Star. — London, England, 1808-09-05 00:00:00

POATTIGAL. -COIMBRA, AUGUST The following is a copy of a Report made by Elesia tio deCarvalho to the Commander in Chief, relative to Vteescape of the corps of cavalry hel inging tothe Police Guard of Lisbon, who arrived here on the 4th inst.:-- a Having received positive information that the city of Coimbra and the provinces of the North had pro claim., d the Prince Regent ottr Sovereign, and organiced a considerable army, in order to expel from Lisbon, and the restof the kingdom, the perfidious French usurpers, we determined to communicate our patriotic sentiments to some of our Officers: but these did not approve of our projects, from want of resolution, fear, or urgent considerations of private interest. Far from being dis couraged by this circumstance, we were on the contrary i rather nduced to persevere in our purpose of quitting Lisbon, which we accordinglyeffectedat two o'clock in the morning; the persons concerned in the scheme being Eksiario de Carvalho, AntonioVieira,Joaquim Miguel de Andrada, Joaquim Manoel Ferreira Pt a tas, Thomas Pesos, Domingos Jose Teixeira, Jose Germano, Joaquim Antonio, Antonio Jose de Castro, and Joao Manoel. The following are the particulars of this hazardous en a At one Ogo r ek in the morning, Elesiario, who commanded the first company quartered at Necessi tades, having assembled his soldiers, invited them to aid in the glorious enterprise of restoring the inde pendence of -Portugal, which had been so basely wrested from its lawful Sovereign. He at the same time most energetically impressed them with the cri tical situation to which they would be reduced, should the Portuguese army come into contact with the corps to which they belonged ; that they would be forced into an action with their fellow-countrymen, and in volved in the guilt of mutual destruction—in the most dreadful and horrible of all contests ; that victory would infallibly be the result of the enthusiasm, and just resentments of the brave Portuguese; that should any of the corps survive their unfortunate comrades, it would only be to suffer a still greater calamity, that of seeing before them heaps of dead bodies, some of them perhaps their fathers, spouses, children, friends, and relatives ; and finally, that all of them ought to detest the horrible idea of supporting the cause of perfidy and irreligion, of increasing the force of the universal enemy of the human race, of sustaining the most insatiable ambition and despotism, and of con curring in erecting - upon the dead bodies of our fel low creatures, and that for the advantage of a single family, Thrones treacherously usurped from their lawful Sovereigns. a The moment he finished his speech, which made strong impression on the minds of the soldiers, they vied with each other in declaring their anxiety to set off. The word was given, they fell into the ranks,l and the whole of the company, braving all obstacles, instantly began their march for the Campo Grande, the place of rendezvous, under the command of Ser halnt Teixeira. In the mean time Elesiario, who d charged himself to induce the 4th company, quartered at Salitre, to adopt the same resolution, proceeded to thatplace, and having called up the sol diers under pretence of immediate service, addressed them in the same manner as he did the-first company, and with,equal success. All of them were animated! with the same enthusiasm, though it was not their commander that addressed them ; and they set out with all possible expedition for the appointed rendez.' volts. Orders had been previously sent to the sewn: company, quartered at Andalouse, directing them to proceed to the assistance of the Corregidor Mor, at, Villa Franca. The Quarter Master Castro, who commanded there, being apprized of the scheme, drew out a strong picquet, which immediately set out to execute the order. The third company was inune. diately assembled by Serjeant Thomaz, to whom the soldiers were much attached, and , who having got every thing in readiness, with his comrade Prata, was the first who arrived at the Campo. a The different companies being assembled, they were formed into a squadron of .56 files, under the command of the said Elesiario and Andrada. They set out for their destination, preceded' by a strong 'advanced guard, and with patroles three quarters of a league in advance, and on the flanks, forming a re gular communication with the column. Advancing by the road to Loires, they passed through Togel, Sobrel, and Merciana, where a picquet from the rear came in with Serjeant Gamboa, who had received a reward from Novion, to convey the following order to the French Governor of Santarem ; • Lisbon, August 1,1.808. • SIR-A party of the cavalry of my legion has just deserted, with their arms and baggage. They have most probably taken the road to Mafia or Obidos. I request, in the name of his Ex cellency the Duke of Abrantes, that you will place in ambush some piquets of infantry, in sufficient force to intercept this party, who are proceeding to reinforce the insurgents, and to apprehend some of thins, for the purpose of making an example. • I conceive that it will be necessary to send a strong picquet, In the direction of Obidos. for the purpose of intercepting their march, should they attempt to reach Leiria, where-they would naturally endeavour to meet. For the rest, 1 place every. reliance in you, and that you will do every thitig for the good of the ser vice, and to deprive the enemy of this accession of strength, for which I shall personally consider myself as under great obligations to you. 4 1)5 Novios, 1-lead of the Police.' P.S. They are armed with pistols, a sabre, and six rounds of ammunition.' _ gi Serjeant Gamboa, a worthy and faithful Portri= guese, who with all his comrades had constantly en tertained the greatest h2tred and aversion to the Freach Government, in..ead of executing the above orders came to join us. We continued our march through bye-roads and passes very dangerous and dif ficult. On the 10th at night, we foraged in the en viron of Allegoa, where we were informed that a French column was marching towards us from Obidos. We immediately retreated, net so much from any fear of falling in with them, as not to deviate from our-line of march. At day-break see an iced at Cevallos ; but at the instant when we conceived ourselves perfectly secure, we were informed that a body of troops were coining in pursuit of us from Rio Major, or Alec). bona. We immediately . set out-for Batalla, and thence for Leiria, where we arrived at one in the afternoon. It gave us great pleasure to remark the activity of the' Portuguese army ; for on our quitting Leiria, on the way to Pumbal, we fell in oa the road with the ad vanced= of the camp at Pc mbal, wl:ere we ani. ved at o'clock the morning. At seven in the evening, we continued our march to Cen:exa ; but with what enthusia m did we lize our ez3ectations, when we beheld a trong column of infant-y opening their line in front of us, in order oal.cilitat: our jour ney to Coimbra, where we arrived at one o'clock !. We were conducted by the Commanding Officer of the Cavalry, and a picquet from the garrison, to the residence of his Excellency the Governor, and thence to his Excellency. General Andrada, amidst the war mest acclamations of all the inhabitants, who received us with enthusiasm and the strongest approbation of our fidelity. The Commandant Elesiario addressed the General in the following terms : • A body of brave soldiers and faithful Portuguese appear in your presence. If we have abandoned our posts, it was for the purpose of adding to the strength of your army, and that we might enjoy some share of the glory of assisting in the re-estab lishment of the Government of our beloved • Prince Regent, whom alone we acknowledge and revere as the legitimate Sove reign of Portugal. The effort to restore him is heroic; our fide lity is unalterable, and under your command we shall, without drtad, encounter every danger.•the enemy, or even death itself." ! ••• I SPAIN. MADRID, AUGUST 13. Jcs?ph Napoleon having returned to Burgos, and since taken the road to Vittoria, has been compelled also to leave that city, in the vicinity of which he en camped his army so as to oc-nspy a space of two leagues. Ten thousand Valencians and Murcians have just entered this capital. We have not learned whether any new attack has been made on Saragossa, whither 15,000 Frenchmen were directed.—[The ac counts in the STAR of Saturday confirm the defeat of this curps of the enemy by Palafox.] BADAJOZ, AUGUST 1. Don Frederico Moreti, Governor of Jurumena, wrote a letter to the Captain-General of this Pro vince, dated the 29th ult. stating, that a division of French infantry, computed to consist of between 5000 and 6000 men, and 800 cavalry, encamped between Pegoins and Vend asnobas, had put themselves in motion with an intention to attack his army, which was stationed in Montemar, and the city of Ebora ; and that they attacked him at eleven in the morning, and continued their hostility till four in the evening. Notwithstanding the superiority of the enemy's troops, who fought with the greatest courage, they lost 3000 men, and the prudent Moreti, having ob tained a signal advantage, made a judicious and ho nourable retreat to the interesi ing post of Jurumena, without the loss of a single piece of artillery, notwith standing he was followed by the French, who at tempted to interrupt his march, by a vivid and well directed fire. The gallant Moreti speaks in the highest terms of the Spanish troops employed on this occasion. DUTCH PAPERS AND GOMNBURGH MAILS. PARIS, AUGUST 17. The Minister at War, Count De Hunzburg (Ge neral Clarke), has issued a circular letter, stating, that it is his Majesty's pleasure that all arrears in the War Department, and particnlarly the arrears of pay to the troops, and of military pensions, shall be forth with discharged. The Electoral Colleges of the kingdom of Italy_ are summoned to meet on the Ist of September. The Duke of Lodi is appointed President of the Possi , denti, the Archbishop of Ravenna of the Dotti, and the Venetian merchant, M. Treves, of the Comrner-1 cianti. By an Imperial Decree of the 20th ult. all tote Jews resident in France must within three months assume proper names and family names, under pain i of banishment.' They must not be taken from the - Old Testament, or the names of towns. , FRANKFORT, AUGUST 9. For some time movements have been observed among %the troops of the neighbouring Princes, indi. eating an intention of speedily marching them off. At length the troops of the Prince Primate received., orders to hold themselves in readiness to march. The , lbth was the day fixed for the departure of the troops; but yesterday orders were suddenly brought bypx press from Aschaffenburgh to suspend these prepara. tions, which have been complied with. This event is attributed to favourable circumstances. WARSAW, AUGUST d. Marshal Davoust, Duke of Anerstadt, has already returned here from Kalisch, where he reviewed the division belonging to the brave General Zajonesek. His Excellency was highly satisfied with the soldier like appearance and conduct of these Polish troops. Yesterday Count Felix Van Potecki's regiment marched from this city with a route for France. The Duke of Auerstadt gave the OfEcers a dinner before their departure. VIENNA, AUGUST 20. The Guild of Merchants in this City, since the organization of the Militia, have from amongst themselves formed a numerous corps of Volunteers,- aimed, clothed, &c. at their individual expence.— The Emperor, on being informed of the circum stance, wrote with his own hands a letter to the Guild, containing the following passage :_" His Majesty is moved, even to tears, at this fresh in % stance of the zeal and attachment of his good citi zens—H2r Imperial Majesty is already occupied in l embroidering a ribbon for the colours of this patrio• tic corps, which shall be the first battalion of the Militia of Lower Austria." Much of the severity of treatment towards. the soldier, which hitherto deterred the people from en. tering the army, has been done away—his condition is rendered much more happy, and the consequence is, that in almost every regiment more volunteers present themselves than can be accepted. • RUSSIAN BARB4RffIZ►S. The following is one of the Official Reports descri bing the proceedings of the Russians in Finland : 1, It is already known, that Brigadier General Ber - genstrade landed on the 25th of June last, in the vici nity of Wasa, vtith a division of the hrigadehe brought with him from Wessbathorea, and attacked that part of the Russian army which had taken post here, in Wasa, and adjacent villages; also, that this attack was unsuccessful, and that the enemy afterwards re treated from this town on the 30th of the same month; but it interests the feelings of the humane, and in structs the world in general, to describe the enemy's conduct during this Interval, in as vouch as it deter mines their national character ; and determines also, with historic truth, that with barbarian slaves the latter remains unchanged, notwithstanding the var nish put on by a sort ofexternal humanizing produced by intercourse with civilized nations, while cultivation of the moral principle is utterly neglected, and the man remains as before, a slave, suitable to the pur- poses of faithless despots. ." As soon as the Swedish troops were known to approach Wasa, the Civil Governor, Emine, and the Commandant of the town, Major General Kniper, as well as his Deputy Major Stegeman, decamped, so that Major General Demidoff had the command there during the engagement ; when this was over, and the' Swedish corps had retreated, the inhabitants, who 'had been exposed to all the horrors and mischief of • a constant fire of musketry and cannon, which killed and wounded many in their houses, expected some re.. "'spite ; bat almost immediately after, General Demi. doff gave orders to plunder the town which was done in the most cruel and diabolical manner, under his personal direction and presence ; and that of the Ci vil Governor, Emine, and General Kniper, who had returned,. when they found that their army had re tained possession of the place. These scenes of mur der, wanton cruelty, and devastation, continued until the 30th of the same month, without the least inter- . mission, except for a few hours, while Lieutenant General Rajewski happened to stop in his way through the town, who expressed• his utmost• detestation at their conduct, and gave orders that the sacking and plundering of the.town should cease ; but he had no sooner left the town than these murderous proceed ings recommenced, and the soldiers divided them selves into larger and smaller bodies, and thus occu pied the whole town. Their usual mode of proceed ing was, to fire a volley of musketry through the windows of the houses, and then to rush in, and with the bayonet destroy whoever was to be found that had not time, or could not hide themselves in the cellars, under straw or rubbish in the barns, outhouses, lofts or garrets,*and afterwards to plunder and carry away whatever was of any value. All windows, furni ture, china, glassware, and every article that could not be removed to answer any of their purposes, were broken and utterly destroyed, and all this under the "encouraged and presence of the officers, who went about, and 'encouraged them, calling out dobra (bravo), raratcha k (charming.) No distinction whatever was made as ' tp churches or a hovel, between the highest or lowest of the people ; ladies of distinction, women and chil dren of all sorts, the sick and wounded, the aged and prisoners of war, all fared alike, all were treated in .the most inhuman, cruel, and detestable manner, and all were plundered. The supplications, upon their knees, with tears and entreaties, of many of the most respectable ladies in the town, to obtain safe-guards, was treated by that worse than wild tiger General Demidoff, and that complete monster in human form Governor Emine, (who were gallopping through the streets to give vigour and activity to the havoc and devastations earned on by the soldiers) with a broad grin of contempt, or the most brutal conduct, and at best with unmanly threatenings, that if they ventured to say a word the reran should be burnt and levelled with the earth. In order to enable the public to firm a more just notice of what their brutality would prompt them to do towards the middle and lower classes, it will suffice to describe , their conduct to' some of decided rank and consequence. At the time when they at tacked the mansion, inhabited by Baron Reulerholm, President of the highest Tribunal of Appeals, a sol dier rushed upon the Baron with fixed bayonet, the Baroness went doWn on her knees between the point of the bayonet and her husband, and with • tears en treated, that he would spare his life ; the soldier withdrew his murderous weapon, but Seized on the REVEL„ JULY 28. • • We we already in want if the most indispensible articles, and famine is staring us iii the face —many Of the peasants have perished 9f hunger—some are , reduced to feed on the putrid carcases of their catty, which die in numbers for want of provender ; and others subsist on hay and weeds instead of bread.— A pound of rye-flour now sells -for ten copecs ; a pound of bad rock-salt for Ten or twelve, and scarce to be had ; a bottle of bad wine costs two raublesi a pound of coffee two roubles, a pound of sagarine rou ble, and every thing in proportion. The silver rouble now goes for 203 copecs instead of 105 as formerly. We have a great number of Russian troops here encamped ; but in other respects we are quiet, and know nothing of politics. The English, indeed, often mak tl eir appearance, and keep our road blockaded, but eley undertake nothing farther. ' . . . . GOTTENZUROII, AVM*? IL 1 Baron and tore from his quit the star of th e We have various reports about the Russian f leet, ' order he wore, and then they ---, to'entpty the out none that can be depended upon. No news to-day house ofevery thing they could lay their hands upon. from Finlknd or Norway. 1 Their next operation was, to fire 27 musket - balls STOCKHOLM, AUGUST 18. I through the windows of the mansion of the Lord -Lieutenant . of the County i into the very room thi s respectable man and his family had_ taken r e f use, AUGUsT 18.—There is a report here that Sir S Hood has fallen in with the Russian fieet, but of this . nothing certain is known. , and stove in all the doors, by the but-ends of their tire . Head-Quarters, Grabby, Aug. 1 4 . ! arms : one soldier was 'going to dispatch the Lord - - , Lieutenants Mr. Wanbe -- ; Knight, and his life w as - 4, Ms Royal Majesty has been informed, by a report received from Field-Marshal Count Klingspor, of the 4th instant, that the saved only by the but the house was plundered. Their' interposition, an d enemy has fallen back from Alzwe and Saarljarwl to Keene an d attack was then made upon the house of Mr. Krabre, TywislylL The first brigade of his Royal Majesty's Finnish Knight, late Lord Lieutenant, which they sacked Army had advanced to Alawo, and the second to Kauhajocki. Rear-Admiral Hjelrnsticrna has reported, that he has arrived with throughout, and a Russian soldier had the temerity to advance up to this venerable old man, wilo is pa. the flotilla of sallies ander his command, off Little Sattungarne. ralytic, and upwards of 70 years of age, and wa s His Majesty has been pleased to order by general orders of the i quietly smoaking his pipe, in his arm-chair ; ha put. Ist of this month, that the army Which is assembling in Oland, . led the pipe out of his mouth, ordered it to be filled under his command, is to bear the name of the Southern Finnish ! with fresh tobacco, and continued smocking it before Army, and the other, commanded by Count Kfingipor, which at i him, shewing at the same time the most disgusting and present occupies Wass, Knopio, and the environs, that ,of the contemptuous conduct. He afterwards took away his Northern Finnish Army. Vice-Admiral Puke, who commands plunder and left the house. Mr. Hoffren, a merchant. in Carlscrona, has reported to his Majesty, that on the ed inst. was run through by three bayonets, and murdered at th e the English Vice-Admiral Sir J. Sanmarez arrived in Carlscrona , side of his wife, to take fresh water on board. Rear-Admiral Hood was likewise was generally and his house was plundered. Thi s their conduct in whatever house they expected there with three sail of the line, for the same purpose." entered, and thus were many worthy men, women, and DALARO, AUGUST 14. children murdered in cold blood—when at last they Notwithstanding the Russian Ukase, by which all evacuated the town, these ruffians carried with them 'ships in general were prohibited from sailing from many of its respectable inhabitants, among whom was any Russian port for a Swedish harbour, Captain H: an old lame man. They dragged the prisoners with Tjarts Boss arrived here this day from Riga, with a them a distance of 12 Swedish miles (72 English), to cargo of flax and hemp. a place called Ruorfarrie, where they made all of them i ~. YSTADT, AUGUST 10. ' run the gauntlet between two lines of. soldiers, and A traveller of great respectability has just arrived flogging them as they passed along, according to th e i r barbarous Russian custom; they then left them th 2le i n of this month ; he positively asserts, a great number their misery and pain, to shift for themselve s , and get of French troops who were ordered to march from here from Hamburgh, which place he left on the sth back to their plundered families and houses the best way they could. Brigadier Bergenstrade was stripped to thence to Spain had openly expressed great discontent, the shirt, and every thing taken from him ; Lie u t enant and that he knows for certain that 2000 of them, who Stoffstedt, of the regiment of Westbothnia, dan were shipped on board some vessels in the Elbe, also gerously wounded, was stripped and thrown down lately threw their arms overboard. on the floor of the soldiers' guard-house, where he re. . _ mained several hours, butwas at last put on a mi;erable pallet-bed, placed in the Hall of Justice; here a Ru -.- sian Officer of rank paid him a visit, and put a pistol to his br. ast, threatening instantaneous death if he did not truly answer the questions he put to himrespecting the strength and position of the Swedish army : another of the officers spit in his face. When Mr. Wanbcrg, the Lord Lieutenant, ventured his hfe in order to pay this wounded officer a visit, and the latter entreated to have a drink of water, and the Lord Lieutenant supplicated for leave to'send him a bottle, they took this respectable man by the shoulders and turned him out of doors. This exhibits only a part of their horrible conduct—such are Russian enemies. 44 As a barefaced excuse for these cruelties, and for this irreverence towards the Swedish nation, the Rus sian Commander alleged that some of the inhabitants of the town had fired from their houses on the Rus sian troops—an accusation equally false and ungroun ded as the report circulated by some evil-miuded per sons that the inhabitants of the town had bred from ' the windows on the Swedish troops. All feapons is • the town and belonging to private personi were long before taken from the inhabitants, so tat none of them had a single fire-arm left. 44 In the country about the town the conduct d the enemy was no less cruel and barbarous—plug: .• dered and burnt villages, destroyed fields and mean. doors—insulted the unhappy inhabitants—inconso, lable widows and mourning children—fathers, sons, brothers, and friends carried away and punished in the most abominable manner—grief, lamentation, misery, and despair, and the town itself, formerly SO flourishing, now plundered, are the first objects that present themselves to the traveller, and inform him of a hat sort of enemy these places have been visited. 44 When I shall have received further authentic infests, mation, a more circumstantial account shall be given of the above occurrences, of the loss and damage sus tained, and of the personal conduct of the Russians. In the mean time I shall rriention, that in the parish of Nerpis, where Major-General Orloff Der.esoff was Commander-in-Chief, he caused thret of the peasants to be led together, and this being done, the Russians in a manner so particularly belonging to them, and in order to prolong the pain and agony of the poor sufferers, pierced their thighs, arms, belly, and othe'f parts, with bayonets, before they killed them. A Magistrate, art Alderman of Christenstaa, merely because they suspected him of an intention to inform the Swedish Commander of the strength of the ene my, received for three successive days 100 padogga each day. 44 These acts of cruelty, though unfortunately but too true, could hardly be credited, if the perpetrators of them were other than Russiaes 4 but trolls these hordes of barbarians and savages every humanity that can be named or even thought of, may be expec. ted, the more so as their very Generals and Officers not only permitted, ordered, and encouraged these acts, but also did not think themselves degraded, by personally assisting therein, and afterwards by pub licly dividing the spoil with the common soldiers. " It gives, however, satisfaction to the philanthro pist, while he contemplates the depravity to which human nature can be degraded by the mos: despica ble nations, by the very Russians, to find that there are every where at least some traces of benevolence and tenderness to be met with, During the above. mentioned scenes, in which an Emine, a Demidoff, and others their equals in sentiments, took the most hellish delight • there were some few of the soldiers, yea, even of the officers, who, with tears in their eyes, and without regard of the dangers they were exposed to from the unlimited vengeance of their superiors, did all in their power to protect the unhappy inhabi tants, to prevent the robberies, to spare and console the sufferers. We would willingly publish their names, ! but this very mode of expressing our acknowledge ment would be a crime, •a cruel ingratitude, when we know by experience, that every great virtue, every :noble act of humanity, if not ordered for the mere ! sake of policy, is by far more dangerous to a Russ, than the most hideous and detestable crimes are to subjects of every noble astd civilized nation. Their names are, however, known amongst us, and if ever any of them should be made prisoners by the Suedes, they will experience the difference between Swedish and Russian gratitude. N. F. VON SCHOULTZ. Deputy Lord lieutenant of the Comity of Wasa. Wan, July 14, 1808. • Paiingg (blow or strips% a corporal punishment among tb. Russians. I 1 g Nt ,v: i 1 1 1 3 • I i t .1