The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-01-13 00:00:00

.E BRITISH PR SS.

LONDON,
FRIDAY. JANUARY 13.

The extracts from Sir JOHN 3ltione's letters,
published in The Gazette of Tuesday, have ex-
cited much apprehension fur the safety of our army
hi Spain. If the whole of the accounts received by
Government had been published, the alarm would
be much greater.—lt would be trifling with the
feelingsof the public, were we to assert, that it is not
in a must perilous situation. The extracts from
Sir Jonsi Moofte's letters in The Ga:eite, inertly
state, that the French infantry had not come up, but
that the cavalry was 'amity, him in great numbers.
These terms convoy a very Malicia:de idol of the
actual distance awl fore,: of the emony. We can
state, with confidence, that the French army iu
pursuit, consisted of the balk of his infantry, amid
sixteen squadrons of cavalry, and that the main
body, commanded by Boa APIKTE its person, 1,4%,
on the 31st, (the date of Sir Jun 110otted
mid letter), within three. Spanish leagues, or 12
English miles, of the British army. lu making u
rapid movement from Madrid, to support Some,
cud get into the rearof the English, it wt,s not to be
expected that Boa Armen.: would incumber him-
self with any thing that could retard his march,
where the success of its object depended so
upon celerity. Sir dons Moues, however, had a.cer-
tained that BONAPARTE hail also contrived to bring
with him a moat formidable train of heavy artillery.
It is very true that our cavalry had distinguished
itself very much iii its several skirmishes with that
of the enemy ; but here, also, the extracts in The
Graetie give only a partial view of the case. Our
corps of cavalry which covered the retreat consisted
of five regiments, while the force with which they
skirmished consisted only of one regiment of the '
Imperial Guards, that led the van. That our •
cavalry displayed all its char:ll.4.6,th: gallantry,
and that tliciir conduct is beyond all praise, we ad-
mit; but it is also well known, that the enemy's
cavalry fought with great spirA, and eviuced the
most eimisionted bravery. Cielieria LEFLIVRE had
made twelity charges btrore he was taken prisoner.
Now the British infantry, with the corps that had
joined froin K i tAN.tS division, amounting to-
gether to almost tretaft) 'hens unwitro, from The
Getz, lir, to have Isom, on the 3 Ist of December, in
full starch upon Pouferrado and Villafranca, for
and the cavalry and horse artillery, which

_

revered its retreat. were on the same day at
Artorga. From this route, it would appear, that
our army was retreating to Curniina. which is dis-
tant from Asturga about 13.5 miles, which is
equal to nine days' march. Bat our army, we nos
understand, is not retreating to Corunna. It hope]
to reach Vigo, where the men of war and transport,

to carry it off are only to be found. There are n
preparations or memo of embarking provided a
Cotonou. Sir Jour Mottos has no hopes of safet
there, and for the transports to work roan
front Vigo to Corunna, would be a work of time
the extent of which it would be impossible to for ,
see. They must double Cape Finisterre, and WHO
highly favoured by the wind, twiny days might
elapse before they roultl remit their destination. 1 i-
go is, therefore, the point to which the British array
is retreating; anti, consequently, upon its arrival at
Logo, it will strike off to the left, and proceed lel'
Ortnise. The dist:thee by this route from Astorga
to Vigo is about Via trails•~, and its it lies through a
very difficult country, fifteen days would be scarce-
ly sulliriesit, with t very advantage, to titeble
army to accomplish sti I d u tuarrh. lu caleo-
lating the time of we are also to
consider that our retreat most be conduchql its
the most cool and orderly manner, fur when forced
marches are attempted, and the troops are hurried
and l'atigocil, from that moment the enemy itsat
himself it• hi. sup p unity, mid advances with coo-
coleme, mid without reserve, to the attack.—
Now, on the Jist, the Biltisli infantry was a aim's
march a-lit ad of the cavalry, and the uiuiu body of
the French army, commanded by BONAPARTE 111
panne, sus wily at twelve miles distance hour it.
Allowiiig, ditto, fur the characteristic velocity of the
French ; that some of their cavalry had actually
come up with ours; that they may dash fiaaard
irregularly, wl.il•• we, to retreat safety, soir.t retreat
orderly ; we do sera• every reason to apprehend that
the grist masse of the French army, following in
the same track, must overtake the JS ititli troops,
before the latter 1:1111 reach 1 igo, or even C 011113114,
were Coruiva their point of retreat. Nrr is till 4
: From Astorga to Vigo there Is a much shutter
road that runs south of the river Sit to Uretise by St.
road being repo:vented as impracticable.
6irJous Moon: was obliged to take Ire circuitous
route uortlisard, by Lugo; hot should its difiieu/-
ties appear to have been overrated, and
Mos PARTE succeed in pushing a corps forward ill
this direction, it will reach Vigo before the British
'nay. Under all these circumstances, we are confi-
dent that Bo x•ocare;u- ill be able tetbring our army
to action before it can reach the coast, that a bailie
t be fought, a battle iii which the British army
will be opposed to a greatly superior force ; bin in
which it e anticipate every thing that emu be achieved
by British courage, directed by a brave and skilful
General. Shout-1 our army, however, contrary to
all expectation, effect its retreat to the coast, we
caimot hope that It coal embark without great
liorses, artillery, camp equipage, must all be left
behind. The corps that cover retreat, we fuer, must
also fill into the hands of die enemy. IVe speak
thus plainly, because, of all things, we disdain
trifle with our readers. The Ministers admit al-
most a. much, whelk they boast in their Journals
that our army is retreating to the coast, only to em-
bark there, rind laud ilk some other quarter of
Spain, where it may serve with more advautage.—
Ministers know very well, that if BON A PARTE tan
boat that he has driven the English into the sea,
at Vigo or CW111111:1, that it would he idle to
think of limiting them again in Andalusia or
Catalonia. We know full well it is the opinion
of some of the most loyal and well-informed mcu
111 Spuii, that there is good reason to fear that
the amnesty offered by Botvaeaarx will be gene-
rally accepted in Spain, and that the British army
being once driven from the Peninsula, he dreads
two hither resistauee to hi. ambitious and atrocious
designs upon that country.

Those persons who consider Europe as about to
fall beneath the genius. the arms, and the .ystein
of BONAPARTE ; who look to the extinction of all
the ancient dynasties; and who confidently predict
a new order of thioas f one extremity of the
Continent to the other ; those persons derive no
small support, in their reasonings and opinions,
from the facts which have characterised the pro-
gress of the Sp•stsisls invasion. " Ifs• say they.
•• any c try, or any people, could have opposed
a barrier to the Corsiciiii's dominion, it was Spain.
Its position, the isthmus by which it is connected
with France, the mountains that cover, and the
fortresses that defend, the entrance ; the charatb r ;
of the Catalans and the Biscayans ; the central
situation of the Capital ; and even the prejudices of
the Spaniards themselves, cut ow from a general t,
intercourse with other nations ; mitt these eircutn-
stances encouraged and justified hope. But a
series of errors, or of misfortunes, have overturned
even• calculation, and seem to extinguish any rational
prospect of setting limits to the revolutioonry con-
flagration. If CHARLES IV. had not surrendered, and
if his Mt.:moms Minister GODOS had not sold the !lb-
starchy to N POLLON, he could UUt have made him- 1
self master of Figueroa, of Montjuy, and of l'ant-
peluus. Navarre. and Catalonia, would hate given
time to the other provinces to arm. :mu to repel the
invaders. We have witnessed the defence ninclie by
Saragossa and by Val.mleia. a auld out Bar-