gade of six pounders and half a brigade of nine-pounders, which had been ordered to the position in the course of last night. The ground over which passes the road from Lourinha commanded the left of this height, and it had not been occupied, excepting by a picquet, as the camp had been taken up only for one night; and there was no water in the neighbourhood of this height. The cavalry and the reserve of artillery were in the valley, between the hills on which the infantry stood, both flanking and supporting brigadier-general Fane's advanced guard.

The enemy first appeared at eight o'clock in the morning, in large bodies of cavalry on our left, upon the heights of the road to Lourinha; and it was soon obvious that the attack would be made upon our advanced guard, and the left of our position; and major-general Ferguson's brigade was immediately moved across the ravine to the heights, on the road to Lourinha, with three pieces of cannon: he was followed successively by brigadier general Nightingale with his brigade, and three pieces of cannon; brigadier-general Ackland with his brigade, and brigadier. general Bowes with his brigade. These troops were formed (major general Ferguson's brigade in the first line; brigadier-general Night. ingale's in the second; and briga. dier-general Bowe's and Ackland's, in columns in the rear) on those heights, with their right upon the Valley which le leads into Vimiera, and their left upon the other ravine, which separates these heights from the range which terminates at the landing place at Maceira. On

these last mentioned heights, the Fertuguese troops which had been in the bottom near Vimiera, were posted in the first instance, and they were supported by brigadiergeneral Craufurd's brigade.

The troops of the advanced guard on the height to the southward and eastward of the town were deemed sufficient for its defence, and major-general Hill was moved to the centre of the moun. tain on which the great body of infantry had been posted, as a support to these troops, and as a reserve to the whole army. In addition to this support, these troops had that of the cavalry in the rear of their right.

The enemy's attack began in several columns upon the whole of the troops on this height; on the left they advanced, notwithstanding the fire of the riflemen, close to the 50th regiment, and were checked and driven back only by the bayonets of the corps. The 2d battalion, 43d regiment, was likewise closely engaged with them in the road which leads into Vi miera; a part of that corps having been ordered into the church-yard to prevent them from penetrating into the town. On the right of the position, they were repulsed by the bayonets of the 97th regiment, which corps was successively supported by the 2d battalion 52d regiment, which, by an advance in column, took the enemy in flank,

Besides this opposition given to the attack of the enemy on our advanced guard by their own exertions, they were attacked in flank by brigadier-general Ackland's brigade, in its advance to its position on the heights on the left, and a cannonade

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cannonade was kept up on the flank of the enemy's columns by the artillery on those heights.

At length, after a most desperate contest, the enemy was driven back in confusion from this attack with the loss of seven pieces of cannon, many prisoners, and a great number of officers and soldiers, killed and wounded. He was pursued by the detachment of the 20th light dragoous; but the enemy's cavalry were so much superior in numbers, that this detachment has suffered much, and lieutenant-colonel Taylor was unfortunately killed.

Nearly at the same time the enemy's attack commenced upon the heights, on the road to Lou rinha. This attack was supported by a large body of cavalry, and was made with the usual impetuosity of French troops. It was received with steadiness by majorgeneral Ferguson's brigade, consisting of the 36th, 40th, 71st regiments; and these corps charged as soon as the enemy approached them, who gave way, and they continued to advance upon him supported by the 82d, one of the corps of brigadier-general Nightingale's brigade, which, as the ground extended, afterwards formed a part of the first line; by the 29th regiment, and by brigadier-general Bowes's and Ackland's brigades, while brigadier-gencral Craufurd's brigade, and the Portuguese troops, in two lines, advanced along the height on the left. In the advance of major.general Ferguson's brigade, six pieces of cannon were taken from the enemy, with many prisoners, and vast numbers were killed and wounded.

The enemy afterwards made an attempt to recover a part of his ar

tillery by attacking the 71st and 82d regiments, which were halted: in a valley in which it had been taken. These regiments retired from the low grounds in the valley to the heights, where they halted, faced about, fired, and advanced upon the enemy, who had by that time arrived in the low ground, and they thus obliged him to retire with great loss.

In this action, in which the whole of the French force in Portugal was employed, under the command of the duke D'Abrantes in person, in which the enemy was certainly superior in cavalry and artillery, and in which not more than half of the British army was actually engaged, he has sustained a signal defeat, and has lost thirteen pieces of cannon, twenty. three ammunition waggons, with powder, shells, stores of all de scriptions, and 20,000 rounds of musket ammunition. One general officer (Beniere) has been wounded and taken prisoner, and a great many officers and soldiers have been killed, wounded, and taken.

The valour and discipline of his. majesty's troops have been conspicuous upon this occasion, as: you, who witnessed the greatest part of the action, must have observed; but it is a justice to the following corps to draw your no. tice to them in a particular man. ner, viz. the royal artillery, com manded by lieut.-colonel Robe; the 20th dragoons, which had been commanded by lieut.-colonel Taylor; the 50th regiment, commanded by colonel Walker; the 2d battalion 95th foot, commanded by major Travers; the 5th battalion, 60th regiment, commanded by ma jor Davy; the 2d battalion 43d, commanded

commanded by major Hull; the 2d battalion -52d, commanded by lieut.-colonel Ross; the 97th regi. ment, commanded by lieutenant colonel Lyon; the S6th regiment, commanded by colonel Burne; the 40th, commanded by colonel Kem. mis; the 71st, commanded by lieut. colonel Pack; and the 82d regimeat, commanded by major Eyre.

In mentioning colonel Burne and the 36th regiment to you upon this occasion, I cannot avoid to add, that the regular and orderly, conduct of this corps throughout this service, and their gallantry and discipline in action, has been conspicuous.

I must take this opportunity of acknowledging my obligations to the general and staff officers of the army, was much indebted to major-general Spencer's judgment and experience, in the decision which I formed with respect to the number of troops allotted to each point of defence, and for his advice and assistance throughout the action. In the position taken up by major-general Ferguson's brigade, and in its advance upon the enemy, that officer shewed equal bravery and judgment; and much praise is due to brigadier-general Fane, and brigadier-general An. struther, for their gallant defence of their position in front of Vimiera, and to brigadier-general Nightin. gale, for the manner in which he supported the attack upon the ene-, my, made by major-general Fer

lonel Torrens, and the officers of my personal staff, rendered me the greatest assistance throughout the action.

I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) ARTHUR WELLESLEY. N. B. Since writing the above, I have been informed that a French general officer, supposed to be general Thebault, the chief of the staff, has been found dead upon the field of battle. A. W.

CONVENTION OF CINTRA.

London Gazette Extraordinary.

Downing-street, Sept. 16. HE following dispatch was re

ceived yesterday evening from lieutenant gen. sir Hew Dalrymple, commanding his majesty's troops in Portugal, addressed to lord viscount Castlereagh.

Head-quarters, Cintra, Sept. 3. My Lord-I have the honour to inform your lordship that I landed in Portugal, and took the command of the army on Monday the 22d of August, the next day after the battle of Vimiera, and where the enemy sustained a signal defeat, where the valour and discipline of British troops, and the talents of British officers, were eminently dis., played. A few hours after my ar rival, general Kellermann came in with a flag of truce from the French general-in-chief, in order to pro pose an agreement for a cessation of hostilities, for the purpose of concluding a convention for the evacuation of Portugal by the French troops. The enclosed con. tains the several articles at first

agreed

agreed upon, and signed by sir. Ar thur Wellesley and general Keller mann; but as this was done with a reference to the British admiral, who, when the agreement was communicated to him, objected to the 7th article, which had for its object the disposal of the Russian fleet in the Tagus, it was finally concluded, that lieutenant.colonel Murray, quarter-master-general to the British army, and general Kellermann, should proceed to the discussion of the remaining articles, and finally to conclude a convention for the evacuation of Portugal, subject to the ratification of the French general-in-chief, and the British commanders by sea and land. After considerable discussion and repeat ed reference to me, which rendered it necessary for me to avail myself of the limited period latterly prescribed for the suspension of hostilities, in order to move the army forwards, and to place the several columns upon the routes by which, they were to advance, the convention was signed, and the ratification exchanged the 30th of last month. That no time might be lost in obtaining anchorage for the transports and other shipping, which had for some days been exposed to great peril on this dangerous coast, and to insure the communication between the army and the victuallers, which was cut off by the badness of the weather, and the surf upon the shore; I sent orders to the buffs, and 42d regiments, which were onboard of transports with sir C. Cotton's fleet, to land and take posses. sion of the forts of the Tagus, when ever the admiral thought it proper to do so. This was accordingly carried into execution yesterday morning, when the forts of Cascais,

St. Julien and Bugio, were evacu ated by the French troops, and taken possession of by ours. As I landed in Portugal, entirely unacquainted with the actual state of the French army, and many cir cumstances of a local and incidental nature, which doubtless had great weight in deciding the question; my own opinion in favour of the expediency of expelling the French army from Portugal, by means of the convention the late defeat had induced the French general-in-chief to solicit, instead of doing so by a' continuation of hostilities, was principally founded on the great importance of time, which the sea son of the year rendered peculiarly valuable, and which the enemy could easily have consumed in the protracted defence of the strong places they occupied, had terms of convention been refused them.When the suspension of arms was agreed upon, the army under the command of sir John Moore had not arrived; and doubts were even entertained, whether so large a body of men could be landed on an open and a dangerous beach; and, that being effected, whether the supply of so large an army with provisions from the ships could be provided for, under all the disadvan tages to which the shipping were exposed. During the negotiation, the former difficulty was overcome by the activity, zeal, and intelli. gence, of captain Malcolm, of the Donegal, and the officers and men under his orders; but the possibi lity of the latter seems to have been at an end, nearly at the moment when it was no longer necessary. Captain Dalrymple, of the 18th dragoons, my military secretary, will have the honour of delivering

to

to your lordship this dispatch. He is fully informed of whatever has been done under my orders, relative to the service on which I have been employed, and can give any explanation thereupon that may be required. HEW DALRYMPLE, Lieut.-general.

[A suspension of arms agreed upon between sir A. Wellesley and general Kellermann, on the 22d of August, was the basis of the follow. ing convention; the seventh article of that preliminary treaty (which was afterwards rejected by sir C. Cotton) stipulated that the Russian fleet should be allowed to remain in the Tagus, unmolested, as long as it thought proper, or to return home.]

Definitive Convention for the Evacuation of Portugal by the French Army.

The generals commanding in chief the British and French armies in Portugal, having determined to ne gotiate and conclude a treaty for the evacuation of Portugal by the French troops, on the basis of the agreement entered into on the 22d inst. for a suspension of hostilities, have appointed the undermentioned officers to negotiate the same in their names, viz. :-On the part of the general in-chief of the British army, licut..colonel Murray, quar. ter-master-general, and on the part of the general-in chief of the French army, M. Kellermann, general of division; to whom they have given authority to negotiate and conclude a convention to that effect, subject to their ratification respectively, and to that of the admiral commanding the British fleet at the entrance of the Tagus. Those two officers, after exchanging their full

powers, have agreed upon the articles which follow :-Art. I. All': the places and forts in the kingdom z of Portugal occupied by the French troops shall be delivered up to the British army in the state in which they are at the period of the signa ture of the present convention.— Art. II. The French troops shall evacuate Portugal with their arms and baggage; they shall not be considered as prisoners of war, and on their arrival in France, they shall be at liberty to serve. Art. III. The English government shall furnish the means of conveyance for the French army, which shall be disembarked in any of the ports of France between Rochefort and L'Orient inclusively, Art. IV. The French army shall carry with it all its artillery of French calibre, with the horses belonging to it, and the tambrils supplied with sixty. rounds per gun. All other artil. lery, arms, and ammunition, as also the military and naval arsenals, shall be given up to the British ar my and navy, in the state in which they may be at the period of the ratification of the convention. Art. V. The French army shall: carry with it all its equipments, and all that is comprehended under the name of property of the army; that is to say, its military chest, and carriages attached to the field cominissariat and field hospitals; or shall be allowed to dispose of such part of the same on its ac.. count as the commander-in-chief may judge it unnecessary to ema bark. In like manner, all indivi«! Quals of the army shall be at libera? ty to dispose of their private pro perty of every description, with: full security hereafter for the pur◄ / chasers.--Art. VI. The cavalry

are