The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-09-27 00:00:00

acted as a guard. His whole Star were seen to set
oil as fast as they could. The result of this memo-
rable tartan% was the capture of :21 pieces of artil-
lery, and front 1000 to 1200 killed. The prisoners
amount to 800, skAtkoing whom are Generals Be,k
bier and Arnaud. The latter fell from his horse,
and aas tatiCa by a Portuguese serjeant and Cadet.
The number of wounded cannot lie' less than 2 or
3000. The French curried off a number of them
in waggons to 'Fortes Vedras. The rest were left
Minh on the mountains. The Portuguese were
generously employed in collecting them. In the
linguist of the little village of Louritiliaii, there are
mare than twenty of tlitta seat:rely wounded. How
different was the conduct of our oppressors, who
esereised every species of mirky upon us ! The
los, of the English does not exceed, in killed and
:rounded, more than' Zoo men."

COMPLAINTS OF THE PORTUGUESE.

The following arc the alleged grounds of com-
plaint of the Portuguese itgannit the conduct of
our Commanders iu Portugal. They rest upon
the authority of letters from Liston to the 11th,
and Oporto to the 12th instant, of which tbey coos
stitnte the substance
The as aal ceremonies bad scarcely been exchang-
ed, after the landing of Sir Arthur Wellesley on
the banks of the Doom, when the Bishop of
Oporto, in his political character, demanded of,
the British Officer the arum with winds he was loo-
t desl for the natives who had been enrolled for the
defeiwe of their country. application was in-
effectual. His Excellency was told, diet they were
not to be so disposed of; mod thus the only means
which he cousidemd necessary for the salvation of
Portugal were aithlield; mid the vetierable Prelate
was forced to retire from the first iuterview with his
sullies, indignant and disappointed. lie knew that
French perfidy and rapacity had deprived his intre-
pid comitryonen of the means indispensable to
give effect to ,their courage; cud •he was ap-
prised, that undo the orders of the Britirli.llinistry
arms had been provided fur at least BM*
men, for the.purpose of this expedition. With such
facts before him, he had the mortification to see,
that his brave compatriots were to be prevented
from partaking in the glory of the appreaching
con-
flict. The total number tweiotred to enter the field
amounted to 40,00 N; but for want of arms only
5000 were assembled, under the 'orders of Gene:al
Frire, and they were very indifferently provided.
The Portuguese also comiihnit,that in conformity
to the contracted syatetu of the British Ltenerals,
they were not brought into acriou ill either of the
engsgemeots which preceded the Mintier arranges
silent; that in one Cage a ileum body, of the strength
of 1500, was constrained to give plaCe to a corps of
British, iu the moment when their osonnif,oe could
have mom advantageously displayed; en that in
the oilier, during the battle of Viineira, nearly their
whole frittee, tinder their gallant General, was re-
wired to the thstenet of more than two leaves
from the scene of action.
They object, that not only these general op-
portannito of distinguishing tile valour of the Poi-
tuguese on thew eau territory were neglected, but
the example's of individual talent or success have
been passed over in silence and further, that
merit Win been attributed to the British soldiery,
due exclusively to themselves. la support of this
pretensiore, they cite the anecdote of the English
grenadier, who is said to have taken' Geneml
• user prisoner; and to have refused the pecuniary
offem of that French's-on: for his nutilututosion.-s-
The Portuguese aecesont of the sense transaction is
given in a Goatee of Coimbra, a here it rs express-
ly stated, that a serjeant and cadet, both of that
cation, took General Breuicr prisoner.
The Portuguese, we understand, ere anxious to
bestow all due praise upon British valour; hot thoy
say, that the number of troop!. in the Ircaell ar-
mies have been exaggerated, in Ender to acquire
that glory which the thalami:llona could not mai+
tain. They contend, that for tb
have vanquished 12,000 French, wits no tosihject cat
boast to British character ; cud they tIo not admit,
that even with this inequality of force, under the
recent Couventroil, any conquest a:lb achieved.
Their objections to the conduct of the British
Commandens do not terminate here. Prior to the
last engagement, the Portuguese had consumed
the whole of their bread; and in these circum-
stances General Freire applied to Sir Arthur Wel-
lesley for a supply of provision* for a wagle day,
the British at the mum time having abundance,
both in their Maio and with the shipping stationed
on the Coast. This request was denied ; on hear-
ing which, the Portuguese Commander is reported
to have anode thw Short olive:nation, Then we
will fight without bread."
The wet -senoras complaint yet remains. Nei-
ther the Military nor the Civil authorities of the
natives were at any time consulted, either respecting
the military operations, the armistice, or the ulti-
mate disgraceful Convention; and had the proper
respect been paid to their discretion sad liatriotis,n,
it is highly probable, that the ristruifest impolicy of
this erniogenient would have been exposed ; so that
even those who assented to it would have hewn
couviiiced of their own precipitation and folly.
As soon as the terms of that Convention had
placed the forts and capital of our faithful and au-
Bnt Ally Mider the'proteetion of our troop*, the
ritish flag was .levated, as if the Portuguese had
not recovered their liberty, bat had been consigned
over to new masters. K hen this emblem of their
(leant:halm was, discovered, it excited such general
expressions of indignation, that the imprucleece
which raised the banner was alarmed, and it was
alinoust iosauitly lowered; but not without produc-
ing those sensations of disgust, the impression of
which it will be extremely difficult to efface.
Uuslec the strong impulse of sensibility °mai-
.
*Hied by these serious grievances, it is not surprising
if we bear of commolisons in Portugal, in which the
English. scut as friends and deliverers, have to en-
dure some portion of the Fctieral indignation, and
ir, consequence of the trench troops gradually
slimiuishing in number, by the transport of their
brethren to France, will lie exposed to immediate
ditimer. !t is in truth impossible, that, laden with
the phinder of that injured country, the latter rim
withdraw, lodess they are removed* to a plate of
security, gliardeti from the rage of the Datives by
the iuterveution of the British forces. •

The moot convincing proof of the disgust and