The National Register.
London, England, 1808-09-11 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER 11.

wards retired himself in good order, though with great loss.—
Here it was that Colonels Lake and Stewart fell. He was not,
however, so.fortunate on the 21st, being made a prisoner in the
gallant charge of General Ferguson's brigade, which broke the
enemy's right column, at the head of which Breniere fought.—
It is impossible here not to notice some circumstances connected
with the capture of this Officer. He surrendered himself upon
the column giving way, to Corporal Ross, of the 71st regiment,
and immediately pulled out his watch and money, which, with
his swori, epaulettes, and sash, he pressed upon his captor :
this gallant man, however, refused every thing he was offered,
brought the General in safety to Colonel Pack, and delivered
him up to that Officer. Breniere, in astonishment, Could sot
help exclaiming—" What sort of a man can this be—he has eine
me the greatest services—has brought me here safe at the risk of
his life—and yet refuses to take from me all the reward I can at
rand offer him !" To which Colonel Pack rather drily ob-
served,—" We are British Soldiers, Sir, and not Plunderers."
Our readers will be glad, however, to know that such conduct
did not pa.s unrewarded :—as soon as Sir Arthur Wellesley was
m'sde acquainted with it, he asked it as a favour from Colonel
Pack ti mike him a serjeant on the field of battle (with which
the Colonel immediately complied), and gave from his own
pocket a handsome gratuity to this generous fellow. The con-
duct, on that day, of a cousin of this identical Corporal Ross,
who was Piper to the same regiment, is too remarkable to be
pa-sed over in silence. As he pushed on in his ranks fighting
briv,.lv, his pipes being slung behind him for the present, he
received a severe wound in the leg from a musket ball—finding
himself disabled, he deliberately sat down on the ground, and,
unstrapping his instrument, he called out—" Wee, iny bra' lads,
I can gang no farther wi' ye a fighting ; but de'el ha my soul if
ye sal want music ;" and immediately began playing his most
warlike airs with his utmost might, and the greatest unconcern.
lien. Kellerman, who was deputed by Junot to tfeat for terms
on which to surrender his army, commanded the Reserve in the
action of the 21st. He it was who endeavoured to retake the
cannon taken by Gen. Ferguson's brigade, in a desperate attack
on the T Ist and 92d regiments, which were halted in the valley
where they had been lost. In this attempt, however, he was
foiled, by a brilliant manoeuvre of the Commander in Chief,
who, from his situation on the high ground, seeing the disad-
vantage to which these corps would be attacked in the vale, or-
dered them to retire to the heights, which they very reluctantly
obeyed. Arrived there, they halted, faced about, fired, and
charged down the hill upon the enemy, who had by this time
reached the low grounds, with such impetuosity and effect, as
totally to defeat and oblige him to retire with great loss, leaving
the six pieces of cannon behind him. This Officer is the son of
the celebrated Marshal of the same name. On arriving at the
British Head-quarters ou the 22d, he did not seem in the least
cast do wn by the disastrous affairs of the I7th and 21st, nor did
lie sliew the slightest feeling or sympathy for the misfortunes of
the many hundreds of his fellow soldiers who were dead and
dying of their wounds all around. On dining at the General's
table, to which of course he was invited, he seemed sieprised at
the hard biscuit which he found there, and said—" Faith, Ge-
neral, if I thought you had been so badly provided, I would
have brought you some fresh bread !"

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.

NUMBER THIRTY -SI:V EN.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR VICTORIES IN
PORTUUAL.


Measures of defensive warfare, bordering on pusillani-
mity, unusual in the councils of this country, were adopted
after the battle of Austerlitz. The death of a great States-
man, attributed to grief and disappointment, was consi-
dered as a proof of the inutility of our exertions in favour
of the Continent. The rapid success of the enemy, the
humiliation of a powerffil monarchy, the retreat of the
ltussian armies, and the acquiescence of the Prussian Cabi-
net in the insatiable exactions of the Victor, were adduced
in support of this system; and the declamations of a faction
triumphed over the good sense and the policy of the na-
tion. The necessity of peace, and the inefficacy of resist.