The Statesman. — London, England, 1809-09-07 00:00:00

r 1120.11i1l In l LODGING wanted for a WI -1)0W LADY, in a small refired family, lift, or iaore fn .m London. Plain Famil. but is IA that is es p ct .d; the Te:tm mutt therefore he moderate.—A line, sta.ing the particulars, post paid, addressed to A. Z. at Alr. A4oiliall's ' Attorney, Quality Court, Chummy-lane, will meet williilutiediate attention. FROMpE FRENCH 11,1PERs% 14DRID, AvausT 11. LETTER WRITTEN ON TU 10TH AT TOLEDO, AND SENT TO MADRID. cc MT DEMI FRIEND, " Do nut fail to forward intelligence, as I pro. fit by the free communication between this city and the capital, which is preserved by the 4th corps and the reserve. Our apprehensions must have beeo reciprocal during the 8 or 10 dap, while three hostile armies had surrounded us by their manoeuvres. gg My solicitude at this critical moment diJ not prevent a man who recollects his first profession of a soldier, from following attentively, and with interest, the movements of 40,000 Frenchmen, who were threatened by two of these armies, which •mounted to 120,000 men ; while, at the centre of these operations, I have still to explain how it has happened that the French succeeded at the same time in coveting Madrid, in preventing the union of the two combined armies, and in detaining at Talavera that of the Anglo.insurgents till the arrival at Placentia of the Duke of Dalmatia. " You, as a mil.tary man, will take an interest iit the details I am about to communicate, though you will see fresh radon to deplore the fate of our unhappy country, which is desolated by a handful • of ambitious men, who can have no hope to see their party triumph. " On the 21st of July the English army of 35,000 men, including 5000 Portuguese, effected a junction with 40,000 insurgents under Cuesta. On the same day these combined forces came in front of the Duke of &Ilene, posted on the hanks of the Alberche, whose advanced guard defended Talavera. " It appears that their plan of campaign was to drive the first corps far from its positions, in order to wake at Toledo with the army of la Mancha, under the command of Venegas, and Oen to advance, to the number of 120,000 men, upon the capital ; thus obliging the French army, which covered and defended the shores of the Ta. gus, to retreat blond the mountains of the GIL'. &mina, that they . might nut commit themselves against so imposing a force. " 1 - a this siteation, all the French could do was to collect their troops in the environs of Toledo, to avoid any engagement of their corps apart, and when once united, to offer battle to arse . of the combined armies before they could unite. Gone. ral Sebastiaiti occupied with the fourth corps the borders of the Guadiana, observing Venegas, at three days' march from Toledo; the Duke of .1/ellen° maintained, with the first corps, a posi. tion on the Alberche, at three days' march both from Madrid and Toledo. There was no time to be lost, and the movements of these two corps wi re to be combined with as much rapidity as precision. " lti spite of the immense superiority of the enemy, the Duke of Belluno maintained his poet. tion on the 22d and I3d. Oa the 24th, by are. tragrade movement, he proceeded to Torrijus ; and on the 25th, to the left bank of the Guada. rama, two leagues from Toledo. The order was given to General Sebisitiani to fah back by forded marches un that city, where he arrived on the 25th, having sltiifully assigned his movement, that he might not be pursued by the enemy. Tim King quitted' adrid on the I3d, with the body of reserve, aid advanced to Naval.Carnero, so order to hold in check 8000 men, as well English as Portuguese, who threatened by way of Esca. lona to take in the rear the first carpi, in its posi. tion of Alberche. Tho reserve also, after a march of mega than 12 leagues, establilhed itself at Vargas, tea leagues from Toledo. Thus the whole army was united on the 25th, without the necessity of firing a single musquet. Before his departure from Madrid, the King had sent orders to the Duke of Dalmatia, to unite at Salamanca the three corps under his command, and to march to Placentia, in order to cut off the retreat of the English into Portugal. His Majesty had, in like manner, the intention to throw 3000 men-into Toledo, in order to secure the bridges of that city over the Tagus, and oblige Venegas, in case he should purpose c: using the river, to march by its side as far as Ar IRO's, which would retard fur three days the movements of that General. 61 These .rrangenients being made, the King, at the head of the army, which he had collected on the 25th near Toledo, marched against the Anglo. insurgents. His advanced guard met that of Cu. este in the environs of &cations, which was se ra. pidly attacked and routed, that that General, be. lag disconcerted, was not able to collect his forces, and recrossed the Alberche in the greatest disor. der. The King took his position at Santa Otalla. On the 27th he renewed his march. At Casaligas the ad vanc.ii guard of the enemy was in like man. nor driven beyond the Alberche. The King pur. sued it, fording that river at tee head of his army —a movement which was executed in perfect or. der, and in the most brilliant style. " At the right of this ford, hills covered with trees extend to the mountains of Escalona, which en this side are on the right bank of the Tagus. The English had placed there a great pert of their force. They endeavoured to defend themselves by a brisk and well supported fire : but the divisiou of General Lapis.e attacked them with such vi gour and impetuosity, that they yielded that posi. tion at once, and left on this attack, which was made with the bayonet, 1200 dead on the field of battle. It was four in the evening when the Duke de Belluno obtained this important adwart. tags. lie bevertheless pursued the enemy from p o sition to, position, till, night arriving, he was forced to halt near to Talavera. 66 At dAy-break, the whole hostile army op pelted in order of battle ; its right supported b) the Tagus, and covered by heavy artillery in tin town of ralavera ' • its left stretching to the moun tain, and deployed upon an eminence, the position THE STATESMAN. of which was very advantageous, a deep ravine separating it from the rest of this chain of moun tains, to which it was joined only by the base; his rear was protected by olivc-gardens and vine. yards ; so that to attack it, the French army had to cross a front full of obstacles and inequalities. The enemy had not less than 80,000 men formed in several lines, while the French had scarcely -10,000 combatants. " The King, in spite of this disproportion of force, and the advantage of the English position, resolved to attack them. We had just been in formed that Yenegas had re-established the bridges of Aranjuez ; that some of his foraging parties were within four leagues of Madrid ; and that his artillery was already pitying upon Toledo. The King was resolved to save his capital. The battle was bloody. The enemy defended his position with the greatest obstinacy, but he sustained so considerable a loss, that during the night he re solved to abandon Talavera, and to prepare fur his retreat. " The King slept on the field of battle. To renew the attack on the following dav, and to pur sue the combined army, would be ileliveriii4 the capital to Venegas, and rendering useless the movement already begun by the Duke of D.il tnatia. " Convinced that the losses sustained by the enemy would reduce him for several days to a state of inaction, his Majesty thought it right to ad vance to succour Madrid, even should the Eng lish flatter themselves that they could maintain the position of Talavera. In consequence, the Duke of Helium, was to fall back epee the Albcrche, while with the 4th corps and the reserve, the King marched towards Toledo, the communications of which he re-established, and where he left only a garrison of 1200 men. After having °emcee' red to diNquiet Venegas, and oblige him to wiihiliaw the troops he had on the right bank of the Tages, his Majesty entered Toledo yesterday, drove the assailants from their positions, and causing the Ith corps to pass the bridge, stationed it on the left bank of the river. 64 Then we were informed of the union of the Dukes of Dilinatia and &Iloilo, and learnt that the enemy, taken by surprise, and un Jilt; to reach the bridge of Almarez, had no ether retreat than that of Arzubispo; and that closely pursued as he was, on a road hardly passable, vrhich lie was obliged to take, he would be obliged to lose the greater part of his artillery and equipage. We learn that such has been the precipitancy of his retreat, that he was obliged to abandon, as well at Talavera as at Argesa, from 5 to 6000 wounded. 64 What will most surprise you, Sir, is, that yesterday at night, Vettegas had not beard of the retreat of the English and Cuesta beyond the Ts. gas. As we do not perceive that there were any great circuits to be nude in order to inform him of this, it is a proof either that the enemy had no concerted plan of operations; or, at least, that he was so confounded by his defeat, as not to think of informing Venegas of it in time. 64 You see, Sir, what has been effected by tin nitrous armies, at least two.thirds stronger than that of the French opposed to them nut one of their detachments has been able to show themselves before the gates of Madrid. They were only a few hours on the line which stretches from Al berche to the capital, and their campaign has ended by abandoning about 6000 wounded, and probs. bly with the loss of the greater part of their artil. lery and equipage; not to mention the prisoners, which of necessity will be taken by us in the punish." and others were thriloo into prison. This bare rise to the fullooing letter :--- TIM DUKE DEL PARQUE, cesca te IN CHIEF OF TILE ARMY OF COTTLE, TO THE GENERAL CON. MANDING Tile Tauops IN IMAM 14CA. " GLN L.R A have learne.l, that some detachments of my cavalry have arrived at the gates of your city, att:tckin your advanced peas, and that they have spread disorder anti 4-aeration among your followers; that the renegade Spaniards thought their last hour was come, which probably i. not fat distant ; and that their malice availed itself of this opportu nity to gratify private revenge, accusing their fellow citizero of having affixed writings, written by themselves, to foriiish a pretence for their iniquities ; and who in cousequence have been Osman into prison, and landed with inns. " I cannot behold with iudiffereoce that the worthy ham-, bitauts of Salamanca should suffer inuocently, in cousequence of the movements of my troops. 1 therefore give you notice, General, that I shall execute reprisals, inflicting the name punishment upon an equal number of French primmer", which you may cause the people of Salamanca to suffer. " I have also been informed, that you die nut consider ns soldiers the officers and scouts of my army, because they do not wear a uniform, styling them robber and imurgents, and treating such as fall into your hands as malefactors. Know. Geueral, that they are soldiers, and deserve to be considered as such. They know the laws of tsar, and observe them better than your men do. One of your Generals, and his two Adjutants, who were those of Joseph Napoleon, fell into the hands of these partizans, Were well treated, and scut to this &rims in safety and a ith decency. Such has at been the lot of the Aprmish Generals, ha have had the misfortune to be come your prisoners. Compare the difference there is be tween the humanity of the Spaniards, a hum you call tisair gent,, because they defend their country and lie/trills ar tiro( the most horrible and tyrannical invasion, vt ith your isibuttwo uity, who buni, ravage, and destroy. like Vandals, what ever you reach, prophaning temples, massacreiog omen and children, violating women, and cummitoing atrocities un known to the Goths, Vandal., and even the Alows, w hen. they made their irruptions into Sp:iirt. iVhat b.,. your boasted philosophy wrought ? Whet.- have the ancient French people hidden themselves weir mice so tuned for the gentleness of their nianaers and their amiable nod enlighteurd character, and who knew for ages to carry oa war, and preserve the characteristic tumour of true war triers? No, you do nut belt"; to that noble :Lod distinguished race, or if you have a couneaion with them, it is only as' their spurious desceadiuits. As such you It 'yr cotillion led yourselves, anti as such I shall treat you, if you id-use my brave men, and commit in Old Castile ta u : crimes and hor rors you have exhibited in Gullicia and Asturias. 6 ' Head-quarters at Ciudad Ifitdrigu, July IS. '"The Duke del PAKQUE t ASTRILLOs" Arri ved. Mail;. hue. .._ .-- I Dubliii 11 0 l 'ilit tesibtirgh 1/ PRICE OP %Tucks 1111 3 6sj Navy 99* Cu 0.014 for Atx....6811 Dominos j L perm. 1)A1 AT I/ I; %ch. 94. 161. prem. India Bondi. v2l. 'ova. Lotter) Inlet., ?IL 174. THE STATESMAN. FROM THE SEVILLE G4ZETTE. BARCELONA ) JULY 20.--The victims who were sacrificed here on the 3d of June last, were Dr. Pon, Father Gayeta, Juan Massana, N. Aulet, and a serjeant from Soria. Thu first was a Doctor of Civil and Canon Law of the University of Cer vera, and Rector of the fortress. Being asked by the Judge whether he had distributed 50 musket , . he answered yes ; and that he should do it again, had he un opportunity. Being asked for what purpose he had done it, he answered, to defend his King, Religion, and Country. It being retorted upon him that he was doing the contrary, since his religion forbade the shedding of blood, his King did not desire it, and his country abhorred it; he replied, that they neither professed nor un derstood the Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion, nor acknowledged Ferdinand VII. as their King ; that they had, therefore, another country, awl it was no wonder that they should speak as they did. Being asked to whom he distributed those muskets, he said to good and faithful Spaniards, and that he would not betray their names. He suffered the garrote. [rho garrote is a mode of strangling by means of a screw.] The second was a priest, the Superior of St. Caytano. He died the last, having administered the last consolations of religion to the others, and suffered the garrote with the utmost serenity. The third was a merchant's clerk, belonging to the house of Llurdella. He was con►icted of of. fering to purchase stores belonging to the Com mandant. Being reproached by the French Ge. octal with being a traitor, he replied, " It is your Excellency who is the traitor; who, under the mask of friendship, seized our fortresses. I have but tried to regain what you wickedly rubbed us of." He was hanged. The fourth was also a young man, of whom, as well as of the Serjeant,-the particulars are not as. certained ; but all accounts agree, that they were both hanged, basing merited the appellation of martyrs of their country, and perhaps of their re. ligion. Savitt.E, AUGUST 9.—The Duke del Parque, Captain-General of Old Castile, announces, that some of his detachments from the army of Ciudad Rodrigo having approached Salamanca, this Intel. ligence spread terror among the French and their partisans; the good Spaniards were so fined with joy, that some of them incautiously expressed their satisfaction : among others, an apothecary shouted Viva Fernando Septimo ; on Thick he PIWPOSITI TENAZ. LONDON: THU ItSI)AY, SLPTEN DER 7. Wino the Duke of DALMATIA fled before the Baron of the Douro, and escaped through the mountains which separate Portugal from Gal!leis, we were told that his army was irretriez:ably rained—and subsequently, great pains weie taken by Ministers, through the medium of their hire lings, to persuade the people of England that the French armies iu Spain destitute of food—clothes—and money—and disported with the contest, sought but for permission to evacuate the Peninsula without molestation. To the rumours thus propagated, succeeded that of the flight of King JOSEPH from Madrid. This delusion was for many days swallozzcr/ b►• the in. futuated readers of those hackneyed, prostituted vehicles of falsehood and absurdity—Vic Courier, &e.—At length the junction of the Baron with Curt opened the cheering prospect of a march to Madrid, and the intercepted cer. respondence of SOUI.T completed the delu. sion. That the French were subdued, depres. sed, and meditated their retreat from the Pe ninsula, it was at that time as criminal as stupid to doubt. Such, however, was our density, that rze never could see matters in the same light with Ministers and their hirelings, notwithstanding the vigorous co-operation of Marshal BLRESFORD, and the modern Xenophon, Sir R. IVlr.som. To thus• who had swallowed the authentic Intel. ligence of JOILPII'S flight from Madrid, the pre ' scrim of this " bibulous" Monarch with the army of Vicron, was a little puzzling—fur al though he certainly had quitted Madrid—it could not be discovered that he was moving in the direc tion of the Pyrenees. The organs of Govern ment then cheered the people with the prospect of the annihilation of the French who had had the temerity to advance to meet the Baron— when all our hopes were damped by the refusal of CULSTA to co-operate in the meditated at. tack—and the public hail the mortification to learn, that the French turned upon their heel and were in full retreat upon Madrid. There was no hope then but that they might be overtaken—the combined armies pursued—but in a ♦ery few days they in their turn retrograded, and finding that the French were rapidly advancing, resolved to moke a stand at Talavera. History will record the lour of the British army in that destructive battle, which deprived is of live thousand men ! For this disastrous rictory---the Park and To r guns were fired—the Metropolis presented a set ne of universal joy aid gratulation---His Royal Highness the Prince of WALE' himself read the dispatches to his guests at Briglituo—Lord siltrs and Mr. Sli Lit IDA !I Made appropri.ou sp.-whey from their chairs...good humour and satisfaction shone in every countenanc..l-- and fur what ?—for the bravery with which the British army had repulsed this enemy ?...that was already too well c;stablishml to retpoire the confir mation of the sanguinary days at Talavera...and there did not at the 111U3ICIlt appear to be the remotest possibility , of advantage, beyond' that of having been able to rei:/the the salient:. To the most supertkial mind, it might have been demonstrably erilont, that except the honour of having maintained the national character—the success, was of that species so luminously described, by the nsetaphj.si. cal Mr. 11'1111)1'am — . negative ; —and in announc. ing to the public on tho 15th of August the battle of Talavera, we said —" Our opinion C 6 respecting the issue of the contest is not gg altered in the slightest degree by this ft event, so glorious-to the British arms—but by gg which nothing but glory will be obtained."— What was the almost immediate consequence of this victory ? —The retreat, lira of the British, and then of the Spanish army—and in a very few days after the prof uund Cons icr had, in the abun. dance of as taste and wisdom, compared the day of Talavera with that of Agincourt, the whole herd, with 7'he Times at their head, gravely as. sured us that the victorious British army bad taken upa sat position—eighty miles in the rear of Nye ,field of battle—leaving behind its sick and wounded to the mercy of the beaten enemy, under the fy. ing King Josam—Let not the people of Eng. land for one moment suppose, that in thus des. cribing the frivolous levity with which their de. ceivers have delud,:d them...we do not feel most poignantly the disgraces...the disasters— and the• dangers in which this infatuated Country is now so di.seply...so scandalously, .we will not say irretrievably, immerged—for the people ) and the people only, can yet rescue t(ie Nation from the Imminently dreadful si tuation, M which it is at this moment placed. That very Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY, who, by O F advice of his Majesty's blinis. tern, has Ira crested a Baron and a Viscount, has retired from Talavera to Deiletosa, and is now endeavouring to make his escape with the British army under his command, from that very army, for beating which at Talavera he was raised to the dignity of a Viscount of the United Kingdom. Of the contents of the din. latches which have beeti this day received from him, we are ignorant-- but sufficient has trans. Aired from the Pickle brig, Lieut. Gooowys, arrived at Plymouth from Lisbon, which she left on the 24th of August, to convince us not only that the cause iu the Peninsula is hopeks:, but that our armies arc in great distress and its great dander. T'lte British army is retreating ra. pidly on Portugal. Let those solve the problem who can—but the fact is, that our artily is Wei ally starving—and yet the French, destitute as they ss ere of every thing, dispirited and disgusted, can follow us in our retreat, through Provinces which are necessarily desolated by our march !! ! Indigna tion and sorrow alternately predominate in our hearts, when we see almost a rch,de nation, once, and that so justly, respected, fur gu AI sence,blind. ly, nay even accessarily submitting to the grossest system of falsehood and delusion. We well know how hateful to the infatuated and deluded are those who, UNCONNECTED WITH .tND DISREGARD ! NG ALL PARTIES, dare, as we have the courage to du, plainly, openly, and honestly, to tell the Peo. pie of England TILE TRUTH. We well know how hateful to the reptiles of corruption arc the naked truths which Mr. CuSZETT has so ably and and soindependently labourod to maintain. But the time must come when the People of England will be roused to a full sense of their really despe rate situation—and that time most assuredly is nut far distant. Those who have su long laboured to support the measures of the system of the last seventeen years—by rshich system they have been enabled to rise to that pre.eminence of wealth, which is uow the solo criterion of merit, would do well to reflect on the consequences that must ensue, if we are at 'length driven over that precipice, at the very brink of which we cer. Willy have arrived. It is very comfortable philosophy, to wrap ourselves up in the confidence that the sys'etn may last our time--this is a doctrine perfectly congenial with the selfishness of aecnmulatiou but it is unsound, precarious, an.l at this mom, ut pregnant with danger. Disbelieving and ehre . garding the lies and trumpery with *Well the public has so long been inundated by the venal press of England, we have nut hesitated to tell the people unr real sentim, The : stern of the press has long heen to tiek'e the public—just as they would a trout— that they may wore secu rer calash them.—Alloct ing a regard for that people w hose pockets 'are the sAc objects of attracii ot--!ho Prints o' the metropolis retail their do.) nal anodyne: . F - I