Star.
London, England, 1808-12-02 00:00:00

SPA/N.
IMOLIIMiIIfi 71 THE MADRID GAZETTE OF TN
141 TH NOVEMBER

ARANJUEZ; NOVEMBER 14.
The Secretary of State for the War Department
has received the following dispatches from Li cote-
nant General Don Joaquin Blake; dated at Vahna-

seda on the 7th and Bth instant !

46 Most Excellent Seignor—ln order to secure the
means of re-concentrating my forces, smatter of im-
portance upon all occasions, and More particularly
trader the circumstances of my army being attacked
by such superior number's, and to approximate the
only road by which I could procure the means oil
subsistence, I determined en the Sd instant to unite
the different divisions, including that of the North;
which had justveached the vicinity of the little town
of Veva. All effected a junction, with the exception,
of the second division of Gallicia, and a part of the
-troops of Asturias, forming a corps under the com-
mand of his Excellency D. Vincent Acevedo. This
corps was attacked by the enemy in superior force
on the Sd instant, between Llameno and Menagarai;
and the enemy, though vigorously repulsed, tool a
position between the corps under Seignor Acevedo
and the army, apparently, and accor&ng to the in-
formation I received, with the expectation of a rein-
forcement, in order to prevent Acevedo frOm effec-
ting a junction with me. This information reached
-me on the morning. of the 4th. I instantly saw the
necessity of a decisive movement against the enemy:
and accordingly gave ordere that, the same night;the
Sd divisidh, commanded by Brigadier D. Erandico
Riquelme, with, one of the corps of Aanciaa, Under
the orders of Field Marshal D. Gregorio Quires,
should proceed in quest of and 'attack the corps of the
enemy that intercepted the passage of Acevedol?-.-
that the 4th di6isionand the advanced guard should
march for' Valmaseda, with'a view of attacking
ever troops of the enemy they might fall in with'
that the first, and reserve; should proceed, under thy
immediate command, to Gordejnela, to cut off the
.commtrnication between the different French diifi;
s..•ns ; and, finally, thatthe*Oirps of the North should
remain posted ot o,ifroo as iteneral reserve.
is At the very instant of commencing our match,''
I received advice that the corps of Seignor Acevedo
bad been able to change its position, and had miter)
up a new and very advantageous one between Gor-
dejuela, Valmaseda, and brrantia, but that the
enemy, in considerable numbers, were still occupied
in watching its. movements. This news disposition of
Seignor del Acevedo necessarily led to some ahem,.
tion in mine. The troops under Seignors Quiroe
and Riquelme were accordingly ordered to attack:
the enemy, which, from the indications they had-
:hewn, and! the information of the peasantry,,wore
supposed to be at Arciniega. Their main body was
conceived to be at Orrontia, and I took upon Myself
the task of dislodging them, ,with the first, the ad-
vanced guard, and the reserve. The fourth, ender
the command, ad interim, of Brigadier on Esteban
Porlier, owing to the indisposition of Marquis del
Portazgo, pursued their original destination to Val-
museda, but under a caution of not attacking should
they fall in with a superior force.
66 I am at a loss to what I should ascribe the resolu-
tion taken by the French to draw off their Comes
from the corps of Acevedo ; but certain it is, 'that
at Orrantia and Arciniega we met only with ac-
counts of their retreat,. which they had effected the
same night ; and thus the divisions, which it was our
object to disengage, happily joined us. The fourth
divison, however, was more fortunate than the rest ;
for, reaching the environs of Valtniseda, where there
were seven thnusairet of the enemy, under the com-
mand of the General of Division Villat, they attacked.
them with the greatest impetuoiity, drove them out
of the town, and pursued them more than a' league,
when they halted in consequence, of night coming
on. The enemy fled in the utmasidisorder, having
'suffered a very great loss in 'killed and wounded ;—•
we also took forty of them prisoners, among whom
'was an officer ; and they left in our handa a font
pounder, and two ammunition waggons, in a service-
, able condition ; five baggage or provision waggons,
some of them belonging to' their General's establish,
went ; papers also belonging to the latter,and an
=ense number of other articles of.bootT,. What much
contributed to decide'this brilliant affatrewai the tn.'
pidity and ardolir with which some corps'of the • As-
. torians, and of the seetind division of Gallicia, deseen.
ded upon Valmaseda, the instant they Observed the
contest which the loarth -division were commencing:
This, and the above.mentioned corps, have acquired
an indisputable righeto, the esteem of their. fellow-
countrymen—a claimwhich indeed belongs indiscri-
minately to al) our inimitable soldieta, who, continu-
ally in the open air since the 9,3 d ult. during rainy*
nights, and the most inclement weather,all without
hats, and a great part of them' without clothes, or
even without shoes or stockings, and; what is 'more,
passing whole days' without food, underwent with
alacrity the greatest fafigues, exhibiting not • the
smallest symptom of dissatisfaction under'such ex.;"
traordinary privations, and manifesting no other wish
than that of destroying the enemy by the sacrifice of
their own lives. • _ •
" The above I have transmttted to your Excel-
lency, that yon may be pleased to communicate 'the
*same to his Maje4ty. May GOD preserve your Ex..
cellency many years. (Signed) 64 JOAQUIN !LOLL"
Valmaseda, Noy. 7, ISO&
fi Tile Secretary of State for cite War Department."
MOST ExCr.LLE4T SEIGNOR,
" Being without positive information of the force
and situation of the enemy,,which it was indispensihly
necessary I should obtain, with a view to reguLite my
operations, I marched yesterday with the first and
second divisions, in the direction of Gnaws, and or-1
dered the advanced guard to proceed by Gordejuela
as far as Sodupe. '1 he body of troops under my
im-
mediate command very soon fell in with four French
regiments,. feinting an effective force of 8000 men,
, and a firing feiok place, which lasted the whole -of the
day, without any advantage on either 'side.- Towards
dusk, the enemy.fell back a little, and we sit
the movements which we had begun es; mob.
:tight to left, with the, view of aaacily. *0 gi
new direction. . . . . - ••••
" We 41004 Friro#W.Vmo4W !toF*

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this morning, with every prospect of success, had not I
the extreme inclemency of the night, and the ex-
hausted condition of the troops from wait of food and
intolerable fatigue, compelled me to endeavpur to
procure for them some shelter, rest, and refreshment.
therefore, marched Ahem back 'to head-quarters
here a little before day-break.
" The force of the enemy has been, ascertained by
the declarations of some of the prisoners, and also
that Marshal Lefebvre commanded in the action. I
[learn that the vanguard 'was attacked by MOO hub,
and that after maintaining their ground with their
*anal firmness, night also put an end to the conflict.
" In• communicating the above fo your Excellen-
cy, and requesting that you will have the goodness
to submit the same 'to his Majesty's consideration, I
cannot but mention in terms of the warmest commen-
dation the gallantry, constancy, patience under fatigue
and privations, and distinguished patriotism, mani-
fested by the Generals, Chiefs, Officers, and, soldiers.,
" I ought not to omit to state that in the numbet
of the wounded is Seignor Birch, Captain hi the ser-
vice .of his Britanaie Majesty, an officer of distin.
guished skill and cool resolution, who would not leave
the field until lie was carried off by the troops. I
was also assisted by the Lieutenant-Colonel Seignor
Carrol, who, for three months, has been with this
army in that capacity, taking a part'in every engage:
went, and in all of them giving an exampled ia-
lour.—May GOD preserve your Excellenty many
years. (Signed) " loitiens NAZI."
" Head-quarters at Valtnaseda, Nov. 3; •
" The Most Excellect Seignor, the Secretary at • V 7 • "
Stare for the Warpeprtnerg." ps • as
• •
Incm, ()aro' nut 91.-- • ...
Our Junta has received the following let' freer
that of Manna, dated, the 29th instant •
a The French being apprised that we wele iendin;
a convoy of ammunition to Colon:1 Don FranclscoMi-
lans; made an attempt to intercept it,-advancing for
that purpose to within three miles of Sabad,el ; hut,
thank GOD, the escort being informed of 'the design
of the enemy, disappointed it by falling back."
PALAMOS, OCTOBER 31.
lettprs received here from Mahon, contain the
following advitest--“ You need not now expect the
8000 English who were coming from Sicily, since they
received orderi, on the voyage, to put back, in conse-
quenee or the Neapolitans having applied for their
assistance to.shake off the yoke of. the French.' All
the troops that *ere in Sicily, both English and Sici-
lians, 'have- alreadj landed on Or ..cositinent.- We
tonceive that at this monent. the lkingdom is in a
state of general insurrectton, and expect that the
French there will be totally exterminated.
- This afternoon arrived in this harbour; in six days
from St. Pedro, in Sardinia, the S. .rosef felucca,
.Marlin Mone master. He affirms, that at St. Pedro
.positive accounts had been received of thelanding of
the. English and Sicilian troops in the kingdom of
Naples, of their having been joined by the•Calabrians,
and o(their acting in tbe mostvigorous manner againss
the usurper Murat* with an united. force of 80,000
men. He add', that the Spanish Constd at St. Pedro-
directed him to communicate this intelligence on his
arrival in Spain.'?

PRIVATE LETTERS.

CORAJNNA, NOV. 22.
" General Moore's army had a very severe march.
The English seem much alarmed, that is the few that
remain behind the army in consequenceof indisposition
but such of the sensible Spaniards as I have hitherto
conversed with, are not in the least dismayed, The
raising and disciplining of troops go on with the
greatest activity in every part. This day I saw with
great pleasure upwards of two thousand, young and
robust fellows practising their evolutions,. Bonaparte,
it seems, has returned to Paris. •
The Central Junta are treated with the honours
of Majesty, and all-their edicts are issued in the name
of Ferdinand VII. Jovellands is at. the head of the
Administration of Gracia and Jti.sticia ; and the Duc
del Infitmado, 'Conde de Aitamira, and all.the other
popular characters are in the Administrationeso. that
it appears that all party difference and Punctilios are
laictaside, and every thing possible done to .conciliate
and strengthen the. Government, Which is ferned•iitto
different sections, each of which appoints its Minister'.
As for example : the Section of the Herne Depart-
ment, (Negocias Entitdo) is cdtriposetl- of ive
members, who have appointed Don Pedro Ceyallo,i
as their Secretary.• On the 7th inst. ;Jr. titre and
'his brother arrived at Madrid, and on. the 9th they
went to Aranjtser.:*o4 the 9th the aturian Minister,
Baron de Stroganoff, and all the Russian- Legation,
.departed from Madrid frit- Carthagena.a.ith a passport
from the Duke del.lnfantado of, the .ninostl'espectful
•
and. attentive nature.
NOvesurat The sad accounts we received
mire time-ago from Biscay, have bees since followed
up with a succession.` of melancholy inttlligence.
There is not the least doubt, that the enemy have cut
, off the communication with Madrid, as the Mail
from thence, due the 21st, has not comp in. Those
here connected with the English army totntion-their'
infermation, but onrGovernment resolves thepep.
:est silence. On all hands, however, thiirnis thailost
gloomy apprehension and foreboding."::: •
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41,N0TH4 isn't SAME DAtr.. :. •
" You already know that the 'first attack of' the
enemy upon the Spanish lines was op the 31st
-at Zornosa. This 'was officially impart ed by a'dis.-
patch from General Blake, dated the lit instant ;an4,
since than moment, no communicates 1= beewtsrade,
frinn the Gallician arniy to its Government ; and the
post which conveyed that dispatch brought no com-
munication whatever from any of the individtials of
the army, to relieve' the anxiety of their numerous
friends and relatives in, this neighbourhood. -Eleven
days have elapsed, and three regular post's from Ma.
drid have arrived (Which post receives* the letters
from Biscay, &c. in bye-hags), and still without ant's
letters from the army. The inference to-be drawl!'
from this is very obvioul, Nevertheless,
unwillingness of all men to receive.omielconic inf Orr•
oration, that they relisttantly,• though unconsciously,,
deceive themselves bk the ready admittance of any
suggestion, howeverimproyabk, which serves to re:
lirchbOem from the 'necessity of believing what they,
do not elitist to believe. The non-airival of Immo
was *lobed* an Wider from the Central Aim, duel
they *QM be foirenided ; and the '
fdr pen_
iomr algid 4
0,1". 7afitr • :4-4

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