Star.
London, England, 1808-11-19 00:00:00

SPAIN.

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VILLAFRANCA, OCTOSIIt. 10.
His Excellency our Captain-General, anxious to
redeem from captivity the good but unfortunate
R. P. Braulio de San Boy, Guardian of the Convent
of Capuchins at Tarragona, who was made prisoner.
by the French near Viladecans, wrote the following
letter to the General of the enemy's army, to which
he received the answer subjoined to it':
" General Dunces('!—ln the attack of the morning of the
30th ult. at Viladecans, in whicb.,your troops did me the favour
to leave me a considerable number of useless horses with all their
accoutrements, and the field of battle strewed with cuirasses,
arms, and dead bodies, while not one of my soldiers bad so much
as the mark of a contusion, they indemnified themselves for their
ill fortune upon that occasion, by thieving some provisions, and
• carrying off a Capuchin Friar, as the only trophy of their valour
and intrepidity.
" This Friar, who has never taken up arms nor stained them
with blood, can have committed no other crime, in your eyes,
than that of having, like every man of honour, discharged his
duty as a Minister of Religion, anti also towards his Govern-
ment and country. No General boasts of taking prisoner an un-
armed person, who can make no resistance; and, therefore, doing
you the honour of thinking that you admit this principle, I pro-
pose, if you are inclined to an exchange, to send you, in lieu of
him, any one of the Officers of your army, who are confined in
Gerona.
" But should you place a higher value upon a Spanish Mendi-
cant Friar, permit me to request that you will treat him with the
humanity and respect due to a priest of the only true religion;
otherwise, the French Officers who are my prisoners, and are
well treated, will become the victims of your conduct.
" The honourable and generous enemy opposed to you, expects
from your urbanity a prompt answer.
(Signed) " Marquis del Plizatceo."
" Barcelona, October 4.
" SEIONOR MARQUIS !-I have to reply to the letter which
you have addressed to me, and which I have received from my.
outposts.
" I do not attach any great importance to the good or bad suc-
cess of my advanced parties, one of whom brought in the Capu-
chin whom you claim. He himself justifies the importance at-
tached to his capture, by boasting, that he is one of the Chiefs of
the Insurgents, your most confidential adviser,and Administrator-
General of your Army.
" Seignor Marquis ! I shall dispose of him as my duty pre-
scribes, without suffering your menaces respecting the Officers in
your power to have any influence whatsoever upon my determi-
nation.

" Such, Seignor Marquis, is my answer, in which I hope you
will find that tone and polite attention which men of honour, of
all nations, should observe in their intercourse with each other.
" I have the honour to be, with perfect consideration, your
most attentive and obedient servant. (Signed)
" Duassur,

" Commander-in-Chief of the French
Army in Catalonia."
REUS, OCTOBER IS.

On Monday last, 4500 of the Monsieurs made a
sally from Barcelona, in the direction of Gerona.—
They broke through our line of Moncada, notwith-
standing all the resistance made by the Commander
of that line, the brave Milans del Bosh ; who, how-
ever, held them in check as long as he could, and
almost afforded time for the arrival of the reinforce-
ment, which our General, on hearing of the event,
ordered to march from Molins del Rei, in conjunction
with 300 cavalry that came from Minorca. The
latter were in action on Tuesday evening, and killed
with their own hands 400 of the Monsieurs.
This account is official ; but not so another, which
says, that the rest cf the banditti had fallen back
and re-entered Barcelona.

It was reported here, that our Miquelets were in
Barcelona ; but we, unfortunately, know that this is
not true. With the arrival, however, of the 12,000
men whom we expect from Valencia and Arragon,
we have no doubt of being able to relieve the 'poor
inhabitants of that city, who are reduced to the ut-
most distress.