Star.
London, England, 1808-12-09 00:00:00

/

may, will be cut et Net Seek b• 16, itkutem,
bear that both Moore and Baird are retreating.
we ,
fit, it is absolute despair."
ANOTHER .I„Byrza—gAbig DATE.
~ The effects of that wonderful machine which Bo.:
moo wields with such dexterity, are now beginning
7-iiiay themselves. He did not begin to act till
'ow fight 70,000 men under his most accom-
red Generals to the reinforcement of his army,
bed before been able to keep the Patriots at bay.
h eight he has done his work. He began by
the avesden of Blake, and we this day learn that
be bas with equal facility destroyed Castanos. We
Si now nothing left for it.
Sir John Moore is at Sabunanca, without horse or
winery. General Hope is at Madrid with horse,
bat withottt foot-rand General Baird is at Astorga
"kb his horse, in a condition totally unfit for service.
Dry are dying daily in numbers, and the highways
see grewed with their carcases. Nothing can equal
the dismay which prevails here. God knows how our
win will get off I Certainly our artillery must be
we behind, for the poor beasts of horses that remain
lb, are unfit to drag the guns through the execra-
ble
rapie.”
ANOTHEA LETTER—SAW
u irbemad which arrived from England yesterday
is to :ems to-morrow morning early. There is no
doubt that this rapidity in the communication is the
eieseleence of important intelligence received from
or head-quarters at Astorga : but what that intelli-
goes is, I am sorry I cannot tell you, but fear that it
ot 'try favourable. The public rumours represent
wet, as very disastrbus indeed, but I suppose this
i, in some measure, a sort of revenge to punish the
meg Observed by persons in office, and extort a
illation from them. The reports that our soldiers
seder Sir David Baird are in full retreat, that they
Nun destroyed their magazines, &c. at Astorga. and
, ale they have found it impossible to unite with Sir
Sebfoore•—much of this I think is exaggeration...
*Nye reason to believe that, at least, a colizaU.
Ow subsists between Sir David Baird and the
Ilksis Roman. Many articles brought by our
`sr bee, and which could not be taken by them
I. ale interior, have been re.embarked on board
ale imports which remained."
.4 SHORES OF THE BAY 07 BISCAY, NOV. 21.
' a Yesterday the Minerva frigate arrived here tram
ti. An4er, which she left on the 44th instant. On
it preceding evening tidings were received there that
he Preochwere at Ajo, in consequence of which the
!email* for evacttathtg the place, which had
ken made so long since as the I2th, but which were 1
responded in coolequence of the rumoured retreat of i
the French, were renewed, and effectual means taken
fereaderthe prize as little valuable to the enemy as,
pale for his military operations. The cannon
vesaltled and thrown into the water. Five bun-
tiftioa of powder and all the magazines were
, Two hours after the frigate had cleated
1
lib Rauh entered the town. The escape of; 1144
illid was at the last moment rendered uncertain,
Wm natural impediments of the harbour, and it
dotahich ceased but just time enough to permit
',departure. The frigate is loaded with the richest
- could put on board.—
transports was an un-

DATE.

die transports,. till permission could be obtained from
Madrid for their Nisi landed.
Fortunately a number of transports wire detained
at Coruna since tkertinte. On the 2d inst. they had
begun to take on boar} the heavy baggage belonging
to our army, and every preparation was making for
the reception of the troops when they might arrive :
but we believe there are but few horse transports at
Coruna, the greater part of them being now in
Stoke Bay, where they have been taking four more
regiments on board for Spain.

The defeat of Casraxos is believed to have been
of a most decisive description. While the French
Emperor seemed to direct his chief attention to the
operations on the western part of Spain, he was
evidently preparing a decisive blow against General
CAIITANCII, and his plan has unhappily proved but
too successful. We fear, indeed, that the greater
part of this division of the Spanish army has been
completely routed.
Previous to this battle the French had advanced
in another direction from Burgos to Lerma, Arendt.,
and across the Douro ; and it appears by the Pro-
clamation of the Central Junta, that they had got to
the neighbourhood of Samozierra, a small town in the
mountains, about forty miles North of Madrid. In
this state of affairs the Junta ordered a strong force
to occupy the important post of Guadarama, about
25 miles from Madrid, whither the English, who are
said to have been at the Escurial on the 21st, (but
we think there is some error in the statement) were
about to proceed to co-operate with the' Spaniards.
It should seem, however, that the enemy took a
different route to the capital, by proceeding in a
direction due south from the Douro, by Samozierra,
Buitriago, and the road that leads from thence to
Madrid ; and the• unexpected defeat of General
turanos having frustrated all the plans that had
been formed, a retreat on the part of our armies
became netessarY. •
General Mooae, who was at Salamanca, informed
General Baum at Astorga of the event, and directed
that officer to fall back upon Corunna, whilst he him-
self commenced a retrograde movement towards
Portugal. General BAIRD'S army, we have already
stazed, is to re-embark at Corunna, where a sufficient
number of transports are provided for that purpose,
and both armies are to unite in Portugal, on the
frontiers of which they will endeavour to form a bar-
rier to the progress,4 the French army in that di-
rection, and the passes of the Sierra Morena will
doubtless be secured by the Spaniards in the other
direction. On the side of Leon and Asturias, it is
understood, that the Marquis de ROMANA had col-
lected twenty thousand men, and. thirty pieces of can_
non, with which it was hoped he would be able to
make a stand in that quarter.
The Spanish Papers contain very little information
respecting the military operations, either in Catalonia
or on the Ebro. The latest news from the latter is of
the 15th ult. stating the occupation of Caparosso.
The British army, under Sir Joint Moon; entered
Salamanca on the
_l4th of November, and, as we
learn from private letters, continued them on the 26th.
On the 21st, not more than 12,000 of the troops were
collected at that place, and these could not proceed
to form a junction with Sir DAVID BAIRD, their artil-
lery not having then arrived. Sir DAVID BAIRD was
at Astorga with about 14,000 men ; and ROMANA, as
Illtne bare before stated, had assembled about 20;000 at
Leon. These one would think, if united, might Crave
(mined ,e body not easily to have been overcome by
the copy ; but this we fear is now impracticable.
Tndeed the nesse& is that our troops were on the
retreat wheis the dispatches came away.—Some of
the letters say that the transports were to proceed
to Vigo, to receive the troops at that port, as it
was not thought adviseable to embark them at
Corunna.
Report farther states, that the enemy entered'
Madrid about the 28th ult. and that the. Supreme
Junta had removed its Sittings to Toledo. This may
prove to be merely rumour; but if the successes of
the enemy have been such as have been reported, we
may soon expect to hear of Narmison taking up his
head-quarters in the Capital.
On the whole of the intelligence, we can only
add, that though the principal fact comes from
Sir DAVID BAIRD, the evil may not prove to be to
the extent stated ; but there is too much ground for
believing that when the particulars shall be fully
known, they will prove very distressing.

•
At eight o'clock yesterday morning Mr. Mats, one
of his- hlajesty's Messengers, arrived in town with
dispatches from Spain. At nine o'clock Mr. BAssxrr,
another King's Messenger reached the Foreign Office,
ahnivith dispatches from our army in Spain.
Yesterday evening Mr. ROBINSON a King's Mes-
senger, arrived in town with dispatches from Portugal.
Yesterday aCabinet Council was held at the Foreign
Office. Alt the Members, except the Duke of PORT-
LAITh and Lord MULONXVE, were present. The sit-
ting lasted-from two to half after five o'clock.
Mr, SHAW,. the Messenger, is stated to have been
sent off last night for France, with the answer of Mi.
nisters to the dispatches received by the flag of truce
on Monday. The 'French and Russian Couriers also
left town yesterday evening, on their return to France.
Two ladies, who were lvtely captured in a French pri-
vateer; have received permisium to take their passage
to Boulogne in the flag of trim.
Kinti.n. um has recommended aSiauFrwl to his
Legislative Body, in the prevent deplorable state of
the finances of Holbnui-,-6ThE'poor Dutch think they
havehalienough of Arabi ahead,.

_ ;

dasswhith the inhabitants could put on board.—
ea
aepmious departure of the transports was an un-
d
,
attaate circumstance ; however, a very great pro-
it ;
Hof the inhabitants gave the only testimony in
power of their attachment to their country, and
ihatence of the invaders, by abandoning their hoisses
• *I property. Some fled over the mountains towards
Clie and other Asturian towns, while others went to
my aca, deeming it more safe to inhabit a place for
h time possessed by the enemy than one recently
Ln. tapered by him."
'ed' THE EVENING STAR.
go
LONDON.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9.
Met OF FTOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CI.OOK
Ant—for Jan. 64—Reduced 641--Oronlum 1 dis.
Exchequer MIL, 6s. to Bs.prem.
PRICE OF STOCKS YESTERDAY.
Pli Cat ked. Ann. Golf 651 India Bonds, 6s. Bs. prima.
`"" PAC. Cons. Ex. Bills, 6s. 85. 7s. pre.
PorCaat. soff 811 Omniusn,
tbac Pe Cat. Nary shut State Lottery Tickets. 211. 15s.
an. Am la' is Cons. for ace. 67f 66iff
&stressing intelligence was yesterday received
Government in dispatches from General Sir Da‘fui
'ens, dated Astorga, the 29th ult. From these dis-
' it appears, that the Spaniards, under Gene-
esetsaos, have sustained a disastrous defeat.—
' Particulars are not stated, but Sir DAVID had
informed of the fact by dispatches from Sir
[ Moon, with directions to re-embark his troops
ey ' all possible speed, and proceed to the Tagus, as ,I
td Nate of rendezvous for assembling the British I
IL "71 and concerting what farther operations may
;en *cedar), for the support of the common. cause.
' The Private accounts are confused and contradic-
was Some that we have seen speak of treachery in
.01n Spanish commanders ; but this is so common on
• of disaster, that we think it wholly ground-
}lfaaa, the Spaniards, from their first successes
and the French,
had acquired a culpable degree
to v allidtoce nor can it be disguised that they have
che4"'"--.1 remiss in their preparations and move-
., '• to meet the active enemy with whom they had
that mod. Can our Readers have forgot, that
i the the British troops reached Corunna, they were
tolemain for a considerable time oa board