Star. — London, England, 1810-08-30 00:00:00

- SEW vessowaeweemeesweestWeissewegosegg FOR SALE BY PUBLIC AUCTION, At the London Tavern, Foxhole-street, Plymouth, on Friday, the 14th September next, at 10 o'Clock in the Forenoon, AFINE PRIZE BRIG, has a figur'd Head, between deck beams, and is Copper sheathed. Length on Deck - - • - 73 Ft. 10 In. Breadth - - - - - 23 2 Admeasures about - - 160 Tons. Is admirably calculated for the Streights, Weat•lndia, er New- foundland Trades.—Afterwards, FOR. EXPORTATION: About 230 Hhds. Coffee 5 Tons of Fustie 100 Bags Ditto . 4 Kegs Paint, and 2t13 Ditto Pimento 3 Jars Paint Oil, .5 Tons Logwood Being her entire Cargo. Also, TWO FRENCH CHASSE MAREES—Lx Bo:4st lizsrcowrisz, burthen about 30 Tons; and Ls CAMILLA, bur- • then about 45 Tons, fit for Coasting or Inland Navigation ; Prizes to His Majesty's ship INDEFA TIGABLE. For viewing samples, catalogues, and further information, apply to Mr. JOHN HAWKER, Acting Agent, at Plymouth. ALSO—FOR Ex POR rATION : 25 Cases Havannah Sugar, 1 Basket and 1 Box Oil, 2 Pipes Brandy, 2 Barrels Sugar, S Ditto Wine, I Trunk Coffee, Ditto superior Sherry ditto, 1 Barrel I Ditto Malaga ditto, 2 Pipes choice Vidonla Wine 1 Copper Jar Essence (in Bond.) FOR ITOM CONSUMPTION : About 70,000 Colquillo Nuts 4 Bales Cotton Wool 4 Cases Bark, in bottits 7 American Mast Pieces 1 Ditto Castor Oil, in ditto 700 Bars Flat Iron 1 Bale Jalap 11 Cwt. Fine Clay'd Sugar 8000 American Pipe Staves 50 Casks Irish Butter 2 Tierces Rice For viewing, and further information, apply to Mr. JOHN HAWKER, Merchant, Plymouth. Plymouth, August 27, 1310. SPAIN. GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY OF THE SPANISH REGENCY. Sunday, August 5,1810. INTERCEPTED LETTERS OF D. MIGUEL ARANZA ) MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. Paris, May 22, 1810. Most Excellent Sir—l am informed by M. Caille, a French Officer, who was formerly employed in the service of Spain, afterwards passed to that of Portu- gal, and now is with our ancient King, D. Carlos IV. under the name of First Equerry, that that Prince has, in his misfortunes, obtained a great melioration, which has enabled him amply to provide himself with every thing. Caille says, that he lives quiet and con- tent in his private life ; but that the Queen, Maria Louisa, is not in the same disposition; that she con- tinually gives sufficient marks of her agitation and discontent, with a desire of expence as formerly.— They receive every month 200,000 livres, which are very punctually paid—with this money, they have sufficient to maintain themselves according to their rank. His Majesty the Emperor is expected tomorrow in this capital. To his Excellency Seign. el Duque de Santa Fe. 11.—TO THE SAME. Paris, lune 16, 1810. Most Excellent Sir—The people in Holland are very discontented and disposed to revolt ; it is not feared, however, that they will attempt any thing, because there is every where a sufficient number of French troops to subdue them. It is said that the Dutch have offered 14 millions of livres, that the co- lonial produce might not be confiscated, and taken away to Antwerp, although it has been represented that these did belong to the Dutch and the French. It is believed that the transport of the said effects, al- ready embarked, in a great part, has been, for this reason, suspended. Napoleon had before confiscated the colonial pro- duce which are in Holland, whomsoever they might belong to ; he has decreed the bankruptcy, appro- priating to himself the two third parts of the Public Stocks of that nation, stripped her of her marine, and • finally has united her to the French Empire, depriv- ing her of the shadow which was left her of inde- pendence ; that is to say, he has regenerated her after . his way. It is not spoken for the present of the voyage of the Emperor to Italy, and although the report has been current that he would soon set off for Marrac, and that various arrangements had been settled for it, it is assured for the present that he will not go unless the future successes in Spain require it. To the Duke of Santa Fe. 111.—..T0 THE SAME. Paris, June 19, 1811. Most Excellent Sir—The time is at length arrived when I have it in my power to write to your Excel- lency on subjects which directly concern us. The day before yesterday I had a long conversation with the Duke of Cadore, Minister fur Foreign Affairs, who had Oven me to understand at a former period, that he washed to communicate to me some matters by the Emperor's order. I shall relate the heads of this con- ference in which many subjects were handled, and all of importance. The Minister told me that his Imperial Majesty cannot send more money to Spain, and that it is ne- cessary that kingdom should provide for the subsist- o ence and expences of its army ; that he has done enough in having employed 400,000 men in the re- duction of Spain ; that France has exhausted its Treasury, having sent there two hundred millions of livres since the commencement of the war ; that our Government has not availed itself of the resources which the country offers by the collection of funds ; that contributions should have been raised in Anda- lusia, particularly Seville and Malaga, and also in Murcia ; that his Majesty had imposed a contribu- tion of 6,000,000 of Lyres on the town of Lerida ; (I am not certain whether it was this or a greater sum he mentioned to me), that the English, property found in Seville should have been confiscated • and his Im- perial Majesty is of opinion that this of Seville alone might Have amounted to forty millions of livres ; that the plate of the churches and convents should have been taken possession of ; that in Spain there must necessarily be a vast quantity of money in circulation which has been introduced by the French and Eng- lish, together with what had arrived from America; that the Emperor has always made war by extracting from the conquered countries the subsistence and ex- pences of his armies ; that had he not been obliged to employ so many troops in the reduction of Spain, he might have dismissed many of them, and thus have avoided the expences they occasion ; that the funds of' our Treasury have not been employed in the manner they should have been, that is to say, the payment of the troops employed in conquering 'and tranquillizing the kingdom ; that there have been plapy pompous, estravagant, and nundossary .ex- peftces • that graiifications justly due should have been deferred until more tranquil and happy times ; that the Staffs which are maintained are too numerous and too expensive ; that there have been formed, and, are forming, Spanish corps, which are not only use less but dangerous, because, together with absorbing sums, which can be more advantageously employed, they desert and pass over to the enemy's force ; and, finally, that the kindness with which the King treats those of the opposite party is excessive, granting them favours and advantages which only serve to disgust and dispirit those who from the commencement ad hered to his cause. These are the principal subjects which the Minister communicated to me—and now I shall proceed to explain to your Excellency the substance of my an swers. The principal point, and that which, in my mind, most occupies the attention of the Emperor, is a wish to evade sending to Spain more money than the 2,000,000 monthly, as agreed in the former arrangements. Recollecting the observations which had been made on this subject, when I was in the office of foreign affairs, and being well aware of the situation of our provinces and of our treasury, I re plied to the Minister; that the King, my master, was well convinced of the great drawback the war of Spain occasioned to the treasury of France ; but that he saw, with the deepest regret and concern, the im ' possibility of freeing it from this charge by any means or resources in our power ; that the customary rents had been until this period as null, and could only be collected in a few conquered districts, and even in these the frequent incursions of the insurgents and banditti parties frustrated the diligence of the Admi nistrators and Collectors ; that in many parts the very Generals and Chiefs of the French troops served more to impede than assist the collection of the royal du ties ; that the provinces were ruined by the supplies of all kinds which they had to provide for the French troops, and by the total cessation of traffic between the different towns ; that such funds as had been col lected, as well from the established imposts as from the other means and resources which had been de vised, had all been applied preferably to the wants of the French army, subtracting only some inconsi derable sums for the Royal Guard, which had bees almost always out on strong parties of observation, for his Majesty's Civil List, which had been paid but in small part, and for other purposes of the first necessity, so that there had been no pay issued to wi dows, pensioners, or those retired from active service, nor very often to those in the most necessary employ ments. The very Ministers have been at times five months s ithout receiving theirs, in order to meet the expences of the troops. With respect to attribu ting to ignorance, want of energy, or excessive lenity on the part of the Government towards the inhabi tants, the not having drawn forth the resources which were supposed to have existed, I told the Minister that they had been employed as far as cir cumstances permitted. That tm judge us, it was necessary to keep in view the then existing circum stances, namely, that the subdued provinces were few, and in none did the free and uninterrupted exercise of Administration take place. That, ex traordinary contributions and forced loans were ex acted in all places where the collection was deemed practicable, overcoming no small difficulties ; that in order to preserve the subject provinces faithful, it was advisable not to goad or harass them to an ex treme, that by doing so we should inspire those in a state of insurrection with an unfavourable idea as to the fate that awaited them, in the event of their surren dering themselves ; that certainly more contributions might have been raised, in the same manner the French Generals do in provinces they govern ; but that even such contributions would not have produced a sufficient sum to meet theexpencesof the arm y, particularly when it remained two years and half, or more, in the same station ; that these contributions cannot be repeated, as experience may show in Castile and Leon, as in the former all the current coin is exhausted, and the means of restoring its circulation do not appear, par ticularly when the troops are in motion, and the mi litary chest distributes its funds in districts distant from the place of their collection ; that his Imperial Majesty would be convinced of the impossibility of collecting funds sufficient to defray the expences of the war, from what takes place in the provinces go verned by French Generals, who cannot be accused of indolence or excessive lenity towards the inhabi tants ; on the contrary, it is to be feared, they avail themselves of cruelty And violence, which no Go vernment on earth can exercise over its own natural subjects, between whom there are reciprocal ties and obligations ; the latter naturally looking up to the former for protection and support ; and that what might have been done in Lerida may not, perhaps, serve as an example for similar conduct in other places : for, as I have been informed here, the inha bitants of the neighbouring villages deposited their money, furniture, and church plate, in that town, believing it capable of making a most vigorous resis tance ; besides, it is not yet known if it has been able to furnish the sum demanded. I represented to the Minister, that contributions had been raised in Andalusia, of which I had been informed ; and that in Grenada, though it surrende red without making the smallest resistance, there had been a demand of 5,000,000 of reals, under the title of a forced loan : and in Malaga a greater sum, part of which I recollect had been deposited in the military chest of the 4th corps ; that being absent from Seville at the period of its surrender, I know not exactly what had been demanded there ; but I am convinced, that by the interference of the French authorities, all the English property found in that. city had been sequestered, and that the same had taken 1 lace in Malaga ; that in general, the value of such property, when first discovered, is much over rated, as I have heard had been the case on the en trance of General Sebastiani into Malaga ; and it is not to be wondered that the idea formed by his Im perial Majesty of the value of that at Seville should be conformable to the exaggerated accounts which might have reached him. As 1 am well informed of the active exertions which have been used for the collection of church. plate, and of the results of this collection, I had been able to tell the Minister that this resource had not been neglected—that not only all the jewels, silver, and gold, found in the suppressed convents, had been collected and carried directly to the mint, but also what belonged to the nunneries, parochial, and cathedral churches of the whole kingdom, leaving only the sawed vessels indispensably necessary for worship ; that thiti resource had not been as abun dant and productive as might be supposed, and we ourselves expected ; first, because all the churches of the towns through which the French troops passed were plundered and despoiled of their ornaments ; secondly, because the insurgents and banditti parties had done the same in the towns which they had oc cupied or passed through ; and thirdly, because the plate of the churches, even before the altars, in niches and images, appear of great value and richness, and when you go to collect them and melt them, they are generally found to be nothing more than thin plates, placed only to cover the wood which composes their centre ; and that this resource, such as it is, and all others which have been adopted, are those which compose the funds with which the indispensa ble necessities of the Treasury have been supplied ; amongst which, the subsistence, hospital and other expences of the troops, have been first attended to.— With respect to the specie supposed to be in circula tion in Spain, taking into the calculation what the French and English brought into it, and also what has arrived from America, I have assured the Minis ter, that as yet no great abundance of specie is per ceivable—whether it is occasioned by a great propor tion of it remaining with the numerous French sut- tiers that follow the army—whether it be that ano ther proportion is distributed amongst our venders of eatables and liquors—or whether it be principally be cause the money of the Spanish coinage has disap- ' peared in the time of the insurrectional Govern ment, expended in the payment for arms, clothing, and other effects, received from foreign powers, es pecially from the English, and for goods introduced by commerce. I confess upon this subject I aul devoid of suffici ently exact accounts, and that I am only governed in my opinion by the clamours and the evident signs of poverty which present themselves on every side. In order to afford full satisfaction, and plainly answer the charge of the complaint which has been preferred that the funds of our Treasury had not been applied with preference to the expenditure of the army, but bave been prodigally wasted in objects of luxury, I should have wished to have had a statement which should shew the expenditure or distribution of all the sums received into the Treasury since the King has been in Spain; and I believe it •v..uild not be very difficult to send me this statemcr.r liy this means the Court would see what have hen the Earns that had been appropriated to the expences c.' the war, what were those which had been de'::neL'. to super fluities and luxury. In the mean time, not exactly understanding what they wish to qualify with the name of prodigality or luxury (for the King our Sovereign has not been in a situation to expend exorbitant sums with his Civil List, of which, in my opinion, he has not received the half, and rather has been in want of the means which the decorum and splendour of Majesty require) yet I could perceive, from the explanations of the Minister, that he principally alluded to the gratifica tions which his Majesty had distributed amongst some of his servants, both civil and military. Under this impression, I asserted, that those gratifications, made with the same spirit with which all first services are rewarded, in order to stimulate further exertion, in no way had diminished the funds of the Treasury destined for the war department ; and as they consist of hypothetical or imaginary sums, useful only for the acquirement of national advantages, they could not serve for the payment of the soldiers, nor for other expences which absolutely required to be paid in specie. To this the Minister answered me that, since the hypothetical cedulas, or government paper se,:ntity, property or funds, had a value, this value could be converted into money ' • and my answer was, that for the present, and until full confidence in this Govern ment should be established, the sale of the n.ltional property should be multiplied. With respect to the cedulas, it may be said that they do not possess a current value, trona the great loss sustained in their discount. But the resource of alienating property has not been neglected in order to meet the expences of the day, amongst uhich those of the war department have everbeen the first attended to. On the contrary, in order to establish by this means a disposable fund, great advantages have been granted to the purchasers on paying a part in specie ; and thus the imaginary sums,* given by way of gratifica tion, indemnification, or other title, have not dimi nished the resource which the national property could for the present afford to the Treasury. With respect to the Staff of the Army, which is supposed numerous and expensive, I have told the Minister that, in my opinion, they had misinformed his Imperial Majesty ; that I did not believe that the King had appointed more Generals and Officers of the Staff than were necessary ; nor did he receive more of the ancient officers than in justice should have been admitted, from their having espoused the cause of his Majesty and remained faithful to it ; and that the latter had not hitherto consumed any of the funds of the Treasury ; and I doubt if any of them have as yet received their pay. In this point I should also have wished to be more exactly informed, for I am of opinion that much exaggeration had been made use of to the Emperor. An exact detail of all the Staff, which it appears to me would not be very difficult for the Minister of War to perform, would remove the unfavourable im peessions which may have been made in this particular. The idea that the regiments and corps of Spaniards are prejudicial, inasmuch as they go to increase the number of the enemy's, after having occasioned ex pellee to the Treasury, is here but too prevalent, and consequently the formation cf these corps is consi dered premature. I represented to the Minister that I considered no method could be more necessary and politic than this, for no Government can exist with out a force ; and that although it is true that in the beginning much desertion would take place, it could never be so great as was apprehended ; that every day it would become less in proportion as the public underwent a change, and the reduction of the pro vinces was increasing ; that at present, it is to be hoped, it will be little or nothing—since the large bodies of insurgents, who took the name of armies, have disappeared, and there only remain the parties of banditti, who offer but little attraction to those who are enlisted under the royal standard ; that the corps of Spaniards employed in arrison would enable the French troop s to underta ke the operations in the field, as the French Generals wished ; lamenting that , .' cola*, Geyenuneat paper security. they should be obliged to have their divisions e. cached and separated in order to pr eserve tran • 2 in the provinces already conquered. The minister appears to doubt th at t h ere are trencl. Generals who agree in the utility of f orm i ng Spaniards, at the same time he suppo ses they app;o,e of the civic guards. As I know p os i t i ve l y that there are Generals, and of much note, who n ot on l y are in f, your of the system of creating reg u l ar corp s, hut al:; persuade and promote their formation with their utmo:t efforts, I can assert and sustain my propo;iiion. But from the importance of the subject, I should wish that these Generals should make known here their mode of thinking, alledging their solid reasons, and foundatio ns upon which they build their opinions; for we do not re. ceive much attentionon subjects of this nature, a o d pet. haps we may create suspicions of an unpleasant nature. It only remains to speak of the extreme kindness with which it is said the King treated those of the ea. posite party, granting them favours and advantag c ' s I wished to explain to the Minister the favoil : results produced by the general amnesty, wiier, King penetrated by the Sierra Morena ; how 11.; nignity gained the hearts of the inhabitants of these provinces, and facilitated the occupation of th•im, without the effusion of blood ; and with how mush facility and promptitude he terminated a c.impaiz A which would have been the most glorious possible, were it not for the unfortunate resistance of Cadiz, fomented by the cunning and gold of the Enszli,h.— But the Minister dwelt upon the excess of his M:jest)'s goodness towards some individuals, who, having fol. lowed the opposite party, obtained rewards and em ployments in his royal service. I then said that there were few in this situation, and that those were per. sons remarkable for their circumstances, and for the ' part they had acted amongst the insurgents, that his 'Majesty deemed it expedient to make those examples in order to inspire confidence in those who were still wavering and indecisive, while they should present themselves with submission to his Majesty ; and he has not as yet had occasion to repent his having plac ed them in the situations they occupy ; that it was endeavoured by all means to weaken the force of the insurgents ; and that it was not the least efficacious mode of doing so to admit into his Majesty's service the Generals and Officers who voluntarily wished to enter into it, upon their taking the necessary oath of fidelity ; and if this has displeased any of the ancient adherents of the King, it is our indiscreet egotism which should not impede the grand work of uniting the nation. I have stated to your Excellency every thing that passed in my conference with the Duke of Cadore. did not speak on the subject of French troops em, ployed in the war of Spain, nor as to the quantity of money sent by the Treasury of France to that king. dom, nor upon some other topics on which the Mini. ster touched, as I had not been in possession of minute particulars on these subjects ; nor did I think they should be subjects of discussion. Your Excellency will be pleased to have the goodness to transmit every thing to ins Majesty for his Royal information ; and to communicate to me what his Royal pleasure may consider that I should add on the same topics on fu ture occasions. It is not to be 'wondered, that many reflections should have fallen from me calculated to prove the regularity, the prudence, and wise views with which his Majesty proceeded in the particulars which gave rise to the remarks and observations, which, by order of the Emperor, were laid before me. The instructions and information which shall be afforded me, shall best enable me to prove, for the future, my zeal. During the conversation I had with the Minister, I took occasion to read to him the letter which the Mi• ulster of War transmitted me, written by the Inten dant of Salamanca, on the 24th of last March; draw lug a ci i,mal picture of the state of that Province, and the difficulties that presented themselves,. to prevent the levying of the contributions imposed by Marshal the Duke of Elciingen. And before breaking up our interview, I also read to him the letter which the Regent of the Council of Navarro directed to the Minister's Secretary of State, dated 30th of April, complaining of the conduct of the Governor, M. Dufour, instigating the Council of Government (Consejo de Gobierno), created by him self, to make a representation, or Act, incompatible with the Sovereignty of the King. Upon this sub ject, without approving or disapproving of the act of Mons. Dufour, he simply told me, that the Govern ment established in Navarre, and the other Provinces, were military measures. I shall return to treat more particularly on this subject when I have an opportu nity. (Signed) The Duke of SANTA Fr. No. IV.—TO THE MINISTER FQR FOREIGN AFFAIRS. MOST Excxxxxtur Set—The Count de Cessac, Minister of War, yesterday, acquainted me in a Note, that, in obedience to an order of the Emperor, he wished to have an interview with me. I went to his house in the evening, and he employed al. most the same expressions Which had been addressed to me Ly ! the Duke of Cadore, on the impossibility of sending to Epa.3 front the French Exchequer, for the espences of the army, ow re than two millions of livres monthly ; be complained of tile Lugs sum of money which bad already been exhausted since the bevy' fling of the war; he stated the resources that Spain po.seiwili and the contributions that might be raised hi Jaen, Cordar:, and other rides of Andalusia; as had been already procured, under the orders of his Imperial Majesty, in Toro, Zamora, and other places ; and he adverted to the confiscations of British e 4 fects which might be made in Seville and Malaga. He sheued me the letters which the Intendant-General M. Death had Weil written to the Prince of Neufchatel and to himself, shewitig tss deficiency of the military chest of Spain during the years acv'. 1509, and in the present year. with the great difficulty that u.. 4 arise in future, If only two millions of rials were afforded by the King of Spain, when the necessary expences, restricted with tbi greaten economy, would amount to 1,025,000 livres. M. Dennie says, that the deficiencies of the years 1608 sod 1009, amount to seven millions of livres, and those of the present year to 2,500,000 livres, according to a statement that was sik dressed to his M4jesty. At the same time was declared the impossibility of supplying more to the military chest than two millions, and the conclusion stated is, that it will be fleapit! that the Treasury of France should contribute five or six maxi of livres by the way of loan to Spain, to answer her purposes. With respect to the resources of Spain by levies in the pie winces, and the confiscation of English effects sd to the Count de Ces sa c what I had before said to tle r =f Cadet*. and confining myself to what was coosidered by the Intending Dennie, I told him that the King had done his utmost, when he assigned the amount of two millions monthly, considering the At° ficulty of advancing that sum, besides others for tie minnow° of the troops, for the hospitals, for the conveyance of the wall and I added, that notwithstanding the good wiU of the King 4 01 his Miniscen, it was not within their power to supply more. 1 1 l Count made answer to these observations, that the Bops w* resolved not to send more money to the nsiligary chest dog two minims* monthly, and that a eorresponding order was gird to the Department of War, since more coedit not be done e perms. seed tow. He assured me that these particolan words were those 1 03. Imperial Majesty. Whit ;odd Imy la t ee I 0140% isions e.. Ire trend, afT:ov e that there are in Lt. , s, hut eh; ncir utmost 'firm. But d wish that it mode of Oundatio rt e do not re. re, aod peT . ant nature. ie kindness e of the oa. dvantago. favon:al)!, lOW ts thaw how much ciimpaiz A is possible, of Cadiz, s Mjest)'s having fol. ds and em. that there were per. and for the ts, that his e examples ) were still ald present ty ; and he aving plae. that it war 'orce of the efficacious :y's service r wished to ary oath of the ancient et egotism of uniting thing that Cidore. troops em,