The Sun.
London, England, 1809-09-04 00:00:00

From the LONDON GAZETTE, Sept. 2, 1 80.

• D9uming-Street, *Sept . 2,, 1808... •
A Dispatch, of whiCli the following is a Copy, was,
on the Soth Winn°, recelved at the Office of Lend
Viscount Castlereagh, one of his Majevy's Principal
Socretariei of State, from Lieutenant,Gcoeral.Lord
Viscount WC.lHngion, dated Ddleytosi, Bth August
1809.

Deleyvisa, Aug. 8.
M' LORD,—.I- apprized your Lordship on take t
instant, of the advance Gf a French corps towards t• e
Puerto de Banos, any of the probable einliarrassimaits
to the Operations of the army, which its arrival at
Plasencia would- occasion; and 'these embar,ss
meats having since 'existed to a degree so co:-e
siderable, as to oblige us to fall back, and to ta. e
up a defensive position on the Tagus, I am induc, d
to trouble you more at length with an account of
what has passed upon this subjea.
When I entered Spain, I had a communication
with General Cuesta, through Sir Robert Wilson
and Colonel Roche, respeaing the occupation -01-
Puerto de Banos and the Puerto de Perales, the ff
mer,of which, it was at last settled, should_ be held
by a corps to be formed under the Marquis de la
Reyna, to consist of two . battalions from Genera
Cuesta's army, and twd from Bejar ; and that the,
Puerto de Perales was to be taken care of by the
Duque del Parque,- by Detachments froth the g:iiti.
sou of Ciudad Rodrigo.
doubted of the capacity of the garrison of Cin
dad. Rodrigo to make the Detachment to the latter,
but so little of the effeaual occupation of the foriner,
that , iii writing to Marshal. Beresford on the 17th
July, I desired• him to look to the Puerto de Peraies,
but that I considered Banos as secure, as appears 'by
the extra& of my letter which I inclose. .

On the 30th,intelligence was receiveciat Talav'era,
that twelve thousand rations had, be'en ordvrQi,i. at:
Fuente Duenos for the 28th, and twenty-four t hou-
sand at Los Santos for the same day, for a Ft e. 6411
corps, which it was believed, was on its march to:.
wards the Puerto de Banos.

General Cuesta expressed some anxiety respecting
this post, and sett me a message, to propose that
Sir Robert Wil6on should asent there with his
corps.
Sir Robert was on that Day at Talavera,: but ,his
corps was in the mountains towards Escalotta ; and
as he had already made himsel very useful in that
quarter, and had been near Madrid, with which
city he had had a communication, which I was
desirous of keeping up,. I proposed .that a Spanish
corps should be\ sent to Banos without loss of
time.

I could not prevail with General Cuesta, although
he certainly admitted the necessity of a reinfaiCe-
tnent when he proposed that Sir Robert should be
sent to Banos; and lie was equally sensible with
myself, of- the 'benefit tti be:derived to. the cause,
from sending Sir Robert back to Escalona. •
At this time we had no further intelligence of the
enemy's advance, t han that the rations were •or-
Lidered ; and I had hopes that the enemy might-be
deterred from advancing, by the intelligence of our
success on the 28th, and that the troops in the Puerto
might make some defence; and that, under
c.ircumstances, it was not desirable to diert
pert Wilson from Escaloria.
r,,.
On tile 30th, shoWever, I renewed my application
,
to I..ienerat Cuesta, to send there a Spa:lish d' isirra
of sufficient strength;in a lett.er to Gener2.l O'Do-
.noglitle,. or. which
.ruclo.e. a copy, but without
ff " • e c ; and' he` died not detach (3fetteral
court IVA the morning ot after we had heard
that the enemy; had enter d 13ejai, and: it was.o'Ovious
that the troops in the Puerto would rri'ake- no
• • •
fepce. „ ' • ,
Cl.n„the.ed: v?e received accounts, that the enemy
had' en telcis Plasencia in two cOlurrins. -
The Marpinis.de 111 Rej na, whose Iwo battali6ns
consisted Of.- Only six; hundred,l,rnen,, with only 20
rounds of amniunitioq.each man, ".retired from the
Puerto and Plasencia, without firing a shot,
and Weni to the bridge of Almaraz, which he
deelated that he intended to remove ; the bat-
talions of Bejar dispersed without making anyfre.
sistance. •
The Genei-al called upon me on that day; andp.ro-
that hal • .
posed f !if the army yhuuld march to ihe rear
to oppose' the enemf, 'while the other half should
maintain the. p•)st at Talavera.
ML ansWFr was, that-if by half the army, he
trie'anChairot each army, I cupid only 6ns vver that
I was rody either 'to go or to stay with the whole •
British army, but that I could not separate it. He
there desired. me. to chuse whether I would go or
stay, 'and 'I preferred to go, from thinking‘t hat the
British troops- were most likely to do the business
without Contest ; and from•being of
it was more important to us than toT the
Spanish army, to open the communication- through
Plasencia, although very important to them. With
this decision, General Cuesta appeared perfectly
satisfied. ' .
• The movements of the enemy in our front since
the Ist, had induced the to be of opinion, that de-
spairing of forcing us at-Talavera, they intended to
force a passage by Escalona, and thus to.open a
Communication with the French Corps coming from
Plasencia.

This suspicion was confirmed on the night of the
2d, by letters received from Stir Hobert:Wilson, of
Whit% T inclose cope and before I quitted Tala- ,
-Vera on the 3d, 1 waited Upon• General O'llunoghnei
'atid ConVer‘ed with him upon the whole of our si-
tuation, and . pointed out to him the posiibiiity that
in the case ofthe enemy coming through Escalona,
General Cuesta might find himself obliged to quit
Talavera,, before I should be able to return to him
and I urged him to coked all the carts that could be
got, in order to -remove our hospital •At his desire
I put the purport of this conversation in writing, and
sent him a letter to be laid befard-General Cuesta, of
which I inclOse a copy.
The British army marched on the 3crto Oropesa,
General Bassecnurt's Spanish corps being at Cimti-
nello, where I desired that it might halt the next
day; in order that .1 might be nearer it.
About five o'clock in the evening,
.I heard that
the French 11;14, arrived from Plasencia at NAvaimo-
rat, whereby they were between us and the bridge,
of Almaraz. , •
About an hour.afterwards I received from-Gene-
ral O'Donoghue the • letter and its inclosures, of
which I inclose copies, announcing'to-me the in-
tention i3f General Cuesta to March from Talaver.:

. ,
in the evenine, ael to leevs.there my hospital, ex- 1 werli,• and =toned' sh the eppusite cotts4:l-ttot lees
.-
eeptinEtueli m ,
en as conld be ritOved by the me.:,us lAthan thirty-five tholviand men, and by dome' etate-
he alreadyhad, on the g, ound of his apprehension I tnentc is estimated higher. Though rt landing on
that I wns not strong enou:lli for the corps: coming L the Continent might, I have 00 doubt, have been
from Plagencia,-and that the enemy was 'moving i forced,'t et as the siege of Antwerp, the possession
upon' hisilank, and had returned to Santa Olalla in 1. of which could alone have secured to us.any of the
his 1-roni. , _ .. . .. ..; 1 ulterior objects of the expedition, was by this Stale
I acknowledge that these. reasons did not appear 1 of things rendered utterly impraeticableesuch amea-
to ;tie sufficient for giving up so important a post as o sure, if successful, could have led to no solid advan-
'Talavera, for exposing the combined armies to an ao-o.irtage ; middle retreat of the Irony, which must at an
eick. ip frerit• and rear at the S3;IIN. time, -o d for eban.-. I early period, haie been inevitable, woUldhave%beew.
cloning my hosplal'; and 1 wrote the letter of which I exposed to much hazard. .- , ..
I inclose a copy. .--- ! The utmos• force (and that daily decreasing) that-
this, unteritioately reached tie General after he I. I could have-brought into the field, after pro o itling
liaci to and he arrived -;it Oropesa shortly after 1 for the occupation of Walcheren and South Bette-
',ty.light on the morning of the 41n. 1 lrid,,would' have antounted to .about ~t wenty -three
711,.e qv:es:ion what was 'to he acne, was then to i thousand infantry and twoAhousand cavalry. Your..-
',iered. The ,energy, stated to be: thirty 1 *Lordship must 'at.'onC4' see, then if the enemy;s ,
~sand strong, but at all events COnii!tnk of the i force had,been-lessnufnereUeihan represented, after
corps of Soelt and Ney, either united, . r nut very i the necessary detachment* to observe the garrisons
distant ircin -each 'other, and supposed by Marshal of of Bergen-op-gnoro- and Breda, and -seeming one:
Jourdan and JO..ieeli Buonaparie, to be sufficiently l communications, how very inadequate a force 'nest
strong eo attack the British army, stated to be twee- have, remained for 'operations azainst Lillo . and
ty-tive thousand strong, were on one side, in pos. Lief kenshoeik, and ultimo-4.r (gantst Antwerp.;
session of ,be hieh road to the passage of the Taut t which town, so far from being tri- the state which.
at Altnaraz, the bridge at which place we' knew had ! had been reported, is from yew correct accounts,.
been r: moved, althoegh the 'boats still necessarily repesented to be in :a, %Agile state of 4eteheei.
remained in the river. . 'anti the enemy ships 14 beep 'brought :up. and
Otz. the other side, .we had reason to expekt the : plaeld in security, under the tuns of the citadel.
advarice of ViCtor's corpi to Talavera, as soon as 1 -Under these circatnittance‘itosvity&t.v4rtiiiig to
deeersleuesta's march should be known, and atter ; roe to see the putrese affectalikrt all' aravy, from
laving twelve thousand men to -watch Variegas, and I whose good cOutltut and valt-44 % clevur) thing,to
allowing from ten to eleven thousand killed and ! hope, 1 feet that inytinty.left:aue-vo otherc-course.
wounded in the late action, this corps would haVe thaws° close 4y operatiouti;etolind:it will 01w, Vs
31130Wittd to twenty-five thousand. We could es. : 'be a tattistaitiett td nit to.tbittliti44l 1 ,hivP not
tricate ourselves trom this difficult situation only by been • indatted lightly to cotnnitt4heAafely 431-tbe
great celerity of movellient, to, w Inch the troops' army conttitid to me, or the ref4tOatt of tits 'pia
were utiequ;l, 'as they had not had their allowance Jesty's aim, it watt; an addiliOnal satitattion to
of. provisions for steer.tl dais, and by success in two me to find that .t.lio-nnantmous *pinion of the Lieu-
battles. If unsuccessful in eithere'we 'should have /tenant-Gnerals 'Ot this army, whom I thottait it
been without a retreat ; and it
.SouloatniNry avoid- ri,i;lit to consult, more out of respect to then'', than
ing an aCtion' had retired before us, and had' waited - that I thought a doubt could be entertained on the
the arrival of Victor, we should have-been expoied subjea., concurred entirely in the sentiments f have
to a general station with fifty thobiand _men, equally , stomitted to your Loidship.,
Without a retreat. • • . 1-I am concerned costly, that the effeiti of the d
W i-
-e had reawn ta expe6t;. that as the Marquis de ' mate at tins unhealthy period of the year, is teltrivust.
la Reyna could nut remove the boats from ,the. river seriouslyeaod that the notober of sick airtltdy is 1'4,-1
Aliiia'raz; Soult would have destroyed them. •;-, o tie &bor of three thousand men. • . --
Our only retreat-vs aS, -therefore, by the bridge of ~ It is my, intention to witltdraw graclutlly frOM the
Arco Bithpo ; and if vve had moved on, the enemy,
,:. advaticed, pb,ition in this island, and, set,ding,inta
by breakino that bridge while the army should been -e . Walcheren sticle an additional force as way be rie,
.gaged, with Souls and Ney, would have deprived us Cessary. to secure that important possession; to em-
of that ()illy iesowL: ' _ :.: . , ' •
.i bark the remainder of the troops, and to hold 'them
• We could not take a- position at Oropesa, as• we ' in readiness to await tits ni:lieitJ'S further cominaeds,
thereby. felt open . the_road to the breige of Arco which 1 shall most aoxiously expect - ' :
tispo fror'e Talavera by Calera e and, 'atter consi- i I have the honour to•.be, Sec,- , •
,derma the whole subject , maturely, I was of opi- I (Signed) : CHATHAM.
nitin 'that it ivas-advißable O'r'etire to tile bridge of
. .
.Afep-Bi;Po., and to t:le up a deferrsdve easfficn upon
`the-Tagus. -: ' - -
I was induced to adopt nits • last opinion, bedatise
the Freach hate rio•A at ,least fifty thousand wee dis-
„Apse-hie to oppose to the coiobbied _armies; and a
caps of twelve thousand to vs tech Vanegieii .and I
'vaslikewise of opinion, .that the sooner the outer.-
sive -line ohouid be takeu up, the more
_likely were
the troops to * able to defend it. . '-' .
Accordingly I marched on the sth, and eros;ed
the Tagus by the bridge of' Arco Bispo, and have
Continued clay. route to this place, :in Which I ant
Well situated :6 defend tlie passAgc.: of Almaraz and
the loWer pails of the Tagus. General Cuesta crossed
the river on "the in hrot the -sth, and her is still at
the bridge of Ar.co BISpo.
.°. 4hoUt two thousand of the wounded have been
tic,' 0,1;h1 away frornTaloera; the remaining fifteen
ieleored are there, atidTdoubt 'Whether,. under any
,circumstances, it would have been possible or Con•
slittnt. with humanity, to attempt to retn.ove any

to be cons►

more of them.
Fiotn 'the treatment which Sallie of -the.acildiers
wo.;m.lod ou,the 27th, and who tell into the hands
of the enqtny, experlnccd from therd, ind from
.the manner in which I. have always treated' the
wounded who Ilave ializ-n into. my hands„l
ex-
ea that - theses men will be wA treatad ; and I
have Only to lament, that a new concurrence of
evew.s,
_..ver which, trccn ciFcuinstances, T. had, and
cc,u,d have r,o conln)lii, should have 171:1ce'd the army
a situation'to obl,H-d leavt any of them be-
-0:,.
. .

t -
have bprout` to be, eze.
(Sinned). Za-.1 HUR MIELLESLEI.".

Downing-street, Sept:2, sag.

- -
A Dispatch, .ot oxhich the folloyding is Copy,
was yeslerdiiy inoraihg received a thelpi*e of LOrd
:Viscount Castlereagh, ope•of his Nlalesiy's PritLipal
Secretaries..pf State, from Lieutenant-General the
Easl of Chatharp,:4a4ed Head-quarters, Batz, Au-
,
-suit 29, 1809- •

Loßt),_• • ! -
V • 'Major BracitordAelivered to me .ybur Lordship's
. di,patt;tl of the -21,t iti,u-int,.-;i4nifying to me
t• •••ALliesty!s•coit.turtni.ls that siittull.convey,to
tenant-General Sir .Eyre: .0;ote, 'ii :t General., and
'Other °flit:et s and troOps,etnOoyed before Fushingii
and particularly to.thoste of the Artillery and engineer.
Departments,' his Majesty's gracious approba-'
tiOn of t nett- conduct ; and which.' have ObeYed with
the.trios'i -entire satisfaction. •
Thad- the honour in my last dispatch of acquaint-
. ply,- Lordship with my intention of procevditig
tv Otis ylace, and should have been most happy t 0
to.,have announced to your Lord-
ship- the int tier progress of this army. Untortu-
' nattly-., however, it bolcomes my duty tcrstate to your
Lordship that; from the concurrent testimpuy-troM
s,) innny quarters, as to Jeave no donbt of the truth
of •the,infortpation, the enemy. appears to linve col-
ItCied:so f,;ialidahle a force, as to convince me that
the perio4 was • arrived-. at which my
.instruaions
• would have diret:Aed me to withdraw they army un-
der my command, even if .engaged in ataual ope-
ration.. 2 . •

• "Untirdry-Obice, Sept. 2,--180g.
Extra of a Leiter from Rear-Admiral Sir, Richard John
Str.than, gait. K U to the Vm.‘ Weilesley Pot:.
• dated op txhixti
.his gajesty's ship. the Dt. Duutulgo, off
/341 Z, Me 2.7 th August, 1/;.9.
I haye tiow acquaint you, for their Lord-
ship's' information, that the flat boats of every
description of vessels bring assembled, and e, ery ne-
cessary arrangement Made, on the par' of the navy, •
for landing the army hear Sanifleet, on the beach
which had been- prettiOnsly reconnoitred, and not
hearing from the Earl of Chatham respetiing his in-
tentions, I oteurnunieated with his Lordship on .he
sitb instant, and on the following day I found his
*Lordship had not tomb to a determination, on ac•
count of the iticrearind force of the enemy, and the
army getting siekly, and 'hat be had sent for the
General* .to commit, I therefore, on the morning of
the Stittl,4o/TOtO to his Lordship, and I Kan atter
. went can shore to the meeting of the Lteutenaist-Ge •
:tends tai the army, taking with me Rear-Adastral
Richard *eattiel I found them clecidecil) et opi•! •
Pion that 00 opetation.could be endertake-n against
Atitwerp, with any Eirospott of illCCeiS, at this ad-.
vatic* season of the year, and the enemy increas-
ing in strength, and •our own forces diminished by
sickness'. and that 4 the taking Ott L ho and liietken-
shoed: Would not ensure our obtaining !Le Ultimate'.
objett .of the expedition, without Antwerp being
reduced, and the country near these fortresses being
inundated; it was also their decided opinion, 'shat
the. army ought not to make any atteqipt on them.
I had already, in the most unqualified manner, of-
fered every naval assistance to reduce these fortresses,.
and also in aid of every other operation of the
army. Conceiving the subjectof the deliberation
of tile Generals perfectly military, I withdrew with
So. Richard Keates. The ships of the enemy, which
were above the town of Antwerp about fiVe miles,
have cnrne down, and are tioW,extended along the
river face of it, 'except two of the line lower down,
in the Reach above Lief kenshoeik ; and four frigates
went to Lillo. An immense number of small gun-
boats are on the- boom ; behind them a crescent of
sixty gun and mortarbrigs. The battery between
Lille and Fredrick Hendrick is finished ; it has ten
guns; The enemy has been driven from that which
he was constructing on the noel side with loss, by
the fire of our bombs anillgun vessels.

Admiralty• Office, September 2, 2 frog.
liearAdruiral Sir Alexander Cochrane ha 3 ttans
mitted.lo the Honourable William Welk*/ Pule.,
a Letter from Captain Pigot, of his 'Majesty's
ship the bum, giving an =taunt of bia-baving,
on the 18th of June last, captured ta Pell6t6, "a
Frtnela frigate, pierced for forty-two pins, bot
having only fourteen of her niain-deders mounted,
and we hundred and seventy-four men on- board.
She had left Guadeloupe, in coMpany with another
frigate, bound to France with colonial produce. Her
consort escaped through superior sailing, after a long
chace by his Majesty's sloop Clicrub.

«m•• ••-

intitehaU September 2, 1809.
The King` has been *awl to grant the Dignity
of a Baronet of the `United Kinglx-o of Great Bri-
tain and Ireland, to the following Gentlettletrandthe
respective Heirs Mule of their Bodies lawiolly be-
gotten, viz.
Paulus Arnelius Irving, of Woodhouse and Robgill Tower,
in the County of Dumfries, Esq. Lieutenant. General ()Ibis
ajesty's FurCeL
1 bonus Roberts, of Roberts's Cove, in the County of.
Cork, Esq.
iiaW, of the City of London, and of Kilpurnock,

• I had certainly early understood on tiv arrival at
\Valcheren, hat the viirtly were assembling, in con-
siderable force on all points; but I .was unwilling
to give too much credit to these reports, and I was
tleierniinect.topetsevre until I. was satisfied, upon
the fullest information, that all further attempts
woldcl be unavailable.