The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-10-24 00:00:00

Deal. About twelve o'clock Mr. SHAW, aim In a
chaise and four, took the same road.
The general supposition Is, that the Foreign
Messengers were disinneed without an answer, and
that, upon second thought, and at the special in-
stance of the Duke of PORTLAND, Mr. SHAWE was
sent with orders to recut them. It is also said, that
an order was sent off, ou Saturday night, to Deal,
to release the French Messenger on board the
Clyde. Some persons conceive, that Mi►►isters,
not Choosing to trust the foreign Officers, have sent
off their answer by Mr. Snzwe; bat. upon the
whole, we are inclined to think that Mr. SHAH'S
was sent off with orders of recal, and tbat the
French Officer, detained at Deal, is to have
permission to come to London. Orders, we un-
derstand, were sent also by the telegraph, to
Deal, in the course of Saturday, to stop the
departure of the French and Russian Messengers,
in case Mr. ,SHAVVE should not overtake them.—
This communication from the enemy, although
i long expected, create►! a considerable sensation.
The stocks rose one• per cent. and it was not the
'halt of some ardent speculatots in that branch of
Commerce tluit they did not rise much higher.--
The most improbable rumours were circulated,
and the contents of the dispatches were as cond.
deadly promulgated as if they had been posted on
the front of the Manion-house, or the pillars of
the Royal Exchange. It was said that BONA.
PARTE was willing to renounce his designs upon
Spain, to withdraw his troops from thence, and to
liberate and recoguize Xing FsautaasD. In
short, he was represented as the most tractable and
accommodating creature alive. The number of
these proselytes, fortunately for the honour and
consistency of the national character, was but
small. The proposal to treat, under the present
circumstances of Europe, met with albiositiniversal
disapprobation. It was considered as an insidious
Attempt to sow suspicion betwen us and Spain, to
alike the people of that country distrust the mo-
tives and sincerity of our assistance, and by so
doing, to paralize their efforts, sad cast them at
the feet of France.
.............-
The Pelona, Hon. Capt. litea, arrived. on Sa-
turday, at Portsmouth, from St. Andero; which
place she left on the 7th instant. She does not
bring any later news than that of the recapture of
Bilbao by the French, who entered that city,
18,000 strong, on the 46th ult. The Spaniards.
commanded by Generals BLAKE and PALA:roe,
completely surround titan.—lt is not their inten-
tion to attack the French in Bilboss, but to starve
them out.—The Marquis of ROSEARA'S troops,
from the Baltic, which landed at St. Andero, had
begun► their march to join the grand sriny before
Bilbao.
The French troops from Lisbon ate to be lauded
at Quibenne It was originally intended to land them
at Rochefort. The order for this change in their des-
ti uatioa was received, on the 12th inst. by the Re-
sistance, Capt. ADAM, then convoying the second
division of the French army on its passage from Por-
tugal to France.
The Paretic, the arrival of which from Portugal,
we announced last week, wiled' from Lisbou on
the Gth, and the Niobe on the 7th instant, leaving
Sir CHARLES COTTON in the Tagus, with the Hi-
berain, Ganges, Plantagenet, .laditcious, Reso-
lution, And several frigates. We have been fa-
voured by the former with the following letter,
written by an Officer attached zo Sir Joux Mooex's
army :

" Camp, near the Palace of Chinos, Portngal,
six units from Lisbon, Oct. ii, t SOS.
We arrived on this coast, after • tedious passage of
*tee weeks, in which 1 suffered more at era than ever;

and I am happy to say I us again on teers,draia, fur never
was a man mum tired of a transport; yet it is provoking to
think, tha' after a cruise of four months, from North to
Mouth, and, as I may Bay, in quest of an enemy, that we
should arrive a few days too late for the gloriosa battle of
the vial of anzust ; though probably it is &wisest, for
some of us. We landed and marched over the bald a few
*lass after the battle. I saw one distressing scent, %Inch
was, in s very I.lNii village, nearly ion Erroels prisoners, so
badly rounded, as not to he in a state to be removed ; the
legs sad arms that badlbeen taken off were lying in heaps
in the gardens—plenty of practice fur is, of your profes-
sion as t►e French had so many wounded that oar Sur-
genus could not attend to them. Not having been in the en-
gagement, I shall say hat little about it ; it continues! about
three hews, awl, !believe, was very secret Indeed tor th,

I heard souse French Officers say, who bad served in several
camysigne, they never sow any thing like it; the tre-
mendous and well-directed fire kept up by our artillery asto-
nished them much; and they ackaowledgt mater having
been aft completely routed is their lives before. With respect
to their terms of capitulation, I must refer you to the Eirglish
Garrile, *hid' yon will, of course, see, lung before
I Oral,. Although Sir'. Moores army was nut in the action
of the 41st, it is to that force that Sir A. Wellnley's troops
■re indebted toe so decisive a victory, as Geo. 3 snot would not
lime attacked them, had he not known that we were becalmed
ou the coast, which was what prevented oar being in time,
and, to ewe J•not's own words, " he thought he could have
annihilated Fir A. Wellesley's army before our arrival"—
You wail perhaps say, that the army which attacks has the
arlysatage, which, I brit. VC, is in general thought to be the
caw, but iu a billy and mountainuns country, like this, it is
smite the reverse, mid the position Sir A. Wellesley occupied
was • very semi•; one ; bat to give the French their
due, I em told they advanced to the attack in a most
galisat and determined manna, bet t►e odd etre! of the
English, pu • 1, as it genersity does, victorious —We have
CitleTil'llfed some privation. since we lauded, n few fatiguing
marches, and, fur the first firrt.right, we lay in the fields.
without au/ SO% (ring OM baggage, except what ..•c carried en