Star. — London, England, 1811-06-18 00:00:00

P r- I foresaw, that in any case it could not follow u s i and I was not sorry to place it in a way to be taken, in order to occup34 the enemy. NEWS FROM THF. ARMY OF PORTUGAL. After having agreed *ith all the officers about the preliminary details of otedoperations, I went, as usual, r 2 P. ereer TO HIS EXCELLEN CY MARSHAL DUKE Of RA- , to walk about the town and the ramparts. I conversed GUSA, COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE ARMY OF TOR- Iwith all the soldiers; I was enabled , by an air of se -, TUGAL. Salamanca, May 17. 1 • cilia)* and confidence, to remove from their minds ' Almeida was invested on the 7th of April. In con- • all doubt or uneasiness upon the result of our opera. sequence of the orders I had previously received from Lions ; and I saw every b o dy f u ll o f confidence, and the Prince of Neufchatel , and the Du k e of Istria, I ! even enthusiasm. At night-fall, I made all the gar had prepared mines to blow up the fortifications.. I : risontake arms to.prevent any one from being absent, continued this operation after the place was in- i and to .be ready as soon as all the dispositions were vested ; and before the end of April there were 140 ! completed, for we worked to the moment of our depar. cavities ready to be charged. I thought that the army, i ture. At ten o'clock, all being ready, I sent orders after having rested some days, would make a move- • tto all the advanced posts of the Half Moon and co ment upon Almeida, every thing was ready to send . vered ways, to come in the greatest. silence within the i away the artillery and ammunition. During this P e. I barrier whence we were to depart.. At the moment rind the cavities would have been charged, and but of beginning the movement, I gave, as a watch-wordy few days would have been nece.sat yto have fi nished Bonaparte and Bayard, and we all set off under the J every thing. auspices of glory and honour. I did not expect the movement or the army till I went out the last. I then sent orders to the Chief from the 10th to the 15th of this month ; and in order of Battalion, Morlet, to place the fire in the boxes. It to afford me time to wait till then, I bad established . tract been agreed upon that this single order should anextremely rigorous economy, which I superintended suffice, because it was to be a private signal, as wore myself with the greatest severity ; by these means I as he had the certainty that the lighted matches were had calculated that I should have sufficient provisions placed, in order that the fire should be set to the till the 250, and I was resolved th yself to prolong it powder at the same time. Every thing was petfectly by one means or another till the Ist of June. well executed. My two head of columns began to be The day after my being invested, I was closely engaged wilt the enemy's posts at the very moment pressed at ail points in a severe manner ; every day of the explosion. All were penetrated, and 1 contis J • the sharp shooters fired upon my cattle, and forced it nued my route rapidly, always harassed on my rear into the garrison—l then determined to salt part of it. and flanks, as I had foreseen. The baggage was pil. . Persuaded that the enemy could not have brought !aged. I would not have any guide, because he could with him besieging artillery, I thought that, knowing only shew me the ways which I would not take, and the weakness of my garrison, he might attempt some because he would only infuse uncertainty into my coati de main. In concert, therefore, with the Corn- movements—not being able to find nut by night the mandants of the engineers and artillery, I adopted all different points of direction which I had long studied possible dispositions to repulse him—all the flanks of by day, the moon served me as a compass. The dif• the bastions were strengthened by cannon loaded with ferent brooks or rivers which I crossed, and whose grape-shot, hatchets, axes, were placed on each bas- existence I was acquainted with, also contributed to tion—pcnere (large bullets) were ranged along the insure my direction. I was harassed as far as ThurOn, parapet —loaded howitzers and grenades were placed there they abandoned me—in fine at day-break I was within reach, as well as red-hot balls, and torches to between Villar-de-Cuervas and Barba de Puerco. I light the ditches—l made the troops repeat their ma- took my way to the Agueda. Between those two tuzuvres, in order to make them acquainted with the villages, before I arrived on the summit, the enemy's point of alarm night and day. cavalry had reached my right, and marched in a pa- On the 15th I was summoned to surrender by Major rallel line after me, to stop me, or to point out to the Ceneral Campbell, who observed to me that the cir- troops that were on their march in pursuit of me, the c. mstances of the campaign deprived me of all hope route I had taken. I saw on my left some elevations of being succoured ; that the weakness of my garrison crowned with troops. I manceuvred to avoid them, d. pi ived me of all the means of defending myself. I and I arrived at length at a path which led to the r' plied verbally, that if lie thought my garrison too bridge of San Felices. weak to defend the place, he had only to try to take The two columns which had always marched in it, and that I had no other answer to make. On the sight, and within reach of each other, arrived together 17th Lord Wellington demanded an interview with on the left bank of the Agueda, in the same order in me, which I thought it my duty to refuse. which they left Almeida. They had always marched I made a sortie on the 28th in the morning, I drove in order in spite of rocks, rivers, and precipices. FRENCH PAPERS. away the English posts, we killed some and made four prisoners. I made another sortie upon the Portu guese posts, and made three prisoners, but I never made the attack on the side by.which I sallied out of the garrison. On the 3d of May I beard a cannonading and firing which announced to me the approach of the army ; on the sth I thought there was a serious affair and every moment I expected a communication. On the 7th I received orders from the Prince of Essling, by a soldier of the 6th light infantry, to blow up the place, and retire with the garrison upon Barba de Puerco. I immediately ordered the cavities to be loaded, and the artillery to be destroyed ; we em ployed for this latter object the means we had before tried upon an unserviceable cannon, viz. to discharge cannon into the mouths of the pieces ; by these means we destroyed cannon, howitzers, and mortars. The The rear.guard of the sappers had joined same mo. ments before the rear of the left column. I perceived some troops on the other side, wkich I found by my class to be French, and we descended rapidly to the bridge. The enemy poured inson all sides—they had reached the rear of my column—l had the grief of seeing some of my brave comrades perish. At length General Regnier, commanding the second cords, sent troops towards the bridge, and protected our passage. He received all the wounded, and sent them to San Fe'ices, where we all united. I lost in this operation but 60 men, and the whole garrison is arrived. I annex the report of the Commander of the Engi. neers, and also M. Lechene's, the Captain of Artil lery. I also annex a plan of the place—all marked in black shews the works that were blown up. The letter concludes with bestowing praises upon different officers. (Signed) BREMER. cartridges were thrown into a well, and into the ditches, at the foot of the walls that were to be blown up—the balls were also thrown into the ditches to be buried, and carriages were in part sawed, and the others placed on the parapets that were undermined ; in short, I believe that no precautions to render un serviceable all that might be useful to the enemy were omitted. And here I ought to return thanks to the talents and activity of the officers of artillery and engineers. . On the 9tla all the cavities were charged, but the works for the destruction of the artillery were not fi nished, and I stayed one day more in order to leave nothing to regret. On the morning of the 10th, I assembled the prin cipal officers of the garrison—l -ead to them the or ders of the Prince of Essling—l did not conceal that o ur expedition was full of dif f iculty and danger — that VIENNA, MAY 29. once out of the garrison, the fire set to it, we should We receive news of several sharp actions between find ourselves obliged to cut our way through to re- Ithe Russians and Turks. The latter hove been driven join the army, in the midst of obstacles of all kinds, ' behind the Nassawa, and under the walls of St. So or to fall with honour ; that the place once destroyed, phia. Widden is completely invested. the intentions of his Majesty would be perfectly ful- 1 S.AXONY, MAY Is. filled—that that single object ought to animate us— that we were Frenchmen, and ought to prove to the I I The report that was spread respecting a speedy in- I universe that we were worthy of being so — that if our terview between some powerful Monarchs daily gains i s th th it was on this accunt expedition succeeded, it would cover us with glory. 4 , th credit. It at more the Assembl i yof t ought at he States of Weimar rece i ved whatever the effect might be to us persoually.; testified the most courageous devotion. I ifibi ; 11 ,•exrders to hasten the term of its sittings. formed them i • the dispositions I had determined BANKS OF THE MAINE, MAY 16. upon, as well as the manner in which I reckoned up. The corps of troops belonging to the Grand Duke on reaching the enemy's posts, and I shewed them of Hesse, which are going to Dresden, consists of the route I meant to take. And wishing to march in 2400 men, infantry and cavalry. two columns to have less depth, and to overthrow a I A squadron of light horse, coming from Dresden larger front of the enemy, which gave me beyond; yesterday, passed through Frankfort, and took the their line more latitude for my movements, I gave route of Gresett. them all the necessary instructions for the march of the two columns ; 'and as a basis, I announced, that I STOCKHOLM, MAY ta. the left column should be the column of direction ; I The Court Tribunal has just pronounced sentence the two dice companies o f the sth battalion of the 82d upon the murderers of Count De Fersen. Three of regiment were to march at the head of tbe,- left co- the assassins have been condemned to suffer decapi . Limn, composed of the said battalion, to clear the tation, many others to run the gauntlet ; some of the passage for the column that followed them. The two least culpable will undergo a punishment proportio companies of cannoneers marched at the head of the nate to their crime. right-hand column for the same purpose. This co-' COPENHAGEN, JUNZ I. lumn, commanded by the Chief of the Battalion of I A . short time ago the English attacked, in the Engineers, Thruiller, was composed of different de- night ' some merchantmen at anchor on the north coast tac hments of the 6th and B th corps. The sappe r s of Zea land. They took only two, the rest having on were to remain in the town, part to set fire to the board two or three men of the regiment of Prince train, another part to hinder the inhabitants from de. Christian, who, in spite of their weak numbers, suc ringing our operations, and to protect the sortie of cessfully resisted the enemy. all—they were afterwards to form the rear-guard they woe co mmanded by the Chief of the Battalion BERLIN, JUNE t. of Engineers, Monet, who remained in the place ell We know nothing of the arrival of the English in the train had' been lighted, and who wa s obliged .to the Baltic ; it is still in the-.Categat, and we doubt, cut his way a second time with his sappers through considering the respectable force on the shores of the the enemy's posts, which had joined in our rear. Baltic, whether it will pass the Belt, and dare to risk I placed the baggage at the tail of each column. the least attempt. I PARTS., JUNE it. Last Sunday, the 9th, the Emperor received, be fore mass, the Corps Diplomatique. After the cere mony of the baptism, their Majesties proceeded to the Hotel de Ville, at eight at night, and were received by the Municipal Body. The Prefect harangued them in the name of the City of Paris. They then pro ceeded to the banquet ; the Emperor, Empress, Queen of Holland, Princess Borghese, the Empress Mother, the Kings of Spain and Westphalia, and the Viceroy, at one table. The 'banquet was f , 'Rowed by a con cert, from whence their Majesties were invited to a garden, formed on purpose, above the Court of the Hotel de Ville. At the end of the garden the Tiber was seen disposed with much art. .;4 PARLIAMENTARr PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, JUNE 17. MUM= ?Mae& The House met this day atja early hour, when the Marquis of BVCKINGYAss was sworn previous to his giving his testimony berme the Committee of Privileges appointed to enquire Into the claim of the Berkeley Peerage. Tito House then adjourned till eve o'clock. The Committee of Privileges assembled at two o'clock, and proceeded to examine Mr. Perry, the Marquis of Buckingham, and the Duke of Norfolk, reepecting their knowledge of facts connected with the claim of this Peerage. The Committee ad journed till to-morrow at two o'clock. The %pose baying resumed. their Lordships proceeded to for ward the bltron the table in their respective stages. excliANGa or PRISONER. Lord HOLLAND adverted to the votes of the House of Commons, from whence it appeared that a motion had been made for the production of the cot respondence of the two countries relative to the ex •change of prisoners. He deplored the situation of these unfortunate persons who remained in prison in France, and also in this country ; and although he had no doubt of the extravagant propositions of the enemy, still, for the sake of relief to these sufferers, be thought it right for the Legislature to enquire how far the concessions which. were made were such as were in any way admissible. • The Earl of LIVERPOOL said he should take an opportunity of laying before the House a copy of that information which would be produced to the other House of Parliament. When the proceedings on this subject were before them, he had not the smallest doubt but their Lordships would clearly perceive the unreasonable demand of the French Government. — His Majesty's Ministers, anxiously attentive to the sufferings of these unfortunate people, had not only made fair proposals of exchange, but had offered con cessions to the utmost degree consistent with common justice ; and yet these were answered by the enemy with the most unjust and extravagant conditions. It would be found that Government had made every exertion to put an end to what he could term no other than an uncivilized state of warfare. PORTUGAL. Earl GROSVENOR required of the Noble Secre tary opposite if the whole of the two millions granted for Lhe service of Portugal were to be expended on the Portuguese army ? The Earl of LIVERPOOL answered, that when the two millions were granted to his Majesty for the service of Portugal, there was a discretion left, whe ther his Majesty would bestow the whole, or only part of the sum on that service ; and therefore a re sponsibility rests with administration as to the exercise of that discretion. It was not to be understood that the grant was to be applied wholly to the service of Portuguese troops ; but it was to be understood that the grant would be applied to the objects in general calculated for the defence of that country. INSOLVENT DEBTORS' BILL. Upon the motion for the third reading of this Bill, the LORD CHANCELLOR proposed to alter the sum from £3OOO to £2OOO. He observed, his mind was not satisfied with the division of a forme: night, when the numbers were six and four. Lord HOLLAND strenuously recommended the clause to stand unaltered, upon the principle that the gradual increase in this and former Bills was founded upon the deterioration of the medium of circulation, and the circumstances of the times. He spoke in high terms of the perseverance of his Noble Friend (Earl Moira) and regretted their Lordships had not adopt ed a general Bill for remedying the law of debtor and creditor this Session. Such was the law as it now stood, that on all hands it was acknowledged to be opprobrium eris conntfrortim. Lord E LENBOROUGH again reminded their Lordships of the nature of the liberality they were going to bestow. He noticed all the Acts of Insol vency from Queen Anne to George 11. fr In which it appeared, that the sum was first £lOO, afterwards £5O, and then £5OO, and it was only in late years it was increased to £l5OO. By this sort of liberality they were going to wrench from the creditor the only means he had left for the payment of his debt. The Earl of MOIRA conceived that no man could defend the present system of law between debtor and creditor. Imprisonment was penal in all its conse quences—and, he must say, that to inflict punish ment without inquiry, without knowing whether or not there was a particle of fraud in the contraction of that debt, was a disgrace to the Legislature of the country. With respect to the sum, he coincided with the observations of his Noble Friend (Lord Holland). After a few words from the Duke of NoiuoLk, in favour of the clause, the House divided—Contents,l 17 ; Not Contents, 32; Majority, 15.—Consequently the sum is altered to £2OOO. The consideration of other Amendments proposed by Lord ELLENBORoUGn was adjourned till to-morrow. SLAVES IN Till WEST INDIES. The Marquis of LANSDOWN moved for a copy of the correspondence which took place between the Earl of Liverpool and persons in the West Indies re lative to the treatment of Slaves. The Noble Mar quis was aware, from what had transpired, that Bri-i tish laws and British constitution might in their ex tension to all the West India colonies under an im proper administration, produce evil instead of good. The motion was agreed to. MILITIA INTERcEANGE. The Earl of LIVERPOOL moved the order of the day on this subject, and the House went into a Committee on this Bill, and agreed to several clauses. On that clause which provides for the privileges en joyed under the respective acts by the different Mili tia Forces, Earl STANHOPE moved the insertion of the words he had moved to insert into the Mutiny Bill, and which provided that no officer should have the power of compelling any soldier not of the Church of England to attend its service, and gave him the right of attending those places of worship to which he was attached, according to the dictates of his own con science, such attendance not interfering with his civil or military duties. He wished not to - leave this mat ter to the discretion of this or that Commander-in- Chief, but to make it clear and undoubted by a Par liamentary enactment. The Earl of LIVERPOOL thought the amend ment unnecessary ; as care would be taken, on the adoption of this measure, to have a general order issued here, similar to that in Ireland. He believed the Catholics, whom he admitted to be as respectable and loyal as other descriptions of his Majesty's sub jects, were quite satisfied on this point, and that the regiments from counties chiefly Catholic were awing those who would be first in volunteering their services in England. The Earl of MOIRA contended for the clause proposed. He thought nothing could be more sim ple, and just, than to set the whole matter in a clear and legal point of view, and so do away all grounds of misunderstanding. He believed that nothing un. fair was meant, and if his feeble' oice could reach the ears of his countrymen, he would tell them that they might rely on fair trertment: but it was sill better to settle all reasons of doubt. The Duke of NORFOLK alluded to the Test Act. Ile was not enough of a lawyer to answer the question ; but. he understood, that by that act, a per son might be sued civilly by the intorme.r, for non compliance with its enactments, about taking the sa crament in the Established Church. The Earl of LIVERPOOL obanved, that the Test Act had not been in force for many years in Ire- Land. bar:peal by the Irish Parliament was, as far as that country was concerned, an act of the United Parliament. (Hear, Aear). Lord HOLLAND argued with m'eich forte anti animation in support of the clause. The question ought not to stand on the disposition of a Secretary of State, and a Commander-in-Chief, whoever they might be : it was one which it became Parliament to fix beyond misapprehension. A proof that the mi. giant clause was not rifficient, was shewn in the ne cessity of promising a general "order from the Com mander.imetlief here. The Earl of BUCKINGHAMSHIRE wished to have the doubts removed. He had n. ob;ection to the amendment to offer, except his decided convic tion, that Government would act with p• rfect firaess. He also thought, that some difficulties migh• ease from adopting the Amendment now, after refusing it in passing the Mutiny Bill. Earl STANHOPE, in reply,.strenuously defended the principle of his amendment, as founded on the sacred, inherent, and inalienible right of every man to worship his Creator in his own way, when it did not infringe on the civil and military duties he owed the State. Why should the Secretary of State refuse his amendment, which went to do that in a straight forward way which he wanted to do circuitously-. which went to put - that on a ground of right, which others seemed to put on a ground of favour He appealed to the resolutions passed in May, in Dublin, to prove that the Catholics were not satisfied on this subject. Indeed, they could not be satisfied. The Secretary of State had a vast deal of faith, and the proof of his excessive faith was to be found in his be lid in impossibilities! (Hear.) If the Catholic' were dissatisfied, they would not come. Then the Noble Secretary of State would be another Mahomet. The mountain would not come so Imo, and Mahomet must go to the mountain (a lass:h ). He had proposed his amendment. in order to state his clear and con scientious opinion, and wondered how any man of principle could dispute it. But he should not then divide the House. • The Amendment was negatived. The Earl of RADNOR proposed a clause, which went to limit the interchange to the cases of invasion or rebellion. The Earl of LIVERPOOL objected to the clause as hostile to the principle of the Bill, the prrarased object of which was to promote the intercourse, not only on extraordinary but on ordinary occasio; s, and thus more closely cement all the connections between the two countries. Lord HOLLAND was of opinion, that the Bill as it stood really went to conviidate the efforts of the empire; and therefore, though it considerably tr.nch ed upon the old principles of the Militia Act., yet the former advantages so much outweighed any mem• venieacy from the latter, that the Bill should have his support. The clause was negatived ; and after some farther discussion, a 9d reading of the Bill was fixed for Friday. TIIB HIGHWAY BILL. . Upon the Motion for the second reading of this Bill. The Duke of NORFOLK stated, that he hid great objection to many of its provisions, and he could wish that the second reading was postponed. Earl GROSVENOR also thought that as the Bill would not take effect till November, 1813, loci ,g more than two years hence, there would be no difficulty in postponing it till another Session of Parliament. The question being put upon the second reading, the House divided—Contents, .5 ; Not-Contents, 3 ; Majority, 2.—The Bill was then read the second time. The other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned till to-morrow. THE EVENING STAR. LONDON. TUESDAY, JUNE 18. PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'C.LOC..E. S per Cent. Reduced 62/-.4 per Cent. 79i Omnlum l*dis.--Eicheq. par 2s. di*. Clinatunt esperienced yesterday, a farther depresdon—lt was it 1 i discount at ill o'clock. Two Anholt Mails and one Heligoland arrived this morning. From Gottenburgh we learn, that General Lammas had arrived at St. Petersburgh, where he had been most graciously received ; from all v.hich it was inferred that all differences between France and Russia were on the eve of being amicably adjusted. A letter from Konigsberg, however, of which the following is an extract, leads to quite different conclusion : " KONIGSBERG, MAY 20. " War is inevitable, matters are come to such a situation. — The Poles every where are welt disposed to Russia, and ill dl'- posed to France. There might easily be raised an army of 150,000 fine men, accustomed to hardships." A letter from Memel says, that an insurrection had occurred in Poland, and that the French were. in consequence, driven out of VV' irsaw. Amidst these continual contradictions, it is still impossible to entre at Any certain conclusion. The prohibition of exports of corn and timber from Danttic was expected to be soon withdrawn. In Mecklenburg and Swedish Pomerania domiciliary Ivisits had been resorted to, to enforc e the commercial, or rather anti-commercial laws, and several persons - - I I