarragona by sea; contrary winds delayed him -a little while on the passage, ... and he arrived -a few hours after the commander-in-chief had -received intelligence that Lili had surrendered -at discretion.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Sentence on the Governor for surrendering it.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>There was no treason here, as there had been at Lerida, -but there was a want of honour, of principle, -and of virtue. Seven thousand eight hundred -men, not pressed by famine, not debilitated by -disease, with a brave and willing population to -have supported them, laid down their arms and surrendered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">30</span> -at discretion to ten thousand French. The enemy -indeed affirmed that the garrison could not have continued -the defence an hour longer without being put to -the sword: the people of Spain thought otherwise; they -remembered Palafox and Alvarez; they remembered -that at Gerona a French army, not inferior to this of -Suchet’s in number, lay ten whole weeks in sight of an -open breach which they did not venture to assault a second -time, though it was defended only by half-starved -men, who would have come from the hospitals to take -their stand there. They remembered this, and therefore -they thought that the governor who under such circumstances -had hung out the white flag, ought himself to -have been hung over the walls. Accordingly sentence -of death was pronounced in Tarragona against the Conde -de Alache for having, it was said, infamously surrendered -a city which he ought to have defended to the last extremity; -and his effigy was beheaded there in the -market-place.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Col de Balaguer surrendered.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The fortress at Col de Balaguer, which commanded a -strong pass about half-way between Tortosa and -Tarragona, was yielded a few days after Lili’s -surrender, by the treachery or cowardice of the men entrusted -with its defence. Tarragona was now the only -strong place that remained to the Catalans; it had been -the seat of government since the fall of Mequinenza, the -Provincial Congress, which was to have assembled at -Solsona, having then been summoned thither, as the only -place of safety; now its land communication with Valencia -and the rest of Spain was cut off; and Suchet -immediately prepared to follow up his success by investing -it, with less apprehension of any obstruction from -the Catalan army, because the wound which O’Donell -had received at La Bisbal compelled him at this time to -retire to Majorca. The Marquis de Campoverde, being<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">31</span> -second in command, succeeded him. In O’Donell the -Catalans lost a commander who had raised himself by -his services, and whose conduct had justified the public -opinion, in deference to which he had been promoted. -But the spirit of the people was not shaken: they relied -upon the strength of their country, even though the fortresses -were lost, ... upon their cause, and their own -invincible resolution; and they lived in continual hope -that some effectual assistance would be afforded by England -to a province which so well deserved it. The little -which had been given had been gratefully received, and -it had shown also how much might and ought to have -been done.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Commodore Mends destroys the batteries on the north coast.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Maritime co-operation of a similar kind had been carried -into effect on the northern coast of Spain. -About midsummer Commodore Mends of the -Arethusa frigate consulted with the Junta of -Asturias, who engaged to put what they called -the armies of that province, and of the Montañas de Santander, -in motion, if he would take Porlier and 500 men -on board his squadron and beat up the enemy’s sea-quarters. -This it was deemed would draw the French -troops towards the ports in their possession, calling them -from the frontiers of Galicia, which they were then -threatening, give the mountaineers opportunity to act -with advantage, and favour the Guerrillas in Castille, -whom the French were endeavouring to hunt down. The -Commodore had no instructions for an expedition of this -kind, but he saw that it offered a reasonable prospect of -advantage; for if the Junta should fail in their part of -the undertaking, or be disappointed in their hopes, he -might nevertheless destroy the enemy’s sea-defences, and -cut off the supplies which they received coast-ways. -Accordingly Porlier with his men embarked, and the -squadron sailed from Ribadeo. The wind serving for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">32</span> -Santona, they landed on the beach to the westward of -that place. The garrison there, some 120 in number, -retired with the loss of about thirty men; and the French -commander at S. Sebastian feared that it was their intention -to establish themselves there, in a post which might -easily have been rendered defensible, and would afford -good anchorage during the prevalence of the westerly -gales upon that coast: the utmost efforts therefore were -made to prevent this; and on the second day after the -landing, from seven to eight hundred French attacked -them on the isthmus. This body was repulsed with considerable -loss; but finding that the enemy were collecting -in greater force, the Commodore re-embarked his -men on the following day, having destroyed the fortifications. -Pursuing his object, he demolished all the batteries -upon the coast between S. Sebastian’s and Santander -(those at Castro alone excepted), carried off or threw -into the sea above a hundred pieces of heavy cannon, -and laid that whole extent of coast bare of defence, -without the loss of a single man; and having made about -two hundred prisoners and taken on board three hundred -volunteers, all for whom room could be found, the -squadron returned to Coruña.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Expedition to Santona under Renovales.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The injury which had thus been done to the enemy -was not easily remedied, because artillery could -be carried only by sea to these places, the roads -being so bad, and the country so mountainous, -as to render the land carriage of heavy guns almost impossible. -The people of the country were encouraged -by the sight of their allies, and by hearing of a success -which was reported everywhere, and everywhere exaggerated: -and to profit by their disposition Porlier, who -was one of the ablest partisans that this wild species of -warfare produced, was again landed from the British -squadron. The bay of Cuevas, between Llanes and Rivadesella,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">33</span> -was chosen for the disembarkation, and arms -and stores were landed with him, in large supply, and -safely deposited, before he entered upon his operations. -While this true Spaniard moved with rapidity from place -to place, disappointing all the efforts of Bonnet to overpower -him, surprising the enemy where they were weak, -and eluding them where they were strong, it was determined -by the Spanish government to avail themselves -once more of the British squadron, and occupy Santona; -and Renovales, who had now the rank of Camp-Marshal, -was sent from Cadiz to Coruña, to command the force -appointed for this service. It consisted of 1200 Spanish -and 800 English troops, four English frigates and one -Spanish, three smaller ships of war, with twenty-eight -transports of all sizes. Part of the plan was, that he -should co-operate with Porlier in an attack upon the -French at Gijon, 600 in number. Porlier and Brigadier - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 16.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Castañon collected their forces at Cezoso, and -were on the heights in sight of Gijon when the -squadron appeared; the enemy, after some skirmishing, -withdrew from the town when they saw that Renovales -was disembarking; the plunder which they endeavoured -to carry with them was taken in their flight, the stores -from the arsenal were put on board the Spanish transports, -and the guns thrown into the sea. Before General Bonnet -could collect a force to bring against the Spaniards -the object had been effected; and when he arrived, and -thought to have surprised Porlier by a night attack, the -Asturians had retreated to Cezoso, and he found only the -fires which they had kindled in their encampment for -the purpose of deceiving him.</p> - -<p>The weather which had delayed the ships on their way -to Gijon became more unfavourable after their departure -from that place; and though they reached Santona, and -remained five days at anchor there, it was impossible to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">34</span> -land; the Spanish gun-boats suffered so much that it -was necessary to take out the crews and destroy the -vessels. To remain there was impossible, and it was - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Nov. 2.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -deemed a fortunate deliverance when the expedition -got into the port of Vivero. While they -were laying there the wind recommenced, a heavy sea -from the N.N.E. drove right into this insecure harbour, -and in the violence of the storm the Spanish frigate -parted from its cable and driving on board the Narcissus -frigate completely dismasted it. The masts of the -Spanish ship were left standing, so that it was driven -clear; otherwise both must have perished, not having -any other anchors to let go. Owing to the darkness and -the tempest, it was impossible to afford any relief: the -Spanish frigate was thrown upon the sand at the head -of the harbour; when day broke, the beach appeared -strewed with the wreck, and of nearly 500 souls on - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Magdalena wrecked.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -board, there were but two survivors. This was -the fate of the Magdalena: the Spanish brig -Palomo was wrecked at the same time, only the -captain and nine men escaped out of two hundred; and -some of the other vessels also were lost during the same -dreadful night. The Estrago gun-boat had parted some -little time before from an English brig which had taken -it in tow, and with great difficulty made the coast of -Bermeo. Seeing that the French were there, the Commander, -Lieutenant Aguiar y Mella, preferred all hazards -to the evil of falling into their hands, and proceeded -along the coast to Mundaca, where a like danger awaited -him. Standing off again, he took a desperate course, -among shoals and islets; and escaping from shipwreck -in a manner which excited his own wonder, anchored in -the bay of Lanchove; where one of the crew swam to -shore, and brought off a little boat, by means of which -the men were just landed before their vessel went to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">35</span> -pieces. Not knowing which way to bend their course, -they passed the night upon the mountains; and on the -morrow, having been directed by a peasant, when they -reached Sornoza, they learnt that forty of the enemy’s -cavalry were in pursuit of them. They kept together, -however, and, choosing the most unfrequented ways, -travelled by night, in that inclement season, by Uncaya -and the mountains of Leon, Santander, and Burgos; till, -at the end of five weeks, the Lieutenant brought his -whole party safe to Ferrol, and presented himself, with -them, to the Commandant of the marine; giving thus an -example of fidelity and resolution, for which they were -rewarded with a gratuity by the Government, and an -honourable mention in the Regency Gazette.</p> - -<p>This expedition was frustrated by circumstances -against which no human prudence could have provided. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Expedition under Lord Blayney.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -An enterprise of greater moment, on the south -coast, was attempted about the same time, and -failed from other causes, but mainly because the -information upon which it was undertaken proved to be -fallacious. The French had experienced less resistance -in Andalusia than in any other part of Spain. They - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mountains of Ronda.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -were, however, far from being unmolested there, -and in the mountains of Ronda the national character -was well displayed, by the incessant hostilities -which the people carried on against their invaders. The -man who struck the spark there had been Professor of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Ortiz de Zarate.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Mathematics at Alicant; Don Andres Ortiz de -Zarate was his name. In the early days of this -dreadful revolution, he had taken an active part in the -national cause, and afterwards was employed in service -that required no slight degree of ability, by General -Doyle; but perceiving from the mismanagement which -prevailed in every department, civil or military, that the -south of Spain would be overrun, as the north had been,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">36</span> -he removed his family to Gibraltar, where, as a professional -teacher, he could have supported them respectably, -if he had not regarded the deliverance of his country more -than his own concerns. But no sooner had the French -taken possession of the kingdoms of Andalusia, than he -obtained a supply of arms from the Governor of Gibraltar; -and going among the villages, hamlets, and huts in the -mountains of Ronda, roused a people who required only -some moving spirit to put them in action: in the course -of a fortnight 6000 men placed themselves under his -orders. For himself he sought neither honours nor emolument; -and when General Jacome y Ricardos, who was at -that time Commandant at the camp of St. Roque, would -have obtained rank for him from the Government, he declined -it, saying, it would be time enough to receive the -reward of his services when the country should be free. -He soon became so popular among these mountaineers, -that when he entered a town or village he was received -with military honours, and the streets were decorated -with hangings by day, and illuminated at night, as at -the greatest festivals. This popularity might not have -been obtained, if it had been necessary for him to levy -contributions upon the people; but he commenced his -operation in happy time, when the enemy had collected -their first harvest of exactions, most or all of which fell -into his hands, and was by him delivered over to the -public service. The enemy, who had expected no such -warfare, suffered severely in it; they lost some thousands, -and <i>El Pastor</i>, as, for some unexplained reason, -Ortiz de Zarate was then called, had become a celebrated -name, when his career was impeded by some of those -intrigues and jealousies which so frequently injured the -national cause. He retired, in consequence, to Gibraltar, -leaving General Valdenebro to command a people who -were now no longer unanimous in any thing except their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">37</span> -unabated hatred of the invaders. A deputation followed -him there, accompanied by three hundred persons, and -the Commandant of St. Roque’s prevailed upon him to -return; but he would only go in the capacity of secretary -to a military officer. Finding then that things were going -ill, and that half the force which he had raised and -organized was dispersed, he repaired to Cadiz, to inform -the Government of the state of affairs, and require -the repayment of what he had expended in the -service, which was the whole of his own means, and -some allowance for the prizes which he had taken from -the enemy. His personal enemies had been embarked -with him, and no sooner had he entered that city than -he was arrested, put in irons, and thrown into a dungeon. -The Spaniards had so long been accustomed, not to an -absolute merely, but to an arbitrary Government, that -even those authorities whose intentions were truly equitable -were continually committing unjust and arbitrary -acts. After twelve months’ imprisonment, Ortiz de -Zarate, who had thus been treated as a criminal, was -acquitted of all the charges which had been preferred -against him; his honour, loyalty, and patriotism, were -fully acknowledged, and he received payment of his -claims in part. It was of importance to encourage the -mountaineers whom he had put in action, and a plan -therefore was formed for getting possession of Frangerola, -a castle on the coast, between Marbella and Malaga, -about twenty miles from the latter place. The castle -was understood to be a place which might easily be taken -by a coup-de-main; its capture would open a communication -with the inhabitants of the Sierra, and hopes were -entertained that it might lead also to the expulsion of -the enemy from Malaga, where they were represented as -being in no strength: the guns on the mole there were -said to have been removed, and the citadel to be in a</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">38</span> - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Ld. Blayney sails from Gibraltar.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -defenceless state. In consequence of these representations, -an expedition sailed from Gibraltar, under -the command of Major-General Lord Blayney: -it consisted of four British companies (amounting -to 300 men), and 500 German, Polish, and Italian -deserters. They proceeded to Ceuta, and there took on -board the Spanish regiment of Toledo. This regiment -was said to be perfectly equipped; but upon examination -it was found that there was a deficiency of 148 firelocks, -and that they had been embarked without a single - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 14.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -round of ammunition. These deficiencies were -supplied; the squadron soon anchored in a -small bay, called Cala de Moral, and there the troops -landed on a sandy beach, without any to oppose them.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>He lands near the castle of Frangerola.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>It had been proposed to Lord Blayney that he should -disembark near Malaga, and that while he called -off the enemy’s attention on the land side, the -squadron should alarm the city from the eastward, -and the boats push for the mole, and land -a party to assist the inhabitants, who, it was confidently -expected, would take the opportunity of rising against -their oppressors. But Lord Blayney properly distrusted -the information upon which this advice was founded, -and he had little confidence in the motley assemblage -under his command; being not without apprehension -that the confusion of their tongues might affect their -movements in the hour of action. He chose to begin, -therefore, with the castle of Frangerola, which is about -two leagues east of the bay in which he landed. Upon -arriving before it, he found it to be a large square fort, -occupying the whole hillock on which it stands, strongly -built, commanding every part of the beach where -boats could land, and in a state of defence very unlike -what he had been led to expect. When he sent in a -summons to surrender, a resolute refusal was returned;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">39</span> -the fort opened its fire upon the gun-boats, sunk one, -and occasioned some loss in others. Lord Blayney advanced -close to the works, for the purpose of drawing -the enemy’s attention from the water: here he was contending -with musquetry against grape-shot and stone -walls. Major Grant was mortally wounded in this unequal -engagement, and several men killed; but the -riflemen did their part well; the enemy’s guns were for -a time silenced, the boats took their stations, and he -withdrew the troops. He now directed the Spaniards to -the summit of a hill, with a ravine in front, which would -have been a sufficient protection from any sudden attack; -but the Spanish Colonel objected that it was Sunday, -and that it was not the custom of his countrymen to fight -upon that day. These Spaniards were not in good humour -with their allies, nor perhaps with the service, for -which they had been taken from their comfortable -quarters at Ceuta: by a misarrangement arising from -mere inattention, they had been served in the transport -with meat on a meagre day; and they were discontented -also because there was no priest embarked with them. -Lord Blayney, however, prevailed upon the Commandant -to detach four companies, for the purpose of occupying a -pass near Mijas, and preventing the enemy in that town -from sending assistance to the fort. A hundred Germans -were added to this detachment; the English officer -who conducted this service was persuaded by the Spaniards -to attack the town, though his orders were to act -on the defensive; the consequence was, that he was repulsed, -and obliged rapidly to fall back on the main body.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Failure of the expedition.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>During the night, the men were exposed, without -shelter, to a continual heavy rain, such as is -common at that season in those countries, and is -never seen in our climate, except sometimes -during the short duration of a thunder-storm. It was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">40</span> -accompanied with thunder now. But the night was actively -employed in landing artillery; which could not be -done by day, because the guns of the castle completely -commanded the beach. Soldiers and sailors exerted -themselves heartily; and before daybreak a battery for -one thirty-two pound carronade was completed on the -shore, and another for two twelve-pounders and a howitzer, -on a rocky hill, 350 yards from the castle. Though - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 15.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the artillery could not make impression upon the -solid old masonry of the walls, it destroyed part -of the parapet, and the musquetry did such execution, -that Lord Blayney entertained good hope of success; -when, to his surprise, he learnt that the garrison had -been reinforced before his arrival, that it was in sufficient -strength for him to expect that a sortie would be made, -and that Sebastiani was on the way from Malaga with -4700 foot, 800 horse, and sixteen pieces of artillery; ... -his own force amounted only to 1400 men, and the four -guns which had been landed. These he could not re-embark -under the fire of the castle, and he would not -abandon; and at this time, just as he was about to -strengthen his position, by occupying a ruined tower, the -Rodney, and a Spanish line-of-battle ship, appeared off -the coast, with the eighty-second regiment, 1000 strong, -to reinforce him. Boats were sent off to assist in landing -them, and Lord Blayney was about to station gun-boats -so as to rake the beach; but before either object could -be effected, some 600 infantry, and sixty horse, sallied -from the castle. It was a complete surprise; the British -troops were in front, taking provisions; the enemy made -their attack on the Spaniards and the foreigners on the -left: these men took to flight, and abandoned the battery. -At this moment the troops had pushed off from -the ships, and Lord Blayney, trusting in them and in the -strength of his position, formed the few British soldiers<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">41</span> -who were with him, and retook the guns by the bayonet, -but not before part of the ammunition had been blown -up. A doubt was now entertained whether some troops -who were moving toward them upon the left were friends -or foes; some said they were Spaniards; the German -deserters declared them to be French. The hesitation -and delay which this doubt occasioned enabled the enemy -(for enemies they were) to approach without opposition; -and when Lord Blayney, having ascertained the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Blayney and the British troops taken.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -truth too late, charged them, the conflict ended -in his being made prisoner, with about 200 men, -some forty having been killed. This was the -fate of the English soldiers; most of the deserters went -over to the enemy. The men who were in the boats had -then no course left but to return to the ships, fortunate -in having thus seen the termination of an ill-planned -expedition, without being farther engaged in it.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Defeat of General Blake.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>It had not been supposed that Sebastiani could bring -together so large a body of men as he had put -in motion on this occasion. Some movement -was expected from the inhabitants of Malaga, -but with little reason; for the individuals who had exerted -themselves most in resisting the entrance of the -enemy into that city were, such of them as escaped from -the slaughter, at this time in prison, with their leader, -Colonel Avallo, upon some of those vague charges which, -in Spain, under any of its Governments, were deemed -sufficient grounds for throwing men into a dungeon, and -leaving them there. It had been intended also that Sebastiani’s -attention should have been called off in a -different direction, by Blake, with the central army. -That army was too slow in its movements to produce -any effect in favour of Lord Blayney’s attempt; its head-quarters -at this time were at Murcia, and its advance at -Velez el Rubio. It was not till a fortnight after the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">42</span> -failure at Frangerola, that the French thought it necessary -to take any measures against this ill-disciplined, ill-appointed, -ill-constituted body. The enemy’s troops were -so distributed, that a considerable force could be assembled, -within twenty-four hours, at any point where -their presence was required; but before Sebastiani could - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Nov. 3.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -reach Baza, General Rey, with one regiment of -dragoons, a regiment of Polish lancers, and a -detachment of infantry, had routed an army which was -exposed in a place without protection, and was completely -broken at the first charge<a id="FNanchor_9" href="#Footnote_9" class="fnanchor">9</a>. Between 1000 and -2000 were killed, and some 1200 taken; the officers -here behaved better than the men, for the latter threw -down their arms, and cried for quarter; while, of the -former, all who were made prisoners had received sabre -wounds. The prisoners were in a miserable condition, -appearing half starved and half naked; a large portion -of them consisted of old men and boys, and those who -could not keep pace with their escort were shot upon -the way.</p> - -<p>Not discouraged by these repeated losses and multiplied -disgraces the Spaniards continued to pursue that -system of hostility which was carried on wherever the -French were nominally masters of the country; a mode - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Irregular war.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -of war destructive to the invaders against whom -it was directed, but dreadful also in its effect -upon the people by whom it was waged. The Junta - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>See <span class="extlink">vol. i</span>.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -of Seville had, from the beginning of the struggle, -perceived that the strength of Spain lay in -her people, and not in her armies. The Central Junta -also had early acknowledged the importance of that irregular -and universal warfare for which the temper of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">43</span> -Spaniards and the character of the country were equally -adapted; and they attempted to regulate it by a long -edict, giving directions for forming <i>Partidas</i> of volunteers, -and <i>Quadrillas</i>, which were to consist of smugglers, -appointing them pay, enacting rules for them, and -subjecting them to military law; but it is manifest that -these restrictions would only be observed where the -Government had sufficient authority to enforce them, -which was only where they had armies on foot, and -that when thus restricted, little was to be done by it. -They spoke with a clear understanding of the circumstances -in which Spain was placed when they proclaimed -a Moorish war<a id="FNanchor_10" href="#Footnote_10" class="fnanchor">10</a>, and bade the Spaniards remember -in what manner their fathers had exterminated -a former race of invaders. The country, they said, was -to be saved by killing the enemies daily, just as they -would rid themselves of a plague of locusts; a work -which was slow, but sure, and in its progress would -bring the nation to the martial pitch of those times, -when it was a pastime to go forth and seek the Hagarenes. -They reminded them of the old Castilian -names, for skirmishes<a id="FNanchor_11" href="#Footnote_11" class="fnanchor">11</a>, ambushments, assaults, and stratagems, -the necessary resources of domestic warfare, -and told them that the nature of the country and of the -inhabitants rendered Spain invincible.</p> - -<p>This character, on the part of the Spaniards, the war -had now assumed in all parts of Spain. The French -were no sooner masters of the field, than they found -themselves engaged in a wearing, wasting contest, -wherein discipline was of no avail, and by which, in a -country of such extent and natural strength, any military -power, however great, must ultimately be consumed.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">44</span> -In any other part of Europe, they would have -considered the conquest complete after such victories -as they had obtained; but in Spain, where army after -army had been routed, and city after city taken, ... when -Joseph reigned at Madrid, and Soult commanded in Seville, -... when Victor was in sight of Cadiz, and Massena -almost in sight of Lisbon, ... when Buonaparte had put -all his other enemies under his feet, and in the height -of his fortune, and plenitude of his power, had no -other object than to effect the subjugation of the Peninsula, -... the generals and the men whom he employed -there were made to feel that the cause in which they -were engaged was as hopeless as it was unjust. They -were never safe except when in large bodies, or in some -fortified place. Every day some of their posts were surprised, -some escort or convoy cut off, some detachment -put to death; dispatches were intercepted, plunder was -recovered, and what excited the Spaniards more than -any, or all other considerations, vengeance was taken -by a most vindictive people for insupportable wrongs. -In every part of Spain, where the enemy called themselves -masters, leaders started up, who collected about -them the most determined spirits; followers enough -were ready to join them; and both among chiefs and -men, the best and the worst characters were to be -found: some were mere ruffians, who if the country -had been in peace would have lived in defiance of the -laws, as they now defied the force of the intrusive Government; -others were attracted by the wildness and -continual excitement attendant upon a life of outlawry -and adventure, to which, in the present circumstances of -the nation, honour, instead of obloquy, was attached; -but many were influenced by the deepest feelings and -strongest passions which act upon the heart of man; -love of their country, which their faith elevated and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">45</span> -strengthened; and hope which that love and that faith -rendered inextinguishable; and burning hatred, seeking -revenge for the most wanton and most poignant injuries -that can be inflicted upon humanity.</p> - -<p>These parties began to be formed immediately after -Buonaparte swept the land before him to Madrid, and -from that time they continued to increase in numbers -and activity, as the regular armies declined in reputation -and in strength. The enemy made a great effort to -put them down after the battle of Ocaña, and boasted -of having completely succeeded, because the guerrillas -disappeared before them, dispersing whenever they -were in danger of being attacked by a superior force. -There was nothing in their dress to distinguish them -from the peasantry; every one was ready to give them -intelligence or shelter; they knew the country perfectly; -each man shifted for himself in time of need; and when -they re-assembled at the appointed rallying place, so far -were they from being dispirited by the dispersion, that -the ease with which they had eluded the enemy became -a new source of confidence. They became more numerous -and more enterprising after it had been seen how -little loss they sustained, when, for a time, the intrusive -Government made it its chief object to extirpate them; -their escapes, as well as their exploits, were detailed -both in the official and provincial Gazettes; and the -leaders became known in all parts, not of Spain only, -but of Europe, by their own names, or the popular -appellations which had been given them indicative of -their former profession or personal appearance. <i>El -Manco</i>, the man with a maimed arm, commanded one -band; the Old Man of Sereña another. There was -<i>el Frayle</i>, the Friar; <i>el Cura</i>, the Priest; <i>el Medico</i>, -the Doctor; <i>el Cantarero</i>, the Potter; <i>el Cocinero</i>, the -Cook; <i>el Pastor</i>, the Shepherd; <i>el Abuelo</i>, the grand-father.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">46</span> -One chief was called <i>el Chaleco</i>, from the -fashion of his waistcoat; he won for himself a better -reputation than might have been expected from such an -appellation: another obtained the name of <i>Chambergo</i>, -from his slouched hat. Names of worse import appear -among them; there was the <i>Malalma</i>, the Bad Soul, de -Aibar, and the <i>Ladron</i>, the Robber, de Lumbier.</p> - -<p>A large portion of the men who engaged under these -leaders were soldiers, who had escaped in some of the -miserable defeats to which the rashness of the Government -and the incapacity of their generals had exposed -them; or who had deserted from the regular army to -this more inviting service. Smugglers also, a numerous -and formidable class of men, now that their old occupation -was destroyed, took to the guerrilla life, and brought -to it the requisites of local knowledge, hardiness and -audacity, and the quick sense of sight and hearing -which they had acquired in carrying on their dangerous -trade by night. But the greater number were men who, -if circumstances had permitted, would have passed their -life usefully and contentedly in the humble stations to -which they were born; labourers, whom there were now -none to employ, ... retainers, who partook the ruin of -the great families to which they and their ancestors had -been attached; ... owners or occupiers of land, whose -fields had been laid waste, and whose olive-yards -destroyed; and the whole class of provincial tradesmen, -whose means of subsistence were cut off, happy if they -had only their own ruin and their country’s quarrel to -revenge, and not those deeper injuries of which dreadful -cases were continually occurring wherever the enemy -were masters. Monks, also, and friars, frocked and unfrocked, -were among them: wherever the convents were -suppressed, and their members forbidden to wear the -habit on pain of death, which was done in all the provinces<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">47</span> -that the French overran, the young took arms, -the old employed themselves in keeping up the spirit of -the people; and the intrusive Government paid dearly -for the church property, when those who had been previously -supported by it exchanged a life of idleness for -one of active exertion in the national cause, some to -preach a crusade against the invaders, others to serve in -it. These whom oppression had driven out from the -cloister were not the only religioners who took arms. -Not a few in the parts of the country which were still -free took the opportunity, precious to them, of escaping -from the servitude to which they were bound, disgusted -with the follies of their profession, sick of its impostures, -or impatient of its restraints. Public opinion encouraged -them in this course; the multitude ascribing their conduct -to a religious zeal for their country, while those -who wished for the reformation of the abuses which had -prepared the way for all this evil, were glad to see this -disposition manifest itself in a class of men whom they -justly regarded as one of the pests of Spain. The -General of the Franciscans applied to Mendizabal to -deliver up a friar who had enlisted in his army; but the -application was so little in accord with the spirit of the -times, that Mendizabal’s answer was read with universal -approbation by the Spaniards. “The head of the -Franciscans,” said that commander, “must have forgotten -what Cardinal Ximenes de Cisneros did when he -commanded the army which took Oran. If that prelate -in those days thought of nothing but destroying the -Koran, and substituting the Gospel in its stead, what -would he do now, when the religion of our fathers and -our mother country is in danger? I have taken a lesson -from his Eminency. Let the present head of the order -send me a list of all the brethren capable of bearing -arms, not forgetting himself, if he is fit for service, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">48</span> -we will march together and free our religion and our -country. Inspire then your friars, that they may be -agents in this noble work, putting away all kind of -sloth; and let no other cry be heard than that of ‘War -against the tyrant, freedom for our religion, our country, -and our beloved Ferdinand.’” While this course was -taken by the monks and friars, it is related of the nuns -in the subjected parts of the country, that they passed - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Rocca. 240.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the nights in praying for the success and deliverance -of their countrymen, and the days in preparing -medicines and bandages for the sick and wounded -French.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>State of the guerrilla warfare.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Fewer guerrilla parties appeared in Andalusia than in -any other province, although more had been -expected there, from the fierier character of the -people, and the local circumstances; the land -being divided between the cathedrals, a few convents, -and a few great proprietors, and the greater part of the -inhabitants day-labourers, who were likely to be tempted - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Andalusia.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -by the prospect of a predatory life. But -Andalusia seemed as if its generous blood had -been exhausted in the first years of the war; and at this -time the mountaineers of Ronda were the only part of -its population who opposed a determined resistance to -the intrusive Government. Their general, Valdenebro, -tendered his resignation because the Regency had made -him subordinate to the Marques de Portago, who commanded -at the Campo de S. Roque; he had performed -good service there; and it was stated in the Cortes as an -example for imitation, that one or two patriots, and one -or two priests who possessed local knowledge, and were -of ordinary rank, but of extraordinary courage, composed -his adjutants, his aides-de-camp, and his whole staff. -The orator did not bear in mind that Valdenebro was at -the head, not of an army, but of an irregular force.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">49</span> -Forest-flies these mountaineers were called, to express the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mountains of Ronda.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -pertinacity with which they annoyed the enemy, -and the facility with which they eluded him. -Ready themselves to endure all privations, to encounter -all dangers, to make any sacrifices in the national cause, -they regarded submission in such a cause, when it proceeded -from weakness, as little less odious than the conduct -of those traitors who accepted office under the -intrusive Government; and because the city of Ronda -had made no resistance to the French, they looked upon -the name as disgraced, and called their mountainous -region the <i>Serrania de Fernando</i> VII., to mark their -indignation against the conduct of its capital. If the -spirit of such a people could have been subdued, the -enemy were neither wanting in activity nor in inhumanity -for effecting their purpose. They had light -pieces of artillery for mountain service, two of which -were carried by a mule, one on each side, balancing -each other; the carriages and ammunition-boxes were -made portable in the same way: and their attacks were -so frequent, that in the course of two years there was -one village which they entered forcibly fifty times. -Sebastiani, in whose military command this district was -comprised, was a person who betrayed no compunction -in carrying the abominable edict of M. Soult into effect; -and scarcely a day passed in which several prisoners -were not put to death in Granada in conformity to that -decree. Among the instances of heroic virtue which -were displayed here during the continuance of this -tyranny, there are two which were gratefully acknowledged -by the national Government. Lorenzo Teyxeyro, -an inhabitant of Granada, who had performed the -dangerous service of communicating intelligence to the -nearest Spanish general, was discovered, and might -have saved his life if he would have named the persons<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">50</span> -through whom the communication was carried on; but -he was true to them as he had been to his country, and -suffered death contentedly. The other instance was -attended with more tragic circumstances. Captain -Vicente Moreno, who was serving with the mountaineers -of Ronda, was made prisoner, carried to Granada, and -there had the alternative proposed to him of suffering -by the hangman, or entering into the intruder’s service. -Sebastiani showed much solicitude to prevail upon this -officer, having, it may be believed, some feeling of -humanity, if not some fore-feeling of the opprobrium -which such acts of wickedness draw after them in this -world, and of the account which is to be rendered for -them in the next. Moreno’s wife and four children were -therefore, by the General’s orders, brought to him when -he was upon the scaffold, to see if their entreaties would -shake his resolution; but Moreno, with the courage of a -martyr, bade her withdraw, and teach her sons to remember -the example which he was about to give them, -and to serve their country, as he had done, honourably -and dutifully to the last. This murder provoked a -public retaliation which the Spaniards seldom exercised, -but ... when they did ... upon a tremendous scale. -Gonzalez, who was member in the Cortes for Jaen, had -served with Moreno, and loved him as such a man deserved -to be loved; and by his orders seventy French -prisoners were put to death at Marbella.</p> - -<p>So wicked a system as that which Buonaparte’s generals -unrelentingly pursued could nowhere have been -exercised with so little prospect of success, and such -sure effect of calling forth a dreadful vengeance, as -among the Spaniards. Against such enemies they considered -all means lawful; this was the feeling not here -alone, but throughout the body of the nation; the -treacherous commencement of the war on the part of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">51</span> -French, and the systematic cruelty with which it had -been carried on, discharged them, they thought, from all -observances of good faith or humanity towards them; -and upon this principle they acted to its full extent. -The labourer at his work in the fields or gardens had a -musket concealed at hand, with which to mark the -Frenchman whom ill fortune might bring within his -reach. Boys, too young to be suspected of any treachery, -would lead a party of the invaders into some fatal ambuscade; -women were stationed to give the signal for -beginning the slaughter, and that signal was sometimes - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Rocca, 225, 226. 212.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the hymn to the Virgin! Not fewer than 8000 -French are said to have been cut off in the -mountains of Ronda.</p> - -<p>There, however, it was more properly a national than -a guerrilla warfare; the work of destruction being carried -on less by roving parties than by the settled inhabitants, -who watched for every opportunity of vengeance. There -were more bands in Extremadura than in Andalusia, but - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Estrdemadura.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -there were not many; for Extremadura was not -in the line for convoys, which always offered the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>D. Toribio Bustamente.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -most inviting prey. The most noted leader in the province -was D. Toribio Bustamente, known by the -name of <i>Caracol</i>, who had been master of the -post-office at Medina del Rio Seco; among the -other horrors which were committed in that unhappy -town after Cuesta and Blake were defeated by M. Bessieres, -the wife of this man had been violated and murdered, -and his son also, a mere child, had been butchered. -From that hour he devoted himself to the pursuit of vengeance, -and many were the enemies who suffered under -his hand for the crimes of their countrymen, till, after a -career of two years, he fell at the pass of Miravete with -the satisfaction of a man who, in the performance of what -he believed to be his sacred duty, had found the death<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">52</span> -which he desired. Bustamente’s men acquired a good -character, as well for their behaviour to the inhabitants, as -for the courage and success with which they harassed the -enemy: but there were other parties in Extremadura, who -inflicted more injury upon their countrymen than upon -the French. This was the case in La Mancha also; the -Government, with a vigour which it seldom exerted, arrested -some of the banditti leaders, and brought them to -justice; but such examples were too few to deter other -ruffians from pursuing the same course, while the authority -of either Government, national or intrusive, was -so ill-established, that there was no other law than that -of the strongest. One adventurer, however, in this province -raised himself to respectability and rank by his -services, though known by the unpromising appellation - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Francisco Abad, the Chaleco.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -of <i>El Chaleco</i>. Francisco Abad Moreno was -his name: he began his career as a common -soldier, and escaping from some rout, joined -company with two fugitives of his own regiment, and -began war upon his own account. Their first exploit -was to kill an enemy’s courier and his escort; and shortly -afterwards having added two recruits to his number, he -presented to the Marques of Villafranca, at Murcia, five -carts laden with tobacco, quicksilver, and plate, which -he had taken from the French, and the ears<a id="FNanchor_12" href="#Footnote_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> of thirteen -Frenchmen who had fallen by their hands! His party -increased as his name became known; and he cut off -great numbers of the enemy, sometimes in Murcia, sometimes -in La Mancha, intercepting their convoys and detachments. -Showing as little mercy as he looked for, -and expecting as little as he showed, he faced with desperate -or ferocious courage the danger from which there -was no escape by flight, swimming rivers when swoln by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">53</span> -rain, or employing any means that might give him the -victory. On one occasion he broke a troop of the French -by discharging a blunderbuss loaded with five-and-thirty -bullets; it brought down nine of the enemy, according -to his own account, and he received so severe a contusion -on the shoulder from the recoil, that it entirely disabled -him for a time; but the party was kept together under -his second in command, Juan de Bacas, and its reputation -enhanced by greater exploits.</p> - -<p>One service which Bacas performed diffused a general -feeling of vindictive joy through La Mancha and the adjacent - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Ciria, the Nero of La Mancha.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -provinces. D. Benito Maria Ciria acted -for the intrusive Government as governor and -<i>corregidor</i> of La Mancha. He was a man of -information and singular activity, who might have obtained -for himself an honourable remembrance, if he had -displayed the same zeal in the cause of his country -which he exerted for its oppressors. From the beginning -he was suspected of favouring the Intruder, and -had been apprehended on that suspicion before the French -forced the passes of the Sierra Morena; the military Junta -of La Carolina spared him, and upon the first appearance -of the enemy, he proved that his intentions had not been -mistaken, by joining them. From that time Ciria served -them with the rancorous alacrity of a true traitor, insomuch -that he was called the Nero of La Mancha. This -evil celebrity drew on him its proper punishment. Bacas -was on the watch for a favourable opportunity, and as -soon as it occurred, he entered Almagro at the head of -his guerrillas, and seized him in the streets of that city: -the people called out for his punishment upon the spot, -but Bacas felt that the solemnity of a judicial sentence -would make the example more impressive; he carried -his prisoner therefore to Valencia de Alcantara, and delivered -him there to the arm of the law, under which he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">54</span> -suffered as a traitor. A victory could not have occasioned -greater exultation throughout La Mancha; if Bacas and -his party, it was said, had performed no other service -than that of bringing this offender to justice, they would -have deserved well of their country for that alone.</p> - -<p>It would have been well for humanity, and honourable -for Spain, if those who were engaged with right feelings -in their country’s cause had always shown this regard to -order and the course of law; but the Spaniards had, under -long misrule, become a lawless nation; the great trampled -upon the laws, and by the people murder was scarcely -regarded as a crime; in their vindictive feelings they -were unrestrained by any religious awe, or any apprehension -of earthly punishment. A squadron of the La -Manchan Crusaders entered this very city of Almagro; -they sacked the house of the traitor who collected the -revenues for the Intruder; and because his wife in her -rage reviled them, professed her attachment to King Joseph, -and threatened them with vengeance in his name, -they killed her; and Ureña, a priest, who commanded -the party, related the circumstance with perfect complacency -in his official dispatch. The heart of the nation -was already hard, and the little which might have been -done by the legitimate Government for correcting the -national inhumanity, and inducing, or at least endeavouring -to induce, a more christian, a more civilized, a more -humane spirit, was neglected.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>New Castille.<br />D. Ventura Ximenez.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>New Castille swarmed with guerrillas, among whom -were some of the most distinguished chiefs. D. -Ventura Ximenez made himself formidable in -the parts about Toledo, till one day in action -his horse carried him into the enemy’s ranks; -his people rescued him, but not till he had received two -sabre wounds and a pistol-shot. They carried him to -Navalucillos, where he died. A price had been set upon<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">55</span> -his head; his body therefore was disinterred by the -French, and the head carried to Toledo, that the dragoon -who had shot him might receive the reward. In this -province there were some of the vilest depredators who -under the name of guerrillas infested Spain. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Guerrilla banditti.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -For as in times of pestilence or earthquake, -wretches are found obdurate enough in wickedness to -make the visitation a cover for their guilt, and enrich -themselves by plunder; so now, in the anarchy of Spain, -they whose evil disposition had been restrained, if not by -efficient laws, yet in some degree by the influence of -settled society, abandoned themselves, when that control -was withdrawn, to the impulses of their own evil hearts. -These banditti plundered and murdered indiscriminately -all who fell into their hands. The guerrilla chief, D. -Juan Abril, caught a band of seven, who made Castille -the scene of their depredations; and he found in their -possession gold and silver bars, and other property, to -the amount of half a million reales. A ruffian belonging -to one of these bands was taken by the French, and in -order to save his life, offered to show them the place -where his comrades had secreted their booty; accordingly -a commissioner from the criminal Junta of Madrid, with -two alguazils, and an escort of forty horse, was appointed -to go with him. The deposit was in the wood of Villa -Viciosa, eight leagues from the capital, and there they -found effects to the value of more than 700,000 reales. -But D. Juan Palarea, the Medico, from whose party the -bandit had originally deserted, had obtained intelligence -of their movements, and intercepted them on their return; -five only of the escort escaped, six were made prisoners, -the rest were killed; and the commissioner was put to -death, as one whose office precluded him from mercy, -and even from commiseration.</p> - -<p>Of the wretches whom this dissolution of government<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">56</span> -let loose upon mankind, the banditti were the boldest, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Crimes of José Pedrazuela and his wife.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -but not the worst. A more extraordinary and -flagitious course was chosen by José Pedrazuela, -who had been an actor at Madrid. He assumed -the character of a commissioner under the legitimate -Government, and being acknowledged as such in the -little town of Ladrada in Extremadura, condemned and -executed, under a charge of treason, any persons whom -from any motive he chose to destroy: the victims were -carried at night to a wood, where their graves had been -made ready, and there their throats were cut, or they were -shot, or beaten to death. The people supposing him to -be actually invested with the authority which he assumed, -submitted to him in terror, as the French had done to -Collot d’Herbois and the other monsters whom this Pedrazuela -was imitating. His wife, Maria Josefa Garcia -della Valle, was privy to the imposture, and if possible -exceeded him in cruelty. Before they could withdraw, -as they probably designed to do when they had sufficiently -enriched themselves, Castaños heard of their proceedings, -and instantly took measures for arresting them in their -career of blood. They were brought to trial at Valencia -de Alcantara; thirteen of these midnight murders were -proved against them: it was said that in the course of -three months they had committed more than threescore. -The man was hanged and quartered, the woman strangled -by the <i>garrote</i>. The Spaniards had not brought upon -themselves the guilt of revolution, but they were visited -by all its horrors!</p> - -<p>The better guerrilla chiefs maintained order where -they could, and whenever any of the banditti fell into -their hands, ordered them to summary execution. There -was another class of criminals whom they took every opportunity -of bringing under the laws of their outraged -country, ... those Spaniards who took an active part in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">57</span> -the Intruder’s service. The alcalde of Brihuega was - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The alcalde of Brihuega.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -notorious for his exertions against those who -were suspected of corresponding with the national -Government, or in any way aiding it; his -wife was passionately attached to the same cause, and the -Empecinado one day intercepted a dispatch from her to -the nearest French commander: he entered the town, -and made her and her husband prisoners. The dispatch -had provoked a barbarous spirit in the men, for they cut -off the woman’s hair, shaved her eyebrows, tarred and -feathered her, and in that condition paraded her through -the streets; after which they delivered them both to the -Junta of the province for judgment. The Empecinado -seems to have had an especial pleasure in pursuing -traitors of this description. He had set intelligencers - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Rigo.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -upon one Rigo, who, having affected great zeal -in the national cause, fled afterwards to the -capital, obtained a considerable appointment there, and -became a persecutor of all who carried on any communication -with the Government or the armed Spaniards. This -man was keeping his marriage-day at a house a little way -from Madrid, when, during the wedding-feast, the Empecinado -entered the court-yard at the head of a sufficient -band, and demanded that Rigo should be delivered up, -saying no injury should be offered to any other of the -party. Flight or resistance were alike impossible; the -miserable traitor was surrendered into his hands, and -sent immediately under a trusty escort to Cadiz; the -officer into whose charge he was given being enjoined -not to depart from that city till he should have seen him - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Joseph’s escape from the Empecinado.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -put to death in the great square. Joseph himself -narrowly escaped a similar fate from the same -daring adventurer. He was dining at La Alameda, -six miles from Madrid, on the road to Guadalaxara, -with Gen. Belliard, and a festive party, when their entertainment<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">58</span> -was interrupted by an alarm that the Empecinado -was approaching, and they fled hastily towards -the capital, for not a moment was to be lost. The Intruder -had a second escape on the road from Guadalaxara: -the Empecinado knew his movements, and six days after -the French had boasted of having totally defeated him, -and dispersed his band of brigands, he took post at Cogolludo, -and pursued Joseph so closely that more than -forty of his rear-guard were cut off at Torrejon and El -Molar, before they could come within protection of the -garrison of Madrid. So little indeed had that garrison -the command of the surrounding country, that a whole -party which had been sent out from thence were one day -taken and hung by the way-side, within a short distance -from the walls.</p> - -<p>In this dreadful warfare blood called for blood; cruelty -produced retaliation, and retaliation was retaliated by -fresh cruelties. Eight of the Empecinado’s men were -taken in the Guadarrama mountains, and nailed to the -trees there, for the purpose of intimidating their fellows: -such a spectacle had the sure effect of exasperating them, -and the same number of Frenchmen were soon nailed to -the same trees, in the same spirit of inhuman vengeance.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Desertion of the Juramentados.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>A lieutenant of his party, Mesa by name, went over to -the French, and engaged to bring them the head -of this dreaded partisan; his interest was so -good, and his proposals so plausible, that they -gave him the rank of captain in one of the Spanish regiments -which the Intruder was raising, and sent him with -a company of 200 Spanish cavalry to perform his promise; -when they came near Guadalaxara, the men put him to -death, and joined their countrymen in arms. Such an -example might have taught Joseph and his ministers how -little they could depend upon the Spaniards, who by -misery, or severe usage, were forced into his service.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">59</span> -Half naked and ill-fed, kept in miserable prisons, or at -the hardest work, upon the canals, where such work was -at hand, winter and summer, sometimes up to the middle -in water, they enlisted with the determination of making -their escape. In the course of five months not less than -12,000 entered with this purpose; and on the first opportunity -that offered, whole companies, including the -officers, deserted, with arms and baggage. The celebrity -of the Empecinado encouraged them to these attempts, -and his movements in the vicinity of Madrid facilitated -their escape. Like the other distinguished guerrilla -leaders, he soon obtained rank from the national Government, -but he looked to it neither for pay nor supplies. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Junta of Guadalaxara.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -The Junta of Guadalaxara used the utmost exertions -to assist him; the members of this Junta -performed their duty with perfect fidelity in a -situation where they were continually in extreme danger, -from the vicinity of a strong enemy’s force. They were -as often in the woods and wilds as in human habitations, -and yet they collected stores, clothing, and money for the -armies, while in this state of outlawry under the intrusive -Government; and they circulated a newspaper which -they printed in the mountains near the sources of the -Tagus.</p> - -<p>The Empecinado was supposed to have 500 horse -under his command, and 2,200 foot; but this force was -perpetually varying in number, according to the chance -of war; and the guerrillas generally acted with better - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Medico.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -success in small parties. The Medico’s party -was estimated at 300 horse. This leader, joining -with the band of D. Casimero Moraleja, fell in with -140 of the enemy’s troops, escorting a convoy from -Madrid, about four leagues from Toledo, near Yuncles. -Some twenty <i>Juramentados</i>, as the Spanish recruits were -called because of the oath which was administered to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">60</span> -them when they entered the Intruder’s service, immediately -laid down their arms; the others, of whom - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Fourscore French burnt in a chapel.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -fourscore were French grenadiers under the -<i>Chef-d’escadron</i> Labarthe, took possession of -an Ermida, and refused to surrender when they -were summoned, little apprehending the horrible alternative. -The Spaniards set fire to the building on all -sides; no mercy was shown to those who endeavoured - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Naylies, 275.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -to escape from the flames; eight persons only -were happy enough to be made prisoners in time; -the bodies<a id="FNanchor_13" href="#Footnote_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> of all the rest were left in the smoking ruins.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Cruelties and retaliations.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>These details were published in the Regency’s -Gazette; there was nothing revolting to the -public mind in such horrors, because the -Spaniards had been accustomed to cruelties, by the -history of their American conquests (wherein the enormities -of the conquerors have not been concealed), and -by the Inquisition: and if the heart of the nation had -not thus previously been hardened, the nature of this -war must have hardened it. The decree of the intrusive -Government for putting to death every Spaniard who -should be taken in arms had not indeed been carried -into effect; too many had been taken to render this -possible in a christian country; ministers and generals, -who might have braved the guilt, shrunk from the odium -of enforcing such a measure; and it may be deemed -certain, that if the French troops had been commanded -to enforce it, they would not have obeyed. But toward -the guerrillas the soldiers could entertain no feeling -either of honour or humanity: they put to death all - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Naylies, 274.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -who were taken in arms and not in uniform; -not regarding, or probably not considering, that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">61</span> -a great proportion of the regular troops were in that -condition! It was not to be expected that they should -ask themselves on which side the provocation was given, -and with whom the cruelty began. And yet, barbarous -as Buonaparte’s predatory system of war necessarily -made them, and with all the irritation which the guerrillas -occasioned, they were less barbarous than those -who were in authority over them: prisoners whom they -spared in the field were, in obedience to rigid orders, -shot if they lagged upon their march into captivity; and -even after they had entered France, numbers were thus - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Blayney, i. 487.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -put to death in cold blood. All who were regarded -as brigands, who acted in the provincial -Juntas, or against whom any proof appeared of -acting under the Juntas, or giving intelligence or assistance -to the guerrillas, were executed by the summary -sentence of some arbitrary tribunal. Heads were exposed -on poles, bodies left hanging upon the gallows, or the -trees; and in the market-place of large towns, the wall -against which the victims were shot was pierced with -bullets, and the ground blackened with blood! Nowhere -was this system of terror pursued more unrelentingly - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Old Castille.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -than in Old Castille, and yet nowhere were -the guerrillas more active or more formidable. -In ten parties, under known leaders, their numbers were -estimated at 1,300 horse, and 2,500 foot. D. Geronimo -Merino, the priest of Villabrau, known by the name of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Cura.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -<i>El Cura</i>, was the most remarkable of them for -the ferocity with which he acted against enemies -who were made ferocious by the dreadful circumstances -in which they were placed. It was not to be expected -that the Spaniards should make this allowance for their -invaders; but they did not claim it for themselves; they -proclaimed for admiration and example actions at which -humanity should shudder: it became a matter of praise<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">62</span> -among them, as in the days of Pizarro and Garcia de -Paredes, to possess the qualities of a ruffian; and if the -appearance<a id="FNanchor_14" href="#Footnote_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> corresponded to the manners and character, -the popular hero was perfect in his vocation. Yet mercy -appears to have been more frequently shown by the guerrillas -than extended to them. They obtained consideration -with their own Government, and with the English, -by bringing in prisoners, and were encouraged so to do; -whereas the French soldiers knew that if an armed Spaniard -were taken he would be put to death, and might consider -it merciful at once to slay a fallen enemy, rather -than deliver him over to execution. The guerrillas also, -by conveying their prisoners to one of the Spanish fortresses, -or to a part of the country where the allies were -in force, obtained a respite, for the time, from that life -of incessant vigilance and insecurity, exertion and exposure, -which, without some such occasional relief, no -bodily strength could have long supported. It was by -the peasantry that the greatest cruelties were committed -upon such miserable Frenchmen as fell into their hands, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Rocca, 145.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and by the women, who are said to have sometimes -vied with the worst American savages in -their unutterable barbarities.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Aragon.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>There were fewer of the roving guerrillas in Aragon, -because something with the name of an army -was kept on foot there, and in such a state that -the regular service differed little from the course of life -to which the adventurers were reduced. In no other -part of Spain was the intrusive Government administered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">63</span> -with greater ability and vigilance, nor more in the spirit -of remorseless oppression and rapacity. The whole -yearly revenue which had been raised in that province -before the invasion, amounted to from ten to twelve -millions of <i>reales</i>: the French exacted twelve per month -as the ordinary contribution; they called for extraordinary -payments when they pleased; and after these -official exactions, the Aragonese were not exempted -from the common lot of their countrymen in being at -the mercy of every plunderer. What guerrilla parties -there were in this part of the country were less heard -of, because on all sides there were chiefs whose reputation, -founded upon repeated successes, drew to their -parties the men who would otherwise have been dispersed - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Canterero.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -in smaller bands. Anicio Algere, the -Potter, whose scene of action was about Jaca, -was the only one who obtained any degree of celebrity -here. But along the great line of communication for -the French armies, and especially the high road from -the Bidassoa to Madrid, where it was of most importance -for the enemy to secure the ways, and where most -precautions were taken for securing them, there the -guerrillas were most active and most daring. At the -entrance of the villages houses were fortified with -ditches, parapets, embrasures for field-pieces, and loop-holes -for musquetry, and ditches and parapets across -the roads. These stations served a double purpose; for -here at every step the sick and wounded, who were on -their way to France, were inspected with a vigilance so -severely exercised, that it seemed as if the persons in -authority, who could not escape from this hateful service, -found a malignant satisfaction in disappointing -others of their expected deliverance. They sometimes -remanded men who had passed at several posts; and there -were cases in which the wound or the malady (aggravated,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">64</span> -perhaps, by so cruel a disappointment) proved - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Naylies.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -fatal at the very place where the sufferer had -been refused permission to proceed, upon the -plea that he was not sufficiently disabled!</p> - -<p>Everywhere, but more especially at Irun and all the -frontier places, accounts were kept for the guerrillas of -the troops, who passed through, both of those who were -entering the country, and of invalids on their way from -it. Every artifice was used to delay the enemy when it -was desired that one of these parties should have time -to come up for attack, or for securing a retreat. For -this purpose the priest or the alcalde would officiously -prepare refreshments, while some messenger, with all -the speed of earnest good will, conveyed the necessary -intelligence. This would have occurred in ordinary -wars; but the treachery with which they had been invaded, -and the cruelties which were continually practised -against them, made the Spaniards regard any -vengeance, however treacherous, as an act of justice. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Alcalde of Mondragon.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -An alcalde and his son were put to death at -Mondragon for having at different times assassinated -more than two hundred Frenchmen. -When they were led to execution, they exulted in what -they had done, accounting it among their good and -meritorious works; and they said to their countrymen, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Blayney.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -that if every Spaniard had discharged his duty -as well as they had done, the enemy would ere -then have been exterminated, and the land been -free.</p> - -<p>It was in this part of Spain that the most noted -guerrilla leaders appeared, the Empecinado only excepted; -the most mountainous and rugged country -being most favourable to their mode of warfare. There - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Asturias.<br />Porlier.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -were many bands in Asturias; the most numerous -was that which Porlier had raised; but<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">65</span> -Porlier was a man of family, who had rank in the army, -and his people had more of the feeling and character of -soldiers than was commonly found in such companies. -There were many also in the Montaña, where Longa obtained -a good name. The French endeavoured to counteract -this system of national hostility, in the province of -Soria, by forcing the men into their own service: with -this view they ordered a conscription, and the alcalde of -Valdenebro was put to death by them in Burgo de Osma, -for not having enforced it in obedience to their authority. -They called for all single men from fifteen to forty years -of age, and all married ones whose marriage was not of -earlier date than the year on which this dreadful struggle - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>D. José Duran.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -was begun. D. José Duran, an old officer who -had grown gray in the regular service, and -whom the Junta of Soria had appointed to the command -there and in Rioja, impeded the execution of this scheme, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Nov. 20.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -by his enterprises and his edicts: he threatened -such of the inhabitants as were disposed to obey -the orders of the enemy, lest their own safety might -be compromised; and he interdicted the use of the word -in that acceptation, saying it was their religion and their -liberty which were compromised by such obedience, and -that no Christian and true Spaniard could incur the guilt -of such a compromise. He forbade any inhabitant of -the province to enter Soria while the enemy kept a garrison -there, on pain of being regarded as a traitor, whatever -motive or excuse he might allege. He declared that -every person obeying an order of the intrusive Government -should be put to death, ... every village burnt, ... so -that nothing might exist in Spain which had contributed -towards its subjugation. Whenever the enemy -approached a village, the inhabitants were enjoined to -leave it, driving all their cattle into the mountains; and -they were commanded not to leave provision of any kind<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">66</span> -in their houses, unless it were poisoned; to the end that -either by want or by poison, the enemy, who were employed -in destroying an unoffending people, might be -themselves destroyed. The state of feeling may be -understood in which such an edict could be issued by -a provincial Junta who lived in hourly peril, and whose -dearest connexions were the victims of foreign barbarity; -but when the edict itself was sanctioned by the national -Government—for sanctioned it was by being allowed to -appear in the Regency’s Gazette unannulled and uncensured—it -became a national disgrace.</p> - -<p>When the guerrillas of Asturias, the Biscayan provinces, -Soria, or Rioja, were closely pressed by the -enemy, they usually sought refuge in Navarre, or the -higher parts of Aragon: here they had their chief -strength. The French, indeed, complained, in their intercepted -dispatches, that these bands gave the law in -Navarre, levied contributions there, and even collected -the duties at the frontier custom-houses. For this - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Xavier Mina.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -superiority they were beholden to Xavier Mina. -His career was short, but remarkable not less -for the signal successes which he obtained, than for his -hair-breadth escapes. On one occasion he and his little -party were driven to seek refuge on a rock near Estella, -where they defended the only accessible side till night-fall, -and escaped during the darkness by letting themselves -down the precipice by a rope. In the course of -five months after his first appearance in the field, his -celebrity was such that he might have raised an army -from among the youth of Navarre and Upper Aragon, if -there had been means to arm, and officers to discipline -them: owing to the want of these, and chiefly of officers, -he never had more than 1,200 under his command; -greater numbers would have embarrassed him, these he -was capable of directing: voluntary rations were provided<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">67</span> -for them by the villages, and for ammunition and -money he looked to the enemy, calling the wood of -Tafalla his powder-magazine and his mint. As a farther -resource, he levied the duties of which the French complained, -and he collected the rents belonging to the convents -and churches, as having in this extremity reverted -to the nation; and from these funds he was enabled to -pay liberally and regularly for intelligence. The wisdom -of his measures, not less than the chivalrous spirit of -enterprise which he displayed, made him so formidable -to the enemy, that his capture was considered by them -as more important than a victory, when accident threw - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Xavier Mina made prisoner.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -him into their hands. Chance had delayed the -advance of a convoy for which he was waiting: -he was informed of the delay, but proposed to -wait still; and went himself on horseback with only one -companion, by moonlight, to reconnoitre the ground. -The enemy, who would have thought no precautions -necessary against a Spanish army at that time, stood in -such fear of Mina, that they had formed a double line of -outposts, and sent out patroles; by some of whom he -and his comrade were surprised, dismounted, and taken. -It is remarkable that he was not put to death as soon as -identified, for he had been proscribed as a leader of banditti, -and his capture as such was exultingly announced; -but some person of more generosity than those who thus -reviled him must have interfered; and where so little -that has the character of honour or humanity can be recorded, -it must be regretted that we know not to whom -this redeeming act should be ascribed.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Espoz y Mina elected to succeed him.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>When Mina’s followers had thus lost their leader, -disputes arose concerning the command; and -there being no one whose personal qualifications -were generally acknowledged, it was resolved to -choose his uncle for his name’s sake, for in that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">68</span> -name there was a strength. His uncle, Francisco Espoz -y Mina, was born in 1781, in the village of Ydozin, upon -a little farm, the sole patrimony of his family, to which -he succeeded on his father’s death. His education consisted -in having merely been taught to read and write; -and husbandry had been his only occupation, till under -the impulse of the general feeling he took arms against -the oppressors of his country; and having, according to -his own account, done to them all the hurt he could as -long as he remained in his own house, he enlisted as a -volunteer in Doyle’s battalion. Soon afterwards, using -that freedom which the times allowed, he joined his -nephew’s guerrilla, and on the evening after the young -hero’s capture, he left the band apparently with the intention -of betaking himself to some other course of life; -a deputation of seven persons followed him, and urged -him to take the command, which having against his will -accepted, he began to exercise with a strength of -character that never halted in half measures. One of -his first acts was to put down those who resisted the -authority which he claimed as commander-in-chief of -the guerrillas of Navarre, and in which the Junta of -Aragon confirmed him. A certain Echeverria had -aspired to this rank; he had some 800 men in his company, -consisting mostly of German deserters, who inflicted -more evil upon the peasantry than upon the French. -Espoz y Mina, with about half that force, surprised and -arrested him, had him shot with three of his principal -comrades, and incorporated the men in his own band. -A gang of forty ruffians, with a woman by name Martina -for their leader, infested Biscay and Alava, and committed -so many murders, that the cry of the land went -forth against them; he dispatched a party, who surprised -half these banditti with their execrable mistress at their -head, and they were sent to summary execution. Espoz<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">69</span> -y Mina himself narrowly escaped from the treachery of -another adventurer, who for his evil countenance was -known by the appellation of Malcarado. This man had -been a shepherd, and afterwards a serjeant in Mina’s -troop. He, too, intended to make war upon his own -account; but finding that this would not be permitted -by the new guerrilla chief, who suffered no banditti to -exercise their vocation within his reach, he deemed it -better to make terms with the French than be exposed -to danger on both sides; feigning, therefore, to serve -under Espoz y Mina, he gave general Pannetier information -of his movements, ... and drew off the advanced -guard from before the village of Robres, so as to give a -French detachment opportunity to enter while the chief -was in bed. The alarm roused him but just in time; -he defended himself at the entrance of the house with -the bar of the door for want of any other weapon, till -his faithful follower, Luis Gaston, came to his assistance -and brought a horse. Enough of his people collected to -make head against the enemy, rout them, and rescue -their prisoners. Immediately he pursued Malcarado, -and having what was deemed sufficient evidence of his -treason, ordered him to be shot, and the priest of the -village and three alcaldes to be hanged, side by side, as -his accomplices.</p> - -<p>A leader who acted always thus decisively, in disregard -of forms, upon the apparent justice of the case, inspired -his followers with confidence, and obtained submission -everywhere. Where his orders were not executed -with the alacrity of good-will, they were obeyed for fear. -The alcaldes of every village were required to give him -immediate information whenever they received orders -from the French for making any requisition: it was at -the hazard of their lives to do this; but so surely as they -failed to do it, they were seized in their beds and shot.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">70</span> -The miserable people were thus continually placed between -two dangers; but their hearts were with Mina; -they were attached to him by self-interest as well as by -national feeling, for he encouraged them to trade with -France, receiving money from the rich traders for passports, -by which means he was enabled both to pay his -men, and to reward his spies liberally; and thus also he -obtained many articles which it would otherwise have -been difficult to procure. Circumstances having forced -him into a way of life which he would not have chosen, -he devoted himself to it with his whole heart and soul; -and his strength both of constitution and character were -equal to their trials. It is said that two hours’ sleep -sufficed for him; when he lay down it was with his -pistols in his girdle, and the few nights which he slept -under a roof were passed with less sense of security than -he felt in the wilds, although his first care was to secure -the doors, and guard against a surprisal. He was not -encumbered with baggage; the nearest house supplied -the wardrobe when he changed his linen; and he and -his men wore sandals that they might more easily ascend -the heights in the hair-breadth adventures to which -they were exposed. His powder was made in a cave -among the mountains; sometimes he obtained it from -Pamplona, notwithstanding the vigilance of the enemy. -His hospital was in a mountain village; when the French -more than once endeavoured to surprise it, timely intelligence -was given, and the villagers carried the sick and -wounded in litters, upon their shoulders, into the fastnesses. -He kept no man in his troop who was known -to be addicted to women, lest by their likeliest means he -might be betrayed. No gaming was allowed among his -men, nor were they permitted to plunder; when the fight -was over every one might keep what he could get; but -woe to him who should lay hand on the spoil before the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">71</span> -struggle was at an end, and the success had been pursued -to the utmost!</p> - -<p>In such enterprises as those of the two Minas and the -other guerrilla chiefs, the Timours, the Babers, and -Khouli Khans of Eastern history, were trained; but -neither men nor officers were likely to be formed in them -for the operations of regular war. The restraints, the -subordination, the principle of obedience which the -soldier is compelled to learn, of the necessity of which -his understanding is convinced, and to which, if his disposition -be good, he conforms at last morally as well as -mechanically, these in no slight degree counteract the -demoralizing tendencies of a military life, and compensate -for its heart-hardening ones. The good soldier becomes -a good citizen when his occupation is over; but the -guerrillas were never likely to forego the wild and lawless -course in which they were engaged; and, therefore, -essential as their services now were, thoughtful men -looked with the gloomiest forebodings to what must be -the consequence of their multiplication, whenever this -dreadful struggle should be ended; they anticipated the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Sem. Patr. No. 82, p. 338.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -utter ruin of Spain. The course of events, however, -was not to be controlled; circumstances -had produced this irregular force, and there was -now no possibility of defending the country without it. -Lord Wellington had felt how hopeless it was to act in -concert with a Spanish army, wherein good intentions -were frustrated by obstinate counsels, and courage rendered -unavailing by insubordination; but he felt at this -time of what importance it was to have a nation in his -favour, and how materially the movements of the enemy -were impeded and their difficulties increased by the -guerrilla parties who acted along their whole line, from -the Pyrenees to the frontiers of Beira. Massena’s situation -became every day more trying; the French in Spain<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">72</span> -were so little able to feed his army, that he was obliged -to have his biscuit from France, when it had to be escorted -800 miles through a hostile country! It was as -difficult for him to send dispatches as to receive supplies; -and the first intelligence which Buonaparte obtained of -his situation after he advanced to the lines of Torres Vedras, -was brought from London, by persons employed in -smuggling guineas to the continent.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">73</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXXIV">CHAPTER XXXIV.<br /> - -<span class="subhead">THE CORTES. PLAN WHICH THE JUNTA HAD ADOPTED ALTERED BY THE -REGENCY. FIRST PROCEEDINGS OF THE CORTES. NEW REGENCY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1810.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p class="in0"><span class="firstword">While</span> the Peninsula in every part, from the Pyrenees -to the Pillars of Hercules, was filled with mourning, and -with all the horrors of a war carried on on both sides - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Schemes of the intrusive Government.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -with unexampled cruelty, the Madrid gazette -spoke of public diversions, and public projects, -as if the people of that metropolis, like the Parisians, -were to be amused with plans of imaginary works, -and entered into the affairs of the theatre and opera regardless -of the miseries of their country. Needy as the -intrusive Government was, it kept these places of amusement -open, in the spirit of Parisian policy, taking its erroneous -estimate of human nature from man in his most -corrupted state: but the numbers of the audience, and -the accounts of the theatres, were no longer published as -in other times. Schemes of education were hinted at, -and for the encouragement of literature, ... the unction -which such men as Cabarrus and Urquijo laid to their -souls. Canals were projected, when couriers were not -safe even at the gates of the capital; and the improvement -of agriculture was announced, while circulars were -sent to the generals and military governors, urging them -to prevent the destruction of the vines and olive trees by -the troops; and promising that this ruinous course should<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">74</span> -not be continued, if the peasants would be careful always -to provide fuel of their own cutting.</p> - -<p>Spain also, like Italy, was to be despoiled of its works -of art. Joseph gave orders that a selection of the best -pictures should be sent to the Napoleon Museum at -Paris, as a pledge of the union of the two nations. This -robbery did not excite so much indignation as a decree, -directing that the bones of Cortes and Cervantes, and -other famous Spaniards who were buried in or near -Madrid, should be translated with public solemnities to -the church of St. Isidro. The Spaniards observed, that -though it was known in what churches some of these illustrious -men had been interred, their graves could not -be ascertained; and they asked whence the money was -to come for this translation, when the Intruder could pay -none of his servants, and wanted funds for things of the -utmost necessity? “But the decree, like many others, -was intended for the gazette, and for nothing else. Nevertheless,” -they continued, viewing the subject with -natural and honourable feeling, “it excites our indignation -that they should affect this veneration for our ancestors, -who omit no means for debasing Spain, and subjecting -her to the infamy of a foreign yoke.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Cortes.<br /><span class="date">April 18.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>But the most remarkable of the Intruder’s acts, was -his promise of convoking the Cortes. “It was -long,” his partizans said, “since the Junta had -amused the nation with vain hopes of this benefit, -for which Spain was to be indebted to her new sovereign.” -The object of the intrusive Government at this -time, in calling a Cortes of its own, must have been, to -take off the attention of the Spaniards in those parts of -the country which the French occupied, from the national -Cortes; and that this intention, having been thus -announced, should never have been carried into effect, -is proof how well the unhappy men, who were ostensibly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">75</span> -at the head of Joseph Buonaparte’s councils, knew the -insecurity of the puppet whom they served. Almost the -last paper which issued from the royal press at Seville, -had been an edict declaring in what manner the Cortes -should be chosen. Upon this subject the central Junta -had asked the advice of the Spanish universities, and -public bodies. Great difficulties had been apprehended -from the obscurity in which the forms of the old Cortes -were involved, as well as from the difference in the -different kingdoms, which had each their own. It was -well remarked by the university of Seville, that these -things were matters of historical research, not of practical -importance; there was now neither time nor necessity -for the inquiry; the present business was to convene -representatives, according to the general principles -of representation, and leave them, after they had saved -the country, to determine the peculiar forms of the -general Spanish Cortes.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mode of election.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The plan which the Junta adopted was formed with -reference to established forms, to present circumstances, -and to the future convenience of -election. Cities which had sent deputies to the last -Cortes, were each to send one to this, and each superior -Junta one also. The provinces one for every 50,000 -heads, according to the census of 1797; wherever the -excess above that number amounted to one half, an -additional deputy was to be chosen; any smaller excess -was not accounted. The mode of election was so regulated, -as to render undue influence or interference impossible. -Parochial Juntas were to be formed composed -of every housekeeper above the age of five-and-twenty, -excepting such as had been found guilty upon any -criminal charge; who had suffered any corporal punishment, -or infamous sentence; bankrupts, public debtors, -the insane, and the deaf and dumb. Naturalized strangers<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">76</span> -also were excluded, whatever might have been the -privilege of their naturalization. The secular clergy -were included. As soon as the <i>Justicia</i> received instructions -from the corregidor, or alcalde mayor of the -district (<i>Partido</i>), a parochial meeting was to be held, -and the Sunday following appointed for the business of -the primary election.</p> - -<p>The Spanish government did well in connecting this -with religious ceremonies. The business of the day -was to commence with the Mass of the Holy Ghost; -after which the parish priest was to preach upon the -state of the country, and the importance of choosing -proper representatives, upon whom so much depended. -Then adjourning to the place appointed, the magistrate -should first make inquiry whether any means had been -used to influence the electors; any person for whom -such means had been employed, being rendered ineligible -and his agents or injudicious friends deprived of -their vote: any person calumniating another, in hope -of impeding his election, was punished with the same -disabilities. The parishioners then, one by one, were -to advance to the table at which the parochial officers -and the priest presided, and there name an elector for -the parish: the twelve persons who obtained a majority -of names should go apart and fix upon one. It was not -required that they should be unanimous, only that the -person appointed should have more than six votes; and -it was compulsory upon him to perform the duty to -which he was elected. The primary election being -thus completed, the parochial Junta was to return to -the church in procession, their deputy walking between -the alcalde and the priest; Te Deum was to be performed, -and the day concluded with public rejoicings.</p> - -<p>Within eight days afterward, the parochial electors -should assemble in the principal town of the district,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">77</span> -and form a Junta, over which the corregidor and the -ecclesiastic of highest rank in the place presided. The -testimonials of the electors were to be scrutinized; the -same religious ceremonies to take place, and twelve -persons chosen in the same manner, to appoint one or -more electors for the district, according to its extent. -They might choose them out of their own number: but -any persons born in the district, and resident in it, were -eligible. The business was to be transacted in the consistory, -a record of its proceedings deposited among the -archives, and a copy sent to every parish, and to the -capital of the province, where the final election took -place.</p> - -<p>Here the electors of the district were to assemble. A -Junta should have been previously constituted, consisting -of the president of the superior Junta of the province; -the archbishop or bishop, regent, intendant, and -corregidor of the city, and a secretary. It was presumed -that these persons would all be members of the -provincial Junta; if not, they were called to this duty by -virtue of their rank, and an equal number of members of -the Junta added; this proviso being intended to secure -for the provincial Junta that influence to which their -services entitled them, for which their experience qualified -them, and of which it might not have been easy to -deprive them, even if it had been thought desirable. -The board thus appointed, was to see that the primary -and secondary elections were made throughout the province. -After the same observances and scrutinies as on -the former occasions, the final election was to be made. -The person proposed must be a native of the province, -but it was not necessary that his property should be -there: nobles, plebeians, and secular priests, were -equally eligible; no other qualification was required, -than that he should be above five-and-twenty, of good<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">78</span> -repute, and not actually the salaried servant of any individual -or body.</p> - -<p>In this final election, the first step was to elect three -persons successively. A simple majority was not sufficient -here; more than half the electors must vote for the -same person, and the voting be repeated till this should -be the case: three having thus been chosen, their names -were to be placed in an urn, and he whose lot was drawn -was the deputy to the Cortes. A fourth was then to be -elected, whose name, in like manner, was submitted -to the lot with the two which had been left undrawn, -and this was repeated till the number of deputies for the -province was made up. Supplementary deputies were -then to be chosen, in readiness for any vacancy by death; -the supplementaries were in the proportion of one to -three. The number of provincial deputies amounted to -208; that of the supplementaries to 68.</p> - -<p>The provincial Juntas were to choose their members -according to the rules of the final elections; observing -also the same general principle, that the person chosen -must be a native of the province. The form appointed -for the city elections was, that where the <i>regidores</i> were -proprietaries, or held their office during life by the -kings appointment, the people should elect an equal -number of electors, in the manner of the municipal elections. -These electors, with the <i>regidores</i>, the syndic, -and the officers who are called the <i>Personero y Diputado -del Comun</i>, were to meet in the consistory, where -the corregidor should preside, and there choose three -persons out of their own body, the final decision being -by lot. All the elections were to be made with open -doors.</p> - -<p>Twenty-six members were added for the Spanish possessions -in America and the Philippines. But during -the long interval which must elapse before these representatives<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">79</span> -could reach Europe, supplementaries for their -respective provinces were to be chosen from natives -resident in Spain; and a circular notice was issued, requiring -that all American or Asiatic Spaniards then in -the country would send in their names, ages, employments, -places of birth and of abode. This being done, -and lists made out accordingly, a Junta was to be -formed, consisting of the members of the central Junta, -who should at the time be acting as deputies for the -colonies, or four ministers of the council of the Indies -appointed by the Junta, and of four distinguished natives -of the colonies, to be chosen by the other members; -this Junta was to direct and superintend the election. -Twelve electors for each province were to be chosen by -lot from among the natives of that province then resident -in Cadiz; but if it so happened that they did not -amount to eighteen, that number was to be filled up by -individuals of the other provinces. The twelve then -chosen were to choose their deputies, in the manner of -the final provincial election, first by nomination, and -then by lot.</p> - -<p>The archbishops, bishops, and grandees, were to meet -in an upper house: it was required that the grandees -should be the heads of their respective families, and -above the age of 25; and those nobles and prelates -who had submitted to the French government were excluded.</p> - -<p>Such was the plan which the commission of the central -Junta decided upon, and which the Junta adopted. -The commission was composed of five members, the -Archbishop of Laodicea, Jovellanos, Castanedo, Caro -and Riquelme; but the two latter members being appointed -to the executive committee, their places were -supplied by the Count de Ayamans, and D. Martin de -Garay. D. Manuel Abella, and D. Pedro Polo de Alcocer,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">80</span> -were secretaries to the commission. The details -were formed, and the official instructions drawn up by -Garay. In their general principles the commissioners -had been chiefly guided, as was expected and desired, -by Jovellanos, the best and wisest of the Spaniards.</p> - -<p>There was, however, a difference of opinion in the -commission upon three points of considerable importance. -Riquelme and Caro would have had only one -house of assembly; Jovellanos referred to the English -constitution, as the best model, and one to which in this -point, the Spaniards, with sufficient conformity to their -ancient customs, might assimilate their own. He proposed -also, that certain qualifications of property, -situation, and acquirements, should be required of the -deputies. Riquelme opposed this restriction; and Jovellanos -yielded to the majority of his colleagues with -less repugnance, knowing how well the great body of -the people had deserved of their country. Riquelme -insisted that the Cortes should not assemble without -deputies from the colonies; the other members would -have omitted them in the first assembly, in consequence -of the long and indefinite time which must elapse before -they could be chosen in their respective provinces, and -arrive in Spain. The plan which was adopted obviated -this difficulty. The inadequate number of colonial -deputies is less objectionable than it may at first appear, -when the probable number of persons from whom the -supplementaries were to be chosen is considered; especially -as it was not pretended that the manner in which -the first Cortes was convoked should be binding as a -precedent. “The government,” said Jovellanos, “fearful -of arrogating to itself a right which belongs to the -nation alone, leaves it to the wisdom and prudence of -the nation to determine in what form its will may most -completely be represented in future.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">81</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Regulations proposed by the central Junta.<br /><span class="date">Jan. 29.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The last act of the Junta had been to consign to the -Regency the charge of seeing the Cortes assembled, -according to these rules. In this final -decree provision was made for choosing deputies -to represent the provinces occupied by the -enemy; they were to be chosen in the same manner as -the colonial deputies. Here also the important point of -the <em>veto</em> was determined. If the Regency refused its -assent to a measure which had passed both houses, the -measure was to be re-considered; and unless re-passed -by a majority of two-thirds in each house, it was lost, -and could not be brought forward again in that Cortes; -but if both houses, by such a majority, ratified their -former determination, three days were then allowed to -the Regency, and if within that time the royal sanction -was not given, the law was to be promulgated without it. -The Junta endeavoured to confine the Cortes within its -proper limits, by declaring that the executive power -appertained wholly to the Regency, and the legislative -to the representative body; and lest any party should -arise, who should aim at making the Cortes permanent, -or unnecessarily extending its duration, “by which -means,” the Junta said, “the constitution of the kingdom -might be overthrown,” the Regency was empowered -to fix any time for the dissolution of the assembly, provided -it were not before the expiration of six months.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The regency delays the convocation.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>This decree, which developed the principles -of the central Junta, and completed their labours, -the Regency did not think proper to make public; -one of the many acts of injustice which the Junta -suffered after their compulsory resignation. The council -of Castille, or rather the <i>Consejo-reunido</i>, in which such -of its members were incorporated as had followed the -legitimate Government into Andalusia, hinted, in a memorial -full of calumnies against the ex-Junta, that the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">82</span> -Cortes ought not to be convoked; their opinion was -doubtless of great weight with the Regency; and as the -Regents did not conceive themselves bound to follow the -course which the preceding Government had marked -out, they suppressed the edict, and issued in its stead an - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Feb. 11.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -address, breathing the same spirit as all the -proclamations of the Spanish Government, but -putting off the meeting of the Cortes. “The council of -Regency,” they said, “could well have wished that -your representatives had been at this time in Cortes -assembled, and that the nation itself might thus have -regulated its own destinies. The means which are necessary -for our deliverance would quickly appear at -its energetic and powerful voice. But this means of -preservation has been too long delayed; and evils gathering -upon each other, with the rapidity of a whirlwind, -do not permit that it should be accomplished at the -time and place appointed. The Isle of Leon, where the -national congress ought to assemble, is at this time besieged -by the enemy; from this isle we see their fires, -we hear their artillery, we hear their insolent threats, -and witness their ravages. Their rash endeavours, beyond -a doubt, will fail against these intrenchments, -where the watch-tower is erected which presents to all -good patriots a beacon in the midst of the tempest. But -the Isle of Leon, thus threatened by the enemy, cannot -be at present a proper place for the celebration of our -Cortes; and necessity compels us to delay it till the -present crisis shall be past, and place and time suitable -for so august an assembly can be assigned. Meantime, -none of the measures and forms established and decreed -for the convocation are to be suspended for a moment. -The elections are to proceed, and the members who are -chosen must hold themselves ready to perform their -functions; the intention of the Government being, that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">83</span> -the Cortes shall meet as soon as the circumstances of -the war permit.”</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding this language, it is possible that -Spain was indebted for its Cortes more to the annunciation -from Seville that the Intruder was about to convoke -one, than to the inclination of its own rulers. The central -Junta had delayed it not from intentional procrastination, -but from their sense of the difficulty of the task, -and from the deliberation which so peculiarly characterizes -the Spaniards. They had overcome the difficulties, -and framed a plan of representation, which preserved a -due respect to old venerable forms, and was well adapted -to the existing circumstances of the country; this having -been done, as soon as it was ascertained that Cadiz -might defy the enemy there ought to have been no -delay. That was ascertained in February, as soon as -the Isle of Leon was secured from a coup-de-main. But -it was not till the middle of June that a decree was - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Cortes convoked.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -issued, ordering the elections to be completed -as soon as possible, and requiring the deputies -to assemble in the island during the month of August, -that as soon as the greater part of them were met the -sessions might begin. The plan which the central Junta -framed was altered in one most material point, only one -house being convoked. Had Jovellanos and his colleagues -determined thus, they would still have summoned -the privileged orders; but the Regency, departing -inconsiderately from a resolution which had been the -effect of long deliberation, neither summoned them to -meet apart from the third estate, nor with it, nor devised -any plan for representing them; so that two of the three -estates were excluded as such from the national representation.</p> - -<p>Three days of rogation were appointed previous to the -opening of the Cortes, and on the 24th September<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">84</span> -they commenced their proceedings. At nine in the morning - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Commencement of their proceedings.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the deputies assembled in a hall fitted up for -their sittings in the palace of the Regency: -the military were under arms, and they went -with the Regents in procession to the parochial church -of the Isle of Leon, where the Mass of the Holy Ghost -was performed by Cardinal Bourbon, Archbishop of -Toledo. After the gospel, the Bishop of Orense, who -was president of the Regency, addressed them in a -solemn discourse; and then the following oath was proposed: -“Do you swear to preserve the Holy Catholic -Apostolic Romish religion in these realms, without admitting -any other? Do you swear to preserve the -Spanish nation in its integrity, and to omit no means -for delivering it from its unjust oppressors? Do you -swear to preserve to our beloved sovereign, Ferdinand -VII., all his dominions, and in his failure, to his legitimate -successors; and to make every possible exertion -for releasing him from captivity, and placing him upon -the throne? Do you swear to discharge faithfully and -lawfully the trust which the nation reposes in you, observing -the laws of Spain, but changing, modifying, and -varying such as require to be altered for the general -good?” When all the deputies had made answer, -“Yes, we swear,” they advanced two by two to touch -the gospels; after which the bishop said, “If ye shall -do this, so may God give you your reward; but if not, -so may he enter into judgment with you!” The hymn -<i>Veni Sancte Spiritus</i>, and the <i>Te Deum</i>, were then sung.</p> - -<p>These ceremonies over, they returned in the same -order to the hall of assembly: the Regents advanced to -the throne, and occupied five seats under the canopy; -the two secretaries of state, who accompanied them, -took their seats at a table towards the head of the hall; -and the deputies seated themselves indiscriminately as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">85</span> -they entered, the old contest for precedency between -Burgos and Toledo being no longer remembered. The -bishop addressed them, briefly reminding them of the -perilous state of the country, and the arduous duties -which they were called upon to discharge; then desiring -them to elect their president and secretaries from -their own body, he and the other four members of the -Regency quitted the hall, leaving a written paper upon -the table.</p> - -<p>A difficulty in point of form at the commencement of -these proceedings was ended by appointing, as it were -at random, two deputies to hold the offices of president -and secretary, while the Cortes elected others. As soon -as the election was made, the secretary read the paper -which the Regents had left. “The five individuals,” it -said, “who composed the Regency, received that charge, -above their merits and their strength, at a time when -any delay in accepting it would have been injurious to -the country: but they only accepted it and swore to discharge -its duties according to their capacity, till the -solemn congress of the Cortes being assembled, should -establish a government founded upon the general will. -That moment so longed for by all good Spaniards has -arrived, and the individuals of the council of Regency -can do no less than state this to their fellow-citizens, -that they may take it into consideration, and appoint the -government which they deem most adapted to the -critical circumstances of the monarchy, for which this -fundamental measure was immediately necessary.”</p> - -<p>Upon the motion of Torrero, deputy for Extremadura, -the plan of a decree was then read, which had been prepared -by his colleague Luxan, and which, after some -discussion, was adopted to this effect. The members of -the congress now assembled, and representing the -nation, declared themselves legally constituted in a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">86</span> -general and extraordinary Cortes, wherein the national -sovereignty resided. Conformably to the general will, -which had been declared in the most open and energetic -manner, they proclaimed and swore anew, that Ferdinand -VIIth, of Bourbon, was their only lawful king; -and they declared null and void the cession of the -crown which he was said to have made in favour of -Napoleon Buonaparte, not only because of the violence -which accompanied that transaction, but principally -because the consent of the nation was wanting. As it -was not proper that the legislative, executive, and judicial -powers should remain united, they reserved to themselves -the exercise of the legislative power in its full -extent. They declared, that the persons to whom they -should delegate the executive power, in the absence of -their king, were responsible to the nation according to -the laws. They authorized the Regency to continue -exercising the executive power under the same title, till -the Cortes should appoint a Government which they -might deem more convenient. But to qualify itself for -this continuance of its authority, the Regency should -acknowledge the national sovereignty of the Cortes, and -swear obedience to the laws and decrees which it should -promulgate; for which purpose, as soon as the decree -was made known to them, the members of the Regency - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Oath required from the Regents.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -should pass immediately into the hall of assembly, -where the Cortes would remain till -this was done, having declared their sitting permanent -for this purpose. The form of the oath was -thus prescribed: “Do you acknowledge the sovereignty -of the nation, represented by its deputies in this general -and extraordinary Cortes? Do you swear to obey its -decrees, and the constitution which it may establish, -according to the holy object for which they have assembled; -to order that they shall be observed, and to see<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">87</span> -that they be executed? To preserve the independence, -liberty, and integrity of the nation? the Catholic Apostolic -Roman religion? the monarchial government of the -kingdom? To re-establish upon the throne our beloved -king D. Ferdinand VIIth, of Bourbon? and in all things -to regard the public weal? As you shall observe all -these things, God be your helper; and if you observe -them not, you shall be responsible to the nation, in conformity -with the laws.” The Cortes confirmed for the -present the established tribunals, and the civil and military -authorities; and they declared the persons of the -deputies inviolable, and that no authority or individual -might proceed against them, except according to the -manner which should be appointed in future regulations, -by a committee for that purpose.</p> - -<p>Between ten and eleven at night this decree was -passed. One of the members observed, that the Regents -might be gone to bed, if they were not immediately -apprized that their presence would be required that -night; a deputation was therefore sent to them, while -the ceremonial with which they were to be received was -discussed. About midnight four of the Regents entered - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Bishop of Orense scruples to take the oath.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the hall and took the oath. The Bishop of -Orense did not come; the unseasonableness of -the hour, and the infirm state of his health, -were assigned as reasons for his absence, but it -was soon known that a stronger motive had withheld him. -The sovereignty of the nation was a doctrine which the -venerable prelate was not prepared to acknowledge, and -from that hour he ceased to act as one of the Regency.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Sept. 25.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On the following day, the members resolved, as a consequence -of their former decree, that the style -in which they were to be addressed should be -that of Majesty; highness was to be that of the executive<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">88</span> -power, during the absence of Ferdinand, and likewise -of the supreme tribunals. They ordered also, that -the commanders-in-chief, the captains-general of the -provinces, the archbishops and bishops, tribunals, provincial -Juntas, and all other authorities, civil, military, -and ecclesiastic, should take the oath of obedience to the -Cortes, in the same form as the Regency. By another -edict, they decreed that their installation should be -officially made known through all the Spanish dominions, -and everywhere celebrated with Te Deums and -discharges of artillery; and that prayers should be -offered up during three days, imploring the divine -blessing upon their councils.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Sept. 26.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The decree, by which the Regents were declared responsible, -produced a memorial from them, -requesting to know what were the obligations -annexed to that responsibility, and what the specific -powers which were given them; “unless these things,” -they said, “were clearly and distinctly determined, the -Regency would not know how to act, inasmuch as the -ancient laws had drawn no line of distinction between -the two powers; and thus they must be continually in -danger, on the one hand, of exerting an authority, -which, in the opinion of the Cortes, might not be included -in the attributes of the executive, or, on the -other, of omitting to exert the powers which it involves, -and which at this time were more necessary than ever.” -The reply of the Cortes proved with how little forethought -they had passed their decree. “They had not -limited,” they said, “the proper faculties of the executive, -and the Regency was to use all the power necessary -for the defence, security, and administration of the state, -till the Cortes should mark out the precise bounds of its -authority. The responsibility,” they added, “to which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">89</span> -the Regents were subjected, was only meant to exclude -that absolute inviolability which appertained to the -sacred person of the king.” The whole of a night-session -was occupied in forming this answer.</p> - -<p>Among the many erroneous opinions which prevailed -in this country respecting the affairs of Spain, the most -plausible and the most general was that which expected -great immediate benefit from the convocation of the -Cortes; an error from which, perhaps, no person was -entirely free, except the few, who, like Mr. Frere, looked -to the assembly rather with apprehensions of evil than -with hope. But any great immediate advantage, any -rapid acceleration of the deliverance of Spain, ought not -to have been expected, unless it was supposed that the -Spanish deputies would proceed like the French national -convention, and that a revolutionary delirium might have -produced a preternatural and overpowering strength. -There was as little reason to look for this, as there could -be for desiring it. The Spaniards, more than any other -Europeans, are attached to the laws and customs of their -country. Spain is to them literally a holy land; and its -history, being composed for many ages of a tissue of -connected miracles, to the greater part of the people -sanctifies its institutions. But unless the Cortes took the -executive power into its own hands, and gave the nation -a revolutionary impulse, which all circumstances forbade, -it might have been known that the benefits to be expected -would produce little or no immediate effect upon -the operations of the war: if that assembly acted wisely -they would be slow, certain, and permanent.</p> - -<p>The mode of election secured a fair representation. -Some of the members were of the French School of philosophy, -and were sufficiently disposed to have followed -the Brissotines, both in matters of state and church-policy.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">90</span> -Having become converts to republicanism in -their youth, and in the season of enthusiasm, they had -imbibed a prejudice against England, which did not -even now give way, though they hated Buonaparte and -the present system of France as bitterly as the great -majority of their colleagues. On this point there was -but one feeling.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>First measures of the Cortes.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The first measures of the Cortes indicated a sense of -their power, and a determination to assert it. -Want of precedents, and of experience in the -business of a deliberative assembly, were great -impediments at their outset; they had hardly decreed -the separation of the executive, legislative, and judicial -branches, before they confounded them in their own -practice. Nevertheless this decree was important, for it -was a great object to secure the judicial authority from -the interference of government: that, breaking, they -said, the chains with which the arbitrary power of some -centuries had bound the hands of the most respectable -ministers, justice might now be administered for the -happiness of the people. A commission was appointed -to prepare a report upon the best means of speedily terminating - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 11.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -criminal causes. The result was, a -decree that an extraordinary visitation of all -the prisoners should be made by the respective judicial -authorities, and the accused brought to trial with as -little delay as possible; and that for the future, the tribunals -should transmit, through the Regency, to the -Cortes, at intervals of two months, accounts of all the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Dec. 14.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -causes pendent, and the persons in confinement. -Llano, a supplementary member for Guatemala, -proposed a more effectual remedy; that a committee -should be appointed to frame a law to the same effect as -the Habeas Corpus of the English.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">91</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Duke of Orleans offers his services.<br /><span class="date">March 4.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The Cortes found it necessary also to interfere with -the executive. The Duke of Orleans had -offered his services to the Spaniards; the -former government had not thought proper to -accept his offer, but the Regency, a few weeks -after their installation, invited him to take the command -in Catalonia. A century ago their conduct might have -been easily explained, when Lord Molesworth gravely -asked, what could be done for generals, in such havoc -as was then made of them, if there were not so many -younger sons of princes in Germany, who all ran -wherever there was a war, to get bread and reputation? -But pedigrees and patents of nobility were not considered -now as exclusive qualifications for command, -and the conduct of the Regency, in this instance, was -inconsiderate and hasty. When the duke first offered -his services, the Spaniards were in the full tide of success; -and he expected, with good reason, that as soon -as the French armies were disheartened, they would -readily forsake a tyrant, to whom they were not bound -by any tie of duty. Affairs bore a very different aspect -when the Regency informed him, that the obstacles -which had formerly frustrated his desires were now removed; -reminded him of the triumphs which his ancestors -had won in Catalonia; and called upon him to -preserve the verdure of their laurels. The duke was a -man of too much honour and courage not to fulfil the -offer which he had made in more prosperous times. -Accordingly he sailed from Sicily in the beginning of -June, touched at Tarragona, and having been received -there with the honours due to his rank, continued his -voyage to Cadiz, where he landed under a salute of -artillery. The Bishop of Orense had not arrived from -his diocese to take his seat in the council of Regency -when the duke was invited: he therefore was not implicated<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">92</span> -in this transaction, which was in every respect -exceedingly imprudent. There might have been some -apparent cause for it, if the duke had been a general of -great experience and celebrity, or if he could have assisted -Spain either with men, money, or stores; but the -Sicilian court had no means at its disposal: it had sent -a present of a thousand muskets early in the year, and -this was the extent of its ability. On the other hand, -the presence of a prince of the Bourbon line, at the -head of a Spanish army, would have certainly drawn -against it a stronger French force than would otherwise -have been employed, the destruction of one branch of -that house being of more importance to Buonaparte -than the conquest of Spain. That consideration may -have had some weight with the Junta of Seville, when -upon the first outburst of national feeling, Louis XVIII. -wrote to the principality of Asturias, offering with his -brother, his nephews, and cousins, to serve in their ranks, -unite the Oriflamme with their standards, and call upon -the deluded French to rally round it, and restore peace -to the world. So many inconveniences were perceived -in this proposal, that in conformity to Padre Gil’s advice, -no reply was made to it. And though the same objections -did not apply to the Duke of Orleans, there was -an obvious impolicy in inviting a Frenchman to the -command; the central Junta had felt this, and the -Cortes also felt it; they held a private sitting upon the -subject, and the result was, that the duke re-embarked -for Sicily.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Second Regency.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The Regents did not hold their power many weeks -after the meeting of the Cortes. A new Regency -was appointed, consisting of Blake, D. -Pedro Agar, a naval captain and director-general of the -academies of the royal marine guards; and D. Gabriel -Ciscar, governor of Carthagena. The reason assigned<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">93</span> -for this change was, that the members of the former -Regency had made known their earnest desire that the -weight of the administration, which they had - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 28.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -supported for many months, under such critical -circumstances, should be consigned to other hands. -Those members were now to experience in their turn the -same injustice which they had shown toward the Central -Junta. Like them, they had disappointed the -hopes of the people; and like them, more from the -inevitable course of things than by their own misconduct. -They were not, however, treated with equal - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Nov. 28.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -cruelty. A decree was passed, that they should -give in an account of their administration to the -Cortes within two months, with a view to some future -process. Shortly afterwards, in consequence of a secret -sitting, they were ordered to retire from the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Dec. 17.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Isle of Leon, and the place where each was to -reside was appointed, after the arbitrary manner of the -old court. Blake and Ciscar being absent, the Marquis -del Palacio and D. Jose Maria Puig were appointed to -act in their place till they should arrive. When - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 28.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -they were called upon to take the oath, the -same difficulty was found as in the case of the Bishop of -Orense. The marquis being asked if he swore - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Palacio refuses the oath.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -to obey the decrees, laws, and constitutions of -the Cortes, replied, Yes, but without prejudice -to the many oaths of fidelity which he had taken to Ferdinand -VII. The president informed him, that he must -take the oath simply, or refuse it. The marquis requested -that he might be allowed to explain himself. Upon -this it was agreed that he should be heard after his -colleagues had been sworn; and that business having -been completed, he entered into an explanation, saying, -“he was ready to take the oath in the form prescribed, -provided those deputies who were versed in theological<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">94</span> -points would assure him that he might do it without -scruple. All that he meant was more to ensure the purport -of the oath itself, conformably to those which he -had so often taken to Ferdinand; and he had never -doubted the sovereignty of the nation assembled in its -Cortes.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Tyrannical conduct of the Cortes towards him.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The Cortes manifested upon this occasion something -of that precipitation, and something of that -proneness to tyranny, by which the proceedings -of popular assemblies have so often been disgraced. -In this case, as in that of the Bishop -of Orense, they might perhaps have thought that such -scruples disqualified him for the office which he was -called upon to accept; but those scruples ought to have -been respected; and upon no principle of law or justice -could they possibly be considered as a crime. But the -marquis was ordered into custody, and the Cortes met -again that night, to deliberate upon this unworthy business. -One member said, that Palacio had lost the confidence -of the public; he could not act in the Regency, -because he had shown that his conscience was not such -as was fit for a Regent; and his conduct ought to be -investigated by judges appointed for that purpose. Capmany -maintained, that the Cortes itself ought to take -cognizance of the offence; and Arguelles, Oliveros, and -Torrero, agreed in these exaggerated censures of an act -which, even if censurable, amounted only to an error of -judgment of the most venial kind. Arguelles declared, -that should the Cortes retrace a single step, and not go -forward with its decree, respecting the sovereignty of -the nation and their own power, they would give a -triumph to the enemy. It was voted, after a long discussion, -that the marquis had forfeited the confidence of -the nation, and that another Regent must be appointed -in his place. The Marquis del Castelar was chosen.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">95</span> -Palacio now represented, through the captain of the -guard, that he was confined at this time in a damp room, -to the danger of his health, without having a place to -sit down. It was then ordered, that he should be confined -in his own house, under a guard, who was never -to lose sight of him. This discussion occupied the Cortes -till midnight, and then they entered upon a secret -sitting, probably upon the same subject. Three days -after, it was voted that the marquis was no - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 31.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -longer qualified to act as captain-general of -Aragon; and in three more, discovering how little conformable -it was to their professed principles thus to -proceed to condemnation before trial, the Cortes repealed -the decree, and resolved, that both this case and that of -the Bishop of Orense should be referred to judges -appointed by the Regency, who were to hear the advocates -of the Cortes, of the royal council, and of the marquis, -and to consult with the Cortes concerning their -sentence. Meantime he was to remain a prisoner at -large in the Isle of Leon, upon his parole.</p> - -<p>If the Cortes, in the tyrannical character of these proceedings, -reminded those persons who remembered the -commencement of the French revolution of the errors -which were then committed, it reminded them also of a -measure springing from a more generous feeling, but -which, both in France and England, experience had -shown to be an error. A self-denying ordinance - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Self-denying ordinance.<br /><span class="date">Sept. 29.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -was passed at the motion of Capmany, -deputy for Catalonia, a man well known for his -literary labours: it enacted, that no member of the -Cortes should be permitted, during the exercise of his -functions, nor for a year afterwards, to accept for himself, -or solicit for any other person, any pension, favour, -reward, honour, or distinction, from the executive power -which at that time existed, nor from any other Government<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">96</span> -which might hereafter be appointed. Gutierrez -de la Huerta, supplementary member for Burgos, had -prepared a more rigorous bill to the same effect, which -was to punish the deputy who solicited any employment -for a kinsman within the fourth degree, by expelling -him from the Cortes, and depriving him for four years -of his elective right, and the capacity of being elected. -It was carried by acclamation, that some public testimony -of disinterestedness should be given. There were, -however, a few members cool enough to temper the -enthusiasm of their colleagues, and qualify the vote, so -as to render it somewhat less unreasonable. At their -suggestion, such persons were exempted from the decree, -who, by rank or age, were accustomed to succeed in -military, ecclesiastic, and civil bodies, according to the -rules or statutes. And it was admitted, that cases -were possible in which extraordinary services might -deserve an extraordinary reward.</p> - -<p>Two subjects of especial moment occupied much of -the time of the Cortes. The situation of the colonies -was one, which is too wide a topic to be touched on - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Liberty of the press.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -here: the other was the liberty of the press. -Upon the motion of Arguelles, a committee was -appointed to prepare a report upon this momentous -point. Many curious discussions ensued. The Marquis -of Vigo protested against taking the subject into consideration. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 15.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -“He was ready,” he said, “to sacrifice -his life, and even his reputation in the -Cortes, which he regarded more than life, for his conduct -on this occasion; but he would not sacrifice his -conscience.” “Whatever light,” said Arguelles, “has -spread itself over Europe, has sprung from the liberty -of the press, and nations have risen in proportion as that -liberty has been more or less complete among them. By -its influence we saw the chains fall from the hands of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">97</span> -the French nation; a sanguinary faction obtained the -ascendency, and the French Government began to act in -direct opposition to the principles which it had proclaimed. -After having solemnly and by acclamation -declared, that the French republic renounced all conquests, -they gave orders for the incorporation of Savoy; -and the conduct of the Republic uniformly contradicted -the principles of the National Assembly, both in respect -to the states which they occupied, and to their allies. -If at that time we had enjoyed a well-regulated liberty -of the press, Spain would not have been ignorant of -what was the political situation of France, when she -concluded the infamous peace of Basle. Spain then -abandoned itself with blind subserviency to all the successive -Governments of France; and from the convention -to the empire, we followed all the vicissitudes of their -revolution, always in the closest alliance, till we saw our -strong places taken, and the armies of the perfidious -invader in the heart of Spain. Till that moment it was -not lawful for any one to speak of the French Government -with less submission than of our own, and not to -admire Buonaparte was one of the greatest crimes. In -those miserable days the seeds were sown, and we are -now reaping the bitter fruits. Look round the world! -England is the only nation which we shall find free -from these horrors; the energy of her Government has -done much, but the liberty of the press has done more. -By that means, wise and virtuous men were able to -diffuse the antidote faster than the French could administer -the poison, and the information which the people -enjoyed made them see the danger, and taught them -how to avoid it.”</p> - -<p>Brigadier Gonzalez affirmed, that whoever opposed -the freedom of the press was a bad Spaniard. This -occasioned a warm reply, and one of those altercations<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">98</span> -followed, which the Cortes was not then so well regulated -as to prevent or to cut short. A priest terminated -it, by saying, that their first duty was to defend -the Catholic, Apostolic, Roman religion, and whatever -was contrary to that religion was bad. Then, citing -the canons to prove that no work ought to be published -without the license of a council, or of a bishop, he inferred -that the liberty of the press was contrary to religion. -The conclusion was perfectly legitimate, but it was -met by an answer not less curious than the argument. -“No person,” said Mexia, “will deny that Christianity -has existed from the beginning of the world; for though -our Saviour was not yet come, those moral precepts, -which are the basis of his religion, and which were -given by Moses, were written in the heart of man. In -like manner, the liberty of the press has existed from the -time of Adam; for printing is a mode of writing, and the -liberty of doing it is the same, whether it be upon the -leaf of a tree, or in wax, or upon paper; and this liberty -all men have possessed. The art of printing, therefore, -where the liberty of the press was restrained, was an -injury to man, inasmuch as it deprived him of this -primitive liberty.”</p> - -<p>There was, however, a great number of members who -were by no means prepared to change the opinions in -which they had been bred up; and they listened with -deep attention to those speakers who maintained that it -was both for the interest of the writer and the public, -that books should be subjected rather to a previous -censure, than to an after responsibility. The result -was not less characteristic than the long and animated -discussions which preceded it. After declaring that all -persons were at liberty to publish their sentiments without -any license, the Cortes unanimously admitted an -amendment which, by inserting the word political, curtailed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">99</span> -this liberty of half its extent: and all writings -upon religious matters were left subject to the previous -censure of the ecclesiastic authorities, according to the -decree of the Council of Trent. Anonymous publication -was allowed, but the printer was to put his name and -place of abode; and if, in case of an offence against the -laws, he did not make known the author, he was to incur -the punishment himself. For the purpose of securing -the freedom of the press, and providing against its -abuse, the Cortes was to appoint a supreme board of -censure, composed of nine individuals, who were to -reside near the Government; and a similar board of five -members in every provincial capital; three of the nine, -and two of the five, being secular clergy. The business -of the provincial boards was to examine such works as -were denounced; and upon their sentence the judges -were to suppress the book, and call in the copies which -might have been sold; but their sentence was not definitive. -The author or printer might demand a copy of -the censure, and lay it before the supreme board: the -supreme board might require them to revise their sentence; -but their second opinion was to be final. If the -book were suppressed, as a private libel, the individual -aggrieved had still his remedy at law against the libeller. -Some appeal was allowed against the decision of the -ordinary. He was not to refuse his license without assigning -the ground of refusal, and hearing what the -author, editor, or printer could allege in behalf of the -work. If he then persisted in his refusal, the person interested -might lay his censure before the supreme board, -and refer the book to their judgment; if they found it -worthy of approbation, their opinion was to be communicated -to the ordinary, that he, being better informed -upon the matter, might grant the license if he thought -good, in order to prevent any farther appeal; but what<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">100</span> -that was to be was not stated. This was not the only -point which, by a sort of compromise, was left doubtful -in the decree. The article which empowered the supreme -board to reverse the sentence of the provincial -ones, declared, as it was originally worded, that upon -their approbation the book should freely circulate, and -that no tribunal should impede it. Some members -upon this required that a proviso should be inserted, -declaring this was not intended to intrench upon the -authority of the Inquisition. To avoid such a recognition -of that baleful power, Luxan proposed that the -latter part of the sentence should be omitted, and this -was carried by a majority of two votes. It was a victory -for the liberal party to leave the question undecided. -As soon as the discussion was concluded, a deputy -moved that special and honourable mention of the Inquisition -should be made in the decree; but the president -prevented any debates upon this inflammatory subject -by replying, that it might be taken into consideration at -some future time.</p> - -<p>Thus having admitted that public opinion was the -proper and indispensable check upon the proceedings -of Government, the Cortes instituted a board nominated -by Government to be a check upon public opinion, -which, if the measure had not been merely nugatory, -would have virtually destroyed the freedom it pretended -to establish. But they were dealing with no easy subject. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>State of the press.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -The press, like other prisoners, had -broken loose when the old system was overthrown. -It had effected the momentous service of -rousing the nation, and it continued to keep up the -spirit which it had excited; but as for exercising any -salutary restraint upon the proceedings of the Government, -this was of all things what the public writers -were least competent to do, and the men in power least<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">101</span> -likely to tolerate. The danger was, that the press -might now, at the same time, inflame and misdirect the -public mind; a work for which eager volunteers are -never wanting in such times. The Spaniards had -taken arms to defend their institutions, to which with all -their enormous abuses the people were devoutly attached. -The best and wisest men wished to reform -those abuses. Such men were few, and aiming only at -what was lawful and just, they scrupled at any evil -means for bringing it about. The party who were for -destroying root and branch had no such principle to impede -them. Despotism had made them republicans, and -an abominable superstition had driven them into unbelief. -They also were few, but they were more numerous -than men whose opinions rested upon a safer ground; -they were bold and they were indefatigable, acting like -some of the early propagandists and victims of the -French revolution, in the enthusiastic belief that nothing -but good could result from the subversion of corrupted -establishments. Even in the Cortes there were -some who looked to the most dreadful stage of that -revolution rather as an example than a warning. One -member wished for what he called a Christian Robespierre -to save the country; another, for <i>un pequeño -Robespierre</i>, one who would carry on a system of terror - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Diario de las Cortes, T. 2. 441. T. 4. 371.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -with a little more moderation than had been used -in France; caustics they said were called for; -matters must be carried on with energy and -with blood, or the country was lost; heads must be -stricken off, and that speedily; it was necessary to shed -more Spanish blood than French. When such language -was uttered in the Cortes, and circulated in the diaries -of that assembly, it was, indeed, most necessary that -efficient measures should be taken for restraining the -license of the press. A journal was published under the</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">102</span> - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>El Robespierre Español.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -title of “The Spanish Robespierre,” breathing the same -spirit as these speeches. One of its numbers -was suppressed: the fanatical author exclaimed -against this as an outrage upon the sacred, -the divine, the omnipotent liberty of the press. “I -swear,” said he, “upon the altar of the country, no one -is more a Spaniard than I. I more than any one abhor -despotism and its vile satellites. I alone am sufficient -to overthrow them, and reduce that infernal monster to -nothing. My soul is more untamable than the planets, -more elevated than the firmament itself, more great than -the whole universe.” Even such ravings were not to be -overlooked when, in the same number, it was asserted, -that the minister who had suppressed his former paper -had conspired against the liberty of the nation; that, -therefore, he was guilty of treason, and consequently -ought to be publicly hanged without the least delay. -Yet the necessity of reform, ... of a change in the spirit -of the Spanish Government, which under all its changes -of form had remained the same, was shown in the treatment -of this revolutionist. He was cast into prison, and -left there, it was said in the Cortes, till he was half -rotten, waiting indefinitely for the decision of his case, -which they who prosecuted him were never likely to -think of more!</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Debates concerning Ferdinand.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>At the motion of Perez de Castro, the Cortes voted a -monument as a mark of gratitude to George III. -and the British nation. They declared, at the -same time, that the Spaniards would never lay -down their arms till they had secured their independence, -with the absolute integrity of their monarchy in both -worlds, and till they had recovered their king. But -though the restoration of Ferdinand was thus spoken of -in this decree, there were many who perceived the evils -with which his return was likely to be attended. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">103</span> -most cautious reformers, however loyal, knew but too -well that his presence might prove a serious impediment -to any reformation; the more theoretical ones could hope -to effect their schemes only in his absence; and at this -time it seemed probable that he might soon return, under -circumstances which all true Spaniards, however widely -differing upon other points, regarded with equal apprehension. -The accounts which had been officially published -in France of Kolli’s adventure represented Ferdinand -as still soliciting to be adopted by marriage into -the family of the tyrant who had betrayed him. The -Spanish Government, with the timid impolicy which -continued to characterize it in such things, had not permitted -the statement to appear in the Spanish newspapers; -the substance of it, nevertheless, was well known -at Cadiz, and many things tended to accredit it. For it -was well understood, that the Intruder was weary of his -miserable position, that Buonaparte was not less weary -of supporting him there, and that the French generals -were disgusted with the odious service in which they -were employed. They were said to have reported everywhere -that Ferdinand, with Buonaparte’s consent, had -contracted the desired marriage (according to one -account, it was with an Austrian archduchess), and that -Buonaparte in consequence would replace him on the -throne. There was intelligence from Madrid that a -Spanish army of 30,000 men was about to be raised for -him. The scheme was politic enough in all its parts to -be deemed probable: it would have the cordial approbation -of the Intruder’s adherents; and all who regarded -only their own selfish views, all who desponded, all who -were impatient under privations and sufferings, all who -desired repose, might be expected to concur in it. The -youth, the inexperience, the defective education, the -alleged simplicity of Ferdinand’s character, were to be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">104</span> -borne in mind: as through these he had formerly been -entrapped, so might he now be made the instrument of -Buonaparte, who would thus seek to obtain by intrigue -what he was unable to win by force. Against this it -was necessary to be prepared. Long and animated discussions -were held upon this matter. It was moved, -that if Ferdinand should cede any portion of the Spanish -dominions to France, all persons obeying his orders to -that effect should be declared traitors: that any marriage -which he might contract under these circumstances should -be declared null, (a proposition against which some of -the ecclesiastics in the Cortes exclaimed as contrary to -the principles of sound theology): that if he entered -Spain as Buonaparte’s ally, he must be rejected, and -war carried on against him under the black flag. Now -was the time to engrave with the point of the sword -upon their hearts that holy Catholic religion in which -they must establish their trust! To the petition in the -Litany which prayed for deliverance from the deceits of -the Devil, they should add, from the deceits of the -French also. Rather than thus be deceived and debased, -it were better that whole Spain should be made what -Numantia and Saguntum had been: then might the -Spaniards look down from heaven, and see whether -these impious invaders would be bold enough to walk -tranquilly through the silent abodes of their tremendous<a id="FNanchor_15" href="#Footnote_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> -ghosts!</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Decree concerning Ferdinand.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The Cortes faithfully represented the nation in their feelings -on this subject; and accordingly they issued -a decree, declaring null and of no effect all treaties -or transactions of any kind which Ferdinand -should authorize while he remained in duresse, whether in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">105</span> -the enemy’s country or in Spain, so long as he was under -the direct or indirect influence of the Usurper. The nation, -it was proclaimed, would never consider him free, -nor render him obedience, till they should see him in the -midst of his true subjects, and in the bosom of the national -congress: nor would they lay down their arms, -nor listen to any proposal for an accommodation of any -kind, till Spain had been completely evacuated by the -troops which had so unjustly invaded it. At the time -when this brave decree was passed, the condition of -Spain appeared hopeless to those persons by whom moral -causes are overlooked, and from whose philosophy all -consideration of Providence is dismissed. Fortress -after fortress had fallen; army after army had been destroyed, -till the Spaniards had no longer anything in the -field which could even pretend to the name, except the -force under Romana with Lord Wellington. The enemy -surrounded the bay of Cadiz, and were masters of -the adjacent country, wherever they could cover it -with their troops, or scour it with their cavalry. Yet -in the sight of these enemies, from the neck of land -which they thus beleaguered, the Cortes legislated for -Spain; and its proceedings, though the Intruder and his -unhappy adherents affected to despise them, were regarded -with the deepest anxiety throughout the Peninsula, -and wherever the Spanish language extends. There -is no other example in history of so singular a position. -During the three years which had elapsed since the -commencement of the struggle, Buonaparte had not only -increased his power, but seemed also to have consolidated -and established it; while Spain had endured all -the evils of revolution without acquiring a revolutionary -strength; and, what appeared more surprising, none of -those commanding spirits which revolutions usually -bring forth had arisen there. Enlightened Spaniards<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">106</span> -had with one consent called for the Cortes, as the surest -remedy for their country; and in England they who were -most friendly to the Spaniards, and they who were least -so, had agreed in the propriety of convoking it. Long -as the Cortes had been suspended, it was still a venerable -name; and its restoration gladdened the hearts of the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Character of the Cortes.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -people. A fairer representation could not have -been obtained if the whole kingdom had been -free, nor a greater proportion of able men; the -circumstances, also, in which they were placed, increased -their claims to respect among a people by whom poverty -has never been despised. Many of the members, having -lost their whole property in the general wreck, were -dependent upon friendship even for their food. For -although a stipend was appointed, some of those provinces -which were occupied by the enemy could find no -means of paying it; and no provision for remedying this -default had been yet devised. They who had professions -could not support themselves by practising, because -the business of the Cortes engrossed their whole -attention. The self-denying ordinance, which they had -passed, excluded them from offices of emolument; and -there were deputies who sometimes had not wherewith -to buy oil for a lamp to give them light. Under these -circumstances they respected themselves, and were respected -by the nation according to the true standard of -their worth.</p> - -<p>But as the Cortes faithfully represented the characteristic -virtues of the nation, they represented with -equal fidelity its defects. The majority were scarcely -less bigoted than the most illiterate of their countrymen; -and they prided themselves upon having made the -assembly swear to preserve the Romish as the exclusive -religion of Spain: this, they said, was one of the things -which reflected most lustre upon the Cortes. Their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">107</span> -opponents, who designated themselves as the Liberal -party, assented to what they could neither with prudence -nor safety have opposed; and they swore, accordingly, -to maintain in its domination and intolerance a -corrupt religion which they despised and hated. Disbelief -is too weak a word for expressing the feelings of a -generous Spaniard toward the superstition which has -eaten like a cancer into the bosom of his country. And -most unhappily for themselves and Spain, the men -whose heart and understanding revolted against intolerance -and imposture were themselves infected with the -counterpoison of French philosophy, and their best purposes -were too often sophisticated with the frothy notions -of that superficial school. This party, though far inferior -in numbers, took the lead, with the activity and zeal -of men who had embraced new opinions, and were -labouring to promote them. Though fatally erroneous -in what is of most importance, they acted in many cases -with a quick and ardent perception of what is just; and -not unfrequently they were right in the general principle, -even when they were wrong in its application. -Through their exertions, measures were carried, as far as -votes of the Cortes could effect them, which, if they had -been effectual, would have conferred lasting benefit upon -the people. But in many of these reforms they proceeded -rashly, neither sufficiently regarding the rights of -individuals, nor the opinions and habits of the nation; -and in what was most required at such a crisis both parties -were alike deficient. Instead of infusing into the -Government that energy which had been expected, the -Cortes weakened and embarrassed the executive by -perpetually intermeddling with it; so that, under their -control, the Regency which they had appointed became -more inefficient than the central Junta. And instead of -making the deliverance of the country their paramount<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">108</span> -object, they busied themselves in framing a constitution; -a work, which, if it had been more needful, might well -have been deferred till a more convenient season. Great -part of their sittings was consumed in metaphysical -discussions, arising out of the scheme of the constitution; -and the doctrine of the sovereignty of the people -was asserted in a temper which plainly manifested how -surely that sovereignty, if it were once erected, would -become unendurably tyrannical. Day after day these -abstractions were debated, while the enemy was besieging -Cadiz. Meantime no measures were adopted for -bringing the army into a better state; and the mournful -truth became apparent even to those who most reluctantly -acknowledged it. But if it be difficult to form an -effective army where there are none who have studied -the principles and profited by the practice of war, it is -yet more difficult to make legislators of men whose -minds are ill disciplined, even when well stored.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">109</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXXV">CHAPTER XXXV.<br /> - -<span class="subhead">AFFAIRS OF PORTUGAL. ROMANA’S DEATH. BADAJOZ TAKEN BY THE -FRENCH. MASSENA’S RETREAT.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1810.</span><br />Expectations of the French.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p class="in0"><span class="firstword">Early</span> in November, the besiegers before Cadiz fired a -salute in honour of Massena’s triumphant entrance -into Lisbon. Such demonstrations could -not deceive the inhabitants of the Isle of Leon; -but might serve to depress the Spaniards, who had no -such means of information; and also to encourage the -French themselves, whose confidence in their fortune -had by this time received some abatement, and whose -hopes of bringing the contest to an end rested chiefly -now upon the success of the campaign in Portugal. -Massena had undertaken the conquest of that kingdom -in full expectation of outnumbering<a id="FNanchor_16" href="#Footnote_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> any disciplined -force which could be opposed to him, and still more -certainly of outmanœuvring it; for the French Government -well knew with what misplaced parsimony the -military plans of the English were calculated; and -they had neither reckoned upon the skill of the British -general, nor the resolution of the British ministry, nor -the spirit and exertions of the Portugueze people. He -had been confirmed in this expectance by the cautious<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">110</span> -system which Lord Wellington had, through that parsimony, -been compelled to observe during the siege of -Ciudad Rodrigo: and though it was by an accident of -war that Almeida had fallen into his hands, the speedy -reduction of a place so important at that juncture increased -the habitual confidence of one who had been -accustomed to hear himself called the Child of Victory. -That presumption had received a lesson at Busaco, and -a check for which he was equally unprepared at the -lines of Torres Vedras. Could Lord Wellington have -spared a sufficient force to have occupied Santarem, as -well as Abrantes; or had the orders of the Portugueze -Regency for removing all provisions, been carried into -full effect in that part of the country, he must soon have -been compelled to retreat. The wonder, however, is -that so much devoted obedience was found to a measure, -as dreadful in its immediate consequences to the -persons upon whom it fell, as it was indispensable for -the deliverance of the country. But being allowed to -take a position which was not to be forced without a -greater expense of life than his antagonist could afford; -having found the means of present subsistence, and -possessing also that impassibility, ... that utter recklessness -of the sufferings which he inflicted, ... that perfect -destitution of humanity, ... which one of his fellow-marshals - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>See <span class="extlink">vol. ii</span>.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -had said was necessary for a commander -in this atrocious war, he was enabled to wait for -assistance, and for the chance of events.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Gardanne enters Portugal, and marches back again.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>He had sent General Foy to give Buonaparte the -fullest account of his situation; and to supply -his wants till farther orders or effectual reinforcements -should be received, he ordered -General Gardanne, who commanded on the -Agueda, to escort a convoy of ammunition. Strong -reconnoitring parties were sent out frequently, both on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">111</span> -the Coimbra and Castello Branco roads, in the hope of -meeting him; and one of these parties had at length the -mortification to ascertain that he had been within three -leagues of their advanced posts on the Zezere, and had -then turned back, a peasant having deceived him, by -declaring that the whole French army had withdrawn. -Whether the man acted thus upon the impulse of the -moment, or had been sent from Abrantes upon this -hazardous service, he succeeded in alarming men who, -from the want of other tidings, were prepared to believe -the worst. Gardanne’s corps consisted of 3000 men; -but they were so dispirited in their retreat, that when -Colonel Grant, with a handful of the Ordenanza, fired -upon them at Cardigos, they abandoned their convoy: -nor did this active officer desist from the pursuit, till -they had lost all their baggage and several hundred -men; thus reaching the frontier in a manner which had -every appearance, and all the consequences, of a precipitate -and forced retreat. The Comte d’Erlon, General -Drouet, who commanded the 9th corps, had meantime -arrived there; and he determined to enter Portugal, and -open a communication with Massena. Advancing, therefore, -with 10,000 men, he left some 8000 under General -Claparede, at Guarda, to drive away the Portugueze -force in his rear.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Drouet enters with 10,000 men.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Silveira commanded the force in that quarter: the -other divisions, under Brigadier-General Miller, -Colonels Wilson and Trant, shut in the line of -the Mondego to the confluence of the Alva. -Trant was in Coimbra, which he had recovered by a -movement as important in its effects upon the campaign, -as it was promptly conceived and ably executed. Wilson -had occupied the road from Ponte de Murcella to -Thomar, establishing himself at Cabaços; but when the -French had occupied Thomar, they attacked him twice<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">112</span> -from thence, and at length compelled him to fall back -upon Espinhal. This was precisely in the line of -Drouet’s march; and he was thus placed between two -fires, the enemy who had driven him from Cabaços -being now strongly posted there. He therefore collected -boats at Pena Cova, and crossed the Mondego, -timing this movement so critically, that the next day, -when the enemy had passed the Alva at Ponte de Murcella, -and occupied Foz d’Arouce and the neighbouring - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Dec. 25.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -villages, he re-crossed with a regiment -of militia and some cavalry at the same place, took post -the same evening at St. Andre, and captured some of -their marauders there in the act of pillage; being then -so near the invading force, that several of their stragglers -came dropping in during the night, thinking their -comrades were in possession of the place, and did not -discover their mistake till they were captured. Early -on the morrow he moved on Foz d’Arouce; Drouet’s -rear-guard had just quitted it; the village had been -sacked, and several of its inhabitants of both sexes were -lying dead in the streets, victims of those outrages and -cruelties which invariably marked the movements of the -French in Portugal. Wilson hung upon their flank and -rear; and, cutting off their stragglers and marauding -parties, which was all that could be done with so small -a force, made about an hundred prisoners. Trant also -marched from Coimbra with part of the garrison, in the -direction of Miranda de Corvo, to harass the enemy, if -he should take the Condeixa road; but Drouet, having -communicated with the party at Cabaços, who expected -his advance, halted at Espinhal, till he received instructions -from Massena to proceed with his corps and establish -himself at Leyria. Wilson then collected his -division, and closed upon his rear, for the purpose of -impeding him in that marauding system upon which the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">113</span> -whole army depended for subsistence. Their detached -parties were then brought in daily contact; a sort of -warfare in which the Portuguese were fully equal to -their invaders, and in which they had always the great -advantage of sure intelligence.</p> - -<p>Claparede meantime had moved in the direction of -Lamego. Silveira, giving him the opportunity which -he sought, attacked his advanced guard at Ponte -d’Abbade, and was repulsed: having thus exposed the -comparative weakness of his force and his own - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Rash operations of Silveira.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -want of skill, he was in his turn attacked at -Villar de Ponte, and made a precipitate retreat -upon Lamego: the enemy pursued him closely; and the -Portuguese, with an honourable feeling, when they evacuated -the city, carried with them 140 soldiers from the -hospital, on their backs; for they had no other means of -transport. Silveira then crossed the Douro. Lamego -was thus left to the invaders’ mercy, and Upper Beira -open to their inroads. In consequence of this rashness -on Silveira’s part, Miller and Wilson were ordered -toward the Doura by General Bacellar. Silveira, however, -had retreated with such precipitation, that neither -time nor opportunity was afforded for co-operating with -him; but Bacellar took a position on the Payva, on the -enemy’s left flank, and Wilson at Castrodayre, on their -rear. Claparede would willingly have pursued Silveira -beyond the Doura, that he might obtain the resources of -a province which had not been exhausted; but these -divisions were closing upon him, and menacing his communication -with Almeida. He returned, therefore, to -his position at Guarda.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Conduct of Drouet’s corps.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>But the country which Wilson had previously occupied -and protected was thus left open to Drouet’s -marauding parties; and no sooner was his removal -ascertained, than they were let loose, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">114</span> -carried desolation along the banks of the Alva and to -the very heart of the Estella. No part of the country -suffered at this time more dreadfully than that which -was exposed to this corps: it was in vain that the miserable -inhabitants sought to conceal themselves in the -depths of the great pine forest which extends over so -large a portion of that sandy region; no recesses escaped -the search of men who were impelled by hunger, by -cruelty which seemed to have become in them a craving -and insatiable desire, and by a brutal appetite which -rendered them even more dreadful and more devilish -than their thirst for blood. The number of inhabitants -who perished in the diocese of Leyria (one of the smallest -in the kingdom) during the four months that the -French retained possession there, was ascertained by -official inquiries to be not less than 20,000: and a -great proportion of these were butchered in the <i>Pinhal</i>, -or died there of famine, and disease, and wretchedness.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1811.</span><br />The French army left to subsist upon the country.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>If Buonaparte had been in all other respects the hero, -the philanthropist, and the philosopher, which -he is represented to be by men whose understandings -seem to be as impenetrable as their -hearts, the history of this single campaign would nevertheless -stamp his character with indelible infamy. -Expecting, what indeed the event proved, that Lord -Wellington had not a force with which to act offensively -against Massena in the field, he calculated upon the -resources of Lisbon, and made no arrangement for supplying -the invading troops with provisions in case of -any unexpected obstacle to their immediate and complete -success. They were left as in Spain, to support -themselves how they could; and in the cruelties which -such a system inevitably occasioned, the evils of war received -their only possible aggravation. After the battle -of Busaco this army subsisted entirely upon what it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">115</span> -could obtain by plunder. Throughout Portugal the -peasantry employ oxen for draught; these fell into the -enemy’s hands, wherever the orders of the Regency had -not been obeyed; and though those orders had met with -an obedience unexampled in its extent, from a devoted -people, yet there were many who, in hope that the -danger might be averted, delayed parting with what it -was ruin for them to lose; and thus the French obtained -a supply of cattle, which, though it would have been inconsiderable -for a British army, was not so for men in -whose way of preparing food nothing is wasted. But -the supply was not large; because kine are nowhere -numerous in that country, where there is little or no use -made of their milk, and little demand for their meat; -and it was not lasting, because want of bread occasioned -a consumption of animal food unusual among the French; -for wherever they went they found the ovens and the -mills destroyed. They bruised the corn and then boiled -it, and they roasted the maize, till with that alacrity and -cleverness which characterise the whole nation, they had -repaired the demolished mills, and in places where there -were none, constructed some of their own devising, -turned by an ass at the end of a lever, or by force of -arm. The hand-mills which soon afterwards made part -of their regimental equipments were an invention of -Marmont’s, suggested probably by the inconveniences -which Massena suffered at this time. If the ingenuity -with which they thus remedied one of their wants is -characteristic, the circumstance is not less so that finding -no other fit material for mill-stones they resorted to the -churches, and took for that purpose the slabs with which -the graves were covered, or the vaults closed!</p> - -<p>At first, something like discipline was observed in the -marauding parties, and regular detachments with their -respective officers were sent on this degrading service;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">116</span> -but it was found that these detachments brought home -little or nothing, while they who went forth without -orders and purveyed for themselves, returned driving -before them beasts well laden with the provisions they -had discovered; they were soon left, therefore, to take -their course, without the slightest attempt on the part of -the generals at regulation or restraint; and a system was -thus tolerated, ... not to say encouraged, ... in which it is -even more dreadful to reflect upon the depravity on one -side, than the unspeakable miseries which were endured -on the other. French writers who were themselves engaged -in this accursed expedition have told us that the -whole army had at times no other food than what was -obtained from hiding-places which the Portuguese who -fell into their hands had been made by torture to discover; -and that acts of this kind were as ordinary a -topic of conversation among the soldiers as any other incidents -of their campaign! In excuse for this, they observe, -and truly, that the army must otherwise have -perished, ... that they were like starving sailors, when as -the only means of prolonging their own lives they kill -and eat their comrades, in extremity of hunger. In -proportion as this apology, if such it may be called, be -valid, is the guilt of that tyrant by whose deliberate -orders the army was detained in such a situation; and -inferior only to his guilt is that of the commander by -whom such orders were obeyed. Life is what every -soldier must hold himself ready to lay down whenever -his military duty should require the sacrifice; but woe -to that soldier who acts as if life were all that he had to -lose!</p> - -<p>The same writers, who by the plea of necessity excuse -a system so atrocious that even that plea cannot be admitted -without doubt as well as shuddering, tell us also -of supererogatory crimes committed by this army for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">117</span> -which no motive but that of fiendish wickedness is -assignable, no palliation possible. When a family was -hunted out among the rocks, woods, or mountains by -these hell-hounds, happy were the men who did not -endure torments, the women who did not suffer violation, -before they were murdered. The French officers, -when any of them were made prisoners, endeavoured -always to reject the opprobrium of these flagitious and -undeniable deeds upon the Italians and Germans in their -army: but let us be just to human nature, which has -neither made the Italians and Germans more depraved -than the French, nor the French than the English. The -Italians, indeed, having grown up in a country where -great crimes are notoriously committed with impunity, -may have been accustomed to regard such crimes with -less repugnance than either the Germans or the French. -But French discipline had made all in its armies of -whatever stock good soldiers: the first thing needful for -moral improvement is to bring men under obedience, -which is the root of civil virtue: military discipline had -done this; had moral discipline been connected with it -as it might and ought to have been, they who were made -good soldiers, if they had not by the same process been -made good men, would have been withheld from any -open wickedness. But this was systematically disregarded -in Buonaparte’s armies; the more thoroughly -his servants had corrupted their feelings and hardened -their hearts, the better were they fitted for the work in -which they were to be employed. Under like circumstances, -British soldiers might have been equally wicked; -but no British Government has ever been so iniquitous -as to place its soldiers in such circumstances. The only -offence deemed worthy of punishment in Massena’s army -was insubordination towards a superior. A wretch -might sometimes be apprehended in an act of atrocity<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">118</span> -so flagrant that it was not possible to let him escape; -but there was no attempt to prevent such horrors, not -even when there was the wish: they were known and -suffered, ... by better minds in despair, by others with -unconcern. In such an army, the soldiers who brought -young and handsome women to the camp, as part of -their booty, were considered as humane; and humane -by comparison they were, though these women, ... whatever -their former condition had been, ... were played for -as a stake at cards, were bartered for provisions or -horses, and were put up publicly to sale! It is related, -that such women as survived the first horrors of their -situation became reconciled to it, because of the terror -in which they had previously lived, and because their -lives were now secure; that they attached themselves to -those who became, as it is called, their protectors; and -that it was no uncommon thing for a woman to pass -from one such protector to another, rising a step at -every exchange, till she became at last the mistress of a -general!</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Skill of the marauders.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The skill which some of these marauders acquired in -their search for food, resembled the sagacity -with which savages track their prey. That -they should detect with unerring certainty any place of -concealment in a dwelling or an out-house, might have -been expected from the habits of plunder which they -had been indulged in in former campaigns; but when -they were questing in woods, or among rocks, or in the -open country, a new sense seemed to be developed in -them. There were men in every company who could -discover a depôt of provisions by scent far off. Such -resources, however, could ill suffice for such an army; -and the reinforcements which they received bringing -with them no supplies, added as much to their difficulties -as to their strength. Wine, which was found<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">119</span> -in abundance at first, was lavishly consumed while it -lasted. Bread failed entirely; and in many corps the -rations of maize were reduced first to a half, then to a -third. A third of the whole army was at last employed -in thus purveying from a wasted country, and their comrades -are described as stationing videttes to watch for -their coming, and communicate by signals the joyful intelligence -if they came with supplies; for little now was -brought back by the most successful marauders, and -sometimes the whole produce of such an excursion was -consumed before they returned to their quarters. They -had found when they entered the kingdom whole towns -and villages deserted at their approach; more appalling -spectacles were presented now in the recesses to which -they penetrated; whole families were seen there lying -dead; or in a state worse than death: and those who -were not suffering from famine or disease seemed to be -bewildered in mind as well as rendered wild in appearance, -by perpetual terror and exposure.</p> - -<p>The helpless and the most devoted were they who -suffered thus, ... old men, women, and children; and -they who remaining to protect wives, children, sisters, -and parents, or to perish with them, forewent for the -performance of that duty the pursuit of vengeance. -Meantime, the greater part of the effective population -were actively employed. Everywhere in the rear of the -enemy parties of the militia and ordenanza were on the -alert: and when General Foy, returning from Paris, -entered Portugal with an escort of 3000 men to rejoin -the invading army, Lieutenant-Colonel Grant, with -eighty of the ordenanza, took possession of a height -which commanded a pass near the village of Enxabarda, -and kept up a fire upon them for two hours, as long as -daylight served. Above 200 of their dead were counted -within the distance of four leagues, the inclemency of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">120</span> -the weather having killed many of the wounded. The -invaders were not prepared to encounter such severe -cold as is sometimes felt among these mountains. About -three hundred men of Drouet’s corps were frozen to - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Feldzug von Portugal, p. 66.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -death during a night march between Castello -Branco and Thomar. There was a peasant -belonging to the latter district of great bodily -strength, and answerable hardihood, who, being deprived -of his former peaceful occupations, took up in its stead -that of destroying Frenchmen, that he might live by -spoiling them as they did by spoiling others; this man -is said to have killed more than thirty of the enemy, -during the month of February, with his own hand, and -to have recovered from them about fifty horses and -mules, which, with other booty, he carried to Abrantes -for sale. He continued to carry on this single-handed -war as long as they remained in the country; and became -so well known by his exploits that the French set -a large price upon his head; but he was in no danger of -being betrayed by his countrymen, and too wary to be -entrapped. A cave in the mountains was his usual -abode. Some of the wretched inhabitants from the adjacent -parts took refuge near him, and felt themselves -comparatively secure under his protection.</p> - -<p>Small parties from Abrantes cut off some 300 of the -enemy during the two first months of the year. In one -of these desultory affairs, which were all that occurred, -while the two armies were waiting anxiously, each with -its own views, Captain Fenwick, a most enterprising -young officer, who commanded at Obidos, and had been -engaged more than twenty times with the French foraging -parties, received a mortal wound near Alcobaça: he -was pursuing with some Portugueze recruits a party of -fourscore French, when one of them, as he was within a -few yards, turned round and shot him through the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">121</span> -body. He had so won the confidence and good will of -the peasantry, many of whom he had armed with -French musquets, that they not only brought him the -best information, but were ready under his command to -face any danger. No man could have been more regretted -for the excellent military qualities which he had -displayed, and the expectations which were formed of -him. The only other affair deserving of notice occurred -at Rio Mayor. General Junot made a reconnoisance -thither from Alcanhede in considerable force, having -learned that there were stores of wine and corn in the -town. The piquet which was stationed there retired. -Junot rashly galloped into the town, and a soldier of the -German hussars waited for him and brought him down. -But though this robber left some of his blood upon that -earth which had long been crying for it, the wound was -not fatal, the ball having lodged between the nose and -the cheek bone. A box of topazes which he designed as -a present for Marie Louise, was intercepted by a party of -the Spanish army in Extremadura, who with rare -disinterestedness, foregoing all right to the prize, delivered -it to the government. There were seventy-three -stones, valued at 3250 dollars: as it was not possible in -such times to discover from what churches or what family -they had been plundered, the Spanish government disposed -of them by raffle, and appropriated the produce to -the relief of faithful Spaniards in the province of Burgos -and La Mancha.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Massena perseveres in remaining, against Ney’s advice.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Had Ney’s advice been followed, the French, as soon -as they had ascertained that it was hopeless to -attack the lines of Torres Vedras, would have -retreated immediately to the frontier. Well -had it been for the credit of that army, and well -for humanity, if this counsel had been taken. But he -and Massena were upon ill terms; Massena, by his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">122</span> -defence of Genoa, had acquired a character for endurance -which was supposed to influence him at this time and -Buonaparte, in whose calculations human sufferings -were never regarded, undoubtedly expected that there -would be a change of ministry in England, and that the -first measure of the Whigs when in power would be to -withdraw the army from Portugal and leave Lisbon open -to him. That party deceived him by their hopes as -much as they deceived themselves; and they in return -were duped by the falsehoods which the French Government -published for the purpose of deluding the French -people. The only statements which were allowed to be -made public in France admitted, indeed, that the English -force, and still more the nature of the ground, rendered -the lines of Torres Vedras a strong position; but they -affirmed that within those lines there was so severe a -famine, that people lay dead and dying in the streets of -Lisbon, while the French in their quarters were abundantly -supplied. But at this very time it was felt by -the invading army as no slight aggravation of their -sufferings, that while they were in want of every thing, -there was plenty beyond that near demarcation which -they were unable to force, with all their courage and -their excellent skill in war. Throughout the tract -which they occupied, the towns of Torres Novas and -Thomar were the only places where the inhabitants had -generally remained in their houses; but now, when they -who had erroneously chosen this as the least of two evils -found that the food was taken from them and their - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>State of the people within the lines.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -children, they began to retire within the British -lines, ... almost in a starving state. Lisbon, notwithstanding -the great military force which it -then had to support, and though 200,000 fugitives had -taken shelter there, was constantly and plentifully supplied; -and the distress for food which was felt there,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">123</span> -arose only from want of means wherewith to purchase -what was in the market. This was relieved by the Government -and by the religious houses, who in feeding -the poor at this time rendered unequivocal service to the -community. Private charity also was never more nobly -manifested than in this exigency; among the British -officers, a weekly subscription was regularly raised in aid -of the destitute; and it is believed that not less than -80,000 of the persons thus suddenly thrown upon the -mercy of their fellow-creatures were housed, fed, and -clothed at the private cost of those who in their own -circumstances had very materially suffered from the -interruption which the war had occasioned to their trade, -from the pressure of war taxes, and of other requisitions -rendered necessary by the exigencies of a state which -was struggling for existence. There had been more -danger from disease than from dearth, for no sooner had -the army retreated upon the lines than the military -hospitals were filled, and various other public and private -buildings in or near the capital, which were appropriated -to the same use. The hospital stores of every kind had -been consumed, or carried off by Junot’s army, and had -not yet been re-supplied. Recourse was immediately -had to the benevolent feelings of the people, and clothing -and other things needful for the sick were liberally -contributed. But during the time that the armies remained -in their respective positions, the fever in the -hospitals proved more destructive than the sword of the -enemy. Meantime the condition of the Portugueze who -remained without the lines, though within the protection -of the allies, became every day more dreadful; they -were not within reach of that eleemosynary distribution -by which their less miserable countrymen were supported; -any thing which the country could afford was -only to be obtained by rescuing it from the enemy, or by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">124</span> -marauding in those parts which were open to his ravages; -and when the men of the family perished in this -pursuit, or were rendered by over-exertion and disease -incapable of following it, there was no other resource for -the women and children and the men thus rendered -helpless, than the scanty aid which the troops stationed -there could bestow. The British officers at Caldas da -Rainha formed a hospital for these unhappy persons, -anxiety and inanition having produced a fever: in that -little, but then crowded town, the average of burials was -from twenty-five to thirty a day: a trench was dug, and -the dead laid along the side of it, till a Priest came once -a day, and with one funeral service consigned them to -the common grave. Orphaned children were wandering -about with none to care for them, or give them food: and -frightful as the mortality was, it would have been far -greater but for a distribution of soup and maize bread, -made once a day by the British officers.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>False statements in France.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>It was also asserted in France that the discontent of -the Portugueze, under the privations which -their allies compelled them to endure, was at its -height; that Marshal Beresford had ordered -every inhabitant to be shot without process, who did not -abandon his house upon the enemy’s approach; that -Trant and Silveira had been destroyed; and that not a -day passed in which English deserters did not come -over. Germans and Portugueze, it was said, were not -accounted deserters, because they only returned to their -duty in joining the army of Napoleon. Such representations -obtained more credit among factious Englishmen -than in France, and Massena looked with far less hope -to the result of his operation than was expressed by -these despondents. With that confident ignorance which -always characterised their speculations, they gave him -an additional army of more than 20,000 men, which was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">125</span> -to join him under Bessieres, and they called Sebastiani -from Malaga to co-operate in the united attack. “The -whole effort,” said they, “will be directed against Lord -Wellington: the whole force is collecting and marching -to the different points of attack, with the knowledge of -the allies, but without their having any means of warding -off the blow. The battle must be fought at the -time, and in the way we have always foretold: and he -must have firm nerves who can contemplate the probable -issue with composure.” “The crisis in Portugal,” -said another self-constituted director of public -opinion, “may now be expected daily; and then let the -calumniators of Sir John Moore do justice to the memory -of that injured officer, who was goaded to commit -his errors, and then abused for being defeated! He had -not interest enough to have his errors christened exploits, -and his flight victory.” Another demagogue, -after representing that it was England which caused the -calamities of Portugal, and the English, whom the Portugueze -ought to hate and execrate as the authors of -their sufferings, asked triumphantly, “Who is there -mad enough to expect that we shall be able to put the -French out of the Peninsula, either by arms, or by negotiation? -Where is the man, in his senses, who believes, -or will say that he believes, that we shall be able -to accomplish this? Suppose peace were to become the -subject of discussion, does any one believe that Napoleon -would enter into negotiations about Spain and Portugal? -Does any one believe that we must not leave -them to their fate? This is bringing the matter to the -test. And if the reader is persuaded that we should not -be able to stipulate for the independence of the Peninsula, -the question is settled, and the result of the war is in -reality ascertained!”</p> - -<p>An immediate retreat, such as Ney advised, would<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">126</span> -have been attended with a loss of reputation, which if -Massena had been willing to incur, would have been ill - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Schemes of co-operation from the side of Andalusia.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -brooked by Buonaparte. But in the position -which the French had taken, if they could by -any means subsist there, they might look for assistance -from Soult, and so waiting, facilitate his -operations, by occupying the chief attention of the -British army. The Spaniards had nowhere displayed so -little spirit as in Andalusia. The people of Cadiz, contented -with the security for which they were beholden -to their situation, seemed not inclined to make any effort -against their besiegers; Soult, therefore, might spare -a sufficient force for besieging Badajoz. His means for -the siege were ample, and the place must fall unless it -were relieved by an army capable of meeting the besiegers -in the field; but such a force could be drawn -only from the lines of Torres Vedras. If the allies were -thus weakened, their position might be attacked; or -should this still be thought too hazardous, the passage -of the Tagus might probably be effected. This would -put great part of Alemtejo in their power, and open the -communication with Seville and Madrid. If, on the -other hand, Badajoz were suffered to fall without an -attempt at relieving it, the same advantage would follow -from the advance of the victorious army. Masters of -Badajoz, and the other less important fortresses, they -might leave Elvas behind them; and if they could win -the heights opposite Lisbon, they might from thence -bombard the capital and destroy the shipping. With -these views, Massena made preparations for crossing the -Tagus. The British troops which were detached to the -south bank, for the purpose of defeating this intention, -were cantoned in the villages there, and suffered very -much from ague in that low and unwholesome country. -Opposite Santarem the river is sometimes fordable; and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">127</span> -once the enemy took possession of an island, called Ilha -dos Ingleses, whence they carried off a guard of the -ordenanza, and some cattle. The possession of this -islet might have greatly facilitated their passage, but -they were speedily dislodged by a company of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">January.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the 34th, which remained there for that time. -To provide, however, against the possibility of their -effecting this movement, and also against the advance of -a force from the Alentejo frontier, measures had been -taken for fortifying a line from the Tagus opposite -Lisbon to Setubal; orders were issued for clearing and -evacuating the country on their approach; and the inhabitants -(well knowing by Loison’s campaign what -atrocities were to be expected from such invaders) were -required to retire within this line.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Olivença taken by the French.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Soult and Mortier accordingly, as had been foreseen, -advanced from Seville in the latter end of December. -Ballasteros, with his ill-equipped and -ill-disciplined, but indefatigable troops, was -driven out of the field; and Mendizabal, who, with -6000 foot and 2500 Portugueze and Spanish cavalry, -had advanced to Llerena, and forced Girard to retire -from thence, was now himself compelled to fall back -upon Almendralejo and Merida, and finally upon Badajoz, -throwing 3000 men into Olivença, a place which -had been of great importance in the Acclamation and -Succession wars, but which it would at this time have -been more prudent to dismantle than to defend. Taking -immediate advantage of this error, Soult sent Girard -against it with the artillery of the advanced guard. The -trenches were opened on the 12th of January. The commander, -Don Manuel Herk, communicated with Mendizabal -on the 21st, assuring him of his determination and -ability to hold out: but a division of besieging artillery -had arrived; it was planted in battery that night; and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">128</span> -in the morning as soon as it opened, Herk surrendered -at discretion. Mortier then immediately invested Badajoz.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Badajoz invested.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The city of Badajoz, which in the age of Moorish -anarchy was sometimes the capital of a short-lived -kingdom, stands on the left bank of the -Guadiana, near to the spot where it receives the Gevora, -and about a league from the little river Caya, which on -that part of the frontier divides Spain from Portugal. -Its population before the war was estimated at 16,000. -Elvas is in sight, at the distance of twelve miles, standing -on higher ground, and in a healthier as well as -stronger situation; for endemic diseases prevail at certain -seasons in the low grounds upon the Guadiana. -Count La Lippe had made Elvas one of the strongest -fortifications in Europe. Badajoz is a place of the third -order; it has no advantage of natural strength, like its -old rival; but it had been well fortified, and was protected -by two strong forts, S. Christoval on the west, and -Las Pardaleras on the east. The acquisition of this city -was of the utmost importance to the enemy; if Massena -could keep his ground till it fell, a communication would -be opened for him with Andalusia; Mortier’s army -would be enabled to co-operate with him and act against -Abrantes; and against Lisbon itself, unless the Transtagan -lines, which were in progress, should be as formidable -as those of Torres Vedras: and supplies might -then be drawn from Alentejo, the western part of that -province being a rich corn country.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Death of Romana.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Lord Wellington had concerted his plans for the defence -of this important frontier with Romana; -and a position behind the Gevora had been fixed -on for keeping open a communication with Badajoz. -Romana’s army re-crossed the Tagus, and began their -march thither; British troops were to follow, as soon as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">129</span> -the reinforcements should arrive, which westerly winds, -unusually prevalent at that season, had long delayed; - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Jan. 23.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and Romana had named the following day for -his own departure, when he was cut off by -sudden<a id="FNanchor_17" href="#Footnote_17" class="fnanchor">17</a> death, occasioned by ossification about the -heart. Due honours were paid to his remains by the -Portugueze Government, as well as by the British army: -his bowels were buried close to the high altar at Belem, -the burial-place of the Portugueze kings, during the -most splendid age of their history: his heart and body -were sent to his native place, Majorca; and a monument -was voted to him by the Cortes. Castaños was appointed -to succeed him, and sailed from Cadiz for Lisbon -accordingly; but before he could arrive, the consequences -of Romana’s death had been severely felt. -Under the most difficult and hopeless circumstances -that noble Spaniard had still kept his army in the field, -and had repeatedly annoyed the enemy and obstructed -their measures, without ever exposing himself - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Feb. 6.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -to any considerable loss. The troops, therefore, -had full confidence in him; but when Mendizabal -met them at Elvas, and took the command, they had no -such reliance upon their new leader. On the same day -the Portugueze cavalry, under General Madden, drove -the French beyond the Gevora; but being unsupported, -they were driven back with some loss by General Latour -Maubourg, and the whole force then entered, some into -Badajoz, some into Fort Christoval. On the morrow a -sortie was made, with more gallantry than good fortune, -and with the loss of eighty-five officers, and 500 men -killed and wounded: Don Carlos d’España was among -the latter. The courage of the men in this sally was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">130</span> -not more remarkable than the total want of arrangement -in their leaders: when they had won the first battery -they could not disable the guns, because they had forgotten -to take spikes with them! Not discouraged by -this severe loss, the troops came out on the 9th. The -enemy’s cavalry retired before them across the Gevora, -and they took up their intended position on the heights -of S. Christoval, between the Gevora, the Caya, and the -Guadiana. From thence Mendizabal communicated -with Elvas and Campo Mayor, and there he fancied -himself in perfect security. The position, indeed, was -strong, and while it was held, Badajoz could not be -taken. Lord Wellington had advised Romana to occupy -it, but he had advised him to intrench it also, -and the necessity of so doing had been repeatedly - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Destruction of his army.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -represented to Mendizabal in vain. Well understanding -with what an antagonist he had to -deal, Mortier would instantly have attacked him if the -Gevora and Guadiana had not at this time overflowed -their banks. Losing, however, no time in his operations, -he carried Las Pardaleras by assault on the night of the -11th. On the 18th all things were ready for the passage -of the Guadiana, and a few shells from a well-planted -howitzer had the effect of making Mendizabal remove his -whole army out of the protection of the fort. Thus he -abandoned the main advantage of his position, and yet -took no other precaution against an attack than that of -destroying a bridge over the Gevora; but soldiers -seldom fail to know when they are ill commanded, and -Romana’s men now deserted in troops, rather than be -exposed to the certain destruction which they foresaw. -That very night Mortier threw a flying bridge over the -Guadiana, forded the Gevora where it was waist-deep, -and surprised Mendizabal on the heights. The camp -was taken standing, with all the baggage and artillery:<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">131</span> -the cavalry fled, notwithstanding the efforts of their -officers to rally them; 850 men were killed; more than -5000 taken; some escaped into the city; some, with -better fortune, into Elvas; the rest dispersed. The loss -of the French, in killed and wounded, was only 170; so -cheaply was this important success obtained.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Governor of Badajoz killed.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>This was the first consequence of Romana’s death; -far worse were to ensue. Relieved from all inquietude -on that side, Mortier now pressed the -siege; and yet not with that full confidence of -success which the consciousness of his own strength and -adequate preparations might else have given him, because -he knew that the governor, Don Rafael Menacho, -intended to have emulated Zaragoza in the defence -which he should make. This governor was killed -upon the walls by a cannon ball, when the garrison -were making their last sortie to prevent the covered - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Imaz appointed to succeed him.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -way from being crowned. Don José de Imaz -succeeded to the command: he was an officer -of reputation, who had escaped with the troops -from Denmark, had shared their sufferings under Blake, -borne a part in their victory under the Duque del Parque, -and followed their fortunes through evil and good till the -present time.</p> - -<p>In the official accounts of the French it was said that -the English, according to their custom, had remained -tranquil spectators of the destruction of their allies. -They had, indeed, been so in the early part of the campaign, -to the bitter mortification of the army and of the -general, who, by the half measures of his Government, -was placed in this most painful situation. The ill effects -of the Walcheren expedition were felt more in the timid -temporizing policy which ensued, than in the direct loss, -lamentable as that had been; for the ministry having -spent then where they ought to have spared, spared now<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">132</span> -where they ought to have spent. Just views, right -feeling, and public opinion (which in these days is, -whether right or wrong, more powerful with a British -ministry than any or all other considerations) made them -continue the contest; while secret apprehension of ill -success, insensibly produced by the constant language -of their opponents, who spoke with more than oracular -confidence of defeat and total failure as the only possible -event, withheld them from prosecuting it with vigour. -They considered always what was the smallest force with -which Lord Wellington could maintain his ground, never -entrusting him with one that might render success calculable, -and not yet venturing to believe that British -courage would render it not less certain by land than it -was by sea. Some excuse for this weak policy, which -even to themselves needed excuse, they found in the -prepossessions of the king, who, although upon some -points of the highest importance he took clearer and -juster views than the ablest of his ministers, could -never in his latter days be brought to contemplate -war upon the enlarged scale which the French Revolution -had introduced; but looked upon an army of 20,000 -men to be as great a force as it had been in the early -part of his reign. Against this prepossession the ministers -had always to contend while the king was capable -of business; and when his fatal malady removed that -impediment, Marquis Wellesley could not yet persuade -his colleagues that the parsimony which protracts a war -is more expensive than the liberal outlay which enables -a general to prosecute it with vigour, and thereby bring -it to a successful end.</p> - -<p>Had Lord Wellington found a reinforcement of 10,000 -men when he fell back upon his lines, Massena, being -entirely without provisions at that time, must have retreated -as precipitately as Soult had done from Porto.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">133</span> -That they were not attacked before they took up a -position for the winter, and that no operations against -them were undertaken while they remained there, the -French imputed either to want of enterprise, or want of -skill in the British commander, undervaluing both, as -much as they overrated the force at his disposal. But -though they were thus unjust in their censures of Lord -Wellington, the imputation which they cast upon the -British Government had been to all appearance justified -up to this time, except in the case of Badajoz, on which -occasion it was now made. Nothing but the grossest -negligence and incapacity on his own part could have -exposed Mendizabal to the total discomfiture which had -befallen him. After the loss of his army it was impossible -for Lord Wellington to detach a force sufficient -for raising the siege, while Massena continued in his -position; but it was of such importance to preserve -Badajoz, that the British general determined to attack -him, strongly as he was posted, as soon as the long-looked -for reinforcements should arrive. But the opportunity -which both generals at this time desired -of thus deciding the issue of the invasion was not -afforded them: the winds continued to disappoint Lord -Wellington in his expectations of succour; and no -patience on the part of the French could enable them -longer to endure the privations to which the system of -their wicked Government had exposed them. They -consoled themselves under those privations by thinking -that no English army could have supported them; for -that the sufferings which they had borne patiently would -have driven Englishmen to desert. But their endurance -had been forced now to its utmost extent. Reports were -current, that if Massena would not engage in some decisive -operations, which might deliver them from their -sufferings, he should be set aside, and Ney, in whose<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">134</span> -intrepidity they had the fullest confidence, be called -upon to command them. That degree of distress had -been reached at which discipline itself, even in the most -intelligent army, gives way; and the men, when nothing -was left of which to plunder the inhabitants, began to -plunder from each other, without regard of rank, the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Feldzug von Portugal, 30.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -stronger from the weaker. Massena, therefore, -was compelled, while it was yet possible to -secure supplies for the march, to determine -upon retreating to that frontier which he had passed -with such boastful anticipations of triumph.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French begin their retreat.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The first information of his purpose came through a -channel which was entitled to so little credit, -that it seems to have obtained none. On the -evening of the first of March, a Portugueze boy -was apprehended in Abrantes with articles of provision, -which were with reason suspected to be for an enemy, -because the boy was not ready with an answer when he -was asked for whom he was catering. Being carried -before the governor, he confessed that he was servant to -the commanding officer of a French regiment, who had -sent him to purchase these things, because the army was -about to return to the north of Portugal. The next day, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -he added, Massena would review the troops on -the south of the Zezere, and the retreat would -commence on the evening of the fifth. That a boy in -such a situation should have acquired this knowledge, is -a remarkable proof of his sagacity, and of the indiscretion -of the officer from whom he must have obtained -it; for it was verified in all its parts.</p> - -<p>Such a movement was, however, so probable, that it -had for some days been expected. The first apparent -indication of it was given by the French setting fire -to their workshops, stores, and bridge-materials at Punhete, -on the 3rd. They had previously been sending the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">135</span> -heavy artillery, the baggage, and the sick to the rear. -On the 4th, transports with 7000 British troops on board -anchored in the Tagus; and that same day the enemy’s -advanced corps withdrew from Santarem. Lieutenant -Claxton, who commanded the gun-boats appointed to -co-operate with the troops in Alentejo, saw them departing, -as he was reconnoitring under that city. No time -was lost in occupying it by the allies; and when it was -seen how the natural advantages of that position had -been improved by all the resources of military skill, -Lord Wellington’s prudence in waiting till time and -hunger had done his work was acknowledged by those -who before had been inclined to censure him for inactivity -and want of enterprise. The opportunity which -he had so long desired, and so anxiously expected, had -now arrived; and in the sure confidence of intellectual -power, he saw that the deliverance of the Peninsula -might be secured in that campaign, if Badajoz were -defended as it might and ought to be. No sooner, -therefore, had it been ascertained that the enemy was retreating, -than he despatched the intelligence to Elvas, -desiring the commander to communicate it to the -governor of Badajoz, assuring him that he should -speedily be succoured, and urging him, in reliance -upon that assurance, to defend the fortress to the last -extremity. That intelligence was despatched on the -6th. General Imaz received it on the 9th. The next -day a breach was made, and Mortier summoned him - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Badajoz surrendered.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -to surrender. The garrison at this time consisted -of 7500 effective men: the townsmen -might have been made effective also; provisions -and ammunition were in abundance; and the -intelligence which Lord Wellington received from thence -on the very day that Massena’s retreat was made known -to Imaz, was, that the place might probably hold out a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">136</span> -month; so well was it stored, so ably garrisoned, and so -little injury had it received. The general, however, like -every man who, in such a situation, is inclined to act a -dishonourable part, called a council of war. The director -of engineers delivered it as his opinion, that 5000 men -would be required to resist an assault, and that then the -surrender could only be delayed two or three days: if -there was an evident probability of being succoured in -that time, it would be their duty to hold out, though it -should be to the last man; without such a probability, -no farther sacrifice ought to be made. Twelve officers -voted with him; one of them qualifying his vote with -the condition, that unless the garrison were permitted to -march out by the breach, and incorporate themselves -with the nearest Spanish army, no terms should be accepted. -Imaz delivered his opinion in these words: -“Notwithstanding that our second line of defence is not -formed; that we have very few guns in the batteries of -Santiago, St. José, and St. Juan, and no support for -withstanding the assault, I am of opinion that, by force -of valour and constancy, the place be defended till -death.” In this he was followed by General Don Juan -José Garcia. The commandant of artillery, Don Joaquin -Caamaño, gave his vote for holding out in very different -terms, and with as different a spirit. “The enemy,” -said he, “not having silenced the fire of the place, the -flanks which command the ascent of the breach being in -a state of defence, the breach being mined, the pitch -barrels ready, and the entrance covered by the parapet -which we formed during the night, I think we ought to -stand an assault; or make our way out to join the -nearest corps, or the neighbouring forts.” This opinion, -which did not, like that of the governor, invalidate itself, -was followed by Camp-Marshal Don Juan Mancio. It -is due to those who did their duty thus to particularise<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">137</span> -their names. In the votes of an unworthy majority Imaz -found all he wanted; and even in their excuse, it must -be remembered that this traitorous governor did not -inform them of Massena’s retreat, and the assurance -which he had received of certain and speedy relief. -Romana, whose fear of democracy made him everywhere -at variance with the popular authorities, had -ordered the Junta of Extremadura to leave Badajoz, -and retire to Valencia de Alcantara. That Junta had -distinguished itself by its activity and zeal, and had its -members not been thus imprudently expelled, they -might have given to the defence of the city that civic -character which had formed the strength of Zaragoza, -and Gerona, and Ciudad Rodrigo; and which, in this -instance, would have proved the salvation, as well as -the glory of the fortress.</p> - -<p>On the eleventh of March, therefore, the garrison -laid down their arms, and were made prisoners of war. -The empty stipulation that they should march out by -the breach was granted, curiously, as it proved, to the -disgrace of those who proposed it, ... for so insignificant -was this breach that some time was employed in enlarging -it, to render it practicable for their passage! -“Thus,” in Lord Wellington’s words, “Olivença and -Badajoz were given up without any sufficient cause; -while Marshal Soult, with a corps of troops which never -was supposed to exceed 20,000 men, besides capturing -these two places, made prisoners and destroyed above -22,000 Spanish troops!” 17,500 were marched as prisoners -of war to France! Mortier, in his dispatches, -endeavoured to gloze over the conduct of General Imaz. -“The death of Menacho,” he said, “had possibly contributed -to protract the siege for some days; for his successor -wished to give some proof of his talents, and -thereby occasioned a longer resistance.” This could<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">138</span> -deceive no one. The Regency, when they communicated -to the Cortes Mendizabal’s official account of the -fall of the place, informed them that they were not -satisfied with the conduct of Imaz, and had given the -commander-in-chief orders to institute an enquiry. -But the surrender of the city was not the only part of -these unhappy transactions which required investigation; -and Riesco proposed that rigorous enquiry should -also be made concerning the action of the 19th of -February, and the consequent dispersion of Mendizabal’s -army, in order that condign punishment might be -inflicted on those who were found culpable. “The loss -of Badajoz,” he said, “was a calamity of the greatest -importance at this time: it facilitated to the enemy a -free communication with Castille and Andalusia, gave -them an entrance into Alentejo, and means for besieging -Elvas: it would also enable them to support Massena; -so that this fatal calamity might draw after it the conquest -of Portugal.” Calatrava proposed that it should -also be explained why so considerable a division had -been shut up in Olivença, and no attempt made to -succour it. “My melancholy predictions concerning -Extremadura,” said he, “have been verified. The -chiefs of the army of the left, instead of defending that -province and preserving the capital, have at length -ended in losing army, province, and capital. Well, indeed, -may it be wondered at, that the governor, after -having himself voted for continuing the defence, should -immediately have capitulated, without sustaining an -assault, ... a contradiction which can no otherwise be -explained, than by supposing that the vote was given -insincerely.” He concluded by proposing, that notwithstanding -the conduct of the governor, the Cortes -should make honourable mention of the heroic inhabitants -of that place, and the brave garrison. Del Monte<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">139</span> -said, it had been remarked on this occasion, that the loss -of a battle was followed always by the surrender of a -place besieged. This, he properly observed, was a -position not less perilous to get abroad, than it was false -in itself.... Another member, with indignant feeling, -demanded, that when the capitulation of Badajoz, and -the votes of the council of war were published, there -should be added to them a statement of the situation of -Gerona when that city was surrendered. “At Badajoz,” -said he, “nothing has been alleged for surrendering, but -that there was an open breach; nothing was said of -want ... nothing of sickness, nor of any one of those -causes which might have justified the surrender. Let -then the soldiers and the nation contrast with this the -conduct of Gerona! Months before that city was yielded, -there was not merely an open breach, but the walls -were destroyed; ... the scarcity was such, that boiled -wheat was sometimes the only food; and for the sick, a -morsel of ass-flesh, when it could be had. In this state -the governor of Gerona ordered, that no man, on pain of -death, should speak of capitulation. By this path did -they make their way to glory and immortality! The -soldier who would step beyond the common sphere has -here what to imitate. If Badajoz had resisted only four -days longer, it would have been relieved.”</p> - -<p>This was a cutting reflection. But though the loss -of that city led to consequences grievously injurious to -the allies, and to a dreadful cost of lives, it did not produce -all the evil which Riesco apprehended; and that its -evil effects did not extend thus far, was owing to the -spirit of the Portugueze people, who, unlike General -Imaz and his companions in infamy, had discharged their -duty to the utmost. Treachery, which had done much -for France in other countries, had not been found in -Portugal; and popular feeling, which had done more,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">140</span> -was there directed with all the vehemence of vindictive -justice against the most unprovoked, the most perfidious, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Skill and barbarity of the French in their retreat.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and the most inhuman of invaders. But Massena’s -military talents had never been more eminently -shown, and nothing could exceed the skill which -was now manifested in all his dispositions. His -columns moved by angular lines converging to -a point, upon gaining which they formed in mass, and -then continued their retreat, Ney with the flower of the -army covering the rear, while Massena so directed the -march of the main body, as to be always ready to protect -the rear guard, which whenever it was hardly -pressed fell back, and brought its pursuers with it upon -the main army, waiting in the most favourable position -to receive them. This praise is due to M. Massena and -his generals, and the troops which they commanded: but -never did any general or any army insure such everlasting -infamy to themselves by their outrages and abominations, -committed during the whole of their tarriance -in Portugal, and continued during their retreat. Lord -Wellington said, their conduct was marked by a barbarity -seldom equalled, and never surpassed: all circumstances -considered, he might have said it had never -been paralleled. For these things were not done in dark -ages, nor in uncivilised countries, nor by barbarous -hordes, like the armies of Timour or Nadir Shah; it was -in Europe, and in the nineteenth century, that these -atrocities were committed by the soldiers of the most -cultivated and most enlightened part of Europe, mostly -French, but in no small proportion Germans and -Netherlanders. Nor was the French army, like our -own, raised and recruited from the worst members of -society, who enter the service in an hour of drunkenness, -or of necessity, or despair: the conscription -brought into its ranks men of a better description, both<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">141</span> -as to their parentage, their breeding, and their prospects -in life; insomuch, that the great majority are truly -described as sober, orderly, intelligent, and more or less -educated. Nor is it to be believed, that, although they -acted like monsters of wickedness in this campaign, -they were in any degree worse than other men by -nature: on the contrary, the national character of the -French, Germans, and Netherlanders, authorises a presumption -that they were inclined to be, and would have -been good and useful members of society, if the service -in which they were compulsorily engaged had not made -them children of perdition. How nefarious, then, must -have been the system of that Government which deliberately -placed its armies in circumstances where this -depravation was inevitably produced!... how deserving -of everlasting infamy the individual by whose absolute -will that Government was directed!... and how deep the -guilt of those who were the willing and active agents of -such a Government, ... the devoted servants of such a -ruler! No equitable reader will suppose that any -national reproach is intended in thus dwelling upon the -crimes which were committed throughout the Peninsular -war by the French and their allies: Englishmen -under like circumstances would have been equally depraved: -the reproach is not upon a brave and noble -nation; it rests upon those alone on whom the guilt -abides; and as we tender the welfare and improvement -of the human race, let us hope that it may be perpetual!</p> - -<p>The retreat of this abominable army was marked by -havoc, conflagration, and cruelties of every kind. The -towns of Torres Novas, Thomar, and Pernes, with the -villages which were near the British lines, suffered -least, because the enemy wished not to discover their -intention of retreating. In these places some of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">142</span> -corps had had their head-quarters for four months, and -some of the inhabitants had been induced to remain: -these people had now fresh proof of their delusion, in -supposing that honour or humanity were to be found in -the armies of Buonaparte: the French sacked their -houses, and destroyed as many as time permitted on the -night of their departure; and when their movements -could no longer be concealed, they burnt, by Massena’s -orders, every town and village through which they passed.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Havoc at Alcobaça.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The most venerable structure in Portugal was the -convent of Alcobaça. Its foundation was coeval -with the monarchy. It had been the burial-place -of the kings of Portugal for many generations. -The munificence of nobles and princes, the craft -of superstition, and the industry and learning of its -members in better times, had contributed to fill this -splendid pile with treasures of every kind. Its gorgeous -vestments, its vessels of plate and gold, and its -almost matchless jewelry, excited the admiration of the -vulgar; the devotee and the philosopher were equally -astonished at the extraordinary articles in its Relic-room; -the artist and the antiquary beheld with wonder -and delight its exquisite monuments of ancient art; and -its archives and library were as important to Portugueze -literature, as the collections of the Museum or the Bodleian -are in our own country. Orders were issued from -the French head-quarters to burn this place: that the -work of destruction might be complete, it was begun in -time, and the mattock and hammer were employed to -destroy what the flames would have spared. The -tesselated pavement from the entrance to the high altar -was broken up with pickaxes, and the ornaments of the -pillars destroyed nearly up to the arches. The French, -who at this very time inserted an article in the capitulation -of Badajoz, that no stipulations were therein made<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">143</span> -respecting religion, because they were catholics like the -Spaniards, mutilated here the Crucifix and the images of -the Virgin, as if they studied in what manner they -could most effectually shock and insult the feelings of -the Portugueze. They cut the pictures which they did -not burn; they broke open the tombs. Those of Pedro -and Ignez de Castro were covered with historical sculptures: -rich as England is in remains of this kind, we -have none of equal antiquity which could be compared -with them for beauty, or for their value to the antiquarian; -and a story, hardly less generally known throughout -Europe than the most popular parts of classical history, -had in an especial manner sanctified these monuments. -These, therefore, were especial objects of the -enemy’s malice, and more laborious mischief was exerted -in destroying them, the tombs being so well constructed -as not without difficulty to be destroyed. Fire was at -length put to the monastery in many parts, and troops -set round it to prevent the people from making any -efforts to stop the conflagration. The edifice continued -burning for two-and-twenty days. Two of the Cistercian -brethren were afterwards appointed commissioners -to search the ruins. They found some bones of Queen -Orraca and part of her clothes; the body of Queen -Beatriz, in a state of good preservation, and that of -Pedro still entire, with the skin and hair upon it<a id="FNanchor_18" href="#Footnote_18" class="fnanchor">18</a>. A -few fragments only of Ignez de Castro could be found. -These remains were deposited once more in the tombs, -and the monuments repaired, as far as reparation was -possible. The most valuable of the books and manuscripts -had happily been removed in time.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">144</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Batalha.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Batalha was a structure equally sacred, and more -beautiful. Had King Emanuel completed the original -design, it would have excelled all other Gothic buildings; -even in its unfinished state, it was the admiration -of all who beheld it. It was founded upon -the spot where the tent of Joam I. stood on the -night before that battle which, for inferiority of numbers -on the part of the conqueror, may be compared with -Cressy, Poictiers, and Agincourt; and which, for the -permanent importance of its consequences, when considered -in all their bearings, is unparalleled. Here -Joam was buried, after a long and glorious reign, upon -the scene of his triumph; and here his four sons were -buried also, men worthy of such a father; one of them -being that Prince Henry whose grave, it might have -been thought, would have been equally respected by all -civilised nations. The monuments of these Infantes -and of their parents were in a state of correspondent -beauty with the temple in which they lay, and perfectly -preserved. They were broken open by the French, and -the remains of the dead taken from their graves to be -made the mockery of these ruffians, who kicked about -the head of Joam I. as a football, and left the body in -the pulpit, placed in the attitude of one preaching.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Direction of the enemy’s retreat.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Regnier’s corps, which was the enemy’s left, had -moved from Santarem upon Thomar, from -thence towards Espinhal: their centre from -Pernes, by Torres Novas and Cham de Maçans, -and the right from Leyria. The two latter effected their -junction on the 9th in the plain before Pombal. What -course the enemy would take in their retreat could not -be foreseen: had they intended to retire by the way -which they had entered, it was thought they would have -sent a larger proportion by the Espinal road. The centre<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">145</span> -of the allies had taken the same line as that of the -French; the right advanced upon Thomar, the left upon -Leyria. Our light troops had never lost sight of the -enemy; and when the centre and right joined before -Pombal, the British advanced guard, coming from Cham -de Maçans, saw their junction from the heights. A - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Affair before Pombal.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -brisk affair took place that day before Pombal, -where the enemy had eight squadrons formed -in different parts of the plain, supported by -their whole cavalry. The 1st hussars and the 16th -light dragoons attacked the most advanced of these -squadrons, defeated them one after another, and drove -them all together in confusion on their support, the -troops composing which were repeatedly called upon by -their officers to advance, but would not move; for they -were quite dispirited, and satisfied with safety, seeing -the allies were not in sufficient force to pursue their -advantage. Lord Wellington could not collect a sufficient -body to commence an operation before the 11th, -when Loison, with three corps, and Montbrun’s division -of cavalry, were leaving a position in front of Pombal. -Having burnt the town, they attempted to hold the old -castle, which stands upon an eminence above the -Arunca; they were driven from thence, they then -formed on the farther side of the town, and our troops -did not arrive in time to complete the dispositions for -attacking them while it was day; ... but they were in -time to rescue six women from the flames, whom the -French had stripped naked, shut into a house, and then -set the house on fire! During the night the enemy retired, -and their rear took up a strong position between -Pombal and Redinha, formerly a city, now a town, but -bearing rather the appearance of a decayed village. -They were posted at the end of a defile in front of the</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">146</span> - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Affair before Redinha.<br /><span class="date">March 12.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -town, their right in a wood upon the little river Danços, -their left extending to some heights upon the -same stream, which has its source about two -miles above the town. The light division, -under Sir William Erskine, the Portugueze -caçadores, under Colonel Elder, forming part, attacked -their right; and Lord Wellington, bearing testimony to -the merit of these allies, declared that he had never -seen the French infantry driven from a wood in more -gallant style. Our troops then formed in the plain -beyond the defile with great celerity, and Sir Brent -Spencer led them against the heights, from which the -French were immediately driven; but their skill was -conspicuous in every movement, and no local advantage -escaped them. Their retreat was by a narrow bridge, -and a ford close to it, over the Danços; our light troops -passed with them in pursuit, but they commanded these -passages with cannon, and gained time to form again -upon the nearest heights, before troops enough could -pass over to make a fresh disposition for attacking them. -As soon as this was done, they fell back upon their -main body at Condeixa; and there they sent out regular -parties to drive into the camp all females above -ten years of age, and these victims were delivered to -the soldiers!</p> - -<p>There was now every reason to fear that Coimbra -would share the fate of Alcobaça, and Leyria, and Pombal, -and that the enemy, getting into Upper Beira, would -lay waste in their destructive course a tract of country -which had hitherto been preserved from their ravages; -or that Massena would endeavour to obtain possession of -Porto, and defend himself there better than Soult had -done. As soon as Lord Wellington had ascertained that -the enemy were directing their retreat toward the Mondego,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">147</span> -which was on the fourth day after they retired - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March 8.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -from Santarem, he dispatched advices to General -Bacelar, whose head-quarters were at S. -Pedro do Sul, directing him to send his baggage across -the Douro, to secure means for passing it himself, with -the troops under his command, and to take measures for -defending the passage both at Lamego and at Porto. It -was supposed in this dispatch that Colonel Trant would -have retired from Coimbra upon the Vouga, the bridge -over which river he was now ordered to destroy, and -then proceed to Porto. Trant, however, had intercepted -a letter from Drouet to Claparede (who was then near -Guarda), which led him to expect that the French would -speedily commence their retreat, and that it would be in -this direction; in consequence he destroyed an arch of -the bridge at Coimbra; and when the concentration of -their force at Pombal and Redinha made their course no -longer doubtful, he withdrew his post from Condeixa, -and evacuated the suburb of S. Clara, which is on the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French endeavour to get possession of Coimbra.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -left bank: this had just been effected on the -morning of the 11th, when General Montbrun -entered it with a large body of cavalry. Preparations -had been made for defending the -passage, and happily at that time the Mondego was not -fordable. The rivers in that part of the country are -rendered impassable for cavalry by a few hours’ rain, the -water pouring down to them from the mountains on -every side; but their course is so short, that they fall as -rapidly as they rise. Montbrun, having no guns with -him, could not return the fire of six six-pounders, the -only artillery which Trant possessed; he retired, therefore, -from S. Clara to the heights above it. This movement -prevented him from discovering that the river became -fordable in the course of the evening, and continued so -for some days following. During the night Trant received<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">148</span> -advice from Colonel Wilson, that the river had -become passable at a place some ten miles above the -city; and from the other hand he was informed that a -few of the enemy’s dragoons had actually crossed near -Montemor o Velho. Measures were immediately taken -for defending both fords; and the field-pieces were fired -occasionally, in the hope that they might be heard at the -advanced posts of the allied army, and Lord Wellington -thus be assured that Coimbra was not in the enemy’s -possession; but the wind was southerly, and the intention -therefore failed. Not doubting but that the French -were in retreat and the allies in close pursuit, Trant had -no thought of retiring from his post, when he now received -dispatches from Bacelar, inclosing Lord Wellington’s -instructions, wherein he was supposed already to -have withdrawn, and was ordered to take upon himself -the protection of Porto. These orders he obeyed, by -sending off the main body of the militia, during the -night of the 12th, toward Mealhada, remaining himself -with a detachment at the bridge. In the morning there -was no indication of an attempt upon the town; only a -few dragoons were to be seen on the heights of S. Clara; -he resolved, therefore, to place his division in a position, -and proceeded to join it for that purpose; instructing -the officer whom he left in command at the bridge, to -take nothing upon himself in case of any communication -from the enemy, but refer it to him, and act accordingly. -An hour had hardly elapsed, before Montbrun summoned -the city to surrender. The officer referred the summons -to Trant: it had been merely made to keep in check the -garrison which Montbrun supposed to be still there, and -in force; for that general having found them ready on -the 11th and 12th had advised Massena to retire by -the Ponte de Murcella; and when Lord Wellington -came up with the main body, who were strongly posted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">149</span> -at Condeixa, to his great joy he perceived that they -were sending off their baggage in that direction. Immediately -he inferred that Coimbra was safe, and -marching General Picton’s division upon their left towards -this road, now the only one open for their retreat, -they were instantly dislodged, leaving Condeixa in -flames. The allies then communicated with Coimbra; -a detachment of cavalry, returning from their demonstration -against that important city, were made prisoners, -and Trant and Wilson were directed to move along the -right bank of the Mondego, and prevent the enemy from -sending detached parties across. In the order which -Massena issued for burning every town and village, -Coimbra had been particularly mentioned.</p> - -<p>On the 14th the French rear-guard were driven from -a strong position at Casal Nova, where they had encamped -the preceding night. The whole line of their -retreat was full of advantageous positions, of which they -well knew how to avail themselves; but he who pursued -them was also a master in the art of war; and in -his own retreat had acquired a perfect knowledge of the -ground. Their outposts were driven in: they were dislodged -by flank movements from the posts which they -successively took in the mountains, and were flung back -with considerable loss upon the main body at Miranda -do Corvo, where it was well posted to receive and support -them. Here Regnier, with the second corps, -effected his junction, so that the whole French army was -now assembled. General Nightingale, who had pursued -this column, rejoined the British army the same day at -Espinhal: and as it was now in the power of Lord Wellington -to turn their position, they abandoned it during -the night.</p> - -<p>A thick fog on the following morning gave them time, -and favoured their movements. Some deserters came in,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">150</span> -who said that they were destroying carriages, baggage, -and ammunition. About nine the day cleared up, and -the troops, renewing the pursuit, passed through the -smoking ruins of Miranda do Corvo. Hitherto they had -only seen proofs of the cruelty of the enemy along the -road; they now began to see proofs of his distress; for -from this place the road was strewn with the wreck of a -retreating army, broken carriages, baggage, carcasses of -men and beasts, the wounded and the dying. Amid -this general havoc, nothing was more shocking than the -number of horses, asses, and mules, which the French, -when their strength failed, had hamstrung, and left to -suffer a slow death. To have killed them at once would -have been mercy, but mercy was a virtue which this -army seemed to have forsworn: it even appeared, by the -manner in which these poor creatures were grouped, -that Massena’s troops had made the cruelties which -they inflicted a matter of diversion to themselves! -Every day the bodies of women were seen whom they -had murdered. In one place some friars were hanging, -impaled by the throat upon the sharpened branches of a -tree. Everywhere peasants were found in the most -miserable condition; poor wretches who had fallen into -the hands of the French, and been tortured to make -them discover where supplies were hid, or made to serve -as guides, and when their knowledge of the way ended, -shot, that they might give no information to the pursuers. -The indignation of our army was what it ought -to be; men and officers alike exclaimed against the -atrocious conduct of their detestable enemies. “This,” -said Lord Wellington, “is the mode in which the promises -have been performed, and the assurances fulfilled, -which were held out in the proclamation of the French -commander-in-chief, when he told the inhabitants of -Portugal, that he was not come to make war upon them,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">151</span> -but, with a powerful army of an hundred and ten thousand -men, to drive the English into the sea! It is to -be hoped that the example of what has occurred in this -country will teach the people of this and of other nations, -what value they ought to place on such promises and -assurances; and that there is no security for life, or for -any thing that renders life valuable, except in decided -resistance to the enemy.”</p> - -<p>The retreating army had no provisions except what -they plundered on the spot, and could carry on their -backs, and live cattle, with which they were well provided. -As far as Condeixa the allied troops had been -supplied by transport from Lisbon, to their own admiration, -so excellent had been the previous arrangement. -But as they advanced, they suffered more privations than -the enemy whom they were driving out of the country, -for the French left the land as a desert behind them, -and the commissariat could not keep up with the rapidity -of such a pursuit. The dragoons always kept sight, of -the enemy; they were constantly mounted before daybreak, -their horses were never unsaddled, and were -obliged to carry their own sustenance, which, it may be -supposed, was sufficiently scanty. In the midst of a -country where the people regarded them not merely as -allies, but as friends, brothers, and deliverers, that -people had not even shelter to afford them, and none of -the troops had tents; those which they occupied in the -lines were left there. But they reaped an abundant -reward in the success of their general’s well-concerted -and patient plan, in the anticipated applause of their -own countrymen, in the blessings of the Portugueze, and -in that feeling, ... of all others the happiest which can fall -to a soldier’s lot, ... that they were engaged in a good -cause, and that the wickedness of the enemy rendered it -as much a moral as a military duty to labour for his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">152</span> -destruction. With these feelings they attacked them -wherever they were found. Massena had taken up a -formidable position on the Ceyra, which falls into the -Mondego a few leagues above Coimbra, and is one of -the Portugueze rivers in whose bed gold has been found; -a whole corps was posted as an advanced guard in front -of Foz de Arouce, on the left side of the river. Here -Lord Wellington again moved his divisions upon their -right and left, and attacked them in front. In this affair -the French sustained a considerable loss, which was -much increased by a well-managed movement of the -English 95th. That regiment observed a body of the -enemy moving off in two parallel columns. There was -a woody cover between them, into which the 95th got, -the fog and the closing evening enabling them to do so -unperceived; from thence they fired on both sides, and -retiring instantly that the fire was returned, left the two -columns of the French to keep up a heavy fire upon -each other as they passed the cover. The darkness of -the night increased their confusion: many were drowned -in crossing the river, ... a mountain stream swoln by the -rains, ... and it is said that one column blew up the -bridge while the other was upon it. Much baggage, -and some ammunition carriages, here fell into the hands -of the pursuers. The light division got into the enemy’s -bivouac, and found not only some of their plunder there, -but their dinners on the fires. A heavy fog had delayed -the movements of the army, and prevented a more -serious attack, from which much had been expected.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March 16.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Having blown up the bridge, the enemy’s rear-guard -took a position on the bank of the river, to -watch the ford. The loss which they had sustained -on the preceding day was betrayed in part by the -bodies which they had thrown into the water to conceal -it, but which were seen as the stream bore them down.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">153</span> -Lord Wellington was obliged to halt the whole of the -following day for supplies, the rains having rendered -bad roads almost impassable. Here, too, the ill news -from Badajoz compelled him to order toward that frontier -a part of his army, which should otherwise have -continued in the pursuit. During the night, the French -moved off, and the pursuers forded the Ceyra on the -17th. On the 18th, they advanced toward the Ponte -de Murcella; the French, who, during the whole of the -retreat, made their marches by night, putting their -troops in motion a few hours after dusk, had retired -over this bridge and destroyed it, using the very mines -which the British had constructed for the same purpose, -on their retreat in the preceding autumn. They were -now posted in force on the right of the Alva. Lord -Wellington turned their left by the Serra de Santa -Quiteria, and manœuvred in their front; this compelled -them to retire upon Mouta. It was believed that they -had intended to remain some days in the position from -which they were thus driven, because many prisoners -were taken who had been sent out in foraging parties -toward the Mondego, and ordered to return to the Alva. -During the night the staff corps constructed a bridge -which was ready at daybreak for the infantry. The -cavalry passed at a ford close by, and there was some -difficulty in getting the artillery across. On the 19th, -they were assembled on the Serra de Mouta, the enemy, -as usual, having retired in the night. From this place -they continued their retreat with the utmost rapidity. -Lord Wellington kept up the pursuit with only the -cavalry and the light division under Sir William -Erskine, supported by two divisions of infantry, and by -the militia on the right of the Mondego. The remainder -of the army was obliged to halt, till the supplies, -which had been sent round from the Tagus to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">154</span> -Mondego, should arrive; this was absolutely necessary, -for nothing could be found in the country.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Resistance made by the peasantry.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The peasants did not everywhere abandon their -villages to the spoilers; in some places they -found means to arm themselves, and their -appearance deterred the enemy from making -their intended attack, the pursuers being so near at -hand; in others they entered the burning villages with -the foremost of the allied army in time to extinguish the -flames. There is a village called Avo, six-and-thirty -miles from Coimbra, containing about 130 houses. -The ordenanza of that district were collected there; they -repelled a body of 500 French in five different attacks, -and saved the village. The little town of Manteigas -was less fortunate. The inhabitants of the adjoining -country, confiding in the situation of a place which -was, as they hoped, concealed in the heart of the Serra -de Estrella, had brought their women and children -thither, and their most valuable effects; but it was discovered, -and in spite of a desperate defence, the town -was stormed, by a force as superior in number as in -arms. The officers carried off the handsomest women; -the rest were given up to the mercy of men as brutal as -their leaders. But everywhere the naked bodies of the -straggling and wounded, which the English found upon -the way, showed well what vengeance these most injured -people had taken upon their unprovoked and -inhuman enemies. In one place a party of them were -surprised in a church digging the dead out of their -graves in search of plunder.</p> - -<p>As the French drew nearer the frontier, their foraging -parties assumed more confidence, and at the same time -their wants becoming more urgent, made them more -daring. They passed the fords of the Mondego near -Fornos, in considerable numbers, to seek supplies in a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">155</span> -country as yet unravaged; but they were attacked by -Wilson, who pursued them across the river and captured -a great number of beasts of burthen, laden with -plunder of every description, which they abandoned in -their flight. He took several prisoners also, and in consequence -of the loss which they had thus sustained a -strong division was detached against him, which took a -position on the left bank of the river, so as to cover the -flank of the retiring columns from any further operations -of this militia force, till they had passed Celorico. -Lord Wellington, for want of supplies, was not able to -proceed till the 26th, when he advanced to Gouvea, -halted, again the next day, and on the following reached -Celorico. The French were then at Guarda, which -they occupied in strength, and where they apparently -intended to maintain themselves. Between Celorico -and that city, the inhabitants of a village, men and -women alike, were found dead or dying in the street, -their ears and noses cut off, and otherwise mangled in a -manner not to be described. The horror and indignation -of the allies were raised to the highest pitch by this -dreadful sight; and the advanced guard coming up with -some hundreds of the guilty troops, whose retreat had -been impeded by the premature destruction of a bridge, -gave them as little quarter as they deserved. But as -the enemy only passed through this part of the country, -it had not suffered so much as those places where they -had been stationary, and consequently had had leisure -to prepare<a id="FNanchor_19" href="#Footnote_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> for the work of barbarous devastation -which their Generals had determined upon committing. -Not having time now to destroy every thing before -them, they burnt only the principal houses: poorer<span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">156</span> -habitations escaped; and the peasants who had fled -before the retreating army to the mountains no sooner -saw the allies come up, than they returned to their -dwellings, baked bread for their deliverers from the -corn which they had concealed, and did every thing in -their power to assist them.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Guarda.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Guarda stands upon a plain of the Serra de Estrella -(the Mons Herminius of the Romans) near the -sources of the Zezere and the Mondego, and -near the highest part of that lofty range; its site is said -to be higher than that of any other city in Europe; -the ascent to it continues nearly four miles, by a road -wide enough for two carts abreast, winding in numberless -sinuations along the edge of a deep precipice, the -sides of which are overspread with trees. The city -indeed owes its origin to this commanding situation, -having grown round a watch tower (called in those days -<i>guarda</i>) which Sancho the First erected there in the -first age of the monarchy. Lord Wellington collected his -army in the neighbourhood and in the front of Celorico, -with a view to dislodge the enemy from this advantageous -post. The following day he moved forward in -five columns, supported by a division in the valley of the -Mondego; the militia under Trant and Wilson covering -the movement at Alverca against any attempt which -might have been made against it on that side. So -well were the movements concerted, that the heads of -the different columns made their appearance on the -heights almost at the same moment; upon which the -enemy, without firing a shot, retired upon Sabugal on -the Upper Coa; for although Dumouriez, with his -superficial knowledge of the country, had spoken of -Guarda as the key of Portugal, and upon that authority it -has been described as one of the finest military positions -in the kingdom, the French Generals perceived that its<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">157</span> -apparent strength only rendered it more treacherous, -and were too prudent to attempt making a stand there, -against one whom they now could not but in their hearts -acknowledge to be at least their equal in the art of war. -Their retreat was so rapid that they had not time to -execute the mischief which they intended; our troops -entered in time to save the Cathedral, the door of which -was on fire: the wood of its fine organ had been taken -by the enemy for fuel, and the pipes for bullets. They -took a strong position, their right at Ruvina guarding -the ford of Rapoula de Coa, with a detachment at the -bridge of Ferreiros; their left was at Sabugal, and their -8th corps at Alfayates. The right of the allied army -was opposite Sabugal, their left at the bridge of Ferreiros, -and Trant and Wilson were sent across the Coa -below Almeida, to threaten the communication of that -place with Ciudad Rodrigo and with the enemy’s army.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Coa.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The river Coa rises in the Sierra de Xalma, which -forms a part of the great Sierra de Gata; and -entering Portugal by Folgozinho, falls into the -Douro near Villa Nova de Foscoa. The whole of its -course is through one of the most picturesque countries -in Europe, and it is everywhere difficult of access. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Sabugal.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Sabugal stands on the right bank. This town -was founded about the year 1220, by Alonso -X. of Leon, who named it from the number of elder-trees -(<i>sabugos</i>) growing about it: the place is now remarkable -for some of the largest chesnut-trees that are anywhere to -be seen. It was afterwards annexed to the Portugueze -dominions, and its old castle still remains a monument of -king Diniz, whose magnificent works are found over the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">April.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -whole kingdom. The enemy’s second corps -were strongly posted with their right upon a -height immediately above the bridge and town, and -their left extending along the road to Alfayates, to a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">158</span> -height which commanded all the approaches to Sabugal -from the fords above the town. They communicated by -Rendo with the sixth corps at Ruvina. It was only on -the left above Sabugal that they could be approached; -our troops, therefore, were put in motion on the morning - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Action before Sabugal.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -of the 3rd of April, to turn them in this -direction, and to force the passage of the -bridge of Sabugal. The light division and the -cavalry, under Sir W. Erskine and Major-General -Slade, were to cross the Coa by two separate fords -upon the right, the cavalry upon the right of the light -division; the third division, under Major-General Picton, -at a ford on the left about a mile above Sabugal; -the fifth division, under Major-General Dunlop, and the -artillery at the bridge. The sixth division remained -opposite the enemy’s corps at Ruvina, and a battalion of -the seventh observed their detachment at the bridge of -Ferreiros. Colonel Beckwith’s brigade of the light division -was the first that crossed, with two squadrons of -cavalry upon its right; the riflemen skirmished; the -enemy’s picquets fell back from the river as they advanced: -they forded, gained the opposite height, formed -as the companies arrived, and moved forward under a -heavy fire. At this time so thick a rain came on, that -it was impossible to see any thing before them, and the -troops pushing forward in pursuit of the picquets, came -upon the left of the main body, which it was intended -they should turn. The light troops were driven back -upon the 43rd regiment; and Regnier, who commanded -the French, perceiving, as soon as the atmosphere -cleared, that the body which had advanced was not -strong, attacked it in solid column, supported by artillery -and horse. The allies repulsed it, and advanced in -pursuit upon the position. They found a strong enclosure -in the front lined with a battalion; and the enemy<span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">159</span> -forming fresh and stronger bodies, attacked them with -the hussars on the right, and a fresh column on the left. -Our troops retired, took post behind a wall, formed -again under a heavy fire of grape, canister, and musketry, -again repulsed the enemy, again advanced against -them, and took from them a howitzer posted in the rear -of the French battalion, which was formed under cover -of that in the stone enclosure: this gun had greatly -annoyed the allies. They had advanced with such -impetuosity that their front was somewhat scattered; a -fresh column with cavalry attacked them; they retired -again to their post, where the battalions of the 52nd and -the 1st Caçadores joined them: these troops once more -repulsed the enemy, and Colonel Beckwith’s brigade, -with the first battalion of the 52nd, again advanced upon -them. Another column of the French, with cavalry, -charged their right: but they took post in the stone -enclosure on the top of the height, from whence they -could protect the howitzer which had been won, and -they again drove back the enemy. Regnier had moved -a column on their left to renew the attack, when part of -General Picton’s division came up; the head of General -Dunlop’s column forced the bridge at the same time, -and ascended the heights on the right flank; the cavalry -appeared on the high ground in rear of their left, and -Regnier then retreated across the hills towards Rendo, -leaving the howitzer in the hands of those by whom it -had been so gallantly won; about 200 were left on the -field, with six officers and 300 prisoners. Our loss in -killed, wounded, and prisoners, amounted to 161. -What that of the French was in wounded is not known. -They retired in the greatest disorder, cavalry, artillery, -infantry, and baggage, all mixed. A fog favoured -them, otherwise a good account would have been given -of half their corps. Lord Wellington described this<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">160</span> -action, though the unavoidable accidents of weather -had materially interfered with the operations, and impeded -their success, as one of the most glorious that -British troops were ever engaged in.</p> - -<p>Regnier joined the sixth corps at Rendo; for it had -broken up from its position at Ruvina as soon as the -firing began; they retreated to Alfayates, followed by -our cavalry; that night they continued their retreat, and -entered the Spanish frontier on the fourth. On the following -day the advance of the allied army pushed on, -and occupied Albergaria, the first village on the Spanish -border. An inhabited village was what they had not -seen before since their retreat in the autumn, those -excepted which were within the lines of Torres Vedras. -The villages in Spain had not been injured; it seemed as -if the French wished to make the Spaniards on this frontier -compare their own condition with that of the Portugueze, -that they might become contented with subjection. -Massena’s soldiers even paid here for bread; -and arriving not only hungry, but with a longing desire -for that which is to them the most necessary article of -food, they paid any price for it: the peasants seeing -that they were rich in plunder, and finding them in the -paying mood, made their charges accordingly. This -sudden transition from a devastated country to one -which had been exempted from the ravages of war, -where the villages were clean, and the cottages reminded -Englishmen of those in their own land, was not -less striking than was the passing at once from a wild -mountainous region to a fine and well-wooded plain.</p> - -<p>Some hope was entertained that the appearance of -Trant and Wilson’s force before Almeida might make -the French apprehend a serious attack, and induce them -to evacuate it. But throughout the war they never -committed any error of this kind. It rarely happened in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">161</span> -their service that any person was appointed to a situation -for which he was not well qualified; and the commander -of this fortress, General Brenier, was a man of -more than common qualifications. The Coa, after these -divisions crossed it at Cinco Villas, rose; and the -governor concerted with General Regnier an attack -upon them, which, their retreat being thus cut off, must -have ended in their destruction, if Lord Wellington, -apprehending the danger, had not pushed forward a -small corps, which arrived just in time to divert the -enemy’s attention, and save them. On the eighth the -last of Massena’s army crossed the Agueda, not a - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French cross the frontier.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Frenchman remaining in Portugal, except the -garrison of Almeida, which Lord Wellington -immediately prepared to blockade. The allies -took up that position upon the Duas Casas, which General -Craufurd had occupied with the advanced guard -during the latter part of the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, -having their advanced posts upon Galegos and the -Agueda. Thus terminated the invasion of Portugal, in -which Massena, with 110,000 men, had boasted that he -would drive the English into the sea. A general of the -highest reputation, and of abilities no ways inferior to -his celebrity, at the head of the largest force which -France could send against that country, was thus in all -his plans baffled by a British general, and in every engagement -beaten by British troops. An enemy the -most presumptuous and insolent that ever disgraced the -profession of arms, the most cruel that ever outraged -human nature, had been humbled and exposed in the -face of Europe; ... it was in vain for the French Government -to call their retreat a change of position, ... however -they might disguise and misrepresent the transactions in -Portugal, however they might claim victories where they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">162</span> -had sustained defeats, the map discovered here their -undeniable discomfiture; and the smallest kingdom in -Europe, a kingdom too which long misgovernment had -reduced to the most deplorable state of disorganization, -had, by the help of England and the spirit of its inhabitants, -defied and defeated that tyrant before whom the -whole continent was humbled. Russia had been so -foiled in arms and dressed in negociation so as to become -the ally of France, to co-operate in her barbarous warfare -against commerce, and to recognise her extravagant -usurpations. Prussia had been beaten and reduced to -vassalage. Austria was still farther degraded by being -compelled to give a daughter of its emperor in marriage -to one whose crimes that emperor himself had proclaimed -to the world. Poles and Italians, Dutch and Germans, -from every part of divided and subjected Germany, filled -up the armies of this barbarian; and the Portugueze, ... -the poor, degraded, and despised Portugueze, ... the -vilified, the injured, the insulted Portugueze, ... were -the first people who drove this formidable enemy out of -their country, and delivered themselves from the yoke.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March 18.</span><br />Opinions of the Whigs at this time.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>While Massena was retreating, and before the intelligence -arrived in England, a debate took place -in both houses, upon a motion, that two millions -should be granted for the Portugueze troops in -British pay. The opposition did not let pass -this opportunity of repeating their opinions and their - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mr. Ponsonby.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -prophecies, ... in happy hour! Mr. Ponsonby -said, that our success consisted in having lost -almost the whole of Portugal, and having our army -hemmed in between Lisbon and Cartaxo; except that -intermediate space, we had abandoned all Portugal. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mr. Freemantle.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Mr. Freemantle, after a panegyric upon Sir -John Moore’s retreat, said that the present<span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">163</span> -campaign left Lord Wellington incapable of quitting his -intrenchments, and only waiting the result of such movements -as the enemy might be disposed to make. “It -rests with the enemy,” said he, “to choose his day, to -make his own dispositions, to wait for his reinforcements, -to choose whether he will continue to blockade -you, or whether he will give you a fair opportunity of -contending with him in the field. If we are to judge by -the publications in France, he will decide upon the -former; and in this he will judge wisely. The result of -all your victories, of all your expenditure in men and -money, of all your exertions, and of all your waste of the -military resources of this country, is ... the position of -your army at Lisbon, insulated and incapable of acting, -but at the discretion of the enemy: your allies in every -other part of the peninsula overwhelmed, and only manifesting -partial and unavailable hostility; your own resources -exhausted, and your hopes of ultimate success, -to every mind which is not blinded by enthusiasm, completely -annihilated! Such is the result of a system -founded upon the principle of attempting to subdue -Buonaparte by the force of your armies on the continent! -Will any man say that this has been a wise -system? Will any man, who is not determined, under -any circumstances, to support the measures of a weak -and misguided government, contend that it has been -successful? that it has answered either the promises to -your allies, or the hopes to your country? that it has -either contributed to their security, or to your own -benefit?”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>General Tarleton.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>General Tarleton also delivered it as his opinion, that -we had lost the whole of the peninsula, except -the spot between Cartaxo and Lisbon; that the -Portugueze troops had never been of any actual service;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">164</span> -that we could not maintain ourselves in the country, for -the fatal truth must at length be told; and that when -our army was to get out of it, he was afraid it would be - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Grenville.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -found a difficult matter. Lord Grenville, in the -Upper House, spoke to the same purport, affirming -that the British army in Portugal did not possess -more of the country than the ground which it actually -occupied, and that while we were vainly draining our -own resources, and hazarding our best means, we did -not essentially contribute to help Portugal, or to save it. -It was, he added, because he had the cause of Spain and -Portugal sincerely and warmly at heart, that he felt -anxious we should pause in this wild and mad career of -thoughtless prodigality, look our own situation in the -face, and learn the necessity of economising our resources, -that we might be able, at a period more favourable -than the present, to lend to the cause of the nations -of the Peninsula, or to that of any other country similarly -situated, that support and those exertions which, when -made under all the circumstances of our present situation, -must be found not only wholly unavailing to our -allies, but highly injurious to ourselves.</p> - -<p>Two days after these opinions were delivered, the -telegraph announced the news of Massena’s retreat.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">165</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXXVI">CHAPTER XXXVI.<br /> - -<span class="subhead">CADIZ. BATTLE OF BARROSA. DEATH OF ALBURQUERQUE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1811.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p class="in0"><span class="firstword">About</span> the same time that the tide had thus turned -in Portugal, came tidings of a victory in Spain, which, -if it led to no other result, tended to raise the character -of the British army, and the spirits of the nation. When -Soult marched against Badajoz, hoping to co-operate -with Massena in the conquest of Portugal, he made - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Expedition from Cadiz.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -such large drafts from the army before Cadiz, -that it was thought possible, by a well-concerted -attack, to raise the blockade. The plan was, that -an expedition should sail from Cadiz, and force a landing -between Cape Trafalgar and Cape de Plata, or at Tarifa, -or at Algeciras. The Spanish force at St. Roques was -then to join, and a combined attack to be made upon -the rear of the enemy’s line; while, in the meantime, -an attempt should be made from the Isle of Leon to -open a communication with them. D. Manuel de Lapeña -was appointed to the command. He had conducted the -wreck of the central army during the latter part of its -retreat, under circumstances in which no military skill -could be displayed, but in which his patriotism and - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lieutenant-General Graham.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -moderation had been fully proved. Lieutenant-General -Graham, who commanded the British troops -at Cadiz, consented to act under him. This -officer was now in his sixty-first year. The -former part of his life he had passed in the enjoyments<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">166</span> -of domestic comfort, amusing himself with rural sports, -with improving his estates, and with literature: after -eighteen years of happiness his wife died on the way to -the south of France, and Mr. Graham, seeking for relief -in change of place, and in active occupations, joined -Lord Hood as a volunteer when Toulon was taken possession -of in 1793. Here he distinguished himself -greatly, and on his return to England obtained permission -to raise a regiment, but not without great difficulty -and express discouragement from the commander-in-chief. -He was at Mantua with Wurmser in 1796, -and escaped by cutting his way through the besiegers -in a night sortie: and he bore a distinguished part at -Malta when Sir Alexander Ball, under circumstances -the most painful, and with means the most inadequate, -by his wisdom and perseverance recovered that island -from the enemy. Nevertheless the time of life at which -he had entered the army, and the manner, impeded his -promotion; and he would probably never have risen in -rank if General Moore had not experienced great assistance -from him in his retreat, and at the battle of Coruña, -and sent home so strong a recommendation that it could -not be neglected.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Apprehensions of the enemy.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The expedition, though upon no extensive scale, was -yet a great exertion for a government so poor in -means as the Regency, so feeble, and with all -its branches so miserably disorganised. The -bustle in the roads was visible from the enemy’s lines, as -well as from the city; in Cadiz the highest hopes were -excited, and Marshal Victor felt no little degree of -alarm. He thought that when Soult had so considerably -weakened the blockading force, he ought to have placed -Sebastiani’s army at his disposal, in case of need: this -had not been done, and Victor, seeing the naval preparations, -sent to that general, entreating him to manœuvre<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">167</span> -so as to alarm the allies upon their landing, -and to endanger them; but his entreaties were of no -effect, and Victor complained in his public dispatches, -that this corps, though numerous, in good condition, -and at leisure, had not given him the least assistance.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">February.</span><br />The troops land at Algeciras.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>During the latter days of January and great part of -the following month, heavy rains delayed the -expedition, and rendered all the roads impracticable -by which the allies could have approached -the enemy. On the 20th of February, -the troops were embarked, waiting a favourable -opportunity to proceed into the Straits: General Graham -had about 4000 British and Portugueze, the Spaniards -were 7000. The British got to sea the next day, and -not being able to effect a landing near Cape Trafalgar, -nor at Tarifa, disembarked at Algeciras, from whence -they marched to Tarifa. The roads between the two -towns were impassable for carriages, and therefore the -artillery, provisions, and stores, were conveyed in boats, -by indefatigable exertions of the seamen, against every -disadvantage of wind and weather. The Spanish transports -were thrice driven back, but reached Tarifa on the -evening of the 27th, and the next day they began their - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>They pass the Puerto de Facinas.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -march to the Puerto de Facinas, a pass in that -chain of mountains which, bounding the plain -of Gibraltar on the west, runs to the sea from -the Sierras of Ronda. To this point the road was practicable -for carriages, some days’ labour having been employed -in making it so: from thence it descends to those -spacious plains which extend from the skirts of the chain -to Medina Sidonia, Chiclana, and the river Santi Petri: -and the roads below were in a dreadful state, the -country being marshy, intersected with a labyrinth of -streams; one of which, the Barbate, which receives the -waters of the Lake of Janda, is a considerable river. At<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">168</span> -Veger, about half way between Tarifa and the Isle of -Leon, the French had three companies of infantry and -180 horse. They had also a small fort with two pieces -of cannon at Casas Viejas, on the road to Medina. -These points it was hoped to surprise, and the troops -therefore encamped on the side of the mountain, taking -every precaution to conceal their movements from the -enemy.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lapeña’s proclamation.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Lapeña, when the troops commenced their march, -addressed a proclamation to them, which at -once disclosed the extent of his object, and the -confidence with which he expected to realize it. -“Soldiers of the fourth army,” said he, “the moment for -which you have a whole year been longing is at length -arrived: a second time Andalusia is about to owe to you -her liberty, and the laurels of Mengibar and Baylen will -revive upon your brows. You have to combat in sight -of the whole nation assembled in its Cortes; the Government -will see your deeds; the inhabitants of Cadiz, -who have made so many sacrifices for you, will be -eye-witnesses of your heroism; they will lift up their -voices in blessings and in acclamations of praise, which -you will hear amid the roar of musketry and cannon. -Let us go then to conquer! my cares are directed to -this end; implicit obedience, firmness, and discipline, -must conduct you to it: if these are wanting, in vain -will you seek for fortune! and woe to him who forgets -or abandons them: he shall die without remission! The -gold, whose weight makes cowards of those who have -plundered it from us, the bounties which a generous -Government will bestow, and the endless blessings of -those who will call you their deliverers, ... behold in -these your reward!” At Facinas the operations were -to commence; here, therefore, the order of march was -arranged, and the troops formed into three divisions, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">169</span> -van being under General D. Jose Lardizabal, the centre -under Camp-Marshal the Prince of Anglona, and the -reserve under General Graham.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Advance against Veger.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>At night-fall on the first of March, a detachment -under Colonel D. José Aymerich with two four-pounders, -began its march to surprise Veger. -A squadron accompanied it under the first adjutant -of the staff, Major-General Wall, as far as the -Fuente del Hierro, where these two parties separated, -Aymerich taking the direct line for Veger, Wall going to -the right across the lake of La Janda and the river Barbate, -to cut off the retreat of the enemy by the roads to -Medina and Chiclana. It was hardly probable that he -should succeed in this attempt, for the way was not only -circuitous and full of difficulties, but there was also -another road, that of Conil, by which they might make -their retreat, and which lay so wide of the others, that -it could not be occupied: Wall’s movement, however, -covered Aymerich’s, and facilitated his operations. The -Barbate is navigable as far as Veger bridge, where it -touches the foot of the high hill upon which Veger -stands. At this bridge Aymerich arrived in the morning; -it was fortified, and the French, under every advantage -of situation, were preparing to defend it, when -Wall’s cavalry appeared on the other side; upon this -they retired by the Conil road fast enough to effect -their retreat. Three of their gun-boats and three pieces -of cannon were taken here; the enemy suffered no other -loss, but the chief object in view was accomplished, for -the possession of this post secured the flank of the allies.</p> - -<p>Meantime the main body advanced against Casas -Viejas: the distance being twelve miles, Lapeña supposed, -from the information of his guides, that he should -arrive some hours before daybreak. But there were so -many streams to cross, and so many intervening marshes,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">170</span> -that notwithstanding the hard labour of the pioneers, -and the utmost exertions of the artillery officers, these -twelve miles were a journey of twelve painful hours, -so that he did not arrive in time to reconnoitre the fort -before it was broad day. The enemy having fired a few -shot, took post upon a hill behind the fort, on the -Medina road. The German hussars in the British service, -and the Spanish carbineers under General Whittingham, -were ordered to wheel round upon the enemy’s -right, and surround them in that direction, while Baron - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Carondelet, with another squadron of cavalry, -forded the Barbate, and crossing a flooded -marsh, where the water was up to their saddle-girths, -advanced to charge them. Two battalions of infantry, -the one Spanish, the other English, crossed at the same -time to support him; and the enemy presently gave way, -leaving about thirty killed and wounded, thirty-three -prisoners, two pieces of cannon, and all their stores.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Junction of the troops from St. Roques.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The troops from St. Roques joined this day, marching -by way of Las Casas de Castaño, and leaving a -small detachment in Alcala de los Gazules. -This division, consisting of 1600 men, was -added to the centre, whose force now amounted to 6000; -that of the vanguard was 2100, that of the rear 3100, -4300 being British and Portugueze, the rest Spaniards. -The cavalry were in a separate body under Whittingham. -The whole force, when thus united, consisted of -11,200 foot, 800 horse<a id="FNanchor_20" href="#Footnote_20" class="fnanchor">20</a>. They had twenty-four pieces -of cannon. Lapeña’s plan was now to march by Veger, -upon the Santi Petri, and attack the intrenchments -there which formed the left of the enemy’s lines. Thus -the pass of the river would be laid open, and a communication<span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">171</span> -established with the Isle of Leon, from -whence the army might receive provisions, which it -now began to want, and might be reinforced with artillery, -foot, and horse: thus too they might combine -their operations with those which would be made from -the Spanish line of defence, and from the bay, in such -manner, that while the success appeared almost certain, -the risk, even in case of defeat, would be avoided, which -must be incurred upon any other plan from the nature of -the ground and the want of stores. Victor did not suspect -that any difficulties upon this head could influence -the movements of the allies, and he seems to have expected -that his position would be attacked in a more -vital part. He reinforced with a battalion of voltigeurs -General Cassagne, who occupied Medina Sidonia with -three battalions and a regiment of chasseurs; and he -took a position himself with ten battalions at the Cortijo -de Guerra, the intermediate point between Medina and -Chiclana, from whence he could bear upon the allies in -case they should advance upon either. General Lapeña, -however, had no thought of moving upon Medina: “it -was strong by nature,” he said, “fortified with seven -pieces of cannon, besides some in its castle, and distant -only two leagues from the Cortijo.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French attack Zayas, and are repulsed.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Camp-Marshal D. Jose de Zayas, who commanded in -the Isle of Leon, meantime had well performed -his part of the concerted operations. He pushed -a body of troops over the Santi Petri, near the -coast, on the first, threw a pontoon bridge across, and -formed a tete-du-pont the following evening. The -French General Villatte was immediately ordered to -attack this point during the night, and, in French customary -phrase, to drive the Spaniards into the sea. -About midnight the enemy made their attack with three -regiments, and by dint of superior numbers forced their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">172</span> -way into the works at various points. Zayas speedily -reinforced the post, and drove them out with the bayonet: -it was wholly an affair of the bayonet, for the -troops were too much intermingled to permit of firing. -Some of the French had reached the middle of the -bridge, others crossed it, probably as the best means of -saving themselves when they found that they had -pushed on too far; they fell in with the Spaniards who -were hastening to assist their comrades, and in this -manner effected their escape.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Passage of the lake of Junda.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Having failed in this attempt, Victor marched towards -Chiclana, and ordered Cassagne to join him -from the Cortijo, rightly concluding that Lapeña -meant to attack the French lines at Santi Petri, -which, should he succeed, would enable him to receive -reinforcements from the Isle, and then he would march -upon Chiclana. The Spanish general thought to deceive -him into a belief that the attack would be made -by Medina, and for this purpose left a party at Casas -Viejas to mount guard, and keep up fires, as if the -whole force was there, while on the third they proceeded -to Veger. An excess of caution seems to have -been Lapeña’s failing; lest the enemy from Medina, -which was about ten miles from the beaten road, should -think of attacking him upon his march, he chose a by-road -on the left of the Barbate, unfrequented, because -there is the lake of Junda to be crossed on the way. -This lake is a considerable piece of water, between the -two roads from Tarifa to Medina Sidonia and to Chiclana. -The bottom consists of mud; but to render it -fordable, a stone causeway had been built, rather under -than in the water, about six feet wide, and some 500 -yards in length, bushes and poles being fixed at intervals -to mark its edge, and prevent the traveller from -stepping into the mud. At this time the water upon the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">173</span> -causeway was in some places more than mid-deep. The -Spaniards were some hours in passing, Lapeña exhorting -them from his horse; and many of the officers made the -men carry them across, while our officers were encouraging -their soldiers by example, and General Graham -was in the water on foot. On the evening of the -4th, they advanced from Veger, by way of Conil, towards -Santi Petri. This place Lapeña hoped to reach -by daybreak; but upon entering a wood about ten -miles from the village, and about as much in extent, his -advanced guard was suddenly attacked by some cavalry -who sallied from the cover. The enemy were repelled, -but the column halted while the wood was explored; -and this, with the doubt and hesitation of the guides, -heightened by the fears and feelings which night excited, -and the local circumstances of a country where -carriages seldom or never passed, caused a delay of two -hours, so that they did not get out of the wood till it -was broad day; and the hope which Lapeña had with -little reason indulged, of surprising his vigilant enemy, -was destroyed. The three divisions therefore advanced -in as many columns; their movements could not possibly -be concealed; the enemy did not appear to molest -them, but an officer of the French staff was seen singly -reconnoitring them. The operation was to commence -from a height called the Cabeza del Puerco: they -halted here to refresh themselves, and Lapeña harangued -the van which was destined to make the attack.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Position of the enemy.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The lines which were to be attacked formed the left -of the French works. They were supported by -the sea on one side, on the other by the channel -of Alcornocal, and the fortified mill of Almansa. -Villatte had about 4000 men to defend this position, but -his force had been considerably weakened in his unsuccessful -attempt upon the tete-du-pont. He had, however,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">174</span> -very considerable advantage in the nature of the -broken ground, a thick wood through which the assailant -must advance, and the perfect knowledge, which, -in the course of twelve months’ undisturbed possession, -he had acquired of every path and every inequality of -surface. This wood so covered the enemy, that only -four of their battalions in the first line were visible; -they had their right supported by the Torre Bermeja, -and three guns in their centre. Lardizabal, reinforced -by part of the second division, advanced to attack -them: the remainder of the troops held a position upon -the Cabeza del Puerco, or hill of Barrosa, the cavalry -being in advance upon the right.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Communication with the Isle of Leon.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Villatte anticipated their movements, and fell upon -both flanks of Lardizabal’s advance at the same -time; at first he had the advantage, ... but the -regiment of Murcia, under its Colonel D. Juan -Maria Muñoz, checked his progress, Lardizabal with a -battalion of the Canaries attacked his right, and the -Spanish guards, and the regiment of Africa, under -Brigadier D. Raymundo Ferrer, and Colonel D. Tomas -Retortillo, charged with the bayonet. The enemy were -routed, and the communication with the Isle of Leon -was thus opened by this well-conducted and successful -attack. Two battalions of the French escaped and -carried off their field-pieces, the nature of the ground -saving them. Lapeña’s first object was thus accomplished, -and in order to maintain the important position -that he had gained, which had in its front a thick pine -forest, extending to Chiclana, and which he apprehended -the enemy would use their utmost efforts to recover, -he directed, in concert with General Graham, -that the British troops should move down from Barrosa -towards the Torre de Bermeja, leaving some Spanish -regiments under Brigadier Begines upon the heights.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">175</span> -The position which it was intended to occupy is formed -by a narrow woody ridge, the right on the sea cliff, -the left falling down to the creek of Almansa on the -edge of a marsh. From the position of Barrosa to -that of Bermeja, the communication is easy, along a -hard sandy beach upon the west. General Graham’s -division had halted on the eastern slope; his road -therefore lay through the wood, and having sent -cavalry patroles toward Chiclana, who saw nothing of -the enemy, he began his march about noon.</p> - -<p>General Lacy, the chief of the Spanish staff, was -sent forward by Lapeña to maintain the heights of -Bermeja; here it was that the danger was apprehended; -and the firing had recommenced in that direction. -The nature of the ground was such, that -what was passing at Barrosa could not be seen at -Bermeja; perhaps there was a deficiency in those -arrangements, by which, in a well-organized army, -information of what is passing in one part is rapidly -conveyed to another; and there was certainly the want -of a good intelligence between General Graham and the -Spanish commander under whom he had consented to -act. The British troops had proceeded about half way, -and were in the middle of the wood, when they were -informed that the enemy was appearing in force upon -the plain, and advancing towards the heights of Barrosa. -That position General Graham considered as the key to -that of Santi Petri, and immediately countermarched in -order to support the troops who had been left for its -defence.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Heights of Barrosa.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The heights of Barrosa extend to the shore on one -side, and slope down to the plain on the other -towards a lake called the Laguna del Puerco: -the ridge itself was called Cabeza del Puerco by the -Spaniards, but it will retain the better name which was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">176</span> -this day acquired for it. Victor with 8000 men advanced -against this point. The troops which had been -left there were the regiments of Siguenza and Cantabria, -a battalion of Ciudad Real, another of the Walloon -guards, and a battalion of the King’s German legion. -Ignorant of Graham’s movements, and knowing themselves -unable to maintain the post against such very superior -numbers, they thought it best to form a junction -with the British, whose rear they should by this means -cover, and be themselves covered on the way by the pine -forest through which they were to pass. Accordingly -they made this movement with perfect coolness and in -perfect order, General Whittingham covering one flank, -Brigadier D. Juan de la Cruz Mourgeon the other; for -on both sides the enemy endeavoured to envelope them.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>General Graham marches back to the heights.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Graham, meantime, was marching rapidly back, but -at a distance from the shore; whereas these -troops kept near it, apparently to lessen the -danger of being turned on that side by the -enemy’s light infantry. In such intricate and -difficult circumstances it was impossible to preserve -order in the columns; and before the troops were quite -disentangled from the wood, they saw that the detachment -which they were hastening to support had left the -heights; that the left wing of the French were rapidly -ascending there, and their right stood upon the plain, on -the edge of the wood within cannon shot. General Graham’s -object in countermarching had been to support the -troops in maintaining the heights; “but a retreat,” he -says, “in the face of such an enemy (already within -reach of the easy communication by the sea beach) must -have involved the whole allied army in all the danger -of being attacked during the unavoidable confusion of -the different corps arriving on the narrow ridge of Bermeja -nearly at the same time.” Trusting, therefore, to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">177</span> -the courage of his men, and regardless of the numbers -and position of the enemy, he resolved immediately to -attack them.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Battle of Barrosa.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Marshal Victor commanded the French; General -Ruffin, whose name was well known in the -history of this wicked war, commanded the left -upon the hill; General Leval the right. Graham -formed his troops as rapidly as the circumstances required; -there was no time to restore order in his -columns, which had unavoidably been broken in marching -through the wood. The brigade of guards, Lieutenant-Colonel -Browne’s flank battalion of the 28th, -Lieutenant-Colonel Norcott’s two companies of the 2nd -rifle corps, and Major Acheson, with a part of the 57th -(separated from the regiment in the wood), formed on -the right under Brigadier-General Dilkes. Colonel -Wheatley’s brigade, with three companies of the Coldstream -guards, under Lieutenant-Colonel Jackson, -(separated likewise from his battalion in the wood,) and -Lieutenant-Colonel Barnard’s flank battalion, formed on -the left; Major Duncan, opening a powerful battery of -ten guns in the centre, protected the formation of the -infantry; and as soon as they were thus hastily got together, -the guns were advanced to a more favourable -position, and kept up a most destructive fire.</p> - -<p>Leval’s division, notwithstanding the havoc which this -battery made, continued to advance in imposing masses, -opening its fire of musketry. The British left wing -advanced against it, firing. The three companies of -guards, and the 87th, supported by the remainder of the -wing, charged them with right British bravery; Colonel -Bilson with the 28th, and Lieutenant-Colonel Prevost -with part of the 67th, zealously supported their attack, -which was decisive in this part of the field. An eagle, -the first which the British had won, was taken. It belonged<span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">178</span> -to the 8th regiment of light infantry, and bore a -gold collar round its neck, because that regiment had so -distinguished itself as to have received the thanks of -Buonaparte in person. The enemy were closely pursued -across a narrow valley, and a reserve, which they had -formed beyond it, was charged in like manner, and in -like manner put to the rout. General Dilkes was equally -successful on his side. Ruffin, confident in his numbers -and in his position, met him on the ascent. A bloody -contest ensued, but of no long duration, for the best -troops of France have never been able to stand against -the British bayonet. Ruffin was wounded and taken, -and the enemy driven from the heights in confusion. In -less than an hour and a half they were in full retreat, -and in that short time more than 4000 men had fallen, ... -for the British loss in killed and wounded amounted to -1243; not a single British soldier was taken. The -French loss was more than 3000. General Bellegrade -was killed, General Rousseau mortally wounded and -taken; the prisoners were only 440, because there was -no pursuit.</p> - -<p>The 20th Portugueze regiment fought side by side -with the British in this memorable action. One squadron -of the German Legion, which had been attached to the -Spanish cavalry, joined in time to make a successful -charge against a squadron of French dragoons, which it -completely routed. General Whittingham, with the rest -of the cavalry, was engaged, meantime, in checking a -corps of horse and foot who were attempting to win the -height by the coast. The Walloon guards, and the -battalion of Ciudad Real, which had been attached to -Graham’s division, and had been left on the height, -made the greatest exertions to rejoin him; but it was -not possible for them to arrive before the victory was -decided, and the troops were too much exhausted to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">179</span> -think of pursuing their advantage. They had been -marching for twenty hours before the battle.</p> - -<p>The distance from Barrosa to Bermeja is about three -miles; Lapeña could not see what was passing at the -great scene of action, and an attack was made at the -same time upon Bermeja by Villatte, who had received -reinforcements from Chiclana: the enemy were vigorously -resisted there, and were called off by Victor in -consequence of his defeat. When the Spanish general -was informed of Graham’s brilliant action, he entertained -great hopes of succeeding in the farther movement which -had been intended. In the dispatch which he sent that -night to Cadiz, “The allied army,” he said, “had obtained -a victory so much the more satisfactory as circumstances -rendered it more difficult; but the valour of the -British and Spanish troops, the military skill and genius -of General Graham, and the gallantry of the commandant-general -of the vanguard, D. Jose Lardizabal, had -overcome all obstacles. I remain,” he continued, “master -of the enemy’s position, which is so important to me for -my subsequent operations.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Diversion on the coast.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>But no attempt was made to profit by the bloody -victory which had been gained. General Graham -remained some hours upon the heights -which he had won, and as no supplies came to him, the -commissariat mules having been dispersed at the beginning -of the action, he left a small detachment there, and -then withdrew his troops, and early the next morning -crossed the Santi Petri. While he was on his march, -two landings were effected by way of diversion, between -Rota and Catalina, and between Catalina and Santa -Maria, by the marines of the British squadron, with -200 seamen and 80 Spanish marines: they stormed two -redoubts, and dismantled all the sea defences from Rota -to St. Maria, except Catalina. Preparations were made<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">180</span> -to attack the tete-du-pont and the bridge of St. Maria, -but the enemy advanced in force from Puerto Real, and -Sir Richard Keats, knowing that General Graham had -now re-entered the Isle of Leon, ordered the men to re-embark.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Cortes demand an inquiry.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Such was the lame and impotent conclusion of an -expedition which had been long prepared and -well concerted, in which the force employed -was adequate to the end proposed, and of which -every part that was attempted had been successfully -effected. General Graham complained loudly of Lapeña; -and the people of Cadiz, the Cortes, and the government, -were at first equally disposed to impute the failure -to the Spanish commander. The Cortes voted an address -to the Regency on the 9th, saying that the national -congress, not being able longer to endure the grief and -bitterness of seeing the circumstances of the expedition -remain in doubt and obscurity, requested the executive -government to give them, as speedily as possible, a circumstantial -account of the proceedings of the Spanish -army. When this account was laid before them, they -declared that the conduct of the general with regard to -the advantages which might have been obtained on the -memorable day of the battle was not sufficiently clear; -“the Cortes, therefore,” said they, “in discharge of its -sovereign mission, and using the supreme inspection -which it has reserved to itself over whatever may influence -the salvation of the kingdom, desires that the -council of Regency will immediately institute a scrupulous -investigation with all the rigour of military law.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Outcry in England against Lapeña.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>If such was at first the prevailing opinion in Cadiz, it -may well be supposed that the Spanish general -would be exposed to severe censure in England. -The story which obtained belief was, that Lapeña -and the Spaniards had been idle spectators of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">181</span> -action, whereas, if they had only shown themselves upon -the adjoining heights, the French would have raised the -blockade, and retired in dismay to Seville; and that -after the battle, while he and 12,000 Spaniards remained -inactive, he sent to General Graham, whose troops were -without food, and had marched sixteen hours before they -came into action, desiring him to follow up the victory, -for that now was the time to deliver Cadiz. A vote of -thanks passed unanimously in both houses; but a few -days afterwards, when the ordnance estimates were before - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">April 1.</span><br />Speech of Mr. Ward.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the house, the honourable J. W. Ward said, -“he hoped he might now be allowed to ask for -some explanation of the deplorable misconduct -of our allies; for of that conduct it would be idle to -affect to speak in doubtful terms, it was reprobated with -equal indignation by all parties throughout the country. -Was it to be endured,” said he, “that while the British -troops were performing prodigies of valour in an unequal -contest, that those allies for whose independence they -were fighting, should stand by, cold-blooded spectators -of deeds, the bare recital of which should have been -enough to warm every man of them into a hero? If, -indeed, they had been so many mercenaries, and had -been hired to fight for a foreign power and in behalf of -a foreign cause; ... if they had been so many Swiss, ... in -that case their breach of duty, however culpable, would -have been less unaccountable, and perhaps more excusable; -but here, where they were allies bound to this -country in obligations greater than ever before one nation -owed to another ... our brave men lavishing those lives -which their country had so much better right to claim, -in defence of that cause in which those allies were -principals ... in such a case, tamely to look on while the -contest between numbers and bravery hung in doubtful -issue, ... this did appear to him to betray an indifference,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">182</span> -an apathy, which, if he could suppose it to prevail among -the Spaniards, must render, in his mind, the cause of -Spanish independence altogether hopeless.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mr. Perceval.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Mr. Perceval replied, “that Mr. Ward had expressed -a stronger and more determined censure upon -the Spaniards than could be justified by any -evidence which had yet appeared. Had he expressed -his regret that the English had been left to fight the -battle alone, and had he required some explanation on -the subject, such conduct would have been perfectly -natural and right; but it was neither just nor generous -thus upon insufficient grounds to prejudice men who -were to undergo a legal investigation. General Graham’s -dispatches furnished no grounds for these sweeping -accusations; the Spanish troops which had been -attached to his division made every effort to come back -and join in the action; and when the situation of the -rest of the army, posted at four miles’ distance, was taken -into consideration, it required more information than -they possessed at present, even to justify the passing a -censure upon the whole Spanish army, or even upon any -part of it.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mr. Whitbread.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Mr. Whitbread now rose. “He should have been -glad,” he said, “to have joined in the general -expression of exultation when the vote of thanks -was passed; ... he should have been glad to have added -his mite to the general tribute in applause of the heroism -of that day, and to have claimed the hero of that day as -his much-valued friend. This he should have been -glad to have done, if he could have had sufficient control -over himself to have abstained from doing more. Mr. -Perceval had spoken like the advocate of the Spaniards; -they must be defended at all events, no matter how! -And what was it that was attempted to be defended? -The English army was on the point of being sacrificed ...<span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">183</span> -the Spaniards were in sight of them, within twenty -minutes quick march of them! and what did they? -What were they? Why, just what they have been described -by his honourable friend ... cold-blooded spectators -of the battle! After coldly witnessing a band of -heroes fighting and dying for their cause, General Lapeña -tells our small army, exhausted with its unparalleled -victory over numbers, that, forsooth, now was the time -to push its success. What did this redoubted general -mean? Was it insult, or treachery, or cowardice, ... -each, or all? He did not mean to complain of the -Spanish people, but of their officers. He should ever -think of Barrosa as a day memorable for the glory of -the Britons, and no less memorable for the infamy of the -Spaniards. Was it to be endured, that our brave fellows -should be so basely deserted, after an excessive night-march, -the moment they entered the field, against a foe -always formidable from discipline, and then doubly so -from numbers? Why were the two battalions withdrawn -from the heights of Barrosa? why was their -position abandoned precipitately to the French? who -gave this order but a Spanish officer? What! should -not this excite a jealousy? Was this the first time a -Spanish army had been cold-blooded spectators of -British heroism? Did they want this to remind them of -the stately indifference shown by Cuesta in the battle -of Talavera? Was all sound in Cadiz? Was there no -French party there? Were British armies never before -betrayed till the battle of Barrosa? He said betrayed, -for it was nothing less; the two battalions never came -up till our army had repulsed the French, beaten them -off, and was in hot pursuit of them as fast as our army -could pursue ... as fast as their exhausted limbs could -carry their noble hearts! Then what had been our -allies?... At Talavera nothing ... at Barrosa nothing ... or<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">184</span> -rather at both perhaps worse than nothing. The allied -force sailed from Cadiz ... the British fought ... the -Spaniards looked on. The British conquered; and yet -the siege was not raised. Again he asked, was all -sound at Cadiz? Was it true that General Graham had -been obstructed and foiled in all his plans ... that in the -midst of the fight, while the British troops were doing -feats which perhaps British troops alone could do, -their allies were doing what, he hoped, such men alone -were capable of ... plundering the British baggage? Was -this true? It was not the Spanish people he complained -of; he gave them every credit; but he gave their -leaders none. If all this was so, or nearly so, were the -British armies to be risked so worthlessly? Were they -to be abandoned to treachery or cowardice? For in -either or both must have originated the unnatural, ungrateful, -and infamous treatment they had met with.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Remarks on the failure of the expedition.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Whatever error of judgment General Lapeña might -have committed, the charges thus brought -against him and his army were as ill-founded -as they were intemperately urged. Instead of -being cold-blooded spectators of the battle, the main -body of the Spaniards were four miles distant; there -was a thick wood between them and the scene of action, -and they were themselves actually engaged at the time. -And it is worthy of remark, that while invectives, which -had no other tendency than to produce a breach between -England and Spain, were thus lavished upon the -Spaniards, by those politicians who would have had us -abandon Spain and Portugal to the tyrant’s pleasure, -the French were endeavouring to excite discontent between -the two countries by accusations which directly -contradicted these aspersions. Marshal Victor affirmed -in his official account, that when he determined to attack -the heights, the Spaniards under Lapeña were at the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">185</span> -time warmly engaged; the cannonade and the fire of -the musketry were extremely brisk, he said; and with -that falsehood which characterised the execrable system -of his government, he added, that the English, according -to their custom, had wished to place the Spaniards -in the post of danger, and expose themselves as little as -possible.</p> - -<p>Lapeña prayed that an immediate inquiry should be -instituted, that the inquiry should be made public, and -that he should be punished if he were found culpable. -The inquiry was made, and the result was an honourable -acquittal. The proceedings were not published; -and unhappily the good opinion of the Spanish Government -afforded no proof, scarcely a presumption, of the -deserts of those on whom it was bestowed. At this -very time they appointed Mahy, who had done nothing -in Galicia, but oppress the inhabitants and paralyse the -efforts of a brave and willing population, to another -command; and Mendizabal, by whose misconduct their -best army had been destroyed, was sent to command in -the North. But though it cannot be inferred that -General Lapeña was not worthy of censure, because he -was pronounced free from fault, little investigation may -suffice to show that the outcry raised against him was -intemperate, if not altogether unjust, and that the failure -of the expedition was owing to the disagreement between -the British and Spanish generals, more than to any misconduct -on the part of the latter. Whether prudently -or not, General Graham had consented to act under -Lapeña; and whether the plan of operations was well -concerted or not, he had assented to it. That plan was, -that the allies should open a communication with the -Isle of Leon, by breaking through the left of the -enemy’s line; this being done, they would receive supplies -and reinforcements, and might proceed to farther<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">186</span> -successes. It had never been intended in this plan that -the British should turn back to attack a part of the -French army, whose numbers were, to their own, in the -proportion of two to one, and who had every advantage -of ground; nor that they should cripple themselves by -fighting upon ground, where mere honour was all that -could be gained. The memorial which Lapeña addressed -to the Cortes, praying for an inquiry into his -conduct, contains his justification. “He had assured -General Graham,” he says, “on the evening after the -battle, that the troops from the isle should come out, -and that provisions should be sent to the English; and -it was with extreme surprise he learned that they had -retreated without his knowledge.” The cause of this -movement is perfectly explicable; the Spaniards in -Cadiz and the island, never very alert in their movements, -were not ready with an immediate supply of -provisions, and the British troops after the battle were -neither in a humour, nor in a state, nor in a situation to -wait patiently till it should arrive. From this moment -all co-operation was at an end. When the Spanish -general applied to his own Government, and to General -Graham, respecting farther operations, the former told -him that they had written to the British ambassador, -and were waiting for his answer; the latter that he was -not in a condition to come out of the isle again, but that -he would cover the points of the line of defence. -Lapeña thus found himself deprived of that part of the -allied force upon whose skill and discipline his best -hopes of success must have been founded; “had he -acted for himself,” he said, “he would have pursued the -enemy with the Spanish troops alone, but he was under -the necessity of consulting the Government which was -so close at hand.” This alone would have occasioned -delay; but Lapeña was at that moment under a charge<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">187</span> -of misconduct preferred against him by the British, and -echoed by the people and the Cortes; and thus in -delays, formalities, and examinations, the irrecoverable -hours were lost.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Death of Alburquerque.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>It must have added to the grief of the true Spaniards -in Cadiz upon this occasion, when they remembered -that they might at this day have had a -general who had every claim to the confidence of his -men, his government, and his allies, that distinguished -services, unbounded sacrifices, enterprise, talents, and -devoted patriotism could give. That general, the -Duque de Alburquerque, whose name will ever be -regarded as the most illustrious of his illustrious line, -had just at this time fallen a victim to the malignity of -the Junta of Cadiz. After remaining in England eight -months in a state of exile, intolerable to one who was -as capable as he was desirous of serving his country -in the field, he printed a statement of his conduct and -case, which he had withheld as long as any possible -injury could be apprehended from its publication. -This he sent to the Cortes; it was received as the -merits of its author deserved; eulogiums never more -justly merited were heard from all sides; the Cortes -declared that the duke and his army had deserved well -of their country, particularly for preserving the Isle of -Leon and Cadiz, and they desired that the Regency -would recall him from England that he might again -be actively employed. In consequence of this, he -was appointed to the command in Galicia. The Junta -of Cadiz, however, acting as they had done in other -cases, even of greater importance, in contempt of the -Government, drew up a reply to his statement; it -was addressed to the duke, and with insolence equal -to their ingratitude, and falsehood if possible surpassing -both, they called him, in direct terms, an impudent<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">188</span> -calumniator and an enemy to his country. Each of the -members of this body signed it individually; it was -printed as a hand-bill, and a copy of it was sent to -London by some private hand, and reached Alburquerque -through the twopenny post, that no possible mark of -insult might be wanting to the transaction.</p> - -<p>Alburquerque ought to have despised any attack -from that quarter, and more especially one which, by -its intemperance and scurrility, so plainly showed in -what vile passions it had originated. But he wore his -heart for daws to peck at, and his enemies knew but -too well the infirmity of his nature. At first he endeavoured -to repress or to conceal his feelings, and drew -up a short and dignified representation to the Cortes; -but this did not satisfy him; notwithstanding the -earnest dissuasions of his friends, he determined upon -replying to the Junta, and he devoted himself to this -composition with an earnestness which made him forgetful -both of food and of sleep. Three days were thus -employed in a state of restless and feverish anxiety. -The wound all this while was rankling, and the venom -of the Junta did its work. On the fourth day a frenzy-fever -seized him; he felt the approach of the disease, -and was perfectly sensible of the cause, for having sent -for D. J. M. Blanco White, he took from his pocket, as -soon as he saw him, a strip of paper on which he had -written, “<i>como calumniador y enemigo de la patria</i>,” -... the words which had stung him to the heart, ... and -said, “When they ask why I have lost my senses, this -paper will answer for me.” ... A dreadful scene ensued; -fits of tears were followed by paroxysms of rage, and on -the third day of his illness he expired: happily in the -course of the disease the sense of his own wrongs, -intolerable and fatal as it had proved, gave way to a -deeper feeling: he forgot himself in thinking of his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">189</span> -country: his repeated exclamations of vengeance upon -Napoleon Buonaparte were so vehement and loud that -they were distinctly heard by the passers in the street; -and his last breath was spent in imprecations upon the -tyrant whose wickedness had caused all the unutterable -miseries of Spain. Every public honour which the -British Government could bestow was paid to the remains -of this illustrious man, and his body was deposited -in that same vault in Henry VII.’s chapel -wherein Marlborough’s had formerly been laid, till it -could be sent home, to rest with his ancestors<a id="FNanchor_21" href="#Footnote_21" class="fnanchor">21</a>.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">190</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXXVII">CHAPTER XXXVII.</h2> - -<blockquote class="inhead"> - -<p class="hang">GRANT AND SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE RELIEF OF THE PORTUGUEZE. OPERATIONS -ON THE ALENTEJO FRONTIER. BATTLES OF FUENTES D’ONORO -AND ALBUHERA. BADAJOZ UNSUCCESSFULLY BESIEGED BY THE ALLIES.</p></blockquote> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1811.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p class="in0"><span class="firstword">It</span> was now made apparent, as well by the battle of -Barrosa, as by the whole conduct of the Cortes, that -no successful exertions were to be expected on that -side; and that, though the subjugation of the Peninsula -could not but appear every day more hopeless to the -Intruder’s government, all reasonable hope of its deliverance -must rest upon Lord Wellington, and the allied -army under his command. Thus far his foresight had -been fully approved by the issue of Massena’s invasion; -that general had entered Portugal with 72,000 men, -and had received reinforcements to the amount of about -15,000 more: ten he had lost at Busaco; about as -many more had died while he perseveringly maintained -his ground; and what with prisoners, sick and wounded, -and the losses on the retreat, about 40,000 only were -remaining when he recrossed the frontier. The invaders -had lost their horses, carriages, ammunition, -and cannon; but for this they cared not; they had the -strong hold of Ciudad Rodrigo on which to retire; and -even the wreck of their army was more numerous than -the force which drove them out of Portugal.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Opinions of the opposition writers at this time.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>During these events, the opponents of the English -ministry improved with more than their wonted -infelicity the opportunity afforded them of exhibiting -their errors in judgment, their want of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">191</span> -that knowledge which is the foundation of political -wisdom, and their destitution of that generous feeling -which sometimes renders even error respectable. When -the first news arrived that the French were breaking up -from their position, they cautioned the public against -extravagant expectations; “such accounts,” they said, -“have come too often to raise enthusiasm in any but -simpletons and stock-jobbers; and there seems no reason -for altering the opinion which we have so often -expressed, that, happen what may partially, the ultimate -loss of the Peninsula is as certain as ever it was, and -that we are only delaying the catastrophe by needless -proofs of a valour, which our enemies admire much more -than our allies. In the meantime, Spain does nothing, -except calumniate and kill her exiled patriots; and -reasonable people have long ceased to look to any place -but South America for the resuscitation of Spanish independence.”</p> - -<p>When it was known beyond all doubt to those whose -belief was not influenced by their wishes, that Massena -was in full retreat and Lord Wellington pursuing him, -“these retreats and pursuits,” said they, “are fine -things for tickling the ears. Most probably the retreat -is, as usual, an alteration of position; and the pursuit a -little look-out on the occasion, enlivened by the seizure -of a few unfortunate stragglers.” At the discovery that -this change of position was from the Zezere to the -Agueda, ... nothing less than the evacuation of Portugal, -... the despondents were neither abashed nor silenced. -“Buonaparte’s honour,” they said, “was pledged to -effect his projects in the Peninsula, and unfortunately -his power was as monstrous as his ambition. Massena -would now throw himself upon his resources both in -men and provisions; he was removing from a ravaged -and desolate country, to one comparatively uninjured<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">192</span> -and fertile; and it was to be remarked, that while the -French were falling back upon their supplies, the allies -were removing from their own. In such a state of -things, could Lord Wellington’s army long exist on the -frontiers? The war had become one of supplies and -expenses; if the enemy could establish large magazines -at Almeida, they could again advance, the same scenes -would again be repeated, and Lisbon would again become -the point of defence. The result must certainly -be determined by the success or ill success of the French -in Spain. If Spain falls,” said they, “nothing short of a -miracle can preserve Portugal; and that Spain will fall, -is almost as certain as that her people are self-willed -and superstitious, her nobility divided and degraded, and -her commanders incapable, arrogant, or treacherous.” -We were, moreover, warned by these sapient politicians, -to remember, that there were seven marshals -in Spain, besides generals, with distinct commands; -and that the French, having retired upon their resources, -had only abandoned Portugal for the season, -that they might return and reap the harvest which -they had left the natives to sow. It was not enough -to dismay the nation by thus prognosticating what the -French would do, they threw out alarming hints of -what, even now, it was to be apprehended they might -have done. “If,” said they, “Massena had received -adequate reinforcements from France, the positions -which he took at Guarda and Almeida would have -drawn the allies into a most dangerous predicament; -and let us imagine what might at this very instant be -the perilous situation of Lord Wellington, if a considerable -army had really been collected under Bessieres!” -Happy was it for England, that the councils of this -country were not directed by men who would have verified -their own predictions, leaving the enemy unresisted,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">193</span> -as far as Great Britain was concerned, because they -believed him to be irresistible!</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Address of the Portugueze Government to the people.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>But while the factious part of the British press was -thus displaying how far it was possible for men -to deaden their hearts against all generous emotions, -the Portugueze governors were expressing -their gratitude to England for the effectual support -which she had given to her old ally. They told -the people that their day of glory was at length arrived; -they had passed through the fiery ordeal, by which the -merits of men were tried and purified; they were become -a great nation. “Humbling themselves,” they -said, “before the first and sovereign Author of all good, -they rendered thanks to their Prince, for establishing, in -his wisdom, the basis of their defence; ... to his British -majesty, to his enlightened ministry, and to the whole -British nation, in whom they had found faithful and -liberal allies, constant co-operation, and that honour, -probity, and steadiness of principle, which peculiarly -distinguished the British character; ... to the illustrious -Wellington, whose sagacity and consummate military -skill had been so eminently displayed; ... to the zealous -and indefatigable Beresford, who had restored discipline -and organization to the Portugueze troops; ... to the -generals and officers, and their comrades in arms, who -had never fought that they did not triumph; ... finally, -to the whole Portugueze people, whose loyalty, patriotism, -constancy, and humanity, had been so gloriously -displayed, during the season of danger and of suffering.” -“Portugueze,” said they, “the effects of the invasion -of these barbarians; the yet smoking remains of the -cottage of the poor, of the mansion of the wealthy, of the -cell of the religious, of the hospital which afforded shelter -and relief to the indigent and infirm, of the temples<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">194</span> -dedicated to the worship of the Most High; the innocent -blood of so many peaceful citizens of both sexes, -and of all ages, with which those heaps of ruins are still -tinged; the insults of every kind heaped upon those -whom the Vandals did not deprive of life ... insults -many times more cruel than death itself; the universal -devastation, the robbery and destruction of everything -that the unhappy inhabitants of the invaded districts -possessed: ... this atrocious scene, which makes humanity -shudder, affords a terrible lesson, which you -ought deeply to engrave in memory, in order fully to -know that degenerate nation, who retain only the figure -of men, and who in every respect are worse than beasts, -and more blood-thirsty than tigers or lions; who are -without faith and without law; who acknowledge neither -the rights of humanity, nor respect the sacred tie -of an oath.”</p> - -<p>They proceeded to speak with becoming feeling and -becoming pride of the manner in which the emigrants -from the ravaged provinces had been received wherever -they had fled. The great expense of subsisting the -fugitives at Lisbon had been supported, they said, by -the resources which were at the disposal of Government, -but still more by the voluntary donations of individuals, -among whom they mentioned with particular distinction, -the British subjects in Portugal. It remained for completing -the work, to restore the fugitives to their homes; -to render habitable the towns which the barbarians had -left covered with filth and unburied carcases; to relieve -with medicine and food the sick, who were perishing for -want of such assistance; to revive agriculture, by supplying -the husbandman with seed corn, and bread for his -consumption for some time, and facilitating his means of -purchasing cattle and acquiring the instruments of agriculture.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">195</span> -These, they said, were the constant cares of the -Government, these were their duties; but their funds -were not even sufficient to provide for their defence, and -therefore they called upon individuals for further aid.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Wellington asks relief for the suffering Portugueze.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Lord Wellington in the preceding autumn, as soon as -he fell back to the lines of Torres Vedras, had -represented to his own Government the distress -to which those districts must be reduced through -which the enemy passed, ... a distress which -Portugal had no means of relieving. “Upon -former occasions,” he said, “the wealthy inhabitants of -Great Britain, and of London in particular, had stepped -forward to relieve foreign nations, whether suffering -under the calamities inflicted by Providence, or by a -cruel and powerful enemy. Portugal had once before -experienced such a proof of friendship from her oldest -and most faithful ally: but never was there case in -which this assistance was required in a greater degree -than at present, whether the sufferings of the people, or -their loyalty and patriotism, and their attachment to -England, were considered. I declare,” said Lord Wellington, -“that I have scarcely known an instance in -which any person in Portugal, of any order, has had -communication with the enemy, inconsistent with his -duty to his own sovereign, or with the orders he had -received. There is no instance of the inhabitants of -any town or village having remained, or of their having -failed to remove what might be useful to the enemy, -when they had sufficiently early intimation of the wishes -of Government, or of myself, that they should abandon -their houses, and carry away their property.” He therefore -recommended this brave and suffering people to the -British Government, and the British people, whenever -the country should be cleared of its barbarous invaders, -as he hoped and trusted that it would.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">196</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">April 8.</span><br />Parliamentary grant for the relief of the Portugueze.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>That hope had now been accomplished: his letter -was laid before Parliament, and a message from -the Prince Regent was presented, stating, “That, -having taken into consideration the distress to -which the inhabitants of a part of Portugal had -been exposed, in consequence of the invasion of -that country, and especially from the wanton and savage -barbarity exercised by the French in their recent retreat, -which could not fail,” he said, “to affect the hearts of -all persons who had any sense of religion or humanity, -he desired to be enabled to afford to the suffering subjects -of his Majesty’s good and faithful ally, such speedy -and effectual relief as might be suitable to this interesting -and afflicting occasion.” Accordingly a grant of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marquis Wellesley.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -100,000<i>l.</i> was proposed; Marquis Wellesley -saying, when he moved an address to this effect, -“he hoped he had not lived to see the day, though he -had sometimes been surprised by hearing something -like it, when it should be said that ancient faith, long-tried -attachment, and close connexion with our allies, -were circumstances to be discarded from our consideration, -and that they should be sacrificed and abandoned -to the mere suggestions and calculations of a cold - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Earl Grosvenor.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -policy.” Earl Grosvenor was the only person -who demurred at this motion. “He felt considerable -difficulty in acceding to it,” he said, “particularly -when he considered how much had been done -already for Portugal, and he would ask whether their -lordships were really prepared to take the whole burden -upon themselves, and exempt the Portugueze altogether -from the charge of relieving their own countrymen? It -was a principle as applicable to public as to private -affairs, that you should be just to your own people before - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marquis of Lansdowne.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -you were generous to other nations.” The Marquis -of Lansdowne spoke in a better mind: “Whatever,” he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">197</span> -said, “might have been his opinion regarding the -policy of our exertions in Portugal, no doubt existed -with him, that the efforts made by the -people of Portugal eminently deserved at our hands the -aid now asked, to relieve that distress into which they -had been plunged by the enemy. Even, therefore, if he -believed that Lord Wellington would be again compelled -to retreat, still he would vote for the present motion, -convinced that it could not fail to make an impression -in Europe highly favourable to the British character, -by displaying its beneficence, its generosity, and its -humanity, as contrasted with the savage barbarity of the -enemy. In extending to the people of Portugal that -generosity for which they might look through Europe -and the world in vain, we placed our national character -upon a pinnacle of greatness which nothing could destroy. -Even if our army was compelled to evacuate -Portugal, and we should be unable to withstand there -the progress of the French, still the posterity of the inhabitants -of Portugal would remember with gratitude -the aid afforded to their ancestors in the hour of their -distress. For these reasons, the address should have -his hearty concurrence.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mr. Ponsonby.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Mr. Ponsonby in like manner, when the vote was -moved in the Commons, declared, “that it was -not less due to the spirit of Portugal, than to -the magnanimity of Great Britain, ... that it was as consistent -with our interest, as it was material to our -honour. The only regret,” said he, “with which it is -accompanied on my part, proceeds from the reflection, -that the vast expenditure of this country should render -it necessary to limit the vote to so small a sum.” But -the liberality of the British people has seldom been more -conspicuously displayed, than in the subscriptions which -were made on this occasion. About 80,000<i>l.</i> was subscribed.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">198</span> -The public grant was to be measured, not by - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Public subscription.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the necessities of the Portugueze sufferers, but -by the means of the British Government; and -the Prince of Brazil called it “a most ample donation, -entirely corresponding to the generosity with which a -great nation and its Government had assisted Portugal.” -The individual proofs of beneficence were acknowledged -in the most honourable manner; the Prince issued an -order, that the list of subscribers should be printed at -the royal printing-office, and copies sent to the chambers -of each of the suffering districts, where, having been -publicly read after mass, they should be laid up in the -<i>Cartorios</i>, or archives of the respective districts; the -original list was to be deposited among the royal archives -in the Torre do Tombo at Lisbon, “that the -humanity of the one nation,” said the Prince, “and the -gratitude of the other may be attested to future generations.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Distribution of the grant.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The <i>dezembargador</i>, Joam Gaudencio Torres, and Mr. -Croft (one of a family which had been long -established at Porto, and who was subsequently -attached to the British legation) accepted the charge of -distributing this grant, and for that purpose, of visiting -the districts which had been ravaged, and seeing in -person to the distribution. It required no common -degree of humanity, and no ordinary strength of heart, -to undertake so painful an office. The time, it may be -hoped, is approaching, when the usages of war will as -little be admitted before man, as a plea for having -destroyed the innocent and the helpless, as it will -before God. Massena had gone to the utmost limits of -that dreadful plea before he broke up from his position. -Opposite to the house in which he had fixed his own -quarters at Santarem were the ruins of a church, into -which a number of wretched children, whose parents<span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">199</span> -had perished, and who were themselves perishing for -hunger, had crept, that they might lie down and - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Children famished at Santarem.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -die. They were found there by the first British -troops who entered the town, stretched upon -straw and rubbish ... the dying and the dead together, -reduced to skeletons before they died. When the -officer, who relates this in his journal, saw them, pieces -of bread which our soldiers had given these poor -orphans were lying untouched before many who were -incapable of eating, and some who had breathed their -last. Multitudes, indeed, had been famished before he -abandoned his hopes of conquest; but for the subsequent -conduct of that merciless general and his army -no military motives can be assigned ... none but what -are purely malignant and devilish. Marshal Massena -had formerly declared, that if he could land with an -army in England, he would pledge himself, not indeed -to effect the conquest of the country, but to reduce it to -a desert. In Portugal it was proved that out of the -wickedness of his heart his lips had then spoken; for on -his retreat, he endeavoured, in perfect conformity with -the political system of his emperor, to increase by every -possible means the horrors of war and the sum of human -suffering. The cruelties which were perpetrated by that -retreating army formed but a little part of the evils they -inflicted upon the brave nation which had successfully - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>State in which the French left the country they had occupied.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -resisted them; and in the districts which they -devastated, the inhabitants who perished under -their hands were less to be compassionated than -those who survived. The famine which they -intentionally produced, by destroying every thing in the -course of their retreat and within reach of their power, -continued to depopulate the country long after it was -delivered from its enemies. Endemic diseases were -produced by want of food and of raiment, by exposure,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">200</span> -by grief, and hopeless wretchedness. The hospitals, -with which Portugal abounded, had shared the general -destruction: many had been burnt, others gutted, the -resources of all destroyed; and those of the clergy and -of the convents, to which the sufferers would otherwise -have looked for aid, and from which they would have -found it, were in like manner totally dilapidated. The -income of the Bishop of Leyria was reduced from -40,000 <i>cruzados</i> to forty; and others had suffered -in a like degree. In that district the population was -cut down by the barbarities of the enemy, by famine, -and by disease, from 48,000 to 16,000; and in the subdivision - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Pombal.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -of Pombal from 7000 to 1800. Two -hundred families in the town of Pombal derived -before the invasion a comfortable subsistence from husbandry; -after the retreat an hundred and sixty-four of -those families had totally disappeared; and the few -survivors of the remaining thirty-six were suffering -under famine and disease. In a principal street of -that poor town the commissioners found one dismantled -dwelling, standing alone in the midst of ruins, and containing -three wretched inhabitants. Such was the desolation -which this more than barbarous enemy had left -behind them, that in what had been the populous and - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Santarem.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -flourishing town of Santarem, the screech owls -took possession of a whole street of ruins, where -it seemed as if man had been employed in reducing -human edifices to a state which rendered them fit receptacles -for birds and beasts of prey. The number of -these birds, and the boldness with which the havoc everywhere -about inspired them, made it frightful to pass that -way even in the daytime; insomuch, that a soldier who -had been promoted for his personal bravery was known -more than once to forego his mess, rather than pass -to it through these ruins. Dogs who were now without<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">201</span> -owners preyed upon the dead. Wolves fed on human - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Leyria.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -bodies in the streets of Leyria; and retaining -then no longer their fear of man, attacked the -living who came in their way. The servant of an English -gentleman was pursued one evening by two, in the outskirts -of that city; he escaped from them only by climbing -a single olive tree, which, happily for him, had -been left standing; it was just high enough to afford -him security, yet so low that the wolves besieged him in -it all night; three or four others joined them in the -blockade, and when he was seen and rescued in the -morning, the bark as high as they could reach had been -scored by their repeated endeavours to spring up and -seize him.</p> - -<p>There were parts of the country where the people, -having no other sustenance, allayed the pain of emptiness -without supplying the wants of nature, by eating boiled -grass, which they seasoned, such as could, with the -brine and scales left in the baskets from which salt fish, -or sardinhas had been sold, these being at that time the -scarce and almost only remaining articles of food. Among -a people in this extreme distress, the commissioners had -the painful task of selecting the cases which could bear -no deferment of relief, when every case was urgent, -when multitudes were perishing for want, and when the -whole amount of the means of relief at their disposal, -economized as those means were to the utmost, was deplorably -inadequate to the just and pressing claims upon -it. Eighteen months after the retreat, the price of provisions -in the wasted provinces was about six times -higher than before the invasion; a fact from which some -conception may be formed of the misery endured in the -course of those months, and of the state of things when -the commissioners entered upon their arduous and painful<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">202</span> -task. Inadequate to this dreadful necessity as the -aid of England was, yet, while it is to be feared a greater -number perished for want of human, or of timely help, -43,000 sick and 8000 orphans were saved by it. The -relief was not bestowed in food alone, and in the means -of removal, but in the means of future subsistence ... -cows, oxen, implements of agriculture, and seed of -various kinds. The gratitude of the people, to their -honour it should be said, was more in proportion to the -intention and good-will which were thus manifested, -than to the actual relief which was afforded. And if in -Portugal, as there would have been in any other country, -men were found whose hearts were so hard and their -consciences so stupified that they sought only how to -make the necessities and miseries of their fellow-creatures -an occasion of lucre for themselves, it may safely -be asserted, that never in any public calamity was there -less of such wicked selfishness displayed than at this -time. The commissioners who were employed ten -months upon this service, (which was not less hazardous -than painful, for it exposed them continually to contagious -disease as well as to the constant sight of suffering), -performed their office gratuitously, and would not -consent to have their personal expenses reimbursed: the -secretary and assistants who always accompanied them -refused to accept any pecuniary recompense for their -time and labour: and the house of the Vanzellers of -Porto advanced money for purchasing great part of the -cattle, and would receive no commission whatever upon -the negociation and payment of the bills. A brother of -that house, while the allied army occupied the lines, received -under his own roof at Lisbon, and at his own cost -maintained more than forty refugees, who were all personally -unknown to him before that time: and at his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">203</span> -mother’s<a id="FNanchor_22" href="#Footnote_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> country house near Porto, as many as came -daily were fed in her own presence, from seventy to an -hundred and upwards being the usual number. It is -consolatory to record such examples in a history where -so many errors and crimes must be recorded. When -the distribution was completed, the Portugueze Regency -assured the British Government that there did not -appear to have been a single complaint against the -justice and regularity with which it had been made, and -that this scrupulous and efficient application of the grant -to the ends intended was owing to the unwearied exertion -of Mr. Croft and his colleagues: they added, -that they should lay those high services, as they properly -denominated them, before the Prince of Brazil, -and expressed their desire that Mr. Croft’s conduct -might be made known to the Prince Regent of Great -Britain. That gentleman was, in consequence, created -a Baronet, and received the royal Portugueze order of -the Tower and Sword.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Political effect of the distribution.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>No measure could have had the effect of inspiring -the Portugueze people with so much confidence, -as this public distribution of seed corn, and -tools, and cattle. They who had been most -apprehensive of another invasion, were convinced that -Great Britain would not have conferred such a gift, if -what was now bestowed upon them were likely to be -wrested from them by the enemy; and under that conviction -they resumed in hope those labours, from which -despair might otherwise have deterred them. But it was -far from Lord Wellington’s intention to deceive them -into any fallacious opinion of their own security; on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">204</span> -contrary, his first thought, after he had driven the -French beyond the frontier, was to warn the Portugueze -that the danger might yet be renewed. “Their nation,” -he said, “had still riches left, which the tyrant would -endeavour to plunder: they were happy under a beneficent -sovereign, and this alone would make him exert -himself to destroy their happiness: they had successfully -resisted him, and therefore he would leave no possible -means unemployed for bringing them under his iron -yoke.” He appealed to all who had witnessed the -successive invasions of Junot, Soult, and Massena, -whether the system of the French had not been to confiscate, -to plunder, and to commit every outrage which -their atrocious dispositions could devise? and whether -from the general, to the lowest soldier, they had not -delighted in the practice of such excesses? “The -Portugueze,” he said, “ought not to relax their preparations -for resistance. Every man capable of bearing -arms ought to learn the use of them: those who, by -their age or sex, were not capable of taking the field, -should beforehand look out for places of safety where -they might retire in time of need: they should bury -their most valuable effects, every one in secret, not -trusting the knowledge of the place to those who had -no interest in concealing it: and they should take means -for effectually concealing, or destroying the food, which, -in case of necessity, could not be removed. If,” said -Lord Wellington, “these measures are adopted, however -superior in number the force may be which the -desire of plunder and of vengeance may induce the -tyrant to send again for the invasion of this country, the -issue will be certain, and the independence of Portugal -will be finally established, to the eternal honour of the -present generation.” Having issued this proclamation, -and made arrangements for the blockade of Almeida,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">205</span> -Lord Wellington, leaving his army under Sir Brent -Spencer, took advantage of the temporary inaction of -the enemy to go into Alentejo.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marquis Beresford goes to Alentejo.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Beresford had accompanied the commander-in-chief -in pursuit of the retreating enemy, as far as the -Ceyra. There Lord Wellington received news -as unexpected as it was unwelcome, that Badajoz -had been surrendered by its base governor. Another -piece of intelligence distressed him; a Spanish -officer of rank and ability, who had arranged the correspondence -which was carried on with his countrymen -in those parts of Spain possessed by the French, had -been made prisoner in the route of Mendizabal’s army, -and immediately entered the Intruder’s service. Lord -Wellington acted with characteristic sagacity on this -occasion; neither treating, nor considering this person -as wholly reprobate because he had shown a want of -principle which proceeded from want of courage to endure -adversity, he caused a letter to be written to him, -containing a hint, that bad as his conduct was, it would -be his own fault if he made it unforgiveable. The hint -was taken as it was meant; ... for the motive of ingratiating -himself with his new patrons was not strong -enough to overpower a natural humanity, a remaining -sense of honour, and a prudential consideration of the -instability of fortune: the officer kept his secret, and -lived to be well rewarded for having done so. The -surrender of Badajoz, which left the besieging army at -liberty to act against the allies wherever they might -deem best, divided Lord Wellington’s attention, and -checked him in what else would have been a career of -victory: but while he continued the pursuit of the retreating -army, he sent the Marshal to his command on -the south of the Tagus, to provide against the consequences -which might result from Imaz’s baseness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">206</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Valencia de Alcantara, Albuquerque, and Campo Mayor taken by the French.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Mortier, meantime, not failing to pursue to the utmost -the advantage which that misconduct had given -him, advanced upon Valencia de Alcantara, Albuquerque, -and Campo Mayor, in order that -the troops which he knew would be sent against -him might be deprived of those points of support. -The first of these places had long ceased -to be of any importance as a fortress; it was taken by -surprise, and seven brass guns, being the whole of its -artillery, were destroyed for want of carriages. Latour -Maubourg went against Albuquerque; its fortress, a -century ago, had been called impregnable; and might -now have made some defence, relief being so near at -hand; but the appearance of an enemy and a few cannon-shot -sufficed to terrify the garrison; they surrendered -without resistance, and were sent prisoners to -Badajoz with seventeen brass guns of large calibre: -the French then razed the works. While these detachments -were thus successfully employed, Mortier himself - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March 22.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -opened the trenches before Campo Mayor: this fortress -resisted better than its Castilian neighbours had -done; a battalion of militia incurred some disgrace -by its conduct, but the spirit of the inhabitants -and the governor was excellent, and the place held out -eleven days.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Beresford arrives on the frontier.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The fall of Campo Mayor was regretted, more for the -sake of its brave defenders than for any advantage -that could accrue to the enemy from a conquest -which they could not maintain. Marshal -Beresford arrived at Chamusca during the siege, and on -the day that it surrendered, assembled his corps at -Portalegre, now strengthened by the 4th division, and -Colonel de Gray’s brigade of heavy cavalry. On the -24th, everything was collected at and in front of Arronches; -and on the following day he moved against<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">207</span> -the Campo Mayor, meaning, if the enemy should persist -in retaining it, to interpose between that town and -Badajoz. The main body of the French had by this -time returned to the Caya, the whole of their besieging -train had re-entered Badajoz, they had removed thither -the heavy guns from Campo Mayor, and Soult had - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Affair near Campo Mayor.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -given orders to destroy the works there, which -were prevented by the appearance of Marshal -Beresford’s corps. About a league from the -town, the allies fell in and skirmished with the enemy’s -advanced horse: and Brigadier-General Long advancing -rapidly with the cavalry, came up with their whole -force, which, upon perceiving his movements, had evacuated -the place, and was retiring towards Badajoz. It -consisted of eight squadrons of cavalry, and two battalions -of infantry, commanded by General Latour Maubourg; -the latter were retreating in column with two -troops of hussars at their head and two closing their -rear, the rest manœuvring so as at once to cover the -retreat of the foot, and secure to themselves its support: -upon the approach of the allies, the French infantry -formed an oblong square, and the horse took up a -position <i>en potence</i>. Long’s first object was to dispose -of their cavalry; he ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Head, -with the 13th dragoons, to attack in flank the three -squadrons which were on the same line with the infantry; -while he, with three Portugueze squadrons, -attacked in front the three which formed the angle to -the right of the others: Colonel Elder, with two squadrons -of Portugueze, was to cover his left, and turn the -enemy’s right; and eight squadrons of heavy dragoons -to support the attack. As soon as Head advanced, the -enemy changed their position, brought forward their -right, and met the charge; they were immediately -broken, and in their flight carried away with them the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">208</span> -other squadrons, which, from the change of position, had -in some measure become a second line. From Campo -Mayor to Badajoz is an open plain without tree or bush; -over this ground the French retreated rapidly, skirmishing -the whole way. The 13th pursued with ungovernable -eagerness, and the two squadrons of Portugueze -which were sent to their support caught the same spirit, -and dispersed in the heat of pursuit. In this affair, -there were many opportunities for the display of individual -courage and dexterity. Colonel Chamorin, of the -26th French dragoons, was encountered by a corporal of -the 13th, whose comrade he had just before shot through -the head; each was a master of his horse and weapon, -but at length the corporal, striking off the helmet of his -enemy with one blow, cleft his head down to the ears -with another.</p> - -<p>The heavy cavalry, meantime, had been halted two -miles off, and there only remained with General Long -three squadrons of Portugueze with which to harass and -impede the French infantry, till it could be brought up: -these Portugueze did not stand the fire of the column -and the appearance of the hussars; and though they -were soon rallied, the retreating column gained ground -considerably before the heavy cavalry could overtake -them. The 13th and the two Portugueze squadrons -were then perceived returning from the pursuit which -they had followed with such heedless precipitation, as -to have given the enemy the superiority of numbers, and -to have lost twenty-four killed, seventy wounded, and -seventy-seven prisoners: some of them had pushed on -to the very gate of Badajoz, and were taken on the -bridge. Marshal Beresford would not risk the loss of -more cavalry, and the enemy’s column therefore retired -unmolested, retaking fifteen out of sixteen guns which -our 13th had taken. The loss of the French was very<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">209</span> -considerable; in one of their regiments only six officers -out of sixteen remained for duty. The next morning a -French captain of dragoons came with a trumpet, demanding -permission to search the field for his colonel. -Several of our officers went out with him. The peasants -had stripped the dead during the night; and more -than six hundred naked bodies were lying on the -ground, mostly slain with sabre wounds. It was long -before they could find Chamorin, lying on his face in -his clotted blood: as soon as the body was turned up, -the French captain gave a sort of scream, sprung off his -horse, threw off his brazen helmet, and kneeling by the -body, took the lifeless hand, and kissed it repeatedly -with a passionate grief which affected all the beholders.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Measures concerted with the Spaniards.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>After this affair Beresford cantoned his troops at Campo -Mayor, Elvas, Borba, and Villa-Viçosa: they -were equally in need of rest and of refitment, -great part of the British infantry having made -forced marches from Condeixa, and being in want of shoes. -General Ballasteros, who was seldom at any time in -force without suffering defeat, and never defeated without -presently obtaining some success, after experiencing -some of these customary alternations, and incurring some -severe losses in the Condado de Niebla, had fallen back -upon Gibraleon, hoping to effect a junction with Zayas, -who had been sent from Cadiz with 6000 men, of whom -400 were cavalry. Something was always to be expected -from Ballasteros’s remarkable activity; but there -was equal reason for dreading the effect of his incaution: -by Beresford’s request, therefore, Castaños wrote -to desire that he and Zayas would not commit themselves, -but reserve their force entire for co-operating -with him. Beresford’s objects at this time were, to -throw a bridge across the Guadiana at Jurumenha, ... to -recover Olivença, drive Mortier out of Extremadura,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">210</span> -and form as soon as possible the siege of Badajoz. Foreseeing -the want of a bridge, Lord Wellington had frequently, -before the fall of that place, urged the Spanish -general officers to remove the bridge-boats, and other - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">April.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -materials which were in store there, to Elvas. They began -to follow this advice, but so late and so slowly, -that only five of the twenty boats had been removed, -when Mendizabal’s defeat rendered any further -removal impossible: these, when laid down, left 160 yards -of the river uncovered. Nor was this the only difficulty. -It had been supposed that ample supplies had been collected -at Estremoz and Villa Viçosa; but owing to the -poverty of the Government, and to that mismanagement -which, from the highest to the lowest of its departments, -prevailed and was maintained, as if by prescriptive -right, throughout, not enough were found to ensure the -subsistence of the troops from day to day. Moreover, there -were no shoes in store for an army which had marched -itself barefoot. And had there been no deficiency of -stores, and no previous difficulties to overcome, Beresford’s -force, consisting of 20,000 effective men, British -and Portugueze, was inadequate to the operations which -he was to undertake with it, though it was the utmost -that Lord Wellington could spare from the more immediately -important scene of action on the frontier of -Beira.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Bridge constructed at Jurumenha.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Nothing, however, that could be done by diligence -and exertion was omitted. The Guadiana was -in such a state that it seemed feasible to construct -a bridge by fixing trestles across the -shallow part of the river, and connecting them with the -five Spanish boats in the deeper stream; or those boats -might be used as a floating bridge for the artillery and -heavy stores, and the interval filled with some half -dozen tin pontoons, which had been sent from Lisbon to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">211</span> -Elvas, and which, though weak and bad of their kind, -might bear the weight of infantry, there being a practicable -ford for the horse. This latter plan was preferred: -materials were collected not without great -difficulty, and delays which that difficulty occasioned: -trees were to be felled for the purpose, and the trestles -were made only seven feet in height, because no timber -for making larger was found near the spot. On the -2nd of April the engineers reported that the passage -was ready for the following day, and three squadrons -passed that evening, and stretched their piquets along -the advanced hills; thus making a show which imposed -upon the enemy. The troops marched from their cantonments, -and arrived at daybreak in a wood within a -mile of the bridge. No apprehensions of the river -had been entertained, for there had been no rain in -those parts; but heavy rains had fallen far off, in the -high regions where the Guadiana has its sources. When -day broke it was seen that the water had risen three -feet seven inches in the course of the night: planks, -trestles, and pontoons were swept away by the current, -and the ford also had become impassable. Beresford -still determined to cross, not losing the opportunity -which the enemy by their want of vigilance allowed -him. Enough of the trestles were collected from the -river to form, with two of the pontoons, two landing-places, -and two floating bridges were made of the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Passage of the Guadiana.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Spanish boats. This was completed by the -afternoon of the 5th. The army immediately -began to cross; and continued crossing, without -an hour’s intermission, from three that afternoon till -after midnight on the 8th. Only one man and horse -were lost in the operation. Some country boats meantime -carried across the three days’ reserve of biscuit; -and the same proportion of slaughter-cattle swam over.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">212</span> -The troops bivouacked in succession as they passed, -forming a position in a small semicircle, from Villa Real -on the right to the Guadiana on the left. Severely as the -French had suffered in the affair before Campo Mayor, -they acted at this time with as much disregard of -their enemies, as if they had no abler general than -Mendizabal to contend with, and no better troops than -those which they had so easily routed. They had -12,000 men within three hours’ march, who might have -effectually disputed the passage, or cut off the advanced -guard. But so ill were they informed of Beresford’s -movements, and so negligent in ascertaining them, that -they made no endeavour to interrupt him till the morning -of the 8th, when they advanced in some force, and -surprised before daybreak a piquet of the 13th dragoons; -but they were driven back by the 37th, which -closed the right of the position; and finding the allies -too strong for them, desisted from any further attempt.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Olivença retaken.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On the morning of the 9th, as soon as the fog cleared, -the army marched in three columns upon Olivença: -it was thought not unlikely that the -enemy would wait for them there, or on the opposite -bank of the Valverde river, where the ground was -favourable: they had, however, fallen back to Albuhera, -leaving a garrison in Olivença. The place was summoned, -and refused to surrender; guns and stores, -therefore, were ordered from Elvas; the fourth division -remained to besiege it; and the rest of the army moved -by Valverde, and bivouacked in the wood of Albuhera, -the enemy’s rear-guard retiring before their advance, -which entered S. Martha on the 12th. Here the army -halted till the 15th, to get up provisions which were still -brought from the rear; and on that day Olivença surrendered -at discretion, before the breach was practicable. -The garrison consisted of about 480 men, in a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">213</span> -place where Mendizabal had thrown away 3000. The -French had committed a fault of the same kind, though -not to an equal extent; the force they left there being -totally inadequate to the defence of so large a fortress. -The recapture of this place would have produced an -angry contention between the Spanish and Portugueze -Governments, if Portugal had not been rendered, by -English influence, patient in this instance under a -galling sense of injustice. The territory on the left of -the Guadiana, in which Olivença stands, was part of the -dowry given with his daughter to Affonso III. by the -Castillian king, Alfonso the Wise; a grant which, -though deemed at the time to have been an arbitrary, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Claim of the Portugueze to that place.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and therefore an illegal cession of national -rights, was subsequently confirmed to Portugal -with due form by the treaty between kings -Dinez and Ferdinand IV. But as the Guadiana might -seem to form a natural boundary between the two -kingdoms on this part of the frontier, Spain has ever -looked with an evil eye upon this cession. Five centuries -had not reconciled a people peculiarly tenacious -of what they deem national rights, to this dismemberment, -as they considered it, though in itself of little importance -to Spain, and though what had been ceded to -Portugal was in reality the right of winning it from the -Moors, and keeping it when won. In times of international -war, therefore, the possession of Olivença had -been contested not less as a point of honour than for -its own value, when it was a place of great strength; -and so strong was the border spirit which prevailed -there that, when the Spaniards captured it in 1658, -the whole of the inhabitants chose rather to leave the -town, and lose whatever they could not carry with -them, than become subjects to the King of Spain, -though the property of those who should remove was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">214</span> -offered to any who would remain. It was restored at -the end of that war, and Portugal continued to hold it -till its cession was extorted in 1801, in the treaty of -Badajoz. But the war which was terminated by that -treaty had been entirely unprovoked by Portugal: -Spain was then acting as the deceived and degraded -instrument of French policy; and the Portugueze felt, -as they well might do, that the surrender, though made -to Spain, had been compelled by France; and that so -long as Spain retained Olivença by virtue of that treaty, -they were an injured people. The Prince of Brazil, in -the proclamation which he issued on his arrival in -Brazil, declaring war against France, and against Spain -as then the ally and instrument of French oppression, -had protested against the injustice which was done him -in that treaty, and declared his intention of recovering -when he could whatever he had then been compelled to -abandon: and the Spaniards were themselves so conscious -of this injustice, that the local authorities, with -the sanction of the Junta of Extremadura, had, at the -commencement of the war against Buonaparte and the -Intruder, proposed to restore Olivença and its district to -Portugal for a certain sum of money. The Central -Government had not authorised this proposal; and -Olivença was not to be thought of in times when the -independence of both nations was at stake. But fortune -had now put it in the power of the Portugueze to right -themselves: Olivença had been taken by the French, -and retaken from them by an allied force of Portugueze -and British: and one of the Portugueze Regents proposed -to his colleague the British ambassador that -the Portugueze standards should be displayed there, -without previous explanation, or subsequent justification -of the measure. There prevailed at that time a strong -feeling of irritation in the Portugueze Government<span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">215</span> -against the Spaniards, occasioned by the conduct of the -Spanish officers on the frontier, and the unrestrained -irregularities of the Spanish troops wherever they -passed: they had even sacked a townlet near Badajoz; -an act for which the Portugueze meditated reprisals, -and had actually proposed so insane a measure to the -British ministry, when the Spanish regency allayed -their resentment by disavowing the act, and issuing -orders for the punishment of the parties concerned. -Having thus been in some degree mollified, they were -persuaded not to injure the common cause by asserting -their own claim, just and reasonable as that claim was, -but to wait the effect of a treaty then pendant with -Spain, in which the restoration of Olivença was stipulated -and not disputed. It is discreditable to Spain -that the restitution which Portugal was then contented -to wait for has not yet been made.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French retire from Extremadura.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Olivença having been taken, the allied army marched -upon Zafra and Los Santos; this movement -being designed to secure themselves from interruption -in the intended siege, and to protect -Ballasteros, who, after failing to effect a junction -with Zayas, was pressed by a French division under -General Maransin, and compelled to retire successively -on the 13th and 14th from Fregenal and Xeres de los -Cavalleros. The French, upon discovering Beresford’s -advance, on the following day retired hastily toward -Llerena, which Latour Maubourg, who had succeeded to -Mortier in the command, occupied with about 6000 -horse and foot: the division which now joined him consisted -of 4000 infantry and 500 cavalry. At Los Santos -the allied cavalry fell in with the 2nd and 10th of the -enemy’s hussars, about 600 in number, who were apparently -sent on reconnoissance: they charged our 13th -dragoons weakly, and were repulsed; then retreated<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">216</span> -from the force which was moving against them; and -presently quickening that retreat, fled to Villa Garcia, -and were followed for nearly ten miles at a gallop. In -this they lost a chef d’escadron, killed, and about 160 -men and horses prisoners: the British eleven horses of -the 4th dragoons, who died of fatigue after the chase. -The enemy remained one day longer at Llerena, and on -the following, when a movement against them had been -ordered for the next morning, retired to Guadalcanal; -thus for the time abandoning Extremadura. Beresford -then cantoned his infantry at Valverde, Azenchal, Villa -Alva, and Almendralejo, the cavalry remaining at Zafra, -Los Santos, Usagre, and Bienvenida: here the resources -of the country were sufficient for their plentiful supply. -A Spanish corps of about 1500 men, under the Conde -de Penne Villamur, belonging to Castaños’s army, occupied -Llerena. Ballasteros, with about an equal force, -was at Monasterio; and Blake, who had sailed from -Cadiz for the Guadiana on the 15th, with 6000 foot and -400 horse, had reached Ayamonte, with 5000 of his men -and 200 of his cavalry; the others had been compelled -by weather to put back. Soult was at this time uniting -his disposable force near Seville: nearly the whole corps -from the Condado de Niebla had joined him there, and -he had also drawn a detachment from Sebastiani’s corps, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">April 20.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and some regiments from Puerto S. Maria. This was -the situation of the respective armies when Lord -Wellington arrived at Elvas, and was met there -by Marshal Beresford.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Siege of Badajoz undertaken.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Thus far in this memorable campaign the war had -been conducted by the British commander as -a game of skill: it was now to become a game -of hazard. The base surrender of Badajoz distracted -his attention as much as it had disappointed his -reasonable hopes: that the place should be recovered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">217</span> -was of the greatest importance to his future operations: -to the enemy, it was of equal importance to maintain it. -Soult could bring into the field a force sufficient for its -relief. It was well garrisoned: whatever injury had -been done to the works was thoroughly repaired: it had -sufficient artillery, and was well supplied. Lord Wellington -and Beresford reconnoitred it: three battalions - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March 22.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -came out to skirmish with the reconnoitring -party, and were driven back, but with the loss -on our side of three officers and about forty men killed -and wounded. The siege, to be successful, must be -vigorously pursued, so that there might not be time -enough allowed for relieving the place: no plan, therefore, -could be adopted which would require more than -sixteen days’ open trenches: but at least twenty-two, -and this too, if the means were fully equal to the undertaking, -would be required, if either of the south fronts -were attacked, which yet it was plainly seen would have -been the preferable points of attack, had time permitted; -and means as well as time were wanting. The plan -which was adopted therefore as the only one in these -circumstances feasible, was to breach and assault Fort -Christoval, and having reduced it, to attack the castle -from thence: three or four days’ battering might, it was -thought, form a practicable breach in the castle wall, -which on that side was entirely exposed, as well as apparently -weak; and if the castle were carried, Badajoz -could make no farther resistance.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Bridge at Jurumenha swept away.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>During the night of the 23rd the Guadiana rose -nearly eight feet and a half in the course of -twelve hours: the bridge which had been -thrown across it at Jurumenha since the army -passed was swept away, and the whole of its materials -carried down the stream and lost. The communication -was restored by another bridge of casks at the end of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">218</span> -the month; but Lord Wellington, seeing the danger of -such a river in the rear of the army, immediately -changed the cantonment of the troops, and directed -Beresford to occupy and rest his rear upon Merida, -where the old Roman bridge rendered his passage at any - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Wellington recalled to Beira.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -time sure. No sooner had these instructions -been given than he was recalled to Beira by -intelligence that Massena was approaching the -Agueda in force, and seemed to threaten an attempt for -the relief of Almeida.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Inactivity of the Spanish commander in Galicia.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>It was owing in great measure to the inactivity of the -Spanish commander in Galicia that Massena -felt himself in safety as soon as he was out of -Portugal, was enabled to rest the remains of -his army, and to draw reinforcements from Castille, -which enabled him to resume offensive operations -only fifteen days after the last of his troops had crossed -the frontier in their retreat. The enemy had received -great annoyance in Old Castille and Leon from D. Julian -Sanchez, and other guerrilla parties, but none from the -nominal army of Galicia, whose general, D. Nicolas -Mahy, had suffered Massena’s dépôts to be protected by -from 5000 to 6000 men dispersed between Burgos and -Ciudad Rodrigo. The Galicians cried out against him, -complaining that, when he had filled the prisons with -his own countrymen, he seemed to think any other -operations unnecessary. He was displaced in consequence -of their representations, and General Abadia -appointed, (after Albuquerque’s death,) to succeed him; -but Abadia had lingered at Lisbon instead of hastening -to take the command. Massena, as soon as the pursuit -ceased upon the frontier, had no danger to apprehend -from any other quarter, and his army was re-equipped -and reinforced in no longer time than would have been -necessary to recruit it after its fatigues. The Intruder<span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">219</span> -having gone to Paris, the force which would otherwise -have been required for his personal security was disposable -for this service, so that with the cavalry and -artillery of the imperial guard, and the troops which -were collected from Castille and Leon, he mustered not -less than 40,000 effective infantry and 5000 horse. -Lord Wellington had not supposed it possible that, after -such a retreat, Massena could in so short a time have -been at the head of such a force. He arrived at Villa -Fermosa on the 28th, and at once perceived that a formidable -attempt would be made for relieving Almeida: -his own force consisted of 34,000 men, 2000 horse, including -those who were engaged in the blockade.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Country between the Agueda and Coa.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The country between the Agueda and the Coa is a -high open tract, which falls in a gradual slope -from the mountains on the south in which those -rivers have their sources, to the Douro: here -and there are woods of cork and ilex, and the whole -tract is intersected and divided into ridges by streams -which run parallel to the larger rivers during the greater -part of their course, and fall most of them into the -Agueda. An army advancing into Portugal might, by -moving upon the ridge of Fuentes Guinaldo, turn the -right of all the positions that can be taken upon these -smaller streams; or if it advanced in a direct line, the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">May.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -parallel ridges and woods covering any movement -without interrupting it, would favour it in -manœuvring and directing its principal strength against -either flank. The allies were cantoned along the Duas -Casas, and toward the sources of the Azava, the light -division being at Gallegos and Espeja, upon the latter. -But the ridge between the Duas Casas and the Turon -offered the most advantageous position, because on the -left it was of difficult access in front, and on the right it -connected with the high country about Navedeaver,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">220</span> -from whence the communications were easy in the direction -of Alfayates and Sabugal.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Massena’s address to his army.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Before Massena took the field, he addressed his troops -in another bootless boast. “Soldiers of the -army of Portugal,” said he in his general -orders, “after six months of glorious and tranquil -operations, you have returned to the first scene of -your triumphs; but the enemies of Napoleon the Great -have the audacity to blockade a fortress which they -dared not previously attempt to defend. Soldiers, if -your valour then intimidated their columns, will it not -now punish them for their temerity? Will not you -bring to their recollection that you are still the same -brave men who drove them to their trenches at Lisbon? -Some regiments of cavalry, and reinforcements from his -majesty’s guards, conducted by the marshal of the district, -assist in your efforts and your duties. Forget not -that it is your courage which must maintain that superiority -of heroism and intrepidity which forms the subject -of the admiration and the envy of other nations. -Through you, the honour of the French armies will -render renowned the hitherto unknown banks of the -Coa, as you have made the rivers of Italy and of the -North for ever memorable. Soldiers, a victory is necessary, -in order to procure you that repose which the -equipment and administration of the regiments require. -You will obtain it; and you will prepare yourselves in -the leisure that will result from it of marching to new -triumphs.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Battle of Fuentes d’Onoro.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>At daybreak on the 2nd of May the main body of the -French crossed the Agueda at Ciudad Rodrigo, -and moved in two columns toward the Azava, -which they crossed that evening: our light -division fell back from its cantonments on that river, -the enemy being very superior in cavalry, and the horses<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">221</span> -of the allies in bad condition, by reason of hard service -and wretched fodder: so great, indeed, was the want of -food for them, that it had been necessary to cut the -green rye, to the harvest of which the unfortunate -peasants had looked for their next year’s subsistence. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">May 3.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -On the following morning the French -continued to advance, two columns moving towards -Alameda and Fort Conception, and one, with the whole -of the cavalry, upon Fuentes d’Onoro, a little village -upon the Duas Casas. Lord Wellington had assembled -his first, third, and seventh divisions on the heights, between -that river and the Turon, in front of Villa Fermosa: -the 3rd was posted on a ridge crossing the road -from that townlet to Fuentes d’Onoro, which village was -occupied by its light companies, and by three companies -of the 5th battalion of the 60th under Lieutenant-Colonel -Williams: the first division was formed on the -right of the third, and the seventh moved from Navedeaver -towards the first, throwing our flanking parties -toward Poço Velho. This division incurred some danger -in the movement: they were in the wood of Poço Velho, -and the enemy’s cavalry got in their rear; but though -they had ground to pass on which cavalry could act, -they made good their retreat, notwithstanding the superiority -of the French in that arm. Major-General -Campbell, with the sixth, observed the bridge over the -Duas Casas at Alameda, and Sir W. Erskine the passages -of the same stream at Fort Conception and Aldea -do Bispo. Brigadier-General Pack, with his brigade of -Portugueze and the Queen’s regiment from the sixth -division, kept up the blockade of Almeida; and Julian -Sanchez occupied Navedeaver with his little party of -horse and foot, ... men more experienced in desultory -warfare than in regular battles, but of approved courage. -The extent of this position was not less than six miles<span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">222</span> -from flank to flank, the left being supported by the ruins -of Fort Conception, the right at Navedeaver: the village -of Fuentes d’Onoro was in the right of the centre, -close to the Duas Casas, situated on a slope, and concealed -by the ground: a great part of the line from that -village to the ruined fort was in a certain degree secured -by the rocky and intricate channel of the Duas Casas, -and its steep and rugged bank on the side of the allies, ... -the passage being very difficult for cavalry and artillery, -and defensible by a comparatively small force: on the -other side the position was not so strong, being nearly on -a flat, save that there was a small eminence with a tower -on its summit, on which the right rested. Head-quarters -were at Villa Fermosa, behind the Turon, about two -miles from Fuentes d’Onoro. The heights which the -troops occupied are of a very gradual ascent, accessible -to cavalry in every part, except here and there, where -there are masses of rock. The ground upon which the -French formed was a plain, with woods behind it; and -immediately in the neighbourhood of Fuentes d’Onoro -there were groves of ilex on the right bank of the Duas -Casas, which they occupied in force throughout.</p> - -<p>The position which Lord Wellington had taken appeared -to Massena a fine line of battle, but he thought -it was not without danger to the troops that held it; for -they had the wild Coa behind them, and only a single -carriage communication, in itself sufficiently difficult, by -the little town of Castello Bom. This communication it -was his intention to seize; and for that purpose, while -with a part of his army he kept the centre of the allies -in check, he proceeded in force against their right, and -endeavoured to obtain possession of Fuentes d’Onoro. -Having brought up his artillery, he commenced the -attack at two in the afternoon, by a cannonade upon the -village, under cover of which fire a strong column of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">223</span> -infantry moved against it. Lord Wellington perceived -his intention, and reinforced the village as occasion required -with the 71st, the 79th, and the second battalion -of the 24th. Lieutenant-Colonel Williams was wounded, -and the command then devolved on Lieutenant-Colonel -Cameron of the 79th. Repeated and vigorous efforts -were made against this post; and the enemy at one -time obtained possession of it in part, but they were -driven out before night put a stop to the action.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">May 4.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The French did not renew the attack on the following -day, but confined themselves to reconnoitring -the British position, particularly the right, toward -which they moved part of their troops, chiefly -cavalry, in the direction of Navedeaver, Massena thinking -that he had found accessible ground between that -village and Poço Velho. Lord Wellington, from the -course of his reconnoissance, inferred what was his purpose, -and in the evening moved the 7th division, under -Major-General Houston, to protect, if possible, the -passage of the Duas Casas at Poço Velho, where the -enemy intended to cross in hopes of gaining possession -of Fuentes d’Onoro from that side, and of the ground - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">May 5.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -behind the village. As soon as it was daylight on the -5th, this intention on their part became evident. -The allied cavalry was then moved to the left -of the 7th division, somewhat more forward; the light -division was in march from Alameda towards the same -station; the 3rd had bivouacked in a line parallel to the -ridge of the hill toward Fuentes d’Onoro; and the 1st -upon its right: these divisions were connected with each -other, and the village was occupied by part of the troops -of both, both being ready to support it. There was a -distance of about one mile from the right of the 1st -division to the ground on which the light division had -arrived, and about half a mile from thence to the 7th.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">224</span> -The cavalry covered this last interval; the former was -protected by piquets and light infantry in the wood between -Fuentes d’Onoro and Poço Velho. This would -have been a critical situation for a commander less reasonably -confident in himself and in his troops. There -was no appui for the right of the British army, and it -had the Coa in its rear with only one passage for artillery. -The French were superior in numbers, and what -was of far greater importance here, greatly so in cavalry: -their horses were fresh, whereas ours had been of necessity -overworked and insufficiently fed: moreover, the -ground favoured their preparations for attack, a large -extent of wood, within little more than a mile of the -British line concealing their movements.</p> - -<p>Early in the morning one of the enemy’s corps appeared -in two columns in the valley of the Duas Casas, -opposite Poço Velho, having the whole of their cavalry -under General Montbrun on the left. The infantry -directed itself against the village; the cavalry moved -through the open country between it and Navedeaver, a -part circling about, under favour of the ground, to turn -the right flank of the allies. Julian Sanchez was compelled -to retire; and so, with some loss, were two battalions -of the 7th division from Poço Velho. Houston -moved with that division to protect their retreat and that -of the cavalry, with which view he placed himself on a -rocky height, and there formed the Chasseurs Britanniques. -The first attack of their advanced cavalry was -met by a few squadrons of British, who obtained a -partial advantage, and took a colonel and some other -prisoners; but their eagerness, and still more their -inferiority, occasioned some confusion: they were in -their turn pressed, and the enemy for a short time had -possession of two guns belonging to our horse artillery. -The main body of the French cavalry advanced rapidly,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">225</span> -charged through the piquets of the 85th, and followed our -horse up the hill: but the attack thus gallantly begun -was not maintained with equal gallantry. The ground -was intersected with stone walls, which protected -part of our troops; those who had not that advantage -stood firm. The chasseurs under Lieutenant-Colonel -Eustace, and a detachment of the Brunswick corps, were -somewhat concealed by a rising ground, where in many -parts the rocks stood several feet above the surface: -availing themselves of this, they waited till the main -body of the enemy’s cavalry came in a line with their -front, within threescore paces, and then rising up threw -in a well-directed volley, which checked them and made -them retire in disorder; yet the charge had appeared -so formidable, that, it is said, Lord Wellington feared -the Brunswickers were lost. Their loss was trifling; -but they narrowly escaped afterward from the Portugueze, -who, because of their caps, mistook them for -enemies. The attack was renewed, but in vain, though -some of the French dismounted and acted as light infantry -to assist in it.</p> - -<p>Lord Wellington had occupied Poço Velho and the -adjoining ground for the sake of maintaining his communication -across the Coa by Sabugal, while he provided -at the same time for maintaining the blockade of Almeida. -The danger of attempting both was now evident, -and looking with just confidence rather to victory than -to any likelihood of retreating, he drew in the right of -the army. Placing, therefore, the light division in reserve -in the rear of the left of the 1st, he ordered the 7th -to cross the Turon and take post on some commanding -ground, which protected the right flank and rear of the -1st, covered the communication with the Coa on that -side, and prevented that of the enemy with Almeida by -the roads between the Coa and the Turon. The 7th<span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">226</span> -division thus covered the rear of the right, which was -formed by the 1st in two lines. Colonel Ashworth’s -brigade, in two lines, was in the centre, and the 3rd -division, in two lines also, on the left. D. Julian’s infantry -joined the 7th in Fresneda; his horse were sent -to interrupt the communication with Ciudad Rodrigo. -Fuentes d’Onoro was in front of the left. The right of -the French infantry was opposite that village, the left -and centre between it and Poço Velho, in the wood, and -within 2000 yards of the British position. A part of -their cavalry was on the right flank of their right; a few -squadrons were with artillery opposite the 1st division, -and the main body was in the open country, from whence -the right wing of the allies had withdrawn.</p> - -<p>The great object of the enemy now was to gain possession -of Fuentes d’Onoro, which was defended by the -24th, 71st, and 78th; and these regiments were supported -by the light infantry battalions of the 1st and 3rd -divisions, and some Portugueze corps. They directed -against this post several columns of their infantry supported -by artillery; succeeded in turning it by the wood -toward Poço Velho; gained possession by superior numbers -of the point of land where the chain of piquets -passed, and from thence penetrated into the village. -They even advanced some little way on the road toward -Villa Fermosa: but here the 21st Portugueze regiment -checked them; the 74th and 78th were detached by -General Picton, charged them, and retook the village. -Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron was mortally wounded, by -an enemy who stepped out of the ranks to aim at him. -His countrymen, the Highlanders at whose head he fell, -set up a shriek, and attacked the French with a spirit not -to be resisted: the man who had slain their commander -was pierced by many bayonets at once: the leader of -the French, a person remarkable for his stature and fine<span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">227</span> -form was killed, and the Highlanders in their vengeance -drove the enemy before them. More than once Fuentes -d’Onoro was won and lost; the contest in the streets -was so severe that several of the openings were blocked -up with the dead and the wounded, but they were finally -driven through it by Colonel Mackinnon: they kept up -a fire upon it till night closed, at which time 400 of their -dead were lying there. The command of the village -devolved upon Lieutenant-Colonel Cadogan.</p> - -<p>Meantime, the enemy from the wood in front of the -British line brought fifteen pieces of cannon to bear upon -it, and with those above the village established a severe -cross fire, under cover of which, a column of infantry -attempted to penetrate down the ravine of the Turon, to -the right of the 1st division: but they were repulsed by -the light infantry of the guards, and some companies of -the 95th. Their cavalry also charged and cut through -the piquets of the guards, but were checked by the fire -of the 42nd. During the night and the succeeding day, -Lord Wellington strengthened his position by throwing -up breast-works and batteries; and this, after the lesson -he had received, deterred Massena from attempting any -farther attack. He made no movement till the 8th, nor -did Lord Wellington provoke an action: he had succeeded -in keeping his ground, and thereby maintaining -the blockade; and nothing was to be gained by attempting -more with inferior numbers, and a weak and exhausted - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French retire.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -cavalry. On the 8th and 9th, the -French collected their whole army in the woods -between the Duas Casas and the Azava, recrossed the -latter river on the evening of the 9th, and retired the -next day across the Agueda, having failed entirely in -the object for which the movement had been undertaken, -and the battle fought. The loss of the allies on both -days amounted to 1378 killed and wounded, 317 prisoners.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">228</span> -That of the French was not ascertained: they -acknowledged only 400: but that number was counted in -the village of Fuentes d’Onoro, and 500 of their horses -were left dead on the field. Under the government of -Buonaparte, truth was never to be found in any public -statement, unless it was favourable to himself; and none -of his generals exercised to a greater extent than M. -Massena the license which all took of representing their -defeats as victories. This action had severely mortified -that general; he had been beaten by an army numerically -inferior to his own, and weak in cavalry, upon -ground which was favourable for that arm, and which -Lord Wellington would not have chosen, had circumstances -permitted a choice; it was an action in which -the skill and promptitude of the British commander, -and the gallantry and steadiness of the allied troops, had -been evinced throughout.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Escape of the garrison from Almeida.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Defeated in the field, and disappointed in his intention -of saving Almeida, Massena sent orders to -the Governor, General Brenier, to blow up the -works, and retire with the garrison upon Barba -de Puerco. Brenier having previously received instructions -from Bessieres and from Berthier to prepare for -thus evacuating the place, should it be necessary, had -made 140 cavities ready to be charged before the end -of April; but knowing that Massena would make -every effort to retain possession of this fortress, which -was the only fruit of his six months’ campaign in Portugal, -he had prepared also for a vigorous defence, -hoping to hold out till the first of June. The battle of -Fuentes d’Onoro put an end to his hopes; for the firing -was heard in Almeida, and proved that it was a serious -action; and as the communication which he every moment -expected did not arrive, Brenier could be in no -doubt concerning the event. Massena’s orders reached<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">229</span> -him on the 7th. Immediately the cavities were filled, -the balls and cartridges thrown into the ditch, and -the artillery destroyed by discharging cannon into the -mouths of the pieces. Two days were thus employed; on -the morning of the 10th he assembled the officers, and -having read to them his instructions, told them, that -when the place was once demolished, the intentions of -their sovereign would be perfectly fulfilled; that that -single object ought to animate them; that they were -Frenchmen and must now prove to the universe that -they were worthy of being so. They continued to work -in destroying stores and artillery, and completing the -mines till the moment of their departure; and at ten at -night, all being assembled with the greatest silence, Brenier -gave as a watchword, Buonaparte and Bayard, and -set off (in his own words) under the auspices of glory -and honour. In coupling these names, he seems not to -have felt how cutting a reproach they conveyed to every -honourable Frenchman.</p> - -<p>About one, the mines exploded; at the same time -the garrison attacked the piquets which observed the -place, and forced their way through them. They -marched in two columns, fired as little as possible, and -passed between the bodies of troops which had been -posted to support the piquets. Brenier had studied -the ground so well that he would not take a guide; a -guide, he thought, would only make him hesitate and -perhaps confuse him; the moon served as his compass, -the different brooks and rivers which he crossed were -so many points which insured his direction, and he -placed his baggage at the tail of each column, in order -that it might serve as a lure to the enemy, for to save -it he knew was impossible. On the part of the blockading -troops there was a culpable negligence; for as -the garrison had frequently attacked the nearest piquets,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">230</span> -and fired cannon in the night during the whole blockade, -but more particularly while Massena was between the -Duas Casas and the Azava, they thought this attack was -nothing more than one of the ordinary sallies, and did not -even move at the sound of the explosion, till its cause -was ascertained. General Pack, however, who was at -Malpartida, joined the piquets upon the first alarm with -his wonted alacrity, and continued to follow and fire -upon the enemy, as a guide for the march of the other -troops. The 4th regiment, which was ordered to occupy -Barba del Puerco, missed the way, and to this Brenier -was chiefly indebted for his escape. Regnier was at -the bridge of San Felices to receive him, and there he -effected his junction, having lost, in this hazardous and -well-executed escape, by the French official account, -only sixty men. But the loss had been tenfold of what -was there stated. For though the lure of the baggage -was not thrown out in vain, and too many of his pursuers -stopped or turned aside to secure their booty when -the horses and mules were cast loose, he was followed -and fired upon by General Pack’s party, and by a part of -the 36th regiment, the whole way to the Agueda, 490 of -his men were brought in prisoners, and the number of -killed and wounded could not have been inconsiderable.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marmont succeeds Massena in the command.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The English and their general did full justice to the -ability with which Brenier performed his difficult -attempt. Massena made use of it to colour -over his defeat, and represented the evacuation -and not the relief of Almeida as the object for -which the battle of Fuentes d’Onoro was fought. -“The operation,” he said, “which had put the army in -motion was thus terminated.” Shortly afterwards he -returned to France, with Ney, Junot, and Loison, leaving -behind them names, ever to be execrated in Portugal, -and to be held in everlasting infamy. Marmont<span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">231</span> -succeeded him in the command. The army, which still -called itself the army of Portugal, went into its cantonments -upon the Tormes, having, in Massena’s curious -language, <em>advanced</em> into Spain that it might rest; and -Lord Wellington set out for the south summoned by -intelligence from Marshal Beresford that Soult, notwithstanding -previous rumours, which described him as -fortifying Seville, and preparing to stand on the defensive -in Andalusia, was advancing into Extremadura. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Wellington recalled to Alentejo.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -These tidings reached him on the -night of the 15th; and he set out on the following -morning.</p> - -<p>When the British commander had been recalled from -Badajoz to secure the recovery of Almeida, Beresford -was left waiting till the Guadiana should fall sufficiently -for him to re-establish the bridge. The French under -Latour Maubourg, when they had been forced to retire -from Llerena, fell back to Guadalcañal; it was of importance -to push them as far off as possible during the -intended siege; and a combined movement of Colonel -Colborne, Ballasteros, and the Conde de Penne Villamur, -who commanded the cavalry of the Spanish army -in Extremadura, made them, though far superior in -force, retire to Constantino. This service having been -performed, the investment of Badajoz was commenced -on the 4th of May. But the enterprise was undertaken - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Badajoz besieged.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -under every possible disadvantage. For Marshal -Beresford had not force enough to carry -on the siege, and at the same time hold a position which -should cover it from interruption. He was as inadequately -supplied with other means as with men: ample -stores, indeed, had been ordered from Lisbon to Elvas, -and on the part of the governor at Elvas, General Leite, -nothing was wanting which his zeal and activity could -effect: but these could do little in an exhausted country,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">232</span> -where carriage was not to be procured, and all that -could be brought up was miserably insufficient. At -that time also, the French were perfectly skilled both in -the attack and defence of fortified places, while we had -every thing to learn: there was not even a corps of -sappers and miners attached to the army, so that all -those preliminary operations to which men may be -trained at home, at leisure, and in perfect safety, were -here to be learnt under the fire of an enemy as well -skilled in all the arts of defence as we were deficient in -those of attack. In this branch of war they were as -superior to us as our troops were uniformly found to -theirs in the field; and it is a superiority against which -courage, though carried to the highest point, can be of -no avail. On the part of the besieged, courage and the -high sense of duty may suffice, though outworks have -fallen, walls are weak, and science wanting; this had -been proved at Zaragoza and Gerona. But it is one -thing to assail ramparts, and another to defend them; -and the braver the assailants, the greater must be their -loss, if they are not directed by the necessary skill.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Interruption of the siege.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On the 8th the investment of the town on the northern -side was effected, and that same evening -the siege commenced. The soil was hard and -rocky; the men unaccustomed to such work -and not numerous enough for it, for which causes, and -the want also of intrenching tools, a sufficient extent of -ground could not be opened the first night. The enemy, -who allowed no opportunity to escape them, took advantage -of this, made a sortie on the morning of the 10th, -gained possession of a battery, and when driven back -were pursued with such rash ardour to the very walls of -Fort Christoval and the <i>tête-de-pont</i> that the besiegers -lost more than 400 men. A breaching battery, armed -with three guns and two howitzers, was completed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">233</span> -during the next night, and on the morrow the garrison’s -well-directed fire disabled one of the howitzers and all -the guns. That same day intelligence was received -from the Regent, General Blake, that Soult had left -Seville with the declared intention of relieving Badajoz, -and that Latour Maubourg, returning upon Guadalcañal -and Llerena, had forced Penne Villamur to fall back. -Orders therefore were given to hold every man in readiness -to retire. But other accounts, on the 12th, seemed -to make it probable that Soult’s movements were only -intended against Blake, who had come to Fregenal, and -against Ballasteros, who from Monasterio had pushed -his advances toward Seville; and on that probability -Beresford ordered ground to be broken against the -castle. Fresh dispatches in the middle of the night -from various quarters, made it beyond all doubt that -Soult was rapidly advancing; immediate orders, therefore, -were given to raise the siege, for Beresford deemed -it better to meet the French marshal, and give him -battle with all the force that could be collected, Spanish, -Portugueze, and British, than by looking at two objects -to risk the loss of one. General Cole’s division was left -with some 2000 Spaniards to cover the removal of the -guns and stores; and Beresford met Blake and Castaños -at Valverde on the 14th. Any jealousy which might -have arisen concerning the command had been obviated -by a previous arrangement between Castaños and Lord - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Arrangement between Lord Wellington and Castaños concerning the command.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Wellington. The latter in a written memorial -concerning the operations which ought to be -pursued in Extremadura, had proposed that -whenever different corps of the allied armies -should be united to give battle, the general who -was possessed of the highest military rank, and of the -longest standing, should take the command of the whole. -This would have given it to Castaños; but he, with that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">234</span> -wise and disinterested spirit which always distinguished -him, proposed, as a more equitable arrangement, that the -general who had the greatest force under his orders -should have the chief command, and that the others -should be considered as auxiliaries. Lord Wellington -perfectly approved of the alteration. “It was my duty,” -said he, “in a point so delicate as that of the allied -troops acting in concert, to submit a proposition so -reasonable in itself as to obtain universal assent; but -it was becoming the manly understanding, candour, and -knowledge of existing circumstances which characterise -your excellency to make an alteration in it, substituting -another proposal better calculated to please those of the -allies who have most to lose in the battle, for which we -must prepare ourselves.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Reasons for giving battle to the French.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Lord Wellington had left it at Beresford’s discretion -to fight a battle or retire, if circumstances -should render one or other alternative necessary. -But the effect of a retreat would, as he saw, -have been most disastrous: it would have deprived the -Spaniards of all hope for any efficient exertion on the -part of Great Britain; it would have exposed Blake and -Castaños to destruction: the British army would have -suffered a second time in reputation; the Portugueze -troops would have lost their confidence in their allies -and in themselves; and in the retreat itself, ... with an -army so dispirited, through an exhausted country, and -before such troops as the French under such a commander, -... the numerical loss might have been greater -than in a well-fought though unsuccessful engagement, -and the consequences worse.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The allies assemble at Albuhera.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Our cavalry, with that of Castaños, under the Conde -de Penne Villamur, falling back as the enemy -advanced, was joined at Santa Martha by -Blake’s. The British and Portugueze infantry,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">235</span> -except the division which was left to cover the removal -of the stores to Elvas, occupied a position in front of -Valverde; but as this, though stronger than any which -could be taken up elsewhere in those parts, would have -left Badajoz entirely open, Beresford determined to take -up such as he could get directly between that city and -the enemy. He therefore assembled his force on the -15th at the village of Albuhera, where the roads meet -which lead to Badajoz and to Jurumenha by Valverde -and Olivença. A little above the village a brook called -Ferdia falls into the Albuhera, one of the lesser tributary -streams of the Guadiana; between these rivulets, -and beyond them, is one of the open and scattered -woods of ilex, which are common in this part of the -country. There is a bridge over the Albuhera in front -of the village. The village had been so completely -destroyed by the enemy, that there was not an inhabitant -in it, nor one house with a roof standing. The -cavalry which had been forced in the morning to retire -from Santa Martha joined here, and in the afternoon the -enemy appeared. Blake’s corps making a forced march, -arrived during the night; Cole with his division, and -the Spanish brigade under D. Carlos d’España, not till -the following morning. The 15th had been a day of -heavy rain; and both these divisions, from forced -marches, and the latter also from fatigue in dismantling -the works before Badajoz, were not in the best state for -action.</p> - -<p>The whole face of this country is passable everywhere -for horse and foot; Beresford formed his army in -two lines nearly parallel to the Albuhera, and on the -ridge of the gradual ascent from its banks, covering the -roads to Badajoz and Valverde; Blake’s corps was on -the right in two lines; its left on the Valverde road -joined the right of Major-General Stewart’s division, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">236</span> -left of which reached the Badajoz road, and there -Major-General Hamilton’s division closed the left of the -line. Cole’s division, with one brigade of Hamilton’s, -formed the second line. The allied force consisted of -8000 British, 7000 Portugueze, and 10,000 Spaniards; -hardly two thousand of these were cavalry. Soult had -drawn troops from the armies of Victor and Sebastiani, -and left Seville with 16,000 men; Latour Maubourg -joined him with five or six thousand; but he had a very -superior cavalry, not less then 4000, and his artillery -also was superior, he having forty-two field-pieces of -which several were twelve-pounders, the allies only -thirty. He had the greater advantage of commanding -soldiers who were all in the highest possible state of -discipline, and whom, though they were of many countries, -long habit had formed into one army; whereas the -allied force consisted of three different nations; the -Portugueze indeed disciplined by British officers, but -the Spaniards in their usual state of indiscipline; and -one third of the army not understanding, or understanding -imperfectly, the language of the other two.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">May 16.</span><br />Battle of Albuhera.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Soult did not know that Blake had joined during the -night, and he thought to anticipate his junction -by attacking the right of the allies, thus throwing -himself upon their line of communication, -when the possession of the rising ground would decide -the battle. At eight in the morning his troops were observed -in motion; his horse crossed the Ferdia, and -formed under cover of the wood in the fork between the -two rivulets. A strong force of cavalry, with two heavy -columns of infantry, then marched out of the wood, -pointing toward the front of the allied position, as if to -attack the village and bridge of Albuhera; while, at the -same time, under protection of that superior cavalry -which in such a country gave them command of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">237</span> -field, their infantry filed over the river beyond the right -of the allies. Their intention to turn the allies by that -flank, and cut them off from Valverde, was now apparent; -upon which Beresford ordered Cole’s division to -form an oblique line to the rear of the right, with his -own right thrown back, and requested Blake to form -part of his first line and all his second to that front.</p> - -<p>While the French General Godinot made a false -attack upon Albuhera, Soult, with the rest of the army, -bore on the right wing of the allies. The attack began -at nine o’clock; a heavy storm of rain came on about the -same time, as favourable to the French, who had formed -their plan, and consequently arranged their movements, -as it was disadvantageous for the allies, whose measures -were to be adapted for meeting those of the enemy. -After a gallant resistance, the Spaniards were forced -from the heights, and the enemy set up a shout of triumph -which was heard from one end of the line to the -other; their exultation was not without good cause, for -the heights which they had gained raked and entirely -commanded the whole position. The Spaniards to a -man displayed the utmost courage; but their want of -discipline was felt, and the danger of throwing them -into confusion whenever change of position was necessary; -yet the station which had been entrusted to them -was precisely that upon which the fate of the whole -army depended. They rallied at the bottom of the hill, -turned upon the enemy, and withstood them, while -Lieutenant-Colonel Colbourne brought up the right -brigade of Stewart’s division, and endeavoured to retake -the ground which had been lost.</p> - -<p>These troops had been hurried as soon as the intention -of the French was perceived: they arrived too late; instead -of being the defendants of the strongest ground, -they had to assail the enemy already established there,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">238</span> -and the more they advanced the more their flank became -exposed. Finding that they could not shake the enemy’s -column by their fire, they proceeded to attack it with -the bayonet; but in the act of charging, they were -themselves suddenly turned and attacked in the rear by -a body of Polish lancers: these men carried long lances -with a red flag suspended at the end, which, while so -borne by the rider as to prevent his own horse from -seeing any other object, frightens those horses who are -opposed to it. Never was any charge more unexpected, -or more destructive; the rain, which thickened the whole -atmosphere, partly concealed them; and those of the -brigade who saw them approaching mistook them for -Spaniards, and therefore did not fire. A tremendous -slaughter was made upon the troops who were thus -surprised; and the loss would have been greater, if the -Poles, instead of pursuing their advantage, had not -ridden about the field to spear the wounded. The three -regiments of Colbourne’s brigade lost their colours at -this time; those of the Buffs were recovered, after signal -heroism had been displayed in their defence. Ensign -Thomas, who bore one of the flags, was surrounded, and -asked to give it up. Not but with my life! was his -answer, and his life was the instant forfeit; but the -standard thus taken was regained, and the manner in -which it had been defended will not be forgotten when -it shall be borne again to battle. English Walsh, who -carried the other colours, had the staff broken in his -hand by a cannon ball, and fell severely wounded; but, -more anxious about his precious charge than himself, he -separated the flag from the shattered staff, and secured -it in his bosom, from whence it was taken when his -wounds were dressed after the battle.</p> - -<p>The 31st regiment, being the left of the brigade, was -the only one which escaped this charge, and it kept its<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">239</span> -ground under Major L’Estrange. The issue of the day -seemed at this time worse than doubtful, and nothing -but the most determined and devoted courage saved the -allies from a defeat, of which the consequences would -have been worse than the immediate slaughter. The -third brigade under Major-General Houghton, with the -fusileers and Portugueze brigade under Major-General -Cole, advanced to recover the heights, their officers declaring -that they would win the field or die. Houghton -and Sir William Myers fell, each leading on his brigade. -The fusileers, and the Lusitanian legion, 3000 when -they advanced, could not muster 1000 after they had -gained the rising ground, ... for they did gain it after all -this carnage; 2000 men, and sixty officers, including -every lieutenant-colonel, and field officer, were either -killed or wounded. But the enemy in their turn suffered -greater slaughter when they were forced down -into the low ground toward the river; our musketry and -shrapnells then mowed them down. The attack upon -the village was continued somewhat longer; but the -enemy were never able to make any impression there.</p> - -<p>Soult made a vigorous effort to rally his men in this -part of the field: he rode forward with an eagle in his -hand, and for a moment checked their flight; but it was -only for a moment: they saw their left retreating in -confusion, and they followed the example. Only two -battalions could be collected at first, and afterwards four, -in any order: these formed behind the first rivulet at -the foot of the ridge; the rest of their force was dispersed -like a swarm of bees, and could not be brought -up till they reached the wood. Still the superiority of -the enemy in horse was such that it was impossible for -the allies to pursue their victory. Soult therefore retired -to his bivouac in the wood, and his reserve with a powerful -artillery occupied the hill, under cover of which he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">240</span> -had formed his columns of attack. The rain which had -fallen heavily during the action became more severe at -evening, and continued so that night and the following -day. The rivulets, swoln now to torrents as they poured -from the heights, were reddened with blood; and exposed -to that weather the wounded lay where they had -fallen, for there was no possibility of removing them; -not a house which could have afforded shelter was near ... -not a carriage or beast of burden could be found for -transporting them to the rear. But wickedness is ever -on the alert, and many of the wounded in this condition -were stripped to the skin, by those miscreants who attend -upon the movements of an army like birds and beasts -of prey.</p> - -<p>The allies made fresh dispositions immediately after -the battle, in case the enemy should re-advance: they -improved their position by moving toward the right -flank; their freshest troops were placed in the first line; -and the flags taken from the Polish lancers, some hundreds -in number, were planted in defiance upon the -crest of the position, singular trophies of a most well-deserved -victory. Kemmis’s brigade came up the next -morning, and reinforced them with 1500 men; but all -continued quiet on both sides. On the night of the -17th, Soult moved off his wounded under cover of the -wood, and prepared for his retreat, which he commenced -the ensuing day. Our cavalry followed to hang upon -his rear, and in a very gallant affair with the rear-guard -at Usagre, about 150 of their horse were killed, wounded, -or taken, without loss on our part, though they had then -3000 men in the field, and the allies not more than half -that number. Hamilton’s division was sent back to re-invest -Badajoz: that place had remained free between -the 16th and 19th, in which interval it had received no -relief, and the garrison had only time loosely to fill up<span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">241</span> -the approaches which had been made. Lord Wellington -arrived at Elvas on the 20th; rode over the field the -next day, and expressed himself highly pleased with -Marshal Beresford, upon whom so arduous a responsibility -had rested, and with the army which had demeaned -itself so gallantly.</p> - -<p>The battle of Albuhera was one of the most murderous -in modern times. The British loss consisted of nearly -900 killed, 2732 wounded, 544 missing; the Portugueze, -of whom only a small part were brought into action, -lost about 400; the Spaniards above 2000. The French -left 2000 dead on the field; about 1000 were made -prisoners; Generals Werle and Pepin were killed. -Soult, in his official dispatch, declared, that his whole -loss amounted only to 2800 men; but a letter from -General Gazan was intercepted, wherein he stated that -he had more than 4000 wounded under his charge. The -heat, he said, would prove very injurious to them, especially -as there were only five surgeons to attend them, -and many had died upon the road. This letter was written -three days after the action, and as the bad cases die -in numbers in the first few days, and the mortality must -have been greatly increased by want of rest, of accommodation, -and of surgical aid, it was inferred, that the -total loss of the enemy could not have been less than -8000 men. Soult is said to have acknowledged, that, -in the whole course of his long service, he had never -before seen so desperate and bloody a conflict. He is -said, also, to have observed, “there is no beating those -troops, in spite of their generals! I always thought -them bad soldiers, and now I am sure of it; for I turned -their right, and penetrated their centre; they were completely -beaten; the day was mine, and yet they did not -know it, and would not run.” About 300 of his prisoners -were put into a convent which had been converted into<span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">242</span> -a prison: they undermined the wall, and escaped with -their officers at their head. The peasantry guided them, -and supplied them with food on their way, and they rejoined -the army in a body on the thirteenth day after -the battle.</p> - -<p>The official dispatch of the French general was, as -usual, falsified for the public. Soult there asserted that, -having gained the height, he was surprised to see so -great a number of troops, and that he then first learned -from a prisoner how Blake with 9000 Spaniards had -effected a junction during the night. This discovery, -he said, made him resolve not to pursue his victory, but -content himself with keeping the position which had -been taken from the enemy, and that position he<a id="FNanchor_23" href="#Footnote_23" class="fnanchor">23</a> retained, -... the enemy, after the carnage which was made -among them by Latour Maubourg and the Polish lancers, -not having dared to attack him again.</p> - -<p>Few battles have ever given the contending powers -so high an opinion of each other. The French exhibited -the highest possible state of discipline that day: nothing -could be more perfect than they were in all their movements; -no general could have wished for more excellent -instruments, and no soldiers were ever directed by more -consummate skill. This was more than counterbalanced -by the incomparable bravery of their opponents. The -chief loss fell upon the Buffs and the 57th. The first -of these regiments went into action with twenty-four -officers and 750 rank and file; ... there only remained<span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">243</span> -five officers and thirty-four men to draw rations on the -following day. Within the little space where the stress -of the battle lay, not less than 7000 men were found -lying on the ground, literally reddening the rivulets with -blood. Our dead lay in ranks as they had fought, and -every wound was in front. A captain of the 57th, who -was severely wounded, directed his men to lay him on -the ground at the head of his company, and thus continued -to give his orders. Marshal Beresford saved his -life by his dexterity and personal strength: as he was -encouraging his troops after the charge of the Polish -lancers, one of these men attacked him; avoiding the -thrust, he seized him by the throat, and threw him off -his horse; the lancer recovered from his fall to aim a -second thrust, but at the moment was shot by one of the -general’s orderlies. Sir William Meyers, leading on -that brigade which recovered the fortune of the field, -exclaimed it would be a glorious day for the fusileers. -In ascending the ground his horse was wounded; another -was brought, which he had hardly mounted, when -a ball struck him under the hip, and passed upward -obliquely through the intestines. He did not fall, and -attempted to proceed; but this was impossible, and -when he was carried off the field he seemed to forget -his own sufferings in exultation at beholding the conduct -of his brave companions. A heavy rain was falling; -there was no shelter near, and Valverde, whither it was -thought proper to convey him, was ten miles distant. -He would rather have had a tent erected over him; but -his servants hoping that he might recover, insisted upon -removing him to a place where a bed might be procured. -The body of General Houghton was borne past him, on a -mule, to be interred at Elvas. Upon seeing it, Sir William -desired, that if he should die they would bury him -on the spot. He lived, however, to reach Valverde, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">244</span> -till the following day. When his dissolution drew near, -he desired that his ring might be taken to his sister, and -that she might be told he had died like a soldier. Six -of his own men bore him to the grave, and laid him -under an olive tree near Valverde. It is to be hoped -that a monument will be placed there to mark the spot.</p> - -<p>Blake, Castaños, Mendizabal, Ballasteros, Zayas, and -Carlos d’España, were in the field, and all distinguished -themselves. Blake and Castaños had each an arm -grazed. España was run through the hand by a lance. -In the heat of the action, when the issue of the battle -appeared most hopeless, many of the Spaniards were -heard exclaiming to each other, “What will the <i>Conciso</i> -say?” ... thus stimulating themselves to new exertion by -remembering the honour or dishonour which a free press -would bestow, according to their deserts. Of three -stand of colours which were taken from the enemy, one -was presented to the Cortes. Del Monte moved, that it -should be deposited in some church dedicated to the -Virgin-Mother, the patroness of the Spains; but Garcia -Herreros observed, that the hall in which they met -would, after the dissolution of the Cortes, again be used -as a church, and it was therefore resolved that the -colours should remain there. It was proposed also, that -a pillar should be erected in the plains of Albuhera; and -that the little town of that name which had been entirely -destroyed, should be rebuilt by the nation, and exempted -from all rates and taxes for ten years.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Siege of Badajoz resumed.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>By this time the 3rd and 7th divisions arrived from -Beira. Lord Wellington re-invested Badajoz -on the 25th, and broke ground four days afterward. -It was well that the former siege had -been interrupted; there would otherwise have been a -great sacrifice of men in attempts which, for want of -adequate means, must have been unsuccessful. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">245</span> -means, though somewhat increased both in men and -materials, were still inadequate; time pressed also; for -where Lord Wellington’s efforts were directed, thither -would those of the enemy be directed also; Marmont -would move from the Tormes toward the Tagus to -co-operate with Soult against him, and the disposable -force which they might bring together far exceeded all -that he could command. Rapid measures, therefore, -were necessary, and it was determined to pursue the -original plan, but to commence the attacks upon Fort -Christoval and the castle at the same time, that the -enemy’s attention might be divided. Guns were brought -from Elvas, and the officers and gunners of a company -of British artillery were distributed among the Portugueze, -to supply as far as their numbers went the -want of skill in their allies: but the guns were of a -soft composition of metal, false in their bore, without -any of the modern improvements; the shot were of -all shapes and sizes; the howitzers which were used -for mortars were not better in their kind than the guns, -nor did the shells fit them better; and these wretched -brass pieces failed so fast under the heavy firing which -was required, that iron guns were ordered from Lisbon.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">June.</span><br />Unsuccessful attempts upon Fort Christoval.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On the 6th of June the breach in Fort Christoval was -reported practicable; it appeared to be so from -the trenches; and at the following midnight -a storming party of 180 men, conducted by -Lieutenant Forster of the Royal Engineers, who -had examined the breach the preceding night, moved -towards it. The palisades had been destroyed by the -battery; the counterscarp at that spot was only four -feet deep; the advance, therefore, easily descended into -the ditch and reached the foot of the breach, where -they discovered that since evening closed the enemy -had removed the rubbish, and that the escarp was standing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">246</span> -clear nearly seven feet high. The advance, after it -had in vain endeavoured to get over this obstacle, might -have retired with little loss: but the main body had -now entered the ditch; and in that spirit of mad courage -which attempts impossible things, they tried with -ladders fifteen feet long, which had been sent for mounting -the breach with, to escalade the front scarp of the -fort where it was twenty feet high; in this they persisted -for an hour, while the garrison showered down -upon them shells, stones, hand-grenades and combustibles -at pleasure, and almost as a sport; nor did they retire -till they had lost twelve killed and ninety wounded, more -than two-thirds of their number, Forster being among -the slain. Not disheartened by this, the besiegers renewed -the attempt three nights after: they were provided -with ladders of sufficient length; but the enemy -were now on the alert, and had strongly garrisoned the -fort: the officer who conducted the advance was killed -on the glacis, and the officer in command immediately -on descending into the ditch: and it could not be -ascertained, from the report of the survivors, whether -they had attempted a breach which, having, as on the -former occasion, been cleared, had been rendered impracticable, -or whether their efforts had been misdirected -against the face of a demibastion which had -been much injured, and might in the night easily be -mistaken for a breach: but in one or other of these -blind endeavours they persisted desperately under a -tremendous shower of the most destructive missiles, till -after an hour’s perseverance, when forty had been killed -and an hundred wounded, the remainder were ordered -to retire.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The siege raised.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>That night’s failure determined Lord Wellington to -raise the siege. It had manifestly become hopeless -for want of means; and the next morning<span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">247</span> -an intercepted letter from Soult to Marmont was -brought in, dated the 5th, and saying that he was ready -to begin his march, effect a junction, and complete the -object of their wishes. “If they lost no time,” he said, -“they might reach the scene of action before the English -reinforcements arrived, and Badajoz would be -saved.” By other communications, Lord Wellington -knew that Drouet’s corps had marched from Toledo, -and would probably join Soult that very day, and that -Marmont might be expected at Merida in a few days; -for this general, after having patroled on the 6th to -Fuentes d’Onoro and Navedeaver, as a reconnoissance, -and to cover the march of a convoy to Ciudad Rodrigo, -began his march the next day to the south, by way of -the Puerto de Baños and Placencia: he crossed the -Tagus at Almaraz, an important point, where the -French, having re-established the bridge, had covered it -by strong batteries. In consequence of this information -Lord Wellington began to move the stores to the rear, -as soon as darkness had closed. The whole loss had -been nine officers and 109 men killed, twenty-five officers -and 342 men wounded and prisoners: but the numerical -inadequately represents the real loss in those operations -for which men are either selected for their skill, or adventure -in the hope of distinguishing themselves. On -the 12th the siege was finally raised; but the blockade -was still maintained, and Lord Wellington posted his -army near Albuhera to cover it and to hold in check an -enemy who would not again venture upon giving battle, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Junction of Soult and Marmont.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -unless with an overpowering force. The French, -however, had now collected all their troops from -the two Castilles, except a small garrison at -Madrid, all the remains of Massena’s army, and all their -force from Andalusia, except what was sufficient for -Sebastiani and Victor to keep up a show of inactive<span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">248</span> -strength within positions where experience had now -fully shown that no vigorous attack was to be apprehended. -Thus they brought together a greater force -than the allies could oppose to them; and though Lord -Wellington was not so inferior in numbers as to have -felt fear, or even doubt, concerning the issue of an action, -the relative resources of the allies in men, as -those resources were then managed, were not such -that they could afford to win a second battle of Albuhera. -The blockade therefore was raised after Marmont -and Soult had effected their junction: the enemy -entered Badajoz, and the allies, recrossing the Guadiana, -took up a line within the Portugueze frontier. -There the corps from the north, under Sir Brent Spencer, -joined them. It had crossed the Tagus at Villa Velha by -a floating bridge, carrying about twenty horses at a time. -The spirit of our light division at this time was such -that the men would suffer any thing on a march rather -than be seen straggling; and in this movement two -men, when ascending the hills to Niza, carried that -spirit so far that they actually died of heat in the ranks. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The allies take a position within the Portugueze frontier.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -The whole army being thus united, a position -was chosen in which battle would have been -given if the French had attempted to enter -Portugal: it was on the heights behind Campo -Mayor, and the troops were bivouacked on the Caya in -readiness to occupy it: their line extended from Arronches -to Jurumenha, that of the enemy from Merida -to Badajoz. But though the French had brought together -not less than 70,000 men including 8000 cavalry, -while the cavalry opposed to them were only 3500, and -the whole force not more than 56,000, they contented -themselves with making a reconnoisance in considerable -strength. One body of their horse got in the rear of a -piquet of the 11th light dragoons: the situation was ill<span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">249</span> -chosen; the regiment had arrived from England but a -few days before; the men, therefore, were inexperienced -in such service, and ignorant of the ground: they mistook -the enemy for Portugueze; and every man, sixty-nine -in number, except the lieutenant in the advance, -was taken. This was the only advantage they could -obtain. Another body at the same time failed in an -endeavour to ascertain the position and number of the -allies: their intention was perceived; the main body of -the troops was concealed from them behind the hills; -and after some hours’ manœuvring, some skirmishing, -and some firing from Campo Mayor, the guns of which -fortress flanked the front of Lord Wellington’s position, -they desisted from their baffled attempt.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Soult boasts of his success.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Soult affected to regret that a general action had not -been brought on. He magnified the merit of -the defence of Badajoz, saying, that it would be -cited in military history as one of the most -memorable exploits of its kind; and he magnified the -importance of the junction of the two armies on the -Guadiana, calling it one of the most marked events of -the war in Spain. This general had a more than common -interest in blazoning forth a success which covered -his late defeat. “Thus,” said he, “the signal victory -which was gained at Albuhera has been ascertained in -favour of the imperial army: the main object which I had -in view was then accomplished, that of making a diversion -in favour of Badajoz, and enabling that fortress to -prolong its resistance. It is now evident that the battle -of Albuhera gained us at least twenty days, during -which we were enabled to make arrangements for bringing -up new reinforcements, and the army of Portugal -was able to take part in the operations: thus the second -object which I had in view in making my first movement -has been also accomplished; and the troops which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">250</span> -fought at Albuhera have not ceased a single day to act -upon the offensive against the enemy.” Beyond all -doubt Marshal Soult was one of the ablest generals of -his age: his operations at this time were ultimately successful, -but his earnestness to prove that he had gained -a victory at Albuhera only shows how deeply he felt -the defeat.</p> - -<p>The French government were elated with an advantage -which came seasonably after the various disgraces -that the French arms had suffered in the Peninsula. -“The English,” said they, “are again to learn, and by -a mighty thunderbolt ... (the raising of the siege of -Badajoz is a presage of it), that they cannot with impunity -leave the element of which they have usurped -the empire.” The English, however, had long been -accustomed to hear of these thunderbolts, and to defy -the more tangible weapons of the enemy. Soult said, -in his official account, “that they appeared to have -given us Spain entirely, and to be concentrating themselves -for the defence of Lisbon: they felt their inability -to support the contest; and every thing,” he added, -“induced him to think that when the army of reserve -should have arrived upon Almeida, they would feel the -impossibility even of maintaining themselves at Lisbon.” -While the enemy threw out these boastful anticipations, -Lord Wellington remained in his position, watching -their movements, and certain that they could not long -subsist the force which they had brought together.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Blake’s movements.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Before the allies retreated across the Guadiana, a -plan had been arranged between General Blake -and Lord Wellington, that the former should -make a movement into the country of Niebla, distract the -enemy’s attention by threatening their rear, and take -advantage of whatever favourable opportunity this concentration -of the French forces might give him. Accordingly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">251</span> -the Spaniards set out on the 18th from -Jurumenha, and on the 22nd reached Mertola, ... the -distance is about 110 miles, ... but it was a most exhausting -march in the midst of summer, through a dry -country, for troops half of whom were barefoot, and -whose commissariat was in the most deplorable state. -The provisions were never sufficient to allow full rations; -and though the Spaniards supported fatigue and -hunger with their characteristic patience, men will not -continue to undergo such privations without a strong -hope that some adequate success will recompense them; -and Blake had unhappily acquired the character of -being an unfortunate leader.</p> - -<p>From Mertola, he embarked his artillery for Ayamonte. -The horse swam the Guadiana, the men crossed -it by a temporary bridge of boats; and after resting -two days to refresh the troops, he marched - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">June 30.</span><br />He fails at Niebla and returns to Cadiz.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -against Niebla. Niebla is an old town, which -had fallen to such decay, that its population at -this time did not exceed an hundred persons: -its walls, however, were less dilapidated than its houses, -and the French had repaired its castle so as to render it -a post of respectable strength, from whence they -domineered over the surrounding country. Blake found -it stronger than he expected: he attempted an escalade -in the night with ladders, which were too short, as well -as too few, for the success of the enterprise; consequently -the attempt failed, though the garrison did not -consist of more than 300 men. He remained three days -before the place, which gave the French governor of -Seville time to take the field against him, and make -some prisoners before his army could reach the mouth -of the Guadiana, and re-embark for Cadiz. Great numbers -of his men deserted during this ill-conducted expedition. -Blake possessed considerable talents, but the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">252</span> -good which those talents might have produced, when he -was called to the Regency, was in great measure frustrated -by his jealousy of the English. At Albuhera he -seemed to have overcome this unworthy feeling; but it -returned upon him, and Lord Wellington remarked, in -his public dispatches, that neither General Castaños nor -himself had received any intelligence from him since he -began his march from Jurumenha.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French armies separate.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>This movement, therefore, which might have greatly -annoyed the enemy, and of which such expectations -had been raised, that it was at one time -reported and believed Blake had actually entered -Seville, ended only in the diminution of the army -and of the general’s reputation. But Lord Wellington -had taken his measures too wisely to suffer any other -evil than that of disappointed hope from this failure. -He knew that the enemy could not possibly long continue -to subsist their forces when thus concentrated; and -accordingly, as he expected, they broke up from the -Guadiana about the middle of July, having fortified the -old castles of Medellin and Truxillo to strengthen their -hold upon Extremadura. Soult returned to Seville; and -Marmont, recrossing the Tagus at Almaraz, went again -to his command in the north. Lord Wellington then -moved his whole army to the left, and cantoned them in -Lower Beira, where he remained, waiting till time and -opportunity should offer for the blow which he was -preparing to strike.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">253</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXXVIII">CHAPTER XXXVIII.</h2> - -<blockquote class="inhead"> - -<p class="hang">MEASURES OF THE FRENCH IN ARAGON. MANRESA BURNT. FIGUERAS -SURPRISED BY THE CATALANS. SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF TARRAGONA -BY THE ENEMY, AND RECAPTURE OF FIGUERAS. CAMPOVERDE SUPERSEDED -BY GENERAL LACY.</p></blockquote> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1811.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p class="in0"><span class="firstword">Both</span> in Portugal and in Andalusia the French had at -length encountered a resistance which, with their utmost -efforts, they were unable to overcome: but their career -of success continued longer in the eastern provinces, -where their operations were conducted with more unity -of purpose, and where Great Britain afforded only a -precarious and inefficient aid to the best and bravest of -the Spaniards.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Plans of the French in Catalonia.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>No sooner had Tortosa fallen, than Marshal Macdonald -began to prepare at Lerida for laying siege to -Tarragona. The arrival at Barcelona of a convoy -of ammunition and grain from Toulon relieved -him from all anxiety on that point, and left him -at leisure to direct his whole attention to this great object, -which in a military view would complete the conquest -of Catalonia, ... any other Buonaparte was incapable -of taking. Tortosa was to be the pivot of the -intended operations against Tarragona first, and after its -fall, which was not doubted, against Valencia; and to -facilitate these operations, Col de Balaguer was put in -a state of defence, and Fort Rapita which commanded -the mouth of the Ebro. These measures had been -taken when General Suchet received orders from Paris<span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">254</span> -to undertake the siege, and was at the same time informed -that Lower Catalonia was to be under his command. -Early in the preceding year this general had - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March 19.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -been told that he must raise in his government -of Aragon means both for the pay and subsistence -of his troops, France being no longer able to -support such an expense; and that while he was to -communicate as before with the <i>E’tat-major</i> of the army - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Pyrenean provinces administered in Buonaparte’s name.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -concerning military affairs, he was to receive instructions -upon all matters relating to the administration, -police, and finances of the country, -from the Emperor alone. It was evident, therefore, -that Buonaparte was as little disposed to -keep faith with his brother, King Joseph, as he had -been with his ally Charles IV., and Ferdinand his invited -guest, but that it was his intention to extend the -frontier of France from the Pyrenees to the Ebro; and -in fact from that time all orders of the government in -that part of the Peninsula were issued in his name. -The faithful Spaniards cared not in which name it was -administered, acknowledging neither, and detesting both: -if they had any feeling upon the subject, it was a sense -of satisfaction that their unworthy countrymen in the -Intruder’s service should be deprived of the shallow -pretext with which they sought to excuse their treason -to their country. At first this change appeared to increase -the difficulties of Suchet’s situation, who, while -he looked only to a temporary occupation of the province, -would without scruple have supplied himself by -force, regardless in what condition he might leave it to -those who should succeed him, or what sufferings he -might bring upon the inhabitants. But regarding himself -now as fixed in a permanent command, it behoved -him to adopt measures which, ... if any thing could have -that effect upon the Aragonese, might gradually reconcile<span class="pagenum" id="Page_255">255</span> -them to subjection, by giving them the benefit of -a military government, regularly as well as vigorously -administered.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>State of Aragon.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The province was in a miserable state: though the -population had increased from the end of the -Succession war till the beginning of Charles -IV.’s reign, it had diminished since that time, owing to -causes which have not been explained. There were -150 deserted villages in it, and nearly 400 in which a -few houses were all that remained, ... this, not in consequence -of the existing war, but of the preceding decay. -Yet before the invasion, Aragon exported corn, wine, -and oil to Catalonia on one side, and to Navarre on the -other: to that export the war had put an end; fields, -and vineyards, and oliveyards, had been laid waste; and -an enormous consumption of sheep by the armies had -almost destroyed the only kind of cattle which in that -country could be depended on for food. It had been -drained of money also both by the national and intrusive -governments: before the siege of Zaragoza, three millions -of francs had been remitted to Seville; and the -spoils of the suppressed convents to the amount of a million -<i>reales</i> and 3000 marks of silver had been afterwards -sent to Joseph’s treasury at Madrid. Very many families, -and among them all the wealthiest, had emigrated, -taking with them all the specie they could collect, ... the -miserable remains of their fortunes. Trade had suffered -in the same degree as agriculture; there were no -manufacturers left; and from a province in this condition, -which in its best times paid only four million francs -to its native government, eight millions were to be raised -for the annual pay of the troops alone. Suchet began by -levying an extraordinary contribution per month, which - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>System of the French general.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -more than doubled in amount the tax in ordinary -times; the mode of collecting was prepared<span class="pagenum" id="Page_256">256</span> -for him by a regulation of Philip V., who, as a -punishment upon the three provinces of Aragon, Catalonia, -and Valencia, for their adherence to his opponent -the Archduke Charles, had subjected them to a property -tax, taking from them the privilege which they had formerly -possessed of taxing themselves. It might have -been thought impossible to wring this additional impost -from a ruined people; but the hoards of prudence, of -selfishness, and of misery are opened at such times, and -what has been withheld from the pressing necessities of -a just cause, is yielded to a domineering enemy; and -Suchet, while he insisted to the utmost upon the law of -the strongest, and regarded no other law, had clear -views of the policy by which obedience to that law is to -be facilitated or conciliated. No compunction withheld -him from any crime which he deemed it expedient to -commit; but he would do good as well as evil, and perhaps -more willingly, when it accorded with his purpose; -and worldly wisdom producing the effect of better motives -might under other circumstances have made him a -beneficent ruler. He abolished monopolies, by retaining -which nothing was to be gained; he sent for his wife -from France, to conciliate the Aragonese ladies by her -means, and their husbands by theirs; he employed the -influence of those priests who followed the example of -their traitorous archbishop; and he purchased with -offices in the revenue department and in the police the -ablest of the Spaniards whose souls were for sale. -Among them was Mariano Dominguez, who having held -the office of military Intendant under Palafox during the -siege of Zaragoza, lived to be praised by General Suchet -for the eminent services which he rendered to the French. -He was made corregidor of that city; and it is said that -under his administration not a single murder occurred -there during eighteen months, though before the war the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_257">257</span> -annual average exceeded three hundred. In no situation -does a man seem so cut off from repentance, as when he -can reconcile himself to his own dereliction of duty by -the good that he may do in an office which he has accepted -as the price of his integrity.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Good effect of paying the troops regularly.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The money which Suchet raised for his military and -civil establishments was presently expended in -the province, to the immediate benefit of the -people upon whom it had been levied. The -troops were paid every five days, the civil officers regularly -received their salaries, and what they received -was necessarily spent in the country. Suchet took care -also to purchase there whatever it could supply for the -clothing and equipment of the troops, paying for it at -once from the contributions; and the active circulation - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mémoires du Maréshal Suchet, 1. 302.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -which was thus occasioned, if he may be believed, -made the inhabitants themselves sensible -that they were gainers by such taxation. He -repaired the dykes, the sluices, and the great basin at -Mount Torrero which had been destroyed during the -siege; the canal was thus again restored: preparations -were made for conducting water into the city and erecting -fountains there: the hospitals and the bull circus were -repaired; bull fights, the national sport and the national -reproach, were exhibited; and by these means ... and by -his refusal to send the treasure of Our Lady of the -Pillar to Madrid, notwithstanding repeated orders to -that effect, ... he endeavoured to gratify the Zaragozans, -while he erected works about the city to secure it against -any sudden attempt. Buonaparte’s orders were not so -safely to be disregarded as those of the Intruder; when, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>British goods burnt at Zaragoza.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -therefore, Suchet was instructed to confiscate -and burn all the English goods which could be -found in Aragon, the general remonstrated -against so impolitic a measure, and proposed instead<span class="pagenum" id="Page_258">258</span> -to levy a duty upon such goods of fifty per cent.; but -Buonaparte hated England too vehemently to be capable -of receiving any advice which opposed the indulgence -of that insane passion, and Suchet found it necessary to -search the warehouses, and make a bonfire of what he -found there, in the <i>Plaza Mayor</i> at Zaragoza, taking -care however that the search should be as perfunctory -as he could venture to make it, and leaving colonial - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mémoires, 1. 306.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -produce untouched because it happened not to -be specified in his orders.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Preparations for besieging Tarragona.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>But the Spaniards were a people whom no length of -time could reconcile to an usurpation by which -they felt themselves insulted as much as they -were wronged and outraged. Though his political -sagacity was equal to his military skill, and though -he was placed in a part of the peninsula where the -Spaniards never received the slightest assistance from -their British allies, even in Aragon he felt the insecurity -of his position, and deemed it an advantage of no trifling -moment when he could discover a manufactory of arms -among the mountains. The Spanish frontier is that -upon which France was least provided with military -establishments; but the want of stores, which in other -quarters could be drawn abundantly from the arsenals -of Douay, Metz, and Strasbourg, was supplied here by -the treacherous seizure of Pamplona before hostilities -commenced, and by the subsequent capture of Lerida, -Mequinenza, Tortosa, and Col de Balaguer. In this -respect the war had abundantly furnished its own -means; nor was he deficient in numbers for the siege -which he was about to undertake, the army now under -his command consisting of more than 40,000 men, notwithstanding -its daily waste, and the great losses it had -suffered. The Italian division from 13,000 to 14,000 had -been reduced to five or six; but with the population of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_259">259</span> -France, Italy, and the Netherlands, at his disposal, and -of those states which, under the name of confederates, -were actually subjected to the French government, Buonaparte -thought that no war could thin his armies faster -than the conscription could recruit them; and under -his officers he well knew that men of any nation would -soon be made efficient soldiers. Suchet found it better -to make the regiments of different nations act together -than to keep them in separate divisions; they were -more likely thus to be influenced by a common feeling, -and less liable to be affected by the proclamations in -Italian, German, Dutch, and Polish, as well as Spanish -and French, which General Doyle addressed to them, -inviting them to abandon the unjust service in which -they were engaged. Suchet provided also for their -wants with a solicitude which made him deservedly -popular among his men. He saw that the commissariat -department was better administered by military than by -civil agents; and having placed it therefore wholly in -their hands, he adopted the farther improvement of -giving to each regiment the charge of its own cattle, -convoys of which from Pau and Oleron were constantly -on the road, protected by a chain of fortified posts from -Canfranc and Jaca to Zaragoza. It was found that by -this means the cattle were better guarded and more -easily fed; that the movements of the army were not -impeded by them; and that when the soldiers reached -their bivouac they were no longer under the necessity of -marauding for their food. This general was as little -subject as Massena to any visitations of compassion; -but he knew that a system of marauding must in the -end prove as fatal to the army which subsisted by it, as -to the inhabitants who were the immediate sufferers.</p> - -<p>But the people whom he protected from irregular -exactions were under an iron yoke; they were to be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_260">260</span> -kept down only by present force and the severest intimidation; -and Suchet prepared willingly for the siege of -Tarragona, because he saw that the only serious losses -which the Spaniards sustained was when they defended -fortified places with a large military force. Their -armies, when routed in the field, collected again as -easily as they were dispersed; but from Lerida, Mequinenza, -and Tortosa, no fewer than 800 officers and -18,000 soldiers had been sent prisoners into France. He -desired therefore to attack a fortress which would be -regularly defended, as much as he dreaded to encounter - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mémoires. 2. 17.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -a civil defence. While he was preparing for -the enterprise, the news of Massena’s retreat -raised the hopes of the Spaniards, and made their desultory -parties everywhere more active: in proportion as -they were elated, were the invaders exasperated. A - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Manresa burnt by Macdonald.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -considerable force under Marshal Macdonald -moved upon Manresa. Sarsfield and Eroles -were on the alert to harass its movements: and -they attacked its rear at Hostal de Calvet, about an -hour’s distance from that city: many of the Manresans -were in the field. The disposition of the inhabitants -was well known, and perhaps Manresa was marked for -vengeance, because it was the first place in Catalonia -which had declared against the French; and one of -those journals also was printed there which contributed -so greatly to keep up the national spirit. Upon whatever -pretext, ... for pretexts are never wanting to those -who hold that everything ought to succumb before - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March 30.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -military force, ... orders were given to burn the -city: it was set on fire in the night, and between -seven and eight hundred houses were consumed. -The very hospitals were not spared, though an agreement -had been made between the Spanish and French -generals, that they should be considered sacred, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_261">261</span> -though that agreement was produced by one of the -physicians to General Salme, and its observance claimed -on the score of honour and good faith as well as of -humanity. It availed nothing; the wounded were taken -out of their beds; the attendants plundered; the building -sacked and set on fire. It was by the light of the -flames that Sarsfield and Eroles attacked the enemy at -Hostal de Calvet; their orders were that no quarter -should that night be given; and in consequence, of -many who surrendered (for in this partial action the Catalans -had greatly the advantage), one man alone was -spared. The commander-in-chief Campoverde accused -Macdonald of having in this instance broken his faith, -as well as violated the received usages of war; and he - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">April.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -issued orders that his troops, regular or irregular, -should give quarter to no Frenchman, of -what rank soever, who might be taken in the vicinity -of any place which had been burned or sacked, or in -which the inhabitants had been murdered. Subscriptions -were raised for the relief of the Manresans; and, -as in every case where intimidation was intended, the -effect of this atrocity was to render the invaders more -odious, and give to that desire of vengeance with which -the Spaniards were inflamed the dreadful character of a -religious obligation.</p> - -<p>Macdonald was at this time meditating an attempt -upon Montserrat, the possession of which place would -be of great advantage in the operations against Tarragona. -But the Catalans were not idle. Looking to -something of more permanent importance than could be -achieved in desultory warfare, Rovira, who from the -commencement of the struggle had so distinguished -himself as to be honoured with the particular invectives -of the French, had long projected schemes for recovering -from the enemy some of the fortresses whereof<span class="pagenum" id="Page_262">262</span> -they had possessed themselves, and these schemes he -proposed to the successive generals in the principality, all -of whom, till Campoverde took the command, regarded -them as impracticable. Rovira, however, was not deterred -by ridicule from prosecuting plans which appeared -to him well founded; and Campoverde at length listened - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Scheme for the recovery of Barcelona frustrated.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -to his representations. He had established a -communication in Barcelona, which, like other -attempts of the like nature, was discovered; and -five persons, two of whom were women, were -condemned to death for it, but only one, Miguel Alzina -by name, fell into the enemy’s hand, and he was executed -upon the glacis of Monjuic. The sentence charged him -with having conspired to betray that fortress and the -place of Barcelona to the Spaniards: this he had done, -and in suffering for it, felt that he was dying a martyr -to his country’s cause: but he was charged also with -having intended to poison the garrison; and that any -such purpose should have been sanctioned by the commander-in-chief, -under whose sanction the scheme was -formed, or that it should have been communicated to -him, or even formed at all, is not to be believed. Of -the persons who were acquitted of any share in the -conspiracy, two were nevertheless ordered to be sent -into France, and there detained till the general pacification -of Catalonia; and one, who was niece of Alzina, to -be confined in a nunnery, under the special observation -of the vicar-general and of the prioress, who were to be -responsible for her.</p> - -<p>Rovira had concerted a plan also for surprising -Figueras: it was conceived in the spirit of more adventurous -ages, and therefore, some of those persons who -felt no such spirit in themselves called it, in mockery, -the Rovirada; to better minds, however, it appeared so -feasible for men like those who had undertaken it, that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_263">263</span> -Martinez, the commandant of the division of Ampurdan, -was instructed by Campoverde to join him in the attempt.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Figueras.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Figueras is a little town situated in the midst of the -fertile plain of Ampurdan, eighteen miles from -the French frontier. Some centuries ago it was -burned, and its castle razed, by the Count of Ampurias, -in his war with Jayme I. of Aragon; but in the last -century, Ferdinand VI. erected there one of the finest -fortifications in Europe, which he called, after his canonized -namesake and predecessor, the Castle of St. -Fernando. It is an irregular pentagon, the site of -which has been so well chosen upon the solid and bare -rock, that it is scarcely possible to open trenches -against it on any side; and it commands the plain, serving -as an entrenched camp for 16,000 men. As a fortress -it is a masterpiece of art; no cost was spared upon it, -and the whole was finished in that character of magnificence -which the public works of Spain continued to -exhibit in the worst ages of the Spanish monarchy. -But an English traveller made this prophetic remark - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Townsend’s Travels, 1. p. 81. 3rd edition.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -when he visited Figueras in the year 1786: -“Every such fortress requires an army to -defend it, and when the moment of trial comes, -the whole may depend on the weakness or treachery of -a commander, and instead of being a defence to the -country, may afford a lodgement to the enemy.” Nowhere -has that apprehension been more fully verified -than in the place where it was excited. Figueras was -surrendered to France in the revolutionary war, by corruption -or by treason, more likely than by cowardice; for -the governor had behaved bravely at Toulon. After the -peace he returned to Spain, was delivered over to trial, -and condemned to lose his head: but the punishment -was commuted for perpetual exile. When the place<span class="pagenum" id="Page_264">264</span> -was restored, after the treaty of Basle, some ink spots -still remained upon the wall, where an officer, in honourable -indignation, had dashed his pen, either determining -not to sign the capitulation, or in despair for -having borne a part in that act of infamy. And now -Figueras served as a stronghold for the invaders, having -been one of the four fortresses which Godoy delivered -into their hands as the keys of Spain, before -Buonaparte avowed his profligate design of usurping -the kingdom.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Attempt upon Figueras.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Rovira, who was a doctor in theology as well as a -colonel, and regarded the contest to which he -had devoted himself as a holy war, fixed upon -Passion week as the fittest time for the attempt: -there could be no season so proper for it, he -thought, as that on which the church was celebrating - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">April 6.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the sufferings and death of Christ<a id="FNanchor_24" href="#Footnote_24" class="fnanchor">24</a>! Accordingly, -on Palm Sunday he assembled his division -in the village of Esquirol, and when they were drawn -up, addressing them, says the Spanish relator, like another -Gideon, he desired that every man who was willing -to accompany him in an expedition of great peril, but of -the highest importance and greatest honour, should step -out of the line; 500 men immediately volunteered, all of -the second Catalan legion. The same appeal was made -to another detachment at S. Privat, and ninety-two of -the battalion of Almogavares, and 462 of the Expatriates, -as those Catalans were called who came from -parts of the country which the French possessed, offered -themselves. The two parties formed a junction that -night at Ridaura, and marched the next day, by roads -which were almost impracticable, to Oix, a village close -upon the French border. From thence they proceeded<span class="pagenum" id="Page_265">265</span> -on the 8th by Sadernes, Gitarriu, and Cofi, to Llorena, -taking this direction in order that the enemy and the -men themselves might be induced to believe it was their -intention to make an incursion into France. The alarm -spread along the border as they wished; the somaten -was rung; the French peasantry, and about 300 troops -of the line, collected at S. Laurent de Sardas, and remained -under arms for thirty hours. At noon on the -9th, the Catalans left Llorena, and proceeded in a -direction toward Figueras as far as the wood of Villarit, -where they concealed themselves in a glen till night -came: it had rained heavily all day, and a strong north -wind was blowing, nevertheless orders were given -that no man should kindle a fire on pain of death.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Rovira takes it by surprise.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>One scanty meal a day was all that could be allowed -to these hardy and patient men; but a -good allowance of generous wine had been provided -for them when it should be most needed: -this was distributed now after they had been formed -into six companies, and when night set in they advanced -to Palau-Surroca, a short hour’s distance from -the fortress. The officers of each division were men -who were well acquainted with the works; and each was -now informed what point he was to attempt, at what time, -and in what manner. At half-past two the first party -leaped into the ditch; three soldiers, who had served in -the garrison more than a year, for the purpose of performing -this service when the hour should come, opened the -gate which leads into the ditch to receive them. The -first sentinel whom they met was killed by one thrust -before he could give the alarm; the different parties -went each in its allotted direction; and so well had every -part of this enterprise been planned, and so perfectly was -it executed in all its parts, that before men, officers, or -governor, could get out of their quarters, ... almost before<span class="pagenum" id="Page_266">266</span> -they were awakened, ... Figueras was in the hands of -the Spaniards, and its garrison, amounting to about 1000 -men, were prisoners. The gate by which they had -entered was immediately walled up to guard against any -counter-surprise; and as Rovira, being a native of the -country, and conspicuous in it since the commencement -of the war, was better known than Martinez, orders -were sent out in his name, and signed by his hand, -calling upon the men of the adjoining country to come -and strengthen the garrison. His signature left no -doubt of an event which they could else hardly have -been persuaded to believe, so much was it beyond their -hopes, and in a few hours men enough were assembled -there to man the works.</p> - -<p>There were about 700 of the enemy in the town, who -supposed at first that the stir which they perceived in -the castle was merely some quarrel between the French -and the Italians of whom the garrison was composed. -One of them went to ascertain this; he was asked -<i>Quien vive?</i> as he approached, and upon his replying -“France,” was fired at and shot. Upon this the French -commandant sent a trumpeter, who was ordered to -return and tell his master, on the part of General Martinez -and Colonel Rovira, that no Frenchman must -again present himself before the fortress, or he would -be answered at the cannon’s mouth. Martinez immediately -sent off a dispatch in brief but characteristic -language: “Glory to the God of armies, and honour to -the brave Catalans, St. Fernando de Figueras is taken; -Rovira had the happiness of directing the enterprise, -and I of having been the commander.” The Doctor-Colonel, -in a private letter which found its way to the -press, alluded to the ridicule which had been cast upon -his project: “The <i>Rovirada</i> is made,” said he, “and -the great fortress is ours!”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_267">267</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Rovira rewarded with church preferment.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Rovira needed no other reward than the place in history -which the success of this <i>Rovirada</i> secured -for him; but it was not the less becoming -that the government should express their -sense of his services. Some little time after, the dignity -of Maestre-Escuela, which is equivalent to that of -prebend in the English church, fell vacant in the cathedral -of Vich. A decree had past in the preceding year -for leaving unfilled such ecclesiastical offices as could, -without indecency, be dispensed with, and applying -their revenues to the public use as long as the necessities -of the country should require. The Regency -applied to the Cortes to dispense with this law for the -present occasion only, that they might confer the vacant -dignity upon Rovira, as the most appropriate testimony -of national gratitude; that when the bloody struggle in -which they were engaged against the tyrant of Europe -should have terminated happily, as was to be expected, -they said, he might have a decorous retirement suitable -to his profession, and an establishment for that -time in which, indispensably, he ought to renounce the -military honours and dignities with which he was now -decorated, but which, in any other than the actual circumstances, -were incompatible with his ministerial character. -Arguelles declared, that the Doctor Brigadier -(for to this rank he had then been promoted) was -worthy in the highest degree of national gratitude; but -he wished that any mode of remuneration should be -devised rather than one which involved the suspension -of a law, ... too perilous an example not to be carefully -avoided. But Creus observed, that Rovira, who was a -priest as much in heart as in profession, would value -this prebend more than any military rank which could -be conferred upon him; and more even than the archdeanery<span class="pagenum" id="Page_268">268</span> -of Toledo, because it was in his own country. -And he argued, that no injury could accrue to the state, as -the income might be reserved for the treasury while the -existing circumstances continued. Garcia Herreros was -of opinion that the reward ought to be of the nature of -the service; the soldier should have a military recompense, -the priest a clerical one; he proposed, therefore, -that as the order of St. Fernando had just been -instituted, Dr. Rovira should be the first person who -should be invested with it; and that when the war -was ended one of the best prebends should then be -given him. The proposal of the Regency, however, -was adopted, and Rovira was made Maestre-Escuela of -the cathedral of Vich, for having recovered Figueras.</p> - -<p>Had the Catalans been equally successful at Barcelona, -all their losses would have been more than compensated; -the success which they had gained excited -the greatest exultation, not only in Catalonia, but -throughout the whole of Spain. Te Deum was sung at -Tarragona, and the town was illuminated three successive -nights. In Madrid the Spaniards could scarcely -dissemble their joy. In the Cortes the news was welcomed -as the happiest which had been received since -the battle of Baylen; and the Regency called upon -the people for fresh contributions and fresh efforts to -improve this unexpected success, the first of its kind -which had been obtained during the war. The army -which had achieved it, they said, was in want of every -thing; and the two Regents who were in Cadiz (Blake -being absent) set the example themselves by contributing -each a month’s salary. It was, indeed, a success -which, if the Spaniards had been able, or their -allies alert enough to have improved it, might have been -a far more momentous advantage than the victories of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_269">269</span> -Barrossa and Albuhera. The first report appeared -incredible to the French generals; when it was confirmed, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Suchet refuses to send the troops which Macdonald required from him.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Macdonald called upon Suchet to send -him by forced marches that part of the army of -Catalonia which he had placed under his command; -unless this were done, he said, Upper -Catalonia was lost: for neither Rosas, Gerona, -nor Hostalrich, were provisioned, and the consequences -of this cruel event were incalculable; and Maurice -Mathieu, who commanded in Barcelona, instructed the -governor of Lerida to be ready with provisions for these -troops upon their way, not doubting but that Suchet -would see the necessity of the measure in which he was -called upon to concur. But when that general had recovered -from the first grief and astonishment which the -news excited, he considered that part of these troops being -employed in an expedition among the mountains, -and the others along the Ebro to protect its navigation, -from twenty to five and twenty days must elapse before -they could receive orders from Zaragoza, assemble at -Lerida, and march from thence by Barcelona to Figueras; -during which interval the Spaniards would -have done all they could do for storing and garrisoning -the place. All the French could do was to blockade it -with the troops which were nearest at hand: those from -a distance would arrive too late, and there would then -be the difficulty of supporting them in a part of the -country stripped of its resources. If the Spaniards -should fail in endeavouring to throw sufficient supplies -into the fortress which they had surprised, the unexpected -success with which they were now so greatly elated -would in the end be little to their advantage: it would -even facilitate his operations against Tarragona, for -Campoverde would doubtless move his army towards -the Ampurdan, instead of endeavouring to interrupt the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_270">270</span> -investment of that city; to hasten that investment, -therefore, and press the siege would be the best service -which he could render to the French in Upper Catalonia: -this opinion he thought Buonaparte would form, -whom the intelligence would reach at Paris five or six -days before he had received it at Zaragoza: upon that -opinion, therefore, he resolved to act, on his own responsibility; -and he had soon the satisfaction of knowing -that his conduct in so doing was approved and<a id="FNanchor_25" href="#Footnote_25" class="fnanchor">25</a> applauded.</p> - -<p>His judgment was not less accurate as to what was, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mémoires, 1. 13–18.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -in this instance, to be expected from the Spaniards, -who were still destined to suffer for the -weakness of their government, the want of union in their -leaders, and the want of system which was felt in every - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Eroles introduces troops into Figueras.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -department. Eroles, indeed, acted on this -emergency as he always did, with promptitude, -and vigour, and ability. Collecting all the -force he could, he hastened from Martorell to reinforce -the garrison of Figueras, and on his way took the forts -which the French had erected in Castelfollit and Olot, -and made above 500 prisoners there. Though a considerable - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">April 16.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -force had already been collected to -blockade the place, he entered it on the sixth -day after its capture, with 1500 infantry, 150 horse, and -about 50 artillerymen, losing on the way some forty -killed and sixty wounded; but the French battalion, -which endeavoured to prevent his entrance, suffered - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French blockade it.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -more than a threefold loss. General Baraguay -d’Hilliers had by that time brought together -about 8000 troops for the blockade, nearly half of which -had been called off from blockading the Seu d’Urgel, -and had made a circuitous march within the French<span class="pagenum" id="Page_271">271</span> -border. All posts of minor importance they immediately -abandoned, retaining only Rosas, Gerona, and -Hostalrich, in that part of Catalonia, and even weakening -the garrison of Gerona so much, that that place -might have been recovered by a second <i>Rovirada</i>, had -there been another Rovira to conduct one. But there -was little concert among the Catalan leaders; it was -deemed fortunate that Eroles had not been obliged to -require the co-operation of another body, which from -its position he might have looked to for aid, because -there was ill blood between that body and the corps -which he commanded. His arrival was well-timed, for -the garrison was disorderly as well as weak, ... more -enterprising than wary, ... not to be restrained from -making rash sallies against the blockading force; and -they had also 1500 prisoners to guard, whom, for their -own security, they were compelled to confine so closely, -that they were in reasonable apprehension lest disease -and infection should be the consequences. But supplies -were as needful as reinforcements; wine and oil were -especially wanted. The Spaniards, with more alertness -than they often exerted, sent off a convoy of stores with -one of their frigates from Tarragona: it came into the -bay of Rosas three days after Eroles had entered the -fortress, but it had to wait off shore, vainly expecting -that a sufficient force for escorting it might be collected. -The British squadron off that coast was too weak to -afford any effectual assistance. Captain Buller, taking -immediate advantage of the enemy’s departure from -those places, had landed at Palamos, St. Feliu, Cadeques, -and Selva, embarked their guns and destroyed -their batteries; a useful service for the time, but one -which could not affect the operations on the land, and -the commander-in-chief in the Mediterranean, who was -applied to for some ships of the line, could spare none<span class="pagenum" id="Page_272">272</span> -from his own anxious station, where all his vigilance was -required for watching those ports in France from whence -the enemy might look for reinforcements or supplies. -In Valencia, where there were most means, there was -least energy; and in Tarragona, where alacrity was not -wanting, it was necessary to wait for the new levies -before they could venture to send from thence any considerable -body of old soldiers with which Campoverde -might undertake the relief of the blockaded fortress, lest -Suchet, if his preparations for besieging that city were -anything more than a feint, should find it in a state of -insecurity and weakness.</p> - -<p>That general had never been more in earnest. He - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mémoires, 2. 20.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -perceived that he could no longer look for co-operation -from the side of Catalonia in his intended -siege; from thence, however, he expected little -interruption, but he apprehended serious annoyance -from Mina; for if that enterprising chief could connect -himself with the Catalans of the upper valleys, it would -be possible for him, he thought, to draw after him so -large a part of the Aragonese, that he might cut off the -communication with France, and thus endanger the subsistence - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Attempts to destroy Mina.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -of the besieging army. None of the -Guerrilla leaders were placed in so dangerous -a position as Espoz y Mina. Every fortress in -Navarre was occupied by the French, and they were in -possession of all the country which surrounded it. -There was no point from which he could receive succour; -none upon which he could retire: the mountains -were his only fastnesses; and he had no resources but -what were to be found in his own genius, and in the -courage of his comrades, and in the love of his countrymen. -But this man was the Scanderbeg of his age. -Reille, the French governor of Navarre, had received -special instructions to hunt him down; and toward the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_273">273</span> -close of the preceding year, the enemy had succeeded in -surprising his troop. He and the commanders of the -second and third battalions, Cruchaga and Gorriz, immediately -began to collect their scattered force, and perceiving -that their dispersion would not have been so -injurious but for want of order, they abstained awhile -from offensive operations, for the purpose of disciplining -the men. Reille hoped again to surprise them while they -were thus employed, and detached Colonel Gaudin from -Pamplona with 1500 foot and 200 horse, who was to -form a junction with an equal number, drawn from -Tudela, Caparroso, and Tafalla by Colonel Brescat, surround -Mina, and occupy all the points by which he -might endeavour to escape. Mina was informed of their -movements: before the two detachments could join, he -drew Gaudin into an ambuscade, in which forty of his -cavalry were killed, and about 100 infantry made prisoners, -he then attacked them in their position at Monreal, -drove them from it, and was about to renew the -attack upon a second position which they had taken, -when intelligence that Reille with a force from Pamplona -was hastening to Gaudin’s succour, induced him to -retire. The Guerrilla chief let his men rest one day, and -on the second attacked Brescat, who, with 1300 men -and 170 horse, occupied Aybar, part of the line within -which it was intended to surround this heroic Navarrese. -The enemy were driven successively from every -position where they attempted to make a stand, till -having fallen back two leagues, they reached the river -Aragon: the infantry crossed it by the bridge at Caseca, -the cavalry swam the stream, and thus interposed a -barrier between themselves and their pursuers, which -Mina was not able to force, being without artillery. In -this action the French left 162 men and sixty-three<span class="pagenum" id="Page_274">274</span> -horses upon the field: their commander and about 220 -men were wounded.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Jan. 12.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Reille next sent his brother, at the head of 5000 foot -and 200 horse, against this harassing enemy. -For the last month Mina had been manufacturing -arms, ammunition, and clothing for his men, at -Lumbier, and there two thousand of the French found -him. Aware of their intention, and having concerted -measures with his officers, he did not disturb the soldiers -in the rest which they were enjoying, till the moment -arrived. Then, telling them what the force was which -was ordered against them, they exclaimed, with one -voice, that it would not be for their honour to abandon -the post without resistance, even though all France -should attack it. Two companies, under D. Juan de -Villanueva, defended the fords of the river, and repulsed -the enemy in their first attempt at crossing, -forcing them to retire with such precipitation, that some -of Mina’s men, who passed over at night to see what -they had left behind, collected more than a hundred -muskets from the field. The French took a position -which Mina was not strong enough to force, and for a -day and a half both parties kept up a fire upon each -other; by that time a reinforcement came to the enemy -from Pamplona. The river was well defended against -them, and before they won the passage they lost above -300 killed, and twice the number wounded: among -those who died of their wounds was Leon Asurmendi, -a renegade Spaniard, known by the name of <i>Conveniencias</i>, -and infamous for the crimes which he had committed -in aid of the intrusive government. Having -succeeded in crossing the river, the French chose rather -to perpetrate their usual cruelties upon the inhabitants -of Lumbier than follow Mina, who retired without loss,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_275">275</span> -and in the best order. They obtained information from -some traitors of the place where the Spaniards had their -hospital; but Cruchaga and Gorriz were too vigilant to -let it be surprised, and when the enemy approached -they were so warmly received that they were driven -back the four hours’ march to Lumbier, leaving on the -way sixty killed, many wounded, and twelve prisoners.</p> - -<p>Mina was at this time raising a fourth battalion; the -French sent a detachment to cut it off before it should -be completely formed. Four hundred and fifty men, -destined for this service, proceeded against the village -of Echarri-Aranaz, where the commandant of the battalion, -D. Ramon de Ulzurrun y Eraso, had only about -one hundred to oppose them. He left the village, and -disposed his handful of men so judiciously, for the -double purpose of concealing their numbers and annoying -the enemy, that the French dared not enter the -place, and during the night the officers did the piquet -duty themselves, being afraid to trust their soldiers. -“Reams of paper,” Mina said, “would not suffice for -the details of all the skirmishes in which he and his -party were engaged, ... for every day, and sometimes -twice or thrice in the day, they were occurring.”</p> - -<p>The more the enemy suffered from this band, the -more efforts they made for its destruction, and towards -the close of January, Mina was again surrounded. But -this lion was not to be taken in the toils. His first -measure was to determine upon a point of reunion, and -with that spirit which made him so truly formidable to -the usurpers of his country, he fixed upon the mountains -immediately above Pamplona. Here, having overcome -every difficulty that a vigilant and powerful -enemy could interpose, Mina collected his gallant -companions: still the pursuers were on all sides; there -was not a point which he could occupy without being<span class="pagenum" id="Page_276">276</span> -attacked, neither could he remain in that position; and -2000 men, with a proportionate cavalry, sallied from -Pamplona to dislodge him. Mina had not waited for -this: knowing that there was no escape but by becoming -the assailant, he sent Gorriz to El Carrascal, upon the -left of the city, to call the attention of the enemy in that -direction, and fall upon any convoy or escort which -might be upon the road. This movement succeeded perfectly: -the troops which were advancing had proceeded -little more than a mile when they were hastily recalled -by the alarm which Gorriz had raised in another quarter, -and the governor, thinking that Mina was on that -side, and that the other roads were secure, ordered a -convoy of sixty carts with ammunition and stores to set -out for Vitoria; 200 men escorted it, and 1000 men -followed at about an hour’s interval: ... in Navarre distance -is commonly expressed by time ... the best measure -in so mountainous a country.</p> - -<p>When Mina received intelligence that this convoy was -setting out, his men were fasting, and they were three -hours’ march from the position which it was proper to -occupy for intercepting it. Leaving Cruchaga with the -main body, he set off with the horse and two companies -of foot; but the convoy had passed the place where he -meant to attack it before he could come up. The horsemen, -however, fell upon its escort, and they, abandoning -the carts, took possession of an adjoining height, -where they defended themselves, relying upon the -greater force in their rear, and likewise upon assistance -from the fortress of Irurzun, which was only at half an -hour’s distance. Mina had no time to complete their -destruction; it was of more importance for him to secure -the ammunition, more precious in his circumstances than -the richest booty, and for this there was little leisure; ... -on two sides the enemy were approaching in force, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_277">277</span> -the escort was ready to assail him on the third. Night -came on, and on all sides there was firing; his men became -mingled with the enemy, and sometimes engaged -one another. But when Mina had succeeded in collecting -his men, and would have contented himself with -drawing them off in safety, and destroying the stores, a -general cry arose that they would rather perish than -leave behind them what they should make so useful. -The men, therefore, loaded themselves with cartridges, -of which, after each man had stored himself, they carried -off more than 60,000. Other effects, however -tempting, they regarded not: but, spoiling what they -could, and setting fire to the powder carts, they drew off -in safety with their precious plunder. The joy of Mina -and his comrades for this success was clouded by one of -those fatal accidents for which even a soldier is not prepared: -Gorriz that day, in leading on his troops, was -thrown from his horse, and lived only long enough to go -through the last ceremonies of the Romish superstition: -however worthless these were to the sufferer, the -thought that his salvation was thus secured was the consolation -of his comrades, and probably of no little importance -in keeping up their hopes and their belief in the -protection of Heaven. Mina spoke of his loss with the -deepest sorrow, a sorrow which was felt by all his -fellows in arms, whom he had more than once led on to -victory, and sometimes saved from destruction.</p> - -<p>Mina was now in that perilous stage of his progress, -when every new exploit, adding to his celebrity without -adding to his strength, served to increase his danger, by -exasperating afresh the enemy, and exciting them to -make greater efforts to destroy him. In Aragon, as well -as in Navarre, the French troops were put in motion to -hunt him down, by night and day, like a wild beast. -Harispe occupied the bridges of Sanguessa, Galipienzo,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_278">278</span> -and other passes into Aragon; Panatier with another -division watched La Ribera de los Arcos, Estella, and its -vicinity; and three moveable columns kept up the chase. -The first impulse of the Navarrese hero, when he found -himself thus beset, was to attack the enemy; but for this -he was too weak. Turning back, he marched above -Pamplona by El Carrascal, and there he discovered that -two of their columns were close at hand; upon this he -countermarched towards Lumbier. Harispe was informed -of his movements, and at Irurozqui Mina found - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Feb. 11.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the French in his front: his men had made long -and rapid marches for the three preceding days, -nevertheless they prepared for battle with their wonted -resolution. Before the firing began Harispe sent a -cavalry officer with a flag, which Cruchaga, who went -out to meet him as an enemy, discovered just in time as -he levelled a pistol at him. The Frenchman said, he had -matters of great importance to treat of, and Mina therefore -came to hear them. His errand related to the treatment -of prisoners; it was believed in the French army that -Mina’s soldiers gave no quarter, and he came to request -that this practice might no longer be continued. Mina -on his part disclaimed the system which was imputed to -him, and required a like declaration on the part of the -enemy; to which the French officer replied, that his -general was distinguished for humanity, and that all the -officers of that division had received orders to treat such -of Mina’s men as might fall into their hands as prisoners -of war, since they now knew that they did not deserve -to be styled brigands, but defenders of their country. -Mina observed in his dispatches, that this officer behaved -with perfect courtesy, and with more honour than -was usual for a Frenchman; and he clearly perceived -that this acknowledgment of the rights of war proceeded -not from the humanity of the general, but from the discontent<span class="pagenum" id="Page_279">279</span> -of the miserable men under his command, whom -Buonaparte and his agents in Spain sent to butcher or -to be butchered.</p> - -<p>An affair ensued, in which Harispe lost half his -cavalry in vainly attempting to break the Spaniards. -Five times he attacked their position, and was as often -repulsed; but Mina perceiving that a movement was -made to cut off his retreat, withdrew in time, in good -order, and keeping up a brisk fire. This continued till -evening closed; night set in with fogs, and the French -and Spaniards got confused and intermingled, firing -upon their comrades: at length the latter retired into -a difficult pass, where the enemy did not venture to -follow them. Mina now determined, with the advice of -Cruchaga and his other officers, to break up his force -into companies, sending each to a different point; a -measure which would distract the attention of the enemy, -who would thus lose sight of him, withdraw perhaps -part of their troops, and divide the others, and thus give -him opportunity to collect his companions again, and -strike a blow when it was not expected. He himself -retained only twenty horsemen, with whom he meant -to make a circuit to preserve order among his scattered -bands, and prevent excesses of any kind. After awhile -he came to a village near the French border, where -some of his companions had stationed themselves, and -where he hoped to give a little rest to his comrades; -but an overpowering force was brought against him, -and he, again dispersing his infantry, went with his -little band of horsemen into France. Here he found -that his name was known, and his virtues honoured by -the mountaineers, while every heart cursed the tyrant -who inflicted curses upon Europe, and brought disgrace -as well as misery upon France, by the crimes which he -compelled her to perpetrate. They offered all they had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_280">280</span> -to the Spaniards, but Mina would suffer nothing to be -taken without paying its fair price.</p> - -<p>It was not long before the French discovered with -astonishment, that Mina had entered France; they dispatched -forces against him, which he eluded, and, wandering -about the borders of Roncesvalles, Viscarret, and -Olbayceta, surprised one of their parties, killing two -officers and seven men. A handful of men only were -engaged, ... but it was a well-timed success, and an -auspicious scene, and Mina said, that the Spanish spirit -of old times shone in his comrades that hour. A greater -force, to which the fugitives had given the alarm, followed -him during the whole night, but without success; -and he continued among the mountains within the French -border, waiting impatiently for better prospects. “From -thence,” says he, “I stretched my eyes over this kingdom -close at hand, covered with innumerable enemies, -and I groaned for her miserable condition; the imprisonment -of so many of its good inhabitants, the persecution -and the banishment of the relations of my -companions rent my soul, seeing myself without the -means for redressing their wrongs.”</p> - -<p>But the opportunity which he expected, and which he -provided by his retreat, soon occurred; the greater part -of the troops which had been sent against him returned -toward Zaragoza, and so well had Mina instructed his -officers, and so well did they execute their instructions, -that when he re-entered Navarre, his whole band were -re-assembled within four-and-twenty hours. “It would -not have been strange,” he said, “if some of the men, -closely pursued as they had been, and dispersed in scattered -parties, as the only means of safety, had returned -home; but only a very few, who were sick, had done -this, and of them not a man without his officer’s permission.” -During this long pursuit, the enemy, less<span class="pagenum" id="Page_281">281</span> -accustomed to fatigues and privations than the hardy -mountaineers of Spain, suffered a tenfold greater loss -than they inflicted; above 1000 of their men were invalided, -and as many more wounded in the incessant -skirmishes which took place.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March 18.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>A seasonable supply of flints, cartridges, and other -necessaries, was sent at this time to Mina by the -Junta of Aragon. He was soon seen at the -gates of Estella; from that city he decoyed a hundred -of the garrison, by showing only a few of his men, whom -they sallied to cut off; then he rose upon them, killed -half their number, and took the rest prisoners under the -very walls of the fortress, not one escaping. A letter -from Reille to Marshal Bessieres was intercepted shortly -afterwards, in which he said, “that by this imprudence -of the governor of Estella, they had lost more men in -one foolish affair, than they had taken from the enemy -during a pursuit of two months. The brigands,” he -added, “had so many partisans, that their sick and -wounded were in all parts of the country, and yet it -was impossible to detect them: the public spirit was -very bad, and the business could never be completed in -Navarre, till a place of deportation was appointed for all -the relations and connexions of the brigands, and strong -escorts along the road to convoy them thither.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March 23.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Renewing their efforts for the destruction of an enemy -who became every day more popular among his -oppressed countrymen, the French attacked -Mina a few days after his exploit before Estella, near -Arcos. His inferiority in numbers was compensated by -his perfect knowledge of every foot of the ground, the -experience of his officers in their own mode of warfare, -and his confidence in all his followers. After an action -which continued nearly the whole day, he drew off in -good order, and scarcely with any loss, having killed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_282">282</span> -and wounded nearly 400 of the enemy. They obtained - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March 26.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -a reinforcement, and renewed the attack on the -third day at Nacar, where he occupied a strong -position, and where he succeeded in repulsing them, -with the loss of forty killed, about 200 wounded, and -seventeen prisoners. He now entered Aragon, and -while one part of his force, under Cruchaga, approached -Zaragoza, Mina, with three companies and a few horse, -surprised a party of the enemy consisting of 152 gendarmes -and twenty-eight cavalry: the horses, the commander, -another officer, and seventy-seven of the soldiers, -were made prisoners, all the rest fell, not a man escaping. -Successes of this kind made Mina dangerous in more -ways than one to the invaders. Germans, Italians, and -even French deserted to him. In the course of five days -fifteen hussars came over with their arms and horses, -and fourteen foot soldiers, besides some poor <i>juramentados</i>, -who were happy in an opportunity of joining their -countrymen.</p> - -<p>The Junta of Valencia sent him a timely supply of -arms; he issued his proclamations through Navarre, and -a man was soon found for every musket. Another -convoy from Valencia was on its way, and had to cross -the Ebro in front of Calahorra. Mina set forth to secure -its passage, leaving one battalion at Puente la Reyna to -observe the enemy in Pamplona, and another at Carcar -to cover Lodosa, which the enemy occupied, and from -whence he apprehended most danger. When he reached -the river he stationed part of his little force upon the -left bank to guard against any attack from Lodosa, on -that side also, and with two companies forded, meaning -to attack a body who occupied a village on the other -side, about a league from the ford. They fled at his -approach, leaving some of their effects behind them: -150 horse also, who were in Calahorra, fled to Lodosa;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_283">283</span> -and the passage being thus freed, Mina received his -convoy, and returned the same night to Estella, ... for -the French after their late loss had evacuated that city, -and he made it at this time his head-quarters.</p> - -<p>Well had it been for Spain if all the supplies which -the Juntas of Aragon and Valencia raised had been as -well employed as the little portion allotted to Espoz y -Mina. The French were now so well aware of the -superiority of his followers over their troops in personal -conflict, that they never moved against him without -artillery. In his mode of warfare it was impossible for -him to be provided with equal arms; but one of his -men, by name Josè Suescun y Garcia, contrived to fix -three barrels upon one stock and fire them by one lock; - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">May 17.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -they carried two ounce balls, and were found -to succeed well the first trial, which was in an -action fought by Cruchaga near Tafalla, with an inferior -force against 1500 foot and 180 horse. Between 300 -and 400 of the enemy were killed and wounded, and -twelve were made prisoners, whom Mina, upon the proposal -of the French, joyfully exchanged for an equal -number of his own men.</p> - -<p>At this time the Intruder went to Paris, for the ostensible -purpose of being present at the baptism of Buonaparte’s -son. Mina was on the watch to incommode him, -as he said, upon his journey; but this wretched man -was too well aware of the danger not to take every possible -precaution, and occupied every place along the -road with a strong force before he ventured to advance. -Mina had still his eye upon this road; and shortly -afterwards, when 6000 of the enemy from Pamplona -and Tudela were about to make a combined movement -for the purpose of dislodging him from Estella, he abandoned - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">May 22.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -that place to them, as if in fear of their -numbers, and with the whole of his force entered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_284">284</span> -the province of Alava. He himself, with three of -his four battalions and the cavalry, reached Orbizu, the -first village in that province, on the morning of the next -day; the fourth proceeded by a different route. Here -he received information that Massena was expected at -Vitoria, on his way to France, with an escort of 2000 -men, after his defeat at Fuentes d’Onoro. The hope of -meeting with one who had been called the Child and -Favourite and Angel of Victory delighted Mina, and he -set off immediately in hopes of intercepting him; but -Cruchaga, overcome by an illness against which he had -borne up for many days, was most reluctantly compelled -to remain behind.</p> - -<p>At five in the evening of the 24th they reached the -Puerto de Azazeta, and halted there till it was dark, lest -they should be seen by the enemy or some of his scouts, -in passing some plains which were at no great distance -from Vitoria. Mina would not enter any village on his -way, for the French, under pain of rigorous punishment, -had enjoined all persons to give intelligence of his -movements; and he was careful not to compromise the -people. On the 25th, at four in the morning, he -reached Arlaban, the mountain which forms the boundary -between Alava and Guipuzcoa, and here he chose -his ground, placing one battalion in the woods on the -left of the road, two on the right, and the cavalry upon -the plain; the fourth he meant to station in a grove -when it should arrive, from whence it might surprise the -enemy’s rear-guard. There was a little village near, -about six miles only from Vitoria; and, that no information -might be given by any of the inhabitants, he -marched them all off, old and young, into the mountains, -and placed a guard over them, ordering them to -remain quiet for eight hours as they valued their lives.</p> - -<p>Soon after these preparations were made, a messenger<span class="pagenum" id="Page_285">285</span> -reached him with news that Massena had arrived at -Vitoria, and would halt there; but that a great convoy -was on the point of setting out, with a general in one -coach, a colonel and lieutenant-colonel and two women -in another, 1100 prisoners, and an escort of 2000 foot -and 200 horse. The hope of delivering the prisoners -repaid him for the disappointment of his design against -Massena. Not trusting too implicitly to the messenger, -for fear of deceit, he ordered him to be bound to a point -of the rock, and placed a guard over him, who was to -put him to death if he attempted to escape, but he promised -him a munificent reward if his information should -be verified. They were not long in suspense. About -eight o’clock the enemy’s van appeared, ... 100 foot and -twenty horse, who were allowed to pass unmolested; a -second party of thirty foot and twelve horse passed in -like manner, that Mina might not, by giving the alarm -too early, lose his object. The main body came next -with the prisoners, a number of carts laden with plunder, -and one of the coaches. A fire was opened upon them -from the left by one battalion, and the two others rushed -out upon them from the right. The prisoners threw -themselves upon the ground that they might not fall by -the hands of their friends; then joyfully ran to join their -deliverers. Mina went to the coach, for the purpose of -saving its passengers; the two officers, however, refusing -to surrender, defended themselves with their sabres; -one was killed; Colonel Lafitte, the other, was wounded -and made prisoner with the women. The French, -though thrown at first into confusion and dreadfully -cut up, formed with the celerity of well-disciplined and -experienced troops; 600 foot and 100 horse brought up -the rear with the other coach: upon the first fire the -coach was driven back to Vitoria, escorted by the horsemen; -the infantry remained and got possession of a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_286">286</span> -height, from whence they annoyed the Spaniards, who -were now completing their victory. Two hundred men -from the garrison of Salinas came to their succour, but -they were dislodged and driven to the gates of Salinas. -Mina’s fourth battalion did not arrive till the business -was done: the men had made a forced march of fifteen -hours and were fasting, nevertheless they joined in the -pursuit. By this time reinforcements came to the enemy -from Vitoria, and the French in Salinas being joined by -part of the garrison of Mondragon, and of all the neighbouring -posts, again showed themselves. Mina drove -them back, and then thought it advisable to secure what -he had gained; the affair had continued five hours, and -his men had neither eaten nor drank since ten in the -morning of the preceding day; he therefore retired with -his spoils to Zalduendo, six hours’ distance from the -field.</p> - -<p>The French lost their whole convoy and above 1000 -men, of whom about 110 only were made prisoners. -Among the slain was Valbuena, who, having formerly -been aide-de-camp to Castaños, had entered the Intruder’s -service, and distinguished himself by his cruelty to his -own countrymen. The booty was very great: Mina -reserved one load of specie for the public service, and -his men took what they could find, many loading themselves -with gold, ... the plunder which their enemies -were conveying to France. The peasants’ artillery was -tried on this day for the second time with excellent -effect; at the first discharge it brought down above -twenty of the French, and on the second dispersed a -column which had formed in the road. The loss of the -Spaniards was inconsiderable, but D. Pedro Bizarron, -who that day commanded the cavalry, was dangerously -hurt, to the great mischief of Mina and all his comrades. -Many women were taken, they were treated with respect,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_287">287</span> -and set at liberty. Among the Spaniards who were delivered -were twenty-one officers; Garrido was one, the -leader of a Guerrilla party in Castille.</p> - -<p>Mina’s first care was to place the rescued prisoners in -safety, and this could only be done by getting them into -Valencia. For this purpose he sent to Duran and the -Empecinado to co-operate with him, and pass along the -bank of the Ebro in order to protect their passage; but -Duran was too far distant, and the Empecinado was at -this time closely pressed by the enemy; he had therefore -nothing to rely on but himself. Accordingly he -made preparations for throwing a bridge over the river, -and named the place where it was to be done; the materials -were sent towards this place, and he moved in -the same direction: then in the middle of the night -turning aside marched to a part of the river twelve miles -distant, tried the depth by forcing his own horse into -the water, and making each of his cavalry take up a -man behind him, in this manner landed the whole in -safety, while the enemy were waiting to attack him -when he should be employed in making his bridge.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">June 6.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Next his band was heard of at Irun, when D. Josè -Gorriz, who, according to the Maccabean system, -had succeeded his kinsman in the command of the -third battalion, forming a junction with the fourth under -Ulzurrun, marched against that place, defeated the -garrisons of Oyarzun and Beriatu, got possession of the -stores of the Intrusive government at Irun, and burnt the -bridge which the French had constructed over the -Bidasoa, which there separates France from Spain; -after which they returned with their booty, though all -the force of the adjoining posts was collected to oppose -them. Greater and more persevering efforts were -now made to destroy him. Caffarelli arrived to take -the command in Biscay, and his first object was to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_288">288</span> -signalize himself by the destruction of an enemy, for -whose blood Buonaparte thirsted as he had thirsted for -that of Schill and of Hofer. Mina was in the village of -Mendigorria with three of his battalions and his cavalry, -when Caffarelli with one division came against him by -Puente la Reyna, another by the Valle de Echaurri; -Reille advanced with a third by Carrascal, and a fourth -moved from Logroño upon Estella. The whole force in - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">June 14.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -motion against him amounted to 8000 foot and -2000 horse. Mina put himself in ambush near -Carrascal, meaning to attack Reille; he engaged him, -and forced him to retire upon Tafalla: but when the -Guerrilla chief had advanced in pursuit as far as the -village of Barasoain, he discovered that Caffarelli, -marching back from Puente, had contrived to cut off -the battalion which he himself commanded, and place -it between two fires. Reille and Caffarelli then, whose -joint force amounted to 700 horse and 4000 foot, attacked -him with as great advantage of ground as of -numbers, and Mina for the moment expected to see six -of the seven companies of his battalion cut off. Their -desperate courage brought them off with the loss of -twenty-three killed and eighty taken; a heavy loss, but -far less than there had been cause to dread, ... and for -which in the action they had revenged themselves. He -himself was in the most imminent peril: a party of -hussars surrounded him, and one of them aimed a blow -which he had no other means of avoiding but by stretching -himself out upon his horse; the horse at the same -moment sprung forward and threw him; he recovered -his feet and ran; the horse, ... whether by mere good -fortune, or that, in the wild life to which Mina was reduced, -like an Arab he had taught the beast to love -him ... followed his master, who then lightly leaped into -his seat, and, though closely pursued, saved himself.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_289">289</span> -He got to Lerga with his men; Reille marched to -Tafalla, Caffarelli to Monreal; each division being thus -three hours’ distance from him. The next day he moved -to Sanguesa, and rested there the whole day. On the -morrow he was apprized that Caffarelli was approaching -Lumbier and Reille Caceda, both points within two -hours of him: upon this he sent his cavalry along the -river Aragon to call off their attention in that direction, -while with the infantry he took his route for the mountains -of Biqueza. The two hostile divisions followed -him, one on the right, and the other on the left, hoping -again to place him between two fires: he had the start -of them only half an hour, and having gained the mountain, -put his men in order to defend the post; but in -the evening the enemy moved off, meaning to take him -at more advantage, and he reached the village of Veguezal. -This was on the 16th of June; the next day -he was informed that Caffarelli and Reille, with the -French from the district of the Cinco Villas, would -attack him on the 18th on the three sides of the Puerto, -Navascues, and Tiermas: he eluded them all by marching -to Iruzozgui. Caffarelli followed him as far as Artieda, -which was an hour and a half’s distance. Mina -was not informed of this: they met on the way to Aoiz; -the Spaniards had the good fortune to gain a strong -position upon some heights, where they were able to -repulse the enemy, notwithstanding his forces were -double in number, with the loss of more than 300 killed. -This gained them a day’s respite from their pursuers: -on the 20th they learnt that Reille had again joined -Caffarelli, and Mina once more resolved to divide his -force, and thus multiply the chances of escape. Cruchaga, -with the second battalion, took his course toward -Roncesvalles, and he with the first and third marched -for Zubiri. On his way he learnt that the French in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_290">290</span> -Aoiz had been 6000 foot and 700 horse, who were now -thus disposed of; 4000 were marching to Zubiri, 2000 -with 400 horse to the town of Urroz, and Reille with -300 horse was gone to Pamplona; 200 who had -escorted the wounded were also on their way to Zubiri -with a supply of ammunition. Fearful as this intelligence -was, his men ate their rations with composure, -and then amidst incessant rain turned to Larrainzar; ... -from thence he sent his third battalion to Bustan, and -he himself, with the remaining one marched for the -village of Illarse. His own danger was not diminished -by this separation, for it seemed of more importance to -the enemy to secure his single person than to destroy -the troop; they followed close upon the scent: from -Illarse they pursued him to Villanueva in Araguil, -where he arrived at night, and from whence he set out -at two in the morning: as little was he able to rest at -Echarri Aranaz; from thence, through the Puerto de -Tizatraga, he made for the Puerto de Lezaun; still they -were close upon him; he got on to Los Arcos, and the -enemy halted at Estella, twelve miles distant.</p> - -<p>The French had formed their plan for hunting him -down with perfect knowledge of the country, meaning to -hem him in on all sides among the mountains; and they -had assembled not only all their troops in Navarre for -this service, but had drawn soldiers from Alava also, -and from part of Castille, and were aided by reinforcements -from France. Not less than 12,000 men were -now employed against him. Mina, however, knew the -ground as well as his pursuers, and never losing hope, -and never without resources, he once more divided his -men into small moveable columns, which he dispersed -among the mountains in contrary directions, but with -such instructions, that whenever a favourable opportunity -arrived, the reunion might be effected as rapidly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_291">291</span> -as before. The French were thus compelled either to -extend their line so far that their strength would not be -sufficient to cover it, or else to keep it together without -any object upon which they could bring it to bear. As -he expected, they found themselves at fault, and before -they knew how to act, or where to seek him, he had reunited -his three battalions and all his cavalry in Estella, -where Cruchaga, with the other battalion, hastened to -join him, after having attacked the enemy in Roncesvalles, -killed and wounded twenty-five of them, and -driven the rest into their fort.</p> - -<p>Mina’s reputation was greatly raised by the ability -with which he extricated himself from so many dangers, -and the loss which he so frequently inflicted upon the -enemy; but these persevering efforts of the French had -the desired effect of rendering it impossible for him to -undertake any enterprise which might tend to the relief - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Suchet, T. 2. 20. Tarragona.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -of Figueras, or, by disturbing Suchet in Aragon, -operate in aid of Tarragona. That city, -one of the most remarkable in Spain for its -monuments of antiquity, and for the historical circumstances -connected with it, stands about the distance of a -musket-shot from the sea shore, on a steep and rocky - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>España Sagrada, T. 24. p. 69.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -eminence, where (in the words of Florez) it -commands and enjoys a free air, a clear sky, -and its own fertile plain. Its foundation being -in an age beyond the reach of history, has been variously -ascribed to Tubal, Hercules, Teucer, Remus, a king of -Egypt, and a colony of Phocæans, by fablers who sought -in their inventions to gratify that allowable and useful -pride which citizens learn to take in the place of their -birth and abode ... or to accredit their own theories, or -to support some baseless etymology of its name. This -alone is certain, that it was a considerable place before</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_292">292</span> - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Ycart. Grandezas de Tarragona, 65.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the Romans and Carthaginians contended for the dominion -of Spain; and the remains of its more - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Laborde Voyage Pittoresque. Introd. p. 31.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -ancient walls, which excited the wonder of -antiquaries in the sixteenth century, excite in -the present age their sagacity, their conjectures, -and their doubts; for, though resembling those -which are called Cyclopean in magnitude and -solidity, they differ from them in construction. -The Scipios so greatly enlarged and embellished it, as -almost to be considered its refounders; and on the division -of the Peninsula under the Romans, it gave name -to that province which had before been called Citerior -Spain. Augustus, according to fond Spaniards, issued -from Tarragona his ever memorable decree that all the -world should be taxed: here it was that the palm was -said to have grown upon his altar during his life; and -the year after his death the inhabitants sent deputies to -Rome, soliciting permission to erect a temple to him as -a god: ... a fragment of that altar, a single stone of that -temple, and a few medals, are now the only remains of -their vile and impious adulation. When Galba was declared - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Suetonius.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -emperor, the crown of gold for his inauguration -was taken from the temple of Jupiter in this -city. The Egyptian Isis was worshipped here, -and the African goddess Cœlestis: and when the Romish -church had corrupted Christianity with the polytheism -and idolatry of Pagan Rome, changing the names, but -retaining the superstition, the craft, and the sin, it was -then inferred that Santiago <em>must</em> have sanctified Tarragona -by his presence, it being certain that he was at -Zaragoza when our Lady descended there with the pillar -from heaven. When the barbarians in the reign of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Orosius, L. 7. § 15.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Gallienus first entered Spain, Tarragona was -reduced by them almost to a heap of ruins; and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_293">293</span> -it was the last place in that country which the Romans -retained. Many of the Gothic kings coined money -there. It underwent a second destruction from the -Moors, in revenge for the resolution with which the -inhabitants resisted them. Louis the Pious recovered it -from them at the beginning of the 9th century, but the -Christians could not hold it long; nor is it known by -whom it was finally taken from the Mahommedans, nor -when, except that it was some time in the 11th century, -... an uncertainty, which shows how slowly it had risen - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Ordericus Vitalis, 892, quoted by Florez, T. 25. p. 116.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -from its ruins. Indeed, when Oldegar was -made archbishop there, in the year 1116, large -oak and beech-trees were growing in the cathedral. -This personage, eminent during his life, -as a politic prelate and saint militant, and as a worker -of miracles after his death, refortified the city, and may -be said to have refounded it.</p> - -<p>The ruined and almost desolate city, with all belonging -or which ought to belong thereunto, was given to -this prelate and his successors in the see, under the -Romish church, by the Count of Barcelona, Ramon - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Florez, T. 25. App. No. v.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Berenguer 3; the deed of gift transferring to -the archbishop full power of every kind, stipulating -only for an alliance offensive and defensive -with the Tarragonans. Oldegar, finding that after -ten years his means were not sufficient to complete the -cathedral, or to defend the city, transferred the grant to - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Ordericus Vitalis, L. 13. § 5. Florez, T. 10. App. ult.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -be held as a feud under the see to a Norman -knight, Rodbert Burdet by name, who had married -in that land, and had acquired there considerable -possessions and a great name; but - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Diago. Condes de Barcelona, p. 183.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -this family, a branch whereof continues to flourish -in England, seems to have taken no root -in Spain. The tithes both of the sea and land<span class="pagenum" id="Page_294">294</span> -were reserved for the see: ... those of the nuts<a id="FNanchor_26" href="#Footnote_26" class="fnanchor">26</a> alone -from the Selva de Avellana are said to have yielded in -some years a thousand escudos. Funds for completing -the cathedral, the largest and massiest in Catalonia, -were raised by a contribution which the Pope imposed -upon the suffragan bishops, and by soliciting alms in -aid of the work throughout the province: but the city -never recovered even a semblance of its former prosperity. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Florez, T. 24. 69.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Its circumference is now little more than two -miles, and the river Francoli, which, when it -bore its ancient name of Tulcis, ran close to -Tarragona, is now a mile distant from it. War had not -been the cause of this improsperity; for after its restoration, -the Moors never attempted it; it suffered little -in the revolt of the Catalans; and nothing in the Succession -War, the English being received there by the -inhabitants, and retiring from it after the peace of -Utrecht. But at the time when it might otherwise have -partaken the improvement which was then general in -Spain, the neighbouring town of Reus made an extraordinary -advance in industry and opulence, trebling its -population in the course of fifteen years; and making -Salo its port, it had the effect rather of taking from Tarragona -what trade it might have had, than of contributing -to it.</p> - -<p>When this unexpected war commenced, Tarragona -was deemed so little important as a fortress, that its -garrison consisted only of fifty men; it was now the -only strong place which the Catalans possessed upon -the coast; every exertion had been made to strengthen -its works, and they who relied upon fortresses regarded -it as the last bulwark of Catalonia. The city was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_295">295</span> -crowded with fugitives from the open country and from -towns in the enemy’s possession; there was a strong -garrison; and Tarragona had this advantage above every -other place in the province which had yet been besieged, -that supplies and reinforcements could at all -times be thrown in by sea. Captain Codrington was in -the roads with the Blake, Invincible, and Centaur, ready -to aid in any way wherein the zeal and intrepidity of -British seamen could be rendered available. Under -these circumstances, the spirit of the principality being -what it was, and Valencia with unexhausted resources -close at hand, a resolution like that of the Zaragozans -and Geronans, or an influencing mind like that of -Palafox or of Mariano Alvares, would have baffled all -the efforts of the enemy; and unity of counsels, with a -competent leader in the field, might have rendered the -siege fatal to the besiegers. There were men and -means in abundance; the inhabitants as well as the garrison -were prepared to act or to suffer; neither will nor -resolution were wanting; but there was no commanding -mind, no harmony of purpose; some hearts were accessible -to fear, and some to corruption. This Count -Suchet knew, and could calculate as certainly upon confusion -and perplexity in their counsels as upon steadiness -and method in his own.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">May 2.</span><br />Siege of Tarragona.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>He established his head-quarters at Reus: the inhabitants -of that busy town had been properly -rewarded for the inclination which they had -shown toward the French; and their hatred toward -them now was in proportion to their sufferings and -their repentance. Suchet endeavoured to win them -over by maintaining strict discipline, and by courting -the chief authorities, civil and religious. Expecting also -an obstinate resistance, he prepared extensive hospitals -with all things necessary to receive his wounded, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_296">296</span> -made arrangements for removing them without delay -from the trenches; measures whereby he deserved and -obtained the affections of the soldiery in a greater degree -than any other of the French generals in Spain. -He pushed the siege with characteristic vigour, and had -soon the satisfaction to learn that Campoverde, having - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Campoverde enters the city after a defeat.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -been defeated before Figueras in attempting to -relieve that fortress, had hastened back to Tarragona -by sea with the remainder of his troops, -who were more likely to dispirit the garrison by -the distrust which they had conceived of themselves and -of their commander, than to bring any increase of real -strength. Sarsfield remained with one division in the -field, and threatened the enemy’s line from Mora to -Reus. This brave and enterprising officer annoyed -them on that side; and that part of the besieging -army which was encamped on the high and dry level -ground at a distance from the Francoli and the Gaya, -suffered for want of water, having continually to -repair and protect the aqueduct. The most important -of the outworks were Fort Francoli, on the left bank -of the river to the west of the city, and Fort Olivo: the -latter was a new fort, about 400 toises to the north, on -ground so high that it could not with safety have been -left unoccupied; and this it was deemed necessary to -reduce before any attack could be made upon the body -of the place. On the part of the enemy’s engineers -everything was done which could be expected from a -thorough practical knowledge of their destructive art; -and so vigorously were their advances resisted by -the Spaniards, that the wounded who were carried to -the French hospitals are stated by Suchet himself to -have been from fifty to threescore daily during the siege -of this outwork. The Spaniards estimated them as -nearer 300. In one of the sorties General Salme was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_297">297</span> -killed; his body was buried under a part of the aqueduct; -his heart embalmed, and deposited under that -well-known monument which is called the Tomb of the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Fort Olivo betrayed.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Scipios. Olivo held out till the night of the -29th; nor would it then have been taken had -there not been found a wretch wicked enough to sell -the blood of his comrades and the interests of his country. -The garrison, consisting of 2000, was to be -changed that night, the regiment of Illiberia returning -into the town, and that of Almeira taking its place: the -French presented themselves at the same time with the -new garrison, while a false attack was made in another -quarter, and entered with them; others found their way -through a dry aqueduct, which the Spaniards had -neglected either to destroy or properly to secure, and -Fort Olivo was thus taken, some 800 Spaniards being -made prisoners, and more than as many slain. For the -information which led to this carnage a price had been -bargained, and the money<a id="FNanchor_27" href="#Footnote_27" class="fnanchor">27</a> was paid.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>General Contreras.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>At this time General Senen de Contreras arrived at -Tarragona in a frigate from Cadiz. He had -distinguished himself when a young man, by -abridging the voluminous Military Reflections of the -Marquis de Santa Cruz, and was thought to have -studied his profession so well that he was sent by -Charles III. on a travelling mission, to examine into -the military institutions of other countries. On this -service he was employed four years, visiting England, -France, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and in the campaign -of 1788 he served against the Turks. In the war -against revolutionary France he acted as aide-de-camp -to General Urretia in the Pyrenees; and in the present -contest had afforded a timely support to the Portugueze<span class="pagenum" id="Page_298">298</span> -in Alemtejo and Algarve, ... had been in the retreat of -the central army, gaining some partial successes in those -disastrous days, ... and afterwards, in some critical situations -and some important stations, supported the reputation -which he had obtained. He landed now at -Tarragona in an inauspicious hour, and had immediately -a command entrusted to him at the gate opposite Fort -Olivo, where he passed the first unhappy night after his -arrival in receiving the fugitives. On the following -morning Campoverde assembled his chief officers and -the deputies of the superior Junta: it was agreed that -an effort for raising the siege should be made in the -field; and while the general in chief should be thus - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Contreras appointed to command in the city.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -employed, Contreras was appointed to command -in the city. The danger of the place, -and the numerous defects of its incomplete -works, were obvious to all military men; and to no one -more clearly than to the general who now unwillingly -took upon himself the charge of defending it. He represented - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">June.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -that he was neither acquainted with -the troops and officers whom he was to command, -nor with the civil authorities with whom he -should have to act, nor with the people on whose energetic -aid he must rely, nor with the place itself (of -which not even a plan could be produced), having, in -fact, none of that information which might be considered -indispensable for such a command. With this responsibility, -however, Contreras was left; and Campoverde - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Campoverde goes out to act in the field.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -departed by sea with his staff, and so many -officers (every man seeming to act at his own -pleasure), that of the regiments in the garrison -only two were left with their own colonels or proper -commanders. He issued a proclamation before his departure, -promising to return in the course of six or -eight days with an army, and make an effort, which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_299">299</span> -was to be seconded by the garrison, for raising the siege. -The new commander had no expectation that this promise -would be performed; but the garrison and the -inhabitants looked with confidence to its fulfilment, ... for -the Spaniards are a hopeful people, and, all circumstances -considered, they had on no former occasion had -such reasonable ground for hope. They had lost about -3000 men during the siege, which they supposed to be a -less loss than the French had sustained, and they could -more easily be reinforced. If, indeed, the same means -of defence had been resorted to here as in Zaragoza and -Gerona, Tarragona, defective as its works were, must -have been impregnable; it was secure against famine; -it was in no danger of pestilence; and its numbers -might always have been kept up. The enemy had -broken the aqueduct, expecting to distress the besieged -by reducing them to use the brackish water of their -wells; but in this he was deceived, for no distress was -occasioned by it. The very sight of the English squadron, -and the constant communication with it, and its -aid on all opportunities, contributed greatly to the confidence -which was felt.</p> - -<p>Contreras did not partake that confidence; his measures, -however, were such as might support it. He -established a military police; he formed the inhabitants -into companies; and he employed the women in such -services as they were capable of performing. On their -part, indeed, a spirit was manifested such as the time -required; no danger deterred them from administering -refreshments to the soldiers at their stations, nor from -bearing away the wounded: it was sometimes necessary -to restrain their ardour, but on no occasion did it need -excitement. The military chest was almost exhausted; -the commander replenished it by levying a contribution -upon those merchants who had retired to Villa Nueva<span class="pagenum" id="Page_300">300</span> -with their effects. He gave ear to no overtures from -the enemy of whatever kind. When Suchet proposed a -suspension of hostilities, that the dead might be interred -who lay in heaps around Fort Olivo, in sight from the -ramparts of the city, even that proposal was rejected; -and in that hot season of the year, and on that rocky -soil where graves could not be dug, the French, for their -own sakes, were compelled as long as the siege continued -to consume the slain by fire.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Fort Francoli abandoned.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>They gave the fort which they had won the name of -Salme, from the general who had fallen before it. And -now their attacks were directed against Fort -Francoli, which they reduced at length to such -a state that the commandant found it necessary -to abandon it as untenable, destroying such stores as he -could not remove. Hitherto there had been no want of -firmness in the besieged; but vigour, confidence, and -unanimity were wanting among their leaders. Three -members of the supreme Junta were in the city, in order -that the civil power might through them afford all the -aid which the military might require: this they did most -unreservedly; but the proposals which they made met -with no correspondent consideration, and the soldiers -complained of the inaction in which they were kept. -When Campoverde first entered the place, it was supposed -that he had invested Sarsfield with powers to act -for him both as governor-general of the province and - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Sarsfield.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -commander in the field; but Sarsfield was soon -called after him to Tarragona, and remained -there after he had departed. This general was one of -the best officers in the Spanish service for an inferior -command, ... an intelligent, enterprising, intrepid, and -honourable man; but he was punctilious and irritable, -and thought less of his country and his duty than of his -own personal importance, ... differing in this most widely<span class="pagenum" id="Page_301">301</span> -from Eroles, of whose high reputation and higher virtues -he was so jealous, that he regarded him with a dislike -little short of personal enmity. This same unhappy -temper made it impossible for him to act cordially with -Contreras. In the field he might have been far more -serviceable than in the fortress, for in the field it was -that the best service might have been effected, and the -French acknowledged and feared his activity as a partisan; -but though he kept up that character in the -sallies which he directed, his impractical disposition -marred all his better qualities. What he did - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Cataluña Atribulada, 13.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -was without consulting the governor; he -neither thought it necessary to concert operations -with him, nor even to inform him of the results.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Troops sent to reinforce the garrison, and landed elsewhere.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Meantime the siege was pressed with the utmost skill -and exertions; and on the part of the Spaniards there -was as much want of concert and ability without -the walls as within. Troops were twice -sent from Carthagena to reinforce the place, -and both times without arms, so that when they -arrived they were useless, there being already 2000 -men there more than there were weapons for; and -therefore by desire of Contreras they were carried on to -Villa Nueva, there to be armed, if Campoverde could -arm them, or to take their own course! And on the -part of Campoverde himself there was such uncertainty, -such seeming apathy, that the British officers, who were -exerting themselves with indefatigable zeal, apprehended -the worst consequences from the incapacity which they -now perceived in him. O’Donell, now Conde de Bisbal, -was not yet sufficiently recovered from his wound to -take the field: his services were never more needed -than at this time, when there was no lack of means or -men, only of hearts and heads to direct them. He consulted, -however, with his brother, who had a command<span class="pagenum" id="Page_302">302</span> -in the Valencian army, and in concert with him and -Captain Codrington it was agreed that 4000 of the best -Valencian troops should be sent in British ships to reinforce -the garrison, while the rest of that army should move -to the banks of the Ebro, and there, in concert with -the Aragonese, threaten Suchet’s depôts, the movement -which of all others he apprehended most. These troops, -under General Miranda, were accordingly embarked at -Peñiscola, with written orders to land at Tarragona; the -intention being that they should join in a sally, which -Captain Codrington thought could not fail of success. -Miranda, however, refused to land, protesting that both -his written and verbal instructions forbade him to shut -himself up in the fortress with his division. This was -neither the place nor the time for disputing; and as -little good service can be expected from one in whom -good will is evidently wanting, the division landed at -Villa Nueva, according to Campoverde’s desire, that -they might join him at Igualada, and act upon the besiegers’ -flank.</p> - -<p>Suchet, meantime, was not without uneasiness: he -had already lost 2500 men, including 280 officers; and -hitherto the chief advantage which he had gained had -been obtained less by force of arms than by corruption. -But the feeble irresolution of the Spanish leaders and -their ruinous delays gave him time, by which he profited -like one who knew its value; and on the evening of the -21st he assaulted the lower town; three breaches had -been made, and with all its defences, it was in the course -of an hour in his hands, at the cost of about 500 men. -It is said that the same means for insuring success had -been provided here as at Fort Olivo<a id="FNanchor_28" href="#Footnote_28" class="fnanchor">28</a>. With the exception<span class="pagenum" id="Page_303">303</span> -of a small number, all the Spaniards were put - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The lower town taken.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -to the sword in the town, at the port, in the -houses, and in pursuit ... to the gates of the upper -town; only 160 prisoners were taken, most of whom -were wounded; no more than these were spared, while -the number of bodies which the French collected and -burnt amounted to 1350. Suchet then held forth a -threat which he had now shown, that the troops whom -he commanded were capable of carrying into effect: “I - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Suchet’s threat.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -fear much,” said he, “that if the garrison wait -for the assault in their last hold, I shall be -forced to set a terrible example, and intimidate Catalonia -and Spain for ever by the destruction of a whole -city!”</p> - -<p>Sarsfield, who was slightly wounded in this action, -embarked immediately to join Campoverde and act in -the field; this he did without informing Contreras of -his intention, and at a moment when his presence was -more needful than it had been at any former time. An -officer was appointed to succeed him as soon as his departure -was known; but before that officer could repair -to his post, the enemy had forced it, and were - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The mole at Tarragona.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -masters of the mole. Ten years had not quite -elapsed since that port had been a scene of proud rejoicing, -the King and Queen of Spain having visited it -to inspect the works at the mole, which having been -commenced in the year 1790, were then on the point of -completion. The quarries being near at hand, an enormous -stone had been prepared for this occasion, on -which an image of Neptune, ten feet high, was placed, -with one hand reining the dolphin on which he stood, -with the other holding his trident. The huge mass was -raised by the exertions of three hundred men, and let -down into its place in the sea. Neptune descending -with it as into his own empire, amid the sound of music,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_304">304</span> -and the festive discharge of artillery, and the exulting -acclamations of myriads of beholders. The beach -which on that day had been lined with happy multitudes -was soon to become the scene of the most atrocious -tragedy in this whole dreadful war.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Campoverde’s inactivity.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The Junta of Tarragona were now so indignant at the -conduct of Campoverde, whose futile movements -at this crisis were as injurious as his -inactivity, that they enclosed to him his own -proclamation, issued at the time of his departure, wherein -he had promised to relieve them in the course of a -few days. Three weeks had now elapsed; he had been -reinforced with 4000 Valencian troops on whom he had -not counted when that promise was made; and there -was a general outcry against his unfitness for the command. -Eroles alone acted with the spirit which the -exigence required, and succeeded in capturing a convoy -of 500 laden mules between Mora and Falset, and cutting -off part of their escort. Wherever his services -were most needed there he was always to be found, ... -seeking as little to aggrandize as to spare himself, his -single object being the deliverance of his country. The -magazines at Reus were not so well provided but that -the loss of these supplies would have been felt by the -besiegers, if the city had been defended after the manner -of Gerona. But the Geronans were commanded by -a man of the old heroic stamp, and they had no base -examples to discourage them: whereas the garrison and -the people of Tarragona saw nothing in the conduct of -their leaders and their countrymen but what was disheartening. -While the gun-boats and launches of the -British squadron were employed every night, and all -night long, in annoying the enemy’s working parties, -there were two Spanish frigates which remained quiet -spectators. While the English were removing women,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_305">305</span> -children, and wounded, in their transports to Villa - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Ill behaviour of the Spanish frigates.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Nueva, those frigates would not receive on -board their wounded countrymen who were sent -off to them; and these poor creatures were left -to lie without assistance of any kind in the boats which -brought them off till relief was sent them from the -British ships. This heartless disregard of all duty -called forth strong remonstrances from General Doyle, as -well as from Captain Codrington; and it was not till -above 2000 people had been removed in our transports -that the positive orders of Contreras, and the threat of -General Doyle, that the captain of one of their frigates -should be put under arrest if he refused to receive the -wounded, compelled them to act as if they had some -sense of honour and humanity. Had the Spaniards in -the fortress and in the field displayed as much spirit and -alacrity as was manifested by the British ships in their -aid, Contreras has declared that Tarragona could not -have been taken.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Col. Skerret arrives with British troops.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Suchet meantime pushed his attacks vigorously -against the only remaining defences of the city, -aware that he had no time to lose, and that -if preparations were made for defending the -streets and houses, a war of that kind might detain -him till efficient succours should arrive by sea. Sir -Edward Pellew, who had just taken the command of the -Mediterranean fleet, was hastening with all speed to -assist the besieged; and when the enemy’s batteries for -forming a breach were almost completed, a detachment -of 2000 British troops under Colonel Skerret arrived -from Cadiz in the bay. He landed with his engineers, -and they perceived how ill the front which the French -threatened was able to withstand such batteries as would -presently be opened against it. There was but one -point now at which a disembarkation could be effected,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_306">306</span> -and that point was flanked by the enemy. The disembarkation -would nevertheless have been made, and -these troops would have saved Tarragona, or fallen in -its defence, if Contreras had not recommended that they -should co-operate with Campoverde from without: their -presence, he thought, might goad that general on to -action, and give reasonable hope of some decisive success -in the field, from which alone he looked for deliverance. -Besides, he said, the garrison was numerous -enough; and as soon as the enemy should have opened -their trenches, and begun to batter in breach, he had -determined to abandon the place, thinking it of more -importance to preserve 7000 fine troops, than to defend -the ruins of Tarragona. Skerret, therefore, met Eroles, -who came from Campoverde; and they agreed with -Doyle and Codrington, that the best plan would be for a -sally to be made from the town with 4000 men, and -Skerret at the same time to land and join in it. But -when they came to consult with Campoverde himself -and with Sarsfield, doubts and difficulties were started; -other schemes were proposed, discussed, and rejected, -and at length a written project of Campoverde’s was -assented to. He had just before required 3000 of the -best troops from the garrison: Contreras said, he would -not commit such an error as to send them: he sent, -however, one of the regiments which had been specified. -Meantime, precious hours were let pass unprofitably by -the Spaniards, and the French the while were unremittingly -active in their operations.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Tarragona taken by assault.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On the 28th a breach had been made between two -bastions capable of only two, or, at the most, -three men abreast. That afternoon there was a -strong cannonade: it ceased, and a dispatch -came off from Contreras to the squadron, saying that the -British guns had silenced the enemy’s batteries, that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_307">307</span> -very little harm had been done to the place, and that -the breach was nothing; yet he said, knowing the city -was not tenable, he had determined upon leaving it with -the garrison next day. While the British officer was -reading this dispatch, the enemy were seen from the -ships storming the breach, and in half an hour the place -was carried. The Spaniards, disheartened by all the -previous events of the siege, ... betrayed by some, and -by others deceived and disappointed, ... abandoned themselves -now: they were seized with a sudden panic; ... -and there is nothing to alleviate, nothing to mingle with -and modify the horror wherewith the ensuing tragedy -will be regarded as long as the history of these times -shall be held in remembrance. The scene was shameful -as well as shocking. Instead of maintaining the -breach, as the people of Gerona had done when suffering -under disease and famine; instead of attempting to -cut their way through the enemy, which at one time had -less wisely and less generously been intended, the soldiers -fled. Without the satisfaction of selling their lives -dearly, or the sense of duty to console them in death, -they suffered themselves to be butchered without resistance. -Some of the officers tried every means to rally -their men, but such efforts were in vain; that moral -discipline had been neglected by which Zaragoza and -Gerona have rendered themselves for ever worthy of -admiration. The governor of the place, Gonzalez, with -a handful of brave men, defended himself till the last, -and fell. Contreras was wounded, and taken prisoner. -The last effort was made before the cathedral, whither -a multitude of Spaniards had betaken themselves; some -in the vain hope that the sanctity of the place might -protect them, some that they might die before their -altars, and some to avail themselves of the vantage -ground afforded by the ascent, which is by a flight of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_308">308</span> -threescore steps. The conquerors made their way up -under a destructive fire; and their fury, according to -Suchet, knew no bounds, till upon entering the cathedral -they beheld nine hundred wounded lying on the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mémoires, 2. 105.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -pavement. Their bayonets, he says, respected -them; and he commends what he calls this -trait of humanity. Little was shown elsewhere; but -the carnage was chiefly among the inhabitants. Many -thousands who had got over the ramparts or through the -embrasures, or through the gate of St. Antonio, fled -along the beach. The French field artillery and the -batteries opened a fire upon this mixed and flying multitude -on one part; and on another the cavalry charged -among them, sabring the women and children, and -trampling them down.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Massacre at Tarragona.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>These execrable conquerors kept up a heavy fire upon -the landing-place, where women and children -stood grouped together, crowding to the British -boats; and they endeavoured to sink the boats -that were employed in this service of humanity. Suchet -stated in his official account that four thousand men -were killed in the city, and a thousand sabred or -drowned in endeavouring to make their escape, ... “a -horrible massacre had been made,” he said, “with little -loss on the side of the conquerors; the terrible example -which he had foreseen had taken place, and would be -long remembered in Spain!” From the Spaniards and -from our own officers we learned what was the nature of -this example, which, because it was threatened, must be -believed to have been predetermined! More than 6000 -unresisting persons were butchered; old and young, -man and woman, mother and babe; and when the -enemy had satiated their thirst for blood they turned to -the perpetration of crimes more damnable than murder. -In the streets and in the churches they violated women<span class="pagenum" id="Page_309">309</span> -who had escaped their first fury, only to suffer now -worse horrors before they died. Nuns and wives, and -widows in the hour when they were widowed, girls and -children, were seized on by these monsters, ... and, retaining -their cruelty when rage and lust were palled, -they threw many of these victims, and of the wounded -Spaniards, into the burning houses.</p> - -<p>There were officers in this accursed army whose -hearts revolted at the wicked service in which they -were engaged, and who at all times redeemed themselves -as far as they could by acts of individual humanity. -What little mercy was shown at Tarragona ... -little indeed it was, ... was owing to such men. But General -Suchet was of the school of terrorists<a id="FNanchor_29" href="#Footnote_29" class="fnanchor">29</a>; his intention -was to intimidate Catalonia and the whole of Spain by -this terrible example; and on the following morning he -ordered the Alcaldes and Corregidores from the surrounding -country to be brought together and led through<span class="pagenum" id="Page_310">310</span> -the streets of Tarragona, that they might see the bodies - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Contreras, p. 72.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -which were lying there, and report to their -countrymen what they might expect if they -dared attempt resistance to the French! If, indeed, at - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Campoverde resolves to abandon Catalonia.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -any time it were possible to intimidate such a -people as the Catalans, who in all ages have -shown the same invincible resolution, it would -have been now, when the last bulwark of the province -had fallen. By some strange imprudence the greater part -of their ammunition had been deposited there, and very -little remained in those parts of the country which were -yet free. There still remained in the field the remains -of an army which they had clothed and armed at their -own cost, as well as raised among themselves; and -which, often as it had been defeated, had nevertheless -shown a braver countenance to the enemy, and inflicted -upon him greater loss than any other in the Spanish - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">July 1.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -service. The general, however, held a council -of war at Cervera; the usual course when a -commander wishes to shift from himself the ignominy -of the measures which he is prepared to take. It was -proposed to abandon the province, as if farther resistance -were hopeless. Eroles was not present; and though -Sarsfield, who was the first to give his opinion, declared -that any one who should vote for such an abandonment -would be a traitor to his country, and that he and his -division would stand or fall with the principality, he -received only a faint and false support from Campoverde, -and was consequently outvoted; and an aid-de-camp of -the general was sent to inform Captain Codrington that -they were on their march to Arens, there to embark, -leaving their horses on the beach. Codrington replied, -that having brought the Valencians thither for a special -service, he felt himself bound in duty to take their division -on board, and return them to the general and kingdom<span class="pagenum" id="Page_311">311</span> -by which they had been spared; but that he would -not embark the army of Catalonia, and thus make himself -a party concerned in the abandonment of a province -which he was sent to protect. Upon receiving this answer, -Campoverde determined upon marching into Aragon, -... not upon any brave attempt, but for the chance -of making his way into some safer country; a determination -which so dismayed the Valencians, that nearly -2000 of them dispersed, as well knowing how much -better they could shift for themselves individually than -they were likely to fare in such an undertaking. The -commander now began to perceive that as the English -would not take away his army by sea, neither would -the troops follow him by land; and there was a general -call that Eroles should take upon himself the command. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Eroles refuses to leave it.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -But Eroles, who acted always from a worthier -motive than ambition, replied to the Junta of -generals who would have conferred it upon him -in obedience to the voice of the people, that as long as -any of those who were his superior officers remained in -the principality, he must decline it; but that whenever, -in pursuance of the resolution which had been taken, -they should pass the boundaries, he would then, however -unwillingly, take upon him that duty, rather than -see his country thrown into the worse anarchy which -must otherwise ensue.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>General Lacy arrives to take the command.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>That anarchy began already to be felt. The superior -Junta at Solsona were left to learn as they could -the resolution that had been taken of withdrawing -the army which they had raised and -provided; and deserters were already collecting -in bands and acting as guerrillas, or as banditti, as opportunity -invited. But the Junta, when they laid their -situation (dissembling nothing) before the British admiral, -assured him that they would persevere in the -contest, because they knew that the Catalans were more<span class="pagenum" id="Page_312">312</span> -than ever unanimous in their abhorrence of the invaders. -Tarragona had been betrayed, not conquered: the -enemy might congratulate themselves upon their good -fortune, not upon victories well contested and fairly won; -... this was the language of the people. At this crisis, -General Luis Lacy arrived upon the coast to take the -command: the Duque del Infantado had been talked of -for it, and the Catalans wished for him; but the Duke -was more in his place at Cadiz; and a fitter commander -than Lacy could not at that time have been sent to a -charge which might seem so hopeless. Eroles, after a -fruitless endeavour to meet him, sent him full information -of the state of affairs, and promised to support him in the -command whereto he was regularly appointed with all the -personal exertions of which he was capable, and all the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">July 9.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -influence that he possessed in this his native -province. The French were just then endeavouring -to cut off the Valencian division, and their -movements made the communication difficult between -the army and the coast. The remainder of that division, -however (reduced to 2400, though not a man had fallen, -for they had never faced the enemy), made their way to -Arens de Mar, and were there embarked, Eroles detaining -the enemy by a feint at Mataro. Lacy then assumed -the command of an army which he said was non-existent: -“Bad as I expected to find things,” said he, “they -are infinitely worse; and my only consolation must be, -that there is absolutely nothing left for me to lose.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Montserrate taken by the French.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The fortified points which the Catalans still retained -were Berga, Montserrate (for this had been -made a military post), Figueras, Cardona, and -the Seu d’Urgel. Berga was dismantled by -Lacy, because he was unable to defend it, and it might -have been a useful hold for the French. Orders arrived -from Paris to demolish Tarragona, preserving only a -redoubt there, to reduce Montserrate, and then prepare<span class="pagenum" id="Page_313">313</span> -to march against the kingdom of Valencia. Suchet was -at the same time created a marshal of the empire for his -services; the massacre at Tarragona was considered as -no reproach to him, or the army by which it had been -perpetrated. By General Rogniat’s advice, the works -which surrounded the upper town were preserved, because -they might be defended by a thousand men: the -other works were destroyed, and the greater part of the -artillery removed to Tortosa. Montserrate was then -attacked; ... its former peaceful inhabitants had removed -to Majorca, and taken with them in time the treasures -of their sanctuary. Great enterprise and activity were -displayed in the attack; and the garrison, confiding too -much in the natural strength of the mountain, suffered -themselves to be surprised from its heights. This was -a severe loss to the Catalans; for it was now their chief -depôt, and they had counted upon its security. The - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Fall of Figueras.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -last calamity in this series of misfortunes was -the fall of Figueras. When it had been blockaded -between four and five months, and all the horses -were eaten, the garrison sallied, and attempted to force -their way through the besiegers. An aid-de-camp of -the governor had deserted and given information of their -purpose; the enemy therefore were prepared to receive -them; nevertheless they made their way to the <i>abattis</i>, -formed of trunks of trees, which they found impenetrable; - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">August 19.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and after three attempts in the course of -one day, these gallant men were compelled to -capitulate, three sacks of flour being all the provisions -which were left. During two preceding days they had -employed themselves in destroying whatever could be of -use to the enemy. Honourable terms were obtained, -and Martinez was made to say in his dispatch to his -own Government that the garrison were treated by the -French with the generosity which characterises that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_314">314</span> -nation. That phrase would be rightly understood by - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Base usage of the prisoners taken there.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the Spaniards. It had been stipulated that -they should march out with their baggage, and -deliver their arms on the glacis. But no sooner -had they given up their arms than they were plundered; -and they were marched into France in such a state of -destitution, that they were indebted for needful covering -to the humanity of the towns through which they passed. -Eight hundred peasants were among these prisoners. -Buonaparte sent them to the hulks at Brest and Rochefort, -and there they were compelled to work with the -convicts, being distinguished from them only by a dress -of different colour, not by any difference in<a id="FNanchor_30" href="#Footnote_30" class="fnanchor">30</a> treatment.</p> - -<p>When Figueras had been recovered from the enemy, -it was asserted in the Government gazette, that in consequence -of that event the French had abandoned Hostalrich -and Gerona, and that the English had taken -Rosas; so readily did the Spaniards listen even to the -idlest rumours of success! The French in like manner -believing, or professing to believe, what they wished, -gave out upon their recapture of this fortress that the -war in Catalonia was ended: so M. Macdonald affirmed -in his dispatches; and the vain boast was repeated in -the Barcelonan journal, though in that city undeniable -proofs of its falsehoods were daily and hourly received. -One of the most remarkable men whom these troubles -had drawn from obscurity into active life was Jose - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Manso.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Manso, who at the commencement of the struggle -followed the humble occupation of a miller -upon a small patrimony of his own, near Barcelona;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_315">315</span> -some French officers, by their outrageous conduct towards -him, roused in him a spirit which under happier -circumstances might never have been awakened, and he -began his honourable warfare against the invaders with -only three comrades. By a series of exploits skilfully -planned and bravely executed, he had gained for himself -a high reputation, which was in no slight degree -enhanced by his moral worth; for it might truly be said -of him that he was without fear and without reproach. -When Manso entered upon this new course of life he -was about two or three and twenty years of age, and -was so uneducated that he could neither write nor read; -but every portion of time that could now be spared from -his military duties was devoted to self-improvement, and -his progress in this kept full pace with his fortune. At -this time he held the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the -Catalan army; and when Suchet, soon after the fall of -Tarragona, was on his way to the capital of the province, -he, at the head of a detachment, harassed his march, -and succeeded in cutting off some fifty of the enemy -and taking six, between Ordal and Molins de Rey; but -twelve of his soldiers were taken in these skirmishes, -and the French commander ordered some of them to be -shot, some to be hanged, and some to be burnt, though -they claimed the protection to which they were entitled -by the laws of war, and though they threw themselves -at his feet and entreated mercy. His orders were executed; -some thirty peasants of St. Vincente, Molins de -Rey, and Palleja, who were working in the fields, were -murdered in like manner; and every woman who fell -into the hands of these inhuman troops became their -victim. Manso issued a proclamation denouncing these -crimes before God and man; and declaring that the -right of reprisals which till then he had from humanity -forborne to exercise should instantly be enforced; he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_316">316</span> -hung his six prisoners in the immediate vicinity of Barcelona; -and gave notice, that every Frenchman who -from that hour fell into his hands should be put to -death, till the enemy should have learnt to treat as prisoners -of war brave men who were fighting for their -country, which had been perfidiously invaded, their religion, -which was insolently outraged, and their king, who -had been treacherously decoyed into captivity.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Conduct of the Junta of Catalonia.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The French asserted also in their journals, that the -Junta of Catalonia had fled to Majorca, giving -up the principality in despair. The Spanish -frigates had indeed run for that island, contrary -to orders, carrying with them the archives, and the -money, stores, ammunition, and medicines intended for -the inland fortresses, and at that time especially needed -by them. But the Junta were at their post when Catalonia -was left to stand or fall by its own strength, and -when without their presence there could have been none -to call forth or direct it. In many parts of Spain the -provincial Juntas disregarded sometimes, and sometimes -counteracted, the orders of the Government; but here -the duties of Government devolved upon the Junta. -From Solsona they now issued some of those proclamations -which contributed so greatly to support the national -cause, calling upon their countrymen in the language of -hope and heroism and indignation, and exhorting them -to rely upon their good cause and their own right arms, -and the justice of the Almighty. The Barcelonan journal -said that Lacy had fled with the Junta. If they -who made this assertion believed it themselves, they - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lacy’s proclamation.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -were speedily undeceived. That general declared -in a proclamation, that if his well-founded -hope of soon seeing better days should be disappointed, -he would die with the last soldier rather than abandon -his post: eight days he allowed the dispersed troops for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_317">317</span> -rejoining their colours at the places fixed upon; those -who should not then have rejoined were to be pursued -as deserters by the civil and military authorities. “Catalans,” -said he, “the country is in danger, and now -more than ever stands in need of your exertions. The -Junta and your general are bound to explain to you -your situation, because true courage consists not in being -ignorant of danger, but in overcoming it. The fall of -Tarragona has made that situation critical in the extreme, -not desperate. There yet remain to us inextinguishable -hatred of oppression and ardent love of -independence; ... there yet remain to us strong-holds and -mountains; ... there remain to us the arms of our numerous -and valiant youth for recovering what is lost, and -for making the enemy know that the attempt to conquer -us is vain. With fewer resources did Pelayo from the -mountains of Covadonga begin the deliverance of Spain: -and there are not wanting to us chiefs who are determined -to follow his glorious example. Great efforts are -necessary: let our efforts then be united, and for those -who have not spirit to follow this resolution, let them -abandon us and join the enemy, that we may know -whom to treat as enemies, and whom as friends. The -priest, the religioner, the father of a family, every one -has wrongs to avenge, every one has much to lose, and -our country calls upon all. In all parts the alarm-bell is -heard, and wherever there are enemies, there should be -Catalans to fight them. War and vengeance must be -our only business; and, like our forefathers, let us leave -to the women the care of our houses and families!”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Retreat of the cavalry from Catalonia to Murcia.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Yet while Lacy held this language, and used at the -same time every exertion for collecting the dispersed -troops, he was obliged to dismiss a body -of cavalry, from utter inability to support them, -or even to feed the horses. Brigadier D. Gervasio<span class="pagenum" id="Page_318">318</span> -Gasca commanded this division, which contained -twelve superior and 112 subaltern officers, 922 men, and -about 500 horses, the remains of the regiment of Alcantara, -the Numancian dragoons, Spanish hussars, <i>cazadores</i> -of Valencia, and hussars of Granada. They had -to make their way through Aragon, into a free province, -and incorporate themselves with the first army they -could find. The details of their march show the skill -with which the enemy had chosen his positions, so as to -give him military command of the country; for near as -Valencia was, Gasca was six weeks on the way, and -travelled between 700 and 800 miles before he could -effect his junction with a Spanish army. He began this -perilous retreat on the 25th of July, with his horses in -miserable condition for want of food, and without money; -getting provisions and information as he could find them; -and having no means of procuring either, except such as -chance or charity might bestow. At Graus, a small -party of the enemy were found, whom they kept in check -with a part of their force, while the rest forded the -Esera by Barazona. Making long marches, so as to -outrun the intelligence of the enemy, they succeeded in -passing the rivers Cinca and Gallego without opposition; -but when they were in the district of Las Cinco -Villas de Aragon, knowing that the French from Barbastro -and Huesca were about to collect and cut them -off, they made yet longer marches, taking a more devious -direction, and moving by night. Notwithstanding these -precautions, they were attacked at midnight near the -village of Luesia, by what force they knew not, but the -fire came from the village, and from a height which -commanded the ground over which they were passing. -Gasca could not prevent his men from making a precipitate -retreat; he had only time to name a place of rendezvous; -and while the enemy, who consisted of 1000<span class="pagenum" id="Page_319">319</span> -foot, and from two to three hundred horse, under the -Polish general Chlopiski, hastened to cut them off from -the pass of the Gallego, Gasca avoided them by entering -Navarre, where he rested three days at Eybar, expecting -help from Espoz y Mina to effect the perilous passage of -the Ebro. Three parties of that distinguished leader’s -cavalry came to assist and guide him: their knowledge -of the country was of essential service; they made a -rapid and unexpected march to one of the fords of the -river; its waters were swoln, and they were obliged in -some places to swim: the passage, however, was effected, -and immediately Gasca marched from four in the afternoon -of one day till eight on the following morning, that -he might get out of reach of the garrisons of Tafalla, -Caparroso, and Tudela. The danger was now less imminent, -though still sufficiently great; they made shorter -marches, varying their direction, according to the intelligence -they procured of the enemy; and thus, after six -weeks of such hardships as few people, except the Spaniards, -could have sustained, they joined the army in -Murcia by the circuitous way of Guadalaxara and -Cuenca, having lost upon the road four officers, 153 -men, and 213 horses: the greater part of these men -had been dispersed in the night route at Luesia; the -horses had mostly died upon the march.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>State of the enemy in Catalonia.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>But the Catalans, in circumstances under which almost -any other people would have despaired, -never lost hope; their saying was, that now, -when the fortified places were lost, the war was -only begun. And indeed, deplorable as the state of -things was for the natives, it was far more so for the -invaders: they were masters of almost every fortress, -but their dominion did not extend beyond the walls. -They levied contributions upon the villages near, and -this was all; ... they could only move in large detachments,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_320">320</span> -and wherever they moved they were harassed by -the armed peasantry and the Somatenes. The daily and -hourly cost of life at which they kept their ground was -such, that the enemy, who avowed their determination -of extirpating half the inhabitants in order to intimidate -the rest, must have exhausted the resources, if not the -patience, of France, before such a determination could -be executed. In the preceding year Suchet had dispersed -a proclamation, declaring that Great Britain and -her Spanish allies had made peace with France, and -acknowledged Joseph Buonaparte as king of Spain. The -French now circulated a report that negotiations were -going on, and with such probability of success, that -Talleyrand had been sent to London, and the Emperor -himself had gone to the coast for the purpose of expediting -the business. But these artifices availed them -nothing, for Doyle contradicted their falsehood in addresses -which were carried everywhere, and eagerly received, -... and British ships were still upon the coast, to -act wherever opportunity might offer.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Las Medas recovered by the Spaniards.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Every success at this time was of great importance -in its moral effect. Men are usually alive to -hope in proportion as their natures are generous; -and the same cause, which throughout -the war rendered it impossible to depress the Spaniards, -made them easily elated. Of the patriotic journals -which were published in every part of Spain, scarcely a -number appeared that did not contain details of some -skirmish, some guerrilla attack, some successful enterprise, -or hair-breadth escape, ... more animating than -success in the recital. These things, more even than -signal victories, tended to excite a military spirit, when -no other advantage accrued from them. But of the -advantages which the Catalans at this time obtained, -one was of considerable importance. An expedition of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_321">321</span> -Spaniards and English, who in all were but a handful - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Sept. 1.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -of men, recovered the isles of Las Medas, which -had been betrayed to the enemy the preceding -year. Colonel Green, the British commissioner, and -Baron de Eroles, commanded in this well-planned and -well-executed attempt; and the crew of the Undaunted -frigate, Captain Thomas, displayed that zeal and those -resources in dragging guns up the rocks, by which -British seamen have often made themselves dreaded -upon their enemies’ shores. They found in the fort -four guns and provisions for three months. Both officers -perceived how important it was to retain possession of a -place which at little expense might be rendered a second -Gibraltar, ... for little was necessary to render it impregnable: -here was a post where they could receive supplies, -and here a depôt might be securely established. -Eroles, therefore, dispatched orders for 500 men to -come and garrison it. The French were equally aware -of the advantage which the possession of this point -would give their enemies. They brought down a considerable -force to Estardit, a village on the opposite -shore, and opened batteries against the island, which -was within reach of shells. The succours which Eroles -had gone to expedite did not appear; the force upon -the island consisted only of 146 men, exhausted with -the fatigues they had undergone; and Colonel Green -reluctantly yielding to the representations of the officer - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Sept. 4.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -of the Undaunted, abandoned the works which -he had begun, and with them the hopes which -he had formed, and blew up the fort. The opportunity, -however, was happily retrieved. Lacy, who felt the -want of such a point to look to, embarked with 200 -men from Arens de Mar in the Undaunted; and taking - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Sept. 13.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -with him labourers, tools, and stores in some -transports, re-occupied the islands, giving them<span class="pagenum" id="Page_322">322</span> -the names of the Isles of Restoration, because, he said, -this might be considered as the first step to the recovery -of the principality. Water was discovered there, a sufficient -garrison established, and the fortifications commenced -and carried on in sight of the enemy on the -opposite shore, and in defiance of their batteries. Bomb-proofs -for men and stores were soon made in a situation -favourable for such works. The chief battery was -named Lacy by the governor; but that general said he -would not permit himself to receive this honour, it -should be called Montardit, in honour of the last Catalan -whom the French, having taken in arms, had put -to death, in violation of the laws of war.</p> - -<p>General Lacy, being unable to undertake any considerable -attempt against the enemy, determined, in the -right spirit of a soldier, to make activity and enterprise -supply the want of numbers, and cut up the invaders in - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Successful enterprise of Lacy and Eroles.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -detail. They had formed a chain of fortified -posts from Barcelona to Lerida. These he resolved -to attack, and began by a rapid march -upon Igualada, where the enemy had fortified a Capuchine -convent. Four hundred men with two guns were -to have joined him from Cardona; but he was disappointed -of this aid, for no means of moving the guns, -nor for making the road practicable for them, could be -procured in time; all that could be done was to surprise -the town, and cut off as many of the French as possible -before they could take refuge in their fort. At three in - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 4.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the morning the sentinels were put to the sword, -the enemy surprised in their quarters, twenty-five -prisoners were taken, and about 150 killed; the rest -escaped into the convent, as they got out of their beds; -and Lacy, seeing at daybreak that succours were coming -to them from Monserrate and Casa-Masana, retired to -Col de Gusem, satisfied with his success, and thence to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_323">323</span> -Manresa. This made them suppose that he had desisted -from offensive operations; and a convoy which, in fear -of his movements, had been for some days detained at -Cervera, ventured to move toward Igualada. Eroles -with half the Catalan force got before it, and the commander-in-chief -with the other half cut off its retreat. -A column with artillery sallied from Igualada to its -assistance, but came only to share in the defeat; - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 7.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -200 were wounded and made prisoners, the -killed were in proportion, and the whole convoy was -taken.</p> - -<p>The general finding now that his presence was necessary -in the Junta, to forward the formation and organization -of the army, left Eroles, his second in command, -to complete the plan, which had already so far succeeded -that the French, dreading a second attack, and -weakened by this last loss, retired precipitately from -Igualada, Monserrate, and Casa-Masana, to Barcelona. -Eroles no sooner knew that Igualada had been evacuated - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 10.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -than he marched against Cervera. The -French, when they saw him approaching, withdrew -from the city into the university, which they had -fortified; and a body of 500 foot and thirty horse, -which had just arrived from Lerida to their support, -turned back to provide for its own safety. D. Luis de -Creeft and D. Jose Casas were sent to pursue them, -while Eroles with one ten-pounder prepared to attack -buildings which had been designed by their founders for -far other purposes than those of war. This single gun -threw down part of the house in which it was planted; -but Eroles turned the accident to advantage; for while -he affected to be replacing it, in order to deceive the -enemy, the gun was moved to another situation, from -whence it opened its fire, anew, and its carriage was -rattled along so as to make them believe that more artillery<span class="pagenum" id="Page_324">324</span> -was about to be brought to bear. Their commandant -soon hung out the white flag, and 630 men -were made prisoners of war, at an expense to the Catalans -of only ten in killed and wounded.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Corregidor of Cervera taken and punished.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>This conquest set free a considerable territory, which, -ever since the loss of Tarragona, had been at -the enemy’s mercy. Creeft, meantime, with a -force inferior to that he was pursuing, followed -the column which was retreating to Lerida, and which -on its way was joined by the garrison of Tarrega, another -post abandoned by the French in their alarm. In -this pursuit the corregidor of Cervera was taken attempting -to escape with the enemy; a man who had joined -the French, and, with the malevolence of a traitor, persecuted -his own countrymen. He had invented a cage -in which to imprison those who did not pay their contributions, -or were in any way obnoxious to him: it was -so constructed as to confine the whole body, leaving -the head exposed to be buffeted and spit upon; and -sometimes this devilish villain anointed the face of his -victim with honey to attract the flies and wasps. “Tomorrow,” -said Eroles in his dispatches, “the señor corregidor -will go out to parade the streets in this same cage, -where the persons who have suffered this grievous torment -may behold him: <i>Discite justitiam moniti, et non -temnere Divos!</i>” The capture of this man was worth -as much, in the feelings of the people, as all the preceding -success.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Eroles enters France and levies contributions.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Eroles, with the rest of his division, now hastened to -Bellpuig, where Creeft had blockaded about -400 French in the old palace of the Dukes of -Sesa, a castle of the fifteenth century, which -they had fortified, and which commanded the -town. The besiegers had only one ten-pounder, and the -walls were more than seven feet thick. They had no<span class="pagenum" id="Page_325">325</span> -time to lose, for Latour, with the troops who had escaped -from Igualada, and the garrisons of the other -evacuated posts, was preparing, in concert with the -enemies from Lerida and Balaguer, to march against -them. Unused as they were to such operations, and, as -Eroles said, without any other engineers than ingenuity -and strong desire, they made three mines which reduced - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 14.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the castle almost to a heap of ruins: 184 prisoners -were taken, the rest of the garrison -perished. This success completed Lacy’s plan, and set -free the whole of the country between Lerida and -Barcelona. Eroles then, by a movement as judicious as -it was unexpected, while the French commanders were -concerting plans against him, marched by the Seu de -Urgel to Puigcerda, where he routed all the force that -the enemy could bring against him: then having occupied -the pass of the Valle de Luerol, he entered France, -and levied contributions in Languedoc. It was the earnest -wish of Baron de Eroles that his troops in this expedition -should be as much distinguished by their good -order, moderation, and humanity, as the French in -Spain were for their crimes. In every place, except -one, this object was effected; but in the little town of -Marens, the only place where resistance was made by -the inhabitants and an armed force, a soldier, in violation -of his orders, set fire to one of the houses: the wind was -high, the flames spread, notwithstanding the efforts -which were made to stop them, and the whole place was -burnt. Villamil, governor of Seu de Urgel, who commanded -this division of Eroles’ army, expressed his -regret for what had happened; “<em>But</em>, perhaps,” he -said, “the furious hand which committed the evil had -been impelled by divine justice, that France might behold -an image of Manresa.” Every where else the -orders of the commander were rigidly observed; and the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_326">326</span> -French, admiring the humanity of an enemy who had -been so grievously wronged, in many places where they -paid the required contribution, acknowledged the justice -of this retaliation. Some thousand sheep and corn, -and specie to the amount of 50,000 dollars, were the -fruits of this first inroad of the Spaniards into France.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_327">327</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XXXIX">CHAPTER XXXIX.</h2> - -<blockquote class="inhead"> - -<p class="hang">THE FRENCH ENTER GALICIA. LORD WELLINGTON THREATENS CIUDAD -RODRIGO, WHICH IS RELIEVED BY MARMONT. GENERAL HILL SURPRISES -THE ENEMY AT ARROYO MOLINOS. SIEGE OF MURVIEDRO. DEFEAT OF -BLAKE, AND CAPTURE OF VALENCIA.</p></blockquote> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1811.<br />August.</span><br />State of Portugal.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p class="in0"><span class="firstword">At</span> no time had Lord Wellington’s situation been more -uneasy than at this: not so much because of the -inadequacy of his means in the field, for, such -as they were, he was able to oppose the enemy -and baffle him at all points; as because of the distressed -state of the Portugueze Government, and the apprehended -instability of his own. Marlborough had had -more various and conflicting interests to adjust and -keep in unison, but he had no other difficulty with his -allies: he could rely upon a sure support in the British -cabinet, till he had beaten down all opposition in the -field; and the feelings both of the army and the nation -were with him. Lord Wellington might rely upon -himself with a confidence as well founded, but he could -have no other trust. Nothing was to be expected from -any government which the Spaniards might form for -themselves; and it now began to appear that the inert -part of the nation, which must every where be the -majority, would have been best pleased to remain neuter -if that had been possible, and let the French and -English fight the battle and bear the cost. Portugal, -indeed, had been delivered from the enemy: but there -Lord Wellington had to contend with intrigues and -jealousies in the Government both at Lisbon and Rio de<span class="pagenum" id="Page_328">328</span> -Janeiro; and with the difficulties arising from want of -provisions, want of transports, and the state of the -commissariat, the persons employed in which were for -the most part either idle or dishonest, or ignorant of their -duty; so that at this time the Portugueze army, though -brought by Marshal Beresford and the British officers to -an efficient state of discipline, was reduced to half its -nominal strength. Their troops were starving in the -field, and dying in the hospitals, for want of money. If -there was much to complain of here on the part of the -Portugueze ministry, the conduct of Great Britain itself -was neither consistent nor generous. Engaged as we -were in the war, Lord Wellington thought we ought to -have entered upon it with a determination of carrying -Portugal through it at whatever cost; that for this -purpose we should have required an efficient control -over all the departments of the state, have seen the -resources of the country honestly and exclusively applied -to the objects of the war, and have made up the deficiency -whatever it might be: this he had recommended -from the beginning, but the influence which was exercised -was less at this time than it had been when the -Convention of Cintra was concluded.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Expectation of peace.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>No general ever more anxiously desired to be placed -at the head of an army than Lord Wellington -did now to be relieved from the command; but -of this he had no prospect, except from such a -peace as would in its certain consequences have given -Buonaparte all that he was seeking vainly to obtain by -war. There was great apparent danger of this at this -time. In case of the death of the king, or the acknowledged -unlikelihood of his recovery (which now daily -became more unlikely), the French speculated upon a -change of administration in England, and the accession -of the Whigs to power. The French officers eagerly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_329">329</span> -looked for this, expecting to make such a peace as would -enable them to withdraw from the Peninsula without -loss of credit, and to re-enter it as soon as their perfidious -policy should have prepared a favourable opportunity. -In our own army also there were many who -regarded the probability of peace with as much complacency -as if the end for which the war had been -waged would have been secured by it. These were -persons who neither by their acquirements, nor pitch of -mind, were qualified for the rank which they had -attained in their profession; who had not the slightest -feeling or perception of the great interests which were -at stake, but knowing little, understanding nothing, and -criticising every thing, infected all about them with -despondency and discontent.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Disposition of the continental powers to resist Buonaparte.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On the other hand, there was at this time, in many -parts of Europe, hopeful symptoms, of which -Lord Wellington was well informed. Even -when Austria had concluded the most unfortunate -of its struggles, with loss of honour as -well as loss of territory, one of the wisest heads -in Germany assured the British Government, that -although the German courts swarmed with men who -were great calculators of all possible disasters, and who -knew nothing more of the human heart than its weaknesses -and its selfishness, ... the Germans themselves, -though subjugated, were not yet debased by their subjugation; -they would one day revenge their wrongs; a -warlike spirit would be developed among them, which -had been neglected or suppressed by their feeble and -corrupt governments; and it would then be seen that -there are times when enthusiasm judges more wisely -than experience, and when elevation of mind creates resources -for the talents which it calls forth. Russia, -which had so long been duped by Buonaparte, became<span class="pagenum" id="Page_330">330</span> -sensible of his perfidy, when, in violation of the treaty of -Tilsit, he incorporated the Hanse towns and the duchy -of Oldenburgh with the French empire. An opposition -to the tyrant’s schemes was manifested in Sweden, -where it was less to have been expected: for when the -French government demanded permission to march troops -through Sweden into Norway, and embark them there -for the purpose of invading England, the Swedish -government refused, and communicated its refusal to -the British cabinet. Prussia, meantime, was silently -preparing to break its yoke; and in the course of this -autumn, arms, stores, and artillery to a considerable -amount, were shipped from England for its use. This -was so secretly done, that not a rumour got abroad of -any expectations from that quarter; and if the British -ministry had acted with as much ability in the management -of the war, as in its other foreign relations, its -conduct would now have been entitled to unqualified -praise: but no representations could as yet induce it to -make exertions proportionate to the opportunities that -invited, or the necessity that called for them. Whether -Buonaparte apprehended, or not, any opposition to his -ambitious career in the north of Europe, he was too able -a politician to let pass the opportunity of employing as -large a force in the Peninsula as could be supported -there upon his predatory system of warfare; and accordingly -more than 50,000 troops were marched into -Spain between the middle of July and the end of September.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Plans of Soult and Marmont.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>When Marmont and Soult, finding it impossible to -take Lord Wellington at advantage, separated -on the Guadiana, their plan was, that the former -should keep the English in check, while Dorsenne, -who had succeeded Bessieres in the north, should -enter Galicia, fortify Lugo, seize Coruña by a <i>coup de<span class="pagenum" id="Page_331">331</span> -main</i>, and in this manner once more obtain military possession -of the province.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Dorsenne enters Galicia.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Abadia had just taken the command of the Galician -army; it was in wretched equipment, and without -magazines of any kind; but the men had -confidence in their general, and when Spanish -soldiers have this feeling to invigorate them, they will -support privations under which the troops of almost any -other nation would sink. His advanced guard was at -S. Martin de los Torres, and occupied the bridge of -Cebrones; one division was at Bañeza, another at the -bridge of Orbigo, and the reserve at Astorga. Dorsenne -collected his troops in a line of operations on the -Ezla, the right leaning upon Leon, and the left at Castro - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">August 25.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Gonzalo: then he crossed the Ezla, one division -marching upon the bridge of Orbigo, two upon -Bañeza, and the reserve upon Cebrones. Abadia well -knowing the state of his own army, and the strength of -the country behind him, had formed his plans in case of -such an attack. The division at Bañeza withstood a -charge of lancers, and fell back in good order to Castro -Contrigo, from whence its retreat was unmolested to -Puebla de Sanabria, the place appointed.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Retreat of Abadia.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The other divisions fell back from four in the evening, -when the enemy first presented themselves, till -night had closed, when they were all collected -in Castrillo. The next day the French entered upon the -mountains behind Astorga in pursuit. The points of -Manzanal and Molina Seca were well defended, and -though the Spaniards retired at both points before superior -numbers, they brought off with them the eagle of -the sixth regiment of infantry, which Abadia, in the -name of the army, dedicated to Santiago, and deposited -in the chapel of that saint, in his cathedral at Compostella. -Seeing the force of the enemy, and divining their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_332">332</span> -purpose, he fell back to Ponferrada, covering, with his -little cavalry, a considerable body of men who were -crippled for want of shoes, and in the most dismal state -of nakedness and want. The ferry in Valdeorras, that -gorge through which the river Sil entering Galicia carries -with it all the waters of the Bierzo, was the point of -re-union. The artillery at Villafranca was ordered back -into the interior, three regiments took a position upon -the heights of Valcarcel to cover the roads from that -town, and another detachment was stationed at Toreno -for the double purpose of assisting the reserve and -watching Asturias. Abadia himself took a position at -the Puente de Domingo Florez. In the Vale of Orras -he hoped to find provisions, meaning, as soon as he -should have collected enough for three days, and received -shoes for his men, to act upon the offensive, in -co-operation with the Portugueze general Silveira.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Wellington observes Ciudad Rodrigo.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The French hoped, that while Dorsenne was dispersing -the Galician army, and getting possession -of that important province, Lord Wellington -would make some incautious movement upon -Salamanca, and expose himself to Marmont’s -superior numbers, and far superior cavalry, in the open -country. Lord Wellington knew better in what manner -to relieve Galicia. Immediately upon his failure at -Badajoz, his attention had been directed to Ciudad -Rodrigo, and orders were given for bringing a battering -train and siege stores up the Douro to Villa de Ponte, -whereby much of the difficulty experienced in Alentejo -for want of means of transport was avoided. General -Hill had been left with 14,000 men to guard that frontier; -the rest of the army was collected on the Agueda; -and Lord Wellington fixing his head-quarters at Fuente -Guinaldo, kept his troops there in a healthy country, -and rendered it impossible for the enemy to throw supplies<span class="pagenum" id="Page_333">333</span> -into Ciudad Rodrigo, unless they advanced with -an army strong enough to give him battle. Marmont, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Dorsenne recalled from Galicia.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -in consequence, recalled Dorsenne to join him, -that they might raise the blockade, and supply -the fort with provisions for a long time. Dorsenne, -indeed, could not have advanced without danger -of having his retreat cut off; even in his own account, -wherein he asserted that the Galician army was entirely -dispersed, and could not possibly resume the offensive, -he pretended to have occasioned them no greater loss -than that of 300 killed and wounded, and 200 prisoners: -but in reality no dispersion had taken place: if he had -pursued his original plan of descending upon Lugo and -Coruña, Abadia would have been in his rear, and the -French knew by experience what it was to encounter -the peasantry of Galicia, armed against them, and thirsting -for vengeance. Dorsenne therefore retired more -rapidly than he had advanced, leaving behind him some -of his wounded, and provisions enough to supply Abadia’s -army with three days’ consumption, ... a booty of no little -consequence in the deplorable state of the Spanish commissariat. -The Spaniards in their turn advanced, and -fixed their head-quarters in Molina Seca, where - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">August 31.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -they had won the eagle four days before; and -the French derived no other advantage from their expedition, -than the possession of Astorga, which they once -more occupied, and repaired its ruined fortifications.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Movements of the French to throw supplies into Ciudad Rodrigo.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The relief of Ciudad Rodrigo was an object not less -important to the French in this part of the -country than that of Badajoz had been on the -side of Extremadura, and equal exertions were -made to effect it. Lord Wellington had formed -the blockade to make these exertions necessary, -not with any serious intention of attacking the town, an -operation for which he was not yet prepared. Two important<span class="pagenum" id="Page_334">334</span> -objects were fulfilled by making the enemy collect -their force upon this point. It relieved Galicia, -and it drew from Navarre General Souham’s division, -which had been destined to hunt down Mina. Lord -Wellington was perfectly informed of Marmont’s plans; -the only thing doubtful was the strength of the enemy, -and upon that head reports were as usual so various, -that he determined to see them, being certain of his retreat, -whatever their superiority might be, and ready to -profit by any opportunity which might be offered. As -soon, therefore, as the French commenced their movements -with the convoy of provisions from the Sierra de -Bejar, and from Salamanca, he collected his army in -positions from which he could either retire or - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Sept. 22.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -advance without difficulty, and from whence he -could see all that was going on, and ascertain the force -of the hostile army.</p> - -<p>The third division occupied a range of heights on the -left of the Agueda, between Fuente Guinaldo and Pastores, -having its advanced guard on the heights of Pastores, -within three miles of Ciudad Rodrigo. The -fourth division was at Fuente Guinaldo, which position -had been strengthened with some works. The light -division was on the right of the Agueda, its right resting -upon the mountains which divide Castille and Extremadura. -The left, under General Graham, who, having -joined Lord Wellington’s army, had succeeded Sir Brent -Spencer as second in command, was posted on the Lower -Azava; D. Carlos d’España and D. Julian Sanchez observed -the Lower Agueda, and Sir Stapleton Cotton, -with the cavalry, was on the Upper Azava in the centre. -The fifth division was in the rear of the right, to observe -the Pass of Perales, for General Foy had collected a -body of troops in Upper Extremadura. On the 23rd, -the enemy appeared in the plain near the city, and retired<span class="pagenum" id="Page_335">335</span> -again: the next morning they advanced in considerable -force, and before evening collected on the -plain their whole cavalry, to the amount of 6000, and -four divisions of infantry; the rest of their army was encamped -on the Guadapero, immediately beyond the -hills which surround the plain; and on the following -day an immense convoy, extending along many miles of -road, entered the town under this formidable escort.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The allies fall back.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On the 25th, fourteen squadrons of their cavalry drove -in our posts on the right of the Azava. General -Anson’s brigade charged them, pursued them -across the river, and resumed the posts. But their chief -attention was directed toward the heights on the left of -the Agueda; and they moved a column in the morning, -consisting of between thirty and forty squadrons of -cavalry, fourteen battalions of infantry, and twelve guns, -from Ciudad Rodrigo, against that point. The cavalry -and artillery arrived first, and one small body sustained -the attack. A regiment of French dragoons succeeded -in taking two pieces of cannon; the Portugueze artillerymen -stood to their guns till they were cut down; and -the guns were immediately retaken by the second battalion -of the fifth regiment under Major Ridge. When -the enemy’s infantry were coming up, Lord Wellington -saw they would arrive before troops could be brought to -support this division, and therefore he determined to -retire with the whole on Fuente Guinaldo. The 77th, -which had repulsed a charge of cavalry, and the second -battalion of the 5th, were formed into one square, and -the 21st Portugueze regiment into another, supported by -General Alten’s small body of cavalry, and by the Portugueze -artillery. The enemy’s horse immediately -rushed forward, and obliged our cavalry to retire to the -support of the Portugueze regiment. The 5th and 77th -were then charged on three faces of the square; Lord<span class="pagenum" id="Page_336">336</span> -Wellington declared, that he had never seen a more -determined attack than was made by this formidable -body of horse, and repulsed by these two weak battalions. -They halted, and received the enemy with -such perfect steadiness, that the French did not venture -to renew the charge.</p> - -<p>In the evening, Lord Wellington had formed his -troops into an <i>echellon</i>, of which the centre was in the -position at Guinaldo, the right upon the pass of Perales, -and the left at Navedeaver. In the course of that night -and of the ensuing day, Marmont brought his whole -army in front of the position. Fuente Guinaldo stands -on an extensive plain, and from the convent there the -whole force of the enemy, and all their movements, -could be distinctly seen. Their force was not less than -60,000 men, a tenth part being cavalry, and they had -125 pieces of artillery. There was no motive for risking -a battle, for the happiest result would only have been a -profitless and dearly-purchased victory, as at Albuhera. -Lord Wellington therefore retired about three leagues. -No movement was ever executed with more ability in -the face of a superior enemy; ... yet even this, performed -with consummate skill and perfect courage, without -hurry, without confusion, and almost without loss, presented -but too many of those sights which make the -misery of a soldier’s life. The sick and hungry inhabitants -of the villages were crawling from their huts, too -well aware of the fate which awaited them if they -trusted to the mercy of Buonaparte’s soldiers; women -were supplicating our troops to put their children in the -provision cars; and the sick and wounded were receiving -medical assistance, while they were carried over -a rugged and almost impassable road.</p> - -<p>Lord Wellington formed his army, after this retreat of -twelve miles, with his right at Aldea Velha, and his left<span class="pagenum" id="Page_337">337</span> -at Bismula: the fourth and light divisions with General -Alten’s cavalry in front of Alfayates, the third and seventh -in second line behind it. Alfayates, though now -one of the most wretched of the dilapidated towns in -Portugal, was once a Romish station, and has since -been considered as a military post of great importance. -It is about a league from the border, standing so as to -command an extensive view over a beautiful, and in -happier times a fertile, country. Here Lord Wellington -stood by the castle (one of the monuments of King -Diniz), observing the enemy with a glass. Marmont -had intended to turn the left of the position at Guinaldo -by moving a column into the valley of the Upper -Azava, and thence ascending the heights in the rear of -the position by Castillejo; from this column he detached -a division of infantry and fourteen squadrons of cavalry -to follow the retreat of the allies by Albergaria, and -another body of equal strength followed by Forcalhos. -The former drove in our piquets at Aldea da Ponte, and -pushed on to the very entrance of Alfayates. Lord -Wellington, with General Stuart and Lord Robert Manners, -stood watching them almost too long; for the latter, -who retired the last of the three, was closely pursued by -ten of the enemy’s dragoons, and might probably have -been taken, if his horse, being English, and accustomed -to such feats, had not cleared a high wall, and so borne -him off.</p> - -<p>General Pakenham, supported by General Cole, and -by Sir Stapleton Cotton’s cavalry, drove the enemy back -through Aldea da Ponte upon Albergaria; the French -being reinforced by the column which had marched -upon Forcalhos advanced again about sunset, and again -gained the village, from which they were again driven. -But night had now come on; General Pakenham could -not know what was passing on his flanks, nor was he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_338">338</span> -certain of the numbers which might be brought against -him; and knowing that the army was to fall back farther, -he evacuated Aldea da Ponte during the night. -The French then occupied it; and Lord Wellington, -falling back one league, formed his army on the heights -behind Soito, having the Sierra das Mesas on their right, -and their left at Rendo on the Coa. Here ended his -retreat. Marmont had accomplished the object of throwing -supplies into Ciudad Rodrigo, and could effect nothing -more. Lord Wellington was not to be found at -fault. He had fallen back in the face of a far outnumbering -enemy, without suffering that enemy to obtain -even the slightest advantage over him. The total loss -of the allies on the 25th amounted to twenty-eight -killed, 108 wounded, twenty-eight missing. On the -27th, fourteen killed, seventy-seven wounded, nine missing. -The hereditary prince of Orange was in the field, -being then for the first time in action.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French retire.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>While the British took their position behind Soito, -the French retired to Ciudad Rodrigo, and then -separated, Dorsenne’s army toward Salamanca -and Valladolid, Marmont’s towards the pass of Baños -and Plasencia. Marmont boasted in his dispatches of -having forced Lord Wellington to abandon an intrenched -camp, and driven him back with great loss - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marmont boasts of his success.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and confusion; “The Spanish insurgents,” he -added, “have felt the greatest indignation at -seeing themselves thus abandoned in the north -as well as in the south; and this contrast between the -conduct of the English, and the promises which they -have incessantly broken, nourishes a natural hatred, -which will break out sooner or later.” “We should have -followed the enemy,” said Marshal Marmont, “to the -lines of Lisbon, where we should have been able to form -a junction with the army of the south, ... which is completely<span class="pagenum" id="Page_339">339</span> -entire, and has in its front only the division of -General Hill, ... had the moment been come which is -fixed for the catastrophe of the English.” Soult, of -whose unbroken strength Marmont thus boasted, was -at this time devising measures for destroying the army -which Castaños had recruited, or rather remade, since -it had been so miserably wasted after Romana’s death. -General Girard therefore, with a division of about 4000 -foot and 1000 cavalry, was sent into that part of Extremadura -which was still free, thus to confine Castaños -within narrower limits, and deprive his army of those -rations which it still, though with difficulty, obtained, and -which were its sole means of subsistence; for in the -miserable state of the Spanish commissariat and Spanish -Government, their armies subsisted upon what they could -find, and had little or nothing else to depend upon.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Girard in Extremadura.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Girard took his position at Caceres, extending as far -as Brozas. Of the spirit in which his detachment -acted, one instance will suffice. He sent a -party against the house of D. Jose Maria Cribell -in Salvatierra, an officer in the service of his country; -they carried off his wife in the fifth month of her -pregnancy; plundered the house, even to the clothes of -her two children, one five years old, the other three, and -left these children naked to the mercy of their neighbours. -The presence of such a force greatly distressed -the country, and produced the intended inconvenience -to Castaños; that general, therefore, concerted with -Lord Wellington a movement for relieving this part of -Extremadura by striking a blow against the enemy. -The execution was entrusted to general Hill, with whom -a Spanish detachment was to co-operate under Camp-Marshal -D. Pedro Augustin Giron.</p> - -<p>General Hill, with such a portion of his force as was -thought sufficient for the service, moved from his cantonments<span class="pagenum" id="Page_340">340</span> -in the neighbourhood of Portalegre on the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>General Hill moves against him.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -22nd of October, and advanced towards the -Spanish frontier. On reaching Alburquerque -he learned that the enemy, who had advanced -to Aliseda, had fallen back to Arroyo del Puerco; and -that Aliseda was occupied by the Conde de Penne Villemur -with the rear of the Spaniards. At that place, the -allies and the Spaniards formed their junction the next -day. The French occupied Arroyo del Puerco with 300 -horse, their main body being at Caceres. Penne Villemur, -on the 25th, drove back their horse to Malpartida, -which place they held as an advanced post. At two on -the following morning the allies began their march upon -this place, in the midst of a severe storm; they arrived -at daybreak; but the enemy had retired in the night. -Penne Villemur, with the Spanish cavalry, and a party -of the second hussars, followed them, skirmishing as -far as Caceres, supported by the Spanish infantry under -D. Pablo Morillo. Girard, as soon as he knew that -the allies were advancing, retired from that city, and -General Hill received intelligence of his retreat at Malpartida, -but what direction he had taken was uncertain. -In consequence of this uncertainty, and of the extreme -badness of the weather, the British and Portugueze -halted for the night at Malpartida, the Spaniards occupying -Caceres.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 27.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The next morning General Hill, having ascertained -that the enemy had marched on Torremocha, -put his troops in motion, and advancing along -the Merida road, by Aldea del Cano, and the Casa de -D. Antonio; for as this was a shorter line than that -which Girard had taken, he hoped to intercept him and -bring him to action. On the march he learned that the -French had only left Torremocha that morning, and that -their main body had again halted at Arroyo Molinos,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_341">341</span> -leaving a rear-guard at Albala. This proved that Girard -was ignorant of the movements of the allies, and -General Hill therefore made a forced march that evening -to Alcuescar, a place within four miles of Arroyo -Molinos, where he was joined by the Spaniards from -Caceres. Everything confirmed the British general in -his opinion that the enemy were not only ignorant of his -near approach, but also off their guard; and he determined -upon attempting to surprise them, or at least -bringing them to action, before they should march in the -morning. The troops, therefore, lay under a hill, to be -out of sight of the enemy; they had marched the whole -day in a heavy rain, the rain still continued, and no fires -were allowed to be made.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Arroyo Molinos.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Arroyo Molinos is a little town situated at the foot of -one extremity of the Sierra de Montanches; -this mountain, which is everywhere steep, and -appears almost inaccessible, forms a cove or crescent -behind it, the two points of which are about two miles -asunder. The Truxillo road winds under the eastern -point; the road to Merida runs at right angles with that -to Alcuescar, and that to Medellin between the Truxillo -and Merida roads. The ground between Alcuescar -and Arroyo Molinos is a plain, thinly scattered with -cork-trees and evergreen oaks; and General Hill’s object -was to place a body of troops so as to cut off the -retreat of the enemy by any of these roads. At two in -the morning, the allies moved from their comfortless -bivouac: it was dark, the rain was unabated, and the -wind high, but in their backs: but this weather, severe -as it was, was in their favour, for it confirmed the -French in their incautious security. When Girard had -first advanced into Extremadura, he felt some uneasiness -at the neighbourhood of General Hill, and demanded -succour, saying, that unless he was reinforced<span class="pagenum" id="Page_342">342</span> -he should not be able to resist in case the English -should attack him. But the little enterprise which the -British and Portugueze army had hitherto displayed, -seems to have lulled him into a contemptuous confidence; -and there was no distinguished guerrilla leader -to disturb the enemy in this part of the country, since -D. Ventura Ximenes fell in a rencontre near Toledo.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French surprised and routed there.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The allies moved in one column right in front upon -Arroyo Molinos, till they were within half a -mile of it: the column then closed in a bottom -under cover of a low ridge, and divided into -three, the enemy not having the slightest intimation of -their approach. The left column, under Lieutenant-Colonel -Stuart, marched direct upon the town; the -right, under Major-General Howard, broke off to the -right so as to turn the enemy’s flank, and having -marched about the distance of a cannon-shot toward -that flank, moved then in a circular direction upon the -farther point of the mountain crescent. Penne Villemur, -with the Spanish horse, advanced between these two -columns, ready to act in front, or to move round either of -them, as occasion might require; he had found a good -road, but the English horse, owing to an error, which, in -so dark and tempestuous a night, might easily have been -more general, had gone astray, and were not yet come -up. The French had had a piquet about a mile from -the town, which would have given the alarm, if it had -not retired just before the head of our column came to -the spot; for Girard had ordered the troops to be in -motion at an early hour. One brigade of his infantry -had marched for Medellin an hour before daylight: and -when the allies were close at hand, Girard was filing out -upon the Merida road; the rear of his column, some of -his cavalry and his baggage, being still in the town. A -thick mist had come on, the storm was at its height, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_343">343</span> -the French general marched with as little precaution as -if he had been in a friendly country. When he heard that -an enemy was approaching in the mist, he laughed, and -said, “the English were too fond of comfort to get out of -their beds in such a morning; ... it could only be an -advanced party of the Spaniards;” ... but while he was -ordering his men to chastise these insurgents, the Highland -bagpipes played “<i>Hey, Johnny Coup, are ye waukin -yet?</i>” and the 71st and 92d charged into the town -with three cheers. Their orders were not to load, nor -to halt for prisoners; but to force through every obstacle -between them and the enemy, without turning to the -right or left.</p> - -<p>A few of their men were cut down by the French -cavalry, but they soon drove the enemy every where -before them at the point of the bayonet. The enemy’s -infantry, which had got out of the town, formed into two -squares, with their cavalry on their left, between the -Merida and Medellin roads, by the time our two regiments -had forced their way to the end of the town. -Their right square being within half musket-shot, the -71st promptly lined the garden walls, while the 92d filed -out and formed in line on the right, perpendicularly to -the enemy’s right flank, which was much annoyed by the -well-directed fire of the 71st. Meantime, one wing of -the 50th occupied the town and secured the prisoners, -some of whom were surprised over their coffee; and the -other wing, with a three-pounder, which was all the -artillery the allies had brought, skirted the outside of -the town, and fired with great effect upon the squares. -General Howard’s column was moving round their left. -Penne Villemur meantime engaged the enemy’s cavalry, -till Sir W. Erskine came up and joined him; they then -presently dispersed the French horse, and charged their -infantry repeatedly, “passing through their lines,” said a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_344">344</span> -serjeant, “just like herrings through a net.” The -French were now in full retreat, when, to their utter -dismay, General Howard’s column appeared, and cut off -the road. There was no resource, but to surrender or -disperse; all order was at an end ... the cavalry fled in all -directions, the infantry threw down their arms, and -clambered up the mountain, ... where, inaccessible as the -way appeared, they were pursued by General Howard, -till the British became so exhausted, and so few in number, -that he was obliged to halt and secure his prisoners. -Morillo, with the Spanish infantry, one English and one -Portugueze battalion, having ascended by the Puerto de -las Quebradas, in a more favourable direction, continued -the pursuit farther, and met with more resistance; but -they drove the enemy from every position which they -attempted to take, and pursued them many leagues, till -within sight of the village of St. Anna, when, being -completely exhausted with their exertions, they returned, -having counted in the woods and mountains upwards of -600 dead.</p> - -<p>In this brilliant affair, General Brun, the Prince de -Aremberg, two lieutenant colonels, thirty other officers, -and 1400 men, were made prisoners. The British and -Portugueze loss amounted only to seventy-one, that of -the Spaniards was very trifling. The whole of the -enemy’s artillery, baggage, and commissariat was taken, -the magazines of corn which they had collected at -Caceres and Merida, and the contribution of money -which he had levied upon the former town. A panic -was struck into the enemy, to such a degree, that Badajoz -was shut for two days and nights, all the fords of the -Guadiana were watched, and every detachment ordered -to rendezvous at Seville.</p> - -<p>This expedition was less important in itself, than as it -was the first indication of a spirit of hopeful enterprise<span class="pagenum" id="Page_345">345</span> -in the British army; it seemed as if that army had now -become conscious of its superiority, and would henceforth -seek opportunities of putting it to the proof. For -the Spaniards it was a well-timed success, when all their -own efforts tended only to evince more mournfully the -inefficiency of their troops and the incompetence of their -generals.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marques del Palacio appointed to the command in Valencia.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The Marques del Palacio had been appointed captain-general -of the kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia, -and Murcia. He announced his coming in a -proclamation from Alicante, of a very different -character from those which had so greatly contributed -to support the cause of Spain. “From the -moment,” said he, “that I set foot in this country, and -knew the fall of Tarragona, my spirit, far from being -cast down, seemed as if it had taken fresh courage to run -to danger as well as to victory. Do not hold me arrogant -and vain, for my hopes are not rested upon the arm -of flesh. From afar I see the walls of Valencia of -burnished and impenetrable brass; and the more secure, -inasmuch as the enemy cannot perceive them. I see also -a cloud of protection over the whole kingdom, whereof -that which for forty years protected the people of God -was but a type and a figure. The brazen walls are the -Valencian breasts, which have loyalty for their stamp -and shield of arms; and the cloud which protects us is -the Queen of Angels, ... she who is the general of the -best appointed army, our adorable and generous Madre -de desamparados, <i>Mother of the helpless</i>, with her -omnipotent Son. Heaven itself has given the greatest -proof of this truth, and of its predilection for the city -and kingdom of Valencia. Is there any other capital in -all Spain which has not been entered by some army of -this Corsican robber, this impious tyrant? Is there any -other province which has twice repelled the enemy from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_346">346</span> -its centre, without walls and without armies? Heaven -and this invincible Deborah, or Judith, have saved us, -and will save us, if our conduct is not unworthy of her -protection. Wonder not at this language from a soldier! -I am a Christian; I am an old Spaniard; and I am -persuaded that they are not earthly victories, but bolts -from heaven which reach the wicked, such as the -Corsican and his generals, whose principles are bad, and -whose conduct is worse. I resign, therefore, my staff to -this Sovereign Queen: she has been the general who -has delivered the kingdom thus long: she it is who will -deliver all that is placed under this staff, no longer mine -but hers, and the Lord’s, who is the God of battles.”</p> - -<p>It would be wronging the Marques to break off here, -for in other parts of his address he spoke in the proper -language of a Spaniard and a general. “This is a holy -war,” said he, “in which we must fight like the Maccabees. -Let him who feels for the public cause join us, -and take arms, and offer himself as a sacrifice, and put -forth his hand, and advance, and attack, and triumph. -Confide in the Government, and it will confide in you. -If there is conduct in the chiefs, there will be conduct -in the people; moderation in the expenditure, and there -will be plenty in the army; order in private families, -and it will display itself in public actions; activity in -individuals, and the army will be invincible. Let there -be obedience, union, fidelity, justice, and truth, and God -will fight with us.”</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, there were many in Valencia upon -whom the first part of this address was likely to have -more effect than the second. A friar, preaching in the -Plaza Catalina, said to his auditors, “If the Cortes think -of abolishing our holy order, and that of our sisters the -nuns, obey them not, ye armed Valencians, but oppose -such mandates like lions. We are the servants of God,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_347">347</span> -whom you must obey rather than man. The English -themselves, though they have an excellent constitution, -must eventually fall for want of the blessing of the Catholic -faith. Ask not for cannon and gunpowder, but -rather fly to your altars; and instead of any vain attempt -to resist the victorious French by force of arms, implore -the aid of Heaven, which alone can avert the heavy -calamities that threaten you.” Zaragoza is as Catholic a -city as Valencia, but it was not by such sermons as this -that the heroism of the Zaragozans was excited and sustained!</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Blake takes the command.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Zaragoza had defended itself without any other reliance -than what the inhabitants placed in themselves. -Valencia prepared for its defence under -very different circumstances. The Regent, General -Blake, embarking with all the force he could collect, -had landed at Almeira to take the command in those -provinces, which, since the fall of Tarragona, were so seriously -menaced. From thence he proceeded to Valencia, -with full powers, civil as well as military, and the whole -strength of the executive authority, to carry into effect -whatever measures he might think needful. The collected -force under his command was more than equal in -number to that of the invaders; one division of 6000 -men, taking its name from the field of Albuhera, had attained -discipline upon which the officers could rely, and -reputation which every effort would be made to support. -Some of the generals also stood high in public opinion; -Lardizabal had distinguished himself in Lapeña’s expedition; -and Zayas was thought by the English, as well -as by his own countrymen, one of the best officers in the -Spanish service. But Blake himself inspired no confidence -wherever he went; he had the reputation of -being an unfortunate general; and what credit he acquired -in the battle of Albuhera had been lost by his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_348">348</span> -subsequent movements in the Condado de Niebla. The -Valencians, therefore, were unwilling to receive him, and -would fain have persuaded the Marques del Palacio to -retain the command, to which, in these times of insubordination, -a popular election would have been considered -as conferring a legitimate right; but the Marques had -been bred in a better school, and though he had some -reason to complain of the manner in which he was thus -suddenly superseded, demeaned himself toward his successor -with a frankness and cordiality deserving a better -return than they obtained. In the course of more than -thirty years’ service, it had been his good fortune never -to incur the slightest disaster in any command which he -had held; twice during the present war, having been -appointed to armies which he found incomplete and ill-equipped, -he had placed them upon a respectable footing; -and being then removed from the command, they -had presently under his successors been dispersed or -destroyed; he was popular, therefore, because no miscarriage -could be laid to his charge. Embarking from -Cadiz for Alicante on the day that Tarragona was taken, -he brought with him no supplies either in men, arms, or -money, nor was any thing sent after him; it seemed as if -the eastern provinces were left to their own resources; -and Alicante and Orihuela, from whence he might have -drawn supplies, were separated from his government. -The Murcian army consisted nominally at this time of -20,000 foot and 5000 horse; he asked for 3000 of these -men and 600 cavalry, and they were refused. The effect -of this was, that feeling he had no external support to -look for, he formed his plans for defence upon the nature -of the country, and that moral resistance, in which the -strength of the Spanish cause consisted: but Blake -coming with the entire confidence of the executive Government, -of which he was a member, had the Murcian<span class="pagenum" id="Page_349">349</span> -forces at his command, and seemed to think his military -means so fully sufficient, that he disregarded all other -resources. The Marques would have defended the -strong ground through which the enemy must pass before -they could attack Murviedro. Between that town -and Valencia is a labyrinth of water-courses, gardens, -plantations, and deep narrow roads, through which no -force could penetrate against the resistance of a determined -people; ... and if that resistance had been overcome, -he would have cut the dikes and inundated the -country. These plans he communicated to Blake, who -never bestowed a thought upon them, contemplating no -measures which were not in the ordinary course of tactics, -and thinking, that if the punctilios of his profession -were correctly observed, nothing farther could be required -on the score of honour or of duty.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Murviedro.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Murviedro is an open town twelve miles east of Valencia, -but its fortress, called the Castle of San -Fernando de Sagunto, was, both for its natural -strength and artificial defences, a most formidable post. -D. Luis Maria Andriani commanded there with a garrison -of 3500 men, who had volunteered for its defence. -The name which that fortress bore, and the knowledge of -the resistance which upon that spot had been made against -Hannibal, as it might well have given confidence to -its defenders, induced Suchet to expect greater difficulty -in its conquest than any which he had yet overcome. -The Roman theatre here, which was one of the most -perfect remains of the ancients, and the other antiquities -of this sacred spot, were held in such proper estimation -by the Spanish Government, that in 1785, under the -ministry of the Conde d’Aranda, an officer was appointed -to preserve them. When it was deemed necessary to -fortify the place, the engineers condemned the theatre; -the conservator appealed to the Cortes, and the Cortes<span class="pagenum" id="Page_350">350</span> -unanimously agreeing that it would be a reproach to -the nation if this precious monument should be destroyed, -addressed the Regents, requiring them to give orders for -its careful preservation: but such considerations could -no longer be allowed, when the paramount interests of -the nation were at stake, and instructions were given to -make any demolition which might be required for the -security of the place. Andriani entered upon his command -there in the middle of September, and a few days -afterwards the French from Tortosa and from Aragon -began their march toward Valencia. Suchet had with - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Suchet takes possession of the town.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -him all the disposable troops from Aragon and -Catalonia, ... withdrawing many of the less important -garrisons and smaller detachments, in -full confidence that there was neither energy enough in -the general Government of Spain, nor union enough -among the provincial authorities, to take advantage of -the opportunity which was thus afforded them. He -arrived before Murviedro on the 21st, and took possession -of the town. Blake, who had advanced thither to -see that the garrison was complete, and the place provided -for defence, offered no resistance when the enemy -approached, but retired within an intrenched camp, on -the right of the Guadalaviar; it rested with its right -upon the sea, and covered the city of Valencia; he had -the Murcian army behind him in reserve. The divisions -of Obispo and Villacampa, under Carlos O’Donnel, had -been recalled from the frontiers of Castille and Aragon: -these remained in the field and formed his left; 4000 -men occupied Segorbe and Liria, and Bassecourt, with -about 2000, was in Requeña and Utril: besides these -forces the commander-in-chief had 1600 cavalry, part of -them veteran troops.</p> - -<p>Against such means of resistance Suchet would never -have ventured to advance if he had not despised the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_351">351</span> -Valencians. With an abundant population, brave and -patriotic enough to offer themselves to any danger and -submit to any sacrifices, ... and with resources greater -than those of any other province from its redundant fertility, -Valencia had scarcely made an effort in favour of -its neighbours. When, at the earnest requisition of the -British naval commander on that coast, a body of its -troops had been detached into Catalonia, they were embarked -without muskets, because there was an established -regulation, that before they left the province -their arms must be deposited in the arsenal. After arms -had been provided for them, it was judged necessary to -march them into Aragon; but they refused to enter that -kingdom, because they had not been sent with that intention, -and in consequence they returned to Valencia -without having faced the enemy. Whenever, indeed, -the Valencian army had faced them, some glaring misconduct -had appeared, and some lamentable disaster -been the necessary result. The spirit of provincialism -ceased to paralyse them when the enemy was within -their own territory, but Suchet still calculated upon -want of discipline in the men, and want of skill in the -leaders; some reliance, too, he placed upon those means -of seduction by which France had triumphed as often as -by her arms.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French repulsed in an assault.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The day after he reached Murviedro, he assaulted the -fort at two in the morning; in three places the -escalade was attempted, but the French were repulsed -at all points with the loss of their ladders, -and of more than 400 killed and wounded. Suchet was -induced to make this dangerous attempt by his engineers, -who discovered two old breaches which had not - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mem. 2. 161.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -been effectually repaired, and who were sensible -of the great difficulties they should have to -encounter in a regular siege. His men, too, he says,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_352">352</span> -since their exploits at Tarragona, regarded it as pastime -to march to an assault; but the way there had been prepared -for them by corruption. They kept possession of -the town, broke through the party walls of the houses, -that they might communicate without exposing themselves - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">October.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -to the garrison’s fire, barricadoed the -streets, and planted guns in those houses which -looked toward the fort. This was not effected without -loss, and they had not yet brought up their battering -train; it was to come from Tortosa, and the little fort of -Oropesa in their rear commanded the road. Suchet -gave directions for reducing this, and acted in the meantime -against the troops in the field. Obispo was attacked -on the 30th at Seneja, and driven back upon Segorbe; -there he rallied, but reinforcements came to the enemy, -which again gave them the superiority; they entered -Segorbe in pursuit of his broken troops, put all who resisted -to the sword, and drove him towards Liria. The -next object of Suchet was to drive Carlos O’Donnel’s -division beyond the Guadalaviar. On the night of October -1st he marched against it; the advanced guard -was attacked and routed at Betero; the main body at -Benaguacil. Little loss was sustained by the Spaniards -in these actions, but they did not contribute to raise the -character of the Valencian troops in the eyes of their -enemies; and Suchet, who knew that the struggle would -be with Blake, endeavoured to provoke that general -into the field, by reproaching him for having remained -idle in Valencia while two divisions of his army were -defeated.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Oropesa taken by the enemy.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>He had made himself, however, already so far master -of the field, as to continue his operations against Murviedro -without interruption. Oropesa surrendered -on the 11th, after a cannonade of a few -hours; Captain Eyre, in the Magnificent, had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_353">353</span> -just arrived to assist it, but he came only in time to -bring off the garrison of a tower about a mile distant. -Artillery and tools could now be safely brought from -Tortosa; and a week afterwards a practicable breach -was effected. Twice in the course of a day and - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 11.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -night the French attempted to storm it, and -were repulsed with great slaughter. The fort, though, -according to the inveterate habit of procrastination -which has for centuries been the reproach of Spanish -policy, its works were incomplete, yet was capable of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>A second assault repelled.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -making a very formidable resistance; for it was -so constructed as to form four parts, each of -which might be defended after the others were -taken. Blake calculated upon the impetuosity of the -enemy, the steadiness of the garrison, and the patriotism -of the governor; the two former did not deceive him: -and he had laid down for himself a wise plan of operations; -which was to abstain from battle, in hope that -the French would weaken themselves in the siege, and -might be compelled to retreat by movements upon their -flank and on the side of Aragon.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Guerrilla movements in aid of Murviedro.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>It was part of this plan to surprise the French in -Cuenca, and thus cut off Suchet’s communication -with Madrid: this expedition was committed -to General Mahy, with whom the Conde -de Montijo was to co-operate. The attempt proved ineffectual, -and Mahy returned with his division to join -the commander-in-chief. In Aragon the Spaniards were -led by men of a different stamp, and their movements -would have led to very different results, if the spirit of -provincialism, and that insubordination which long -habits of military independence can scarcely fail to produce, -had not frustrated fair beginnings, and bright -prospects of success. A decree of the Cortes had attached -the guerrilla parties to the armies of their respective<span class="pagenum" id="Page_354">354</span> -districts, and given rank to their leaders, -leaving them to pursue their own system of warfare at -their own discretion, but subjecting them thus to a military -superior whenever they should be called upon. By -virtue of this decree, Duran and the Empecinado, who -commanded, the one in Soria, the other in Guadalaxara, -each with the rank of brigadier, had been ordered by -Blake to unite and enter Aragon, which Suchet had -drained of troops for his expedition against Valencia. It -was not easy to bring these irregular companies under -any restraint of discipline: the Junta of Guadalaxara -were not willing to part with the Empecinado’s band; -the men themselves were not willing to leave what they -considered as their own district; disputes broke out - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Dispersion of the Empecinado’s troops.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -among them when their leader was not present; -they turned their arms upon each other at Villaconejos: -after an affray in which some were -killed and many wounded, the rest dispersed, were overtaken -by the French, and suffered great loss; and - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>M. del Palacio, Traslado a la Nacion Espanolo, p. 19.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Cuenca was in consequence again entered by -the enemy, who committed their usual enormities -there. The Empecinado, however, was -soon heard of again: he formed a junction with -Duran, and their collected force was computed at about - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>His subsequent successes in conjunction with Duran.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -4000 men. With the greater part of this force -they appeared before the city of Calatayud, -where the enemy had a garrison of between 800 - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Sept. 26.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and 900 men. Not expecting so bold a measure -on the part of the guerrillas, the French -upon sight of them sent out a detachment, who -took post upon an eminence before the city, where there -was a ruined castle. Of that detachment about fifty -were killed, and as many made prisoners, not a man -escaping. The garrison then, and all the persons connected -with them, took shelter in the convent of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_355">355</span> -Mercenarios. This edifice had been fortified, and was -one of those posts which gave them military possession -of the country. The Spaniards had no artillery, and -having in vain attempted to burn it, began to mine. -This was a branch of warfare in which they had little -skill and less experience: ... on the third day the mine -was ready; it was exploded, and produced no effect; -two others were immediately commenced. Meantime a -reinforcement of 200 foot and fifty horse, the precursors -of a larger force from Zaragoza, came to relieve the besieged; -... the Empecinado hastened to meet them, routed -them, and chased them as far as Almunia, taking the -colonel who commanded, and more than 200 of their -muskets and knapsacks, which they threw away to disencumber - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 3.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -themselves in flight. On the sixth -day of the siege, the match was laid to the second -mine, which produced little more effect than the -first: the third, however, was more successful; it brought -down part of the wall of the church, and the French then -capitulated, on condition that the officers should be sent -to France on their parole. Five hundred men were -made prisoners, and about 150 killed and wounded were -found in the convent. There were found here provisions -and money which had been collected by the intrusive -government: the grain was sold at a fair price to the -inhabitants of the district for seed: this Duran and the -Empecinado thought necessary, that they might lessen -as much as possible the evils arising from the state of -waste to which that part of the country was abandoned. -Soon afterwards more than 3000 French arrived, hoping -to recover the plunder; but the Guerrilla chiefs gave -them no opportunity of effecting this, and the next day -the enemy returned into Navarre, whither they were -recalled to resist Espoz y Mina.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_356">356</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>A price set upon the heads of Mina and his officers.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>General Reille, with two divisions, had used his -utmost endeavours to destroy this most enterprising -of the Guerrilla chiefs; and Mina, compelled -once more to break up his little army into -small bodies, had for three and fifty days -eluded the enemy, by continual marches and countermarches -among the mountains, suffering hunger, nakedness, -and every kind of fatigue and privation, with that -unconquerable spirit of endurance which is the characteristic -virtue of the Spaniards. To effectuate his -long-desired object, the French general, in the spirit of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Aug. 21.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the wicked government which he served, set a -price upon the heads of these gallant men, -offering 6000 dollars for that of Mina, 4000 for -Cruchaga’s, and 2000 each for those of Gorriz, Ulzurrun, -and Cholin. This detestable expedient failed also. A -traitor, by name D. Joaquin Geronimo Navarro, then -offered to treat with the Guerrilla chief, and win him -over to the intruder’s cause; or, if he failed in this, -to seize him at a conference. Mina obtained intelligence -of this second part of the plot, and when he was -invited to confer with Navarro upon matters which, it -was said, nearly concerned his own interest, and that of -his men, and the welfare of the kingdom, he replied, that -Navarro must come and treat with him in person. The -traitor accordingly appointed a meeting at the village of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Sept. 14.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Leoz, whither he came, accompanied by D. -Francisco Aguirre Echechuri, D. Jose Pelon, -and Sebastian Irujo de Irocin. Mina, with his adjutant -Castillo, met them, partook of a supper which they had -prepared, listened to their proposals; then, being beforehand -in the intended surprisal, seized them, called in -his assistants, and delivered them over to a council of -war, by whose sentence they were put to death.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_357">357</span> -Lord Wellington’s movement upon Ciudad Rodrigo -at this time compelled Marmont to withdraw his troops -from Navarre. Immediately Mina reunited his men, -and occupied Sanguesa. “Vengeance,” he cried, “for -the victims who have been sacrificed because they performed -their duty to their country! While some of -these are at rest in the grave, others in dungeons, or led -away into captivity in France, I will take vengeance for -their wrongs. Arms and ammunition, arms and ammunition, -... I ask arms and ammunition of the nation -and of all Europe, for public and for private vengeance. -My division will carry on the war as long as a single -individual belonging to it shall exist.” From Sanguesa -he looked about him where to annoy the enemy with -most effect: while Duran and the Empecinado were -employed on the right bank of the Ebro, he thought he -might act upon the left, by cutting off the French garrisons. -The first which he assailed consisted of forty foot -and seventy horse, at Egoa de los Caballeros, who kept -close within their fort, in fear of such a visit. While he -was mining the fort, the enemy during the night broke -through the wall on the opposite side, and fled. The -sudden cessation of their fire gave cause for suspecting -what they had done: they were pursued, and twenty of -the cavalry were all who effected their escape to Zaragoza. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mina’s success at Ayerbe.<br /><span class="date">Oct. 16.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -He then marched against Ayerbe, and -began to mine a convent which the French had -fortified there. While he was thus employed, -1100 French, with forty horse, came from Zaragoza -to relieve the besieged, and cut off the Navarrese, -who were only 900. Mina drew off his men as soon as -he heard of their approach, and posted the infantry -upon a height above the road; sending out parties to -harass the enemy, and then fall back upon the main -body. The French advanced, mocking the brigands, as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_358">358</span> -they called them, and telling them to go to Valencia for -bayonets, and they encouraged each other to attack with -the bayonet, saying the brigands were without that -weapon: but they were repulsed in their attempt to -win the height, leaving nineteen dead and forty-nine -wounded upon the field. They then proceeded to -Ayerbe, received a supply of ammunition there, and -being joined by twenty horse from the garrison, took the -road to Huesca. Mina, though inferior in numbers, -was superior in cavalry, having 200 horse, and of this -superiority he made full use. With 160 horse he -followed close upon the rear of the enemy, and impeded -their march in the plain till his infantry came up. Part -under Cruchaga got upon their left flank, another column -under Barena menaced them in the rear, a flank company -supported this movement, and on the right and in front -Mina brought his cavalry. Unlike the French generals, -who, whenever they boasted of victory, showed the -baseness of their own nature by depreciating and -vilifying their opponents, Mina bestowed the highest -praise upon the courage and discipline of the enemy in -this action. They formed themselves into a square, -closing their files with the utmost coolness as fast as the -men fell. Three times the Spaniards broke them, pouring -in their fire within pistol-shot. They formed a -fourth time; Cruchaga then, after pouring in a volley, -attacked them with the bayonet; at the same moment -they were assailed in the same manner by the rest of the -infantry; they were again broken, and the cavalry began -to cut them down. The commander, seventeen officers, -and 640 men laid down their arms and were made -prisoners. The French cavalry also surrendered; but -thinking that they saw a favourable opportunity for -escaping, they wounded some of the unsuspecting -Spaniards, and rode off. This conduct met with its<span class="pagenum" id="Page_359">359</span> -merited punishment; they were so closely pursued, that -five only reached Huesca, and two of those were cut -down at the gates; the remaining three were all who -escaped of the whole detachment. Among the Spaniards -Lizarraga fell, who commanded the cavalry that -day. Mina, whose horse had been shot under him, -immediately advanced to Huesca; the garrison had fled, -leaving behind them some of their effects, and five -Spanish officers, who thus received their liberty from the -hero of Navarre.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Cruchaga carries off the enemy’s stores from Tafalla.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Mina was now embarrassed with his prisoners: he -marched them to the coast, in hopes there to -find means of embarking them for Coruña, and -fortunately the Iris, Captain Christian, was in -sight, and took 400 of them on board. While -he was thus employed, Cruchaga learnt that the French -had collected considerable stores of grain in Tafalla, -relying in perfect security upon the fortifications, where -they had mounted four pieces of cannon, and upon the -situation of that city on the road to Zaragoza, within -reach of succour from Pamplona and Caparrosa. From -Sanguesa he watched the motions of the French. By a -rapid march he reached S. Martin de Ujue, two short -hours distant from the city, and he took such effectual -means for keeping his movements secret, that no intelligence -could be given to the enemy. At daybreak, -he approached Tafalla with that silence which he said -was peculiar to his troops: they surprised the guard, the -French retired within their fort, Cruchaga entered with -music before him, as in triumph, and loaded the grain -upon beasts which he had brought with him for the purpose. -It had not been his intention to attempt any -thing against the enemy’s works: but his men heard -that a priest, a number of peasants, and about thirty -women, were confined in a fortified convent, because<span class="pagenum" id="Page_360">360</span> -they had relations in the service of their country, or -were suspected of favouring their country’s cause; and -they attacked the convent. The French abandoned it, -and fled to their other works, leaving good spoil behind -them to the conquerors. They, however, rejoiced more -in having delivered their countrymen from these oppressors, -than in the important stores which they obtained -by the day’s expedition; and before they left -Tafalla, they drew up in the centre of the city, and the -band played, to comfort, Cruchaga said, the hearts of -the Spaniards!</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mina’s object in soliciting for military rank.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Mina had obtained military rank for himself and -his officers, and was now colonel and commandant-general -of the division of Navarre, under -which appellation his troops were considered -as attached to the seventh army under Mendizabal. -Pre-eminent as were the services of this chief -and his followers, they did not obtain this rank without -repeated solicitations, and the direct interference of the -Cortes; for the Regency at first would only concede -them the title of <i>urbanos</i><a id="FNanchor_31" href="#Footnote_31" class="fnanchor">31</a>, or local militia. The fitness -of this designation was well exposed by Sr. Terreros: -“They,” said he, “who go among the mountains hunting -the wild beasts of France, and bathing their weapons -in French blood, are local militia! and they who live at -home and drag their sabres at their heels in coffeehouses, -are regulars and veterans!” ... Mina’s object in -soliciting rank in the regular army was, that his men -when they fell into the hands of the enemy might not -be put to death as insurgents; but, like the Empecinado, -and Manso, and Ballasteros, he found that men<span class="pagenum" id="Page_361">361</span> -who were equally destitute of honour and humanity -could only be made to observe the ordinary usages of -war by the law of retaliation. Repeatedly and earnestly -had he applied to the French generals, conjuring -them to respect the laws of war; nor did he cease to -remonstrate till farther forbearance would have been a -crime. In the course of two days twelve peasants were -shot by the French in Estella, sixteen in Pamplona, and -thirty-eight of his soldiers, and four officers, were put to -death: Mina then issued a decree for reprisals, exclaiming, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>His decree for reprisals.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -that the measure was full. He began -his manifesto by contrasting his own conduct -with that of these ferocious invaders; then -declared war to the death and without quarter, without -distinction of officers or soldiers, and especially including -by name Napoleon Buonaparte. Wherever the -French might be taken, with or without arms, in action -or out of it, they were to be hung, and their bodies exposed -along the highways, in their regimentals, and -with a ticket upon each specifying his name. Every -house in which a Frenchman should have been hidden -should be burnt, and its inhabitants put to death. If -from any village information were given to the enemy -that there were volunteers there, such volunteers not -amounting to eight in number, five hundred ducats -should be levied upon that village, for the information; -and if any volunteer in consequence should have fallen -into the hands of the French, four of that village should -be chosen by lot and put to death. Mina’s anxiety not -to bring the inhabitants into danger is apparent in this -decree; he seems to have thought that if as many as -eight volunteers were in one village, the imminent -hazard of concealing them might exempt the people -from punishment for informing against them. He declared -Pamplona in a state of siege, and the villages<span class="pagenum" id="Page_362">362</span> -and buildings within a mile round the walls; within this -line no person was to pass on pain of death; the parties -who should be stationed to observe it were ordered to -fire upon any one who trespassed beyond the bounds -assigned, and if they apprehended him, wounded or -unwounded, to hang him instantly upon the nearest tree. -All persons who wished to leave that city should be -received with the humanity of the Navarrese character; -they were to present themselves to him in person; ... if a -whole family came out, it was sufficient that the head -should appear. Deserters of all ranks were invited by -a promise that they might, at their own choice, either -serve with him or go to England, or return to their own -country; in either of which latter cases, he undertook to -convey them to one of the ports on the coast; and he -decreed the punishment of death against all who should -kill or betray a deserter, or refuse him shelter and assistance. -All persons were forbidden to go beyond the -limits of their respective villages without a passport -from the Alcalde or Regidor, signed by the parochial -priest, or by some other inhabitant in places where no -priest resided: whoever should be apprehended without -one was to be shot: the innkeepers were charged to -demand the passport from all their guests, and seize -every person who could not produce one, and deliver -him over to the first Guerrilla party. If any village -should pay, or influence the payment of the forty <i>pesatas</i> -per week, which the enemy had imposed upon the -parents and relations of the volunteers, (the name by -which Mina always designated his followers,) the property -of the magistrates, priests, and influential persons -of that village should be confiscated at discretion. And -in requital for this imposition of the Intrusive Government, -he imposed a weekly mulct of twice that sum -upon the parents, brothers, and kinsmen, of those persons<span class="pagenum" id="Page_363">363</span> -who were in the employ of the French at Pamplona. -This decree was to be circulated in all the cities, -towns, valleys, and <i>cendeas</i> (parochial, or district meetings) -of Navarre; it was to be proclaimed every fifteen -days, and to be read by the officiating priest in every -church on the first and third Sundays of every month: -wherever this duty was omitted, the magistrates, priests, -<i>escribanos</i>, or town-clerks, and two of the influential -inhabitants, were declared subject to military - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Dec. 14.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -punishment. He dated this decree from the -field of honour in Navarre, and the Government ratified -it by inserting it in the Regency’s Gazette.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Duran and the Empecinado separate.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The movements of the Guerrilla leaders on the Ebro, -as well as in Navarre and Upper Aragon, made -Suchet feel that he had placed himself in a -situation in which every day that deferred his -success increased his danger; nor was he without uneasiness -on the side of Catalonia, where the Catalans -carried on their warfare with such vigour, that the -French could aim at nothing more than preserving and -provisioning their fortified posts. His communication -with Tortosa was interrupted by the armed peasantry; -scarcity began to be felt in his camp, and he was -obliged to detach 4000 men to protect a convoy going -from Zaragoza. It was Blake’s hope that Duran, the -Empecinado, and Mina, might threaten that city, and -perhaps succeed in delivering it from its oppressors. -The plan was well concerted, and if it had been executed, -Suchet would hardly have ventured to maintain -his ground in the kingdom of Valencia. The attempt, -however, was not made; for some difference arose between -Duran and the Empecinado, and instead of forming -a junction with Mina, they separated from each -other. By this time Murviedro was closely pressed, a -battery of eight four-and-twenty pounders had been constructed,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_364">364</span> -and the governor made signals of distress. The - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Blake determines to give battle.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Spaniards were eager for battle; and Blake, -foregoing his first and better resolution, consented -to gratify them, in the hope that one -victory, when victory certainly appeared attainable, and -would be of such immense importance, might repay him -for the many disasters which he had sustained. He -advanced, therefore, on the 24th about noon, and took -post for that night on the height of El Puig, his right -resting on the sea, and his left upon Liria.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Battle of Murviedro.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The country between Valencia and Murviedro is like -a closely-planted orchard, bounded by the sea -on the right, and on the left terminating at some -distance from the foot of the mountains which separate -Valencia from La Mancha, Cuenca, and Aragon. Three -great carriage roads cross this land of gardens; and -by these three roads the attack was to be made; for -though, from the nature of the ground, the left wing -could not be united with the centre and the right, it was -thought that this would be a less inconvenience than -to leave open either of the three roads. It was of especial -consequence to occupy the left road, that of Betera; -for should Suchet, as might be expected, endeavour to -anticipate the attack, he might otherwise send his main -body in this direction, where the mountains would cover -them, and the open country give free scope for his -cavalry and for those manœuvres, in which Blake knew -but too well the superiority of the enemy.</p> - -<p>On the next morning the army was put in motion. -Zayas commanded the right, Lardizabal the centre, -Carlos O’Donnell the left, consisting of the Valencian -division under Miranda, and the Aragonese under -Villacampa: Mahy, with the Murcian division, was to -support this wing; Blake, with another body of reserve, -remained upon El Puig. The left wing was to begin<span class="pagenum" id="Page_365">365</span> -the attack, relying upon the support which they would -receive from the centre and the other wing, who were to -accompany the movement and cover them on the right: -this, it was thought, would be a resource in case of a -want of firmness on their part, which would not have -been the case had a different disposition been preferred. -If there was an error in Blake’s disposition, it was in -thus trusting the principal attack to that part of his army -upon which he had least reliance.</p> - -<p>Suchet, who desired nothing so much as an action, -prepared to meet his antagonist, leaving six battalions -to continue the siege. At eight in the morning his -sharp-shooters were briskly driven back; and from that -moment, he says, he knew that he had to contend with -troops very unlike those of Valencia. Some strong -columns outflanked him on the left, and his right, which -was a league distant from the main body, was outflanked -also by O’Donnell. Both armies began their -movements at the same time: about half way between -them on the left of the Spaniards, where the fate of the -battle was to be decided, was a ridge of ground, which -offered some advantage, and which both parties endeavoured -to gain. The sharp-shooters of O’Donnell’s -division running with eagerness towards this point, drove -back that part of the French cavalry which covered the -enemy’s advance: they got possession, and were supported -by two battalions and some field-pieces; but -their ardour had been inconsiderate, for they had separated -too much from the columns, and the French, who -knew how to avail themselves of every opportunity -which was offered, speedily dislodged them by a well-supported -charge.</p> - -<p>This error was fatal; for the want of discipline was -felt in leaving the ground, as it had been in winning it: -one battalion after another, after a feeble resistance, was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_366">366</span> -thrown into disorder, and abandoned the field. It was -now that Mahy with the reserve should have endeavoured -to support them and retrieve the day, but the -order for him to attack did not arrive in time, and he did -not advance in time without it: and seeing that the -chief efforts of the enemy would now be directed against -him, and that his cavalry abandoned him on their approach, -he immediately commenced his retreat. While -the fate of the left wing was thus decided, Suchet broke -through the centre: not without a brave struggle on the -part of the Spaniards. D. Juan Caro, the brother of -Romana, who commanded a body of cavalry on the left -of the centre, made a desperate charge against the -enemy’s horse, though they were supported by artillery, -and defended by a mud wall. The Spaniards leaped -the wall, Colonel Ric of the grenadiers leading the way, -and cut down the French at their guns. The enemy’s -reserve came up, and the second line of the Spaniards, -which should have supported them, having been unhappily -detached to reinforce the vanguard, the guns were -retaken, and Caro himself was made prisoner.</p> - -<p>The centre of the Spanish army was now defeated: -Lardizabal, however, supported the character which he -had gained at Santi Petri, and collecting some cavalry, -checked the enemy and covered the retreat of his troops. -But it was on the right that the Spaniards displayed -most resolution; and had all the army behaved like -Zayas and the division of Albuhera, Blake’s highest -hopes might have been accomplished. They, though -unsupported on their left, cleared the road before them, -and when the day was lost in the other part of the field, -repeatedly repulsed the superior forces which were -brought against them. By the account of Suchet -himself, the action was maintained here with great -slaughter: they covered their left with a battalion in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_367">367</span> -mass, and stood their ground till their cartridges were -consumed, ... Zayas then sent for more, but Blake ordered -him to retreat. This movement was admirably -executed, all the wounded were removed, and so little -were the men dispirited, that twice they demanded to -be allowed to charge with the bayonet. They occupied -the houses in the village of Puchole, and fired from the -roofs and windows; but here, by an error, for which the -commandant of the imperialists of Toledo was suspended, -the remains of the Walloon battalion were surrounded -and made prisoners. When the fugitives had -reached Tuna, the reserve was ordered to retreat, and -Zayas brought them off in the face of the enemy.</p> - -<p>This was the best action which had yet been fought -by the Spaniards, but it was most unfortunate in its -results, and the issue proved but too plainly that it -ought not to have been hazarded. By the French account -4639 prisoners were taken, four stand of colours, -and sixteen pieces of cannon; the killed and wounded -were estimated at 2000 men; on their own part they -acknowledged only 128 men killed and 596 wounded. -Suchet was struck by a ball on the shoulder, General -Harispe had two horses killed under him, and two others -of the French generals were wounded: the manner in -which they exposed themselves, and the number of -officers of rank whose names appeared among the -wounded, prove that the victory was not achieved without -difficulty, nor without greater loss than the official -account admitted.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Murviedro surrendered.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The garrison of Murviedro, when they saw the battle -commence, threw their caps into the air with -shouts of joy, calling to their countrymen to -come on to victory. In the evening, Suchet, -leaving his army a league from Valencia, returned to the -camp: a breach had been made during the day, which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_368">368</span> -was not yet practicable, but by the fire of some hours -longer would have been rendered so; the French general -had no inclination to assault the walls again; ... it -was of consequence, he said, to profit by the victory -which had been gained under the eyes of the garrison; ... -and the governor’s want of constancy, or perhaps of integrity, -enabled him to do this most effectually; for -Andriani had no sooner satisfied himself that General -Caro was really taken prisoner, than, as if the victory of -the French had destroyed all hopes, he capitulated with -more than 2500 men. “Thus,” said the French, “we -became masters of a place which had so long resisted -Hannibal.” Had Andriani been as true to the cause of -his country as the soldiers under him, the second siege -might possibly have become as famous as the first. A -successful assault could only have put the enemy in possession -of a fourth part of the fort, when there would -have been three more breaches to make, and three more - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mémoires, 2. 191.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -attacks. It was the governor’s duty to have resisted -to the last extremity; but to that extremity -he was not reduced. By Suchet’s own statement, -the place was in no danger, and notwithstanding -all the efforts of his engineers and all their skill, nothing -could be less certain than the success of a new -assault.</p> - -<p>Blake, in the orders which he issued on the following -day, said that he was dissatisfied with certain corps, and -with some individuals, and that as soon as their cowardice -was juridically proved, he would punish them with all -the rigour of national justice. But in general he declared, -that the conduct both of officers and men, and -especially that of the division under Zayas, had been -satisfactory. “For himself,” he said, “he was sufficiently -accustomed to the vicissitudes of war, not to be -surprised at the ill success of the action, and he was not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_369">369</span> -the less confident of being able to repel the invasion of -the enemy.” But Blake did not feel the confidence -which he affected. He confessed afterwards, that after -the fall of Tarragona, the loss of Valencia was to be -apprehended; but that the brilliant manner in which -the defence of Murviedro was begun, the forces which -its defence gave time for assembling, and the spirit of -the officers and troops, had given well-founded and flattering -hopes, which continued till this battle extinguished -them. From that moment, he said, nothing but -what was gloomy presented itself; only some political -revolution, or other extraordinary event, which should -deprive Suchet of his expected reinforcements, could -save Valencia; and his plan was to defend the lines -which had been formed for its protection as long as -possible, without entirely compromising the safety of his -army.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Valencia.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Valencia stands in an open plain, upon the right bank -of the Guadalaviar, about two miles from the -sea. Its old ramparts were at this time in good -preservation; but works of antiquity are of little use -against the implements of modern war. They were thick -walls of brick-work, flanked with round towers at equal -distances, and without moats. The river flows at the foot -of the walls the whole extent of the eastern side, separating -the city from its suburbs; the suburbs, being of -later date than the town, are more open and commodiously -built, and contain a larger population; including them, -the number of inhabitants is estimated at 82,000. The -adjoining country is in the highest state of cultivation; -and the city, from its history, its remains of antiquity, -and the customs of the people, is one of the most interesting -and curious in the whole Peninsula. In no -part of Spain, nor perhaps of Christendom, were there -so many religious puppet-shows exhibited; nowhere<span class="pagenum" id="Page_370">370</span> -were the people more sunk in all the superstitions of -Romish idolatry, and, if the reproaches of even the -Spaniards themselves may be credited, there was as -little purity of morals as of faith. It is a proverbial -saying, that in Valencia the meat is grass, the grass -water, the men women, and the women<a id="FNanchor_32" href="#Footnote_32" class="fnanchor">32</a> nothing. But -if the Valencians were, as a censurer has said of them, -light equally in mind and body, the cause has been -wrongly imputed to their genial and delicious climate; -the state of ignorance to which a double despotism had -reduced the nation, and the demoralizing practices of -the Romish church, sufficiently account for their degradation.</p> - -<p>The Guadalaviar at Valencia is about a hundred -yards wide; it is usually kept low, because its waters -are drawn off by canals, which render the adjoining -country like a rich garden; but in the rainy season the -stream is so strong, that it has frequently swept away -its bridges. There are five of these, fine structures, -and so near each other, that all may be seen at once. -Two had been broken down, and the other three were -covered by <i>têtes-de-pont</i>. There had been ample time -to provide for defence, and much labour and much cost -had been bestowed upon the works which were deemed -necessary. A small ditch filled with water was made -round the wall, with a covered way; works also were -constructed to defend the gates; but the Valencians -chiefly relied upon their intrenched camp, which contained -within its extensive line the city, and the three -suburbs upon the right bank. These works were fortified -with bastions, and mounted with 100 pieces of -cannon; they extended from the sea to Olivette; but as -the point in which they terminated was weak, because it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_371">371</span> -could be attacked in the rear by the left bank, other -interior works were commenced, for the purpose of insulating -this from the rest of the line. The engineers -relied also upon their command of the river, meaning -to cover the approaches by inundations, and to fill -the fosses of their camp, which might easily be done, -the ground being a low plain intersected by numerous -canals.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Suchet summons Valencia.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Suchet summoned the city the day after his victory, -saying, that he had taken 8000 prisoners, many -generals, and the greater part of Blake’s artillery, -and calling upon the governor to save Valencia -from the calamities and outrages which a vain resistance -must inevitably draw upon it, and of which all the fortresses -besieged and taken by the French presented -terrible examples. He promised an amnesty for the -past, offered the people his special protection, and -assured them that the French would endeavour, by -generous proceedings, to make them forget the evils of -war, and the horrible anarchy in which they had so long -been plunged. Blake published this summons, and did -not think proper to reply to it; at the same time he -appealed to the people as witnesses of the valour with -which the troops had fought, and the good order in -which they had effected their retreat, for the purpose of -occupying their former position.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>He establishes himself in the suburb, and in the port.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The enemy soon closed upon the city, and established -themselves in the suburb called Serrano, on the -left bank of the river, not, however, without -considerable opposition. They won their way -foot by foot, and carried the last house by sapping -and mining. Had the spirit of which the -people here gave proof been properly fostered and directed, -Valencia would have been safe. Having gained -the suburb, they formed a contravallation of three strong<span class="pagenum" id="Page_372">372</span> -redoubts, having seven feet water in their ditches, with -two fortified convents and some houses, to confine the -besieged within their têtes-de-pont. The fire of the -Spaniards was well directed to annoy them during these -operations; but the loss inflicted upon the enemy by no -means counterbalanced the advantage which they had -gained, in possessing themselves of the fortified convents -in the suburb. Next they occupied the Grao, which is -the port of Valencia.</p> - -<p>Suchet’s left was now at the Grao, his right at Liria, -and his centre in the suburbs. Using every possible -exertion to ensure success, he brought up in the course -of December 100 four-and-twenty pounders, thirty mortars -and howitzers; and when this formidable train was -ready, and his reinforcements had arrived, he put the -army in motion for decisive operations. On the night -between the 25th and 26th of December, two bridges -were rapidly constructed by the engineers, a league -from Manisses, above all the sources of the different -waters, in order that the troops might not be engaged in -a labyrinth of canals. Blake had posted his infantry -from the sea to Manisses, and his cavalry on more -elevated ground above that village, to cover his left. -He had fortified the villages of Mislata, Quarte, and -Manisses, on the banks of the river, and connected them -by lines with artillery. His great object was to keep -possession of Quarte and S. Onofre; as long as that -was done, and the cavalry retained its position, it would -be in his power either to risk a general action, drawing -from Valencia all the troops for that purpose; or to -evacuate the city, and leaving only a small garrison for -the purpose of capitulating, draw off and save the great -body of the army. And even if the enemy should succeed -in turning the left wing, and thus cut off his -retreat by the great road, it was scarcely possible, he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_373">373</span> -thought, that the two Cullera roads should be intercepted -on both sides of the lake of Albufera.</p> - -<p>The general’s hopes were, as usual, frustrated by the -misconduct of those in whom he trusted, and by the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Dec. 26.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -rapidity of Suchet’s movements. At daybreak -the two bridges were completed, three divisions -of infantry and the whole of the horse passed, and drove -back the Spanish cavalry; and the French getting possession -of the sluices, turned the waters of the canals -into the river, and thus deprived Valencia of one means -of defence on which she had relied. Another division -crossed the river between Quarte and Mislata to occupy -the Spaniards in front. Here Zayas again displayed -that resolution, and that military skill, which made him -more, perhaps, than any other man at this time the -hope of the Spanish armies; but the troops on the left, -where Mahy commanded, gave way, as they had done -in the former action; they abandoned the intrenchments -at S. Onofre, ... the vital points of the line, ... without -even waiting for an attack, and retired from Manisses -almost upon the first fire. Mahy, with about 5000 men, -reached Alcira, abandoning the artillery; the rest of the -division was unaccounted for; the loss in killed could -have been little or none, and the French made no boast -of the numbers which they had taken; they who were -missing then must mostly have dispersed in their flight, -the unavoidable consequence when men have lost all -confidence in their leaders.</p> - -<p>The investment of Valencia was completed before the -close of the day; and Suchet, again turning against the -Spaniards those advantages of which they had so little -availed themselves, secured himself everywhere by the -canals and fosses with which the ground was intersected. -Still the lines remained which the Valencians had for -three years been employed in constructing; but after the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_374">374</span> -labour, and the cost which had been expended upon -them, when the hour of need came they were found, or -thought to be, untenable. Blake, with the troops who -were without the city, might still have effected a retreat; -but he wished to save as much of the army as possible, -and to prepare the people for a catastrophe which they -had never looked on to, and to which he perceived they -would not be induced to submit, till they felt the -uttermost necessity. Such, indeed, was their disposition, -that men like Santiago Sass, and D. Pedro Maria -Ric, and such women as the Countess Burita, would -have protected them better than Blake with his army -and all his lines and defences.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The army endeavours to escape.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>A council of war was held, and it was agreed -unanimously that the army should endeavour to -effect its escape on the night of the 28th. They -went through the gate of S. Jose; but before -they had gone far, the advanced posts discovered them; -about 300 men made their way to the mountains under -favour of the darkness, about as many more were killed -or drowned in the canals, and the rest withdrew within -their intrenchments, having no confidence in the works, -nor in their general; and their general having none in -them, nor in himself, nor any hope from without or from - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Xativa surrendered.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -within. An event more discouraging than the surrender -of Murviedro occurred the day after this attempt, -for the town of St. Philippe, half way -on the road to Alicante, was given up without opposition -to Suchet’s advanced guard. This place had distinguished -itself in the War of the Succession for its -inflexible fidelity to the Austrian party. The inhabitants -defended themselves, as Marshal Berwick relates, -with unheard-of firmness, maintaining street by street -and house by house, for eight days after his troops were -within the walls; in revenge for which he razed the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_375">375</span> -town; all the surviving inhabitants were removed to -Castile, and forbidden on pain of death ever to return; -and Philip, when a new town was erected on the ruins, -abolished its old name of Xativa, and imposed upon it -that of St. Philippe.... Even the new race of inhabitants -felt this name as a reproach; and but a few months -before this cowardly surrender, the Cortes, at their -petition, had passed an edict restoring the old appellation. -It was just restored in time to be disgraced. The French -found a great quantity of provisions and a million of -cartridges, ... hoarded there for this shameful end!</p> - -<p>While the enemy succeeded thus, almost without -opposition in every thing they attempted, Blake resolved -to make a second trial at escape; but the people - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Blake abandons the lines and retires into the city.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -compelled him to give up this project, and -remain in patient expectation of a fate which -he no longer made an effort to avert. This -he calls an inconsiderate popular movement; -but the people, who saw their works as yet untouched, -above 16,000 regular troops to defend them, including -the best officers and artillerymen in the service, with -artillery and military stores in abundance, and the population -of the city ready and eager to bear their part -in the defence, might have encouraged a general to -hope, and ought to have inspired him with a more - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1812.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -heroic despair. Suchet opened his trenches on -the first night of the new year; on the fourth -they were advanced within fifty toises of the ditch. Blake -then called another council, the result of which was, that -the lines were abandoned, and the troops retired into the -city, taking with them their field artillery, but leaving -eighty pieces behind.</p> - -<p>The French general says, that the astonishing desertion -from the Spanish army induced Blake to abandon -these vast and important works. Blake himself assigned<span class="pagenum" id="Page_376">376</span> -no such cause, but the desertion must undoubtedly have -been very great, ... a commander who feels no hope can -excite none. The suburb of Quarte was immediately -seized by the enemy, and Suchet bombarded the city -during the whole of the fifth. The next morning he -sent in a summons, “thinking,” he says, “that an army -which had just abandoned works of such strength, -mounted with eighty-one pieces of cannon, would call -loudly for capitulation, now that they saw the effects of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The city a second time summoned.<br /><span class="date">January.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -a bombardment upon a city which at that time -contained no fewer than 200,000 souls.” The -summons was in these words: ... “General, the -laws of war assign a period to the sufferings of the -people; this period has arrived. The imperial army -is now within ten toises of the body of your fortress; -in some hours several breaches may be effected; -and then a general assault must precipitate the French -columns into Valencia. If you wait for this terrible -moment, it will no longer be in my power to control the -fury of the soldiers, and you alone will have to answer -to God and man for the evils which must overwhelm -Valencia. The desire to spare the total ruin of a great -city determines me to offer you an honourable capitulation: -I engage to preserve to the officers their equipages, -and to respect the property of the inhabitants. It -is unnecessary for me to add, that the religion we profess -shall be revered. I expect your reply in two hours, -and salute you with very high consideration.”</p> - -<p>Blake replied, “Yesterday, perhaps before noon, I -might have consented to change the position of the -army, and evacuate the city, for the sake of saving its -inhabitants from the horrors of a bombardment; but the -first twenty-four hours which your excellency has employed -in setting it on fire have taught me how much -I may depend upon the constancy of the people, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_377">377</span> -their resignation to every sacrifice which may be necessary, -in order that the army may maintain the honour -of the Spanish name. Your excellency may consequently -continue your operations; and as to the responsibility -before God and man, for all the misfortunes -which the defence of the place occasions, and all those -which war brings with it, it cannot attach to me.” This - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Suchet expects a desperate resistance.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -reply led Suchet to apprehend he should have to -encounter a Zaragozan resistance. “The general,” -said he in his dispatches, “is no longer the -master; he is obliged to obey the decisions of a fanatical -Junta, composed of seven persons, five of whom are -Franciscan monks, and the other two butchers of Valencia; -the same who, about three years ago, directed the -massacre of 400 French families that were ordered out -of the country. I therefore continue my operations with -vigour against the place, which at this present moment -counts a population of 200,000 souls. Five of the principal -chiefs of the insurgents are now within its walls, -with all their property, and whatever fanatics or madmen -are yet left in Spain. The engineers will open -their works under the walls. The artillery raises formidable -batteries; and notwithstanding the rains, it will in -a few days be able to make a breach in the last enclosure. -The army is waiting with impatience for the -attack, and if we should have to make a war of houses, -as at Zaragoza, it will be rendered of short continuance, -by the ability and rapidity of our miners.”</p> - -<p>Had the Valencians resorted to this mode of defence, -Suchet’s miners would have found themselves engaged -in an extraordinary subterranean war, among the Roman -sewers; but after relying so long upon the army, and a -military defence, it was too late to organize the people -for that better system, which, if it had been determined -upon from the first, might have proved successful, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_378">378</span> -which, even in its most disastrous termination, would -have added as much to the strength of Spain as to the -honour of Valencia. But Blake had nothing of the -heroic character which had been displayed so eminently -in Zaragoza and Gerona. He was a soldier, skilful -enough in his profession, to have held a respectable, -perhaps a high rank, if he had commanded well-disciplined -troops; and now at the last he performed all that - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>He bombards the city.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the code of military duty requires. Three days -and nights Suchet bombarded the city, which -was so utterly unprovided for such an attack, -that the people had not even cellars in which to take -shelter: the enemy continued their approaches, till -they had effected a lodgement in the last houses of the -suburbs, and placed mines under two of the principal -gates. Blake then offered to give up the city, on condition -that he might march out with the army. Such -terms were of course rejected; a council of war was -therefore held, and terms of capitulation proposed, to -which Suchet agreed the more readily, because, according -to the system of Buonaparte, he meant to be bound by -them no farther than suited his interest, or his inclination. -The troops were to be made prisoners of war, the -inhabitants and their property protected, and no inquiry -made into the conduct of those who had taken an active -part in the war. In one point the Spanish general exceeded -his powers; forgetting that he was no longer in -a situation to act as one of the Regents, and that even -his free and voluntary act would have required the consent -and approbation of the other members of the executive, -he agreed that the French prisoners in Majorca, -Alicant, and Carthagena, should be exchanged.</p> - -<p>This capitulation delivered into the hands of the enemy -16,131 effective troops of the line, besides about 2000 -in the hospitals, 1800 cavalry and artillery horses,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_379">379</span> -twenty-two generals, Zayas and Lardizabal among - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Jan. 9.</span><br />Blake surrenders the city to the army.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -them, 893 officers, and 374 pieces of cannon. -The most irreparable loss was that of fifty good -artillery officers, formed in the school of Segovia, -nearly 400 sappers and miners, and 1400 old -artillerymen. The battle of Ocaña drew after it more -disastrous consequences, but the loss in itself had been -far less severe. Thus terminated General Blake’s unfortunate -career; his failure at Niebla was the only one -of his many misfortunes which was disreputable, but all -experience was lost upon him: often and severely as he -had felt the want of discipline in his troops, his obstinacy -was not to be overcome, and he never would consent -that the Spanish army should be brought into an -efficient state of discipline by the English, though he -had seen that a similar measure had delivered Portugal, -and must have known that it would as certainly deliver -Spain. But though the loss of a general, thus incorrigible -in error, and whose continual ill fortune was such -as almost to deprive the army under him of all hope, -could not be regretted for the sake of Spain, Blake himself, -amid all his errors and misfortunes, maintained the -character of a brave man, and it was not possible to read -his last dispatch without some degree of respect as well -as compassion. “I hope,” said he, “your highness will -be pleased to ratify the exchange which has been agreed -upon, and to transmit orders in consequence to Majorca. -As to what concerns myself, the exchange of officers of -my rank is so distant, that I consider the lot of my whole -life as determined; and therefore, in the moment of my -expatriation, which is equivalent to death, I earnestly -entreat your highness, that if my services have been -acceptable to my country, and I have never yet done -anything to forfeit the claim, it will be pleased to take -under its protection my numerous family.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_380">380</span> -Suchet observed the capitulation like a Frenchman of -the new system. He had promised that no man should -be molested for the part which he had taken; but no -sooner was he master of the city, than he sent 1500 -monks and friars prisoners into France, and executed in -the public square some of those who were most distinguished -for their zeal in the national cause.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_381">381</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XL">CHAPTER XL.<br /> - -<span class="subhead">ATTEMPT ON ALICANTE. PENISCOLA BETRAYED. NEW REGENCY. TARIFA -UNSUCCESSFULLY BESIEGED BY THE FRENCH. RECAPTURE OF CIUDAD -RODRIGO AND BADAJOZ.</span></h2> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1812.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p class="in0"><span class="firstword">M. Suchet</span> was rewarded for his services with the title -of Duc d’Albufera, and with a grant of the revenues -arising from the lake of that name near Valencia, and -from the domains adjoining. He was told that he had -now to obtain possession of Alicante and Carthagena, and -then the only remaining points from which the war could -be kept up on that side of Spain would be closed. It - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">January.</span><br />Attempt on Alicante.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -was, indeed, considered at Cadiz, that Alicante -might soon be expected to fall in consequence -of the loss of Valencia; and Carthagena was regarded -as so insecure, that the Conde de la Bisbal suggested -the propriety of occupying the heights which command it -by a British force. Before this precaution was taken, a -premature demonstration against Alicante had the effect -of putting the inhabitants upon their guard. To secure -the success of Suchet’s operations against Valencia, -Marshal Marmont, pursuant to Buonaparte’s instructions, -had sent General Montbrun, with two divisions of -infantry and one of horse, to co-operate with him, by manœuvring -against the corps of Mahy and Freyre, which -he was either to cut off or compel to return into Alicante; -but his orders were, at all events, to rejoin the army of -Portugal from which he had been detached by the -twentieth of the month at latest. Montbrun reached<span class="pagenum" id="Page_382">382</span> -Almanza on the day that Valencia capitulated; nevertheless, -in opposition to Suchet’s advice, he persisted in -advancing to Alicante, which he summoned to surrender, -and then throwing in a few shells, commenced his -return toward Madrid, having raised the spirits of the -Spaniards by this unsupported and unsuccessful attempt, -and afforded to a more vigilant enemy an opportunity -which was not lost.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Dénia surrendered.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Suchet followed up his success by sending a division -against the little town and port of Dénia, which, -though protected by a respectable fortress, -was surrendered without resistance: he then sent General -Severoli against Peniscola, a place so strong by -nature, and so well secured by art, that it had obtained -the name of Little Gibraltar, and was, in fact, impregnable - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Peniscola betrayed by Garcia Navarro.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -by any regular attack. But General -Garcia Navarro commanded there: he had been -taken prisoner in 1810, had escaped from France, -was trusted with this important post, and now betrayed -his trust, and entered the Intruder’s service, saying, he -would rather share the fate of his country and submit to -the French, than act under English orders. As this -man was one of the basest traitors who deserted his -country in its need, so was he the most unlucky in -timing his treason; for so great a change was presently -effected in the relative situation of the contending powers, -as to make it apparent even to himself that he had taken -the losing side, and would have only perpetual infamy -for his reward. About the same time, but in a very - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Carrera killed in Murcia.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -different manner, the Spaniards lost General D. -Martin de la Carrera, who had distinguished -himself in the recovery of Galicia, and had -borne throughout the war an honourable name. He -now commanded the cavalry of the Murcian army: a -French detachment from Granada under General Soult,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_383">383</span> -the Marshal’s brother, had entered the city of Murcia -and were raising contributions there, when Carrera -attacked them with his advanced guard, gallantly, but -unsuccessfully; for though he took them by surprise, -their numbers were greater than he had expected to -find, and he fell in the market-place, fighting bravely -till the last. The French having sacked the city abandoned -it during the night, and on the morrow Carrera -was interred with all the honours which the inhabitants -could bestow. On that day month his exequies were -performed in the cathedral as a public solemnity, the -General D. Jose O’Donnell, with Generals Mahy, Freyre, -and other officers attending; the foundation of a monument -to his memory was laid upon the spot where he -fell; and O’Donnell and the other officers, touching the -stains of his blood with their swords, swore like him to -die for their country whenever the sacrifice of their lives -should be called for, and added to that vow, one of perpetual -hatred towards the French.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>New constitution.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The Cortes, meantime, as if they were equally certain -that the country would be delivered from its -merciless invaders, and that no measures which -they could take would accelerate the deliverance, employed -themselves with unhappy diligence in forming a -new constitution: a small but zealous minority succeeded -in dictating this to their reluctant but less active -colleagues; and in its details, as little regard was paid -to the opinions and feelings of the people, as to the -rights of the aristocracy and the fundamental principles -of the government. The public were far more interested -in a change of the Regency ... for the removal of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Change of Regency.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Blake after his manifold misfortunes was considered -as a gain, even though accompanied with the -loss of an army. The new Regency consisted of the -Duque del Infantado, at that time ambassador in England;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_384">384</span> -D. Joaquin Mosquera y Figueroa, who was one -of the Council of the Indies; D. Juan Maria Villavicencio, -a lieutenant-general in the navy; D. Ignacio -Rodriguez de Rivas, of the royal council, and the Conde -de la Bisbal. A new army was set on foot in Murcia, -to supply the place of that which had been carried into -captivity with Blake; and the national hopes were -raised by successes in other quarters, as brilliant as they -were at this time unlooked for.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Ballasteros retreats to the lines of St. Roque.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Ballasteros had been appointed to the command in -Andalusia, following a system of war like that -of the Guerrillas, which was best suited both to -his own talents and the indiscipline and wretched -equipment of his troops, he had inflicted more loss upon -the enemy than they sustained from any of the regular -Spanish armies. In vain did M. Soult boast repeatedly -of defeating and putting him to flight; the men who -dispersed to-day collected again on the morrow: and -while the French were rejoicing for having routed him -at one point, they heard that he had re-appeared in -force at another, and made himself felt when he was -least dreaded. In September he landed at Algeziras to -act in aid of the mountaineers of Ronda: a movement -was then planned by the enemy for cutting him off, and -for getting possession of Tarifa, an important point -which they had hitherto neglected, as if in full expectation -that no measures for securing it would be thought -of by the Spaniards and their allies till it should be too -late. After some slaughter of the peasantry and some -partial actions, General Godinot advancing with 5000 -men from Prado del Rey, found Ballasteros well posted -in front of Ximena: he retired to collect a stronger -force, and having been joined by two columns under -Generals Barroux and Semele advanced again with from -8 to 10,000 men, meaning to march upon St. Roque,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_385">385</span> -occupy the coast, and get possession of Tarifa by a <i>coup -de main</i>. Ballasteros, who had not half that - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 10.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -number in a state of discipline on which any reliance -could be placed, fell back upon the heights of -St. Roque, and took a position on the right of the town: -four days afterwards the French appeared, and endeavoured -to bring on an engagement; but Ballasteros -knew his own weakness: he fell back upon the old -Spanish lines, and all the inhabitants of St. Roque -flying from their town, took shelter under the guns of -Gibraltar. The French invited them to return to their -houses, with promises of security and protection; but -bitter experience had now taught the Spaniards what -French protection meant, and they threw themselves -upon the compassion of their allies. Rations were -allotted both for them and the Spanish troops, and the -reservoirs and tanks were emptied for their use.</p> - -<p>So busy and so stimulating a scene had not been witnessed -from Gibraltar since the last siege of the rock. -The fugitives, without any other accommodation or -means of subsistence than what charity could supply -them, were scattered about in all directions near the -bay-side barrier; the French occupied the heights, and -Ballasteros, with his hardy and half-naked bands, remained -under protection of the rock, waiting in hope that -want would soon compel the enemy to retire, for previous -arrangements had been made for annoying them in - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Tarifa attempted by the French.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the rear and cutting off their supplies. Godinot -was not more successful in his design of seizing -Tarifa. Aware that such an attempt would be -made, and warned by the example of Tarragona to take -measures for resisting the enemy in time, the Spanish -government dispatched a force under D. Francisco de -Copons to garrison the town; and 1000 British infantry, -with a detachment of artillery under Colonel Skerrett,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_386">386</span> -embarked at the same time for the same service. This, -it was supposed, would also operate as a diversion in -favour of Ballasteros. The British troops landed on the -very day that Ballasteros fell back under the rock; but -a strong easterly gale delayed the Spanish part of the -expedition. On the 18th about 1500 of the enemy advanced -against Tarifa by the pass of La Pena; but the -road could be commanded from the sea, and our vessels -fired upon them with such effect that they turned back. -Godinot meantime felt severely the want of supplies; -for the mountaineers of Ronda, and the parties which -Ballasteros had appointed for that purpose, intercepted -his communications and cut off his detachments. Three -days, therefore, after his ineffectual demonstration against -Tarifa, he retreated by Ximena upon Ubrique. Ballasteros -was soon at his heels, and falling upon the division -which composed the rear-guard, put it to flight, pursued -it for three leagues, and brought away prisoners, knapsacks, -and arms in abundance. He soon obtained a -more important advantage: dividing his army for the -purpose of deceiving the enemy, he collected it by a - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Nov. 5.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -general movement from different directions to -one point, in the village of Prado del Rey, and -marching from thence by night, surprised Semele at -daybreak. This general had taken his station at Bornos -upon the right bank of the Guadalete, with 2000 foot, -160 horse, and three pieces of artillery. All the mules -and baggage fell into the hands of the Spaniards; -about 100 prisoners were taken, and the corps was put - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 5.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -to flight. This fresh misfortune proved fatal to -Godinot, whom Soult recalled to Seville. On -his arrival in the evening he went to rest; early the -next morning he came out of his chamber, took the -musket of the sentry unobserved, and blew out his own -brains.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_387">387</span> -The plans of Marshal Soult, however, were not to be -frustrated by partial reverses, though they were impeded -by them. France has rarely or never had an abler man -in her service than this general, nor one who might have -attained a higher reputation, if his consummate abilities -had not been devoted to the service of a tyrant, and -sullied by cruelties which bring disgrace upon France -and upon human nature. He had lost Tarifa by relying -too confidently on the supineness and inattention of the -allies. The French entered it when they first overran -Andalusia; and having, as they thought, taken possession, -passed on to other points of more immediate importance. -The governor of Gibraltar, General Colin -Campbell, seized the opportunity, and occupied it with -about 250 men and thirty gunners under Major Brown -of the 28th. A few weeks afterwards, a thousand -French arrived to garrison it: the general hatred of the -Spaniards prevented them from getting any information -but what their own people, and the few traitors whom -they had seduced, could supply; and their troops were -under no little surprise when they found the gates closed -against them. They drew up below the eastern hills, -within musket-range, and poured their bullets into the -town; and they entered the suburbs, where several of -our men were killed; but they were without artillery, -and seeing a detachment issue through the sea-gate to -take possession of the south-east hills, and bring some -guns to bear upon their flank, they hastily retired, and -made no farther attempt to occupy the place, till this -time.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Tarifa.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Tarifa is believed to have been a settlement of the -Phœnicians. It derives its present name from -Tarik, who first led the Moors into Spain, and -who is said to have built the castle. The town had long· -been declining, till the late wars in which Spain had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_388">388</span> -been involved with England, in consequence of her unhappy -connexion with France, gave it a new importance: -for a little island which stands out boldly into the Straits -off the town rendered it a favourable station for gun boats; -and during the late war these boats inflicted -greater losses upon the trade of Great Britain than it -suffered from all the fleets of all her enemies. There -were two half-moon batteries and a martello tower on -the island; but when the Spaniards at the commencement -of this dreadful struggle formed their alliance with -Great Britain, these works, with the whole line of defence -along the Straits, were dismantled, lest the French -should at any time turn it against the best ally of Spain. -The enemy occupied no point which in so great a degree -commanded the straits; and Soult was now the more -desirous of obtaining it, because he was at this time -negotiating with Morocco, and the possession of Tarifa, -which is only five leagues distant from Tangiers, would -render it impossible for England with all her naval -means to prevent him from receiving corn; and thus the -difficulty of supplying the French armies would be -greatly lessened, if not altogether removed.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Tarifa regarrisoned by the English.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The little garrison which had saved this important -place was withdrawn for the expedition under -Generals Lapeña and Graham, and when the -latter re-entered the Isle of Leon, he left Tarifa -uncovered; but General Colin Campbell a second time -secured it, by sending thither the marines from the ships -at Gibraltar. Soon after it was re-garrisoned, Major -King of the 82nd was appointed to the command, and -he and the Spanish governor, D. Manuel Daban, delayed -not to take precautions against a danger, the -approach of which now began to be apprehended. -Piquets were placed at La Pena, at Facinas, and Port -Alanca, and provisions were laid in for a siege. The -first movement of the enemy indicated their ultimate<span class="pagenum" id="Page_389">389</span> -object; D. Antonio Begines de los Rios, an officer who -had distinguished himself daring General Lapeña’s -expedition, and who was now stationed at Algeziras, -made a representation of the approaching danger, and -General Campbell directed that some field works should -be thrown up on the island to secure a retreat, in case a -retreat should be unavoidable. These works excited -some jealousy in the governor; but Major King explained -to him their use and necessity; and Ballasteros, -who inspected them about the same time, expressed in -animated terms his gratitude to the British nation, -seeming at that time, like a brave and generous man, to -feel no petty suspicions, or lingering of old prejudices, -or resentment of false and ill-directed pride.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Col. Skerrett and Copons arrive there.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>In the middle of October, Colonel Skerrett arrived -with about 1200 men, and took the command of -the garrison; and in a few days D. Francisco de -Copons followed him with 900 Spaniards and -about 100 cavalry. The Spanish general demanded -that the keys of the town should be given up to him, -and Colonel Skerrett would have acceded to this, if it -had not been represented, that his predecessors had -kept possession of the keys, first to guard against any -treachery; secondly, because the brother of the governor -was in the French service; and, thirdly, as it was more -conformable to the honour of the British nation. The -validity of the two former reasons had been but too often -proved: the latter might well have been dispensed with; -on the part of England there was no point of honour -implicated, and the British officer acted as he did for -the welfare and security of Spain. The question was -referred by Colonel Skerrett to Governor Campbell’s -decision; and the rapid approach of the enemy, and the -hearty co-operation of the allies against him, removed all -jealousies which otherwise might have arisen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_390">390</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French invest the town.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The French advanced in such superior numbers, that -little attempt could be made to oppose or impede -them. They took possession of the surrounding -hills on the 19th of December, and -lighted fires, which were supposed to be for the purpose -of misleading our gun-boats; for these vessels annoyed -them materially by keeping up a brisk fire upon the pass -of La Pena and the hills near the beach. By the following -night the town was closely invested, after a warm -day’s work, in which the artillery on both sides played -with destructive effect. One of the enemy’s shells killed -an artillery driver and eight artillery horses; fourteen -Spaniards were killed by another. The allies lost -seventy-one in killed and wounded; the loss of the -enemy was also great. Four ten-inch mortars on the -island were seen to do terrible execution; one of their -shells burst in the centre of a column, and towards -evening, when the enemy were most heated and exposed -themselves most, they were evidently checked by the -unexpected resistance which they met with. The siege -was now fairly commenced, and the cavalry and staff-horses, -as no longer useful, were sent to the island, from -thence to be embarked on the first opportunity. An -account of the enemy’s force was obtained from a serjeant -who was brought in prisoner; there were 11,000 -men, he said, with eighteen pieces of cannon, long sixteen -pounders, and two howitzers; Marshal Victor commanded. -The prisoner entreated that he might not be -given up to the Spaniards. When he was asked whether -he thought the French would succeed in the siege, he -replied, “That their Emperor Napoleon had given them -positive orders to take the place, and he generally provided -means adequate to the end in view.” The man -appeared sensible and well informed; this confidence in -the wisdom with which their operations were directed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_391">391</span> -was probably common to the whole French army, and it -constituted half their strength.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Doubts whether the town could be defended.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The allies were not equally confident that they should -be able to defend the place; and the commanding-officer -of the flotilla surveyed the coast of -the island, to fix upon a spot for embarking the -garrison, if they should be compelled to evacuate both -posts. A precaution of this kind, if it had been publicly -known, might have contributed, by disheartening -the men, to produce the catastrophe which it seemed to -anticipate; but it was the duty of the commanders to -think of the worst result, while they hoped and acted -for the best; and when they remembered what weak -walls and insufficient works were opposed to a numerous -enemy, experienced in all the arts of war, and more -especially in the attack of fortified places, it was not -without good reason that they thought it expedient to -provide a place for embarkation. Hitherto, however, -the defence had been well and fortunately conducted; -and the fire of the gun boats and from the island was so -well directed, that great part of the enemy’s stores and -their heavy artillery had not yet been able to come -through the pass of La Pena. By daybreak on the 24th, -the French had brought their approaches within 400 -yards, immediately opposite the north-east tower. That -morning an express arrived from Cadiz, with orders for -Colonel Skerrett to embark his brigade: a council of war -was held, but not for the purpose for which such councils -under such circumstances are usually convened; ... a -right spirit prevailed among the British officers, and they -determined that the place should not be abandoned. To -go once in his life, as Colonel Skerrett had done, to the -relief of a besieged town, and see its imminent distress, -without bearing part in its defence, was sufficient grief -for a brave and generous man; the French had insulted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_392">392</span> -and vilified him for not having done at Tarragona what -no want of will prevented him from doing; opportunity -was now given him of showing them his real character, -and he did not fail to improve it.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">December.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On the night between Christmas eve and Christmas -day, the French broke ground opposite the east -tower at 400 yards distance, and on the following night -they strengthened their approaches at all points, and -advanced 150 yards nearer to the east and north-east -towers. At both points they opened a fire from a number -of wall-pieces, and fired musketry and wall-pieces through -pyramids of earth-sacks from the summit of one of the -hills. Thence they poured their bullets over the whole -town, but the men were so well covered that little hurt -was done. The fire of the garrison was equally brisk -and more successful; ... it was not, however, possible to -prevent the enemy from advancing in works, carried on -upon the perfect rules of art; and in case it should be -found impossible to maintain Tarifa, final arrangements -were made for the order of retreat, and signals established -with the island, to signify when the island was to fire on -the breach, the suburbs, and on the town, so that our -troops might be saved from any error in the possible -confusion, and as much loss as possible inflicted on the -assailants.</p> - -<p>A heavy fire was opened on the 29th from two batteries; -one bore upon the flotilla boats, which were then -at anchor in the eastern bay, and they were fain to cut -their cables and put to sea. This battery then threw -shot and shells to almost every part of the island. The -men received little hurt, for they were at work at the -traverses; but two of the female inhabitants of the town, -who had taken refuge there, were wounded, one losing -a leg, and several horses and mules were killed. The -other was a breaching battery planted in the valley,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_393">393</span> -nearly opposite the Retiro tower, at three hundred yards -distance. By the evening a breach about five feet wide -was made to the right of this tower. The eastern tower -was as yet untouched, but the enemy approached it by -sap within fifty yards. Some of the inhabitants were -killed and wounded in the course of the day retreating -to the island. The men suffered little, for they were -ordered to keep under cover. Their spirit was manifested -upon an occasion which might have led to the -worst consequences. One of our artillery officers spiked -two guns; the troops were exceedingly indignant when -it was whispered among them, and they expressed their -discontent at the apprehension of being made to abandon -the town, without having a fair set-to with the -enemy. General Copons appeared highly enraged when -he was informed of what had been done; and the temper -which both Spaniards and English displayed at this circumstance -taught them how well each might rely upon -the other in this their common cause.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Dec. 30.</span><br />The garrison summoned.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The next day, by ten in the morning, the breach -had been enlarged to three-and-twenty yards, -and about noon a flag of truce arrived; ... it was -a service of danger to carry it, the day being -so foggy, that the flag could scarcely be seen. -General Leval who commanded the besieging troops, -summoned the governor, saying, “that the defence made -by the fortress under his command had sufficiently established -that fair name which is the basis of military -honour: that in a few hours the breach would be practicable, -and that the same honour which had prompted -him to resistance, imposed it now as a duty upon him -to spare the lives of a whole population, whose fate was -in his hands, rather than see them buried amid the ruins -of their town.” Copons answered in these words: -“When you propose to the governor of this fortress to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_394">394</span> -admit a capitulation, because the breach will shortly be -practicable, you certainly do not know that I am here. -When the breach shall be absolutely practicable, you -will find me upon it, at the head of my troops to defend it. -There we will negotiate.” After receiving his reply, the -French renewed their fire upon the breach, but most of -the balls passed through it into the houses which stood -opposite.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The French repulsed in an assault.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Preparations were now made on both sides for the -assault, and at eight on the following morning -the enemy advanced from their trenches in every -direction. 2000 of their men moved by the bed -of the river in front of the breach; the 87th regiment -flanked the breach to the north and south, leaving two -companies in reserve to bayonet the assailants if they -should leap the wall. This, however, was not much -to be apprehended; for the town is built in a hollow, -and in that part the wall on the inside was fourteen feet -lower than on the out. The breach opened into a narrow -street, which had been barricaded on each side, -and was well flanked and secured with <i>chevaux-de-frize</i>, -for which the iron balconies, commonly used in Spanish -towns, furnished ready and excellent materials. When -Colonel Gough saw them advancing, he drew his sword, -threw away the scabbard, and ordered his band to -strike up the Irish air of <i>Garry-Owen</i>. The men immediately -cheered, and opened their fire. The 47th, who -lined a wall which descended from the south-east -tower, and flanked the enemy’s columns, did the same, -and the carnage made among the enemy was such, that -they halted for a moment, as if dismayed, then ran to -the edge of the breach. This they saw was impracticable, -and hurrying off under the wall, they made a dash at -the portcullis. Here the barricade was impenetrable, and -finding themselves in a situation where courage could be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_395">395</span> -of no avail, and where they were brought down by hundreds, -they fled. Colonel Gough seeing them fly, bade -his band strike up <i>St. Patrick’s Day</i>, and the men were -so inspirited, that it was scarcely possible to restrain -them from pursuing the fugitives up to their very -trenches<a id="FNanchor_33" href="#Footnote_33" class="fnanchor">33</a>.</p> - -<p>The enemy suffered severely in their flight; hand-grenades -from the houses were thrown upon those who -fled by the wall, in hope of security, and a six-pounder -on the north-east tower flanked them. The two leading -officers of the column remained under the wall, and -were taken prisoners. A flag of truce was soon sent, to -ask permission to bury the dead. About 500 had fallen; -and it was a miserable sight to see the wounded crawling -under the breach: about forty, many of whom were -officers, were brought into the town. On the part of the -garrison ten were killed and seventeen wounded.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">January.</span><br />Effects of a storm on both parties.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The old year was now terminated with triumph and -rejoicing at Tarifa, but the new one came in -with mourning. A dreadful storm of wind and -rain came on from the eastward, and two Spanish -gun-boats, full of fugitives from the town, -were wrecked under the guns of the island. Two-and-forty -persons perished. The inhabitants who were -hutted on the eastern side of the island, were overwhelmed -by the surge, all lost their property and many -of them their lives. Many more perished by the storm -than had fallen in repelling the assault. The weather, -however, brought with it some compensation to the -Spaniards for this destruction; the few shells which -the enemy threw during the day fell dead, giving proof -that their ammunition had suffered, and neither that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_396">396</span> -day nor the next did they make any farther attempt on -the breach, nor move any of their guns to batter a more -assailable point. During the night of the first, the -wind blew up many of the tents on the island, and exposed -the men to the storm. On the second, the rain -increased, and the wind fell; in the course of the -ensuing night, a party sallied, and found the lower -trenches of the enemy so flooded by the rains, that their -piquets had abandoned them. Some deserters now came -in, and declared that two regiments had refused to -assault the breach a second time; that the sufferings -which they endured from the weather had excited a mutinous -expression of discontent among the foreigners in -their army and that Victor had, in consequence of these -things, thought it necessary to send for Soult, who was -arrived, and now at the convent of La Luz. Other deserters -confirmed this account, and added, that there -were about 1000 sick, and that the swelling of the -rivers cut off their supplies, and was likely to cut off -their retreat.</p> - -<p>The besieged did not rely too confidently upon their -good fortune, and these favourable tidings, which all -appearances, as far as they could, seemed to corroborate. -Ballasteros, with 2000 of his best troops, embarked at -Algeziras, to assist in the defence of Tarifa; but the -weather prevented him from sailing, and the commander -seeing that the enemy were removing their guns -higher up, and expecting that another breach would be -made, applied to General Colin Campbell for a reinforcement. -The light companies of the 9th regiment -were immediately dispatched, and landed in the course -of the day, and in the following night farther succours -arrived. Toward evening, a column of the enemy was -seen advancing from La Luz, and a deserter brought -intelligence that they proposed to attack at the same<span class="pagenum" id="Page_397">397</span> -time the town, the island, and St. Catalina, ... a conical -hill on the land side of the isthmus, which was occupied -as an outwork to the island; if they failed in these -simultaneous attacks, they meant to raise the siege. -About an hour after night had closed, they approached -close to the eastern wall, and poured a fire of musketry -into the town; the whole of the garrison immediately -repaired to their alarm posts, and the guards on the -wall returned their fire with good effect. It was intended -only for a feint, and the enemy presently withdrew. -About midnight, the garrison were again called -out by a firing on all sides of the town; the firing suddenly -ceased, and a little before daybreak it was discovered -that the enemy had retreated during the darkness. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Jan. 4.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -When morning opened, nothing but their -rear guard was in sight; the light troops pursued -them as far as the river Salado, ... memorable as -the place where the Moors made their last great effort -for the conquest of Spain, and where they received -from the allied armies of Castille and Portugal one of -the greatest and most important defeats which history -has recorded.</p> - -<p>The French buried their cannon and left behind them -great part of their stores, and what they attempted to -remove, the weather and the state of the roads compelled -them to abandon upon the way. Their loss was -computed at not less than 2500 men, ... a number exceeding -that of the garrison. The siege had continued -seventeen days; the wall in front of the town was but a -yard thick, and incapable of bearing heavy artillery; a -breach had been open in it for seven days. Here for -the first time, the French learned in what manner -Englishmen could defend stone walls, and Lord Wellington -was about to show that they could attack them -with the same spirit and the same success.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Gen. Hill occupies Merida.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>General Hill, after his surprisal of the French at<span class="pagenum" id="Page_398">398</span> -Arroyo Molinos, had returned to his cantonments in -Alentejo, watching an opportunity for a second -blow. Towards the end of December, he made -a rapid movement upon Merida in the hope of -surprising them there also, but this was in part frustrated -by the accident of falling in with a detachment -which was on a plundering excursion, and which retreating -with great skill and bravery before our advanced -guard, gave the alarm. Upon this the enemy evacuated -the city, leaving unfinished the works which -they were constructing for its defence, and abandoning -a magazine of bread and a considerable quantity of -wheat. The British general, then hearing that Drouet -was collecting his troops at Almendralejo, marched -upon that town: but the French had retired, leaving -there also a magazine of flour; the state of the weather -and of the roads, which were daily becoming worse, -prevented General Hill from pursuing; having, therefore, -cleared this part of Extremadura of the French (for -they retreated to the south), he cantoned his troops in -Merida and its vicinity, and waited for other opportunities -and a fairer season.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Attempt to carry off Soult.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The Guerrillas failed about the same time in an -attempt which, if it had proved successful, -would in the highest degree have gratified the -vindictive spirit of the Spaniards. Zaldivar -laid an ambush for Marshal Soult, and if a goatherd had -had not apprized him of his danger, that able commander -would have been at the mercy of men as -merciless as himself. A successful achievement by D. -Julian Sanchez perhaps induced Zaldivar to undertake -this well-planned, though less fortunate, adventure. -That chieftain, soon after the relief of Ciudad Rodrigo, -formed a scheme for driving off the cattle, which had -been introduced into the city, and were driven out every -morning to graze under the guns of the place. He not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_399">399</span> -only succeeded in taking the greater part of them, but -made the governor, Regnauld, prisoner, who with - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Oct. 15.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -a small escort had crossed the Agueda, thinking -himself perfectly safe, within sight of the fort and -under its guns. About the same time an accident occurred, -which showed the gratitude as well as the enterprise -of the Spaniards. Colonel Grant, of the Portugueze - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Col. Grant rescued by the Guerrillas.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -army, who had on many occasions distinguished -himself, was surprised at El Aceuche, -and made prisoner. D. Antonio Temprano, who -commanded a squadron of hussars, obtained intelligence -that he had passed through Oropesa, on the way to -Talavera; “and because,” he said, “of the singular -estimation in which this officer deserved to be held for -his services,” he determined, if it were possible, to -rescue him: for this purpose he placed an ambush -within shot of Talavera during five successive days; -and on the fifth, succeeded in delivering Colonel Grant -and a Portugueze officer, his companion in misfortune, -at a time when they both expected to be consigned to -hopeless captivity.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>State of feeling at Madrid.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>That Temprano’s detachment should have remained -five days so near a populous city like Talavera, -and no information be given to the French garrison, -is one of the many proofs which were -daily occurring, how entirely the Spanish people hated -the government which Buonaparte was endeavouring to -force upon them. Meantime, even from Madrid, in -spite of the vigilance of a French police, and the rigour -of a military government, which, knowing itself to be -detested, sought only to maintain itself by fear, the -inhabitants found means of sending not only intelligence, -but even supplies, to their brethren in arms. It is -related in one of the Spanish journals, as a proof of the -patriotism of the capital, and the confidence which the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_400">400</span> -Spaniards there placed in each other, that a lady gave -into the hands of a carrier, whom she met in the street, -and had never seen before, a large bundle of lint and -bandages, for the nearest military hospital of her countrymen, -and it was accordingly delivered to the Junta of -Leon, to be thus disposed of. Romana’s army was -clothed by contributions from Madrid.</p> - -<p>The ambition of the French government has been at -all times well seconded by the activity and talents of its -subjects, and by that lively interest, which more than -any other people they feel for the glory of their country; -but its policy has always been counteracted by other -parts of the French character. While the Intrusive -Government and the generals upon every occasion reminded -the Spaniards that they were orthodox Roman -catholics like themselves, and that the English were -heretics endeavouring thus, by raising religious animosities, -to excite disunion between them and their allies, -they could not refrain from outraging the feelings of -the Spaniards, by the grossest mockery of all things -which were held sacred. Masquerades were given at -Madrid on the Sundays in Lent, and the people were -shocked at seeing masks in the characters of nuns, friars -and clergy in their surplices, in the public places of -promenade, and at the theatre. They were still more -offended at beholding one in episcopal habits, and -another with a cope, and the other habits of the altar. -At Albarracin and Orihuela, the French gave balls, and -exhibited a bull-fight on Holy Thursday, the cost of -which they levied upon the villages round about. “The -robbery,” said the Spaniards, “can surprise no one after -our long experience of their insolence and rapacity; but -that which wounds to the quick a feeling and pious -soul, is the atrocious and sacrilegious insult which these -wretches offer to human nature, and to the religion of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_401">401</span> -that God whom they profess to adore. Common -banditti commit murder after robbery, ... but to suck the -blood of a victim, to expose him to a thousand torments, -and to compel him after all to outrage religion, the only -consolation and hope which he has left, and to make -him with his last tears deplore the most sacrilegious -of their excesses, this is peculiar to Buonaparte and his -soldiers.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>State of the country.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The conduct of the French in other respects was -such as heightened this feeling of abhorrence; -everywhere the people groaned under their exactions, -their cruelties, and their intolerable insolence. -It seemed as if it were the wish of Buonaparte and his -ferocious agents utterly to depopulate a country which -they found it impossible to subdue. Dreadful as war -always is, no ordinary war could have brought upon any -nation such complicated miseries. It was impossible for -those even who would have been contented to bow, like -bulrushes, before the storm, to obtain security by any -course of conduct; the orders of the Intrusive Government -were met by counter orders from the legitimate -authority; and they who obeyed that authority were, on -the other hand, exposed to the penalties enacted in the -Intruder’s name. Buonaparte and his wicked agents -expected to govern Spain by terror, little thinking, when -the plan of usurpation was laid, that the character of the -nation would compensate for the imbecility of its rulers; -that his system of terror would be met by counter terrors; -and that the people for whom he proclaimed there -was no safety but in obedience would, on their part, -proclaim that obedience, when carried farther than mere -passive and inevitable submission to immediate force, -was a crime which would draw upon the temporizing -and the timid the very evil they sought to avert. Nothing -but that patient, persevering, obstinate, inflexible,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_402">402</span> -and invincible spirit of local patriotism which for more -than two thousand years has distinguished the Spaniards -above all other nations, could have supported them -through such a struggle; while the allies, by whom, -under Providence, their deliverance was to be effected, -were acquiring confidence in their own strength, and -experience, and some of that wisdom in which at the -beginning of the contest they were lamentably wanting. -But, meantime, the sufferings of the Spaniards were of -the severest kind, and as general as they were severe. -There was scarcely a family in the Peninsula, from the -highest to the lowest, of which some member had not -been cut off by the sword. The affluent were deprived -of their property; the industrious of their employment; -men of letters were bereaved of the books and papers -which had been the occupation and delight of their -laborious, and honourable, and disinterested lives; and -they who had grown grey in convents were driven out -to beg for bread among those who were themselves -reduced to want.</p> - -<p>The Intruder, meantime, was in a condition which -was truly pitiable, if one who had allowed himself to -be made the ostensible cause of such wide-spreading -misery and desolation had not forfeited all claim to pity. -This phantom of a king had neither money to pay his -ministers and dependents, nor authority over the armies -which acted in his name. The Frenchified Spaniards -who composed his ministry, and the French generals, -agreed in despising him, ... this being almost the only -point in which they agreed: on the part of Urquijo -Azanza, and their colleagues, there was some commiseration -mingled with their contempt; their object had -been to effect a change of dynasty, under the protection -of France, not to reduce Spain to the state of a province; -and they could not perceive that Joseph Buonaparte<span class="pagenum" id="Page_403">403</span> -was the mere puppet of his perfidious brother, -without self-reproaches and unavailing regret. For -their own sakes, therefore, they preserved the forms of -respect toward him; but the generals were restrained -by no such feeling; they set his orders at nought, and -looked only to France for instructions. The object of -the officers was to enrich themselves by pillage; that -of the commanders was to carve out dukedoms, and -provinces, and principalities, which they might govern -by the sword while Buonaparte lived, and perhaps -maintain for themselves by the same tenure after his -death.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Intruder goes to France.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Sick of his miserable situation, the Intruder went to -France, to represent the deplorable state of -Spain, and press upon Buonaparte the necessity -of providing an adequate support for the -government which he had established, if he could -not send into the Peninsula such a force as should -expel the English, and bear down all resistance. He -himself perhaps would have rejoiced if Buonaparte -would have executed his old threat of annexing Spain -to the French empire, and treating it openly as a -conquest, ... for Joseph had neither the talents nor the -temper of an usurper: without virtue to refuse obedience -to his tyrannical brother, and yet without those vices -which would make him heartily enter into his plans, -his only resource was in sensualities, for his criminal -compliance had left him no other consolation. This -propensity he would far rather have indulged in retirement -and security: but the views and wishes of his -ministers were widely different: the direct usurpation -of Spain by Buonaparte would have reduced them at -once to insignificance, and placed them upon a level -with Godoy, whom they, perhaps, as well as their worthier -countrymen, regarded as a traitor; for certain it is,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_404">404</span> -that among these unhappy men there were some who -began their career with good feelings, and a sincere love -of their country, and who were betrayed by error and -presumptuousness, and their connexion with France, -into guilt and infamy. They dreaded nothing so much -as Joseph’s retirement, and rejoiced in his return to -Spain as at a triumph.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Distress both of the Intrusive and Legitimate Government.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>It suited not the immediate policy of Buonaparte -to displace his brother. Moscow instead of -Madrid occupied at this time his ambitious -thoughts, and supplying with men the Intrusive -Government, he left it to shift as it could for -means. So distressed was Joseph for money, that the -plate of the royal chapel at Madrid was sent to the -mint, though such an act would make him at once -odious for sacrilege, and contemptible for poverty, in the -eyes of the people. In want of other funds for his -emissaries to America, he sent a large quantity of quicksilver -to be sold at Alicante: the governor there discovered -for what use the produce was designed, and -seized 1700 <i>arrobas</i>, and the agents who had it in -charge. A great effort was made to pay some of the -public arrears on Buonaparte’s birthday, the fifteenth -of August, for which day St. Napoleone had been foisted -into the Spanish calendar. 100,000 <i>reales de vellon</i> -were paid on this anniversary to the ministers. Lledo, -the comedian, received 18,000, and 100 each were distributed -to some ladies of rank, who were reduced to -petition the Intruder for bread! A bull-fight was given -at Madrid on this day, at which all the bulls were -white; long preparation therefore must have been necessary -for collecting them: D. Damaso Martin, the -Empecinado’s brother, carried off from the meadows of -Puente de Viveros 300, which had been destined for -these ferocious sports in the capital.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_405">405</span> -The legitimate government, meantime, was not less -distressed than that of the Intruder: as far as the contest -lay between them, it was carried on on both sides -almost without any certain revenue on which either -could rely. The chief resources of the Spaniards, at -the commencement of the struggle, had been in America, -and these had been cut off by a series of deplorable -events, in which it is difficult to say which of the opposite -parties was most culpable. This was now the fourth -year of the war; the spirit of the people, and the defects -of their military system, had been abundantly proved; -nothing was wanting but to remedy those defects by -raising an army under the direction of Lord Wellington, -who had delivered Portugal, and might by similar -means speedily and certainly have delivered Spain. -Many causes prevented this; one is to be found in a jealousy -or rather dislike of England, which had grown up -in the liberal party with their predilection for republican -France, and which continued with other errors from -the same source, still to actuate them. The pride of -the Spanish character was another and more widely -influencing cause: the Spaniards remembered that their -troops had once been the best in the world; and this -remembrance, which in the people so greatly contributed -to keep up their spirit, in the government produced only -a contented and baneful torpor which seemed like infatuation. -The many defeats, in the course of four years, -which they had sustained, from that at Rio Seco to the -last ruinous action before Valencia, brought with them -no conviction to the successive governments of their -radical weakness and their radical error. After Lord -Wellington had driven Massena out of Portugal, it was -proposed that the command of the frontier provinces -should be given him, and that an army should be raised<span class="pagenum" id="Page_406">406</span> -there under him: it was debated in a secret sitting, and -rejected by an hundred voices against thirty.</p> - -<p>“There are three classes of men,” said Dueñas, “who -will break up the Cortes, unless the Cortes breaks down -them: they who refuse to acknowledge the sovereignty -of the nation, calling it a mere chimera, and saying there -is no sovereignty except that of the king; they who -distrust our cause, and say that the few millions who -inhabit Spain cannot make head against all Europe; -and, lastly, they who imagine, that as the French have -conquered while they despise God, we may do the -same.” The deputy’s fears of the first and third of -these classes were groundless, and there were but few -of the second, ... but few Spaniards who despaired of -Spain. Nothing, however, could tend so much to increase -their number as the conduct of the government; it -might well be feared that a system, if system it could be -called, which trusted to its allies, and to the events that -time and chance might bring forth, would at length exhaust -the hopes and the constancy, as well as the blood, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Schemes for strengthening the government.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -of the Spaniards. All considerate persons could -not but perceive that the present government -was in no respect more efficient than that of the -Central Junta had been, which, for its inefficiency, -would have been broken up by an insurrection, if it -had not prevented such a catastrophe by a timely abdication. -As a remedy for this evil, the Cortes thought at -one time of taking the executive into their own hands, -and administering it by a committee chosen from their -own members; but the resemblance which this bore to -the system pursued by the French National Convention, -during the worst stage of the revolution, deterred those -who favoured it from bringing forward a proposal that -would reasonably have alarmed the greater part of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_407">407</span> -assembly, and have disgusted the nation. They who -were of opinion that the Regency would be more effective -if vested in a single person than in three or five, knew -not where that person was to be found who should unite - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Cardinal Bourbon.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -legitimate claims with individual qualifications. -Cardinal Bourbon occurred to them, but as one -who had neither the personal respectability, nor the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Infante D. Carlos.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -capacity desired. The Infante D. Carlos was -supposed to possess sufficient strength of character, -and it was not doubted, that if opportunity of -attempting to escape could be offered him, he would -be not less desirous to avail himself of it than Ferdinand -had, luckily for himself, been found of shrinking from -the danger; but the failure in Ferdinand’s case had -greatly increased both the difficulties and dangers of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The Princess of Brazil.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -such an attempt. There remained the princess -of Brazil, whose right to the Regency, under -existing circumstances, was admitted by the -Council of Castille. She had spirit and abilities equal -to the charge; but, on the other hand, she was known to -be of an intriguing and dangerous disposition, ... one -who, being, by reason of her station, sure of impunity in -this world for any thing which she might be inclined to -commit, believed that her father-confessor could at all -times make her equally secure in the next, and was notoriously -disposed to make full use of these convenient -privileges whenever any personal inclination was to be -gratified or any political object to be brought about. -Yet with this knowledge of her character, those British -statesmen who were best acquainted with the affairs of -the Peninsula at that time, and with what advantages we -might carry on the war there, if it were vigorously pursued, -and what were the impediments which in far -greater degree than the entire force of the enemy impeded -our progress, agreed in opinion, that it should be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_408">408</span> -the true policy of England to support her claim, regarding -the possible consequences in Portugal, of her appointment -to the Spanish Regency, as a consideration of -inferior moment. There would yet be a difficulty concerning -the place to be fixed on for her residence: -Lisbon it could not be: ... pre-eminently fitted as that -city was to be the capital of the united governments, the -ill-will between the Portugueze and Spaniards, which -the circumstances of the present war unhappily had not -tended to diminish, rendered this impossible; and, for -the same reason, Cadiz was hardly less objectionable. -It was thought, therefore, that the princess might best -reside at Madeira, and govern in Spain through a Vice-Regent. -The conduct of the Cortes in arrogating the -title of Majesty, and exercising, as, in fact they did, the -executive government through successive Regencies, -which they nominated and dissolved at pleasure, made -persons who were otherwise averse to it accede to this -scheme as involving fewer inconveniences than any -other which could be proposed.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>State of the Portugueze government.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Some change also, and of the same kind, appeared to -be not less desirable in Portugal. The arrangement -which placed the Portugueze army -under a British general, introducing at the same -time a large proportion of British officers into that army, -and that which placed the whole military establishment -under a British commander-in-chief, had been necessary, -and the Portugueze themselves were sensible that it was -so. But it was not wisely done to put the Portugueze -fleet under a British admiral, nor to make the British -ambassador a member of the Regency: in the first instance, -a great expense was incurred in time of extreme -want; in both, some offence was given to national feeling; -and in neither was there any advantage gained. Sir -Charles Stuart was in no enviable situation; there was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_409">409</span> -a constant opposition between him and the Souzas, who -had great influence at the court of the Rio, whose intentions -were not to be suspected, and whose abilities were -of no common order, but whose deep prepossessions -prevented them from adapting their views to the actual -circumstances of the country. When he exerted himself -to rectify habitual disorders, and provide for demands -which were continually recurring, and which it was ruinous -to neglect, the whole host of intriguers was in action -against him, and he incurred the dislike of the prince, of -whose ear his opponents had possession: on the other -hand, the repeated complaints from head-quarters against -the misconduct of the Portugueze government under -which the native army was mouldering away more -rapidly than it had been formed, seemed to include him -of course among the persons upon whom the blame was -laid. Yet his colleagues, as well as he, were more to be -pitied than condemned, for what they left undone. The -whole revenues of the house of Braganza were at this -time remitted to Brazil, ... no unfit arrangement, as the -family was there to be supported. But the court received -also the revenues from Madeira and the Western -Isles, and the establishments in Africa, and yet called -for money from Portugal! It had left so great a part of -the old court establishment there that the expenses of -that part exceeded the whole produce of the crown lands; -and it was continually sending persons from Brazil, to -be provided for at home; ... this, at a time when Portugal -with only half its former revenues, and with a -ruined people, had to support an army fourfold more -numerous than in its days of prosperity!</p> - -<p>The prince of Brazil was jealous of his prerogative; ... -and there were those about him who lost no opportunity -of insinuating that England aimed at establishing a -permanent influence over the government of Portugal.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_410">410</span> -This was so old an art of faction, that even from -new circumstances it could derive no strength; and -although, if he were at Lisbon, he would be within reach -of the insidious proposals of the French, who would -have no difficulty in finding intriguers to second them, -yet, on the whole, those persons whose opinions carried -most weight thought it desirable that he should be -urged to return, his presence nearer Lisbon being as -necessary as that of the princess was deemed to be at -Cadiz. But the statesmen who advised this seem to -have overlooked the circumstances of Brazil, where at -that time the presence of the court was the only check -upon the revolutionary spirit which was then gathering -strength: that consideration alone must have detained -the prince there; and if the claim of the princess had -been more popular than it was at Cadiz, the conduct of -the Portugueze diplomatists on this occasion was sufficient -to ruin it.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>M. Wellesley’s views.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Marquis Wellesley, whose views were always comprehensive, -thought that nothing of importance -could be done in the field, unless an efficient -Spanish army were raised of 30 or 40,000 men. -To expect any thing from it under its present establishment, -he argued, would be to deceive ourselves; ... any -thing short of a thorough reform under a British commander -and British officers, Great Britain providing -also for the pay and subsistence of the whole, would be -fruitless; and this we could not afford. But we might -take into our pay an army of 30,000 men, and assist -Spain with a loan of five or six millions for raising -another: a much larger sum would be saved by this -expenditure if it shortened the war a single year; and -that it might be so shortened, no one who had faith in -British courage, and knew the capacity of the British -commander, could doubt. But Marquis Wellesley had<span class="pagenum" id="Page_411">411</span> -not that ascendancy in the cabinet to which in the -opinion of his admirers he was entitled, and which, -perhaps, he had expected to assert. His colleagues -might have acted with more vigour, if their tenure of -the government had been more secure; the sense of -that insecurity, and the constant struggle wherein they -were engaged at home, made them regard difficulties as -insuperable, which would have disappeared if they had -had sufficient confidence in themselves.</p> - -<p>This want of energy must have been fatal, if Lord -Wellington had not been eminently qualified for the -arduous situation in which he was placed. Both his -mind and body were equal to all that was required from -them. He rose about four, and after a slight breakfast -was usually on horseback from daylight till about the -hour of noon. He was then employed till three, in -transacting business with the officers of the army, or in -writing his orders and letters, answering every dispatch -and letter as it was brought before him. At three he -dined, was on horseback again at five, till evening -closed, and was then employed in business till ten, when -he retired to rest. Mortifying as it was, having in -himself glorious anticipations of what he could effect -with adequate means, at the same time to feel himself -crippled for want of them; no embarrassments ever had -the effect of perplexing his judgment, or leading him to -despond; but making his preparations with long forethought, -he waited the opportunity for attempting whatever -his means allowed him to undertake.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Wellington prepares for the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The force with which he intended to besiege Ciudad -Rodrigo consisted of 17,000 British, and 14,000 -Portugueze, ... so inferior to what Marmont -might bring into the field against him, that -every thing depended upon secrecy in his -plans, and celerity in their execution. That he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_412">412</span> -would undertake the siege was what every officer who -reasoned, or talked about the ensuing campaign, could -not but conclude; but when it was his intention was not -communicated even to those persons in whom he placed -most confidence, and of whom he entertained the<a id="FNanchor_34" href="#Footnote_34" class="fnanchor">34</a> highest -opinion. The works of Almeida which Brennier -had demolished, when with so much credit to himself -he abandoned the place, were restored; British and -Portugueze troops in equal numbers being employed -upon them, and receiving working money, and such of -them as were bricklayers or stonemasons, and acted as -artificers, double pay. This, which the French might -consider a defensive measure, was for the purpose of -providing a safe depôt for the battering train. That -train was conveyed up the Douro forty miles, farther -than the boats of the country had navigated the river -before, our engineers having removed the impediments -which rendered it innavigable. There had been such -difficulty in obtaining means of transport, that for this -reason alone, Lord Wellington had been obliged to -undertake feeding all the Portugueze troops that were -incorporated in the British divisions. The system of the -Portugueze commissariat was to embargo carts and -cattle for this service, ... a grievous evil to the owners, -who knew that they were likely never to be paid, and -that their beasts would probably be worked to death; -unless, therefore, they were closely watched, they, as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_413">413</span> -might be expected, deserted, and left the supplies to -take their chance. Nor, when British faith was pledged -for payment of the commissariat accounts, was there any -perceptible amendment, so long as the means of transport -were to be supplied by the local authorities: these -authorities showed little alacrity in executing the orders -of government, and the people as little in obeying their -requisitions; for the magistrates being delivered from -immediate danger had relapsed into that apathy which -had long pervaded every department of the body politic. -There were 20,000 carts in Alentejo, and yet, when -Lord Wellington was on that frontier, it was with difficulty -that 600 could be procured for the service of the -army. The institutions of the country were excellent; -but government could not enforce the laws, and the magistrates -would not: the British were the only persons -who observed them, and by that observance, subjected -themselves to serious inconvenience; they depended -upon the civil magistrate, who neglected his duty, and -they were then left to shift for themselves. To prevent -this evil, a waggon train was now attached to the British -commissariat, and upwards of 600 carts, each capable -of carrying eight hundred weight, and upon a better -construction than the primitive carts of the country, -were built at Lisbon, Porto, and Almeida. To this latter -place the battering train was conveyed towards the close -of November; and when relying upon Lord Wellington’s -comparative weakness, and the improbability of his attempting -any serious operation at that season, Marmont -had detached Montbrun to the eastern coast, and Dorsenne -had ordered two other divisions to Asturias and -the Montaña: the allied troops began to make fascines -and gabions at their respective head-quarters on the -27th of December; and the 6th of January was fixed -for the investment of Ciudad Rodrigo.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_414">414</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1812.<br />January.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The time of year, and the exhausted state of the -country, contributed to deceive the French: -they did not suppose that Lord Wellington -would, in the depth of winter, undertake an operation -of such importance, nor that his army could long endure -the privations to which they must be exposed. Every -thing which could serve for the support of man or beast -had been consumed for miles and miles around; and on -that part of the frontier there was little grain at any -time, the tract for corn commencing at Salamanca and -its neighbourhood, where the enemy were cantoned. -The allied troops were four days together without -bread; and the officers purchased it at the rate of three -shillings the quartern loaf, and at one time five. The -horses, though hardy as if they had never stood in a -stable, and rough as if never groom had laid his hand -upon their coats, began to fail; all the straw having -been consumed, they had nothing to subsist on except -coarse long grass pulled up from under the trees, and so -thoroughly sun-dried that little nourishment was left in -it. Because of this scarcity, the three brigades of cavalry -took the outpost duty in rotation, ... and the regiments -lost about fifty horses each by starvation.</p> - -<p>A heavy rain fell on the first night of the new year; -and the weather continued so inclement till the fifth, -that the investment was necessarily deferred till two -days later than the time originally fixed. General Mackinnon’s -brigade marching from Aldea da Ponte to -Robledo, six-and-twenty miles through a continued oak -forest, had in many places to make their way knee-deep -in snow; between 300 and 400 men were left on the -road, of whom some died on the march, several afterwards -of fatigue. There was no camp-equipage with -the army, nor cover near the town; the troops were -therefore cantoned in the nearest villages, and it was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_415">415</span> -regulated, that the light, first, and third divisions, should -alternately take the duties of the siege, each remaining -four-and-twenty hours on the ground.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Ciudad Rodrigo.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Ciudad Rodrigo stands in the middle of a plain some -sixteen miles in circumference, surrounded by -hills, which rise gradually, ridge behind ridge -above each other on every side, far as the eye can reach. -From those heights, at a distance of ten or twelve miles, -the movement of the British army might be perceived; -but the enemy seem at this time to have exercised no -vigilance, and voluntary information was never given -them by the Spaniards. The city is on a rising ground, -on the right bank of the Agueda, which in that part of -its course forms many little islets. The citadel standing -on a high mount has been likened, for its situation, to -Windsor Castle. The works were old, and in many -respects faulty; and the suburbs, which are about three -hundred yards from the town on the west, had no other -defence, at the time of the former siege, than a bad -earthen intrenchment hastily thrown up; but the French -had made strong posts of three convents, one in the centre -of the suburbs, and one on either flank; and they had -converted another convent just beyond the glacis on the -north-west angle of the place into an infantry post. -Being thus supported, the works of the suburbs, bad as -they were, were thought fully capable of resisting a - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Colonel Jones’s Journal of the siege, pp. 82–3.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -<i>coup de main</i>. The ground is every where flat -and rocky except on the north, where there are -two pieces of rising ground, one at the distance -of six hundred yards from the works, being -about thirteen feet higher than the ramparts, the other -at less than a third of that distance, nearly on a level -with them: the soil here is very stony, and in the winter -season water rises at the depth of half a foot below -the surface. The enemy had provided against an attack<span class="pagenum" id="Page_416">416</span> -on this side, by erecting a redoubt upon the higher -ground, which was supported by two guns, and a howitzer -in battery on the fortified convent of S. Francisco -at four hundred yards distance; and a large proportion -of the artillery of the place was in battery to fire upon -the approach from the hill.</p> - -<p>On this side, however, it was deemed advisable to -make the attack, because of the difficulty of cutting -trenches in a rocky soil, and the fear of delay in winning -the suburbs, ... the garrison being sure of relief if -they could gain even but a little time. On this side, -too, it was known, by Massena’s attack, that the walls -might be breached at a distance from the glacis; whereas, -on the east and south it was doubtful, because of a fall -in the ground, whether this could be done without erecting -batteries on the glacis: but here a small ravine at -the foot of the glacis and its consequent steepness, would -conceal the workmen during their operations for blowing -in the counterscarp, a circumstance which had great - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Colonel Jones’s Journal, 84.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -weight in forming the plan of an attack, where -not a single officer had ever seen such an operation -performed.</p> - -<p>Time was of such importance, and such preparations -had been made before the army moved from its quarters, -that ground was broken on the very night of the investment. -At nine that night, a detachment under Lieutenant - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>A redoubt carried.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Colbourne of the 52nd attacked the redoubt -on the upper <i>teson</i> or hill. Lieutenant -Thomson (of the Royal engineers) preceded the detachment -with a party of men carrying ladders, fascines, -axes, &c.: he found the palisades to be within three -feet of the counterscarp, and nearly of the same height: -fascines were immediately laid from the one to the other, -by which, as by a bridge, part of the storming party -walked over. When they came to the escarpe, which<span class="pagenum" id="Page_417">417</span> -was not revêted, the men scrambled up, some of them -sticking their bayonets into the sods, and so entered the -work; while another party went round to the gorge, -where there was no ditch, and forced the gate. Only -four of the garrison escaped into the town, and only -three were killed; two officers and forty-three men were -made prisoners; the loss of the assailants was six men -killed, three officers and sixteen men wounded. A lodgment -was then made on the hill near the redoubt, and -with little loss, because the enemy directed their fire -chiefly into the work; and a communication was opened -to it.</p> - -<p>The siege was carried on with extraordinary vigour; -and Lord Wellington calculating upon intelligence which -he received, that Marmont would advance to relieve the -place even before the rapid plan of operations on which -he had determined could be carried through, resolved to -form a breach, if possible, from the first batteries, and -storm the place with the counterscarp entire, if he could -not wait until it should be blown up. The weather -increased the difficulties of the undertaking: while the -frost continued, men could not work through the night; -and when it broke, they who were employed in the sap -worked day and night up to their knees in water, under -the declivity of a hill down which the rain had poured. -Of 250 mules attached to the light division, fifty died in -conveying ammunition to the breaches, ... destroyed by -being overworked, and by want of needful rest and sufficient -food. The garrison were encouraged, not only by -the confident expectation of relief, (for they knew Marmont -was strong enough to effect it, and could not suppose -that, for want of foresight, he had disabled himself -for attempting it in time,) but also by the failure of the -allies at Badajoz, and the inferiority of our engineering -department. They omitted no means of defence, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_418">418</span> -neglected no opportunity which presented itself. On -the night, between the 13th and 14th, the convent of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Convent of Santa Cruz taken.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Santa Cruz, in which they kept a strong guard, -was attacked and taken. From the steeple of -the cathedral which commanded the plain, and -where there was always an officer on the look-out, they -noticed a careless custom, that when the division to be -relieved saw the relieving division advancing, the guards -and workmen were withdrawn from the trenches to meet -it; sore weariness and pinching cold were present and -pressing evils, which made them overlook the danger of -leaving the works unguarded at such intervals. Profiting -by this, some 500 men made a sortie at the right -point of time, upset most of the gabions which during -the preceding night had been placed in advance of the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">January 14.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -first parallel, penetrated some of them into the -right of that parallel, and would have pushed -into the batteries and spiked the guns, had it not been for -the steady conduct of a few workmen, whom an officer of -engineers collected into a body; on the approach of -part of the first division, they retired into the town.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Captain Ross killed.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Captain Ross of the engineers, one of the directors, -was killed by a chain shot from St. Francisco’s: -he was brother to that excellent officer who -afterward fell at Baltimore, and was himself a man of -great professional promise, uniting with military talents, -a suavity of manners, and a gentleness of disposition, -especially to be prized in a profession where humanity -is so greatly needed. His friend and comrade, Lieutenant -Skelton, was killed at the same time, and buried -with him, in the same grave, in a little retired valley, -not far from the spot where they fell. Colonel (then -Captain) Jones, (to whose history of the war, and more -especially, to whose Journal of the Sieges this work is -greatly indebted,) placed a small pedestal with an inscription<span class="pagenum" id="Page_419">419</span> -to mark the grave, and with prudent as well -as christian feeling, surmounted it with a cross. That -humble monument has, because of its christian symbol, -been respected; ... Spaniards have been seen kneeling -there, and none pass it without uncovering their heads.</p> - -<p>A howitzer placed in the garden of St. Francisco’s -convent so as to enfilade one of the batteries, had -caused many casualties and impeded the progress of the -work. The convent also looked into the rear of the -second parallel. Two guns which were opened upon -this edifice on the 14th, at the same time that twenty-five -were opened against the walls of the place, did not -drive the enemy from their advantageous post; a -party, therefore, of the 40th regiment was ordered to -force into it at dusk, and as soon as they had escaladed - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>St. Francisco’s taken and the suburbs.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the outer wall, the French, leaving their artillery, -retired into the town, not from the convent -only, but from the suburbs, which were immediately -occupied by the 40th.</p> - -<p>The batteries had injured the wall so much on the -second day, as to give hopes of speedily bringing it -down. A fog compelled them to cease firing on the 16th; -the engineers took advantage of the cover which the fog -afforded them, and placed fifty gabions in prolongation -of the second parallel. That parallel was pushed to -its proper extent on the left in the course of the night, -and the lower <i>teson</i> crowned by it. The sappers also -broke out the head of the sap: but they could do nothing -on the hill, and but little in the sap, because of their -inexperience, and because the enemy’s artillery knocked -over their gabions, nearly as fast as they could be - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Col. Jones’s Journal of Sieges, 102.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -replaced. Yet, the assistance which the engineers -derived from the men of the third division, -who had been instructed in sapping during -the summer, was invaluable, and enabled them to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_420">420</span> -push the approaches three hundred yards nearer than -at the attack of Badajoz, under a much heavier fire. -An unusual length of time was nevertheless required -for throwing up the batteries, owing to the small front -of the work, against which the enemy directed an -incessant fire of shell; they fired during the siege 11,000 -shells and nearly 10,000 shot upon the approaches: -their practice was remarkably accurate, and not one shot -was fired at them in return. “It was not unfrequent to -have three or four large shells in the course of an hour -explode in the middle of the parapet of a battery, each -having the effect of a small mine, and scattering the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Col. Jones’s Journal of Sieges, 103.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -earth in every direction. In consequence of -this dire destruction, the parapets were of -necessity made of a great thickness.” But on the other -hand, a confidence was felt both by the officers and -men, which they had not partaken at either of the former -sieges; the officers had sufficient means at their disposal, -and the men seemed, to perceive that the operations -were differently conducted. The artillery was excellent, -as well as ample in quantity, and its effect was materially -improved by a circumstance in which accident corrected -an actual defect of science. There happened to be a -considerable quantity of shot in the fortress at Almeida, -and of all calibres; when there was such want of transport -for bringing shot from the rear, it became of great -importance to take as many of these as could be made -serviceable: shot of a larger size than what are commonly -employed were thus accidentally brought into use, and -some 2000 or 3000 of what are termed very high shot -were brought forward during the latter days of the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Sir H. Dickson, in Sir Howard Douglas’s Treatise on Naval Gunnery, p. 84.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -siege. The consequence was, that because the -windage was thus diminished, the firing became -so singularly correct, that every shot seemed to -tell on the same part of the wall as the preceding<span class="pagenum" id="Page_421">421</span> -one; whereas, when shot of the ordinary size were -fired at the same distance, some struck high and others -low, although the pointing was carefully the same.</p> - -<p>On the 17th, a breach had been made, and the guard -in the second parallel kept up a continued fire through -the night, to prevent the garrison from clearing it. At -daylight following, a battery of seven twenty-four -pounders opened upon an old tower; and next day -when this tower had nearly been brought down, and the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Jan. 19.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -main breach appeared practicable, Lord Wellington, -after a close reconnoissance, resolved -upon giving the assault at seven o’clock that evening. -The enemy were perfectly prepared; they had constructed -intrenchments on the ramparts near the breach, -by means of cuts through the <i>terre-plein</i>, perpendicular to -the parapet, with a breast-work in rear of them, to -enfilade and rake the whole: so that if the assailants -gained the summit of the breach, their alternative must -be either to force the intrenchments, or get down a wall -sixteen feet in depth, at the bottom of which impediments -of every kind had been arrayed.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The place taken by assault.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>At dusk the columns of attack were formed, and -they moved forward at the rising of the moon: -150 sappers, under the direction of Captains -M’Leod and Thomson, royal engineers, and -Captain Thompson of the 74th, advanced from the second -parallel to the edge of the ditch, each man carrying two -bags filled with hay, which they threw into the ditch, -reducing its depth thus from nearly fourteen feet to -eight. Major-General Mackinnon followed close with -his brigade, consisting of the 45th, 74th, and 88th, ... the -men jumped into the ditch upon the bags; the enemy, -though not yet wanting in heart, wanted the coolness of -deliberate courage: they had accumulated shells and -combustibles upon the breach, and at the foot of it, but<span class="pagenum" id="Page_422">422</span> -they fired them too soon, so that the tremendous discharge -was mostly spent before the troops reached their -point of action. Ladders were instantly fixed upon the -bags; they were not sufficient in number, the breach -being wide enough for a hundred men abreast; but the -short delay that this occasioned produced no evil, for -the 5th arrived from the right to take part in the assault, -and their eventual success was facilitated by the speedier -progress of the light division on the left. That division -moved simultaneously with Mackinnon’s column from -behind the convent of St. Francisco against the little - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Craufurd mortally wounded.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -breach, under a heavy fire of musketry from the -ramparts, by which Major-General Craufurd, -who commanded, and was considerably in front, -animating his men and leading them on, was mortally -wounded. The counterscarp here was not so deep, the -breach was not obstinately defended, and no interior -defence had been prepared, so that the assailants carried -it without much difficulty, and began to form on the -ramparts. Meantime Major-General Mackinnon’s brigade, -aided by the 5th, after a short but severe struggle -gained the summit of the great breach. Giving up the -breach, where first one mine was sprung and then a -smaller, though neither with much effect, the enemy -retired behind a retrenchment, where they stood their -ground resolutely, and a severe contest ensued. But -Brigadier-General Pack, who had been ordered with his -brigade to make a false attack upon the southern face of -the fort, converted it into a real one; and his advanced -guard under Major Lynch, following the enemy’s troops -from the advanced works into the <i>fausse braye</i>, made -prisoners of all opposed to them: and while the garrison -was thus disheartened on one side, the success of the -light division on the other took from them all hope as -soon as it was known; they gave way at once, and the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_423">423</span> -retrenchment was carried. The brigade then dividing -to the right and left, General Mackinnon said to Ensign -Beresford, “Come, Beresford, you are a fine lad, we -will go together!” ... these were the last words which -he was heard to utter, for presently some powder -exploded; Beresford was blown up, but fell without -much injury into the arms of Mackinnon’s aide-de-camp - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mackinnon killed.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Captain Call. Mackinnon himself was among -the many brave men killed by the explosion, and -in him the nation lost an officer of the highest promise -in the British army.</p> - -<p>The enemy were now driven at the point of the -bayonet into the great square, and were pursued from -house to house, till they threw down their arms and -called for quarter; and this was granted them, in the -first heat of the onslaught, when, as they afterwards -confessed, judging from what they themselves would -have done, they expected nothing else than to be massacred. -The place was won about nine at night: the -troops, British and Portugueze, spread themselves all -over the town, and got at the stores; but fortunately a -guard was placed in time over the spirit-magazine, in -which fifty pipes of good cogniac were found: had the -men got at these, the amount of deaths would have been -increased. It was a scene of wild disorder till daylight. -The night was miserably cold, and the men crowded -into the ruined houses to make fires: these rotten edifices -soon caught the flames, and the conflagration became -dreadful. Very little booty was to be gained in -a town which the French had sacked, and which, indeed, -had been deserted before they occupied it upon their -conquest; what the men found was wholesome as well -as welcome after their late hard fare, and they were -seen each carrying three or four loaves stuck upon his -bayonet. The enemy had pulled down many of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_424">424</span> -houses for firewood, and those which were nearest the -ramparts had been demolished by our guns, though -especial care had been taken to spare the town by battering -it only in breach.</p> - -<p>The governor, General Banier, was made prisoner, -with seventy-eight officers and 1700 soldiers. Great -quantities of ammunition and stores were found, a well-filled -armoury, and an arsenal abundantly supplied; -109 pieces of ordnance mounted on the ramparts; and -moreover, the battering-train of Marmont’s army, consisting -of forty-four guns with their carriages. The loss -of the allies consisted of three officers and seventy-seven -men killed, twenty-four wounded and 500 during the -siege; six officers and 140 men killed, sixty and 500 - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>General Craufurd.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -wounded, in storming the breaches. Craufurd’s -wound, though severe, was not thought dangerous, -but it proved fatal on the fifth day. He had -entered the army at the age of fifteen, and in the course -of two-and-thirty years few officers had seen so much or -such varied service. Early in life his abilities and professional -zeal were noticed by his then colonel, Sir -Charles Stuart, than whom no man was better qualified -to appreciate them. During peace he pursued the -study of his profession in all its branches upon the continent -for three years, then went to India, and there distinguished -himself in two campaigns under Lord Cornwallis. -He was employed on a military mission with the -Austrian armies during the years 1795, 1796, and 1797, -and again in 1799; was made prisoner in the ill-planned -and not more happily executed expedition against Buenos -Ayres; and afterwards commanded the light division -of Sir John Moore’s army in Spain. With that miserable -retreat his course of ill fortune terminated. He -joined Sir Arthur Wellesley the day after the battle of -Talavera; sustained a severe attack from very superior<span class="pagenum" id="Page_425">425</span> -numbers and in a perilous position upon the Coa; signalized -himself at Busaco; rejoined his division after a -short absence, when the troops were drawn up for action -at Fuentes d’Onoro, and was saluted by them with three -cheers in presence of the enemy. “I cannot report his -death,” said Lord Wellington in his dispatch, “without -expressing my sorrow and regret that his Majesty has -been deprived of the services, and I of the assistance of -an officer of tried talents and experience, who was an -ornament to his profession, and was calculated to render -the most important services to his country.” He was -buried with all military honours in the breach before -which he received his mortal wound.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>General Mackinnon.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Mackinnon also had been interred in the breach which -he had won; but this was done hastily, by -some pioneers under General Picton’s orders, -and the officers of the Coldstream guards, in which regiment -he had long served, removed his body to Espeja, -and there deposited it with due honours. In Craufurd -the army lost one of its most experienced officers; in -Mackinnon one of the greatest promise, in whom were -united all the personal accomplishments, intellectual -endowments, and moral virtues which in their union -constitute the character of a perfect soldier. He was -one of those men whom the dreadful discipline of war -renders only more considerate for others, more regardless -of themselves, more alive to the sentiments and -duties of humanity. He was born near Winchester in -1773, but his father was chief of a numerous clan in the -Hebrides. His military education was commenced in -France, his family having removed to Dauphiny because -of his elder brother’s state of health; and Buonaparte, -then a military student, was a frequent visitor at -their house. It is one of the redeeming parts of Buonaparte’s -character, that he never forgot his attachment to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_426">426</span> -that family; that during the peace of Amiens he invited -them to France, where they might receive proofs of it; -and that when he heard of General Mackinnon’s death, -he manifested some emotion. He entered the army in -his 15th year, served three years as a subaltern in the -43rd, was employed at the commencement of the war in -raising an independent company, and then exchanged -into the Coldstream guards. During the Irish rebellion, -he was attached to the staff as major of brigade to Sir -George Nugent; and distinguishing himself greatly in -that horrible service, was distinguished also for his -humanity. He was in the expedition to the Helder, -volunteered to Egypt, and was at the siege of Copenhagen. -In 1809 he joined the army in Portugal, was -at the passage of the Douro, and had two horses killed -under him at Talavera; how ably he conducted himself -when left in the charge of the wounded after that action -has been related in its proper place. At Busaco he displayed -so much skill and promptitude, that Sir Arthur, -immediately after the battle, returned him thanks in -person. He distinguished himself also on many occasions -during Massena’s retreat, and led that last charge -against the French at Fuentes d’Onoro which drove -them finally from the ground. The unwholesome heat -in the vicinity of Badajoz induced some recurrence of a -disease with which he had been attacked in Egypt, and -he returned for a few weeks to England there to recruit -his health. In 1804 he had married a daughter of Sir -John Call: she planted in his garden a laurel for every -action in which her husband was engaged; and when -in his last visit she took him into the walk where they -were flourishing, he said to her, that she would one day -have to plant a cypress at the end. Perhaps this -country has never sustained so great a loss since the -death of Sir Philip Sidney.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_427">427</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marmont’s movements during the siege.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Without delay the approaches were destroyed and the -works repaired. On the 27th the place had -been again rendered defensible. Marmont was -at Toledo when he received the first tidings of -its investment. Hastening to Valladolid, he stated in -his dispatches to France on the 16th, that he had collected -five divisions for the purpose of throwing supplies -into Ciudad Rodrigo, but finding that force inadequate, -he had been fain to recall two divisions from the army -of the north: with these he should have 60,000 men, -and events might then be looked for as momentous in -their results as they would be glorious for the French -arms. Massena had been a month in reducing that fortress; -the calculation was, that it might hold out against -a regular siege, to which there should be no interruption -from without, four or five-and-twenty days; Marmont -expected to be in good time if he came to its relief on -the 29th; ... but his army was not collected at Salamanca -till the 24th; and when he announced to his own government -the loss of the place, in which he said there -was something so incomprehensible that he would not -allow himself to make any observation upon it, it was -too late to make any movement for its recovery. The -weather, which had so often been unfavourable to the -allies, favoured them on this occasion; heavy rains, -which cut off their communications, and which would -have rendered it impossible to fill in the trenches and -close the breaches, did not commence till four days after -the place had been rendered secure against a sudden -attack; and Marmont, whose battering-train had been -captured with it, could attempt nothing more.</p> - -<p>Castaños was present at the siege, and to him as Captain-General -of that province the place was given up. -Before its capture, the Alcaldes of 230 <i>pueblos</i> had repaired -to his head-quarters, to testify their own fidelity<span class="pagenum" id="Page_428">428</span> -and that of their respective communities. Lord Wellington -bore testimony in his dispatches as well to the -loyalty and general good-will of the Spaniards in those -parts, as to the assistance he had derived from Brigadier -Alava; and from Julian Sanchez and D. Carlos de -España, who with their two bands had watched the -enemy on the other side the Tormes. A thanksgiving-service -for the reconquest was performed with all solemnity -at Cadiz; and the Cortes, in conformity with -the proposal of the Regency, conferred upon Lord Wellington - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Wellington made Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the rank of a Grandee of the first class, -and the title of Duque de Ciudad Rodrigo. -The tidings could not have been more unexpected -by Buonaparte himself, than it was by -the opponents of administration in England. At the -commencement of the session, they, in their old tone of -dismay, had repeated their denunciations of discomfiture -and utter failure: ministers were again arraigned by -them for their obstinate blindness, ... for their wanton -waste of money and of the public strength, and for persisting -in flattering and fallacious language when they -had brought the nation to the very brink of ruin! Sir - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Speeches of Sir F. Burdett and Mr. Whitbread.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Francis Burdett said, that whatever had been -done by England for the rights of the King of -Spain (who had resigned his whole pretensions -to Buonaparte), nothing had been done for the -Spanish people; that even if the cause of Spain had been -honourably undertaken by the British government, it -had now become perfectly hopeless; our victories were -altogether barren, and the French were making regular -and rapid strides towards the subjugation of the Peninsula: -but these evils, he said, arose from the system of -corruption which an oligarchy of boroughmongers had -established; and as things now were, the progress of -France was more favourable to liberty than the success<span class="pagenum" id="Page_429">429</span> -of England would be! With more curious infelicity in -his croakings, Mr. Whitbread observed, that Lord Wellington -after pursuing Massena to the frontiers had been -obliged to fall back; that his attempt upon Ciudad -Rodrigo had proved abortive; that every thing which -we could do for Spain had already been done; and -though the first general of the age and the bravest -troops in the world had been sent to her assistance, -nothing had been accomplished, and, in short, the -French were in military possession of Spain. A month -had not elapsed after the delivery of these opinions, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Vote of thanks to Lord Wellington. He is created an Earl.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -before the thanks of Parliament were voted to -Lord Wellington for the recovery of Ciudad -Rodrigo, he was created an Earl of the United -Kingdom, and an additional annuity of 2000<i>l.</i> -granted to him in consideration of his signal services. -In the course of the debate, Mr. Canning took occasion -to state that a revenue of 5000<i>l.</i> a year had been granted -to Lord Wellington by the Portugueze government when -they conferred upon him the title of Conde de Vimeiro; -that as Captain-General of Spain, 5000<i>l.</i> a year had -been offered him, and 7000<i>l.</i> as Marshal in the Portugueze -service; all which he had declined, saying, he -would receive nothing from Spain and Portugal in their -present state; he had only done his duty to his country, -and to his country alone he would look for reward.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Preparations for the siege of Badajoz.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The Earl of Wellington was already preparing for a -more arduous siege. Eighteen 24-pounders -had been reserved at Lisbon for this service, -when the battering-train intended for Ciudad -Rodrigo was sent from the Tagus to the Douro. These, -with some iron guns which the Russian fleet had left -there, and with the engineers’ stores, were embarked at -Lisbon in large vessels, as if for some remote destination, -then transhipped at sea into smaller craft, and conveyed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_430">430</span> -up the Sadam to Alcacere do Sal. Fascines and gabions -were prepared at Elvas. The line of supply was changed -from the Douro to the Tagus; and as the Beira frontier -must for awhile be left open to the enemy’s incursions, -directions were given for forming a temporary depôt at -Celorico, the nearest point where it could be deemed -safe, and a grand magazine beyond the Douro. Ciudad -Rodrigo was in some degree provisioned, as well as rendered -thoroughly defensible against any attack that the -French had means of making; and the troops were then -put in motion, glad to remove from an exhausted country, -where the labour of procuring forage amounted to constant -occupation for the cavalry, none being to be found -except the straw which the peasants had reserved and -endeavoured to conceal, as the only subsistence left for -their remaining cattle. Corn was so scarce that the -very few officers who could afford such an expenditure -paid the enormous price of fourteen dollars the <i>fanega</i> -for it, in prudence, as well as in mercy to their beasts; -and the owner, loading his horse with his own precious -provender, performed the march himself on foot. One -division of infantry remained on the Agueda, covered by -a few cavalry posts. The main body proceeding by -rapid marches to the Tagus crossed it, some at Abrantes, -some at Villa Velha. Lord Wellington having completed -his arrangements at Ciudad Rodrigo, and given -it finally over to the Spaniards, set out for Alemtejo on -the 5th of March, and on the 11th his head-quarters -were fixed at Elvas. On the 16th, the preparations -being completed, a pontoon bridge was thrown across -the Guadiana about a league below Badajoz; and the -light, 3rd, and 4th divisions, under Lieutenant-Colonel -Barnard, Generals Picton and Colville, crossed and invested -the place without opposition. General Graham, -with the 1st, 6th, and 7th divisions of infantry, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_431">431</span> -Generals Slade and Le Marchant’s brigades of cavalry, -advanced to Los Santos, Zafra, and Llerena, to oppose -any movements on the part of Marshal Soult; while -Sir Rowland Hill with the 2nd division, General Hamilton’s -Portugueze division, and a brigade of cavalry, -moved from their cantonments near Alburquerque to -Merida and Almendralejo, thus interposing between -Soult and Marmont, if the latter should march from -Salamanca with the intention of forming a junction as -in the preceding year.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Preparations for its defence.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The governor, G. Baron Philippon, had obtained -intelligence from his spies of the preparations -which were making at Elvas, and had apprised -Soult accordingly that there was probably an -intention of again besieging Badajoz; but it was not till -the day before Lord Wellington arrived at Elvas that he -knew a battering-train had been collected there, and that -the allies were concentrating their forces near the Alemtejo -frontier. He had before this applied for a supply -of powder and shells, a convoy of which was twice sent -from Seville, and twice by Sir Rowland Hill’s movements -forced to put back, though the Comte d’Erlon, -General Drouet, had been charged to protect it. The -place had been greatly strengthened since the last unsuccessful -siege, especially on the side which had then -been attacked. Upon the spot where the allies had -planted their breaching-battery against Fort St. Christoval, -a lunette had been constructed by Marshal Soult’s -orders: its ditches were cut in the rock to the depth of -14½ feet below the <i>Berme</i>: a powder-magazine and a -bomb-proof for fifty men had been constructed there, -and every means taken for securing it against a <i>coup-de-main</i>. -The Tête-de-Pont also had been strengthened, -and its communication with Fort St. Christoval repaired, -so that on that side the place presented a most formidable<span class="pagenum" id="Page_432">432</span> -appearance. The Pardaleras too had been repaired -and strengthened, and magazines established in -the castle, into which, and into the citadel, it was -the governor’s intention to retire if the place should -be rendered no longer tenable. The enemy had also -formed galleries and trenches at each salient of the -counterscarp in front of what they supposed would be -the point of attack, that they might form mines under -the breaching-batteries, and afterwards sink shafts for -other mines, whereby to destroy the works in proportion -as the assailants should gain them, and thus leave only -a heap of ruins if the place should be taken. No -foresight indeed had been wanting on the governor’s -part. The peasantry having taken flight at the first -siege and left their lands uncultivated, he had given -directions for ploughing them with the oxen which were -intended for slaughter, and they were sown by the -soldiers within a circle of 3,000 yards: the kitchen -gardens had also been distributed among the different -corps and the officers of the staff, and in these they had -a valuable resource. Wood was wanting for blinds and -for palisades, for these had been almost wholly destroyed -during the former siege: they had no means of transport -for it, and it could only have been procured from a -dangerous distance: to make charcoal, they were fain to -dig up the root of olive-trees which had been burnt. A -convoy of some threescore mules laden with flour -arrived a few days before the investment, when the garrison -had about five weeks’ provisions in store. The -miserable townspeople were worse provided: most of -those who could remove without exposing themselves to -extreme distress had left the city before it was first -attacked; others forsook it now, who had experienced -the horrors of two former sieges, ... old men, women, and -children, carrying what little had been left them, were<span class="pagenum" id="Page_433">433</span> -on the road in every direction, flying from a renewal of -these horrors. The population was reduced from 16,000 -to little more than a fourth of that number, who thought -better to abide the worst where they had a place wherein -to lay their heads, than to perish as wanderers.</p> - -<p>Though the allied army had now no want of means as -in the former siege, they had no miners, nor was there -any person there who had ever seen such duty performed; -the sappers too had had very little experience. -The only course which could be pursued was to batter -from a distance the Trinidad bastion where the counterguard -in its front had not been finished: this could be -done from the hill on which the Picurina redoubt stands; -and that redoubt must be carried and connected with -the first parallel. The plan was so hazardous, and so -little according to rule, that “it never was for a moment - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Colonel Jones’s Journals, 298.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -approved by any one employed in drawing it -up, or in the execution of it.” No one doubted -its success more than Lord Wellington himself; -but it was deemed necessary to reduce Badajoz, and -there was no chance of reducing it by any other course.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Siege of Badajoz.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On the night of the 16th the besiegers broke ground -during a storm of wind, with heavy and uninterrupted -rain. It was so dark that nothing -could be seen by the enemy, and the tempest prevented -them from hearing the working parties, who under these -favourable circumstances were not discovered till daylight, -although only 160 yards from the covered way of -the fort. The ensuing night also was well employed. -The weather continued so rainy that the trenches were -knee-deep in mud and water. Had the soil been heavier, -it would not have been possible to bring up the heavy -artillery; manual assistance, as well as sixteen bullocks, -being required to draw along each piece. It was a -severe service for the three divisions, who had to go<span class="pagenum" id="Page_434">434</span> -through more than double the work which had occupied -four at Ciudad Rodrigo; and their tents were far from -being proof against such rain. On the 18th the garrison -made a sally with 1500 infantry and forty horse: -they formed unobserved in the communication from the -lunette S. Roque to the Picurina, then pushed forward, -and were in the parallel before the workmen could stand -to their arms; at the same moment the cavalry came -round the right flank of the parallel at a hand gallop, -and were presently in the depôts, a thousand yards in -the rear of the trenches. There they made great confusion -among the unarmed men, but retired on the appearance -of troops before they could destroy any thing. -They took two or three officers prisoners, tied them to -their saddles, and cantered off with them some hundred -yards, but on their falling from fatigue let them go. The -infantry meantime filled in a small part of the parallel -before the coverers came to the relief of the working -parties: they were then driven back in great confusion, -carrying off about 200 intrenching tools. But this sortie -cost the allies about 150 men in killed and wounded; -the commanding engineer, Lieutenant-Colonel Fletcher, -being among the latter.</p> - -<p>The weather, which had at first covered the operations -of the allies, continued now so rainy as to impede -them: the trenches were filled with water, and there -was no possibility of draining them, the ground being a -dead level; it was necessary to empty them and make -an artificial bottom of fascines. On the 21st the enemy -advanced two field-pieces on the right of the Guadiana -to enfilade the parallel: such an intention having been -apprehended on the preceding day, the parallel had been -thrown back during the night; these guns, therefore, -did little mischief, and they were compelled to withdraw -them by a few riflemen posted on the banks of the river.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_435">435</span> -But on the following night they threw up cover for three -field-pieces there, brought them out soon after daybreak, -and kept up a very destructive fire throughout the day, -their shot pitching into the parallel at a range of 1400 -yards. The inconvenience of having left the place open -on that side was then felt, and the 5th division was -ordered from Campo-mayor to invest it. That evening -the trenches were again filled by one of those -showers in which the rain seems rather to pour down in -streams than to fall in drops: the pontoon bridge was -carried away by the rise of the Guadiana, and the current -of that river became so rapid that the flying bridges -could with difficulty work: it became doubtful, therefore, -whether the army could be supplied with provisions, -and whether guns and ammunition could be brought -over for the attack; and it began to be seriously apprehended, -that if the weather continued thus to favour the -enemy the siege must be raised.</p> - -<p>An immediate improvement relieved that apprehension: -the trenches were rendered passable during the -night; the morning was fine: it was apparent that -the enemy had mistaken the intended point of attack, for -they had large parties employed in strengthening places -against which nothing was designed: the batteries were -so advanced that there seemed no doubt of their opening -on the morrow, when at three in the afternoon the -skies again began to pour down; every part of the -trenches was again filled with rain: no advance could -be made next day, the ground being so completely saturated -that the water stood everywhere in pools, ... the -earth was too wet to retain any form, the revetements of -the batteries fell, no solid foundation upon which to lay -the platforms could be obtained, and the guns could not -be brought across the fields. But on the following afternoon -the weather became fine; the batteries were completed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_436">436</span> -in the course of the night; they opened on the -forenoon of the 25th; and being now secured by a good -parallel, and the batteries enfilading all the faces and -flanks of the place which bore on Fort Picurina, it was -determined to assault that fort that night.</p> - -<p>The enemy, as soon as they perceived what point was -immediately threatened, took every means for strengthening -it, and abandoning their works on the right bank -deepened the ditch of the Picurina, and strengthened -the gorge with a second row of palisades: they also -formed galleries communicating with each other, and -brought a reverse fire to flank the ditches. Under the -three angles of the glacis they placed fougasses, and -arranged upon the parapets loaded shells and barrels of -combustibles, which were to be rolled among the assailants -at the moment of assault; and that each man might -have several pieces to discharge, 200 loaded muskets -were ranged along the interior crest of the parapet. -With these preparations the governor calculated upon -a good defence. Six batteries played upon the fort and -the town, and were answered from a greater number of -guns: the Portugueze gunners stood to their cannon with -as much coolness, and directed them with as much precision, -as the British: it was impossible to say whether -the guns of the besiegers or of the besieged were best -served, and this uninterrupted roar of artillery was continued -till sunset with great destruction on both sides. -Captain Mulcaster of the engineers, an officer of great -ability, was killed in the parallel by a cannon-shot.</p> - -<p>Major-General Kempt, who commanded in the -trenches, directed the assault of the fort. Two detachments -of 200 men each were formed in the parallel: -both were to quit it at the same time by signal; the one -under Lieutenant Stanway, on the extreme left, to move -round the right flank of the work and endeavour to force<span class="pagenum" id="Page_437">437</span> -the gorge; the other under Lieutenant Gipps, from an -opening about the middle of the parallel, to move direct -upon the communication from the town to the fort, leave -100 men there to prevent succour from being sent, and -with the other hundred to march upon the work with -the twofold purpose, of aiding the left detachment in -forcing the gorge, and of preventing the garrison from -escaping. Another 100 men under Captain Holloway, -R. E., were formed in one of the batteries to assist the -others by a front attack, if they should find much difficulty -in forcing in at the gorge. About ten o’clock the -signal was made: the left party reached the gorge undiscovered; -but when they attempted to cut down and -force over the palisades, so heavy a fire of musketry was -opened upon them that none could effect it. That half -of the right detachment which proceeded to the gorge -was received also with such a fire, that their attempts to -get over the palisade were fruitless: instead of persevering -in the desperate endeavour, they drew round to -the left flank of the work where the ditch was not -flanked, fixed their ladders against the escarpe, and were -presently on the top of the parapet overlooking the -enemy, who defended the rear: at the same moment -Captain Holloway’s party from the battery forced in at -the salient angle, ... but both that officer and Lieutenant -Gipps were wounded. The garrison seeing the assailants -within the works ran into a guard-house, and there -barricadoed themselves: the troops were not prepared -to dislodge them; they had lost their leaders; and while -they were uncertain how to proceed, a report arose that -a large detachment was coming from the town to relieve -the fort. It seemed in their confusion as if they -were on the point of abandoning the place; and the -garrison supposing this to be the case, came out of the -guard-house. But at that critical moment General<span class="pagenum" id="Page_438">438</span> -Kempt by great exertions restored their confidence: they -turned upon the enemy, and of the 300 who composed -the garrison scarcely any escaped. They fought resolutely -to the very last, their officer setting them a brave -example: several threw themselves into the water and -were drowned, about 70 only were made prisoners. The -loss of the assailants was greater: four officers and 50 -men were killed, 15 officers and 250 men wounded. It -was found, upon inspecting the fort, that the batteries -had done very little to facilitate its capture; and the engineers -said, that had they been aware how little it was -injured, they would not have recommended the escalade -so soon. The advantage which had been gained was -of great importance; but those successes are dangerous -in their consequences, as well as dearly bought at the -time, in which courage performs what ought to be the -effect of skill.</p> - -<p>The enemy, who undervalued the skill of our engineers, -and had such an opinion of British valour that -they thought nothing too rash or too desperate for it to -undertake, supposed that a general assault was intended. -And about the time when the Picurina had been carried, -the alarm-bell rang in the town, rockets were thrown up, -and a random fire of musketry and cannon was opened -from every part of the works. Presently, the alarm of a -sortie was given by a drum beating in the lunette of -S. Roque; the guard of the trenches commenced a -heavy fire, this occasioned a heavier firing from the -town, which again increased that from the trenches, -and it was not till long after midnight that the vain -alarm on both sides subsided. It had not been without -some cause; a battalion had been ordered out to -succour the fort, but so late as to sustain a heavy fire -from it, which compelled them to retire with the loss of -twenty men. A lodgement was then formed on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_439">439</span> -<i>terre-plein</i> of the fort, which lodgement was knocked to -pieces in the course of the following day, by a constant -and very heavy fire from the town; but before night the -sappers completed a fresh one. Other batteries were -now constructed, and the enemy then perceiving that -the Trinidad and Santa Maria bastions were the objects -of attack, used all possible means for strengthening them.</p> - -<p>The enemy imputed the loss of the Picurina to the -misconduct of its garrison; the captain of artillery had -been wounded in the course of the day, and relieved by -one who was thought not to have shown equal courage: -no use had been made of the loaded shells and combustibles; -but if the fort had been well defended, the -governor thought the allies would have failed, as they -did in their assault during the former siege. A singular -stratagem was now practised by the commanding officer -of the engineers, Colonel Lamarre, which, if accident -had not frustrated it, would have cost the allies dear. -Captain Ellicombe, going at dusk to adjust the lines of -direction of the sap for the night, found those returns -which were already begun, in a good line, clear of -enfilade, but that which was marked by the white line -and not yet commenced, fell in the direct enfilade of -three guns: this he mentioned as a lucky discovery, -and it was supposed to have been the effect of accident, -the line it was thought having, at the time of laying it -down, caught unobserved in the dark against some -stone or bush. But it was afterwards ascertained that a -soldier had been sent out from the place just as evening -closed, to remove it, and bring it directly under fire.</p> - -<p>It was against the lunette of S. Roque that these -works were intended; could the enemy be driven thence, -a dam which retained the waters of an inundation might -be broken down, and the works might then be pushed -much nearer to the place. More skill and more courage<span class="pagenum" id="Page_440">440</span> -could not have been displayed than were manifested -by the garrison, animated as they were by former success, -and by the expectation of being speedily relieved. -On the other hand, Lord Wellington was not -without cause to apprehend that a second battle of -Albuhera might be to be fought. On the 30th of -March it was understood that Soult was advancing, and -the 5th division was therefore withdrawn from before -St. Christoval and marched to the front, some Portugueze -cavalry being stationed to watch the town on that -side. Two breaching batteries opened next day on the -Trinidad bastion, but these produced no considerable -effect, and the sappers had made little progress against - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">April 4.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -S. Roque’s, when Marshal Soult advanced to -Llerena. It was then intended to leave ten -thousand men for guarding the trenches, and to give -him battle with the remainder of the army: the covering -army was about to fall back on Talavera la Real. But -at noon on the 5th, Lord Wellington reconnoitred the -trenches and thought they might immediately be assaulted: -in the afternoon he determined to defer the -assault till the following day, and meantime endeavour -to break the curtain between the Trinidad counterguard -and an unfinished ravelin. Fourteen guns opened upon - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">April 6.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -this curtain at daylight; in two hours the walls -were brought down, and by four so practicable -a breach, as it appeared, was formed, that the assault -was ordered for ten o’clock that night. The attack was -to be at three points: that of the castle by escalade; -those of the Trinidad and S. Maria bastions by storming -the breaches. The castle was to be assailed by the 3rd -division under Major-General Picton; La Trinidad by -the 4th under Major-General Colville, and Santa Maria -by the left under Lieutenant-Colonel Barnard. At the -same time, S. Roque’s was to be assaulted by a party from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_441">441</span> -the trenches, and the 5th division to alarm the enemy -by threatening the Pardaleras and the works towards the -Guadiana.</p> - -<p>Meantime the French were indefatigable in preparing -for defence. They imputed it as a gross fault to the -British engineers that they had not destroyed the counterscarps, -an operation which there was no time for performing, -even if it had been possible to perform it -without men more accustomed to such labours than any -in the allied army: but because this had been impossible, -the enemy were enabled to form at the foot of their -counterscarps, and behind the breaches the most formidable -obstructions which destructive ingenuity could -devise. Night and day they were employed in clearing -away the rubbish, destroying the ramps of the covered -way, and making retrenchments behind the trenches. -The fallen parapets were replaced with fascines, sandbags, -and wool-packs; casks filled with tarred straw, -powder, and loaded grenades, were arranged along the -trenches, and large shells with them. Immediately in -front of the breaches at the foot of the counterscarp, -sixty fourteen-inch shells were placed in a circular form, -about four yards apart, and covered with some four -inches of earth, and a communication formed to them -with powder hoses placed between tiles in the manner of -mine-tubes. <i>Chevaux-de-frise</i> were formed of sabre -blades; ... all the artillery stores were turned to account; -even a large boat was lowered into the ditch and filled -with soldiers to flank one of the breaches, where it was -of great use.</p> - -<p>An extraordinary circumstance, which might be called -accidental, contributed greatly to the terrible effect of -these formidable preparations. The Spaniards at some -former time intending to have strengthened Badajoz, -had commenced their improvements, as usual with them,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_442">442</span> -upon a great scale, and, as usual also, left them unfinished. -Thus they had so greatly widened the ditch -as to include within it the covered way and part of the -glacis of the original trace; designing to build a ravelin -to this front, this old glacis and covered way in the space -which was to be occupied by that work were not removed, -and they remained in the ditch like an ill-shapen -rock. The interior of this being the old counterscarp, -the front of it, where it had been cut down to admit of -building the new one, was very steep and difficult of -ascent. The light and 4th divisions, at the hour appointed, -entered the covered way without difficulty; -bags of hay were then thrown down, and ladders placed -down the counterscarp: they descended readily, and -the ditch was presently filled with men. The 4th -division, which was on the right, mistook these old -works in the ditch for the breach, cheered each other -up, and mounted with alacrity; but when they had -reached the summit they found themselves there exposed -to the fire of the whole front, with a difficult -descent before them, the space between them and the -foot of the breaches appearing like a deep ditch; there -were in reality very deep excavations in many parts of -it, sufficiently extensive to prevent an indiscriminate -rush forwards: and water had been introduced along -the counterscarp, by means of which all approach to the -breach either in the face or curtain was precluded, except -by passing over the seeming rock, between which -and the foot of the breach the space was so restricted that -a body of men could advance in only a very small front. -The night was very dark, and this it was felt would -render any confusion irremediable; but confusion presently -arose, for the engineer who led the light division -was killed before he got to the ditch, and being the only -person who knew the way to the breach which they were<span class="pagenum" id="Page_443">443</span> -to have assaulted, they were directed too much to the -right, and got upon the same summit where the 4th stood -hesitating and perplexed, and thus the confusion was -increased, and both crowded towards the great breach, -instead of taking each its own. They had only five or -six ladders to descend by, which could take only four at -once, and this close under the main force of the garrison, -selected and placed there as at the post of danger, -and most of them having three spare muskets, with -people to load them in the rear as fast as they could be -discharged. The assailants were so thickly crowded on -the glacis and in the ditch, that it was not necessary to -aim at them; but fire-balls were cast among them, which -effected the double mischief of increasing their confusion, -and rendering all their movements as distinctly -visible as if it had been noon-day; the oldest soldiers -declared that they had never before been exposed to so -rapid and murderous a fire. Major-General Colville -fell among the first, severely wounded in the thigh, ... the -last sound which he heard before he fainted was the -voice of Captain Nicholas of the engineers, exhorting -his men in the ditch. That young and excellent officer, -whose charge it was to lead the 4th division to the -breach, after twice essaying to reach the top, fell -wounded by a musket which grazed his knee-pan, a -bayonet thrust in the great muscle of his right leg, his -left arm broken, and his wrist wounded by musket-shot; -... yet, in that state, seeing his old friends and comrades, -Colonel Macleod and Captain James, fall, and hearing -the men ask who should lead them to the third onset, -he rallied, and ordered two of his men to bear him up -in their arms. Two brave fellows attempted this most -perilous service; they had just reached the top when -one of them was killed, and at the same moment, -Nicholas received a musket-ball, which passed through<span class="pagenum" id="Page_444">444</span> -the chest, breaking two of his ribs upon the way, upon -which he fell from the top to the bottom of the breach -mortally hurt, and receiving further injury from bruises -in his fall.</p> - -<p>Never were brave men exposed to slaughter under -more frightful circumstances. The breach would not -admit of more than fifteen abreast: the assailants repeatedly -reached the summit, though the slope was -covered with planks full of spikes. There they found -the entrance closed with <i>chevaux-de-frise</i> which it was -neither possible to break down nor to cut away, nor to -get over. Many gashed their hands in attempting to -pull them down at the muzzle of the enemy’s muskets, -from which a new species of shot, which the soldiers -called musket-grape, was poured in upon them in one -continuous discharge; ... it consisted of slugs fastened -together, and resembled grape-shot in miniature. Under -this incessant fire, shells, hand-grenades, bags of powder, -and every destructive form of missile or combustible that -ingenuity could invent, were hurled into the ditch. -Gunpowder, it is said, had never, since the hour of its -discovery, been employed with more terrific and terrible -effect. The explosions frequently created a light more -vivid than broad day, which for a moment was succeeded -by utter darkness, ... and then again the whole ground -seemed to be vomiting fire under their feet and every -where around them, while they had no possible means -either of defending themselves or of retaliating. The -officers led their men so close to the enemy’s guns, that -they felt the wadding as well as the ball; when one fell -another took his place; but as it had been impossible -to recover from the first confusion, the men could not be -moved like a machine in collective strength; individual -efforts were all that could be made, and these, though -made with devoted courage, were necessarily vain, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_445">445</span> -best and bravest putting themselves forward, and sacrificing -themselves; till at length the troops, knowing it -hopeless to make any farther effort, and yet too high -spirited to retreat, stood patiently in the ditch to be -slaughtered. It was not till more than two hours after -the commencement of this carnage, that Lord Wellington, -being made acquainted with their situation, ordered -these two divisions to be withdrawn and to be formed a -little before daylight for a fresh assault. He might well -indeed conclude, that after the blood which had already -been shed there, success was to be purchased at any -cost; and certainly there would have been much more -chance of success in the second attempt than in the first, -when it might be made in good order, and when the -enemy’s trains had been fired, and their combustible -preparations expended.</p> - -<p>This might probably have been his determination, if -no advantage had been obtained in any other part; but -immediately before he gave this order, he received intelligence, -that the 3rd division was in possession of the -castle. Major-General Kempt, who led this attack, was -wounded in crossing the river Rivellas below the inundation, -a fire having been opened upon them from the -whole of the eastern works, as soon as they reached that -stream. It was General Philippon’s intention, if the -breaches should be forced, to retire into the castle, -which had the strength of a citadel: with this and the -<i>tête-du-pont</i>, and Fort Christoval, he might yet have -held out some days, and give time thereby for those -movements which he supposed would again be made for -his relief. With this view he had strengthened and -stored it; all its gates had been built up, and the ramparts -were covered with large Spanish shells, stones, -beams, and whatever could be thrown upon the heads of -the assailants. By means of these preparations, a most<span class="pagenum" id="Page_446">446</span> -obstinate resistance was opposed to the escalade, and for -a considerable time all who attempted to rear the ladders -were destroyed. At length an entrance was forced up -one ladder at an embrasure; the defence immediately -slackened, and other ladders were quickly reared, with -that alacrity which the feeling of success inspires. An -officer of the German Legion, Girsewald by name, who -was remarkable for his bodily strength, was one of the -first who mounted. A French soldier fired at and missed -him, then made a thrust with the bayonet; Girsewald, -with his left hand, parried the bayonet and seized it, and -held it so firmly, that the exertions which the Frenchman -made for recovering his weapon, assisted him in mounting, -till he got high enough to aim a blow in his turn, -with which he severed his antagonist’s head from his -shoulders. A false report having been made to Philippon -that one of the bastions had been entered by the -assailants, the falsehood of that intelligence made him -doubt and hesitate when he heard they were escalading -the castle. Two companies which he intended to order -thither, by some mistake either in giving or understanding -the order, went to the breaches instead, where they -were not wanted; and four others, which took the right -direction, arrived too late: the castle had been taken; -they were received by a heavy fire of musketry, and -dispersed with loss. One of the last shots which were -fired struck Girsewald on the knee; he would not let -the limb be amputated, and therefore the wound proved -fatal.</p> - -<p>The 5th division were not less successful, though the -party with the scaling ladders lost their way, and Lieutenant-General -Leith could not, in consequence, move -till it was after eleven o’clock. The bastion of S. -Vicente which he attacked was fully prepared for defence, -and the troops were discovered when on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_447">447</span> -glacis; yet they forced in by escalade. Major-General -Walker then advanced along the ramparts to fall on the -rear of the enemy who were defending the breaches; -the troops, when driving the French before them, were -opposed by a single field-piece placed on the <i>terre-plein</i> -of the curtain; the gunner lighted a port fire as they -approached: at the sudden blaze of light, one who was -among the foremost in pursuit cried out “A mine!” -That fearful word ran through the line of pursuers; the -very men who had so bravely won the bastion, as if -their nature had been suddenly changed, took panic, -and in spite of their general’s efforts, who was severely -wounded while endeavouring to rally them, were driven -back by the bayonet to the place whereat they had -entered: but by this time the reserve had formed there, -the pursuers in their turn were checked, and the British -marched immediately to the breaches, from which the -defenders then dispersed, seeing that all was lost. This -attack might have been spared if any signals had been -agreed upon by which Picton’s success should have -been made known; for want of such concertment, General -Leith’s attack was made after the escalade had -succeeded; he met with the same opposition as if the -fate of the place had not been decided in another quarter, - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Col. Jones’s Sieges, 303.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and thus Badajoz may be said to have been -twice carried that night. Philippon with his -staff retired into Fort Christoval, and surrendered in the -morning.</p> - -<p>The place was plundered during the remainder of the -night and on the following day, nor could order be restored -till the day afterwards. The doors were forced -by firing through the locks, and most of the inhabitants -had placed a table immediately in the entrance of their -houses, with a candle and a bottle of brandy, supposing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_448">448</span> -that this would content the soldiers: the consequence -was that, excited as they already were, they became half -mad with the fiery spirit. But whatever excesses they -committed, their excitement took the form of good fellowship -toward their defeated enemies; and they were seen -walking about with the French soldiers, arm in arm, -inviting them to drink, and taking every care of them. -As soon as fresh troops could be brought up from the -corps of observation, they were marched in, and order -was then restored. 59 officers and 744 men were killed -on the night of the assault; 258 officers wounded and -2600 men; the total number of killed and wounded -during the siege was 5000. The garrison consisted of -nearly 5000, of whom about 3500 were made prisoners.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Soult advances to relieve the place, ... and retreats.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On this occasion the French Marshals had been less -alert than during the former siege, and they had -not acted so well in concert. Marshal Soult -left Seville on the 1st, with all the force he -could collect. On the 4th he reached Llerena; -and having arrived at Villa-Franca, two marches only -from Badajoz, on the 8th, he there learned that the city -had been taken on the night of the 6th. The inhabitants -reported, that his chagrin at this intelligence was -manifested in fits of intemperate anger, and that he -broke nearly all the plates and dishes within his reach. -Before daylight he commenced his retreat; the allied -cavalry immediately followed his march, and on the -11th, attacked his rear guard (consisting of General -Drouet’s cavalry, 2500 in number) at Usagre, and drove -them to Llerena, killing many, and bringing away about -150 prisoners, and nearly as many horses. It was believed -throughout this part of the country, that Ballasteros -had entered Seville; and the people giving, with -their characteristic credulity, implicit belief to the idle<span class="pagenum" id="Page_449">449</span> -rumour, made rejoicings everywhere for the supposed -success, and seemed wholly to disregard the recapture -of Badajoz.</p> - -<p>If Ciudad Rodrigo had been provisioned at this time -as it ought to, and as Lord Wellington expected it would -have been, his intention was immediately after the -capture of Badajoz to have advanced upon Seville with -40,000 men; that movement would instantly have raised -the siege of Cadiz, and Soult might probably have been -obliged to withdraw from Andalusia, and take up a -defensive position on the Tagus. But the British Commander’s -operations were still crippled by the insufficiency -of his means; the Spaniards were not to be relied -on for any exertions, however necessary, for their own -deliverance; the Portugueze were paralysed by the -poverty to which the government and the nation were -reduced; and the British ministry were not yet sufficiently -encouraged by success and by popular opinion, -to increase their efforts and therewith an expenditure - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marmont enters Beira.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -already unexampled in amount. Marshal Marmont, -meantime, supposing that Soult would be -able to raise the siege of Badajoz, thought the -opportunity favourable for an attempt upon the Beira -frontier. Lord Wellington had foreseen this, and had - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Arrangement for the defence of that frontier.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -little means of providing against it. Relying, -however, upon the officers whom he had left in -command at Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida, for -all that could be done by vigilance and sound -judgment, he had directed General Bacellar to collect -the Portugueze militia corps and march thither, ... -Sylveira to protect the Tras-os-Montes, and Brigadier-Generals -Sir Nicholas Trant and Sir John Wilson to -cover that part of Beira extending from the Douro along -the Coa to Sabugal, with especial orders to look to the -safety of a considerable magazine of ammunition at<span class="pagenum" id="Page_450">450</span> -Celorico. Bacellar fixed his head-quarters at Lamego; -the two Anglo-Portugueze Brigadiers had about 3500 -men, but only a single squadron of dragoons between -them, and but a small proportion of the men had served -with them in the former campaigns. In Portugal, the -militia is a service in which no man willingly either -enters or continues, for they receive only half the pay of -the regular soldier, and half the ration of provisions, -and are clothed at their own expense. This body is composed -wholly of married men, or of widowers having -children, these being the only persons exempted from -the conscription: such men were naturally anxious and -desirous of returning home, whenever, by means of -favour or of corruption, they could obtain leave; in the -interval of the campaign, their places were supplied by -others of the same class; two-thirds at least of the whole -number consisted of such raw recruits, and the others -had not been exercised one day since they were disbanded -in the spring of the preceding year.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marmont deterred by a feint from assaulting Almeida.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Marmont did not know how weak a force could be -brought into the field rather to observe his -movements than to oppose them; but he knew -that Ciudad Rodrigo was ill-stored with provisions, -and that the injury which Brennier had -done to the fortifications of Almeida when he abandoned -that place had been insufficiently repaired. Advancing, -therefore, from Salamanca with about 20,000 men, -including 1200 cavalry, he summoned Ciudad Rodrigo: -the Spaniards had made so little progress in repairing -the works, that he might probably have carried it by -escalade; but the French had now lost something of -their confidence; he was afraid of committing himself, -and leaving one division to blockade it, proceeded with -the rest of his army towards Almeida. Colonel Le -Mesurier commanded in that fortress, and its safety<span class="pagenum" id="Page_451">451</span> -depended much more upon the character of its commander -than upon its own strength or that of the -garrison, which consisted entirely of militia. Trant, -arriving with his division upon the Coa just at this time, -and receiving intelligence there of the enemy’s movements, -proceeded without delay to occupy the position -of the Cabeço Negro, which Lord Wellington had -occupied during Massena’s operations against Almeida: -the French were already arriving before that place, and -it was with difficulty that a corps of between 7 and 800 -Spaniards under D. Carlos d’España escaped their close -pursuit and effected a junction with this body of Portugueze. -It was of great consequence to communicate -with Colonel Le Mesurier now. Trant, though exposed -to the fire of the French advanced posts, effected this, -and during a short interview, they agreed upon the -course to be pursued in case Almeida should be -seriously threatened; and also, that during the night an -attempt should be made to impose upon the French by -making show as of a considerable force upon the left -bank of the Coa. Accordingly, fires were kindled to -the right and left of the position; and the enemy, -deceived by this easy stratagem into a belief that a corps -of British troops was present, gave up their intention of -assaulting the fortress; they only threw forward a reconnoitring -party upon the glacis, which the Governor -drove back with loss.</p> - -<p>Had Marmont assaulted the place, he might probably -have captured it, and would have found there a battering-train, -which would have enabled him to break -ground before Ciudad Rodrigo. On the following morning -he withdrew, and leaving Almeida in the rear proceeded -to Sabugal, where he established his head-quarters: -it was now at his option either to advance upon the -Tagus by Castello Branco, or by Guarda upon the Mondego<span class="pagenum" id="Page_452">452</span> -and Celorico; but his operations had neither been - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Advance of the French to Castello Branco and their retreat.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -well concerted, nor were they vigorously pursued. His -advanced guard followed the first hussars, who -had been left under Major-General Alten in -front of Ciudad Rodrigo, through Lower Beira, -but at a distance; and they entered Castello -Branco, that officer having fallen back thither, and retiring -from thence before them with Brigadier-General -Le Cor’s brigade of militia which had been stationed -there. The hospital and the stores were removed beyond -the Tagus. The enemy did not cross the river in -pursuit, and when Alten and Le Cor recrossed, the -French retreated, evacuating the city two days after -they had taken possession of it.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marmont attempts to surprise the Portugueze at Guarda.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Meantime Bacellar, who had removed his head-quarters -to Celorico, instructed Trant and Wilson to -occupy Guarda, relying upon Dumouriez’ erroneous -opinion of the advantages of a position -which Lord Wellington afterwards pronounced -to be the most treacherous one in Portugal. They, -though they were not at that time aware of the defects -of the ground which they were ordered to take, would far -rather have moved behind the Mondego, from whence -the magazines at Celorico might have been better protected. -The French were dispersed over a large extent -of country for the purpose of procuring provisions, and -for plunder; but Marmont, having collected about -10,000 of his men and half his cavalry, on the evening -of the day on which his advanced guard retired from -Castello Branco, advanced upon Guarda, expecting to -surprise the Portugueze divisions there. A hundred -men under a Captain and two Lieutenants had been stationed -about half a mile in front of the town, on the -Sabugal road. Marmont himself advancing with 500 -cavalry, surprised and captured the out-piquet of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_453">453</span> -party, and pushed on within 200 yards of the city, but -hearing the drums beat to arms, and being unsupported -by infantry, he thought it prudent to fall back upon his -main force. The Portugueze, who at that moment could -have offered little resistance even to a less formidable -enemy, soon drew up on the outside of the town, towards -the danger; it was just at daybreak, and they ascertained -the great superiority of the French in time to -commence their retreat. Guarda being untenable, and -the troops having only rations for the present day, and -depending upon Celorico for supplies which would now -be cut off, Trant, therefore, in concurrence with Wilson’s -opinion, resolved to retire behind the Mondego, -which was about six miles distant. Two battalions -were continued in position, while the remainder retired -through the town, and took up ground in its rear unobserved -by the enemy; but no sooner were the whole set -in motion than the French cavalry followed, threatening -to charge the columns. The ground for about five -miles was entirely open; but a regiment was successively -halted in echelle for the protection of the troops -in march, and by this means the movement went on in -perfect order, till the moment when all danger seemed to -be at an end.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Flight of the Portugueze militia by the Mondego.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Immediately before the road to Celorico reaches the -Mondego, it descends a sloping ground, much -broken and covered with wood. The enemy’s -horse was by this time pressing them close; -Trant, therefore, halted his rear-guard of one -battalion within the wood, about a hundred yards from -the summit of the hill, where they could not be attacked -by cavalry, and where by making a stand, they might -have gained time for the rest of the troops to ford the -river and form on the opposite side. But it had not ceased<span class="pagenum" id="Page_454">454</span> -raining for some hours, and when they were ordered to -fire upon some of the French who dismounted, and were -firing their carabines upon them, very few of the firelocks -went off; the men instantly lost confidence, and -every one thought to escape unnoticed by favour of the -ground. Trant presently found himself with not more -than a hundred men besides the officers of his staff and -of the regiment. The panic which these fugitives spread -was increased by the small party of Portugueze cavalry, -which having been employed thus far in watching the -enemy, retreated with too much precipitation through -the rear-guard, glad to find themselves in comparative -safety among the trees; and some of them escaping to -the main body, it was supposed from their report that -the whole of the rear-guard had been cut off. All efforts -of the officers were in vain; they took to flight; the -enemy’s cavalry descended the hill unopposed, and -made about two hundred prisoners without killing -or wounding a single man. Five colours were lost in -this rout, the bearers having either hid them in the -wood, or thrown them into the Mondego; and a few -men were drowned in hurrying over the river. Some of -the fugitives hastened to Celorico, declaring that the -enemy were in full pursuit, and continuing their flight, -they spread the same report all the way to Coimbra. It -had this ill effect at Celorico that the officer in charge of -the depôt there set it on fire, concluding hastily, that what -these persons reported as eye-witnesses, must to its - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">Marmont retreats.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -whole extent be true. But night had closed -opportunely for the Portugueze; their officers -succeeded in rallying them beyond the river, and the -French did not attempt to pass, waiting till the morning: -during the night Marmont received unwelcome tidings -that Badajoz had fallen, and that Lord Wellington was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_455">455</span> -on his way to the north; he therefore retraced his steps -towards Sabugal, concentrated his army there, and then -commenced his retreat upon Salamanca, raising the -blockade of Ciudad Rodrigo. The enemy in this expedition -had robbed and murdered the inhabitants as usual; -but they derived no advantage from it whatever, having -attempted more than they could execute, and leaving -unattempted what they might have achieved.</p> - -<p>Marshal Beresford noticed the conduct of the militia -in the severest terms; and it is worthy of remark, that -the order which contained this censure found its way -into the Moniteur, ... of so much consequence was it -deemed at Paris to depreciate the Portugueze soldiers -now when the French had begun to find them formidable. -An <i>alferes</i> and two serjeants were brought to -trial at Coimbra, for cowardice, and for spreading fearful -and false reports upon their flight: they were condemned -to death and executed. The Porto militia -regiment in which the panic had begun was deprived -of its colours till it should recover its character in the -presence of the enemy; two other regiments which had -lost theirs were not to have them restored till, in like -manner, they had effaced the stain of their late conduct; -and the Penafiel militia, which had lost one and preserved -the other, was ordered to deposit that other with -the <i>Camara</i> of their town till they should have approved -themselves worthy to be intrusted with it again. As -this was the only instance in which the Portugueze -had disgraced themselves since their military establishment -had been reformed, it was treated with the greatest -severity.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Wellington retires to Beira.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Lord Wellington, as soon as he heard of Soult’s retreat, -had put his army in motion toward the -Beira frontier. He established his head-quarters -at Fuente Guinaldo; the troops were cantoned<span class="pagenum" id="Page_456">456</span> -between the Agueda and the Coa; and though -the magazines at Celorico had been destroyed, those -beyond the Douro sufficed for their supply. Here, therefore, -they rested awhile to recruit their strength. Their -means of transport were employed in provisioning Badajoz, -and Lord Wellington prepared to follow up the brilliant -successes of the campaign.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_457">457</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 id="CHAPTER_XLI">CHAPTER XLI.</h2> - -<blockquote class="inhead"> - -<p class="hang">MARQUIS WELLESLEY RESIGNS OFFICE. OVERTURES OF PEACE. MURDER -OF MR. PERCEVAL. NEGOTIATIONS FOR FORMING A NEW ADMINISTRATION. -SIR ROWLAND HILL’S SUCCESS AT ALMARAZ. BATTLE OF SALAMANCA.</p></blockquote> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">1812.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p class="in0"><span class="firstword">The</span> year which had commenced thus auspiciously for -the British arms was distinguished also by important -events both at home and on the continent, ... events -which materially affected the conduct and the issue of - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Marquis Wellesley resigns office.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the war. Early in the year Marquis Wellesley -resigned the seals of his office: he could not -prevail upon his colleagues in the cabinet to -place such means at the disposal of Lord Wellington as -might enable him to follow up his advantages with every -human certainty of complete success; and he was impatient -of continuing in a subordinate station to Mr. -Perceval, whom he seems to have estimated far below -the standard of his worth. The seals were put into the -Earl of Liverpool’s hands till a successor should be appointed. - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Restrictions on the Regency expire.<br /><span class="date">Feb. 13.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -At this time the restrictions on the -Regency were about to expire, and the Prince -addressed a letter to his brother the Duke of -York, saying how much it would gratify him if -some of those persons with whom the habits of his -public life had been formed would strengthen his hands -and constitute a part of his government; and authorizing -him to communicate his wishes to Lord Grey, who -would make them known to Lord Grenville. “The -national faith,” said the Prince, “has been preserved<span class="pagenum" id="Page_458">458</span> -inviolate towards our allies; and if character is strength, -as applied to a nation, the increased and increasing reputation -of his Majesty’s arms will show to the nations -of the continent how much they may still achieve when -animated by a glorious spirit of resistance to a foreign -yoke. In the critical situation of the war in the Peninsula, -I shall be most anxious to avoid any measure -which can lead my allies to suppose that I mean to -depart from the present system. Perseverance alone -can achieve the great object in question; and I cannot -withhold my approbation from those who have honourably -distinguished themselves in the support of it. I have -no predilections to indulge, ... no resentments to gratify, -... no objects to attain but such as are common to the -whole empire.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Communication from the Prince to the leaders of Opposition.<br /><span class="date">January 7.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>It was not likely that this communication to the two -joint leaders of the Opposition would bring them -to act in concert with Mr. Perceval, whom -having tried and proved, the Prince would not -now have abandoned. Earl Grey had said in -the debate on the address, “he should feel unhappy -if he departed from that House without declaring -that he retained all the opinions which he before held on -subjects of great magnitude, ... opinions confirmed by -experience and the evidence of facts, ... opinions which -he should ever be ready to maintain and defend, the -system that had been adopted having been, in fact, the -source of almost all our present and impending calamities.” -Lord Grenville’s language on the same occasion -had been to the same purport: “The framers of the -Prince Regent’s speech,” he said, “were the very men -who by their obstinate blindness had brought the -country to the brink of ruin, and who, in the midst of -the distresses they themselves had occasioned, still held -the same flattering and fallacious language. He would<span class="pagenum" id="Page_459">459</span> -protest against a continuance of those measures which -had brought such calamities on the country, ... calamities -so real and momentous, that they must soon press themselves -with irresistible force on their lordships’ attention, -whether or not they were willing to give them the consideration -they deserved. People might choose to close -their eyes, but the force of truth must dispel the wilful -blindness; they might choose to shut their ears, but the -voice of a suffering nation must sooner or later be heard. -He still retained his objections to every part of the -system which he had so often condemned; he still -deprecated that wanton waste of money and of all the -public resources, when it was more necessary than ever -to husband them with the most provident care.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Reply of Lords Grey and Grenville.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>The two lords framed their reply to the Duke of York’s -communication in conformity with these declared -opinions: “No sacrifice,” they said, “except -those of honour and duty, could appear to us too -great to be made, for the purpose of healing the divisions -of our country, and uniting both its government -and its people. All personal exclusion we entirely disclaim; -we rest on public measures; and it is on this -ground alone that we must express, without reserve, the -impossibility of our uniting with the present government. -Our differences of opinion are too many and too -important to admit of such an union: ... they embrace -almost all the leading features of the present policy of -the empire.” Then touching upon the state of Ireland, -“We are firmly persuaded,” they said, “of the necessity -of a total change in the present system of government in -that country.”</p> - -<p>The great body of the nation dreaded at this time -nothing so much as any change in the ministry which -would bring the despondents into office; they therefore -regarded this refusal of the Prince Regent’s overture<span class="pagenum" id="Page_460">460</span> -with the greatest satisfaction; but it gave offence to -others of that party, who looked upon themselves with -some reason as having been included in the overtures, -and were of opinion that they ought to have been consulted -before such an answer was returned; there might -have been a distribution of loaves and fishes; and -though the two lords were not hungry, they were: ... this - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">March.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -the public learned from their complaints. The -seals of the foreign department were now accepted -by Lord Castlereagh, who while out of office, -instead of entering into opposition, had supported the -measures of a cabinet whose general course of policy he -approved, and in whom the ministry, if they gained little -accession of strength in public opinion, obtained an -active and useful colleague, on whose intrepidity and -honour and straightforward integrity they could rely.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Boringdon’s motion.<br /><span class="date">Mar. 19.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Lord Boringdon, however, thought proper to move in -the House of Lords for an address to the Prince -Regent, requesting that he would endeavour to -form a cabinet which might effectually call -forth the resources of the empire. “The motion was -founded,” he said, “on his deep sense of the alarming -evils which threatened the safety of the nation, and on -the imperative necessity of obtaining an efficient administration -capable of averting them; ... for the darkest -and most gloomy prospects now surrounded us; dangers -were pressing upon us on every side, and at this same -time the means of averting them were weakened.” The -Catholic question was largely introduced in the ensuing -debate; a party in Parliament using that question as a -means for harassing the administration, while men of -worse intentions but far greater foresight employed it as -an engine by which they expected to separate Ireland -from England, eradicate the Protestant Church in one -country, and finally subvert the constitution of the other.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_461">461</span> -But the public looked with much more interest to the -opinions concerning the war expressed by those who, -notwithstanding their late refusal of office, were supposed -to be expectant of it; and upon this point Earl -Grey’s sentiments seemed to have undergone some -modification. “Certainly,” he said, “he was not prepared -to affirm that it was expedient to recall our troops -immediately home, but certainly he did not wish to proceed -in that expensive mode of warfare without having -some military authority as to the result of it. He - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Speech of Earl Grey.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -thought, and most decidedly, that a reduction -of our expenditure was called for by reflections -of the most urgent and powerful kind, ... but if any thing -like a certainty of success could be shown in the schemes -that were devised, then all his hesitations would be -removed, and he should consider even the most extensive -scale of foreign operations as recommended by the -principles of economy itself. He felt warmly the justice -of that cause which we were maintaining in the Peninsula. -No cause related in the annals of mankind ever -rested more entirely on sentiments of the most honourable -feeling, or was more connected (if circumstances -were favourable) with principles of national advantage. -The spectacle exhibited was the most interesting that -could engage the sympathies or the attention of the -world; and it was impossible not to wish to afford assistance -to the noble struggle of a free people, against the -most unparalleled treachery, the most atrocious violence, -that ever stained or degraded the ambition of despotic -power. But those principles upon which the prosecution -of that war could be defended must be reduced to a -mere speculative theory, unless supported by adequate -exertions from the Spanish people and the Spanish -government. Without that necessary co-operation, all -our efforts must prove useless. The success of our arms<span class="pagenum" id="Page_462">462</span> -during the last two years had been called complete: he -could coincide in no such declaration, knowing, as every -other man knew, that the defence of Portugal must be -impracticable after Spain should be entirely subdued. -We had unquestionably achieved much, and in the -capture of Cuidad Rodrigo he concurred in the admiration -justly due to the great commander who conducted -that important enterprise. But when he looked to -another part of that kingdom, and saw Badajoz in -possession of the enemy, ... when he looked to Catalonia, -Valencia, Murcia, ... he was at a loss to discover what -new prospects of success had dawned upon the Spaniards. -Those conquests opened to the enemy a free -communication between all their divisions, and they -would soon be enabled by that circumstance to bring the -whole weight of their united forces against the British. -He did think, too, that ministers had been culpably -negligent in not having exerted in that quarter the -means actually in their power, by employing a considerable -naval force for the purpose of lending our allies -more effectual succour. Such a system, if properly conducted, -would in all probability have enabled the -Catalans to expel their invaders. Where then were the -symptoms of this boasted success? Lord Wellington, at -the head of 62,000 as effective men as were ever led -into the field, had been compelled to remain on the -defensive! With a force greater than that commanded -by the Duke of Marlborough at the most splendid era -of our military history, Lord Wellington had found -himself limited to the pursuit of a defensive system!”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Overture from the French government.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Lord Boringdon’s motion met with little support, and -the tidings of Lord Wellington’s success at Badajoz -contributed to confirm the confidence -which the great majority of the public felt in -the existing administration. The fall of that fortress<span class="pagenum" id="Page_463">463</span> -was so decisive a proof of British enterprise and courage, -that Buonaparte would not allow it to be mentioned in -the French newspapers; and under his vigilant despotism -the French people could know nothing more of -public affairs than he thought proper to communicate. -At this time he was preparing for an expedition upon -a greater scale than any which he had before undertaken, -and to a greater distance than he had yet advanced -in his career of conquest. An overture for peace -to the British Government, upon grounds which he knew -to be inadmissible, served now, as on former occasions, -for a prelude to this new drama of his ambition. “His -Majesty the Emperor,” the Duc de Bassano said in a - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">April 17.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -communication to Lord Castlereagh, “being -constantly actuated by sentiments friendly to -moderation and peace, and moved by the awful circumstances -in which the world is at present placed, is -pleased again to make a solemn and sincere attempt for -putting an end to the miseries of war. Many changes -have taken place in Europe during the last ten years, -which have been the necessary consequence of the war -between France and England, and many more changes -will be effected by the same cause. The particular -character which the war has assumed may add to the -extent and duration of these results. Exclusive and -arbitrary principles cannot be combated but by an opposition -without measure or end; and the system of preservation -and resistance must have the same character of -universality, perseverance, and vigour. This might have -been prevented if the peace of Amiens had been observed.” -Having referred then to the overtures which -Buonaparte had made in the years 1805, 1808 and 1810, -the French minister proceeded thus: ... “I will express -myself, Sir, in a manner which your excellency will find -conformable to the sincerity of the step that I am<span class="pagenum" id="Page_464">464</span> -authorized to take; and nothing will better evince the -sincerity and sublimity of it than the precise terms of the -language which I have been instructed to use. What -motives should induce me to envelope myself in formalities -suitable to weakness, which alone can find its -interest in deceit?... The affairs of the Peninsula and of -the Two Sicilies are the points of difference which -appear least to admit of being adjusted.... I am authorized -to propose an arrangement of them on the following -basis: ... The integrity of Spain shall be guaranteed. -France shall renounce all intention of extending her -dominions beyond the Pyrenees. The present dynasty -shall be declared independent, and Spain shall be -governed by a national constitution of her Cortes. The -independence and integrity of Portugal shall also be -guaranteed, and the house of Braganza shall have the -sovereign authority. The kingdom of Naples shall -remain in possession of the present monarch, and the -kingdom of Sicily shall be guaranteed to the present -family of Sicily. As a consequence of these stipulations, -Spain, Portugal and Sicily shall be evacuated by -the French and English land and naval forces. With -respect to the other subjects of discussion, they may be -negotiated upon this basis, that each power shall retain -that of which the other could not deprive it by war. -Such, Sir, are the grounds of conciliation offered by his -Majesty to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent. His -Majesty, the Emperor and King, in taking this step, does -not look either to the advantages or losses which this -empire may derive from the war, if it should be prolonged: -he is influenced simply by considerations of -the interests of humanity, and the peace of his people. -And if this fourth attempt, like those which have preceded -it, should not be attended with success, France -will at least have the consolation of thinking that whatever<span class="pagenum" id="Page_465">465</span> -blood may yet flow, will be justly imputable to -England alone.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Castlereagh’s reply.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>This overture was answered as it deserved; Lord -Castlereagh was instructed, before he entered -into any explanations, to ascertain the precise -meaning attached by the French Government to -its proposal concerning the actual dynasty and government -of Spain. “If,” said he, “as His Royal Highness -fears, the meaning of this proposition is, that the royal -authority of Spain and the government established by the -Cortes shall be recognised as residing in the brother -of the head of the French Government, and the Cortes -formed under his authority, not in the legitimate sovereign -Ferdinand VII., and his heirs, and the extraordinary -assembly of the Cortes, now invested with the -power of the government in that kingdom, in his name -and by his authority, I am commanded frankly and -explicitly to declare, that the obligations of good faith -do not permit His Royal Highness to receive a proposition -for peace founded on such a basis. But if the -expressions apply to the actual government of Spain, -which exercises the sovereign authority in the name of -Ferdinand VII., upon an assurance of your Excellency -to that effect, the Prince Regent will feel himself disposed -to enter into a full explanation upon the basis -which has been transmitted; it being his most earnest -wish to contribute, in concert with his allies, to the -repose of Europe; and to bring about a peace which may -be at once honourable not only for Great Britain and -France, but also for those states which are in amity with -each of these powers. Having made known, without -reserve, the sentiments of the Prince Regent with respect -to a point on which it is necessary to have a full -understanding previous to any ulterior discussion, I shall -adhere to the instructions of his Royal Highness, by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_466">466</span> -avoiding all superfluous comment and recriminations on -the accessary objects of your letter. I might, advantageously -for the justification of the conduct observed by -Great Britain at the different periods alluded to by your -Excellency, refer to the correspondence which then took -place, and to the judgment which the world has long -since formed of it. As to the particular character the -war has unhappily assumed, and the arbitrary principles -which your Excellency conceives to have marked its progress, -denying as I do, that these evils are attributable -to the British Government, I at the same time can -assure your Excellency, that it sincerely deplores their -existence, as uselessly aggravating the calamities of -war; and that its most anxious desire, whether at peace -or at war with France, is to have the relations of the -two countries restored to the liberal principles usually -acted upon in former times.”</p> - -<p>No answer was attempted to this unanswerable reply; -and the signal success of the British arms since the -commencement of the year had so far raised the public -spirit, that no attempt was made in Parliament to -ground upon the failure of these overtures any accusation -against the ministers for wantonly prolonging the war. -With a great majority in both Houses, and a still greater -in the nation, with the confidence also of the Prince -Regent, which was now no longer doubtful, the administration -seemed, for the first time since the king’s - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mr. Perceval murdered.<br /><span class="date">May 11.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -malady, to be firmly established, when Mr. -Perceval was shot through the heart, in the -lobby of the House of Commons, by a madman. -The murderer was a person who, having failed in some -mercantile speculations at Archangel, and having been -thrown into prison there, imagined himself wronged by -the Russian Government, and by the British Government, -because it had not taken up his cause, concerning<span class="pagenum" id="Page_467">467</span> -which he had molested both governments, with repeated -and groundless memorials; for the business was entirely -of a private nature, in which they could not interfere. -He made no attempt to escape. “My name,” he said, -“is Bellingham; it is a private injury; it was a denial -of justice on the part of government. I know what I -have done. They have driven me to despair by telling -me at the public offices that I might do my worst. I -have obeyed them: I have been watching more than -a fortnight for a favourable opportunity; I have done -my worst, and I rejoice in the deed!” He had no personal -enmity to Mr. Perceval, with whom, as it happened, -he had not at any time communicated; and he -would rather have had Lord Levison Gower for his -victim, who, having been ambassador in Russia, ought, -according to his opinion, to have interfered.</p> - -<p>Bellingham was insane on the single point of his own -imagined injuries; but his insanity was of a kind which, -for the sake of society, must not be pleaded in bar of -justice before an earthly tribunal. The murder was committed -on a Monday, and as the sessions had commenced -at the Old Bailey, he was brought to trial on the -Friday, and executed on the Monday following. On -this occasion, it was seen to what a degree seditious -journalists, the most nefarious that ever were allowed to -make a free press their engine for mischief, had succeeded -in corrupting no small portion of the ignorant -and deluded multitude. When he was conveyed from -the House of Commons to Newgate, in a carriage - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Conduct of the populace.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -and under an escort, an attempt was made -to rescue him, and the soldiers were hooted. -The mob which collected next day in Palace-Yard -uttered the most atrocious exclamations. Before it was -known that Bellingham was an object of commiseration -as well as horror, he was extolled in pot-houses as a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_468">468</span> -friend to the people, who had done them good service in -killing a prime minister; exulting anticipations were -expressed that this was but the beginning, and that -more such examples would follow; healths were drunk -to those members of Parliament, whose language at -various times (whatever their intentions may have been) -had been mischievous enough to bring upon them the -stigma of such popularity: and in certain manufacturing -places public rejoicings were made for the murder -of a minister, who both in private and in public life was -absolutely without reproach. In public life he was without -fear also: this kingdom was never blest with a more -intrepid nor a more upright minister; he feared God, -and therefore he had no fear of man. There were persons -who upon his elevation alluded to the Knight of -the Round Table, from whom his family derive their descent, -and said that Sir Perceval was not the man who -could sit in the “Siege Perilous.” That seat, however, -he took, and filled it worthily; and like his ancestor in -the romance, he was qualified to do this by the purity -as well as by the strength of his character. A sense of -religious duty was the key-stone which crowned his virtues -and his talents, and kept them firm.</p> - -<p>A grant of £50,000 for the twelve children of Mr. -Perceval was voted by Parliament, with a pension of -£2000 to his widow, and to the eldest son, whose reversion -was subsequently commuted for one of those -sinecures, against which, if they were always thus properly -bestowed, no voice would be raised. The loss of -the murdered minister was thus repaired to his family, -as far as it was reparable; but how was his place in the - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Overtures from the ministry to M. Wellesley and Mr. Canning.<br /><span class="date">May 17.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -cabinet to be supplied? Overtures were made -to Mr. Canning and Marquis Wellesley, as persons -who were understood to act in unison, and -who in their views of foreign policy differed in -no respect from the existing ministers. They<span class="pagenum" id="Page_469">469</span> -were informed that the Prince naturally looked to them, -because he was desirous of continuing his administration -upon its present basis, and also of strengthening it as -much as possible by associating to it such persons in -public life as agreed most nearly and generally in the -principles upon which public affairs had been conducted. -Lord Liverpool, by whom this communication was made, -stated that his colleagues wished him to be appointed -First Lord of the Treasury, and that their wish was known -to the Prince, when His Royal Highness charged him -with this negotiation; he added also, that Lord Castlereagh -was to retain his office, and act as leader in the -House of Commons.</p> - -<p>It is probable that Mr. Canning was offended at this -latter intimation, though he manifested no such displeasure: -it is probable that he thought himself disparaged -when that part of the business of the House of -Commons for which he could not but be conscious that -he was pre-eminently qualified, was assigned to a person -who was in oratorical powers greatly his inferior. Marquis -Wellesley may also be supposed to have felt a kindred -disappointment; he could number few followers in -Parliament, but he had other friends, who for some time -had been endeavouring with more zeal and activity than -discretion, to persuade the nation that he was the only -statesman capable of conducting the government at a -crisis when the interests of all Europe were at stake. -But in this, though they appealed to his vigorous and -splendid administration in India, they altogether failed. -No doubt was entertained of his surpassing abilities, nor -of his comprehensive views, nor of the energy with which -he was capable of acting upon them. But that was -wanting on which the British people in the healthy and -natural state of public feeling were accustomed to rely; -he had to a certain degree their admiration, but not their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_470">470</span> -confidence. And while his merits as an Indian governor -were understood by those only who were conversant -with Indian affairs, the villanous calumnies with which -he had been assailed for his conduct in that distant -country were more widely known, and were moreover -fresher in remembrance.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>M. Wellesley’s reasons for declining them.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>He gained no ground in public opinion by his conduct -in the negotiation. The difference upon the Roman -Catholic question between himself and the cabinet -which he was invited to join, “was of the utmost -importance,” he said, “and would alone -compel him to decline the proposition.” But -that question, though in its consequences more -mischievous than any by which these kingdoms have -been agitated since the Restoration, was of no pressing -importance at that time, nor could all the arts and efforts -of those who promoted it induce the nation to think it -so. He asked also, whether all those persons designated -by the name of the opposition were to be excluded from -the proposed scheme of administration; “an inquiry -which,” he said, “originated in his sincere conviction -(founded upon an attentive observation of the general -state of public opinion, and of the condition of the empire) -that no administration which should not comprise -some of those persons, could prove advantageous to the -Prince Regent, conciliatory towards Ireland, and equal -to the conduct of the war, on a scale of sufficient extent.” -Marquis Wellesley must have been strangely deceived -when he supposed that public opinion supported him in -this notion: and it is even more remarkable that he -should have expected those persons to co-operate with -him in his vigorous plans for prosecuting the war, knowing -as he did, that from the beginning they had considered -it as hopeless, and had not less repeatedly than -confidently predicted its total failure. Farther, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_471">471</span> -Marquis stated that the considerations which had induced -him to resign office had since acquired additional -force, and would constitute an insuperable obstacle to -his acceptance of any station in the present administration. -He had withdrawn from Mr. Perceval’s because -his general opinions on various important questions had -not sufficient weight in that cabinet to justify him towards -the public, or towards his own character in continuing -in office. “My objection,” said he, “to remaining -in that cabinet arose, in a great degree, from the imperfect -scale on which the efforts in the Peninsula were conducted. -It was always stated to me that it was impracticable -to enlarge that system. I thought it was perfectly -practicable; and that it was neither safe nor -honest towards this country or the allies to continue the -present inadequate scheme. Since my resignation it -has been found practicable to make some extension; -but it is still intimated, that my views are more extensive -than the resources of the country can enable the -government to reduce to practice. I, however, still entertain -the same views and opinions, without diminution -or alteration; and I am convinced that a considerable -extension of the scale of our operations in the Peninsula, -and also an effectual correction of many branches of our -system in that quarter, are objects of indispensable -necessity and of easy attainment. With such a decided -difference of opinion in relation to the conduct and -management of the war, my return into a cabinet composed -as the present is, would offer to me no better -prospect than the renewal of discussions which have -hitherto proved unavailing.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mr. Canning’s.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Mr. Canning rested his refusal of office solely upon -the Catholic question: “To accept it,” he said, -“would be to lend himself to the defeating of -his own declared opinions on that most important question;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_472">472</span> -opinions which were as far as those of any man -from being favourable to precipitate an unqualified -concession. But by entering into the administration -while all consideration of that question was to be resisted, -I should incur,” said he, “such a loss of personal -and public character as would disappoint the object -which His Royal Highness the Prince Regent has at -heart, and must render my accession to his government -a new source of weakness rather than an addition of -strength.” Lord Liverpool had stated to Mr. Canning, -that Lord Castlereagh had from motives of delicacy -absented himself from the cabinet when the grounds on -which the overture was to be made were discussed; and -that he would be no obstacle in the way of arrangement. -This was consistent with the manliness and generosity -of Lord Castlereagh’s character, and it was received in -a corresponding spirit by Mr. Canning. “After the -expressions,” said he to Lord Liverpool, “with which -you were charged on the part of all your colleagues, I -should not be warranted in omitting to declare that no -objection of a personal sort should have prevented me -from uniting with any or all of them, if I could have -done so with honour.... I cannot deny myself the satisfaction -of adding, that the manner of your communication -with us has entirely corresponded with the habits and -sentiments of a friendship of so many years; a friendship -which our general concurrence on many great political -principles has strengthened, and which our occasional -differences have in no degree impaired.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>M. Wellesley’s statement.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>If the failure of this overture disappointed the hopes -which ministers had reasonably entertained of -strengthening themselves by the accession of -the two persons who were most in accord with -them upon all points of foreign policy, it had no tendency -to widen their differences; but just as it terminated,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_473">473</span> -a statement of the causes which had induced -Marquess Wellesley to resign found its way into the -newspapers through the indiscretion of some of his -friends. It spoke in no measured terms of his late -colleagues: in his judgment, it was said, the cabinet -neither possessed ability and knowledge to devise a good -plan, nor temper and discernment to adopt what was -recommended to them: ... it said also that Marquis -Wellesley could not pay any deference to Mr. Perceval’s -judgment and attainments without injury to the public -service: that if his own opinions had been adopted, he -might have been willing to have served with him, but -would never have consented to serve under him in any -circumstances: that he had offered to act under Earl -Moira or Lord Holland, and made no exception to any -person as prime minister but Mr. Perceval, whom he -considered incompetent to fill that office, although -sufficiently qualified for inferior stations. The publication -of this statement would have been indiscreet at any -time; but being published a few days only after the -murder of Mr. Perceval, it excited a strong feeling of -displeasure. Just at this juncture, Mr. Stuart Wortley - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mr. Stuart Wortley’s motion.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -moved in the House of Commons, that an -address should be presented to the Prince, -praying him to take measures for forming a -strong and efficient government. This ill-judged motion -was carried by a small majority; and the Prince in consequence -sent for Marquis Wellesley, and desired him -to form a plan of an administration. The Marquis -requested Mr. Canning, as the channel which might be - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">May 23.</span><br />M. Wellesley charged to form an administration.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -most agreeable to Lord Liverpool, to inquire -whether he and all or any of his colleagues -would form part of a ministry constituted upon -the principles of taking the Catholic question -into early consideration, with a view to its final<span class="pagenum" id="Page_474">474</span> -and satisfactory settlement, and of prosecuting the war -in the Peninsula with the best means of the country. -There was the strongest wish, it was added, to comprehend -in the arrangement, without any individual or -party exclusion whatever, as many as possible of such -persons as might be able to agree in giving their public -service to the country upon these two principles. With -regard to the distribution of offices nothing was stipulated; -every thing, therefore, was open to be arranged - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The ministers refuse to act with him.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -to the honour and satisfaction of all parties. An -immediate answer was returned by Lord Liverpool, -for himself and his colleagues, saying, -that it was not necessary for them to enter into any -discussion of the two principles, because they all felt -themselves bound, particularly after what had recently -passed, to decline the proposal of becoming members -of an administration to be formed by Marquis Wellesley.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lords Grey and Grenville also decline.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Marquis Wellesley made a similar communication to -Lords Grey and Grenville, and through them to -their friends, observing, that he neither claimed -nor desired for himself any place in the new -arrangement, looking upon himself merely as the instrument -of executing the Prince’s commands in this -instance. Lords Grey and Grenville professed in reply, -that they felt it to be the duty of all public men at such -a moment; both by frank and conciliatory explanations -of principle, and by the total abandonment of every -personal object, to facilitate the means of giving effect -to the late vote of the House of Commons, and of averting -the imminent and unparalleled dangers of the country. -They cordially agreed with him upon the Catholic -question. As to the second point, “No person,” they -said, “feels more strongly than we do the advantages -which would result from a successful termination of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_475">475</span> -present contest in Spain; but we are of opinion, that the -direction of military operations in an extensive war, and -the more or less vigorous prosecution of those operations, -are questions not of principle but of policy; to be regulated -by circumstances in their nature temporary and -fluctuating, and in many cases known only to persons in -official stations; by the engagements of the country, the -prospect of ultimate success, the extent of the exertions -necessary for its attainment, and the means of supporting -those efforts without too great a pressure on the finances -and internal prosperity of the country. On such questions, -therefore, no public men, either in or out of office, -can undertake for more than a deliberate and dispassionate -consideration, according to the circumstances -of the case as it may appear, and to such means of information -as may then be within their reach. But we cannot -in sincerity conceal from Marquis Wellesley, that in the -present state of the finances we entertain the strongest -doubts of the practicability of an increase in any branch -of the public expenditure.” Lords Lansdowne and -Holland concurred in this answer of the two opposition -leaders. Earl Moira’s reply was, “That a plan of -government on the basis proposed would have his most -cordial wishes; but that this declaration was not to -imply any engagement on his part to accept office.” In -the subsequent correspondence, Marquis Wellesley and -Mr. Canning said respecting the Catholic question, that -they did not conceive any farther parliamentary proceeding -to be necessary or practicable that session, than such -as might be sufficient to ensure, either by compulsion -upon a hostile administration, or by pledge from a -friendly one, the consideration of the question during -the recess, with a view to its being brought before -Parliament by the recommendation of the Crown early -in the ensuing session.” Earl Grey replied to this,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_476">476</span> -“That he should very reluctantly abandon the hope of -passing a bill even during the present session for the -repeal of the disabilities whereof the Catholics complained; -but if this could not be done, he held it indispensable -that the most distinct and authentic pledge -should be given of the intention both of the executive -government and of Parliament to take the matter up as -one of the first measures of the next.” Touching the -conduct of the war, “It is impossible,” said he, “to -reduce a question of this nature to any fixed principle. -Whatever we can say with our present means of information -must necessarily be general and inconclusive. I -can have no hesitation in subscribing to the proposition, -that if it shall be found expedient to continue the exertions -we are now making in the Peninsula, they should -be conducted in the manner best calculated to answer -their end.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>M. Wellesley receives fuller powers.<br /><span class="date">June 1.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Here Marquis Wellesley’s commission ended: but the -ministers considered themselves as holding office -only till their successors should be appointed; -and in a few days the Marquis received full -authority to form an administration on the two -principles which he had laid down, and he was specially -instructed to communicate with Lords Grey and Grenville. -The Prince signified his pleasure that Marquis -Wellesley should conduct the formation of the administration -in all its branches, and should be first Commissioner -of the Treasury; and that Earl Moira, Lord -Erskine, and Mr. Canning should be members of the -cabinet. A cabinet formed on an enlarged basis must -be extended to the number of twelve or thirteen members; -and the Prince wished Lords Grey and Grenville -to recommend four persons if it consisted of twelve, five -if it should consist of thirteen; these persons to be -selected by the two lords without any exception or<span class="pagenum" id="Page_477">477</span> -personal exclusion, and to be appointed by His Royal -Highness to such stations as might hereafter be arranged. -It was added, that entire liberty had been - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>The two Lords persist in their reply.<br /><span class="date">June 3.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -granted to Marquis Wellesley to propose for the -Prince’s approbation the names of any persons -then occupying stations in His Royal Highness’s -councils, or of any other persons. In reply, the -two lords repeated their declaration, that no sense of the -public distress and difficulty, no personal feelings of -whatever description, would have prevented them from -accepting with dutiful submission any situations in -which they could have hoped to serve His Royal -Highness usefully and honourably; “But the present -proposal,” they said, “could not justify any such -expectation. We are invited,” they pursued, “not to -discuss with your lordship, or with any other public -men, according to the usual practice in such cases, the -various and important considerations, both of measures -and of arrangements, which belong to the formation of -a new government in all its branches; but to recommend -to His Royal Highness a number, limited by previous -stipulation, of persons willing to be included in a cabinet -of which the outlines are already definitively arranged. -To this proposal we could not accede without the -sacrifice of the very object which the House of Commons -has recommended, ... the formation of a strong -and efficient administration.... It is to the principle of -disunion and jealousy that we object; ... to the supposed -balance of contending interests in a cabinet so measured -out by preliminary stipulation. The times imperiously -require an administration united in principle and strong -in mutual reliance; possessing also the confidence of the -Crown, and assured of its support in those healing -measures which the public safety requires, and which -are necessary to secure to the government the opinion<span class="pagenum" id="Page_478">478</span> -and affections of the people. No such hope is presented -to us by this project, which appears to us equally new -in practice and objectionable in principle. It tends, as -we think, to establish within the cabinet itself a system -of counteraction inconsistent with the prosecution of -any uniform and beneficial course of policy. We must -therefore request permission to decline all participation -in a government constituted upon such principles, -satisfied as we are that the certain loss of character which -must arise from it to ourselves could be productive only -of disunion and weakness in the administration of the -public interests.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Earl Moira’s letter to Earl Grey.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>This called forth an explanatory letter to Earl Grey -from Earl Moira, who thought that the answer -of the two lords conveyed an oblique imputation -upon him, as a party involved in the procedure. -“You represent the proposition,” said he, “as -one calculated to found a cabinet upon a principle of -counteraction. When the most material of the public - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">June 3.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -objects which were to be the immediate ground -of that cabinet’s exertion had been previously -understood between the parties, I own it is difficult for -me to comprehend what principle of counteraction could -be introduced.... With regard to the indication of certain -individuals, I can assert, that it was a measure adopted -through the highest spirit of fairness to you and your -friends. Mr. Canning’s name was mentioned because -Marquis Wellesley would have declined office without -him, and it was a frankness to apprize you of it; and -Lord Erskine’s and mine were stated with a view of -showing, that Marquis Wellesley, so far from having -any jealousy to maintain a preponderance in the cabinet, -actually left a majority to those who had been -accustomed to concur upon most public questions; and -he specified Lord Erskine and myself, that you might<span class="pagenum" id="Page_479">479</span> -see the number submitted for your exclusive nomination -was not narrowed by the necessity of advertence to -us. The choice of an additional member of the cabinet -left to you must prove how undistinguishable we -consider our interests and yours, when this was referred -to your consideration as a mere matter of convenience, -the embarrassment of a numerous cabinet being well -known. The reference to members of the late cabinet, -or other persons, was always to be coupled with the -established point, that they were such as could concur -in the principles laid down as the foundation for the -projected ministry; and the statement was principally -dictated by the wish to show that no system of exclusion -could interfere with the arrangements which the public -service might demand. On the selection of those persons, -I aver, the opinions of you, Lord Grenville, and the -others whom you might bring forward as members of -the cabinet, were to operate as fully as our own; and -this was to be the case also with regard to subordinate -offices. The expression that this was left to be proposed -by Marquis Wellesley was intended to prove that His -Royal Highness did not, even in the most indirect -manner, suggest any one of those individuals. It is -really impossible that the spirit of fairness can have -been carried further than has been the intention in this -negotiation. I therefore lament most deeply that an -arrangement, so important for the interests of the country, -should go off upon points which I cannot but think -wide of the substance of the case.”</p> - -<p>This frank and manly remonstrance produced no effect -upon the determination of the two lords. The objections -stated in their joint letter “could not,” they said, “be - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">June 4.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -altered by a private explanation, which, though -it might lessen some obvious objections to a -part of the detail, still left the general character of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_480">480</span> -proceeding unchanged. They were, however, happy to -receive it as an expression of personal regard, and of that -desire which they readily acknowledged in Lord Wellesley -and Moira, and which was reciprocal on their -own part, that no difference of opinion on the matter in -question should produce on either side any personal -impression which might obstruct the renewal of a conciliatory -intercourse whenever a more favourable opportunity - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>M. Wellesley resigns his commission.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -shall be afforded for it.” Marquis Wellesley -then thought it indispensably necessary -for his public and private honour to declare in -parliament that he had resigned the commission with -which the Prince had charged him. Something he lost -in public opinion through the indiscretion of his friends, -which had rendered it impossible for his former colleagues -ever again cordially to unite with him; something -on the other hand he gained by the unavoidable -comparison which was drawn between the fair and -explicit straight-forwardness of his overtures to the two -lords, and the captious manner in which they had been -received.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Negotiation with Earl Moira.<br /><span class="date">June 5.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Earl Moira now, after conferring with the Duke of -Bedford, addressed a note to the two lords. -“Venturing, as being honoured,” he said, “with -the Prince Regent’s confidence to indulge his -anxiety that an arrangement of the utmost importance to -the country should not go off on any misunderstanding, -he entreated them to advert to his explanatory letter, -and desired an interview with them, if they thought the -disposition expressed in that letter were likely to lead to -any co-operation. Should the issue of the interview be -according to his hope, he would then solicit the Prince’s -permission to address them formally: the present mode -he had adopted for the sake of precluding all difficulties -in the outset.” The two lords replied, “That they were<span class="pagenum" id="Page_481">481</span> -highly gratified by the kindness of the motive on which -Earl Moira acted; that personal communication with -him would always be acceptable and honourable to -them, but they hoped he would be sensible that no -advantage was likely to result from pursuing this subject -by unauthorized discussion, and in a course different -from the usual practice. Motives of obvious delicacy,” -they said, “must prevent their taking any step toward -determining the Prince to authorize Earl Moira to address -them personally. They should always receive -with dutiful submission His Royal Highness’s commands, -in whatever manner and through whatever channel -he might be pleased to signify them; but they could -not venture to suggest to His Royal Highness, through -any other person, their opinions on points on which -His Royal Highness was not pleased to require their -advice.”</p> - -<p>Earl Moira reported this to the Prince, and being then -provided with the required formalities, he renewed his -overture, but with diminished hope. “Discouraged,” -he said, “as he must be, he could not reconcile it to -himself to leave any effort untried, and he had therefore -adopted the principle of the two lords for an interview, -though doubting whether the desired conclusion could be -so well advanced by it as by the mode which he had -suggested. He had now the Prince’s instructions to -take steps for the formation of a ministry, and was -specially authorized to address himself to Lords Grey -and Grenville, with whom, therefore, in company with -Lord Erskine, he requested an interview.” It was one -characteristic of these remarkable negotiations, that whatever -passed in conversation between the parties was -minuted, and that publicity was given to those minutes -and to all the notes which were interchanged ... a mode -of proceeding neither prudent in itself nor as a precedent.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_482">482</span> -At this meeting, what Earl Moira considered the preliminary -points were satisfactorily disposed of; the two -lords, it was declared, might pursue their own course of -policy both with regard to Ireland and to the United -States of America, and the majority which they were to -have in the cabinet assured them the same preponderance -upon other questions. There was, however, another -preliminary which appeared to them of great importance, -and which they thought it necessary to bring -forward immediately, lest farther inconvenient and embarrassing -delay might be produced, if this negotiation -should be broken off in a more advanced state: no restriction -was laid on their considering any points which -they might deem useful for the Prince’s service; they -asked, therefore, whether this full liberty extended to -the consideration of new appointments to those great -offices of the household which have usually been included -in the political arrangements made on a change of administration; -and they intimated their opinion, that it -would be necessary to act on the same principle now. -Earl Moira answered, “that the Prince had laid no -restriction upon him in that respect, and had never -pointed in the most distant manner at the protection of -those officers from removal” but he added, “that it -would be impossible for him to concur in making the -exercise of this power positive and indispensable in the -formation of the administration, because he should deem -it on public grounds peculiarly objectionable.” To this -Lords Grey and Grenville replied, “That they also acted -on public grounds alone, and with no other feeling whatever -than that which arose from the necessity of giving -to a new government that character of efficiency and stability, -and those marks of the constitutional support of the -Crown, which were required for enabling it to act usefully -for the public service; and that on these grounds<span class="pagenum" id="Page_483">483</span> -it appeared indispensable that the connexion of the -great offices of the court with the political administration -should be clearly established in its first arrangement.” -This decided difference having been thus expressed on -both sides, the conversation ended here, with mutual -declarations of regret: and here also, to the great satisfaction -of the public, ended all negotiations with the two -leaders of Opposition, at the very time when, but for -their own marvellous mismanagement, the government -would have been delivered into their hands.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>The old ministry is re-established.<br /><span class="date">June 8.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>On the second day after this decisive interview, Lord -Liverpool informed the House of Lords that the -Prince had been pleased to appoint him first -Commissioner of the Treasury, and had authorized -him to complete the other arrangements of -the administration. This led to a conversation, in which -Earl Moira stated what his views had been in these transactions -... and declared his determination to support the -ministry, so far as they might act consistently with the -principles which had guided his political life. He had - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>M. Wellesley’s explanation.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -called upon Marquis Wellesley to explain what -he meant by asserting that dreadful personal -animosities had manifested themselves in the -course of the negotiation. The Marquis replied, “That -he had used the words advisedly; and no better proof -of the charge could be required than the language of -Lords Liverpool and Melville, one of whom had expressly -declined to be a member of any administration formed by -him, and the other had stated his objection as a matter -of personal feeling.” Lord Harrowby made answer to -this: ... “On the very day,” he said, “on which Mr. -Stuart Wortley’s motion was carried, he and his friends -had agreed to form part of an administration of which -Marquis Wellesley was to have had the lead; but subsequent -circumstances had made them alter that determination.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_484">484</span> -The statement in which the Marquis accused -his late colleagues of incapacity to conduct the government -had wounded them through the memory of him -who had just fallen by the hand of an assassin, whom -they had considered as the life and soul of their cabinet, -and whom they in the highest degree respected and esteemed; -... a man of unimpeachable integrity, who never -wanted defence in the eyes of those who knew his value. -That statement had produced feelings in himself and his -friends which rendered it impossible for them cordially -to unite with the Marquis in any administration. -Marquis Wellesley replied, “That what had been just -said confirmed the truth of his assertion, but he acquitted -himself of any part in the publication of the statement. -As soon as his resignation was known, some of his -friends,” he said, “took down in writing his account of -it in the expressions which fell from him in the heat of -conversation: though they had often been solicited to -publish this, they had uniformly refused, and he himself -was horror-struck when he saw it in the public newspapers: -for the statement,” he said, “was not his; it -contained expressions which he would not have used in -a document intended for the public eye, more especially -at a moment when the country had just lost a man of the -most irreproachable character, of the most perfect integrity, -of the mildest heart, of the most amiable qualities, -having, indeed, been distinguished by every private -virtue. But it was no reproach to any man to be thought -unfit for the supreme direction of government; and -though he looked upon the act which deprived Mr. -Perceval of his life as a stain on humanity, he never -considered him, when living, as a fit person to lead the -councils of this great empire. He admitted that he had -never formally dissented in the cabinet from the opinions -of his colleagues, though he had frequently put them<span class="pagenum" id="Page_485">485</span> -in full possession of his own: he declared also, that -there were many of their measures which he highly -approved, and that he would give them his cordial support, -as far as that could be done consistently with the -deliberate opinion which he had formed on the great -points of national policy: but he concluded by repeating, -that they had opposed obstacles to the establishment -of an efficient administration, and that those obstacles -originated in personal feelings.”</p> - -<p>There was no tendency in this speech to conciliate, -but it was not likely farther to displease those whom -Marquis Wellesley had already wounded, nor to wound - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Earl Grey.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -others. Earl Grey then rose to make his explanation -and his charges. “For himself,” he said, -“no man could be more anxious than he was, even as -far as was consistent with his honour, to outstretch a -feeble but a ready hand to save a sinking nation. But -a strong suspicion had operated on his mind throughout -the recent negotiations, that he and his friends were -either not to be admitted into the cabinet at all, or, if -admitted, to be bound down in such a manner that the -public should be secured against the influence of the -principles and measures to which, during their whole -parliamentary existence, they had been pledged.” Alluding -then to Marquis Wellesley and Earl Moira, he -said, “that though in his late intercourse with them he -could discover nothing but an unceasing and earnest -desire to conciliate, and a laudable anxiety for the general -good, he nevertheless suspected that they themselves -had been deceived, and were not aware of the secret -management of which they had been made the instrument.” - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Earl Moira’s reply.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Earl Moira replied with becoming -warmth to the imputation, solemnly declaring, -“that he had undertaken the negotiation without a -single particle of reservation in the authority with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_486">486</span> -which he was intrusted; that he had stated to Lords -Grey and Grenville, beyond the possibility of misapprehension, -that his instructions were of the most liberal -and unlimited nature, and that the transaction from -beginning to end had been conducted with a severity of -fairness, if he might use the expression, which was perfectly -unparalleled. I claim,” said he, “of the noble -Earl a statement of the particular circumstances to -which he alludes, that I may repel the assertion in as -haughty a tone as he has ventured to make it. My -lords, I feel that I have not deserved this reproach: it -is a disgrace which I do not merit, and which I cannot -bear. If he can bring forward but the shadow of a -proof that even unknowingly I submitted to be made -such an instrument, I shall bow my head to his reproof, -and to the degradation which must ensue. If he cannot, -I shall repel the imputation as proudly as it was made. -There was never in the most insignificant point the -slightest reservation or hint of reservation: the powers -given to me were complete and ample; and whenever -limited, they were limited only by me from a sense of -what was due to the public. I now call upon the noble -Earl more satisfactorily to explain his meaning.” But -Earl Grey contented himself with hinting that he might -find some future opportunity for a more distinct explanation; -and he let it appear that he himself was the person -to whom the authority for forming an administration -ought, in his opinion, to have been intrusted. Lord -Grenville, with more judgment, avoided all offensive -topics in his speech; the points which Earl Grey and -he had refused to concede were, he averred, of material -and fundamental importance, and they never would consent -to become members of a ministry founded on a -principle which, in their deliberate opinion, was calculated -to overthrow the practice of the constitution.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_487">487</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Mr. Stuart Wortley’s second motion.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>But it was in the House of Commons that it was made -known with what hasty imprudence the two lords had -broken off their negotiation with Earl Moira. Mr. -Stuart Wortley, who ought to have learned -from the result of his former motion how bootless -the repetition of such an experiment must -prove, moved for a second address to the Prince, regretting -that the first had not led to its expected consequences, -and expressing the anxiety of the House that -the arrangements for establishing an efficient administration -should speedily be brought to a close. But the -House was not disposed a second time to entertain such -a motion. The temper in which Earl Moira’s overtures -had been rejected drew forth severe comments in the -course of the debate; and a statement which - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Yarmouth’s statement.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Lord Yarmouth made on the part of the household -produced a strong impression both in and -out of Parliament. “With respect to the household,” -he said for himself and his friends, “that it was their -intention to resign their situations before the new administration -should enter upon office. This intention,” he -affirmed, “was well known: they had taken every -means of stating it in quarters whence it was likely to -reach the interested parties, and in particular they had -communicated it to one who took an active part in the -negotiation, and with whom all who knew him confessed -it was a happiness to spend their private hours.” Mr. -Sheridan, who was the person intended, confirmed this -statement. “They took every means short of resignation,” -Lord Yarmouth continued, “to show that they never -wished to have any connexion with the noble lords; and -their intention originated in a wish to save the Prince -from the humiliation which he must have experienced at -seeing them turned out of office, ... a humiliation which -could only serve to convey an unfavourable impression<span class="pagenum" id="Page_488">488</span> -against the government throughout the country. He -did not speak in the name of one or two, but of all the -officers of the household: they stated expressly to his -Royal Highness that they wished to resign, and not to -be turned out; and all they requested was, that they -might know ten minutes before certain gentlemen received -the seals that such a circumstance was to take -place: before God he declared that this had been their -intention, and that the only principle by which they -were actuated was to save the Prince from humiliation; -for they could not but consider the attempt at making -this change in the household a preliminary to entering -upon the negotiation as calculated to humiliate his -Royal Highness in the eyes of the country.”</p> - -<p>The party who were in opposition seemed to think it -preposterous that the existing ministers should presume -to hold their offices. “It was monstrous,” Lord Milton -said, “to see men who were held up repeatedly to scorn -and ridicule brave public opinion and return into power!” - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Lord Castlereagh’s speech.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Lord Castlereagh defended himself and his colleagues -with considerable address, and ably performed -the not very difficult task of contrasting -their conduct with that of their assailants. “The proposed -address,” he said, “contained no expressions to -which he could hesitate in becoming a party, neither -should he to the further expression of a hope that the -Prince would avail himself of any opportunity for -strengthening the present administration: ... but such -an address was uncalled for by any message from the -Crown: it could lead to no practical result; its obvious -import was to insinuate that the administration was not -likely to possess the confidence of the country; and this -insinuation was founded upon its structure, not upon its -conduct: he could not then think it possible that the -House would sanction it for no other purpose but to disqualify<span class="pagenum" id="Page_489">489</span> -the government from the arduous task in which -it was engaged. The late transactions would induce the -House not again to push the principle which they had -so strongly asserted. A proceeding so sudden was not -to be found in English history as that which they had -lately seen, when the House decided, not against a ministry -who had proved themselves unworthy of confidence, -but against an administration the formation of which -was but in progress. This precedent he hoped future -Parliaments would never follow; for those must be blind -who could not see the calamitous consequences which -the occurrences of the last three weeks were calculated -to produce on our foreign and domestic relations. Three -or four distinct negotiations had failed, and the Crown -was obliged to call on the present cabinet to charge -itself with the affairs of the country. It was his consolation -to think, that while on the one hand he and his -colleagues had never stood between the Crown and the -people, so on the other hand they had never shown a -disposition to shrink from the discharge of public duties, -deterred as they otherwise might be by the accumulated -difficulties which the late transactions had occasioned. -For he could not help thinking that the course which -had been pursued was most injurious, and might be -fatal to the interests of the public. Never in former -times had a negotiation between public men been exhibited -to the eyes of Parliament and the country at -large, and exposed to all the invidious comments which -the malignity and the ignorance of mankind might pass -upon them. For his part, he could never augur well of any -negotiation in which two men could not approach each -other in a private room, although on public principles, -without coming armed with pen and ink, and prepared -to let every thing they might utter go forth immediately<span class="pagenum" id="Page_490">490</span> -for the judgment of the public! The consequences in -this instance would, he trusted, have the effect of preventing -the recurrence of such scenes for the time to -come.... It was a painful task for him to speak of the -overtures from Marquis Wellesley, though he disclaimed -any thing like personal animosity to him. The paper -which had appeared he understood to have been published -without the noble Marquis’s consent; but after -such a statement had appeared, describing as it had -described Mr. Perceval and those who acted with him, -he appealed to the House whether gentlemen situated as -his colleagues were could without degradation meet such -an overture in any other way than that in which it had -been met? He entertained the sincerest respect for -Marquis Wellesley, with the highest admiration for his -accomplishments and his talents; and those feelings -were heightened by the consideration that he was the -brother of the greatest soldier this country had produced. -For him, therefore, it was peculiarly painful to be called -on to decide on such an occasion; but when one answer -only could be given by his colleagues, thinking as he -did, though not included in it, that the description which -had been given of them was unjust, he must have abandoned -every sense of duty if he had not been anxious to -repel the charge.” Having then touched upon Earl -Moira’s negotiation with the two lords, and observed -that the question concerning the household had been -taken up in a tone which the country would never countenance -in those who approached the throne, he concluded -thus: ... “And now all I have to say for ministers -is, that they claim the constitutional support of Parliament -till their actions seem to speak them unworthy of -it; and though the present government may not possess -within itself all those attributes which we have heard given<span class="pagenum" id="Page_491">491</span> -to broad and extended administrations, they have at least -one recommendation to public confidence (and it is not a -small one), that they have no disunion among themselves. -We have no private ends to answer; we are anxious -to serve our country, to do our best, and to submit our -conduct to the judgment of Parliament.”</p> - -<p>With these remarkable circumstances was that ministry -formed, under whose administration the French were -beaten out of Spain, and Buonaparte’s empire overthrown. -For the second time since the commencement -of the war it had rested with the leaders of opposition -whether or not they should take the government into -their own hands; and for the second time, by an overweening -opinion of their own importance, and a most -undue depreciation of those whom they expected to displace, -they disappointed their own hopes, and in an -equal degree the apprehensions of the nation. The sound -part of the public, and they were a large majority, regarded -the result with as much satisfaction as they had -felt upon the recapture of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz; -they looked upon it as tantamount to a great victory -over the enemy, and the enemy would indeed have -seen in a contrary result the surest presage of their own -success; for what more could the French ministers desire -than that the British government should be conducted -by men who from the beginning of the war in - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span><span class="date">May.</span><span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -Spain up to this crisis had pronounced their -own cause to be hopeless? That danger was no longer -to be feared; and although the cabinet had lost its -ablest member in Mr. Perceval ... the only member who -united in himself powerful ability with sound judgment, -and strength of character with strength of principle, and -who commanded in an equal degree the respect of his -opponents and the confidence of his friends, the opposition -had lost more in the exposure of their temper and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_492">492</span> -the total frustration of their hopes, which was as much -the proper as the necessary consequence.</p> - -<p>The only unfortunate circumstance in these transactions -was, that Marquis Wellesley should have been excluded, -or rather should have excluded himself, from a -place in the ministry: whatever his own expectations -might have been, his friends had expected to see him at -its head; and had Lord Wellington been supplied with -such reinforcements as in that event might have been -looked for, it was believed in the army that in the -course of the year he would have driven the French out -of Spain. The Spanish Government was at this time - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Pecuniary assistance to the Spaniards.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -little satisfied with Great Britain, because greater pecuniary -assistance was not afforded them from -resources which they supposed to be infinite. -It was indeed the opinion of those whose opportunities -of information enabled them to form a just -opinion upon the subject, that the Spaniards could make -no efficient exertion unless they were aided with two -millions a year in money and one in provisions, which -might be procured at Cadiz from America and from the -Mediterranean by bills on England: but the British -Government consented only to give 600,000<i>l.</i> in the -course of the current year, with arms and clothing for -100,000 men; at length it agreed that the money -should be one million. The Spaniards did not remember -with how little wisdom and effect the large supplies -which they had hitherto received had been expended; -and in England sufficient allowance was not -made for the peculiar difficulties in which Spain was -placed: and while the errors of its successive governments -were strongly perceived, sufficient credit was -not given for the national spirit which had displayed -itself with such unexampled and invincible endurance.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_493">493</span></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><span class="sne">♦</span>Proposal concerning Spanish troops.<span class="sne">♦</span></div> - -<p>Some persons there were who were of opinion that -no sure progress could be made towards the -deliverance of Spain, unless a Spanish army -were created on whose operations Lord Wellington -could calculate and rely. But the opinion was -abandoned upon farther knowledge of the Spaniards: -the officers, with some rare and noble exceptions, were -too ignorant, too idle, too prejudiced, and too proud, to -receive instruction from their allies; and British officers -could not be introduced in any useful number, for this -would have offended the national pride. It was suggested -by Mr. Tupper, who in his station as consul at -Valencia had acted with great zeal and ability in the -common cause, that the foreign regiments in the Spanish -service might be taken into English pay, and officered -by British officers. They still retained their -foreign names, and were under foreign officers, but were -chiefly composed of Spanish recruits: this, therefore, he -argued, might be done without wounding the pride of -the Spaniards, offending their prejudices, or injuring -the interests of any class of men; whereas to place the -Spanish army under the same subordination as the -Portugueze, though the people, and especially the soldiers -themselves, might like it, must be impossible, so -great would be the opposition of the officers and of all -the higher classes. This suggestion, for whatever reason, -was either not entertained, or not found practicable; -and the only arrangement made at this time was, that -the Spaniards allowed 5000 men to be enlisted and -incorporated with the allies. Some hope, however, was -entertained from a diversion to be made on the eastern -coast by a British force from Sicily in conjunction with - -<span class="sni"><span class="sne">♦</span>Plan of a diversion from Sicily.<span class="sne">♦</span></span> - -a Spanish division, which by General Whittingham’s -recommendation had been formed in -Majorca, and trained there under his directions.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_494">494</span> -This force it was thought, if its operations were well -planned and vigorously pursued, might compel the -French to withdraw from the southward; and engaged -as it was now evident that Buonaparte would be in his -Russian war, the deliverance of Spain might be hoped -for as now not long to be delayed.</p> - -<p class="p2 center">END OF VOL. V.</p> - -<p class="p4 center small"><span class="bt">Printed by <span class="smcap">William Clowes</span> and <span class="smcap">Sons</span>, Stamford Street.</span></p> - -<hr /> - -</div> - -<div class="sec"> - -<div class="chapter"><div class="footnotes"> -<h2 id="FOOTNOTES" class="nobreak p1">FOOTNOTES</h2> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> The importance which was at that -time attached to it led the Archbishop -Pierre de Marca to remark <i>cujus momenti -sit Dartosa in bello Hispaniensi; -quæ cum sita sit in trajectu -Iberi, latam aperit viam ad faciendam -irruptionem in reliquas Hispaniarum -regiones, unde ex hujus -urbis deditione ingens Maurorum -Sarracenorumque metus</i>. Marca -Hispanica, 294.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> On the one side <i>La España reconocida a la intrepidez Britanica</i>, on -the other <i>Alianza eterna</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> They gave four dollars for the -measure of rice (for example), which -at Port Mahon would have produced -only half a dollar.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> When this practice was discovered, -and some of them searched in -consequence, a mortar was found in -one of them. These boats had forfeited -all claim to indulgence, in the -first year of the war, when they -boarded a British prize, and carried -her in.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> <i>Se preciaba de buen tirador, y se divertia en esto.</i> Diario de Tortosa.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> Major Von Staffe (340–2) dates -this affair in November, instead of -the following month. If there could -be any doubt between his authority -and that of Eroles’s dispatch, this -circumstance would determine it.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_7" href="#FNanchor_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> <i>No era imaginable frustrase mis -calculos, atendida la circumspeccion -con que se formaron, la exactitud de -los datos, y el valor de la tropas; -pero casualidades funestas, que no -pueden entrar en la prevision de un -gefe superior, que fia una parte de -sus esperanzas á la suerte, y á manos -subalternos, hicieron inutiles mis -tareas.</i> Thus he expresses himself -in his official dispatch.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_8" href="#FNanchor_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> The French officers, who went -on board the frigate after this affair -to propose an exchange, walked along -the main deck, where some of the -wounded were lying between the guns -for the sake of the air, and with a -spirit perfectly worthy of the cause in -which they were engaged, and the -character they had acquired in it, -asked them insultingly when they -would be pleased to pay them another -visit on shore!</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn1"><a id="Footnote_9" href="#FNanchor_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> No account (as far as I can discover) -of this disgraceful action was -published by the Spanish Government. -There was no longer the same -magnanimity in relating its misfortunes -as in the days of the Central -Junta.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_10" href="#FNanchor_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> <i>Guerra de Moros contra estos infideles.</i></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_11" href="#FNanchor_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> <i>Escaramuzas, celadas, rebatos, ardides,—son nombres castellanos -de la antigua milicia, la mas necessaria en la guerra domestica.</i></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_12" href="#FNanchor_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> The Chaleco states this fact himself in the <i>Relacion de sus Meritos</i>, -which he published at the end of the war!</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_13" href="#FNanchor_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> Lord Blayney saw them there; -victims of retaliation he calls them, -and says that the French General -and his officers, who were conducting -him prisoner to Madrid, could not -help expressing their detestation of -the barbarous manner in which the -war was carried on.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_14" href="#FNanchor_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> Thus this Merino is described as -<i>el terror de la comarca; y su caracter -feroz está indicado en lo fiero de -su semblante, y en lo membrudo y -velloso de su cuerpo. Este es el Cura -decantado.</i> But it should be added, -that the man who is thus described -spared his prisoners, and conducted -them to Alicant. The general appearance -of the guerrillas is described -by a British officer as “horribly grotesque; -any thing of a jacket, any -thing of a cap, any thing of a sword, -pistol, or carbine, and any thing of a -horse.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_15" href="#FNanchor_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> <i>Sea la España toda otra Numancia -o Sagunto; y veremos desde -el empireo, si estos impios espiritos -fuertes se atreven a pasearse tranquilos -por la silenciosa morada da -nuestros tremendos manes.</i>—Diario -de las Cortes, T. 2. 172.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_16" href="#FNanchor_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> An intercepted despatch from -Berthier to Massena had informed -him, on the authority of the English -newspapers, that the British army did -not amount to more than 23,000 men; -that a reinforcement of 3000 had -reached Lisbon; and, therefore, he -had little to apprehend from their resistance; -the Portugueze were about -as many, and his force was fully sufficient -to ensure success.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_17" href="#FNanchor_17" class="fnanchor">17</a> A small edition of Pindar, which -he had brought from the north, was -in his pocket when he died. It is -now in the possession of my friend -Mr. Locker.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_18" href="#FNanchor_18" class="fnanchor">18</a> An officer whose journal is before -me, and who entered Alcobaça -on the 7th, describes what were supposed -to be the bodies of Pedro and -Ignez as having been well embalmed, -and having each a great -deal of hair still attached to the -head.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_19" href="#FNanchor_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> A French orderly book was -found near Batalha, in which it appeared -what number of men were -daily ordered upon the service of destroying, -as far as they could, that -beautiful edifice, one of the finest in -Europe.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_20" href="#FNanchor_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> Marshal Victor, in his official -account, affirmed, as positively as -falsely, that there were 22,000 men, -among whom were at least 8000 of -the best English troops; thus, according -to the system of his government, -doubling the number of his -opponents.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_21" href="#FNanchor_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> The following epitaph upon Alburquerque, worthy of the author and of -the subject, is the composition of Mr. Frere:— -</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="iq">“Impiger, impavidus, spes maxima gentis Iberæ,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Mente rapax, acerque manu bellator, avita<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Institui monumenta novis attollere factis;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Fortunâ comite, et virtute duce, omnia gessi;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Nullâ in re, nec spe, mea sors incœpta fefellit.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Gadibus auxilium tetuli, patriamque labentem<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Sustentavi; hæc meta meis fuit ultima factis,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Quippe iras hominum meritis superare nequivi.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Hic procul a patriâ vitæ datus est mihi finis,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Sed non laudis item; gliscit nova fama sepulto,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Anglorum quod testantur proceres populusque,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Magno funus honore secuti, mœstitiâque<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Unanimes. Æterna, pater, sint fœdera, faxis,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Quæ pepigi. Nec me nimium mea patria adempto<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Indigeat, nec plus æquo desideret unquam.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Sint fortes alii ac felices, qui mea possint<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Facta sequi, semperque benignis civibus uti.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_22" href="#FNanchor_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> This lady is known with her own -hand and that of her waiting woman, -to have vaccinated above 12,000 persons. -The Royal Academy of Sciences -at Lisbon presented her with a -medal in acknowledgment and commemoration -of the services which, in -public and private, she was continualy -rendering to humanity.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_23" href="#FNanchor_23" class="fnanchor">23</a> The dispatch, however, like other -falsehoods of the same kind, carried -with it its own confutation; for it -stated that the allies made no prisoners -except two or three hundred -wounded, who were left on the field; -but the same dispatch said, that the -French kept the field for two days, -retaining the position they had won, ... -how then could the wounded who -were left upon the field have fallen -into the hands of the allies? But -throughout this war the remark -made some three centuries ago by -the Flemish historian Meyer was -verified, that <i>res suas Galli non -majore solent <span class="smcap smaller">SCRIBERE</span> fide, quam -<span class="smcap smaller">GERERE</span></i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_24" href="#FNanchor_24" class="fnanchor">24</a> Diario de Manresa, April 20.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_25" href="#FNanchor_25" class="fnanchor">25</a> <i>Voilà qui est militaire</i> was the phrase in which Buonaparte expressed -his approbation.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_26" href="#FNanchor_26" class="fnanchor">26</a> Sixty thousand bushels, from -the woods at the foot of the western -mountains, were shipped in the year -1775.—<span class="smcap">Swinburne.</span></p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_27" href="#FNanchor_27" class="fnanchor">27</a> This, which was suspected at the time, I happen to <em>know</em>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_28" href="#FNanchor_28" class="fnanchor">28</a> Contreras insinuates as much in -his account of the siege. I have -heard it asserted as a thing believed -by those who had the best opportunity -of forming a true opinion; -but the assertion was not supported -by direct evidence, as in the case of -Fort Olivo.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_29" href="#FNanchor_29" class="fnanchor">29</a> There was a town called Bedouin -in the department of Vaucluse, -which contained about 500 -houses and some 2000 inhabitants: -they had a good trade in silk, and -the place was flourishing. In the -month of May, 1794, the tree of liberty -which had been planted without -this town was cut down during -the night. Fearing in those dreadful -times the consequence of this act of -individual indiscretion, the townsmen -themselves informed the deputy Maignet -of it, an ex-priest, who was then -upon a Robespierrean mission in the -department. This availed nothing -in their favour: he issued a decree -proscribing not only the people of -Bedouin, but of the surrounding communes -also, and condemned the town -to be burnt. An officer, by name -Suchet, commanded the battalion -which accompanied Maignet’s commission -to execute this decree. Sixty -fathers of families, after the mockery -of a revolutionary trial, were put to -death, those who were spared being -placed at the foot of the scaffold -during the execution. Suchet then -gave the word for setting fire to the -town, and it was burnt to the ground. -The church was the only building -which was not destroyed by the -flames, and that was demolished by -means of gunpowder. Such of the -inhabitants as had fled were hunted -out in their retreats by the soldiers -of the detachment, and shot like wild -beasts. The answer of Robespierre’s -Committee of Public Safety to the -report of this transaction was, <i>Le -Comité est satisfaite de la conduite -de Maignet</i>. -</p> -<p> -<i>Prud’homme, Hist. des Erreurs, -des Fautes, et des Crimes commis -pendant la Revolution Française, -t. 2. 170–176.</i> -</p> -<p> -I know not whether the Suchet of -Tarragona was the Suchet of Bedouin. -If he was not, then has -France produced two monsters of the -name instead of one.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_30" href="#FNanchor_30" class="fnanchor">30</a> One of the first acts of the provisional -government upon the overthrow -of this tyrant, was to give orders -for the liberation of those injured -Catalans, and their removal to Spain; -considering, they said, that the violence -committed upon men, whose -only offence was that of having fought -in defence of their country, outraged -humanity, and the laws which were -consecrated by the nations of Europe.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_31" href="#FNanchor_31" class="fnanchor">31</a> <i>Por Urbano se debe entender en -mi concepto</i>, said Sr. Aner in the debates -upon this subject, <i>aquel que se -halle armado para conservar la tranquilidad -de los pueblos, y quando -mas para La defensa interior de una -provincia, sin tener que salir jamas -de ella</i>. Diario de las Cortes. T. 4. -p. 103.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_32" href="#FNanchor_32" class="fnanchor">32</a> -</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"><i> -<span class="i0">La carne es yerva, la yerva agua,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Los hombres mugeres, las mugeres nada.<br /></span></i> -</div></div> -</div> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_33" href="#FNanchor_33" class="fnanchor">33</a> “Colonel,” said one of the 87th, -the regiment which took the eagle at -Barrosa, “Colonel, I only want to -<em>taich</em> ’em what it is to attack the -<i>Aiglers</i>.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p class="fn2"><a id="Footnote_34" href="#FNanchor_34" class="fnanchor">34</a> One of those friends obtained -leave to go to England at the beginning -of the winter. Upon rejoining -the army after the capture of the -place, he expressed his sorrow to -Lord Wellington that his request -should have been granted at a time -when an enterprise of such importance -was contemplated. Lord Wellington -replied to this effect: “Perhaps, -... you did me better service by -your absence, than you could have -rendered had you been on the spot. -Have you never said that your presence -was required at home for your -own family affairs, and that it was -your intention to ask leave as soon -as the campaign was over and nothing -more was to be done? And -do you suppose that Marmont had -not heard this, and known of your -departure?”</p></div> -</div></div> - -<div class="newpage p4 ad"> -<p class="sigright"><i>Albemarle Street.</i></p> - -<p class="p2 center vspace">MILITARY HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY, VOYAGES<br /> -AND TRAVELS, &c.,<br /> - -<span class="smaller">PUBLISHED BY</span><br /> - -<span class="larger gesperrt">MR. 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Other -errors of these types were not changed because the corrections were not -obvious to the Transcriber.</p> - -<p>Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained; occurrences -of inconsistent hyphenation have been changed only when there was a -predominant preference throughout the book.</p> - -<p>The source book used many Sidenotes, printed in italics. Most match -entries in the Table of Contents, but some are either dates or -citations. To preserve proximity with the original text, if they were -printed mid-paragraph, that is where they appear here. Depending on -the format in which you are reading this eBook, Sidenotes may be -distinguished from regular text by being shown in some combination -of italics, boldface, UPPER-CASE, enclosed in ♦DIAMOND SYMBOLS♦, -being offset into the left-margin, or in a rectangular area within -the regular text. Due to limitations of some eReaders, some sidenotes -may appear next to or below each other, depending on the width of the -screen.</p> - -<p>The original Table of Contents used “ib.” when the page number was the -same as the one in the previous entry. This eBook uses the actual page -numbers.</p> - -<p>The years in which events occurred were printed in the running heads. -In this eBook, the first occurrence of each new year has been added -to the Sidenotes by the Transcriber. Sidenote dates also have been -added at the beginning of each chapter. This does not form an unbroken -timeline, as the years in the running heads sometimes went back and -forth.</p> - -<p>Page <a href="#Page_254">254</a>: “E’tat-major” appears to have been printed that way; should -be “État-major”.</p> - -<p>Page <a href="#Page_475">475</a>: No opening quotation mark found to match the closing mark -after “in the ensuing session.”</p> - -<p>Page <a href="#Page_483">483</a>: No closing quotation mark found to match the opening mark -before “on which Mr. Stuart Wortley’s motion”.</p> - -<p>All six volumes of this work are available at no cost at -<a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">Project Gutenberg</a>. -Some of these volumes reference each other, but some of the -references do not seem to match the text.</p> - -<p class="in0 in4"> -Volume I: Project Gutenberg eBook number <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60386/60386-h/60386-h.htm">60386</a><br /> -Volume II: Project Gutenberg eBook number <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60387/60387-h/60387-h.htm">60387</a><br /> -Volume III: Project Gutenberg eBook number <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60388/60388-h/60388-h.htm">60388</a><br /> -Volume IV: Project Gutenberg eBook number <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60389/60389-h/60389-h.htm">60389</a><br /> -Volume V: Project Gutenberg eBook number <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60390/60390-h/60390-h.htm">60390</a><br /> -Volume VI: Project Gutenberg eBook number <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60391/60391-h/60391-h.htm">60391</a></p> - -</div></div> -</div> -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of History of the Peninsular War Volume V -(of 6), by Robert Southey - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF THE PENINSULAR WAR, VOL 5 *** - -***** This file should be named 60390-h.htm or 60390-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/3/9/60390/ - -Produced by Brian Coe, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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