to keep up a correspondence with the capital of his kingdom, on measures relating to its defence; and every thing tends to prove that the idea of restoring Charles IV. after his voluntary abdication originated entirely and exclusively with the French. The Spanish papers contain little military news, except a short account of some partial but successful attacks made upon the French near Ladosa and Logrono by parties of Castanos' army: they were mere skirmishes. The dispatches to Government are more important, and are in substance as follows: The dispatches were brought by the Windsor Castle packet (which carried out a communication to the Supreme Junta of the overtures from France and Russia,) and are dated St Andero, Oct. 30. They state that a smart action took place on the 24th, between the Spaniards under General Blake, and the French division of Ney, which terminated in favour of the former. Blake, having concentrated his force, advanced from Bilboa, and on the 24th attacked the enemy with great spirit at Zernosta, on the road to Durango. The action was smart while it continued, but the enemy, not wishing to risque the issue of a lengthened contest, soon began to retreat. The result was a continued skirmish during the whole time of the retrogade movement of the French, till they reached a position near Durango, where they had a considerable force. Their loss is not mentioned in the dispatches. It was rumoured at St Andero, that a French corps of 1000 men had been cut off by one of Blake's divisions, and that most of them had solicited permission to be enrolled under the Spanish banners. Blake proposed to make a fresh attack in a few days; the Spanish army had advanced to Zernosta, and the French, it was supposed, would risque a battle in defence of Durango. On the 26th Blake's head-quarters were at Salignas, 28 miles S. E. of Bilboa, and only eight miles north from Vittoria. On the 27th he reconnoitred the enemy's position, and about the 1st it was expected that a general battle would take place. We have had a thousand reports of such a battle having taken place, and of the result being as we all wish it;-they are all premature, but that it has by this time been fought, every body believes. Blake is said to have intercepted a letter from the French Minister at war to Marshal Ney, promising that a reinforcement of 60,000 men should be with him by the middle of November, and had, in consequence, determined to attack Ney before the arrival of this reinforcement. Blake's army is estimated at 50,000 men, mostly infantry; Castanos' at nearly 60,000, including a number of cavalry. Vivas, with an army of 30,000 to 40,000 men, was proceeding to join the main body from Catalonia. (This we suspect to be a mistake.) The army of Arragon, greatly reinforced, also continued to advance. The French army was about 50,000 strong, having received a reinforcement of 8000 men from France. They were said to be in great want of provisions, and desertions numerous. Considerable apprehensions were entertained for the fate of the patriots in Catalonia, but by the last accounts they are greatly diminished. The patriotic force in that province had greatly increased, and the French were closely pressed in Barcelona. Several sharp skirmishes had taken place almost under the walls, in which the Catalans had the advantage. No reinforcement to the French had passed the eastern Pyrenees. A corps of 10,000 men, destined to enter Spain by Roussillon, had made a retrogade movement, deterred, it is believed, by a strong body of miquelets, who occupied the important post of Junquera. Of this gallant and very useful description of force, upwards of 17,000 were in arms in Catalonia. The inhabitants of Roussillon are highly dissatisfied with the infamous conduct of the French troops in Spain. They are determined, it is said, not to submit to the terrible conscription demanded by Bonaparte; and assert, that if the Spanish troops should enter their country, respecting their persons and property, they will with the greatest pleasure submit to Spain. a The Supreme Government has issued proclamation, in consequence of the assassination of two Frenchmen at Madrid, in which they denounce the severest penalties of the laws against all concerned in tumults and popular movements, and declare all parents, masters, and householders, responsible for their sons, apprentices, and servants, &c.; and, by the exertions of the supreme and subordinate governments, we are happy to learn that the anti-gallican rage of the people has been turned into its proper channel, and that Frenchmen resident in Spain are no longer in dan ger from their fury. All the horses in the vicinity of Madrid have been put in requisition for the use of the volunteer cavalry, and the supply of the ar. tillery. The owners are to have a fair price for them, and those employed in necessary purposes are to be last taken, W. Fitzgerald, Esq. M. P. and Mr Lawler, of Cork, gentlemen of considerable property, are volunteers in General Blake's army. Saragossa, Sept. 27. It is impossible to depict, in adequate colours the uncommon aspect of this invincible town; upwards of half its buildings are destroyed by cannon balls and flames. The English Colonel Doyle could hardly recover from his astonishment when he saw the walls which served for bulwarks to its gallant defenders. "Is it possible," he exclaimed, "that the conqueror of Dahtzic, Ulm, and Magdeburg, should have sunk with dismay before those feeble ramparts?" And afterwards a heroine, stepping into her husband's place, an artilleryman, who dropped dead at her feet, served his gun during a severe action; he embraced and complimented her with a present. Our enemies, who attacked us with so much haughtiness and pride, were astonished at our firmness; a French General said to one of our men taken prisoner, "During twenty five years service I never witnessed any such thing; here it is necessary to fight from house to house, from window to win dow." It is a remarkable circumstance, that the head quarters of both Comman ders in Chief were within the precincts of the same walls, whence Lefebvre, struck with terror at the sight of so many Frenchmen killed, wrote to our illustrious Palafox in these terms: "Head-quarters, Santa Eugrasia. "Peace and capitulation." ANSWER. "Head quarters, Saragossa. "War and death. "PALAFOX." Saragossa, Oct. 5. The Governor and Captain-General of this kingdom, taking into considera, tion the desire expressed by his Excel. jency Charles Wm. Doyle, Major in his British Majesty's service, to be employ ed in the army of Arragon, and to take part in the glorious efforts made by the nation in defence of its independence; and being anxious to demonstrate the high estimation in which he holds the qualities which adorn this gentleman, and the noble and generous intentions of the British Government, he transmit ted to him a commission as Field-Marshal. He has acknowledged the receipt of this appointment in the following terms: "The honour which your Excellen cy has conferred upon me by the ap pointment of Field Marshal excites my particular gratitude. It is highly flattering to the best feelings of my heart. "To have the satisfaction of being one among the soldiers of the army of Arragon, is doubtless very grateful to my feelings; and I trust that I shall be enabled to afford a proof that I am not altogether unworthy of so high an honour. "I must confess that so honourable a distinction is the more gratifying to me, inasmuch as it proves that my anxious zeal and exertions in the common and glorious cause in which we are all engaged, have been well received, and that they have merited the approbation of your Excellency. I assure you that I shall continue my most assiduous exertions, and endeavour to prove that this high mark of distinction has not been conferred upon a person undeserving of it, and certainly not upon one insensible to the honour which has been bestowed upon him. Your Excellency will be pleased to indulge me in my request, that the pay and emoluments attached to my rank of Field-Marshal should be appropriated to the relief of those who have suffered so much at Saragossa, from the repeated attacks of the enemy. "I have the honour to place myself under your Excellency's orders, and I &c. C. W. DOYLE." "Madrid, Sept. 29. 1808.” am, 140 sail, having on board 13,000 British troops, commanded by Lieut.-Gen. Sir David Baird. The Junta of this province having been dissolved two days before their arrival, and the Supreme and Central Junta being recognised, it is thought necessary to have the sanction of the latter before the troops are suffered to land.". must necessarily arise from the furnishing lodgings when in quarters, and from the providing them with the means of subsistence when stationed in, or passing through towns, which were first impoverished by the former maintenance of so great a number of French troops as friends and allies, and have been since plundered and destroyed by them as enemies. Corunna, Oct. 16. "Sir David Baird has been requested to land, during the interval of waiting for dispatches from Madrid, any of ficers he may choose to permit. The horses are to be disembarked immediately, and every exertion used to complete the arrangement made some days since, upon the application of Lieut. Col. Kennedy, for the reception of our troops. It is impossible for any thing to exceed the harmony which exists between the Spaniards and British of all classes. Sir D. Baird, Gens. Manningham, Warde, and Craufurd, went last night to the theatre; a new entertainment was performed, in which King Ferdinand the Seventh and King George the Third embraced each other several times; this was received with enthusiastic applause, as also "God save the King," which was introduced frequently, and performed with the whole house standing. A superb box was fitted up expressly for Gen. Baird and his Staff. Many British officers were invited into the private boxes; and every Spaniard seems to recognise an old friend in eve. ry Englishman he meets." It appears that the Gallician Government had applied to the Central Junta for instructions how to act on the arrival of the allied English army, and the following is stated to have been the of ficial reply to the inquiries of the Junta of Gallicia : "The proofs which England has given of her attachment to our interests, and, above all, the consideration that our cause is at the same time her's, united to the reciprocal securities which have been given, have inspired entire confidence, unity, and fraternity. Consequently, having maturely deliberated on the question proposed, whether any inconveniencies would ensue from the disembarkation of the English troops which have arrived at your port? we find that there are none other than what "At the same time, it being our duty to act so that our gratitude and confidence in the generous English nation may still be compatible with those measures of prudent precaution and consideration which are customary, it has appeared to this Supreme Junta that the English troops should be disembarked in divisions of one or two thousand men, who, after the needful repose, should, in order to diminish the burden to the towns through which they pass, take their journey by distinct routes, viz. some by the high road to Lugo, and others by that to Orense, all meeting at last in one point. In the meanwhile, as it is the first of all considerations to manifest to so noble a nation our sentiment of gratitude, the Supreme Junta hope, that the Junta of Gallicia, being animated by the same spirit, will omit no means of displaying those sentiments. God preserve your Excellency many years. "MARTIN DE GAROY, Sec. "Aranjuez, Oct. 18, 1808." Corunna, Oct. 20. "Yesterday afternoon arrived his Britannic Majesty's ship Semiramis, having on board their Excellencies the Marquis de la Romana and Mr Frere. The latter is intrusted with the character of Ambassador from the English Government to the Supreme Central Junta.This morning their Excellencies landed under a salute from the batteries and ships in the harbour; they were greeted with vivas by a numerous populace, who took the mules from the carriage and drew it, amidst the greatest accla mations, to the Government House.Mr Frere will set out in a day or two for Madrid. The Semiramis also brings a million of dollars for the supply of the Spanish army. A general illumination is to take place this evening, in honour of the arrival of these illustrious guests." Mr Mr Frere, previous to his departure for Madrid, addressed a very handsome letter of thanks to the Government of Corunna, for the distinguished honour, and testimonies of pure and sincere friendship, which the troops and other British subjects had experienced, as well from the public authorities as from all the brave and kind-hearted inhabitants, and expressing his hopes that the authorities in the different towns in Gallicia would be instructed to render them every possible assistance in their pas. sage. The Corunna paper contains a very spirited and appropriate address from Lieut.-Col. Carrol, one of the British officers attached to the army of General Blake, to the inhabitants of Biscay. He speaks with a confidence, well founded we trust, of a certain and speedy defeat and expulsion of the enemy. Cadiz, Oct. 11. "Yesterday arrived here the English brig Sceptre, Lieutenant Brown, with 100,000 dollars and some arms for Catalonia; she is one of the transports which left Lisbon with Spanish troops, and brings here 50 Valencian volunteers, and the Commissioner Don Josef Estola, who is charged with the troops and money, The above brig will complete her cargo of arms and ammunition here, and proceed with the ship to Atocha, and a smaller vessel for that coast. In her came Lord Louvaine, Colonel Fitz gerald, and two Members of the British Parliament, Mr Foster and Mr Lisle Foster." PORTUGAL. Lisbon, Oct. 11. 1808. The following is a list of the forces destined for Spain, as given out in the general orders yesterday (Oct. 10.):— Commander in Chief-Lieut.-General Sir John Moore. Under Lieut. Gen. Fraser. The 4th, 28th, 42d, and 5 columns of the 5th battalion of the 60th foot-Maj.. Gen. Lord W. Bentinck. The 9th, 2d batt. of the 43d, and ditto of the 53d-Major Gen. Reresford. Under Lieut.-Gen. the Hon. J. Hope. The 36th, 71st, 92d, and 5 columns of the 5th battalion of 6oth foot-Maj. Gen. Crawfurd. The 2d and 6th foot-Major-General Auckland. Major-General Hill-The sth, 32d, and 91st foot. Brigadier-General Fane-The 38th, 79th, and 4 columns of the ad batt. of the 95th foot. Under Maj.-Gen. the Hon. J. Paget. The 20th, 1st batt. of the sad, and 5 columns of the 1st batt. of the 95th foot. Brigadier-Gen. Anstruther. The Light Battalion 1, and King's German Legion 2-Colonel Allan. The whole of this force amounts from 20,000 to 22,000 men. The first division marched yesterday, (Oct. 10.) and another this day. It is much to be regretted, however, that they did not go sooner; for the rainy season is about to set in, which usually lasts five or six weeks, and, during that time, renders the roads impassable.Every river overflows, and the nume. rous meadows are filled with water. We hope, however, that our brave fel lows will reach their destination in Spain before this terrible weather, so much talked of here, begins.-The remainder of the army, amounting to about 10,000 or 12,000 men continues in Portugal. Lisbon, Oct. 14. On Monday last, the 10th inst. his Excellency Lieutenant-General Sir H. Burrard, Commander in Chief of his Britannic Majesty's army in Portugal, went in state to pay his first visit of ceremony to their Excellencies the Governors of this kingdom, on which occasion his Excellency was attended by Lieut.-Gen. Fraser and his staff; MajorGeneral Beresford, Commandant of Lisbon; Brigadier-General Disney; Col. Donkin, Quarter-master General; Lt. Col. Carey, Adj.-General; John Erskine, Esq. Commissary-General; the most Rev. Archdeacon T.Owen, Chap. lain-General of the British army, and the remainder of his Excellency's Staff. -After the usual compliments, his Excellency returned in the same manner to his head-quarters, and was, in return, visited the same day by their Excellencies the Marquis Das Minas, and Cypriano Ribiero Freire, Members of the Regency. Lisbon, Oct. 11. The following proclamation has been posted here:- Lu Lucas de Seabra de Silva, Counsellor to the Prince Regent our Lord, Knight of his Royal House, Chief Judge of the Paco, Chancellor of the Court, Intendant of the Police of the Court of the Kingdom, and Commander of the Order of Christ. "I make known to the inhabitants of this city and the suburbs, that, by orders of the Most Excellent Governors of these kingdoms, communicated to me, bearing date on this the 3d day of October, every inhabitant who may have in his house one or more individuals belonging to the French army, or know where such persons are concealed, are required to inform the Magistracy within six days, under pain of being punished with the greatest severity, as criminals guilty. of high treason. In order that this proclamation be made public, I order it to be printed, and posted in all conspicuous (Signed) "LUCAS DE SEABRA SILVA," places. The Regents issued a proclamation yesterday, (Oct. 11.) dated the 6th inst. informing the people, that foreign money is to be regarded as a mere commodity, without any fixed price; and that they are at liberty to give what they think proper for it; and that any person offering foreign money, and insisting upon a fixed par of exchange, is to be regarded as a person dealing in counterfeit money, and treated accordingly. In consequence of this unexpected regulation, the dollar, which used to pass for 4s. 6d. is now only taken at the rate of 45. 14d. This has caused much dissatisfaction in the army; in fact, the English are almost the only persons who suffer by it. It is said that Sir H. Burrard intends to remonstrate with the Regency on the subject. The following letter from a Gentle man on board the Africaine frigate, dated Tagus, Oct. 4. contains some curious and interesting particulars: "We sailed on the 25th September, with the French General Kellerman on board, and had under our orders 53 transports, with the third division of the French army. The first night we were at sea we sprung our boltsprit, and after beating about for two or three days, we arrived here in the greatest distress. We much fear that many of the transports must have perished, as we know of one that went down, with 300 men on board, out of which only one Co- FRANCE. |
