Star.
London, England, 1813-07-30 00:00:00

ARMY.

List night 'Curitain FRIMANTLX left town on his
return to the army ; he took With him dispatches to
Lord Wectittrroo.
A detachment of the 27th Regiment, and One of
Sappers And Miners, embarked yesterday at Port&
inouth. Their destination is Santancier.
A company of Royal Sappers and Miners em.
barked a few days since, Under Captain CotzTlx, for
the Peninsula.
The 30th Regiment, which has arrived' from
braltar. *as yesterday landed at Cowes. in the Isle
of Wight, having been released from quarantine.
The following Regiments of Militia are embarked
•at Dublin for England :—Radnor, Merioneth, West-
ruorland, Lanark, and Nottingham ; and td replace
these have arrived the Bedford, Moumoutbi and East
Middlesex.
A number of Army Invalids has arrived at Doter.,
to be conveyed to Chelsea.
Yesterday the St. James's Volunteers commanded
by Lord AMNIERSt, were inspected in Hyde Park by
Lieutenant-Colonel HARNL%GE, and made a most
respectable appearance in their new clothing.
General BERESFORD has returned sincere thabks to 1
the Portuguese officers and soldiers, for their steady
and victorious conduct at the battle of Vittoria.

BATTLE OF Vitrotuab—The following is an ex-
tract of a private letter:—" I flatter myself our ope.
rations have bf late become in some degree interes.
ting ; I shall therefore give you a slight sketch of
them. i write upon a pannier under a tree, with bad
materials, for which the matter mast snake up. Our
brigade left Salamanca the 2d, which the French
had evacuated a few hours before our arrival. ten.
Mares made his escape just as we entered the town.
The 4th forded the Douro, the French having de-
stroyed the two centre arches of the bridges the 7th
drove the French out of Palentia. King Joseph left
it a few hottrs before our arrival. On the lBth we
expected a battle before Burgos, bat the enemy blew
up the Castle and abandoned the position, and con.;
centrated the whole of their force at Vittoria. On
the 15th we crossed the Ebro at St. Martino. Here
we joined two other divisions of the army. On the
10th we were in a wood, within twelve miles of Vit.
toria : here V/e were told the French army was pos.
ted, with its right on the town, a river in front, and
occupying all the adjacent hills, 85,000 strong, with
180 pieces of cannon planted on the heights. On the
morning of the 21st we marched, at half-past three
o'clock, being attached to the centre division, under
Sir Tnos. Pic-rota. At nine o'clock we found the
engagement had commenced. It is impossible for
me to describe the position the enemy had chosen ; it
seemed calculated to baffle human force. I have no
hesitation in saying, that if the ground had been in',
the possession of the British troops, and that they had
been attacked by the French, that three.fourths of
their army would have been cut to pieces. They
continued to fight well till four o'clock, when they
began to give way on their left, and shortly after the
retreat became general. We pursued them for nine
miles from the field of battle. About half.past nine
Velock we formed an open column of squadrons,
with the hussars in front and dismounted, the enemy
coveted with cloud' and we with glory, and a thick
wood, in which we passed the night without food or
baggage, after a pleasant little ride of about eighteen
hours. -Lord Wut.cnterrou came up just as we dis-
thnOnted i he said, " Well done, LWe Guards, you
have acted nobly ! I will send your baggage up to
you : make your elves comfortable I we shall be after
them in the morning," thus amply repaying us for
all we bad suffered: I am sorry to tell you, the
.French did not stand our charge, but went right
about, the moment they got a fair view of us t so
that we have less eredit for valour, having so much
for appearance. We bare taken a great many pri-
soners, 151 pieces of cannon, all the plunder of the
French, their baggaoe, corn, ted.
&c. the whole of
JO4FII'S plate, cash, crown, Ind carriages. .I do
not think they will have the impudence to meet us
again, after the drubbing they lave received. A
squadron of my regiment was seat into Vittoria dor-
ing the action, by
.Lord WALLINGTON'S order, about
four o'clock, to take possession of the town. They
were within twenty minbtes of catching the usurper
of the Spanish Crown I Joe had jest time to make
his escape, and no more. He arrived at Salvatierra
about eight o'clock, to which town we pursued him
the next day—he was off, before our arrival, for Pam.
Flom—Our loss must be severe, from the situation
the French occupied—theirs is also great. I shall
not shock you by a description of the ground over
which we passed ip the pursuit ; it has made a last-
ing impression on my mind. The plunder which the
soldiers got is immense. King Joseph, after his arri-
val at Salvatierra, about twenty four miles from the
field of battle, as the mistress of the house assured
me, had not a knife, fork, or spoon to eat his supper
with—all he had was in our possession. He gave
up the town for five hours to plunder to the ruffians
that fled with him. And, I assure you, they perfor-
med the task to admiration, as nothing worth taking
was left, and the most wanton destruction of the pro-
perty they could not remove."
SZTRACT OF A LITTER FROM A STAFF OFFICER AT
TARRAGONA.

" The unfortunate businesi here has withered the
laurels which the Alicant Army gained at Castella.
What will Lotd Wrid.tNa-rotr say to us ? Seventeen
thousand men, well equipped, sailed from Alicant on
the Slst May ; they landed near Tarragona on the
Kiig's birth-day, and the place was immediately in.
vested Fort Felippe which commands the pass of
Col de B3lgutr, was also invested, and fell after three
days. The possession of this pass secured the left
nak of the army against any attempt from irortosa,
near which place Sumer was collecting his force.—
The landing of the Marines from the Toulon fleet in
the Bay of Rosas drew the attention of Ds CASN, as
well as of the garrisons of Barcelotia and Gerona.—
The army of enroNs, and the Guerillas, were also
extremely active and enterprising in that quarter,
constantly annoying the enemy and distraeung his
attention.. Every thing seemed favourable to the
enterprise; but after the siege had been continued
for a fortnight it was suddenly raised, to the surprise
Of.every one in the army. The siege was raised
without any enemy being in the rear ; and the guns,
those with which Lord Wzi.stuorrosi took Bodajos,
Abandoned, with all the stores—they were left to any
pta..on who chose to take them, and no one appeared
st hand •ehen trey were left. The army was not

minted either in ein disembarking ; If the
enemy was sear, he certainly did not shew himself.
" It was knoiv.• that Smut? was riot within three
dajs iinich of us, and had he been near us, we had
the sea ind our ships behind its. However, to com-
plete this ettraordinary busittess, after the troops were
embarked a day, they were relanded not td regain
their guns and stores, for they were safely lodged in
Tarragona. What the enemy saw the coast clear,
they Came dbwn and quietly took possession of the
present we had deptisitbd for them. 41.
" It was said then that the troops were landed to
fight the enemy, who it was found, were not so sti o rg
as at first imagined,• however no enemy was y t at
hand, they were more than a day's march off, and
Lord W. BENTINCK, who had just arrived at this
crisis, ordered the army to re-embark a second time.
The army, soldiers as well as Officers viewed these
doings AV ;th wonder ' • they were beyond our compre-
liension,"la our Commanders had no doubt wise
reasons, and can, we suppose, satisfy Government and
the country that the measures they adopted were
the best.

" The loss of the fine battering train—that which
wrested one of the strongest fortresses in the country,
with a picked garrison, from the French, is severely
regretted, even by the private men. The loss of the
battering train, of the ammunition, and.stores, can.
not be readily repaired, and the enemy are in great
want of them. Report does say, that the gallant
Admiral HALLOWELL offered to embark all the
guns and stores in ten hours: and no doubt the Jacks
would have done it in less time, if necessary—but the
proposition was rejected. This expedition has di,.
pressed the spirit of this army, raised that of the
enemy in the desperate state of their affairs, and no
doubt has disappointed the hopes of the illustrious
WELLINGTON, and of the British Nation—enquire
you must, into it."