Star.
London, England, 1809-01-14 00:00:00

about 400 awn at Alcobaeo, under Gen.
—I considered, with the Admiral, the propr►.
carrying into execution any of the proposed Oh*.
attack upon the Tagus, or upon the coast in the neigh.,
bourhood of the Rock of Lisbon ; and it appeared Wt,
us both, that all the attacks upon the river which had
been proposed to Government, were impracticable ;
that the attack upon Cascaes Bay was likewise so ;
that a landing in any of the small bays in the neigh-
bourhood of the Rock was a matter of considerable
difficulty at any time; and that there was a risk, that
if a part of the army, or even the whole army, were
landed, the state of the surf which prevails upon the
whole coast of Portugal, might prevent the disem-
barkation of the rear in the one case, and of the
stores and provisions, which were necessary, in the
other. At all events, the disembarkation would be
made in the neighbourhood of the whole disposable
force of the French army, and the British troops
would be exposed to their attack on their landing,
probably in a crippled, and certainly not in a very
efficient state.
By making our disembarkation in one of the bays
near the Rock of Lisbon, it was certain that we
should not have the advantage which, at that time,
we expected to derive from the co-operation of the
Portuguese troops.
It appeared to us that the fort of Peniche, which
was garrisoned by the enemy, would prevent the dis-
embarkation under the shelter of that peninsula ; and
therefore it appeared to the Admiral and to me, that
it would be most advisable to disembark the 'troops in
the Mondego river.—l quitted the Admiral off the
Tagus on the 27th, and joined the fleet of transports
off the Mondego, on the 30th.
I there received information from Government,
dated the 15th July, that they intended to reinforce
the army under my command with 5000 men under
the command of Brigadier General Acland, in the
first instance, and eventually, with the corps consist-
ing of 10,000 men, which had been under the com-
mand of Sir John Moore in Sweden ; and that Sir
Hew Dalrymple was appointed to command the
army. I was likewise directed to carry into execution
the instructions which I had received, if I conceived
that my force was sufficiently strong.
Besides these dispatches from Government, I re-
ceived information, on my arrival at the Mondego, of
the defeat of the Frmch corps under Du Pont by the
Spanish General Castanos on the 30th July, and I
was convinced that General Spencer, if he did not
embark immediately upon receiving intelligence of
that event, would do so as soon as he should receive
my orders of the 26th July. I therefore considered
his arrival as certain ; and I had reason to expect the
arrival of General Acland's corps every moment, as
I had been informed that it was to sail from Harwich
and the Downs on the 19th July.
I also received accounts, at the same time, that
General Loison had been detached from Lisbon
across the Tagus into Alenteja on the 27th July, in
order to subdue the insurrection in that province, and
open the communication with Elvas. The insurgents
had lately been joined by about 1000 men from the
Spanish army of Estremadura, and the insurrection
had made considerable progress, and was become
formidable in Alentejo.
I therefore considered that I might commence the
disembarkation of the troops, without risk of their
being attacked by superior numbers, before one or
both the reinforcements should arrive ; and I was
induced to disembark immediately, not only be-
cause the troops were likely to be better equipped,
and more able to march in proportion as they should
have been longer on shore ; but because I had reason
to believe that the Portuguese had been much dis-
couraged by seeing the troops so long in the ships after
the fleet had arrived in Mondego Bay ; and I was
certain they would suspect our inclination, or our
ability to contend with the French, if they had not
been disembarked as soon as I returned from the Ta-
gus ; I therefore determined to disembark as soon as
the weather, and the state of the surf, would permit
us, and we commenced the disembarkation on the
1.: of August.
The difficulties of 1 aiding, occasioned by the surf,
were so great, that the whole of the corps were not
disembarked till the sth, on which day General
Spencer arrived, and his corps on the 6th ; he had
embarked at Port St. Mary's on the 21st July, when
he had heard of the defeat of Du Pont by Castanos,
and had not received the dispatches addressed to him
by me on the 26th July. General Spencer disem-
barked on the 7th and Sth, on which night the whole
army was in readiness to march forward.
From the Ist of August to that day, the time had
been usefully spent in procuring the means for mov-
ing with the army, the necessary stores, provisions,
and baggage, and in arranging those means in the
most advantageous manner to the different depart-
ments. The cavalry and artillery received a large
remount of horses ; means-were procured for moving,
with the army, a sufficient supply of air munition and
military stores, and a reasonable supply of hospital
stores. But I determined to march towards Lisbon
by that road which passes nearest the sea-coast, in
order that I might communicate with Captain Bligh
of the Alfred, who attended the movements of the
army with a fleet of victuallers and store-ships. The
communication with this fleet, however, it was obvi-
ous would be very precarious, as well on account of
the state of the surf on the coast, in the different
points of rendezvous which had been settled, as be-
cause it might happen that it would be more• advan-
tageous to the army to take another line of march
passing further inland.
I therefore made arrangements for carrying with
the army such a supply of the articles of first neces-
sity, as should render it independent of the fleet, till
it should reach the Tagus, if circumstances should
prevent the communication with the fleet, or should
renc'er it advantageous to relinquish it.
In the same period of time I also armed the Portu-
guese troops, and ascLrtained, as far as lay in my
power, the degree of their discipline and efficiency,
and recommended and superintended their organiza-
tion. I offered such a sum of money, as the funds
of the army could afford, to defray any expence
which it might be deemed necessary to incur in their
equipment tor the field, which was declined by the
Portuguese General Officers,. and I met those gen-
tlemen at Montemore Valho on the 7th, and arrang-
ed with them the plan of our, operations and march,
which was delayed for the main body of the army till
the 10th, at their desire, for the convenience of the