The National Register.
London, England, 1808-07-17 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER;

The Council of Seville, one of the principal provincial juris-
dictions in Spain, have laid hold of some statutes in their Con-
stitution, which authorize their rejecting the orders of the Sa-
reme Council of Madrid when that capital shall be in the
power of foreign troops. They have therefore assumed an in-
,dependent authority in the name of Ferdinand the' Seventh,
whom they have proclaimed King; and after some ptevious
Steps, they have formally declared war against France, and
have appealed to the Spanish nation to support them ; and their
supremacy has been acknowledged by the Councils of several
other Provinces.
In Andalusia they collected from fifteen to twenty thousand
regular troops, and have put arms in the hands of upwards of
sixty thousand peasants. General Castaneos is appointed Com-
mander in Chief : and I understand they propose out of the
first levies, to Augment the establishment of the old regiments, to
double their present numbers.
Provincial Assemblies are also forming in most of the large
towns, and different depots fixed upon for raising volunteers.
They have a porportion of near four thousand cavalry, and a
large quantity of artillery, as Seville is nloundery, and one of
the largest depots in Spain.
All accounts agree, that in every part of Spain the insurrec-
tion have commenced almost at' the saint, period'; manyt small
detachments of the enemy. and many officers, have'been cut off.
General Dupont was on his march to Seville, and had already
passed the Morena mountains when the insurrection took place.
Ile has pushed on to Cordova, and, by the intercepted dis-
patches, we learn he is strengthening himself there, and proposes
to wait for reinforcement,. In the mean time; the Morena
passes in his rear have been 'occupied by five thousand Spaniards,
the road has been brdkeu up; and, I trust, all communication
has been cut off
General D'Alrid had received orders to join him at Seville,
with four thousand men, who were to assemble at Alcoreutin,
but our arrival off Ayamonte, and the arming of all Spain, and
the alarms in Portugal; having prevented this movement, 1
trust that General Junot will not now be able to detach any
troops from Portugal, though we understand a French corps has
been collected at Elvas, but 1 do not think it can exceed 4990
men, though the reports of its strength are very various:
At Faro the Portuguese have already risen, beet 'taken or
destroyed a detachment of about two hundred men, have seized
the arms and ammunition of the province, which the French ban
collected in a depot, and also about forty thousand dollars in
gold, which the French General had amassed.
Extract of a Letter from Pico-Admiral Lord Collingwood, Com-
mander in Chief of His Majesty's Ships and Vessels in time Me-
diterranean, to the Honourable W. W. Pole, dated Ocean, off
Cadiz, June 14, 1808.
Sta—ln my letter of the 12th instant, by the Alphea, I in-
formed you that application had been made for a ship to carry
to England Commissioners appointed by the Supreme Council of
fieville, to treat with his dlasesty's Ministers on such matters as
*re important to the interest of both countries. The Admiral
tkho commands in the Port of Cadiz being one of the deputed,
did not choose he should depart until the surrender of the
french ships, which took place this morning.
The Spaniards having constructed an additional battery of
.thirty heavy guns, and numerous gun and bomb vessels having
•
taken their stations, thet French ships struck their colours at
. ieVen o'clock this morning, and soon after the Spanish were
bolited on hoard them. The French ships, I understand, are
not at all injured, as the Spaniards wanted them fer their own
use; nor has there been much loss of men on either side.
' The Governor some days since (and before 1 came here) re-
quested of Major-General Spencer to proceed to Avamonte, to
oppose a detachment of the French army, which was said to be
marching from Portugal by the Coast ; and yesterday the trans-
ports proceeded, under the pre • Ttion of the Zealous, to that
quarter, where the Wirulsor Castle had conducted a detachment
the day before.
JUNE Is.—The Governor of Cadiz has notified to me, that
the Commi,sioners a ill be ready to embark in two days. As
the Revenge has been stationed near the town, where Sir John
Gore has had much intercourse with the Governor and Chiefs
in command during the late operations, and witnessed the tem-
per and disposition of the people, 1 have ordered that ship to
receive them, that he may give to his Majesty's Ministers the
information they may 'desire of what has come within his ob-
servation as to the present state of this part of Spain.
Application has been made to me this evening by the Supreme'
Council of Seville and the Governor of Cadiz, to give a passport

to a Spanish frigate and four dispatch vessels, to carry to the seve
ral Governments and Presidencies in the West ladies, informatioa
of the events which have happened in Spain, and their instrtie:
tions to the Governors; and also that a sloop of war may take
out officers to that country, whose presence there is important;
this they urge in preference to their going in a Spanish vessel,
as it will convey a proof of their connection svith Great Britain.
1 have the honotir to be, &c.
(Signed)
Admiralty-Office, July ‘2, 1808.
Extract of c Letter from Sir Charles cotton, Bart. Admiral of
the Blue,' bcc. to the Hon. William Wellesley Pole, dated on
board his Majesty's ship the Hibernia, off the Tagus, the 22c1

COL /../ NGWoon°

June, 1808.
Slit—Enclosed I transmit, for the information of the Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty, the copy 'rif a letter received
by me from Captain Creyk,e, of his Majesty's sloop Eclipse,
detailing the state of affairs at Oporto. • •
I have the honour to be, &c.
C. COTTON.
His Majesty's sloop Eclipse, off the Bar of Oporto, June 20.
SlR—Since, the account I had the honour of delivenng to sou
on the 10th Jdne, Oporto has undergone two revolutions, and
has been succeiiively in the hands of the French and the subjecti
of the Prince Regent.
After the Spaniards had delivered the forts into the custody
of the Portuguese, and the national colours were even a bete
hoisted, the French were again able to establish their authority,
in consequence of the weak and undetermined measures of the
Governor, Louisll44liveirai who is now confined as a traltor,
and maintained it till the lfith, the. day of Corpus Chriti, a
great national festival, when it had been usual for the Portu-
guese regiments to attend with colours flying. The Governor,
D'Oliveira, in consequence of orders fr'om Junot, attempted to
establish the French flag instead of the Portuguese, at the pro-
cession. This violent attack on the' national custom drew forth
the murmurs of the populace to so great a degree, that an at-
tempt to compromise on the part of the Goversiot had no elect ,•
aad 'on the 18th, in the evening, the day before my arrival-
here, they were excited to such a degree of fury, that, counte-
nanced •by the Priests, the people row in 'Hasse, broke open
the depots, and supplied themselves with twenty-live thousand
,stand or arms, and, together with the regulars, formed a iro.i
determined and enthusiastic army. From this moment all Fr-elicit
authority ceased, and every man, either French, or suspected
of being inclined to the French interest, was arrested.
The Bishop of Oporto was elected as the new Governor, and
P an army of twenty thousand men went to meet the French,
who hod advanced to the amount of 900 within six leagues of
Oporto.
The enthusiasm has communicated from one to the other, and
the Portuguese provinces of Traloi, .filontes, Minho, and the
Northern patts of Beira, in imitation of the Spaniards. hate
risen in arms, determined to extirpate the French from their
kingdom. From the most moderate accounts, besides ghat
are at Oporto, 1 may estimate them at upwards of one hundred
thousand men.
All the regular regiments disbanded by the French, are form-
ing again with the greatest alacrity, and will soon join them.
have this day had an interview w ith his Excellency the Go-
vernor, conducted him amidst the shouts and buzzas of the po-
pulace.
To-morrow I send a party of men to mount the guns of a large
Brazil ship, the command of which is given to an Englishman,
:Ind destined as a floating battery to defend the bridge, in case
the French should have the temerity to approach, though soch
an event is not to be apprehended. If any requisition is made
for powder, 1 shall comply with it, but they have at present
abundance of arms, ammunition and provisions.
The detestation of the Portuguese to the French is 60 gr aeof
ts
that Captain Jones and myself, after having begged the life
in
the French Intendant of Police, had the greatest difficulty
conveying him a prisoner to the boat, and the unbounded love
and respect for the English, alone prevented the 'Paged popu-
lace from tearing him to pieces.
I have the honour to be, &c.
(Signed) C. A. CREEXE.
1(c,
Admiral Sir Charles Cotton, Bart. Commander in Chief,
f
Extract of a Letter from Captain Digb, o his pliVest,y's ship
the Cossack, addressed to the Right Honourable Lord Gam'
bier, sitinsirel of the Blue, &c. and transmitted by his Lea
I ship to the Honourable Wellesley Pole.
at
. •

vernal:, and
he French,
leagues of
other, and
ho, and the
tiarck, ha%e
from their
,elides %; hat
one hundred
h, are form-
s join them.
ncy the Go-
b of the pa-
ns of a large
Englishman,
idge, in case
though bitch
hien is made
ve at present
is so great,
d the life of
difficulty in
loutnledlop:e
Raged po.
4. CreErxr•
7/de.f• •C,
letirst,y's 840
Lord Got-
hs. MI Lord.
_ .