The National Register. — London, England, 1815-01-29 00:00:00

JAN. 29._ gIEM %k II Id been brought forward respecting his conduct . '" aper.ttions of the British ai my on the East coast of Spain, 1813 He should not attempt here to dispute the principal of Admire! Milkmen, that the enemy never had more than 5000 men at Villafranca, as the refutation of this point would properly tome under the consideration of the third charge, - but he c nail not forbear making some slight allusion to it. it was true the Admiral had not rested it entirely on his own opinion, but hail ctrl .aviniretl to support it by the information derived by Captain S Aiwa, fiom a C talonian peasant ; and the same information was relied on by Captain Bowyer, with the addition that the enemy had w ay five gime Thee came the letter from Colonel Lotter, which letter, however, Admiral Hollowell had suit received when he dis. peteliecl we kiyaaiulli. Under any other circumstances, his pro ,centor's good sense would prebafily have cautioned him aga test credence to such stories, and making himself time medium of french. febrieetione. The garrison of 'Tarragona had been repre sented as at the 1111111Mit 1/ or leoa, but most probably !moo men. lie knew that there were two regiments of 700 each, lilt) artillery men. 4100 Spanish troop, besides the crews cf two privateer% rut ployrd in working the gnus. He ktievv, too, that Marshal Stickel had theinglit the garrison strong enough to resist any attack. The Admiral hail said, our gnus were taken by the enemy in'o his fort, and that lie hail counted the number of men employed in this work, as if the whole of the garrison was oertainly to occupied, mutt! the ene my tt tailed to exhibit to hint whatetreetitrength they hail at their dis. pesal. le %lion rd not. ii ! ,..voker, i t o into till thee'. einem- tam ial tietai as io the number and even the calibre tht guns 'so abandoned, the oject of which t videatly was to disguise in false colours the trite history of those transaciiiins, but confine hitn.ell to the main : l aser. time that sit the period when the siege of Tarragmet was rinsed. the appreachi of the column of 5,000 was still diStant. Not a word was Haiti of 'he advance from the other side of the farce under 31arahal Sachet ; and when it was at length introdimed, it was in suet, away, as completely to produce tioetleairtel effect in misleading We pith is mind, prone to receive impressions without intuit exact erteury into cirenneitanees or dates.: The Admiral knew, and lie atitrineil it in hie prestetere that he knew it was the probable junction of S teleo and the rolitmit at Villtfritima, that alone behaved him not to attack the latter force. Wa. this proceeding, then. just ; or ought not his prosecutor, Rile thought proper to repast at ad, have reported faithfully? If on the 11th lie had forgotten a conversation Olt die lithe ite which the advance of Sachet, with V 5,000 mete was positively communicated to him, of what value was his opinion? But was his memory so extremely feeble as sot to recollect, that. even on the 13th a part of the British troops had to en eugaged nearly the whole day with the lwadmost division of Marshall Sorbet's army? Admiral Hallowell stood, therefore, convicted either an nufaitlifid or an iguarant reporter. He had. however, succeeded, both at misenidieg public opinion, and in injuring him in the esti mation of Government. There were oilier misrepresentations as to the disembarkation of the whole army at lialaener. which belonged rather to the second charge. He might by riling a general action Lave mitloabtedly gained a little temporary popularity. but he trussed he should be able to convince the Court, that he had acted touch more advantageously for the interests of the British army committed to his charie'e by adopting the judgment of those officers in whom he conceived he could repeat• the greatest conlidenee. —ln the letter which he received the day previone to the retreat. he retied discover no such undertakitig on the past of Admiral Hal }men as he had stated, that he could get us if the g 11114; and it such an otter had been made, be certainly should not have attended to it, knowing, as lie did. its physical impossibility. [Here Sit joint Murray read the letter. dated Nlalta, June 14.11 ' Anti now he would ask the Court, whether the letter to Lord IVellitetton was j',"ni 3 ble On any pretext, or whether it was no: one of the most ins trecorens meaSilrego ever taken ltv an naivete:mil that could usiativatte ,(1111Y in the most violent pert anal animosity ? 1 1 ' 1 :ether it could hate for its object auy other via w than by eifectitig his removal from colon:mil, to tomove the ereat obstacle to the Admiral's requiring that, unbounded authority over m ilitary measures, and co un sels , it was well known. he was ambitions to exercise? Every etenmer of the Court knew the importance of the Quarter-Master- General's office, and how accessary it was that he should receive an Toteible assi• tenet. from the naval branch of the service. instead of )avilitating hi• pueposea, however, he should prole that the Admiral bad ordered the Bristul to anchor near Balageer, with no other view thim that Of preventing Genet al Doukin from repairing to head quarters. As to time charge of surrentleritig Ilia own judgment to the adviee of that officer, active and intelligent as he was, he utterly denied it; it had no foundation; be had never consulted him till Aftcrly, lie itoreaehed no luau's judgment; he accuted uo mates . . **.4•oolesur' T ITT: 71 prepared to stand of fell on Isis owe iespon sibility. He had himself laboured snider some disativantages in hav ing to concentrate the minds of the At'snivel and the Quarter Nlaater- Generel. Previous to the embarkation lie hail communicated, how ever, to Admiral Hallowell the intelligence which lie lied received bt fr ies o ec n om i t ne 's ta e . si t : se : ( ure . f - 'opens of I) hci eg n e d , v u a c e h a w . a t I s ) e i r.or.riei plro for derit e , i r ! u n li t :l e i s i r s t a t s t i l ( t ) a w t Their relative sitnel ions were %cry tittle' t ; the Admiral had only to stiperietesid details; he hail himself to watch over the movements of the enemy, to guard agai,st possible colitingeneies, to eollert and balance contradictory information, and in tht• face of It •ttperior force. Was it for Ac•!miral Hallowell to sit in justlemeet Over him, and keep a diary, without the passer of accurate registration, of events and transaction* its tablet' his own respeetishility. character, and interests had no concern Ile trusted that if they did differ in °pillion, be should at least stand excused for preferring hi{ 0%11 eOilehiNioll% to the proffered counsels of hie accuser. The tact was. as almost confessed in the charge itself, that it was an uneasiness arising from the rejection of his advice that led tbitirel Hallowell to the proceeding in guest' , and had ca u se d, him to transmit a dispatch which could seise; no otaer pur poses than those of priv::te injury and pliblie deception. Ilad the Admiral, itiateatl of sending eriminatiese charges to Lord Welling ton, at ',nee brintelit the general question to issue before a proper tribunal, lie should at least gave admitted his candour, nuts have el lowed that Isis conduct was what became one Ruttish °Meer towards another, altliong!t he eneld no loftiest have eonsidered him as a wise or prudent commander. Of the dispositiou, lieweeer. he w tech his prosecutor was ;unmated, it would be supciatwits to give any further convincing proofs, Ile should refer only to one other circumstance. Whets the Yew I arrived supposed to have Lord W. Itesitittek on board, the Admiral expressed Isis neetiments in the face of the wlede army by this eignal—" we are all delighted." Of penis, icty and decorum of this conduit, he should say mating, but lease it to the comnienta of the Court. Here Sir J. Illurrav sit some length defended himself ae.ainvt the first charge, in not. having sooner raised the siege, ;111,1 rematked its Mentisistency with the, third sopported by Admiral 11.:I1ise ell. lie ceisidered still, thud the success of the plan which lie was instructed to - exr cute depended nn Ilia maintainut,r the sivge its 1,,11.4 .is p o w,ibi e ; sir could he procure arty authentic ititellieenee of she enemy's more molts, amidst the opposite rumours in constant circulation pscibets to the I itle lie expressed himself extremely graselid to I. e Deputy Jtidee Advocete, for the handsome and liberal canner is; which lie had discharged his part of the prosecation. lie ought. however, to have proved that gale, stores, mid ammunitinn were I 'tided, atte . r every prospect of success hal ei•appe- , red, uni not to have left it to itee:- duce frosts his (Sir JaMistray's) stipptivd belief He staid spew, that as early as the f7tb of May. Lard Wellington had written to hint, ex• pressiag his 4.1 'on that Sucliet's force would he tee mock fir hint. T 1 eh not senguine, he had nut, linwever, despaired till the I aili, mid to that prrio I lie therefore protracted the siege. His haprs were somewhat encouraged by the capture of Fort St. Felippe, which oh ,trueted the road from Tortusa. Tee elly•six guns were sately taut :irked when his filial rrsolsitioit was taken. It was unites essary tit issiptess t•n tNe tube's of %itch dieinetti•lied officers the sweet-11y vi distolgutshieg good items had ineaeutition, or to apprise theni of the exteet ao a hich the French in the last war had carried the system of t mensuniceti:at false iiitellieetice, thrtmalt the instrumetaillity 01 spies stud peasants. ilt was pm the Doily-that he leid received infariiiiiiian of the move. meet of Sachet from Valencia, and it wits not instil the 1U•1) that he had any certain information of the movement sit Devotee lie had re aulved to bra rch neuinst the latter, stud to attack Pticite Hued on the Ills ; but when the certain infarmation had be , n received ei she a:- rival of Sachet at 'Foreissi, 'Lieu all hopes of the caplets, of Tarr ageea vanished. It was at th? time, as Ma 151141 Stieliet ex presese ;t, " d e ft the fire from the beielliv surrounding us infermed the ere risoll of lass arrival." that the sieve was abandeeed : tied eh. a cecuitist• errs mails it necessary es re embark the arrev, he retie red risking the 1.44 of few ism) eons to compromising she oseetv of the army. • His instructions mark , d cut two objects tor she eseeditien :—The first was she capture of T errag e n a, if posdhle she sectuld.w:is 1 11 make a diversion In favour Isf the Duke del Parire in Valencia. by sitslieing Sachet to rotten nags Caialonise •This ehiret had I•ersi completed Ilv his continuing the siege to the last menu sit that it • sushi safely be.con !bitted ; but would lest have betel accomplished, it lie had eiven sip the Isiege s ttttt tea ; is Sachet wonlil have been ehle then as tell hank within six days upon die Doke d:•I nine's telex. sbt retisi (including the time taken lip in embarkieg and disembarking tin army, and the aver age passage to A e ic „,, t ) i t ‘{ fluid have required fourteen of fitteen flays ' fur him to joie that General. If Secliet, instead lit coming to ,Casa • lonia ) laid classic's first to attack and de feat the Duke del Parc )2's NATIONAL REGISTER. romintt. 11 errors ; he stood thrre .01.4.41 f. \ : ~'-~~