The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-01-07 00:00:00

i-

FOREIGN

FROM THE SPANISH PAPERS. •
Ludo, Inc. 24.
The latest accounts from head-quarters state it
to be the intention of Sir John Moore to advance
with all possible expedition to Burgos, with a view
of getting into the rear of the enemy; but as we are
here completely ignorant as ei ell of the strength of
the.latter, as of the force declined to attack him, if
Let, it is impossible to decide on the propriety of
hismvveinent; every confidence is, however, justly
placed in the acknowledged talents of the General.
Of Madrid, we have no certain information, though
t here is ranch reason to suppose it in possriedon of
he French. Our cavalry have had some lirilliant
*Alin neat Benevente, where 400 of our brave fel-
lewe have defeitedcloub!e their number of the *me-
t and made near 300 prisoners; in all, not less
sit 700 have bred taken. The snow has fallen in
mmense quantities, which has rendered the roads
;,ear!y impassable ; notwithstanding which, and
other die.:ulties, the troops have borne the fatigues
of a long march with their usual perseverance, ar.d
have behaved well.

IFENtritlfTE, DEC. 24.
The brave corps of English c*vtlry which disem-
barked at Corunua, and from its splendid
aadjnilitary appearance, wit* the admiration of all
who beheld it, has, under the orders of Lord Paget.
coveted itself with g:ory. On the 20th instant, 400
British attacked, at Sahagan, goo French cavalry,
part of a corps of from 13 to 13,000 men,which were
at Saldanha. The English fought with such va-
lour, that they put the eiieniy to flight, •makiisg-
-260 prisoners, besides 30 killed and several
wounded.—(Carunna Diary, Dee. 29.)

CORVN7A. DEC. 21.
We look with much anliety to the nest accounts
from the army, as, Gum its approaching the vicinity
of the enemy, a battle may soon be expected to take
place. The whole force under Sir J. Moore con-
sists of 4b,000 me.f. 10,000 are Spanish, detached
from the army of the Marquis de la Romania; at
least such is the report of the day. Our troops ure
represented as.heing in the highest spirits, and de-
sirous of meeting the eifelay ; the 7th Dragoons

have had initch skirmishing with the French caintry,
and in one affair defeated a body of 900, of which
they made 300 prisoners. Our loss was trifling.—
We akoolutely know nothing positive respect Mg
Madrid, or of the enemy's force• in that quarter...-
Various letters aunomicn, that the French were in
posses:4mi of El Retiro, and had placed guards in
different parts of the city, but that they could not
compel the inhabitants to give up their arms.
Other accounts suit., tint it has capitulated. Bar-
celona is reported to have surrendered to tlic Eng-
lish and Spaniards, after a most destructive bom-
bardment.
Letters from Gikin, of the iSth ir.st. state, that

the French had no more than 2,30 troops in

Santo:Are, and as General llolu►tiaos was advanc-
ing with SOOO men, it was expe;:ted that the
enemy would evimuste the place.

MIMI. ADVICE TO THE Prstac
Since the lust advice the Superior Junta received
various and discordant information relative to
the state of the capital. notwithstanding they
spared 'wither trouble nor expense to obtain an-
theistic iotelligance, until an repress arrived with
I tiers filial Carolina, elated last night, which N-
soively state, that last Thursday, Madrid was still
deleuding itself with the utmost vigour ; that a di-
vision of the army of Castenos was in the neigh-
bourhood of that capital, and that Don Pena was
also directing his march to that point ; and
that the French are earnestly desiring the cupi.
t .latinn of the inhabitants of Madrid. As to the
:Sierra Morena, our lie:ld-quarters are established
at that point ; our army in that quarter is
hourly reinforced by the troops, who were dis-
persed by the canny, and the armed peasantry ;
that the Junta of DtiVIICP, formed there, of
the deputies of the four kingdoms of An-
dalusia, and of the ether two of La Mancha, is
alines; 'constantly assembled, making th^ utmost
exertioeis, iu concert with the CoMinautling Gene-
ral, to secure that important point against any
successful attack on the pail of the enemy.
The Junta has also received orders immediately
to march alt the prisoilors who are iu this kingdom
to by small divisions, escorted by armed
peasants. to be nut at the disposal of the ilovoroor
of that city.* The Junta has likewise got a letter
from his Excellency the Deputy of the. Central
Junta, Rated Triiv;'llo, Dec. 8, stating, that the
liepoties of Catalonia have received intelligence
that we have rentleced oursatves masters of Duce-
lona.

By Command of the Junta, •
ANTONIO C.lit COLOME JASAR A.
4.,e4ubs, I)ee. ia, loos. Priaciyat Ste.egary.
(Corwana Diary. Dec ‘29.)
Letters (ruin Valencia state the fullnsving net of
the most heroic valour, 00 tf,e 1)111tVi a boy td
of age, which (kerne, to he recorded in the mili-
tary annuls of this c try :
During the last enlistment at Saragossa, the Fo'irl
was reje.cted no unfit for service. Bnt animated
the must fervent patriotism, raid ancsons to
snare in the gloty of the gallant di:fent-tern tit the
country, he contrived to mix with the truolioAlto
attacked the French, and behaved with sa ant aJt
Intrepidity and valour, that he took a stand of co.

liolobohiett, in light of the nosy, be carried to the
Climea of Pilar—placed them on the high altar,
and rejoined the troops, who were still closely en-
gaged with the enensy.--{/bid. Dec. 30.)
PROM THE SPANISH PAPERS.

WILLEM?: of the ARMY of SPAIN.
" MADRID. DEC. 10.

"His Majesty reviewed, yesterday, on the Prado,
the Duke of Dantzit's corps, which arrived the day
before yesterday at Madrid—He expressed his satis-
faction at these brave troops.
" To-day he reviewed the troops of the Confede-
ration of the Rhine, forming the division command-
ed by General Laval. The regiments of Nassau
and Baden behaved well—the regiment of Hesse
Darmstadt did not sustain the reputation of the
troops of that country ; the Colonel arid Major ap-
pear to be men of moderate talents.
" T•ke Duke of Istria set nn the Gth for Gua-
dalaxara. Ile scoured the whole road from Sara-
gossa and Valencia, made 500 prisoners, and took
a great deal of baggage. At Basuto, a battalion of
SOO men, summoned by the cavalry, were broken
in upon.

" The enemy'. army, beaten at Tudela and Cala-
taytid,abandoned by it, Generals, and a great aunt-
ber of aoldiers, was reduced to 6000 num.

" On the Bth, at midnight. the Duke of Istria
attacked. at Santa Cruz. a corps which covered the
flight of the enemy's army. That corps was closely
pursned, and a thousand prisonews.t.ken. It wish-
ed to throw itself into Andalusia by ileladridego. It
appears to have been forced to disperse in the
mountains of Cuenqa."_

EIGHTEENTH BULLETIN of the ARMY of SPAIN.

XADILID, DLC.

" The Central Junta of Spain had hut little
power; the greater part of the provinces paid it
little submiasiou, lust all of them deprived it of
the administration of die finances. It was under
the influence of the lowest clan Hof the people : it
was governed by the minority. Florida Blauca was
w:thout any credit. The Junta was under the con-
trout of two men, the one named Lorenzo Cal• o, a
grocer of Saragossa, who had in a few months oh-
taMed the title of Ercelkney. He is one of those
violent men aho appear in revolutions, his honesty
was more than suspected. The other is called Til-
ly, formerly condemned to the gallies as a thief:
the youtiger brother of a man of the name of Gm.-
man, who formerly played a part under Robeapierre
the reign of Terror. As soon as any of the
Illetalsers of tke Junta opposed the violent measares
that were proimsed, these two wretches immediately
called out treacon. and immediately a mob was col-
lected under the windows of Araisjitez. The ex-
travagance and wickedness of these danerons men
were manifested upon all occasions. As soon as
they learnt that the Emperor was at. Burgos, and
he would soon be at Madrid, they published it de.
claration of war against France, replete with insults ,
and folly.
"On the 11th, when the General of Division
Lasalle, who was pursuing the enemy, arrived at '
Talavera de la Reyna, where the English had
passed triumphantly, ten days before, buying they
were going to relieve the capital, a frightful spec-
tacle met the eves of the Freed'. A body, clothed
in the uniform of a Spaniah General, was sus—
pended front a gallows, and pierced with a theissend
bullets. It was the General Benito San Juan,
whom his soldiers, in their terror, and as an excuse
for their Commander, cruelly sacrificed. The
Bishop of Lenn and Astorga, and a greet tinntbia
of k:eclesiasties, distiiiguished themselves by their
good conduct and their apostolic virtues ; the ge-
neral pardon offered by the Emperor has produced
a great effeet. The destruction of the duties, edions
to the people, and contrary to the prosperity of the
State, and the measures which lease the numerous
class of Mioullo, no longer any uncertainty respecting
their lot, produced a good effect.
" The general unimadversion is against the Eng-
lish—The peasants say, in their language, that at
the approach of the French the Englisht wen away
to mount the wooden horses (ships.)"

MNETEF.NTH B?LLETIY.

" MADIBID, DEC. 13.

" ROARS surrendered on the 6ils by capitulation.
Two thousand meta have been mule prisoner's. A
f!eueitlerabl e quantity of artillery was found in the
place. Six English hips of the line, which were
at anchor in the harbour, would uut carry away
the ictirri,Gii.
The Liiiperor. this "lay. reviewstd the whole
of the sittite.l troops of the Dul.e of Dautzic. by-
)osid the bridge of Segovia.

•' SeitaAiani's diviviou hav marched for Talavera

tic la Iteytia.
66 The breaking up of the Spanish troops is
observed on every shit.. The uea• levir., %%inch were
.n tempted to lie riti,etl, di►perse on all .ides, and
!return to homes.

Tice detail. which we Irarn from the Sp uisiards
respecting the Ceattal J nista, are all of a nature
to phtce tlu •n in a most ridiculous point of view.—
'rant A.... nail is already become an object of cosi-
tcaipt with all Europe. Its ItleanberA, to the
iitirtilier of NG. have !widowed upon tliemselres
tiles and ribbons of every sort, and an annual al-
lowance of 60,0d0 livres. Florida Blanca was a
.real was of Spaio ; he is uow *shinned of the dis-
.

bottom he has brought upon his old age. A 3
usually happens in such assemblies, two or three
persons domineer over all the rest, and these two
or three persona were is the pay of England. the
opinion held by the city of Madrid, respecting the
Junta, is notorious : they *re as much the object of
the mockery stiil derision, its they are of the de-
testation, of the inhabitants of the capital.

" Never was there so fines December—lt is like
the beginning of Spring. The Emperor avails
himself of the fine weather to remain in the coun-
try one league from Madrid."

THE BRITISH PRESS.

LOX 1)ON,
SATURDAY, JANUARY 7.