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entreaty of general Morla, immediately set sail for the Guadiana, and landed his troops at Agamonie. Three ships had already been sent to the mouth of the Guadiana by admiral Purvis. In consequence of these movements, the French retired in all directions on Lisbon, with the exception of some weak detachments, left to occupy the small forts and other positions on that side of Portugal. The Portuguese, animated by the presence of the English, and the example, as well as addresses of the Spaniards, every where rose against the French. Deputations were sent from every part of Portugal to admiral sir Charles Cotton, commanding the naval forces of Britain in that quarter, soliciting succours. The admiral, with due frankness, immediately replied: "Agreeably to your desires, I send you ships, troops, arms, and ammunition; and have given orders for hoisting the flag of his royal highness the prince regent of Portugal, around which the whole Portuguese nation ought instantly to rally, and take up arms in a cause at once so just and so glorious, To secure success, unanimity is necessary. Unite your selves with your brave friends and neighbours, the Spaniards. Suffer not yourselves to be either intimidated by threats or seduced by promises. From the experience of some months, you must have learnt how to estimate the friendship of the French. It is to the fidelity and the succours of the English, seconded by your own energies, that you are to owe the restoration of your prince, and the indepenVOL. L.

dence of your country."--On board the Hibernia, off the Tagus, July 4, 1808.

It is scarcely necessary to mention, that the noble efforts of the Spaniards were infinediately followed by peace, harmony, and friendship between that nation and Great Britain, her allies. Proclamations of peace and amity with England and her ally Sweden, were published by the juntas*; and, as for England, whatever power was at war with the common enemy of Europe, was at peace with England. It never occurred, as was declared by Mr. Canning, to the English ministers, to consider ourselves as in a state of hostility to Spain. Preliminaries of a new and perpetual alliance, offensive and defensive, between the two nations of Spain and Portugal, were signed at Oporto, in the name of Ferdinand VII. and the prince regent of Pottugal, July 14, 1808. The bishop of Oporto, president of the junta of government of that city, which, Lisbon as well as Madrid being in the hands of the French, seems to have taken a pattern from Seville, signed the treaty in the name of the prince.-The Portuguese provinces of Algarve, and Alentejo placed themselves under the guidance and protection of the junta of Seville. So also did the Canary isles, to which the junta had transmitted the earliest possible intelligence of the turn that affairs had taken in the Peninsula. They also delermined to dispatch envoys and com missioners to the transmarine establishments of Spain in the Americas and West Indies, and in Asia, [0] inviting

The proclamation of Asturias Oviedo, June 20, 1808, is given as a sample of the rest, State Papers, p. 336.

inviting them to unite with their brethren in Old Spain, for preserving the integrity and independency of the monarchy for their lord and king Ferdinand VII. For accomplishing this end, they applied to lord Collingwood for a passport to a frigate and four advice-boats; and also for a corvette to carry out a number of officers, whose presence was necessary in the American colonies. They preferred an English to a Spanish ship for conon veying the officers, because it would be a proof of peace and alliance between Spain and Great Britain. Their demand was immediately complied with, and all the vessels, after a short and pleasant voyage, reached their destination. Vessels had been sent before with a number of proclamations by king Joseph; but the greater part of them fell into the hands of English ships of war: the crews of one or two that reach

ed the coast of Spanish America, were imprisoned by the colonists, and the proclamations of Joseph burnt by the hands of the executioner. Application was also made, June 12, to lord Collingwood, by the government of Cadiz, for a frigate to conduct commissioners, appointed by the supreme juuta of Seville, to England, in order to treat with his majesty's ministers, on matters of great interest and im-portance to both countries. As the

admiral who commanded in the port of Cadiz was one of the deputies, lord Collingwood thought it proper, that his departure should -be delayed till the surrender of the French ships in the harbour: within two or three days after which, the deputies set sail in the Revenge frigate for England, where they arrived in safety on the 24th of

July. Long before their arrival deputics had appeared in London, from the principality of Asturias, bearing the first certain intelligence of the insurrection in Spain, and soliciting the aid of the British government; a circumstance that, not unnaturally, led the periodical jour nalists to state that the standard of liberty in Spain, was first raised in Asturias. The insurrection was almost simultaneous. But, if it were of any importance to ascertain the priority of a few days, it might be observed, that the insurrection first broke out in Valentia.

On the 9th of June, six Spanish gentlemen, having at their head the viscount de Materosa and Don Diego de la Vega, arrived in London, and they were followed by a succession of deputies, or envoys from other provinces, both Spanish and Portugueze. Peace was proclaimed with Spain in the London Gazette of the 5th of July. The Spanish prisoners in our jails, to the number of several thousands, were set free, cloathed, and sent home to join their brethren in arms. The British arsenals, fleets and squadrons, and treasures: all that Spain could demand, or England afford, was without hesitation or the smallest delay liberally granted. The ministry were neither remiss nor parsimonious, where to be alert and profuse was to be universally popular, from the king on the throne to the beggar on the highways and streets. In the cause of the Peninsula the people of Great Britain and Ireland seemed ready to rise in a mass, as well as the natives of that noble country. They hailed the dawn of liberty, and stood in admiration of the Spaniards. The emigrants from France, prone to grasp at appearances infinitely less promising, ex

pressed

ssed their sensibility, in extravat and poetical language, but, at same time, nothing more than at they felt." The Spaniards, y said, were worthy to contend the cause of liberty, law, mochy, honour, and God.-Spain es the standard of liberty, and nature revives.-The spirit of ty is mute;, the most inveterate reds extinct; enthusiam has baned the spirit of opposition; the Is of Westminster hall are astohed at seeing, for the first time, perfect unity of sentiments, ds, and actions *."

The first supply to the Spanish iots, which was sent within a days after the arrival of the urian deputies, consisted in three dred thousand pounds sterling, lollars, five thousand muskets, ty thousand pikes, and an imse quantity of powder and balls. erosa's secretary was sent home, ether with three British officers of

rank, with these succours, with assurances that others should be sent from time to time, as well as troops, and whatever the patriots might need. A promise which was fulfilled faithfully.

The deputies were splendidly entertained by the city of London, the bank, and other public bodies, as well as by individuals of great distinction. Subscriptions were opened in London, Liverpool, Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin, Cork, Waterford, and many other places, for supporting the cause of Spain, and several military corps, militia and volunteers, offered their services. The supreme junta of Asturias, did not fail, in a gazette, dated Oviedo, June 30, to publish with expressions of the most profound gratitude, the generosity of the English nation. The same sentiments, on various occasions, were expressed with the same warmth by the other juntas.

* L'Ambigu, No. 187, p. 483.

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Situation of the Spanish Provinces at the breaking out of the Insurrec tion.-Precautions recommended to the Spanish Nation by the Junta of Seville.-Computation of the Numbers of the French and Spanish Forces.-How these were distributed.-Battle of Baylen and surrender of the French Army under General Dupont.-General Moncey repulsed with great Loss from Valentia.-Siege of Saragossa.— The Siege raised.-Transactions in Catalonia.--Duhesme lays Siege to Gerona.-Repulsed.-Lays waste the Country around Barcelona. -His Rapacity and Cruelty.-Operations in the North of Spain Battle of Cabezon; and of Medina Del Rio Seco.-Retreat of King Joseph from Madrid.

F the fourteen provinces into which Spain is divided, four in the beginning of June, after the insurrection had broken out, were incontestably in the hands of the French. These were Navarre, Biscay, and the Two Castilles. The French were likewise, as already noticed, in possession of the fortress of Barcelona. A paper, fraught with the greatest political prudence, was published on the last day of May, by the junta of Seville, under the title of "PRECAUTIONS which it will be proper to observe throughout the different provinces of Spain, in the necessity to which they have been driven by the French, for resisting the unjust and violent possession which their armies are endeavouring to take of the kingdom." In that paper it was observed, among other most judicious counsels, that as a combined union of plans was the soul of every well concerted terprize, and that which alone

could promise and facilitate a suc cessful issue, it appeared indispen sable, that there should be three generalissimos, who should act concert with each other; one w who should command in the tour king doms or provinces of Andalusia, in Murica, and Lower Estramadura; another in Valentia, Arragon, and Catalonia; a third in Navarre, Biscay, Asturias, and the North of Oid Castille. Each of these generals and generalissimos would form an army of regular troops and peas santry united, and put himself in a situation to undertake enterprizes, and to succour the most exposed points; always keeping up a fre quent communication with the other generalissimos, in order that all might act by common accord, and assist one another. Madrid and La Mancha, required an especial ge neral, to concert and execute the enterprizes which their particular local situation demanded. His only object would be, to embarrass the

* State Papers, 233.

eneniy's

my's armies, to take away or cut their provisions, to attack them lank and rear, and not to leave u a moment of repose*. All eral actions to be avoided. The ance into the provinces by the th and east to be blocked up; entrance into Spain to be also cked up against French troops ning from Portugal.

No accurate estimate has been de, or could well be made, of numbers of men bearing arms, erans and new levies, that apred in the cause of the country he provinces. In some, all the es capable of bearing arms, e enrolled from fifteen to forty. In others, from sixteen to ty-six; and in some, to fifty. If the enrolments were duly made, all the persons enrolled actubrought into the field, the aunt of the whole must have exded a million. But this is scarceto be supposed. The numbers st have been fluctuating. One cumstance, wholly unworthy of cause of the patriots, is not to passed without notice. The vincial juntas, even the central ta into which these, in the proess of time and events were reved, were in the constant habit exaggerating, prodigiously, the mbers of their fighting men. If s would have dismayed the ench, or inspired a general conence in the Spanish nation, it ght have been excused, nay comended; but the trick was quickdiscovered. And those false tements, by misleading their own nerals, as was afterwards sadly ex

perienced by Sir John Moore, did infinitely more mischief than good. However, there certainly was not any deficiency either in numbers, or individual zeal or courage. What was really wanted, and not possible at once to be found, was some man of authority, talents, and experi ence, pre-eminently distinguished above all his compatriots, to command and direct the resources of the country in one combined plan of operations. On the other hand unity of design, promptitude of action, and aggression instead of defence, were mighty advantages to the invaders.

The exact numbers of the French armies in the Peninsula, at the time when the insurrection broke out, cannot be ascertained. The French gazettes sometimes exaggerate and sometimes extenuate the numbers of their soldiery, at particular places, and on particular occasions, just as it seems to suit their purpose. It is certain that there were at the end of May and beginning of June, three marshals of France in the heart of Spain; namely, Murat, Moncey, and Bessieres; which supposes three distinct corps of the grand army, or nine divisions, forming, in all, from seventy to seventy-five thousand men: to which we are to add the corps of the army under marshal Ney, on the frontier of the eastern Pyrennees, and occupying the fortresses of Barcelona and Montjuich. This corps of Ney's may be computed at ten thousand men. Adding to these twenty-thousand French in Portugal under Junot, and fifteen thou[03] sand

* Sir Walter Raleigh, in his History of the World, says, that Darius might have comfited the invading Greeks, by hindering them (not to speak of food) even om taking the refreshment of sleep.

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