The National Register. — London, England, 1811-11-03 00:00:00

.) 7,1 -1 . • itt-lst.. 6 4lklAL REGISTER. - vanees towards Badajdoz. We understand , pontoons and - other • apparatus, are in forwardness in that neighbourhood, as if scent through the Aientejo was intended.:: We are *strengthen ing .lvas, and have no idea that the eneturfaitafford sufficient of either men or stores to commence , anytofnnsillerrrations. We have accounts, of the 12th, from Gibraltar. With 5000 regulars, and a snob of irregulars, at that time occu pied a strong position in view of the place; he was threatened by 8000 French, and 'anattack was expected on the 13th. If he is beaten, he will retire nnderthe guns of that place, where he will te safe. The Ist battalion of the S9th has arrived from the Me diterranean. Some of our dragoons are returning home, as in future only three squadrons of each regiment are to be in the Peninsula. It is said that the Governor of Ciudad Rodrigo went to take the air with two confidential Officers, and all these ever! taken by the guerillas." LISBON, OCT. 19.-.4 the 9th of October • The French continue to have some troops in Merida and Almendralejo, and the remainder in Zafra. They • have not brought any troops from Andalusia. • We have not yet received anyaccounts of the return of IVIAI. MIN T'S anUl. The French who are in Badajox bad lately but 10 or 12 cows t and about 400 head of sheep : they, in consequence, went out and robbed, and brought .i n 1000 head, the greater part from the neighbourhood of Olivenza. In the preceding month there deserted from the French garrison of Badajox, 150-soldiers and two pflicers, on account of the fatigues they suffered, and be ing always on half rations. - • The new Governor, • PENO, has arrived, and taken the com mand in the room of PutLIPON. Letters from Cadiz, of the Sd.inst. state, that BALLASTEROS, in another action on. the 29th, defeated 4000 •Freneh, and that on the e 2.7th, marched from Seville without its being known what direction he has taken. Some Spaniards, who ac cianpanied the French to Ciudad Rodrigo, in the quality of vaggoners, and have returned to the neighbourhood of Castello 'ranco, affirm, that they suffered a considerable loss, principally in cavalry, in the two combats maintained against the Anglo yortuguese Army, on the 25th and 27th ult. between the Agneela and the Coa. Agreeable to intelligence from the North of Portugal, Marshal OUDINOT is expected in Valladolid ; he comes from Holland to take the command of the Army of BISSIERES, lately directed by DORSEN NE, but he has not yet .rrived. The Spanish Papers which have been brought by the same mail, contain several reports from the Spanish Generals, but it does not appear that they have gained any advantage which will materially affect the chances of the war. It is, perhaps, ex cusable in the actual state of Spanish affairs, that. their newspapers should deal a little largely in the characteristic grandiloquence of Castile ; and, there fore, some allowance must be made in the perusal of their narratives. If these papers had been -fiorthy of credit, there would not now have re mained a Frenchman on the Peninsula. Under all the circumstances, however, the Spaniards certainly. maintain their cause most nobly. transmitted from Elvas on Navy. The account we insert has been taken from the American Journal The Columbian ; and from the 7eneral complexion of the evidence, it is easy to foresee what will be the decision of the Court of In quiry. All the Officers of the United States fri gate President, who were on board at the time of the action with the Little Belt, were examined, and have been in. the same story. All but three have sworn that the first shot was fired from the Little Belt. Of the three who gave a qualified evidence in this point, the acting Captain of the President, CHARLES LUDLOW, says, " from his position he was uncertain vrhich fired the first gun." The first Lieutenant, JOHN ORDE CREIGHTON, deposes, " a sbot was fired, as he believes, from the Little Belt." The acting Chaplain, HENRY DENNISON , Sa y s, after the second hail from the President, " then a than, he thinks, from the Belt, as he .felt no jar in e dent." The evidence of this latter gentleman, as he was on the quarter-deck, where he could easily discern from which ship the first gun was fired, is of considerable impoitance. If the gun had been fired from the Little Belt, he must have seen it dis. tinctly ; -yet his evidence is reasoned not positive, for he only thinks the first shot was from the Belt, as he felt no Jar in the President. But it would he a waste of time to. stop to examine the question now upon the conflicting statements on both • sides. There is a mistake in some quarter, for it would be to fall into the indecency of the American Journalists, to insist that so many individuals as have been exa mined before the Court of Inquiry, have been guilty of deliberate and wilful-perjury. The thing is not credible—it is trot possible. The first gun, we have not the smallest sdoubt, was fired .from the Presi dent, but must have been by mistake, and certainly without authority And it is very possible too, .that at such a moment, the attention of all the Officers may have been taken up with the circumstances of their situation as to prevent them .from adverting particularlrto the side from whicfi the first shot was discharged. It is greatly to be lamented, that this decided variance should exist between the state ments of the British and American' Officers ; as no ingenuity can ever reconcile them. Without attempting, th , 2refore, to enter into an examination of their comparative credibility, we shall only add., that on grounds of probability it was extremely sun likely that Captain BINGHAM would fire the first shot. He had the case of the Chesapeake in his distinct recollection, and the recal of Admiral BERKELEY, for having authorised the attack upon that vessel, fully in view ; and it is therefore highly improbable, that he would repeat an act for which a superior Officer had been previously removed from the station. It does not, however, seem to be of much consequence, except as to the personal credibility of the Officers on both sides, how this business may terminate. The policy of the American Government seems to point at a crisis, which will give rise to events that must fling the circumstances of the affair between the President and the Little Belt into insignificance and oblivion. Though Mr. FORSTER is said to be preparing for a long stay in America, we do not augur the more favourably of the probable issue of his negotiation The prepa rations for a long . residence might sometimes be resorted to as an mgenious diplomatic device to AMERICA. At length we have it in our power to lay before our Readers an abstract of the proceedings of the Court of Inquiry upon the conduct of Commodore RODGERS, the redoubtable Hero of the American 696. . . 5..•. ;