Star. — London, England, 1808-10-29 00:00:00

; the following day be eettlened to Bilboa. harm l o g some advance d p osts in the former place.—At I what o'clock did Merlin's divisions leave Bilboa the 12th instant, and for what reason ? Merlin's division b e gan to evacuate Bilboa on the 11th at night, and continued doing so on the 12th at break of day, leav-1 b i g only some advanced troops in the town. The French evacuated Bilboa because they expected to be att acked by the Spanish troops...-How were you taken prisoner I was taken prisoner by the Spanish 'troops aearthebridge of Gald acone, where my detachment had ta k e n post, to cover the retreat of the other corps.— oat is the opinion of the French officers and sol. l di e m on the present war ? The French officers think', t h e war unjust, and wholly occasioned by the ambi tion of Bonaparte : the whole nation is of the same o pinion, but the soldiers are always satisfied if they ar e allowed to rob, because they do not reflect on the calamities attending on qr.—ls King Joseph consi dered by the army as a gAd General, and has he got any stro ng party among the French ? King Joseph, does not possess any military talents, and never com mands an army, but the French respect him on ac count of the meekness of his character, and because be is brother of the Emperor. B.A.LMASEDE, OCTOTiFP. 13. Joseph Bonaparte is in Ochandriano, and 6000 trench troops occupy the height of Begona. Two b a ttalions of Toledo yesterday entered Bilboa. MADRICI, OCTOBER 15. It is reported here, that the armies of Castile and Andilusia have advanced, and are in Navarre. The French have made a retrograde movement in the pro vince of Alava, and occupy a line 15 miles in extent, reaching as far as Pampeltma. We are also assured, dbit 3000 troops from Majorca have landed in Cata fobia, including the cavalry. CORUNNA, OCTOBER 22. By the Portuguese mail we have received intelli gence that the division of the Marquis de Valiadares continued the 13th in Oporto, whither it was called from Carballo, where it halted, to assist in disarm. ing the French, who came from Almetda. SAN VICENTO DE LA BARQUERA, OCTOBER 3. The army of Asturias is passing through this place in divisions of 1000 men each, to join the army of General BLAKE ; the fourth division passed through to-day, and divisions will continue passing, to the amount of 10,000. BADAJOZ, OCTOBER a. This province waits with anxiety the moment when, it shall see its frontiers free from the invasion of itsl enemies, to put in motion its army, consisting of 12,000 infantry, 1100 cavalry, and 63 pieces of can ton ; it is under the command of Don Joseph Gal luzo, and will soon march to incorporate itself with , the armies of the other provinces. We flatter ourselves that these troops wilt add new laurels to thase gained by our illustrious ancestors. Already have they given unequivocal proofs of their valour and spirit in the different encounters they have had with the French in the neighbourhood of Yelves, and in the sanguinary action of Evora with the divi sions°, General Loison, consisting of 8000 men. JUN'OT AND HIS PLUNDER. The Edgar transport (No. '231), Captain BROWN, which arrived at Plymouth on Wednesday from Lis bon, has on board part of the booty which JUNOT had packed up and dispatched for France. The following are the particulars of the goods recovered, and which 'ere taken out of' the under-mentioned vessels after the Frenchmen had embarked, viz. 71 cases and trunks, said to contain indigo taken from the North Star Danish .merehantman, the Sisters, and other transports, that hid Jt Nor's baggage on board; 138 bales of cotton from the Mary Ann, and ten bales of cotton from the Apollo, both transports ; all which is about to be I.usded.at Plymouth, and secured, fcr further 'adjudication. When the Edgar sailed' from Lisbon, fourteen days ago, there were nearly 150 British transports in the Tagus. About 5000 Spanish t-oops had. sailed' for Carthagena, from Lis bon, under the escort of two British men of - war. Alt the troops of the Convention, except about 800, had 'sailed from' Lisbon for France ; the latter were put black by a gale. ti-IE ARMY. 11 kagit thr repoet . w23 current that Colonel' Haw r?A'racelleat regiment. the 14th, would he embark. ed befote the Duke of CChiDERL AN D'S regiment, the, 15th-Dragoons, yet the latter have gained the point ; the fist derision, commanded by Major PQRRESTER, *as may embarked at Portsmouth. The PVlce. at Cu:saner, and a number of distinguished. petfo tar; were preseat at the I)ock.yard at the einbarka 11911.—The 1.5z1i - and 18th Dragooui form the second liassat brigade which is to be eonunanded by the lion. 'Colonel STEWARTy brother to Lord CArryi- IF tans—We are sorry to learn that the first . Hussar gl. l e, General SLADE'S, is still detained at Porta- 1 mouth by contrary winds. The nett to b e em b ar ke d will be another brig:4de of light cavalry, consisting of the 14th and 16th Dra ons 1 but reports are various at to its being corn- , ::ianded by Major-General Corrow, or by that excel 'eat cavalry dicer, ColOnel HAwiczn, with the rank cf 2 Bri ga di er. Thereafter will be embarked two brigades of heavz, h am ; then another of light horse, coiisisting of the and llth ; diva a German bri g ad e of lighttrralry. son and Government, and, at the same time, of dteif strong feeling fur the honour of his Majesty' s ar m s Yesterday-there was a nu merous M eet i ng o f F ree - ! and the character of the cotintry, and praying him to holders at Chelmsford, in consequence of a public no- 1 institute such an enquiry as would lead to the discos Lice from the Sheriff, to consider of an address to his , eery of the real , causes and authors of the Convention Majesty oti the late Convention in Portugal. ,I In Portugal. - • • The Hall was completely filled at twelve o'clock, I Mr. Weareati read the Actilress e whiah - was to be 'which was the hour appointed for the meeting . and : submitted to their consideration. . • the business c ommence d a f ew m i nutes a ft erwards. Mr. Du CANE warmly supported the motion of the The High Sheriff read the requisition, in compli- Noble Lord. He said, that he should have felt a mice with which he had convened the County. diffidence of presenting himself to the notice of the TheEarlof Sr. VINGEN r then cameforwani and said, ; Freeholders, if he, did not feel conscious that the sen. rat it had been assigned to him to state to t h e Free- ' i timents whi c h h e • had to u tter wer e i n u n i son wi t h th e olders what were the grounds and objects of the re- ; public voice, and the feelines of the whole nation._ quisition, and the nature of the address which was i He agreed with the universal sentiment in reprobat to be submitted to their consideration. H e should i ing the Convention at Cintra, as a most disgraceful endeavour to make that statement in as few words as ; transaction, and in thinking, that the right of peti. the nature of the circumstances to which he must ; tioning the Throne could hardly be ever exercised on allude, would permit him. He should, in the first in-1 a more important or proper occasion. It had been. stance, both in his own name and in the name of those : said that such an interference.would be prejudging the who joined with him in the requisition, entirely ; case of individuals. He could not see the justice of disclaiM the idea of casting any censure on the j such an observation, nor did he see how the nation conduct of any particular Officers. He believed that' could avoid forniing an opinion that guilt or miscon the Officers employed on the Expedi t i on t o Pomo duct attached somewhere, when they compared the gal had enjoyed an unblemi s h e d reputati on in their Gazette which had announced aglorions victory over profession before their arrival in that country, and he the whole of the French limy, with that armistice knew that some of them had previ o u s ly acquired a and convention by which we engaged to send the high character. It was not therefore his object to find French home in British ships. When Government fault with the conduct of the army, or to hold out any particular Officers as objects of re p re h ens i on . With. published the accounts of their victories in their out, however, consid er i ng w h o were t h e individuals Gazette, it was impossible for the nation not to form in- an opinion of the result which ought naturally to on whom the crimi na li t y attac h e d i n the present stance, he must say that he felt th a t so f ou l a stain be expected from such victories. It was an insult to the good sense of the nation to say that they were in had never been cast on th e m ili tary c h aracter o f the capable of judging what result should be expected country, since the days of th e t y rann i ca l an d d etests- hie reign of the family of t h e S tuarts . Thi s most in- from the events that had been stated to them. The glorious Convention o f Ci n t ra h a d l owere d t h e just nation could not avoid thinking that there had been guilt or misconduct, and he could not see why they pride of England among the nations of the earth, and were to be prevented from expressing this opinion to ' had rouzed the most unanimous feelings of indigna- 1 his Majesty, in humble petitions for a strict enquiry into tion against its auth ors , not on l y i n t hi s country, b ut in the minds of o ur a lli es , an d o f a ll t h e nat i ons of the circumstances of the transaction. It was never es id to be prejudging the case of individuals, or acting con- Europe. He would keep clear of any thing like re flections upon the cond uct o f t h e G enera l s w h o were miry to the principles of British justice, when a Jury employed, e of Freeholders gave their verdict to the Coroner of as he knew th a t t h ere was not hi ng more wilful murder against some person or persons delicate than the character of military officers. His unknown." The. tendency of such a verdict was only comments should not be upon the men who thought right to agree to suc h a C onvent i on , but to produce a proper enquiry ; and he could not con itthey ceive how it was more incompatible with the prim& should be on the act itself. In reprobating that act, pies of British justice to pronounce, in the present case, he was at a loss whethe r to con d emn i t most as di s - Me opinion of the nation, that there has been guilt irraceful to the honour of this country, as injurious to the interest of Portugal, or as di scourag i ng to the tr misconduct, which ought to be the subject of the most serious enquiry. Such an opinion, pronounced causeof the Spaniards, wh o were now so gloriously de- by the nation, would certainly deserve the utmost re fending their liberty and independence against an spec: from the Government, and might lead to a ambitious tyrant, whos e a i m was not hi ng l ess t h an much fuller and more satisfactory investigation than the subjugation of every other nation to his arbitrary Ministers might otherwise be disposed to make. .He and savage despoti s m. C ons id er i ng t h e C onvent i on could not conceive howsuch an Address could be fairly in this point of view, it appeared to him that it was considered as disrespectful to his Majesty, as the an the duty of his Maje s ty' s su bj ects to appryac h hi s ewer which was given to the City of London must, throne with dutiful and loyal addresses, praying him to cause a strict and eff ec t ua l inquiry to be made into like the speeches delivered to his Parliament, be con. sidered as the composition of his Ministers. The the causes of that transaction which had, to use his Majesty's own words, .. di sa p po i nte d t h e h opes and Ministers might possibly be disposed themselves to make some sort of inquiry; but that inquiry might. expectations of the nation." It had been said in other fall very short of the expectations of the public, or places, and probably might be repeated here, that the the rea l justice of the case. It appeared to him also business of inquiry ought to be left altogether to his very important that the sense of the nation should Majesty, or, in other words, t o hi s Mi n i sters . Thi s be distinctly pronounced upon this Convention, as certainly was true, upon occasions of less moment that might wipe away in some degree the stain which than the present ; but on one so extremely disastrous, and which affixed so deep a stai n on t h e m ili tary chi- our character had received, of being wanting in good faith to our allies, and of being careless of their in racter of the country, he th oug h t t h at hi s Majesty's terests. loyal and faithful people should not rely implicitly [While Mr. Du Cane was speaking, there were upon Ministers doing w h atever was b est , b ut t h at they should come forward and show that th e y ' loud cries for adjourning die di s cus s ion into the open air, as many of the Fhlders could not were alive to the hono ur o f hi s M a j esty ' s arms , an d to their own military cha rac t er as a nat i on . Thi s was an the Hall, or hear what Freeholders was o going forward.] get into Mr. BURGOYNE moved the adjournment from the occasion upon which their loyalty to their King, as well as their duty to their co un t r y, requ i re d t h em to spea k Hall to the open air, which was put and carried. The Meeting then adjourned, and the Petition was out, and address his Majesty in the language of truth. again read and supported by Mr. Du Cane, with ar lt certainly was not his o bj ec t, nor t h e wis h o f t h ose ; uments similar to what he had before adduced. who joined him in the re qu i s ition, to prej u dge any thine, ' g Mr. Bt RV OY N E supported the motion at consider or impute criminality t o an y p art i cu l ar individual. A ll they wanted was a real a nd e ff ectua l i nqu i ry , b y w hi c h 'able length. He snid that he had often addressed the Electors upon subjects which only regarded their own the true causes of this g rea t n a ti ona l ca l am i ty m i g h t ' interests ; but he now addressed them on a subject be made apparent, and the guilty be discovered. l If he were allowed to ex p ress , hi mse lf b y a strong , 1 'which concerned the honour and military character but homely proverb, wh a t h e wante d was , e t h at the ,of the country, the interests of our Allies, and the .• • saddle should be put upon the right horse." It ap- i obugations of ftiendship and good faith by which we were bound to them. He utterly disclaimed the idea peered to him that the Ministers themselves were f, . party motives. liable to great s uspi c i on . I t h a d b een sa id b y many of tne requisition having arisen from officers who were employed u p on t h e expe di t i on to Pos. It might naturally be supposed that the Noble Earl tugal, that the -preparations were most wretchedly de -1 (St. Vincent) did not require the stimulus of any &mut in many points; that t h e arm y had not b een i arty motive to feel strongly fo r t he militar y clues properly supplied with wh a t fief French call " i. ratter of the country, which he himself had so . • :iota, de guerre et d e bonek." or, as we would call it, ant- 1 :g be supposed . - loriously upheld. It could hardly munition and provisions. It w as s aid, n t h at, w i t h the I tnat a GentleMan m Of such ample fortune as the great army which sailed to Portugal, there was note decoct should lend himself merely o der of the ; to 'be the tool of a party ; and for himself, he would ' artillery enough sent to r ed uce even the few miser- i say that he would rather cut his right hand o ff th an able forts about Lisbon . He t calks! them miserable I o b j ect WAS to forts, because he had himself:Am them, and examin- produce a ferment in the nation merely to answer the set his name to the requisition, it its cd their strength. If Miniiters had been so very de - 1 • P ur p oses urp ficient in their preparations, it became the duty of :p o f a party. He would as soon sign the Cintra name s the people of England to call upcdt his Majesty for shameful Convention of itself as put hi the fullest inqui r y i n t o th e : e i rcum to the requisition , if the ob jects of it were such as had stances ; and if . they did not call for-an inquiry, they would be act- been imputed. Mr. Burgoyne then went at consi .. mg unwerthy of their ancestor . If ever the right ' tier:dile length into the circumstances under which' of addressing his Majesty cou ld proper l y b e exercised .the expedition sailed for Portugal, and considered that upon any, occasion, he thought it could most properly t h e expectations of the nation, but that it must have se:. Convention not ouly disappointed the hopes and be exercised en the prese n t occas i on , i n w hi c h th e . honour of his Majesty's arms and of the country was of the y brave e Spaniards, who , were now so nobly intere con verel w ded the felings as well as the st, so deeply involved. This right of petitioning was tendin g for their own liberty and that of the world. expressly claimed in th e Bill of Rights, and it was Mr. CONYERS (who was on horseback) then ad. . not contended for as a mere formal privilege, but as one of the most important of which the subject : dressed the Meeting. He said, that he felt as much as any man for the honour of the country, and would is possessed. That right woo' I cease to be of 'do as much to support it. He, therefore, congratu any value, if the nation was to be told that. upon . hated the country on their feeling with respect to the all great and extraordinary occasions, absolute con- . Convention, but did not think it proper or decent to con fidence was to be reposed in his Majesty's Ministers ; address his Majesty for an inquiry, when his Majesty And even if they were suspected of being the guilty had pledged himself to the nation that . he would persons, the inquiry into that guilt should be always : institute an inquiry. He thought Gentlemen should conducted in the manner that was most agreeable to at least treat his Majesty with as much respect them. It ass to be observed that while such shame as they a trated one another, and not act towards flu events were occurring, the him in means of corruption . were constantly increasing in' the hands of the Mini with impuniy that one private gentleman could not unity act to another. He thoughts that sters. People of all ranks had become depe n dent on them, by seeking places and emolument for them- in bringing forward this question, there was some selves and their children. Th e m iddli ng an d lower thing of party motives, and that he saw a snake classes of the gentryhad been driven out of their sphere in die grass A great canvass had been made in life into retirement, o n account o f t h e ga lli ng pres- to induce the Freeholders to support it ; and it had sure of the taxes. At such a time it was a most af- been said, that the Earl of Essex and the Marquis flitting consideration consideration to thi n k, th at t h e money wrung of Buckingham approved of it. He had the nal friendship with the Earl of Essex, from the nation was applied to so little eimpose, and nour of that disgrace should be attached to our military ex. but, ontL )e e rs pLent occasion, he would not OA what was the opinion of the Earl of Essex, but what-was iseditions. After some further observations, lus Lord ship ooncluded by moving an Address to his Majesty, the opinion of the Freeholders of Essex ? As to the Marquis of Buckingham, he considered him as the expressiei'of their loyalty and attachment to his per- most successful political speculator in the country. CO wry OF ,psszx ltis family than any-fther man 4 the kingdom. Hi s family still bear their ' 4 g blushing honours thick upon them," althoogh in opposition to his.Majesty'i Mi nisters, ind Sitaddeettainly not be sorry to have their great tatents•called• again into employmen ceive still f.uther'rewards. Not meaning to esPress an opitsion.faittutable to the Convention, and at the same time wiShing to avoid any personal disrespect to his Kijesty, he moved that the meeting should adjourn. Mr. Bit nms.rosts: supported the giestion of adjourn ment in a very lung speech, in wWh he contended, that the Convention was not worse than the Conven tion in E gypt ,' which also sent home th e F renc h troops in British ships. Mr. W. Smirit replied to the arguments of the two ' last gentlemen, and pointed out the great differencit'' between merely sending back the French troops from' Egypt to their own country, when there was no ally . " to be attacked, :u:d sending them from Portugal to' be employed immediately in the attack of the Spanish' nation, for which this country was so deeply interested. ! He could net conceive how it could be considered personally disrespectful to the King to consider the language of his answer as the language of his Mini sters. This was the light in which his Majesty's speeches were consitutionally considered ; an d they were so considered, cut of respect to his Majesty, who could never be supposed to act wrong but by the advice of bad Ministers. Mr. Ht Li. entered his protest, as an Englishman, against the disgraceful Convention at Cintra. [The cries for the question were so loud, that he declined delivering his sentiments more fully.] The SHERIFF then put the question of adjourn. ment, by desiring that all who were for the petition should go over to his right hand, and those who were for the adjournment should go to his left. The ma. jority appeared for the adjournment, and consequently the original moti o n was lost. NAUTICAL INTELLIGENCE. FALMOUTH, OCTOBFft 26. Arrived his Majesty's ships l'Atms and FOXHOUND from a cruize ; and the ketch Glaneuse, in three days from St. Andero, where it was reported, that Bilboa was again in possession of the Spaniards ; also arrived the Lady Pellew packet, Captain HARVEY, with mails from Corunna in three days: The Prince of Wales' packet sailed three days before her, and is not yet arrived. Wind S. W. PLYMOUTH, OCTOBER 27. Came in his Majesty's ship GLE.ANER, from St. Anderq, in four days. The Crane schooner; which went Mi shore yesterday, is gone to pieces. PORTSMOUTH, OCTOBER 28. ,Sailed his Majesty's ships TlLAsms and 81cfLAAK, with a convoy for the Downs.—Wind S.W. r • YARMOUTH, OCTOBERIIB.. - •. , This morning arrived the .13ELLEROPIIWi s . Madrid' GARDNI4R, to take the command of the Tete aqui. dron. Admiral GARDNER saluted Admiral Doued.a3 on his arrival.--RemaM the Recheck, Minotaur, Ma jestic, Nassau ; St. Alban's, Aboukir, Pandora, Ne mesis, Chanticleer, and sealark.—Wind S.W. DEAL, OCTOBER tB. Arrived the Margaret, Moore, from the Brazils, and remains in the Downs with the ships as per last, and several cruizcrs blown from off the French coast.— Wind S. W. blows hard. His Majesty's brig MARTIN has received orders to sail from Spithead, with the convoy bound to Madeira and the Brazils, 21• hours after the first fair wind: : Yesterday a Council was held at the Foreign Of fice. There were no less than ten Members of his MAJESTY'S Cabinet present. Their deliberations commenced at half after one, and the meeting-WAS not dissolved until it was .oearly• six o'clock. . At night, Mr. Mims, one of his MAJESTY'S Messeners, was sent off with dispatches to the Court of Stoc: - holm ; and Mr. SYLVESTER, another of his MA JEsrs's Mes...zaigers, set out for Spain. A great doubt prevailed on 'Change yesterday, with respect to the authenticity of the Ditch Decree against Exportation, owing to a letter being received from the toast of Holland, of the 2lst instant, by . a very respectable Dutch house. It was also said that a ship had arrived from Harlingen in eight days, Which brought no news of the decree. Some even go so far as to affirm that it is a mercantile forgery, for the. purpose of raising the price of the articles lately imported from Holl=l. - day vr two will decide this point. • -11 • , Sir AIITIIF 1C WELLESLEY arri ved Dtibtin late ioh Ft4fity Setinight, and will continue to discharge the duties or his important office in that city until his pre . - sence shall become necessary upon the Court of Enquiry at' the Horse-Guards.—Sir ARTHUR arrived in the Auckhuid packet, in which . Lord Chief Justice DONNE and Lord DELvIN were ak t o Passengers. A vessel arrived from the Canary Islands, which she left on the Bth inst: By lasers received by this conveyance, we are informed that the Islands were not unanimous in their acknowledgment of Fsanniasin VII. .The Governor of Grand Canary, wh o i s i n f act a Frenchman, had prevailed over a great body of his adherenti to resist all new doctrines; this was strongly opposed by the loyal friends of FERDINAND VII. but the French .brad the advantage; they dissolved the Junta of the Island, and imprisoned some of the Members attached to the new cause ; the Island was a scene of confusion, and the people were fearful the whole would end in a civil broil. K yip's Tli EAT R E.—The Comic . Opera of the Wood- Marl was performed last night to a brilliant and nume rous audience, Mrs. DICKONS and leci.ito s cia:surix in their best style ;—and by, ilia pz, comic representation of Sir Walter littiiioz, pis:Aiwa bursts of applause. The music and songs met with the greatest approbation ; and the dance, by' the Misses Anat;s; prodUced a pleasing effect. The Melo-Drama of 711 Forest .f licrosamttatit followed, lsigood_ which went off ''ith the usual al - • . Mr: HORNS TOOK& is now. in as / heaith and spirits as KA possible for any Fun to be wh ose lit e has ten so recently in such, a precarious state . as, his has been : ..tbriongb. severe Wally affliction, bia. graphecs . will have to rerim t4eir labours on some fu- ture day., : . t.,t