Star. — London, England, 1809-02-27 00:00:00

SPANISH PAPERS- AFFAIRS OF ST. DOMINGO. SEvirtE, JAN. 23. The Supreme Central Junta of Government bas received very recent and satis factory accounts of the loyalty and patriotism of the principal points of Spanish America. The folloWing may be read as a specimen : Letter dated the Sth of November, addressed by D. J. S. Rami rez, to D. D. Toribio Montes, Captain General of Porto Rico. " HIGHLY ESTEEMED SEIGNOR—The Commander of the brigantine Frederico, Don Martin Maria Es piso, would have informed you of my having been under the necessity of setting off abruptly from the port of Yuma, the instant I received advice that Ge neral Ferrand was advancing in force to attack us.— This circumstance made it impossible for me to an swer your dispatches of the 11th and 25th of Octo ber last. " Nothing but the extraordinary diligence with which I marched day and night with the last supply of muskets, could have enabled us to ward off the blow meditated by General Ferrand with the utmost confidence of success. On the 6th instant, I reached the river Margarin, in the jurisdiction of Seybe, where I found my troops very badly situated in a desert, while the rain fell in such torrents that the arms were all wet, and there were no means of keeping them dry. I therefore gave orders for them to retreat to the post of Palohincado, which was more tenable.— From the difficulty of crossing the rivers, we did not reach it until the morning of the 7th. I had no sooner arrived than, in consequence of information that the enemy were at hand, I disposed my troops in the following manner :—the armed infantry, form ed in battle array, took post on a rising ground ; a corps of cavalry occupied the right, and another the left, to prevent the enemy from turning our flanks ; and between the cavalry on the right, and the in fantry, in a deep hollow or ditch on the rising ground, I placed 200 javelin men in ambuscade. The mo ment I saw the enemy advancing, I took a station in the centre, so as to be heard by the whole of the troops, and after a brief exhortation, called out in a loud voice to death with the officer, should it even be myself, who gives any orders to retreat ! to death any drummer, who, even if ordered, shall beat a retreat ! to death every man who turns his back upon the enemy, or who does not advance to attack them on the first discharge of musketry !' I immediately ordered Don Pedro Vasgues to ride along the two wings, whilst I rode along the centre. I had pre viously planted a body of musketeers in ambuscade, with directions that they should open their fire in the enemy's rear, the instant the firing in front took place. , Every thing was carried into execution with such pre- cision and intrepidity, that, in less than five minutes the enemy were thrown into disorder, without giving them time to attempt any military manmuvres. I cannot mention the conduct of any of my troops as entitled to particular distinction, for all of them be hayed in the best possible manner. " Our loss consisted of the Commanders of the two corps of cavalry, Don Vincente de Mercedes, and Don Antonio de Sota, an Adjutant and three soldiers killed, and 45 wounded. The enemy left dead on the field three hundred, and we took 1(40 prisoners, with eight caissons, and a quantity of am munition. " Having re-assembled the troops, and formed them in good order, I detached a body of cavalry, under the command of Don Pedro Santana, in pursuit of. General Ferrand ; and at the distance of little more than a league they found him ; he, either from vex ation at the defeat he bad just suffered, or despairing of being able to effect his escape, had shot himself with his pistol—a fact which was confirmed by their bringing to me his head, and also his horse and some pieces of his uniform. My force consisted of 1000 men, including Spaniards and natives. That of the enemy was 1000 more, among whom were some Spaniards. *, " To conclude, General, on the 7th of November a decisive blow was struck for the cause of our arms; the peasants of San Domingo, without discipline, and badly armed, triumphed over the French troops of the line, commanded by a Captain General, who was an experienced warrior. I can assure you, that had the marine forces been under my orders, or had they been disposed to give me the assistance which I repeatedly so li c ited of their Commander, the 15th would not have passed over without our hoisting the Spanish flag on the fortress of San Domingo. " I have the honour to inform you, that I have pardoned all the Spanish prisoners. I should wish to have the means of embarking the foreigners, and par ticularly the French who have been made prisoners ; for my heart is not so inhuman as to put them to death in cold blood. And on the other hand, I have no se cure places of confinement, so that these people alone give us enough to do. May GOD preserve you many years. (Signed) JUAN SANCIIES RAMIREZ." " Plead-quarters at Seybe, 9th Nov. ISM" SUMMbNS OF SARAGOSSA. 6 ' Marshal MONCEY to the Captain-General ofthe Spanish Troops and the Magistrates of Saragossa. " SEIGNIORS—The City of Saragossa is invested on all sides, and at this moment all it s communications are cut off. \Are might; therefore, employ against the fortress all the means of destruc tion, authorised by the laws of war. But too much blood has been already shed, and evils enough continually surround and assail us. The fifth division of the Grand Army, under the orders of Marshal Mortier, Duke of Treviso, and myself, threaten your walls. The City of Madrid has capitulated, and thus pre served itself from those calamities, which a resistance, further prolonged, whould have drawn upon it. " Seigniors, should the City of Saragossa, confident in the valour of its inhabitants, but absolutely incapable of overcoming the means and exertions which the art of war is about to direct against it, render a recourse to them necessary, its total destruct • Lion will be inevitable. " Marshal hlortier and myself expect that you will take into your consideration what I have the honour to state to you, and that you will concur with us in opinion. To prevent the effusion of blood, and to preserve the beautiful city of Saragossa, so highly respectable on account of its population, its riches and commerce, from the miseries of a siege, and the terrible consequences which might ensue, would he the way to conciliate the affection and the blessings of all the people under your authority; do you exert yourselves to inspire your citizens with the maxims and sentiments of peace and tranquillity ; and, on my part, I assure you that I will do whatever is compatible with the feelings of my heart, my duty, and the powers granted me by his Majesty the Bmperor. " I send you this letter by a flag of truce, and I propose that you appoint Commis.ioners to treat with such as I shall nominate for that purpose. —Accept the assurance of my highest conside (Signed) " Marshal Mouctr. * ra tion, lid -quarters at l'omro, Dec. 42 2 , 1808," r.~ REPLY OF THE . GENERAL. • 0 The General in ,Chid of the Army of Reserve IA responsible for the City of Saragossa. This beautiful city will never surren der. The Imperial Marshal will observe all the laws of war, and will measure his stretch with me. I maintain a communi cation with all parts of the Peninsula, and am in want of nothing. Sixty thousand men resolved to fight know no other reward than honour, and as little do 1 who command them. I hold this ho nour, and I would not exchange it for all the Empires in the world. "'His Excellency Marshal Moncey will cover himself with glory if he beats me with a due observance of all the laws of war ; mine will be no less if I defend myself. What I wish to impress upon your Excellency is that my troops will fight as men of ho nour, and that I disown and disavow those oppressive measures which the old Marshals of France held in abhorrence. " A siege is * matter of no importance to the man who is de termined to die honourably, more particularly as I already know its effects from the last siege of sixty-one days. If I did not then think of surrendering with an inferior force, your Excellency ought not to expect that I should do so now, when my' force exceeds that of all the armies which surround me. " The Spanish blood that has been shed covers us with glory, in the same proportion as it reflects ignominy upon the French arms to have shed it unjustly. " The Marshal of the Empire will reflect, that the enthusiasm of eleven millions of inhabitants is not to be extinguished by op pression, and that he who resolves to be free is so. It lifer from my wish to shed the blood of those whom I am appointed to go vern ; but there is not one among them who would not shed it with pleasure in defence of his country. The French troops left yesterday at our gates abundant confirmations of this truth. We have scarcely lost a man ; and I conceive that it more properly ,becomes me to talk to the Marshal of surrendering, If has not a mind to lose the whole of his army within the walla of this for tress. That prudence which characterizes him, and gives him the reputation of being a good man, cannot behold such havock with iutlifference, more especially as it is not war, nor the Spa niards, that occasion or authorize it. " If Madrid has capitulated, Madrid must have been sold, and that I cannot believe ; but Madrid is no more than an open town, and therefore furnishes no reason why this place should surrender. " I have only to observe further to the Marshal, that when a flag of truce is sent in, orders ought not to be given for the ap proach of two columns by distinct routes, since we were on the pint of opening our fire, conceiving that it was rather a recon noitring corps than a flag of truce. " I have the honour of answering to your Excellency, Mar shal Moncey, in the language I am acquainted with, and of assu ring you, that I will perform my most sacred duties. (Signed) " General P•LAFOX. " Head-quarters, Saragossa, Dec. 2'2, 18011." SEVILLE, FEBRUARY 10. The Duke del Infantado, General in Chief of the Army of the Centre, has transmitted dispatche., dated the 2d instant, which mention upon the credit of an eye-witness, that the cavalry, detached by the Commander in Chief towards St. Clemente, had taken several carriages belonging to the enemy in that place, and fifty-one prisoners. Ten of the enemy were killed at another place, 19 of their wag gons taken, and upwards of a hundred of them made prisoners. GERONA, JANUARY 4. The Supreme Junta of this City have received the following letter from Lord COCHRANE : GFNTLEMEN-- .1 have this morning bad the honour of receiving your letter, and I congratulate myself upon learning that the Mar quis de L nart is in this vicinity, and also hope for the pleasure of seeing him. I had previously informed your Excellencies that we Intended an attack upon Cadaques ; we have driven the French from that place, from which they were in the habit of obtaining provisions for the fortress of Roses. I inclose, for your Excellencies, a list of the vessels laden with provisions, which we have captured in that port, together with the names of the armed ships which convoyed them, the whole of which are now in our possession. I am your most obedient and humble servant, Cadaques, Jan. 1, 1809. (Signed) Coosa/am. This gallant Englishman has been entitled to the admiration and gratitude of this country, from the first moment of its political resurrection. His gene rosity in co-operating with our earliest efforts, the en couragement we received from the interest he took with the Commanders of the Balearic Islands to induce them to succour us with troops and ammunition, can never be erased from our recollection. The extraor dinary services which we owe to his indefatigable ac tivity, particularly this city and the adjacent coast, in protecting us from the attempts of the enemy, are too well known to be repeated here. It is a sufficient eulogium upon his character to mention, that in the defence of the Castle of Trinidad, when the Spanish flag, hoisted on the wall, fell into the ditch, under a most dreadful fire from the enemy, his Lordship was the only person who, regardless of the shower of balls flying about him, descended into the ditch, returned with the flag, and happily' succeeded in placing it where it was before Under the date of the,l Bth of November last, the Supreme Junta, governing . this kingdom, have re ceived an official communication from the city of Mexico, in which, after manifesting the general joy, and the solemnity with which Ferdinand VII. was proclaimed in the capital of New Spain, it is added that the people have not only sworn the most im plicit obedience to their natural Sovereign,•but that a. most respectful representation has been drawn up, in which that city renews its vows of homage and fealty to the sacred person of Ferdinand VII. and also binds itself, during his absence, to acknowledge the autho rity of the Supreme Junta. The Council, the Justi cia, and all the inhabitants of New Spaiit, uniting their voices with that of the Supreme Junta, have unanimously resolved to sacrifice their lives in defence of that just cause which they have espoused, and de clare themselves ready to execute the orders of the Supreme Junta with the most punctual obedience and submission. The principal signatures to this repre sentation are as follow : Don Antonio Mendez Prieto, Don Francisco Josef de Urrutia, El Marques de Uluapa,DonAgusten de Villanueva, Caceres Ovando, Don Manuel Velas de la Cadena, Don Juan de Igle sias Pablo, Don Leon Ignacia Rico, Don Josef Calapis Matos, Secretary. The Supreme Junta has announced the following appointments under the authority of our Sovereign Ferdinand VII. the Marquis de Astorga, Minister of the Class of the Grand Cross ; Don Ramon Ger and Don Narciso, Members of the same ; Don Luis de Onis, Secretary of that Royal. Order, ad interim ; Treasurer, Don Gunk. mo Curtoys ; Fiscal and Di rector of the Posts, Don Juan Facundo. Ilw .11•••wiliMMh 7 ' . , pe to cu th fro th se of fr re h II :0 LS n. Ile U.E re, Fz ad ac. we 31st the 000 ;pa- Lack San skir- t the were sent rshal day which er he : Ar: r;also funta, ;cl, on 'rench Ormer :;ene. dated ae for• e, that arshal Ebro, 1 with rtees at M An- much Valle• hat the :00l re• : on ac• ed him Lot give seem it the 310. gence."' ER Si. am, a Per- ",..ayenne Portu• ard, El` pea' o: 0 , VIE ;.- ::onsist of m, board , '24-pour'. . u p, that us , but in isen body 75 and al. through e by the •CGIiE 3 is ordnar'` e )eiog c. ifiden , of gaol „ . ~:x THE NAVAL FORCE LYING AT FERROL. THREE-DECKERS. SHIPS OF THE LINE. Santehno . . . 80 guns. I San Julian . . . Atlanta .. . . 80 do. America .. . Espana • . . 64 guns. ON THE STOCKS. El Trideute . . . 80 guns. I Emprendedor . . Magdalen* Esmeralda FRIGATES. . . . 40 guns. I Sabina . . . 40 do. Diana Pilar . . . 36 guns. CORVETTES. Should Ferrol be the object of tlie'Brest Fleet, th e French will there receive a considerable accession of strength, nor will it be possible to dislodge them till they please again to put to sea, to proceed to some other port to collect a few more ships. The following is a correct list of Principe Asturias . 120 guns. I Conception . . 120 gun Mexicans .. . 1 20 do. San Fernaodo - . 100 do. 64 gur, E . 61 80 gun, . . • . 40 gun; . . • , 36 49 . 26 guns. I Mosta . . . . 24 ;.: • Principe Asturias . . 20 guns. GUN-BRIGS. Casilda 16 do. Casador . . . . 16 do. SCHOONERS. Amistad . . . . 6 guns. I - . . . . - 6 gut:. TIE EVENING-WAR. LONDON. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25. PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK. Consols, for money, 674} —for Feb. 67F—Ez. Bills 12s. 13,. pre. Omnium i pre. PRICE OF STOCKS ON SATURDAY. per Cent. Red. 6741 l India Bonds 10s. Us. prem. 3 per Cent. 674 2 f Excheq. Bills, 9s. 12s. 133. pr. 4 per Cent. 83/2 Omnium 1/ pre. 5 per Cent. Navy 99/11 Lottery Tickets 211. 191. Long Ann. 1811-16; Consols, for acc. 674}4 ESCAPE OF THE BREST FLEET. Saturday evening a Telegraphic communication announced to the Admiralty the sailing of the Brest Fleet on Thursday last ; and yesterday this gence was confirmed by a special Messenger who ar rived at the Admiralty. Opinions are various as to the destination of this fleet. Of course all is mere conjecture, and every one itssigns to it any object that appears probable or pos- sible. Some have sent them to Ferrol, to secure the Spanish fleet in that harbour, whence they are to at tempt a descent upon Ireland : some have dispatched them to the West Indies ; others to South America, and others to the Mediterranean. To offer an opinion of our own, without any data, would be folly. Our Readers.must judge for them selves. The following letters received this morning will put them in possession of all that is known on the subject : " PLYMOUTH-DOCK, FEBRUARY 25. 41 The MEDUSA frigate sailed from Falmouth on Saturday last, in company with his Majesty's ships RESISTANCE aria ARETHUSA, to cruize off Brest ; and eatly on Thursday morning the Arethusa stood into that harbour to reconnoitre, and found that the French squadron had sailed: she immediately proceeded in quest of the Channel fleet, but could not meet with them ; it is therefore supposed that Lord GAMBIER had been apprised of the movement of the enemy, and was gone in quest of them. The French fleet consists of ten sail of the line ; the English seven, five of which are three-deckers. The MEDUSA having fallen in with I the LYRA gun-brig, Lieut. BEVIANS, immediately dispatched her home with the intelligence * and she arrived here yesterday noon. A messenger was im mediately sent off to town, and a telegraphic com munication made to the Admiralty. The LYRA was again ordered off in the evening, in quest of the Bri tish squadron, and to apprise any of our ships she might meet with that the enemy were at sea. The destination of the enemy is supposed to be Minorca or Majorca ; but some imagine they are gone for the West Indies, in order to throw troops and succours into Martinique and Guadaloupe. ig The utmost alacrity prevails here in fitting out the respective ships in the harbour ; but the only fear is, that the enemy will elude the vigilance of our fleet, as they did on a former occasion : if our brave fellows are fortunate enough to fall in with them, there can be but one opinion entertained as to the result." And 48 Gun-boats. It will probably surprize many of our Readers to be informed that the British army, on its retreat, was within one day's march of Ferrol ; and that the bri. tish squadron, employed to cover the passage of the transports home,. was within two leagues of that hat.. jhour.--Did the Supreme Junta refuse to permit our \. occupying Ferrol ? Was no arrangement made to pre. vent the enemy from obtaining possession of the ship in that port, even in the possible event of th e land I forces of the Patriots and British being defeated SPAIN. Cadiz and Seville Gazettes to the 11th instant, hme arrived since our last. They contain an official ac. count of the action before Saragossa, to which we alluded on Saturday. It was fought on the 21st ult. and terminated in favour of the Patriots, the French, according to this account, having lost 4000 killed, and as many wounded. The loss of the Spa- niards is not mentioned.—On the same day an attack was made by about 800 French, on the fortress of San Josef, but they were also put to flight. Several skir- mishes took place on the 22d, 23d, and 24th, in the environs of San Josef, in which the Spaniards were equally successful. On the 22d, a summons was sent into the 'City by the French Commander, Marshal MONCEY, demanding its surrender. On the same day an answer was returned by General PALAFOX, which is truly in unison with that admirable character he has hitherto sustained. The Summons and the An• swer will be found in another part of our Paper. Lord COCHRANE'S conduct in the defence of Cats• lonia is highly extolled in these papers. They also contain a dispatch recived by the Supreme Junta, giving an account of the action in St. Domingo, on the 7th of November, between the Spanish and French force, in which, as we have already stated, the former were successful, and the French Commander, Gene. neral FERRAND, shot himself, The dispatch is dated the 9th ; the Spaniards had not then entered the for. tress of San Domingo. We learn from another channel of intelligence, that General LASzas, who was ordered to join Marshal MoNcEY, at the confluence of the Xalon and the Ebro, has since received contrary instructions, and with 30,000 men, is now crossing the Eastern Pyrenees at the pass of Bellegarde. A report prevailed in An dalusia, that the Garrison of Madrid had been much -reduced by detachments towards Sornosierta, Valla• dolid, and Burgos ; and it was even said, that the mortification JOSEPH had received from his cool re• ception at his Capital, and the distrust he felt on ac• count of the absence of his Brother, has induced him to retreat to the Banks of the Douro. We do not give credit to these representations, although we deem it to be our duty to state them. " PORTSMOUTH, FEBRUARY 25. " This morning arrived the RACOON sloop of war, Captain WELSH, with intelligence of the Escape of the French Fled at Brest. The RACOON was on her pas sage to Cadiz, when, on Thursday noon last, off Ushant, she fell in with the LYRA sloop of war, Capt. BEVIANS, which ship had been just dispatched to Plymouth, by the reconnoitring frigate stationed off Brest, with intelligence, that all the ships of war that were ready for sea in Brest, had escaped out, either on Monday night last, or early on Tuesday morning. They had not been seen by any of the ships on that station—the course they steered is not known, nor is their destination—the wind was northerly. Captain WELSH conceiving it to be of essential impor tance that early information should be communicated to the Admiralty of the circumstance, made every possible haste to this port : on his arrival here it was immediately communicated to London by telegraph. " It is supposed that, as Lord GAMBIER, who sailed from Torbay on Tuesday afternoon, was not at his _ station on Thursday, his Lordship had received the information, and had gone in pursuit. The opinion The Essequibo and Demerara Gazette, of the 3i' as to their destination is divided between Cadiz and December 1808, presents the following intelligence — Martinique. It is apprehended that the y will be " STABROCK, DECEMBER Si. joined by the six sail of th e line, ( two of which are 44 By the Dolphin schooner, from Surin am, WO three-deckers) which the French took possession of have th e e: important and pleasant intelligence of a Por at Ferrol.—The following ships sailed from Torbay 'tugue pedition from the Brazils against Cayenne with Lord GAMBIER, viz. CALEDONIA, 110 guns , hiving actually arrived in that latitude. A Porn:. Admiral Lord GAMBIER, Captain Sir H. BURRARD gum gun -boats which had dropped to leeward, 1:2., NEALE (Captain of the Fleet), Captain BEDFORD ; put into urinam, and communicated the inform.. ROYAL GEORGE, 100, Vice-Admiral Sir Jona Tuomas tion. It was at first supposed, that this expedif r t-s 1 DUCKWORTH, Captain DUNN ; ST. GE OR G E, 98, might be partly British, under Sir and to S. SAur co nsist of n, expel Rear Admiral ELIAB HARVEY , Ca p tain HLLLYAR ; is stated to be wholly Portuguese , DREADNOUGHT, 98, Rear Admiral SOTHEBY, Captain 7000 men. The above boat has 70 Indians on board, SALT ; TEMERAIRE, 9 8 , Sir C. HA MILTON ; Acinux, and three or four cannon , one of which is a '24-pun. 74, Sir RICHARD KING; ISIPETUEUX, 74, Capt. LAW- 1 der; several attempts were made to beat her up, that FORD ; CHRISTIAN VII. Captain J. Halecomi act- r • she might join in the glory of her companions, buts' ing ; WARSPITE, 7 4 , Honoura ble Ca p tain BLACK- vain. The plan is said to be, to land a c hosen bccil woos. The HERO, 74, Captain NEWMAN, looked into ofindians (good marksmen) with their bows and x. Torbay on Wednesday, and then proceeded for the I rows, to windward of Cayenne, to penetrate through station off Ushant, to join his Lordship. The Brest I the bushes, while the grand attack is made by the fleet is believed to consist of ten sail of the line and 1 gun-boats, Etc. on the batteries. VicTott HI- b y is several frigates. I said to have a garrison of 500 men, but his ordnance gg The BARFLEtIR, 98, Captain Dr:u I s ; ZEALOUS, 1 is in a bad state, many of the cannon being 11 74, Captain BOYS ; and the ELIZABETH, 74, Honour- mounted. The Portuguese were very confiden, able Captain Cuazok, sailed from Plymouth on Mon- lsuccess, and we hope to have the pleasur e of gaol day, to cruiac off Ferrol." lit in our next." SOUTH AMERICA. •-7wr , 7 -