The Sun.
London, England, 1812-10-10 00:00:00

SIEGE -OF CAI)IZ.

The follot,vitig Letter from Cadit, dated .:Selst:
10, furnishes some interesting information
regard to the immense efforts of. the enemy for
'the reduction of that city
very early in the Morning of the 25th of
August,-several of the works which the ..French
had constructed along the lines were observed to
be on fire; TheSe lines reached from Conilby
Torte-hernieja, Ohiclana, Puerto Real, and Puerto

1 de Sta. Maria, to Rota, ari.extent in the wlole 'of
about eight leagues. Dnring the . thirly-one
months of blockade, which con;menccd on the
sth of February, 1810, the enemy nevet ceased la-
bOuring with the greatest activity on the con-
struction of an immense number of redoubts and
batteries, which at last Contained abOut 500 pieces of
cannon, of the .largest: calibre. They had also
formed in their lines
.parks of artillery, maga-
zines, and foundries, calculated to support and
increase thevigour of the entcrprize, certainly one
of the most 'extensive in ita outline recorded in the
history of modern wars. 'To, these prodigious
means of attack the enemy had added the fiona,
consisting of about .30-gon-boats.
" ,As the impregnable defences of the isle of
Leon kit not the most distant hope of successful-
ly attacking Cadiz on that poi :t, they early di--
rected their atten:.:ion .:and their labours to that
quarter of•the bay where'the small isthmus, called
. the Trocudero, is situated. It appears, that their -
plan was to multiply 'their fires on that point in
such away as to silence, those of the• castle of
PuntaleS.and of the adjacent batteries ; in conse-
quence of which they expected it would be prac
ticable to effect a landing which might. enable
them to form a lodgment _between the grand bat-
tery of, St. Ferdinand, and -the land porty from.
Whence with mortars alone they could reduce to
ashes the city of Cadiz. This: plan, though, a
bold one, and of very difficult execution,
espe-
cially because they could .not Batter themselves
with becoming 'masters of the .sea, was generally
acknowledged to be the only one that _held out
:the prospect of a successful result. In' cpnse-
qnence,'bn the whole extent of: the, Trocadero,
including. Fort Louis, the enemy had mounted
about 200 pieces of artillery, Many, of them mor-
tars of the largest and most augiliented calibre,
which kept up a; tremendous, 'though ineffectual
fire upon.Puntales and the adjacent batteries;
which was alWays returned withredoubled vigour.'
" The enemy, even; from the first despairing of
the effect of all these fires npon.Cadiz, next ap-
plied himself to the discovery of • the means of
throwiag projectiles th t might effectually. da-
mage the city. All the 'science of the corps of:
French .drtillery, and .of a Spanish traitor called
Domingo Vengoa, formerly a Colonel of artil-
lery, was put in requisition, for the purpose of
casting :cannon of a new construction, whose
range might - reach Cadiz. On the 15th
.of De-
:ember, 18 LO, they made; their .first experiment
with apiece of from eight to•ninefeet in length,
in the shape of a, cannon, but with the chamber
,and the capacity of a nineinch howitzer. The
grenades thrown by this were partly. filled with
lead, and could not burst..: Their range was a'hout
6000 yards, and 'they fell considerably beyond the .
centre of the city ; but .without producing any
other effect than that of a descending from
the same elevation:

"'However;. the enemy were animated to new
attempts by the result of this experiment, and.
flattered 'themselves that, by multiplying their,
trials, they, might at h.-igth succeed in throwing
a: number
,of. projectiles, calculated to annoy the
population of Cadiz to such a degree, gs'tO pro-.
(lute disturbances, and from the effects of discori
sent and confuSion, the place might surrender.—
Time haS.. demOnStrated, that these - hopes were
ridieUlotts ; •for the enemy having constructed the
. two batteries' of Cabezuela .aml Angulo in the
Most advanced part of. the Trocadero towards Ca-
diz, placed in them fourteen pieces of the new
,construction ; • and. from the 24th of June, l'ci,l2)
they began throwing sornelhirty projectiles daily).
which mostly fell within the city, but without
producing greater.elfect than --in the first experi-
ments. it appears that the enemy did-not increase
the'number-Of their firings, from a well4ounded
tear lest their plebes should burst from the shock
of an impulse so extraordinary, and also from their
immense consumption of gunpowder, every charge,
it is said, requiring-3Mbs. The Government, with
the officers of the various pnblic departments, al-
, thongh they were within range of the French
fires, .and were exposed, to continual danger, and
inconvenience, never abandoned their posts.
After this sort of bombardment for, two.
months, which caused very little damage,- and to
whiCh the population became at last habituated,
they had the satisfaction of Witnessing one of
greatest results of the _Memorable. victory of Sa,-
lamanea, Which has immortalized the -Duke of
Ciudad Rodrigo. The whole of the 25th of Au-
gust .the enemy were abandoning their lines) hay',
ing destroyed some -of their batteries, and ren-
dered useless a part of their artillery. On the
same day the Spaniards took. possession of their
Where there was found an immense quan-
tity of gun-carriages, carts,.balls, bombs, gun-
powder, br;,f:,,age, arms, and stores of provision.
Of the 50Q, pieces of artillery, many were found
in a serviceable state, the enemy not. having ,had
, tinieJo destroy.them frOm the precipitation with
which be retired. All these amount in value to
many millionS„ but there_ has not yet been time to
take an inventory of them, and we have been
chiefly employed in, destroying the works, and in'
bringing the artillery and stores into Cadiz and
the Isle of Leon. Sikh has been the issue.of the.
',incessant lalvurs,of the enemy against Cadiz,—,'
labours' which harts been often blazoned in the
French reports as models_ of their kind, and as,
like the works ,Of the Romans,: calculated to ex-
cite-the admiration of the.world.-

.
" Two thousand men were immediately set to
work upon the prOjected Cut, which is to convert
the Trocadero•into an island, and to, render it,,
.like the other approaches, impregnable. Were
the, enemy, therefore, to approach even a month
hence Ayith any amount of force, bis fire eou;d
.not.teaCh Cadiz, nor even its Bay. In this man-
ner the Most, important- point of Spain will re-
main _perfectly,secure, •and it be impossible.
for. the enemy even -to possess, in tranquility, the
Test of Andalusia.".
. •.