The National Register. — London, England, 1808-12-18 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. I. ' • 0 • the others are gone to the grand army of Romelia, or returned into their provinces. Of this number the troops of t he Heys I and A yans of Asia, form the greater part. Those, before their departure, engaged themselves by a most sacred oath before the Grand Vizier, to sacrifice all their personal animosities, and to appear at the first signal to defend the Nlahometan reli gion and the Empire. Ismael, Bay of Seus, Kari Asmanu Oglu, and Kali-Angli Oglu were the first win set nut t they were followed by the celebrated Ciapin Oglu. Mustapha Bai raitar is incessautly occupied in augmenting the Seymens, which be will raise to 160,030 men ; they are to have red, green, and white uniforms. These troops will he divided into 100 huluks of 1603 men each. There will he for each huluks a Cinbas chi, a Mnidahzin (two Staff Officers), 16 Juba chi, and 160 Ousbaschi (Captains and Lieutenants). The Grand Vizier has entirely done away the obstacle which resulted from a difference of religion, and which the Porte has hitherto so inviolably res spected ; Turks and Greeks are to serve indiscriminately , in the corps of Seymens. Mustapha has already at Buds chuck, many Greeks among his best troops, and on the 12th of October, his confident and banker made their en try under an escort of sixty Seymens, who were all Armenians. —The Grand Vizier caused in the month of October a great number of Cackgis (rowers and fishermen) to come to the envi rons of the capital, in order to make them serve on hoard the fleet. The antient corps of Janissariei loses every day its con sistency. The Grand Vizier has just caused to he executed. two of the most powerful supports of that corps, and who were the most powerfully opposed to Nizami-Goidid, the ci-devant Sicmeu Baschi, and the inspector of arsenals Khwegi-Oglu Mus tapha Aga; this last, on his being arrested, having called to , the 25th Colinrt of Janissaries, to which he belonged, for as sistance, Mustapha immediately killed him with a blow of the sabre. The executioner afterwards cut off his head, as well as that of his unfortunate companion. The Grand Seignor has by a decree given to the Grand Vizier, unlimited powers for the augmentation of the forces both by sea and land. This Minister completely paid the new troops before the commencement of the fast, and, w hat is very important, has established a cham ber of finances, particularly for the Seymens, at the head of which he has placed the former treasurer Bedidsch Effendi. lie has replaced the Minister of Finances by the antient Crousch bielie, Marshal of the Court Taltsim, Achmet Effendi, who has for his successor, Hamm! Mehmesch Effendi, formerly p,', , sident of army accounts. Thanks to the indefatigable vigi -1..1ee and energy of Mustapha Bairactar, all these important c`m tnges have been peaceably elected--Egypt continues to enjoy the most perfect tranquillity. The Pacha of Bagdad pursues with vigour the important advantages which he has lately ga i ne d ove r the weehabitet.—(Moniteur, Dec. 5. CoNSTA NTI f4.11'1.6, OCT. 25.—The Grand Vizer has caused Bashi Aga, Commandant of the Marine, the fanatical enemy of every thing that was Turkish, to be beheaded. This event has caused a great oemation in the capital. We have been equally astonished at teaming of the di-position of Haggi Pacha, Com mandant of the Castles of time Dardanelles, who has been sent into exile. He has been replaced by Habib Pacha, who is considered as a zealous partisan of the Porte. AI. Bosgoisvick has presented his credentials as Charge d'Affaires from Russia. —Muniteur, Dee. 6. COURT OF INQUIRY. NINTH DAY. CHELSEA COLLEGE., TVESDAT, DSC. 13. The proceedings commenced by teading a letter frem Sir D. Dalrymple to Sir C. Cotton, Stating the operations of the British army np to the battle of % imiera, and the terms of the subsequent Armistice and Convention. Sir Harry Burrard then placed himself beside the PreSident, and read his narrative in substance as follows " Mr. Prcsident, awl my Lords and Gentlemen,--On July 28 I received a notification from the Commander in Chief, that his Majesty had been graciously pleased to appoint me second in command under Sir Hew Dalrymple, and with that notification I received a copy of my itmtructions, and a list of the Stair, and the amount of the army to be employed. Oa the 23d, I receiv ed my final orders from Lord Castlereagh; en the 27 th I embark ed at Portsmouth ; and on the 31st, sailed from that port, it having been previously stated to me by the Under Secretary of Plate, that Government wereextrctaely impatient for my sailing. ,~i f DEC. 18. I also received a letter, previous to my leaving Portsmouth, from Lord Castlereagh, intimating a wish, before I proceeded to the South of Portugal, that I should touch at Oporto, Or tend some confidential agent there to collect w hat iuformation I could upon the matter; connected with the service. Having expe rienced baffling winds in the Channel. I went on board the Bra zen sloop, and arrived at Oporto on the 16th of August, where I learnt that Sir A.. Wellesley, having been reinforced by Gene ral Spencer's division, had debarked at Mondego Bay. I pro ceeded immediately on my voyage, and arrived at Mondego Bay on the 18th. It was my intention to have disembarked at that place, and to have sent Sir John Moore to the Tagus with his division, with a view to take the enemy in the rear, but 1 found a variety of obstacles opposed to me. In the first place, Sir A. Wellesley had swept the country of every species of conveyance, and though the people were disposed to assist the British arm., they had not the ability. Carriages we could find noise, the streams were all dry, and with respect to provisions we should have been in a very precarious state. I made all possible in quiries after the 156 mules, promised by the Bishop of Oporto, hut none had arrived, nor could any account of their speedy ar rival he gained. It was equally imprudent at that time to have landed part of the reinforcements; for had Sir *John Moore's brigade been disembarked it would have taken time to equip that brigade, with a view of marching into the interior, and would besides have placed the columns at such a distance, that a want of co-operation must necessarily have been felt. I there fore resolved on proceeding to some other point of destination. — On the 19th, at night, we spoke a dispatch-boat, which inform ed us that Sir Arthur Wellesley had had a smart action with the enemy on the 17tb, and had sustained some loss, but not ade quate to that of the enemy. I directed Sir John Moore to teturn, and land at Mondego Bay, in order that he might he enabled to support Sir A. Wellesley, should he be obliged to fall hack, or to assist him to prosecute further advantages. By the same boat, I gained information that Peniche was in the hands of the enemy, and that it would he impracticable to land with safety Small of that fort. Under all these circumstances, as I hese before stated, I thought it prudent that the army should halt, and felt great satisfaction that my brother Officers, whose ta lents and experience were unquestionable, concurred with me in the propriety of that opinina. On the morning of the 21st, I landed, and presently heard a firing towards Vimiera. I vv:, convinced the enemy had forestalled the necessity of the British army's advancing, by commencing an attack themselves. I un derstood Sir Arthur Wellesley was on the left of the army, and I shortly after joined him on the heights. I had a few word. of explanation with him, and I had such reason to be satisfied with the dispositions he had made, that 1 directed him to go On. and complete the business he had so successfully and so happily began. By thus directing him to proceed, I imagined 1 eta exercisine one of the functions of a Commander in Chief, and I held res.self responsible for the issue. Soon after the French gave way, and in less than two hours they were every where repulsed. At this moment I was informed that no advantage could be expected from the Portuguese cavalry ; and on Sir Ar thur's suggesting the propriety of the troops advancing, I answered that 1 saw no reason for changing my first epinion, and that it was better the army should wait the arri val of reinforce ments before they proceeded to advance. Du rin g the engage ment, I. had observed the inability of the artille r y horses, and a want of celerity in their movement, I also abserved large bodies of the enemy's cavalry mov ins; in different directions, and a body of infantry to the left which had not been engaged. The"', and other circumstaoces, formed my determination, and Gene rals Murray and Clinton, said I had well determiued. 00 I 22d, Sir A. Wellesley came to me from Peniche, and informed me that Sir 11. Dalrymple had arrived. I went to the out posts, and fouud the French General, Kellerman, was a dvent; ing with a flag of truce; mid of the transactions stibeque,i, to that, the Board, he presumed, were already in possession. te Sir H the De Advoca te II Judge . Burrard having finished, read a string of questions which had been p previously sent to S i ., , H. Burrard, and to which the latter read hi s answers in writing. y li. The first question related to the account of the state of the army which Sir H. Burrard had received on his arrival. Sir Burrard's answer described it as part i cu larly deficieot il' ca valry,while the artillery carriaes were rather deficien t , a , * there was a want of horses for dr aw ing them. Q. Did Sir A. Wellesley express awi to urf thr ene m y immediately tipou the battle of the ?.I st ?sh p did.A. lie The Question was then put by Lord Moira :—Does Sir 11 . Bur rard nut suppose that the French troops had vudc r g o ne as stuck . ..,