The Sun.
London, England, 1809-08-24 00:00:00

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM THE ARMY.

•
DELECTOSA, AUG. B.—At the moment when the.
courier is mounting his ho-rSe to set off, we learn that
the Supreme Junta of Spain and the Indies has ap-
pointed Sir A. WELLESLEY GraeraliSSilllo Of Spain.
(Correo de Lisbon.)
BA DAJOZ, AUG. 11 .—lt was at first estimated,
according to letters from the army, that the loss of
the French at the baffle of Talavera de Reyna was

not less in killed, wounded, and prisoners than
2:2,00ei men. It now appears that the dispatches of
General CUESTA do not make their toss more
than half that number. Yet it is the ge-
neral opinion that it cannot have been less
than sixteen thousand, including the dispersed
and the wounded, which the French carried away
with them, and, according to some accounts, were
so numerous that they filled four hundred carts.—:.
The rout would have been complete, had our armies
been able to follow immediately to Madrid. But
the troops were extremely fatigued, and wanted
provisions, which we were not able to supply them
with that promptness which circumstances re-

quired.
'While our troops were burying the dead on the
field of battle, information was ‘unexpeaedly re-
ceived, .that SOULT had entered the province with

an army, and was marching upon Pone de Arce-
bispo and Almarez, as v‘,..•i; to intercept the provisions
and cut off the retreat of our army, as to place it be,
tween two fires:

A fleet of three hundred sail is arrived in the North Generals WELLESI.hY ano CUESTA, penetrating
Sea from the Baltic, laden with timber, deals, and j the designs of Sou vr, prepaied to frustrate them,
naval stores. They are destined for dale-cut ports,
taking, by retrograde nesveroents, new' positions,
but have been obliged to put into Harwich, and
other harbours to the northward, by contrary winds. the former at the budge ot Alolaraz, and the latter
The supplies they bring are most seasonable. 1 at Ponte de Ateetespo, on the left. of the. Tagus.
' The dispatching of_ the Georgina packet for India .
'I hey did in,; fed to take the precaution of destroy-
is postponed to the beginning of next %Kees.
no, the hods, :,f boats which had been constructed at
Another draft has been made from the Guards, for ' b
foreign service, from those men who have' oeen en- Marian. VICTOR immediately turned suddenly
listed upwards of seven years. : upon Taravera de la Rcyna, (unfortunate town !)
The stamps have been uncommonly eroduait e
Last night a dispatch arrived from Merida to the
this year ; and, the Legacy Tax in particular, pros i
duces, on an average, 5001. a-day. , Junta, who asserts, that a Courier, Who passed
A Flag of Truce i; arrived from Morlaix, in France, through that town, brought an accennt that SOULT
with several English 'women and children, and hss
had been repulsed. We imp.itiently expe& the ar-
also brought a considerable number of letters from
sisal
prisoners of war, which have been forward-
al Of the courier, to know whether this account
ed from the Transport Office ; but as\ yet, the re- be confirmed.
turns respelling the British prisoners lately captured, i So long '.es our armies maintain themselves in their
or who have died in France, have not been received
i present positions, we have no fear the t they should
from the French Govetntnent.'
• •
A letter from Flushing, dated the I 811) inst. says} be in want of provisions, as innumerable carriages,
"The Stadt-House, a large church, and several with supplies of every kind, ate continually passing
other prablic buildings, were entirely consumed in
' along the high road of Seville and Badajos.
Flushing by our fire. Tie greaosr part of our ships
Some wounded. English have passed through this
of war have proceeded up the Sceeldt, and Sir RI-
CHARD STRACHAN,With the remainder follow to-roor- place, on their way to Lisbon. .
row. There are ten French ships of the line and The cursed SOLLT, has been the cause that our
fifteen frigates, with about fifty gun-boats, as we now
army is not now at Somosierra, and of the evils that
learn, beyond Fort Lillo ; there is also o line of battle
ship and two smaller vessels building at Flushing." Madrid and Tales era are suffering. Our head-quar-
The Arg,us, an English Paper published in France ters are .at Mesas, at Ponte de Arcebispb. The
.by a set of renegado wretches, whose crimes obliged French lost. 4000 men, and they say that SoULT lost
them to quit this Country, animadverting upon the
six pieces of artillery at Placentia, and that he oflered
possibility of a descent of Englishmen upon France,
says, ,4 there is not a Frenchnian who would not to capitulate.
think he has a personal injury to avenge, should the j ' The English are in Almaraz, and their head-quar-
English dare to set loot on his territory." It is hardly
ters are at Deleaosa..—(Correo de Lisbon, Aug. 14.)
possible to conceive a more bitter sarcasm than this . - •
compliment to Frenchmen implies; for do not this LISBON, AUG. 14.—1 t appears by the latest ac-
heroic, this intrepid race of Frenchmen, who are to counts from BaJajoz, that the corps of SoULT, NET,
avenge any insult offered to their territory by a and MotOrten, havingonlvanced to Placentia, in the
hostile foot, quietly submit to the usurpation of a I .
Foreigner, who treats them with more tyranny than
rear of the combined army, the latter' passed the left
they ever suffered under any of their lawful Mo- bank of the Tagus, leaving a stiong corps on the
narchs, and exhausts their means, and drains their , right in front of Ponte de Arcebispo, to command
population, in order to force his relations and his
the passage of the river when it should think proper.
minions upon other couturies. After such a disgraceful
submission to a low-born despot, and such an unre- The British army has its head-quarters at Delecitosa.
sisting obedience to his conscriPtiono for the purpose j The Portuguese, under the command of the Mar-
of shedding their blood in every pact of Europe, to
steal BERESFOLID, were at Fuende de_pinaldo, bey and
redness other States to their own despicable level, is
it not the grossest insult that can be offered to the ! Ciudad Rodrigo, on the 7th inst. We know nothing
people of France to talk of their considering a des- :. of the Spanish armies, but certainly the whole of
cent on their country as a "personalinjury", which :
the French having united, and left Arragon and both
every Frenchman would feel a disposition " so .
avenge?" ; the Castiles, almost without a garrison, it is the most
i . .
Lord WILLIAM RUSSELL, the second son of the favourable moment for invading those provinces,
Duke of BEDFuttD, distinguished himself greatly in destroying the'weak garrisons which may be found
the late battle of Talavera, and had a tsiost narrow ,
toere and re-taking many important points, es-
escape. He was struck by three musket halls:, end '
his horse %vas shot in the shoulder and jaw. His seroial to the subsistence and communication of
Lordship and a private are all .who are left of the the enemy, whose privations and want of :neces-
squadron to which he belonged. Every Officer of saries are excessive.—(Liston Gazette.)
• the regiment (the 23d Dragoons) was killed or
B.IDAJOZ, AuG. 8.-I'he following order of the
weuticled ; and the charge of this regiment is 4. ore,i-
cereal as cue of the most gallant that ever was a. de, d:IY was published to our army on the est:inst. :
it being against three lines of infantrs, supported " Soldiers of the Ai my et. Estramaduia !On the
by - ea% airy and artillery. 27th and 28th days. of July, you fought bravely';
Egharn Races commence on Tuesday next, at d
57 purses are entered ter three days spurt. , you repeatedly repulsed the enemy, who was ma-

pelted to fly, leaving the field of battle covered
his dead. This glorious viaory is due to your fit
ru-
'tese union, to your incessant and well -soppoi t-
(4 fire, and to confidence in your officers and chief.
if you always observe the same, you will always fx
invincibie.i- The French are not men, except where
they-find no resistance;- that which they met with
in the valiant English troops, our allies, routed and
put, them to flight. We know that the French sol-
diers now refuse to enter into anion after seeing
their best troops destroyed.
" Soldiers ! lam satisfied with your valour and

firmness.; I congratulate you on your triumph, as
I rely on your union and discipline.
" I do not call Soldiers, nor consider ass part of the
army, those base cowards who abandoned their, re-
giments in the day of battle, flying in the moment
of danger, and, with the design of producing disorder
Such wretches, besides the infamy which covers
them, shall be decimated as soon as they are appre-
•
hended.

Head quarters, Talaverade la Reyna,
August z, 18-g.
(Signed) " CUESTA.'

LISBON, AUG. 14. —Yesterday a report was in
circulation, that the French 'division commanded by

Marshal SOULT, which had made its appearance in
the environs of Placentia, had been defeated by the
main body of the English army an 4 some Spanish
troops ; it was even assetted.that Soma. himself had
been killed, and that his loss consisted of nine thou«
sand men in killed, wounded, and prisoners. We
do not 'vouch for the truth of this intelligence, but
it islikely to be confirmed, as Marshal WELLEsi.Lt
was crosely ‘ratelting the said division of the enemy.
And we learnt some days ago, that he had ordered
a sufficient number of troops to march against
(Lisbon Diary.)
GRENADA, Atm. 1...-We learn with satisfaction
that the heroic Gerona still held out, with the great*
est bravery, on the lath of July, notwithstanding
12,000 bombs, 32,000 cannon shot, and a prodio
gious number of grenades had been pr ured into it.
The enemy, in the mean time, suffers incalculble
losses. On the 17th and 18th they made two as°
saulti,
,but were repulsed, and retiredin confusion.
It appears that they are preparing to change their
batteries from their present position to that part of
the fOrtress against which they dire red 'their attacks
in June, last year, but this part is not less fortified
than the rest, and we trust that the enemy will find
themselves disappointed in the same manner as be"
fore. On the 15th, General BLAKE passed throne'.
Olof, and it is believed that be will Rion be able to
succour ,thefortrcss. Such are the accounts we Wye
received from the-eastern part of the Peninsula, and
of which we wait the particulars.

They write horn Tarragona, under date 27th July,
that the irnmoital Gerona continued to defend itself

with obstinacy.
B4DAJOZ, AUG. 2.—The battle of Talavera de la
Reyria was so obstinate and bloody, that during Os `
two first days scarcely any quarter was given on ei•
ther side. The enemy expeCted succours ; and it
is probable that the disision of SOULT was advau*
cing by forced marches to their support.

A General Court Mai tial has been held at Sidney►

in New South Wales, on James Williamson, Esq.
Deputy-Commissary, and late Aating-Commissary,
of Stores and Provisions, upon the under-nantione4
charges, viz.
tat. For having embezzled fresh and salted provisions, and
maize, from his Majesty's stores, whilst :Wing Commissar/
at Sidney.
ad. For having diredted Mr. James Wiltshire, the A6ling;
Store-keeper, to make false entries of the weights of bee`
slaughtered in his Majesty's stores at Sidney.
3d. for having himself made false entries of the weights a I
beef slaughtered in his Majesty's Stores at Sidney.
Ot which crimes (be Court found him guilty,
and adjudged him to be cashiered, and to forteit to
his Majesty the sum of 1001. sterling, and to make
good at his own expellee and cost, the loss and tia'
mage sustained by his Majesty, amounting to 491.
13s. sterling (as nearly as the Cow t could ascertain),
in consequence at his, the said James Willtainsuo;
having embezzled and misapp:ieci trash and salto
provisions from his Majesty's stores at Sidney, erl"
trusted in his charge, as•aating Co/missal), of score°
and provisions; which sentence his Majesty ti'
been pleased to approve and confirm, and CO'al
manded that the charges preferred agaii•st DePulY
Commisi,ary Williamson, together with the
ment awarded him, shall be read at the head of o'4
regiment.

On Friday last a part) of French prisoners, Of
sisting of thirty, were placed under escort of a u".
tachttient of the WestminSter Militia from NornIall•
cross bdrracks to Chatham, and whilst in conti'w;
meat at Bow, Middlesex, twelve of them contrive'
to effect their escape. They were lodged in stable''':
eke. in such a situation as to baffle the vigilatico,.°
the military.
A meeting of the Diretiors and Subscribers of the
Strand Bridge took ph ice, yesterday, when, we LIP
•
derstaad, they came to the determination of er"c''.
ing the bridge nearly opposite to the Lyceum 114'1:
ire, and not 'fronting Catherine-street, is was 01
. &malty intended, as it would interfere with part °)
the buildings of Somerset House; the opening fro°
the Strand to the bridge will be where Mr. FO,,
To K's superb glass nianutactoty stands. The .tichoti
are,to be of the sane ditntft,sioi,s, and a causeAvaY e
sonte.length to be erected at either side; so as to
an .easy kteclination from the .S!rand; and
ow the- Opposite side. It was originally
.ha ye efected• a temporary wooden bridge
ioitrrb6r bring scarce, and tite price so enornion9, '
plan has betu given up. .

I

NAVAL NEWS.

Arrived yesterday his Majesty's ship Derwent from
the West Indies.

Arrived this day the William and Catherine, -,
from Oporto ; Kitty, GIBBONS, from Youghail ;
;Villiam and Thomas, EWENS, from Waterford;; and

the George and Ann, JONES, from Cork.

FA L MOUTH, A 110.2 I .—Arrived the Duke of Port-
!and packet, from Lisbon, in six days. The Prin-
cess Charlotte packet arrived at Lisbon on the i !tit

lastant.

DEAL, AUG. 23.—Sailed his Majesty's ship Arzo
to Portsmouth.

HARWICH, AUG. 23.—Arrived the Phwnix
dis-
patch boat with letters from the island of Walche-
ren. No news of impOrtance.

Sailed the Diara packet to Gottenburgh,
Artived a Mail from Lisbon. •

GREENOCK, AUG. I.—ln. our last we had the
happiness to announce the safe.arcival of the Clyde
division of the Leeward Island fleet ; and this day
We can congratulate oUr 'reaiers upon the safe ar-
rival of the fleet from Janiaici, also, richly laden.
Arrived at Port, Glasgow, the Minerva, MAL.
coLm, from Virginia ; sailed thence 'the 10th July,
in company with the Jeanie, M`Kzsite; and
Coorza, both for Clyde ; parted two days
after

The Thetis, VIRGIN', arrived here yesterday morn-
ing from New-York ; sailed thence 10. th July._
Left the Dicutd, MILREA, loading for Glasgow.
The Neptune, Sistrra, Of this'port ; and Pandora,
ANDERSON, are tako round Cape Horn. '19.1e Mas-
ter of the Petition:, supercargo, and sixteen men
were killed, after an engagement of three hours.

By the Spanish Patriot, DUItELL, Master, 'which
left Cadiz the 2d inst. we have rec..lved the follow-
ing communication :

A British Officer of rank, who was in the pro-
vince 'of, Catalonia, sounded the disposition of the
inhabitants on the subject of public defence. He had
scarcely imparted his sentiments before he raised
700 men, and in a few days 7000 were. colleEted
round the standard of FERDINAND. Thus circum-
,stanced, he wrote to Seville, requesting that twelve
or fnuiteen Officers should be sent to organize
this new levy, but his letters were not attended to,
and tor want of leavers the -recruits disbanded."
This account is contirMed by a Gentleman who
left Cadiz also on the cd inst. He says; that Offi-
cers only are, wanted, and that the zeal of the lower
ranks is so. ardent, that a few Proclamations in po-
pulous distrias would soon raise an army adequate
to the entire expulsion of the enemy. He observes,
that great complaints were made by the English of
the deficient supply of necessaries; but he added,
that the exertions of the ,Junta were now in some
degree proportioned to the urgency of the occasion,.
All the cars and mules in the neighbourhood of Cadiz
and Seville had been put in requisition, to transmit
the supplies, and the quarantine ships from America
had been dispensed with. Nine vessels of the
United. States, laden with tobacco, corn, and other
important articles, were to discharge their cargoes
-without amy regard to qu;-n-antitie, in order that the
txpeaations of the British army might not be dis-
appointed.

. ,
COALS.---The Proprietors of the Collieries in the
North, have for a long lime raised the price of c(;hls
(LI libitum. This power they have used with so
Ettle discretion, that tIA.t price of the best has in-
creased, since the year.l796, from t6s. to 345. per
chaldron. The last advance of 4s. per chaldron was
in February this year. The ship-owners in the
trade, who purchase their cargoes for re-sale, con
sidering this advance as unjustifiable, determined to
resist the demand, and this resolution they still per-
severe in. The coal-owners not being able to find
purchasers at the advanced price, can only send to
market small quantities in a few freighted ships.--7
y this the import is so far curtailed, that at present
it is near 200,000 chardrons short ot the usual Tian-
thy, up try the end of thiS presPoc month. The
"thug supply is consequently the true and only cause
'lf the high prices. A report has, indeed, been in-
k instriously circulated, that it i 3 o',Virig to a
.want of
ships that this necessary article of consumption does
not come to market ; but thiF, is not the tart--thereare more ships than are •o.,anted, and plenty of coals,
Which are lyinginheaps (in a state of detcrio-
. ration f
rom the sian rain) that are not shipped,..
. vnerely In consequence of Cie. dispute' occasioned by
the advance.' It is reported that -measures are taking
to bring th!s matter before the' Leuislature, which
Nill develope aid the circumstances, .and lay the
whole cise befcre the Pubhc ; and it is to be hoped
that a remedy will be
tion be found to preient any imposi-
ing forced upon the inhabitants of the metro-
polis in this necessary article of life.
The inve.teraey of the Danish Government has re-
cently shewn itself in the rigour observed by the
commercial police of Norway. The following is
an extraa from a letter by the Master of a Vessel
Just arrived from that country :—" All ships car-
ried in are condemned, as well in ballast as with
`argues---3 English, 3 Pappeubargh, t Prussian, s_
Oideubilrgb, 33 Americans, have been carried in,
3everal Oldenburgh and Pappenburgh vessels, which
Were loaded at Alandaht, and got out, were after-
wards captured, and taken back again, and are eit-
itte.tl to be col3lemsted.7

PORTSMOUTH, AUG. 23.—His Majesty's ship De-
fnler has detained and sent into this port the Die

Guthe, SAIIIE, laden with salt,. from Liverpool fqr,
Rut te, dam.

His Majesty's ship Hardy is appointed convoy to•
the Downs.-

YEIUTAS, ET P.REPALEI3IIII.

VELLORE MUTINY.

••
The Public will no doubt recolle& Wizen the
Vellore Mutiny broke out in the year i 806, that an,
opinion 'Prevailed in this Country (to quote the lan-
guage of the charge) that it was occasioned "By
• the wanton and needless violation y. the religious
usages of the Native Troops," contained in the
Code of Military Regulations of the Government of
Madras, prohibiting the Sepoys (when on pa-
rade) from wearing ear-rings, and marks of cast ;
directing uniformity, as far as was practicable, in the
cut of their whiskers; and likewise ordering, with a
view to their coinfo'rt and greater convenience, when
on seriice, that an alteration should be made in the
.shape of their turban, so as to render it exiWy
similar to the one already worn by Major BoSe'S
regiment of Sepoys, as was likewise done in the
year 1793, with much advantage, in the Native
Cavalry.
Under this notion, the Court Of Direaors of the
_East India Company removed from their respective
offices those 'meritorious Officers, Lord Williath
Bentinck, Governor of Madras, Sir John Craddock,
Commander in Chief, Colonel Agnew, Adjutant-
General, and Major Pierce, Deputy ditto, and re-
called them home. A very stria inquiry since their
arrival has lately been instituted by the Court into
all the circumstance of the 'case, and we are happy
to say, that atter several weeks 'laborious invesliga7
lion, it has terminated in a manner most honourable
to all the parties accused.
The Court, in Resolutions on the 'Chse of each
individual, (dated 'the 25th of last month) have
acquitted them entirely of any such violation', de-
claring that the orders '(in loth par. sec. 11.)
iipeCting marks of cast, arc. contained nothing in
them but what was sanetioned by the pra&ice of the
best regulated Corps in the Army for many years
past. " That it has clearly appeared that this re-
gidation 'had no elle& in producing the Mutiny.—
..4nd that the tartan also had nothing in it contrary
to cast." •

I't►e qUestion is thus finally decided, and these
distinguished Officers, by the above resolutions, are
übiolved ,froth the unfounded imputation under
they so Undeservedly laboured, and " declar-
ed..neither in intention, or by a 6, to have violated in
an shape the religious usages of the _Natives."
We do not enter further upon the subject of the
Mutiny, because it would lead to a discussion of a
delicate nature, and unnecessary to the object of the
fbregoing statement.