The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-10-13 00:00:00

tailed account tomorrow. of the oPeredem
yesterday.
The garrison now consists or only eight, handred
or one thousand infantry. and our mortars axe
playing on the fort front the inner pettah slum
I hoe late hunoar I. be. &c.. .
"T. Miisito.
•

NW kiwi Orders (4) by Illsjite-Gew7wal Marshall, met-
mradiag.
Camp, bentse Hatless., Afereh 6, ant.
Major-General Marshall congratulates the army
be ham the knout to command, on the successful
ttriutioation of its service* against the fortress and
tiiiirrof !lathe's ; which event has led to the sur-
render of Moorsuon and eleven other forts.
To Major-Generals Donkin, Sir J. HOnford,
Mid Brown, and Major Aliburey, General Meridian
els extremely indebted for the judgment, zeal,
premptituae. and energy, which they invariably
displayed its carrying isito effect the Operationo-de•
valving upon the several branches of the service to
which they were attached.
The science and skill displayed by the engineer
and artillery departments were eminently coeispis
colossi mid the bombardment and explosion of the
enemy's principal magazine. which, without den).
gating from the merits of others, must be allowed to
have given us almost immediate possession of the
place, will lung be regarded as the Most memorable
among the brilliant events of the last fortnight, and
as demonstrative of the extent and soundness of that
judgment mud penetration, which, in the avowed
anitcipation of these very cousequesices, enabled the
army. by the provision of adequate means, to in-
sure them. The practice of the artillery has an-
swered the expectations of that high authority. to
which the Major-General has ventured to allude in
the foregoing observations. Another motive fur
them is to bring forward and illustrate the fact
more closely, that where the means are equal to the
science and practical knowledge known to pervade
every branch of the army, the molts must
riably be rapid and successful. even against such
strong and formidable forts as Haman has provtd
to he.

The infantry and cavalry on this occasion had
abundant • opportunities of aliening their bravery,
seal. and devotion to the service.
On one occasion, particularly. the Major-Gene-
ral was highly pleased with the alacrity and rapt.
uess displayed by the infantry, who were formed in
tolerator ready to storm the works of the town,
holding out every expectation of success from men
who evinced such resolution and desire of being
led on. •
The duties of investing the fort latterly devolved
op the await,. and their vigilance and constancy
in maintaining the blockade entitle them to the
Major-Genera'''s highest consideration. The loss
sustained by the enemy in making their retreat from
the fort, reflects great credit on the two squadrons
of hie Majesty's Bth light dnigooria. the 7th native
cavalry, and part of the Ist Robins cavalry, who
entered and routed them.

The pioneer corps has given another proof to the
many already on record of their coolness in the most
tryiug situations, and of their extraordinary skill
and dispatch in die labours which belong to theni in
this particular species of warfare.
Having thus noticed his high approval of the
conduct of every branch of the army, Major•Geties
ral Marshall de►ires that the several Officer* em-
ployed on the General Staff of the army will accept
his warmest thanks fur the able manner iu winch
their several duties were conducted. _

The Atijor-Generil's Peri° nal Staff, consisting of
Captain Jitnes, Aide-de-Camp, Major Cartwright,
and Lieutenant Sneyd, of the Quarte►-Master-
Geueral's department, who both volunteered their
services on this occasion, and acted u Aides-de.
Camp, are entitled to his best thinks fur their
ready aisistance on all occasions. _ .

The Commissariat Department, under Lieute,
mint-Colonel Stevenson and Captain Cuuclitre, an-
swered the high expactatious formed of it from past
experience.
Lieutenant Aplin's exertions as acting Assistant
Quarter-Master-Geuersil Worked the seal, intelli-
gence, and ability of this deserving and promising
Officer; Captain Watson. Provincial Assistant,.
Adjutant-General, and Brigade-Major Gough, hid
impo►tant and laborious details to conduct, which
they performed to the entire satisfaction of the
Major-General.

(4) flmkb some seeidetit. the dispatch treat the Go.
vernor-General in Council, covering them Orden.has inK
been reeeived.

SIR ROBERT WILSON.

Sir ROSIZT Si'lLsum has published a Letter
addressed to his Constituents, refuting • charge
brought spinet him in the last number of The
Querie►lp Review, wherein he is accused of having,
during the war in the Peninsula, given ‘6 a false
report or a victory gained by the corps under his
conimatul." The passage in the Review containing
this charge, expresses it In covert terms ,but the
allmions are too strung to be misunderstood, It is
an follows:

14 hir Robert Wilson la, we believe, biairlf well sepaint.
ed with an (Aker of high rank, and of considerable repu-
tation as 'an able partisan: who nevertheless tbnerht fit
to eaten • period nf inaction during the Spanish war, by
dispatching So headquarters • fake report of • victory
pined by dm corps tooter his command; a circumstance
which, to *gar SIM Of it, has had a considerable effect in
ste emendators as to military details derived from
eon interns"

It still am have escaped the notice of our reader.,
that this charge is extremely
general, specifying
no circumstance of date or place by which the gal-
lant officer could be directed to advance opec.fic

. . .
Matter of controdrtinn. An ingenuous accuser, in
er•attl virtito attack the character
tingniohel/ who, thitilkt twenty. 4.;.
years of a pecultany active litet had Manifested it
'chivalrous gallant/I, it konero4-.4 'devotedness in
the service of his cotintry; would it least harts
made his attack fairly and openly. He would not
have honied a yeprtiat4; unLe have attempted; by in•
6itibstinns. to teh fivotia him a reputation which, as
Sir ROBBRT Vl'tt.tait he his letter to the tilitor of
the liettie'se says, has betn the " only fruit" he has
derived from ill hill auditing. and his services.
Sir Rosette Wtt.eolt felt the difficulty in which
he was placed; he, therefore, utter the first im -
prersiott, addressed a' letter to the Editor a The
Citable:7e Reticle, which Sir Roam"? WiLsom
*mice. in the following words
I arguatnted him " that my allealioa had been directed'
to a paragraph is* Ririe. of My work is Rossi., whir%
from the iditrodlidetioa of Sdearm& ' active partisan; deem-
ed so iadicate we as the persoo guilty of traemeittiag Wet
*re report to which the writer alluded iw—that I was boned
to repel each a serious charge; het at it might he made
he error, and sot ip the spirit of defamation, I was anxious
to correct such error lo his stied, by affording him the
lams of information; and just grounds fur redressing the
urea' which he had its.. me. 1 therefore combated a printed
narrative of the operations of the corps wider my cost,
mead, extracted from the Afonneor and the British Ga-
zelles."

I concluded by observing, « that reputation was the only
fruit I bad derivrd from aro years aerviee. flat I therefore
felt perastoded the &Mot would wet condemn the jealousy I
caressed for its preservation, het mist tbe demand of
justice."

. To thin the Editor returned 4 polite gnawer. ins
forming him that tl►e commgt►ication could not be
published until the next number appeared, Sir
Room' WlLoon at find proposed to wait the pub-
lication of the text number of ne Quarterly Re.
view. but he subsequently yielded to the advice of
friends, who justly thought he should not allow the
calumny to circulate fled,' for so long an interval,
and has published a succinct narrative of all the
transactions in which he was engaged in tl►e Penin-
sula as commander of • separate corps, at the time
supposed to be alluded to by the Reviewer, This
narrative, which circumstances compelled Sir R,
WlLspr; to publish, is not more interesting as an
account of a most important period of the war in
the Peninsula, than for the modesty with which it
records the services of the writer, acknowledged
by all miles to have been attended with the best
advantages. In this seuse his calumniator has onv
wittingly done him en eminent service, for it is Sit
Rosary Wit.sox's good fortune never to address
the public without instructing and pleasing them,
while he of necessity proves his own claims tp their
esteem, confidence, and gratitude,
Our limits will not permit us to follow him in
his rapid and brilliant career, from the first moment
of his creating an efficient corps of Portuguese pea-
sant% to the time when he was recalled by Sir Aar
THUG WEl.l.Esuce to constitute a part of the grand
army. In the year 180$, he was appointed " with.?
out any solicitation" to raise 4 Portuguese legion
at Oporto, but none of the emoluments usually
derived from such foreign levies were granted to
him, sod he subsequentlN rglased the pay of I,oooi.
a-year offered hint by the Regency of Oporto. The
corps having been found efficient by Sir ,loom
Caanocx. moved from Oporto in six weeks after
its formation bad commenced, and entered the Spa.
nish territory. to make a diversion in favour of Sip
JOHN MOORE ; that after the retreat of Sir Jong
bloom:, when no forward movement could be of
any utility, and a French division advanced rapidly
on Salamanca, he endeavoured to protect the counr
try between the Tormes and tl►e Agueds. though
, urged from all quarters to relinquish an undertake
ing wl►ich appeared to persons in authority at a
greater distance to be impracticable and destruc-
tive. " fay successful maticeuvre and unremitting
activity {he observes), the feeble corps under my
command maintained au extensive and important
territory between the Tonnes and the Agneda ; re,
animated the drooping spirits of the inhabitants it►
the Portuguese and Spanish Provinces, which were
menaced by invasion; kept open the gates of Tv.
treat for the Marquis of Romero esceping from
Gallicia; influenced, as acknowledged by General
CHEM, by the Spanish Governments and by the
British Ambassador, the preservation of &eine
at the most critical juncture; prevented the union
of General LAlnsm from Castille with Marshal
Sonur ■t Oporto, paralysed that Marshal's opera-
tions, trod auspensied the prepared evacuation of
Lisbon until Sir A. Wer.t.gst.ey arrived with fresh
troops from England. It was then that the disci-
pline and organisatiou wh ch had been eummenceil
io my legion, were successfully introduced into the
whole Portuguese army by Marshal BERUFORO."
4' These facts," he says, 's however presuinii.
toms they may appear, challenge denial. Many wit.
Heaves of them are still ; anti the documentary
evidence is in my poostssiol, t mbracing the testi-
minty of all the Civil and Military Authorities in
the Peninsula; nor would reference to Marshal
SAULT, mud the French Generals employed in that

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