The National Register.
London, England, 1811-10-13 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

left Oporto on Wednesday the 2d inst. brings an
account of a general engagement betwen Lord
WELLINGTON and the Fieneh army on the 25th or
6th of September last, when the French were de-
feated with great loss, and driven six leagues from
Oudad Rodrigo. The above was transmitted to a
gentleman of respectability, a passenger in the above
vessel, by Col. FAcAN, on the authority of Col.
,TRANT, Governor of Oporto."

The General Advertiser adds the following very
important one
" ANOTHER AC7OUNT.—Captain WARD of the
Briton, -rho left Oporto on Thursday the 3d inst.
says—that he had the authority of the British Consul,
to publish in his name, when he arrived in England,
that Lard WELLINGTON had pined a victory over
the French."

This is a very material addition to the pre-
ceding ; and, as Mr. GORE, the Proprietor of the
General Advertiser, being on the spot, had an
opportunity of seeing Captain WARD, and ascer-
taining the fact, we take it for granted he would
not have published the intelligence unle:s he had
obtained the Captain's authority. We are aware

it will be asked, why did not the Consul or Governor
TRANr send a short dispatch ? A very natual ques-
tion this : and we should attach some weight to it,
if we had not had so many instances of great news
having been first brought from this very town of
Oporto, and from Lisbon by private vessels and
individuals.

The following extract of a letter, derived from a
most respectable source, alludes to the preparations
made by MAamovr, previously to the 25th ult.:—
" Head-quarters, Sango, Sept. 18, 1811.
" The enemy, it appears, were about to throw
into Ciudad Rodrigo a large supply of provisions
two days ago.

" MA RMONT has sent all his sick hack to Placentia.
His head-quarters were removed to Talavera de la
Beyna. He gave out 15 days rations of biscuit ;
and announced to the army in general orders, that
the y would be put in motion as this day. From
• some forward movements on the part of ()lir army,
it would appe,ir that Lord WELLINGTON does not
intend that Ciudad Rodrigo should receive the sup-
plies without a fight for it."
By the arrival of the Aim, Captain BOYD, which
sailed from the Tagus on the Ist instant, we find

that the rumour was not confined to Oporto, but
had extended to a far greater distance, as it was
then reported in Lis►bon, that a heavy battle had
been fought with the 6th division of the army.
The Captain has forward.fd the following letter to
his owners :

" The Downs, Oct. 10, 1811.

G FNTLEMEN-I have just time to inform you
of my arrival here. I sailed from Lisbon on the

Ist inst. The day I sailed it was reported, that a
heavy battle had been fought with the 6th division
of the army. The packet was detained at Lisbon
in consequence of the above report.
(Signed) •4 JAMES BOYD."

It is impossible that a rumour of this nature could
have been fabricated at once at various points so dis.
tant from each other, we must, therefore, conclude
that it is founded in fact, and that the nest arrival
will put us in possession of the details of an action,
which, fought by. British soldiers, under the guid-
ance of Lord WELLINGTON, can have but added
fresh laurels to the many wreaths which our tried
Commander and heroic army have already won on
the fields of the Peninsula.

VICTORY OF GENERAL BALLASTEROS OVER A DWI..
SION OF TIIE ARMY OF MARSHAL SOULT.

~~

Dispatches were on Wednesday received at the
Office Of the Earl of Liverpool, from the Lieut..
Governor of Gibraltar, dated the 27th ult. by
which it appears, 66 that. General Ballasteros had
arrived at Algesiras with liis division of troops,
and had assumed the command in that quarter.
He immediately marched upon Ximera ;. and hav-
ing employed a few days in collecting the Patriots.
he commenced his operations on the 18th. His
first movements were directed to Alcala de los Gon-
zales, where the French had made themselves mas-
ters of the cattle ; but Generrl Ballasteros succeed-
ed in dislodging the troops which occupied the town,
and drove them hack to Chichina. In the mean
time, Mg,lial Sault was -tdvancing with about 6000
men by the routes of Übrique and Villa Martin,
apparently with the intention of occupying the
whole of the coast from Cadiz to Gibraltar. How-
ever, a movement on the part of our squadron, and
of the forces of Cadiz, had the immediate effect of
checking his -advance. His left column,. consisting
of about three thousand men, was then directed
against General aillasteros, who fell back as they
approached 'from Ximera to Gancin, but imme-
diately counter-marching, and returning with great
rapidity to Ximera, he appears to have in some
measure surprised the French division, and after a
sharp action (in which the enemy's loss is repre-
sented to have been very severe) the Spaniards
proved victorious, and drove the enemy in great
confision back to Alcala."
Of this important affair, the following additional
particulars are given in a letter dated San Roque,
Sept. 26
I hasten to impart to you the pleasing news of
the defeat of the French, by General Ballasteros,
which took place yesterday. Their division was
3000 strong, and had arrived at Ximera after seve-
ral marches and counter-marches, in which they
had plundered and burnt Montajaque, Bona-agan,
and El Bosque, petty towns or villages in the Ronda
Mountains. Our General abandoned Ximera to
them, and fell back upon Ga cin, but without en-
tering the town, he performed a counter-march,
and reached Ximera at the time the enemy fincied
him to be in ft4ll retreat, and were accordingly pre.