The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-01-17 00:00:00

LON DON,
TUESDAY, Jimumm

?he fluid, Capt. Bata., iswerived at Falmouth,
from Corunna. She sailed on the 4th notnnt, at
which time it was reported, that the Britol. army
was surrounded by the French, un.Ter the command
of N APOLVIN in person. The French were esti-
mated at 190,000. but that is no doubt an eiug-
geration. We inv7, however, presutu 'the
army acting agaiast our troops, including SqI,T.T.II
41011ITIElell corps, awl ihe troors from I;alri,i,
dors not fall short of loomuo mcn. N APIII.kON
bass with him twenty regiments of cavalry.

It is difficult to conceive, and still more diffii-,uft
laresggernte, the means brought into action by
Dun P.Stra. in his invasion of Spain. There is
gnarl reason for believing, however it
rosy appear, that on the ijth of November last, he
had 17,000 waggons and 130,000 horses eniplossi
in his commissariat. All his biscuit. oar brought
from the interior of Froace. The butchers sad
bakers, from nonwitraits to Nisrurs, a spice of 180
wades, were all conscribed, brigaded, end inarclieti '
off into Spain. in the space of five days. Nine'
hini.tred were thus colPected ana Pitt into eg,etive
requisition. Taus are facts, known to the Cunt•
rounder in Chief in this coi:stry. Whet Govern-'
mein contend with a revolationary rkspot,
ar,neif with such power, and capable of wirldinit
such fool!? No twos from Spain has yet reached
us, and it is more than possible that none may ar-
rive before the opening of Parliament. There
was, however, a moment, and there was a mode,
of had Ministers availed themselves, one-
cess must have attended our exertions; hut,
in defiauce of the most self-evideot principles of
common sense, they commence the liberation of
'Spain at the wrong end. by attempting the um,.
guest of Portugal. In order to effecillit. they sent;
in sureession three Generals ; the second of who.n
arrests the firogrea of the first, at a moment of
victory ; and the third,certainly not selected either
for conspicuous merit, or for experience, consum-
mates the error or the misfortune of his:itansediate
predecessor, by concluding an ignominir.us Can-
wention, odious to the Portuguese, little hoaiourable
to our own arms, and useful only to the enemy.
Its first operation and effect is to transport, in our
own vessels, back to France, on army lost to
13u-
tAPAaTI, and cut Off from all pnssii'llity of ex-
teu:liiig or receiving assistaace, while it compels
our own forces to undertake a march of seven
hundred miles, across all Portugal and Spain.—
The efflcts have correspo..ded to these premises.
IiATOL£ON, after au absence of between three and
four month, returns, and posses the I'yrences.—
W•lieee were Moenn and BAUM ? At d3ilhon, or
at Burgos? lm Biscay, or Old Castile? No.
The oue had reached 34Intualica mud the other had
penetrated to Astorgs. As well might they have
remained at Lisbon and at Corumia. Bon armer 4
instantly marches to Madrid. it ,penes the armies
of the Spaniaids 011 the Ebro, passes the mountains
of Gondar:sins, and finally totters the capital by
treachery or by force. T 6, n, nor armies advance'
across Leon ; but as suddenly mind precipitately re=
treat on the first iutelligenee of NAPOJAON'S op-
roach. Such is our position at the present hour.
Is there any man so blind, or so prejudiced, wlw, I