The Sun.
London, England, 1808-09-08 00:00:00

SPANISH' PAPETiS.

[FRONI. THE GAZETTE.]
VALENCIA, JULY tV—The Supreme Junta of
Ci(yverumeut transmitted to its worthy President his
xcellency Count DE LA CONQUESTA, thp following

instrument
" The Supreme Junta of the Government, which
has witnessed the wise.expedients resorted to by his
Excellency Count De LA CONqUESTA, Captain-Ge-
neral- of this Kingdom, in the disturbances which
have arisen among the people of this city, and the
weans taken by him in the glorious defence which
was made in the evening of the 16th of June last,
against the troops of Marshal MONCEY, in which he
took a principal share ; concurring with the request
of the other Public Fundionaries, and the desires of
the Public, who recognize the eminent qualifica-
tions of their worthy Chief have resolved to edit-
fer 'upon him the rank of Captain-General of the
Army, as a distinguished proof of the esteem,.he
merits for his zeal and patriotism, and the military

qualities which adorn him. '
"The Duke of CASTItO PIGNANo.
" „Fn. Joacnim, Archbishop of Valencia, &c."
" Valencia, July '23."
" His Excellency, full of that modesty, dignity,
and patriotism, which adorn his mind and oharader,
gave the following answer :
‘‘ The honourable office or title which you tran-
mitted me last night, attended by an illustrious De-
putation, without any previous knowledge on my
part, has never been sought or suggested by me, is
hostile to my principles, and in some measure, casts
3 stain upon my operations.
" What have I done which it was not my 'duty
to do, in order to save my country from the foreign
anedomesiic enemies with which it had to combat ?
Or if, perhaps, the discharge of duty merits some
reward, the sazisfaelion of having discharged it is an
adequate recotnpence for the greatest services; and
if I have performed any thittg extraordinary which
merits the attention of you- Highness, the recogni-
tion of this is to me the greatest reward.

Certainly I am not the ol&st or most merito-
rious of the General of the nation : this dtstinaion
would be a reproach to my beloved companions, and
would expose me to the sneers and assaults of envy,
far more terrible than the balls of our enemies. [t
would exhibit to Europe and our beloved Sovereign,
D. FERDINAND the Vllth, a Subject prematurely
rewarded. This I say, because it would not be
known in the different provinces, nor even in our
own, that I had no share whaitver in this as of ex-
treme goodness; hence-1 should deviate from the
point I have always had in view, and depart front
that moderation arid disinterestedness w hich I trust
form my Charader.
"'A General a glass which • should not ,be
breathed upon ; the. part which he has, to perform
upon the theatxe of the world is 'very delicate ; but
I should never end, were I to say all that occurs to
The on this subject.
I shall preserve, for the knowledge and honour
°f my posterity, with a due sense of its worth, what
pour Highness haS been pleased to intimate, whom
I beg to exonerate me from the distinaion offered,
for the reasons I have just skated; and I beg your
Highness to believe, that the being thought worthy
Vie rank of Captain-General of the Army is the
greatest of honours, for which I return the warmest
han4s,

• ---
" The Count DE LA CONQUESTA.
valencza, July 24, 1808."
The Supreme Junta, respe&ing the moderation
and sublime sentiments *hich place this illustrious
Chief in the small catalogue of truly great men,
caused the following writing to be addresse4
.Ico

When the supreme Junta of the GoVernMent
decreed the rank of Captain General of the Army to
your Excellency, their only desire was to give your
Excellency a proof of their sense of your distinguish-
ed services, and to comply with the wishes of the
people; who look upon your Excellency with the
tenderest regard ; but it is ,not their intention to do
any violence to the opinion of your Excellency, ex-
pressed in your letter of this day. Thus your Ex-
cellency will permit the Junta to retain their deep
'sense of gratitude towards your Excellency, till the
establishment of a central Junta, or the restoration
of FERDINAND VII. to- his kingdoms, whose sanc-
tion may ]leave nothing wanting to the fulfilment of
-their wishes. Your Excellency, will be pleased to.
receive this proposition, as a mark of the highest
gtatitude, as well a's to accept the sentiments of high,
esteem justly entertained by the Supreme JUnta to-
wards your Excellency, their President,
.. .
" DOMINGO Ds NAVA, &C. ,S4C."

Letter from on board our Fleet off the Tagus,
in giving an account of some of the excesses of the
French in Portugal, says :
" At Begas the inhabitants were decimated, the
place burnt, and given up to pillage and rapine for
!hree days; a battle has lately been fought 'at
Evora, where the people, armed principally with
,ticks, in great numbers, were ultimately overcome
by a French division of 6000 (who own to the loss of
:200 killed and wounded), and what has been
their fate we have not heard ; private report,
however, states, that full one-third of the 'French
roay be considered as their loss in this business.
the North, at Leiria, Alcubasar,.and other towns
and villages, many persons were wantonly murdered,
and the places given np,and 3 miles round them,toall
xhe excesses the Fiench soldiery chose to commit;
41 the latter place, Priests were murdered at the altar,
the Nuns were violated in their convents, .and no
female was supposed to have escaped their brutality,
from the age of twelve year's upwards. A column
of 4000 approached our .marine battalion of 300,
within five leagues, and then retreated,• supposed
from wrong information as to their numbers; they
threatened CoiMbra that it should cease to exist,
any where but in the page of hi,tory, whgre
A:,,,en it would be stigraati:%ed for revolting from
the proteaion ut the Emperor of the French, and
no where else was that University, town, or in-
habitants in future to be found, according to the lan-
guage they held. The Nuns in the English Convent
_ at Lisbon have had their means of subsistence cut
If by JUNOT to only a festoon (tiW. per day), and
they in consequence have been, and still are, almost
starvidg. Sir CHARLES and Lady COTTON have
set on fr7ot a Subscription for the alleviation of their
~t4tlcrings, and we'shall probably all become rneudi-
• C;.:Oti iu then. causes!