The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-03-24 00:00:00

• "
that I dete.luinecl to withdraw the intny •
•Spalu, and to abandon 41 cause, for tile,4•Ureerta at
which the t iorernment tire so much intereeted, nod
the public mind so highly exalted.
" Aa long atthere remained an aruiv,and any
hope wt resistaiier on the part of the Spiseilawast, 1.
trao. deter • xi to yeeretvere, at Nil risks, in the
jauitatettt.ot the army; and thruiil CieO:AtTAN
had receivedat check, or heels forced to retreat, it
was my iutentiett, .nothing better tittered, to
march upon, Madrid, Irma whence, getting behind
the Tegus, we should have given the Spaniards nit
opportunity of rallying around us, teed hate *hared
t tell fortnaUs. This intentiois I mentituted 103 Oar
Lordship in any letter of the ,24tle emit I imparted
it its LA fiat-stint' to Air. Fite:ex, tor his opinion.
nut the sudden defeat of lirueael C.esTAcns s army
left nothing either to Mil me, or to prtsent the fur-
ther progress of the enemy.
11 'Site British nriny it:la at that moment on its
march to collect at this place and Astorga. (le-
ttere) Dope, with the head of his (lien:ion, was at
A ida l'asetin, and from the toliee led nintiner ii
whic:i it was necessary for him to nairelt, he could
not have joined me sootier thou he has done. Sir
Devito BAIRD'S corps could not be colh.eted at
Astorga, before the 4th of this month ; it it us thus
impossible for this tinny to have teen united befine
the 13th or lath, and still later before it could he
ready to undertake au otienlive ineveineut. 'this
time was more than siahlt•ient • cuatale the enemy
to hoist' the destruction of whet blue Spanish force
remained, anal to turn t!te ;;r. test past of his artily
artainst the British, whit it, when united, does rot
tOtt red .26,00.1 men, but it hi-li pent:ably he would
be able to attark whilst ileria•lied and sep uratod.
consider the British army as standing &dame ; that
its ninon could tint be uttennitesl without gri•nt tut.
viral; or, if effected, that it could not withstand
11w great loree that would he brought against it;
It was vain, I thought, to expect, that, tinder emit
circumstances, it could retrieve the Speitish reuse I
and though I knew the army would cheerfully ate
• tempt whatever 1 ordered. 1 thought my duty called
upon me not to expose it to et roiliest 111 which its
hest efforts could not promite ta lee suetessful.--
It fairly lit said, that the lisitish tansy • never
retched Spain; it rennin. in the trite erase, lie
• called an army, natal it is unlikd and prepared to
sad ; the Spaniel* Purees were defeated. and their
-worse lost, before the Britoil, so constitated. could '
Caine to their astistaitee.
" I feel the tit le:.• ef the r,sponsiliiiits which
has tall:a to 1111.. i nothing but difichlties
to eboorte; nhetle have chosen the. least, mid
that which will he the leitilt die:approved. by
MA.11,1 r and toy CrMtitry. I rgooot eletorovioe;
my wish has bean to decide. right. •1 -reflected
well upon the different ditties I had to discharge;
-• and if 1 hiker decided wrong, it eint only be be-
' taus: I am not gifted with that judgment Wheal
• 'was imputed to me whet I was eutrusted with this
important commaiirl."
Letter 7, is &del Salamanca, December 5.
It state., thst, ill consequence of-the general *pi-
' neon entertained, from the vesistunee of Madrid,
. whirl is also Mr. Facer's, he ordered Sir Davits
}Wan tC rospend his march.
Letter a, (hued Si:bummers, the eth Drceerher,
. 'fetes. that M emisrpienee of the musistan.e of
Mselrid, and the hope espreeseil. iti which,
boweier, lie partietpated very slightly, he Ilan.
ordered General Baton, who wire retreating, to
ethane.. to Bencvente, with intent to join him and
1104:A14 there, mid marelt, united, to
He adds, " While there 1, a etrefee remain,
but .Iludrid may fall, acid the ground io• stithlt:hly
• cut from midi, my feet. I hope u better spit.*
prevails in the Sonthern provinces. litre 110 OW
lairs. and Yet thee are all well iiielined."
Letter 9, dated Salnnunica, December 10, slate-
the fall of Madrid, but his determiention to ail-
ranee to Tonitatillas, and theatre to A'nlladnlid.—
His good—that of 11.0414•4 A, he is infierseti•tl
by General " very bail." The letter thus
concludes: " Until ettotirs iu Spoilt hear u mere
promising segeeet, 1 sleuth! think titer 1.0011•111 p
will approve of keeping at Cr 'mina or Lisleon u
suffice-et quantity of traitsports for the re-einharlos-
tion of the army."
Letter 10, in dated dated Salamanca, 12th Dee.
It states, that lie pals not heard fmin the Marquis
ROMAN A, and must give up the ereoperation of his
corps for the prevent ; that lie is determinist, how-
ever, to sidvaiice, to create n divereion. if the Spa-
niard- can atuil themselves of it ; but dust the
French hare from s 0 to 90,000 men. in the North
of Spent. in COW of retreat, requests toe' ports to
proceed first to C0;11111111 for orders, ices I C.c.:: cam.
denotes at Vigo. The Prltish army is bout tl7 tit
129,000 men, inciteliiii two regiusehts coming film
Itortn4al.
Letter I t. aided Torn. j6th December, earn:nu-
' skates an intcrcepted letter front Brattpisit to
Marshal SOU t.T. which. ipdared hial to dticct lies
fools te,aitist etouLT ; but expects do paced no the
general cause, even though he shurilal aentaiii
victory. uttiems is should souse the Spouiards. De-
sires the transports from Poitogial to be sent to
Vigo. The intercepted letter orders Sesist to
make himself master of Leis, to chive the English
into Galicia, and seize Bekierente um! Zamoea.—lt
repeals fioni it, that Boetearre ttiotight Sir
Jaunt Mooaa was retreating to Lisbon.
' Letter 12. is &deal Broevente, (fateful*, t:o,
.u• ...ince% his abeindonnient of his ila sign to attack
nu i L., rta and hi- retreat, in COnlluence of lemma-
con of the Freititli marching in Irons Madrid.
Letter 13, is dated Astoteii, 31st Det ruiner.
It soya—" I arrived her(' 3 eterilay, where 1 flood
the Martini; De Itonas s, with a great part ef his
troops. With respect to me, ray Loiti, and tie
Britieh troops, it is CllllllllO that !AMA 0111th I have
10114 foreseen. From a desire to do what I could,
4 matte the movement egninst Sot g.r; me ;a dim.
11i011* it has answered completely ; butrie there is
nething to take advantage of it, I have risked the
Inas of the army fur ou purpose. I Lee no optical
now. but to fell down to the enastaes fast as l'am
able. I found no provisions here, the little which
bail been collected hied been t0111;11U1 %I In Sir D.
114tair's corps in their passage, nod there is not
two slay's bread to carry the army to Villa France.
• There is no theme ofearriage ; tie people run I/Way ;
the 'Alleges art* deserted ; and I have isteu obhysti
to gleamy great port of teat aninkunitiou ot.d mill-
' tory siortre; for the same moon 1 hove been

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