Star.
London, England, 1813-07-06 00:00:00

NAVAL SERVICE.

Lord COCHRANE rose, pursuant to notice. He
felt it to be his duty to lay before the House, in as
brief a manner as he could, the reasons, as they ap-
peared to him, why seamen were so reluctant to enter
into our service. He wished, as statements made in
this House were so soon forgotten, that Gentlemen
should have time to ascertain the bulk of the facts
which he should now submit to their consideration
by way of Resolutions, in order that, when they next
met, they might be prepared to adopt those means
which would best prevent the recurrence of similar
calamities. With this view, it was not his intention
to detain the House by making a long speech, but
should simply read to them the Resolutions, which
he wished to submit to their consideration. Ho ac-
cordingly read his Resolutions, expressive of an opi.
nion that the great victories hitherto obtained by our
Navy were to be attributed to the skill and bravery
of our officers and seamen ; and that the disasters
which had a tended our Navy in the present contest
with America, were not so much owing to any su-
periority on the part of our enemy in skill and valour,
or even to tl.e well known difference in the weight of j
metal, as to the decay of our crews, from the length
of service on board of ship, compared with the fresh-
ness
and vigour of the crews opposed to them. That
our seamen were discharged only on account of some
incurable disc-trier ; and that after a service even of
20 years, our seamen were not even then discharged,
but were sent into what was called harbour duty,
from which they could not procure their discharges,
but upon payment of premium to the amount, for
an able seaman, of £BO, which, notwithstanding the
most meritorious previous service, they must pay—
that seamen, when on foreign stations, received no
pay till their return home, and were obliged to pur-
chase slops and every necessary at great disadvan-
tage. That their recompense for the loss both of
eyes and arms was not greater than the board wages
of au ordinary footman ; that one of the best and
strongest motives to meritorious conduct in military
and naval men, is the prospect of promotion, but
that is now almost wholly withdrawn from the Navy
and from Naval Commanders, it being a matter of
notoriety that it has become next to impossible for a
meritorious subordinate petty officer or seaman to rise
to the rank of Lieutenant, through any other means
than what is called Parliamentary interest. that is to
say, the corrupt influence of Boroughs. That owing
to these causes chiefly, the crews of his Majesty's
ships of war have in general become, in a very con-
si.terable degree, worn out and disheartened, and ma.
dequate to the performance, with their wonted zeal
and enerl y, of those arduous duties which belong
the naval service, and that hence had arisen, by slow
and imperceptible degrees, the enormous augmenta-
tion aour ships and men, while the ivaval force of
our alewife ie actually much less than in former.
wars. That as a remedy tor thii alarming nattona.
evil a limitation of the duration of Service should be

adopted. iteeompsnied with the etrtaint7 'of suitable
reward.that all plates in and about Naval Officers I
should be bestowed on meritorious decayed petty of-'
&as and seamen—and that the House, convinced
that a decrease of energy cannot be compensated by
an augmentation of the number of ships, guns, and
men, will, at an early period in the next Session,
take the matter into considerations will investigate
the state of the fund of Greenwich Hospital, and as-
certain whether it is advisable to apply the Droits of
the Admiralty and the Droits of the Crown, as the
natural first means of compensation to those who
have acquired them by their valour, their privations
and their sufferings. His Lordship observed, it the
facts in these Resolutions were founded, the evils
should be removed ; if they were not founded, then
should that be shewn, and he be deterred, by the ex-
posure of the falsity Cif his statements, from making
any more motions of the kind. He was ready, how-
ever, to prove all he had said at the Bar of the House.
The Resolutions being put as one motion, and se-
conded, _ _ _

Mr. CROKER expressed his surprise that the No-
ble Lord had not thought proper to communicate
this extraordinary Resolution to any of those whose
duty it would be to reply to the statements it con-
tained. He (Mr. Croker) came forward totally un-
prepared, before the moment when he had just heard
the statements read ; but he could confidently assure
the House, that all the statements of the Noble Lord
were altogether without foundation in fact, with the
exception of only one; and in the truth of that one,
he (Mr. Croker) most perfectly agreed with the No-
ble Lord. He most freely admitted that our gallant
seamen had gained many glorious victories over the
French during the List war ; but all the remaining
statements of the Noble Lord he would' not hesitate
to pronounce either totally unfounded in fact, cr
grossly exaggerated—(Hear, hear.) He regretted
that this Resolution had not been brought forward
earlier in the Session, when it might be more fully and
satisfactorily exposed. Who, he would ask, but the No-
ble Lord, had ever dreamed that any losses we might
be supposed to suffer during the present war with
America could possibly have proceeded from want
of conduct or of gallantry on the part of British sea-
men ? (Hear, hear.) —What I was the capture of
Java, the capture of the nicedonian, to be ascribed
to want of spirit ?—(Loud cheering.) It was a fact
well known, that whilst the Macedonian was fighting
with heroic ardour, gaining glory for herself, and
giving new lustre to that naval honour which was
never stained before this moment, when it was blown
upon by the Noble Lord—in that hour of trial, of
danger, and of glory, cheers of exultation and encou-
ragement were heard all over the ship—and from
whom ? from the wounded men l—(Loud cheering.)
How then could the Noble Lord assert in the face of
day that the spirit of British seamen was broken
down ? (Hear, hear!) 'He would state to the House
one signal instance, that of the Boatswain of the Java,
who give in evidence, in his simple but energetic
terms, 44 that his aim was shattered during the tight,
that he was carried below and had it set to rights—
that he returned on deck with his arm slung in the
' bosom of his shirt, and in that condition cheered his
fellow.sailors with his pipe to make a fine spring in ,
boarding." Such was the spii it which was said to
be subdued I—Another statement of the Noble Lord
was, that eighty pounds was required for every indi-
vidual disalsArgr. This statement was directly cos-
trary to fact. Eighty pounds were required only
from men of the first class, sixty pounds from ordt-
nary men, and thirty, sometimes twenty pounds from
other persons. If men were found unfit for harbour
duty, they were dismissed withou. requiring any
thing. The Noble Lord had fdtmerly stated, that
he knew an instance of a harbour-duty man who was
required to pay eighty pounds for his discharge. He
(Mr. Croker) denied the fact at the time, and bad
since made every inquiry, but could meet with no
such case. The Hon. Member for Becloud had pro-
mised to obtain from the Noble Lord the name of
this person, and the time and place ; but he (Mr.
Croker) had never heard a word about it, though
now six months had elapsed.—The Noble Lord re-
presents our seamen as heart-broken : heart broken
he was sure they would be to find those ungenerous
and unfounded aspersions upon their chitracter passed
over by Parliament-L (Bear, hear.) So tar from any
increased confinement of the men to the ships, leave
of absence was much more frequently granted within
the last tour years. Seamen, after three years fo-
reign service, were now, by an express regulation of
the Admiralty, permitted to visit their friends, and
allowed to receive a proportion of their pay. The
regulation was disapproved by some Officers, but
found by experience to be very salutary in its effects.
So far from any relaxation of discipline being pro-
doced by it, desertion had since become much less
frequent.—ln fact, the Resolution of the Noble Lord
was a monstrous tissue of false argument and unfoun-
ded statement.—The Noble L Ird had said that pro.
motion was now become the wages of corrnption.
Was the Noble Lord's own commission the wages of
corruption ? Was the high rank of many Officers on
board the Navy, who had risen from humble origin,
the wages of corruption ? He would ask the Noble
Lord, was not his recommendation frequently atten-
ded—even in the appointment of a successor to corn-
mand the frigate which the Noble Lord was solicited
to retain, in which station he might have gained ho-
nour and distinction, instead of dishonour in his pre-
sent place ? He would ask the Noble Lord to name
who had given, or who had received, the wages of
corruption He felt warmly on this subject, and
wished to express his severest censure of the conduct
pf the Noble Lord, considering that the charges and
insinuations he had made wore not the result of a
momentary or inconsiderate view, but a ham.' Re-
solution, containing the concentrated essence of six
months incubation. He would wish the Noble Lord
to allow others to feel the honour and interests ot the
Navy as well as himself. How could he suppose
any person actuated by malice prepense to rob, that
glorious service?—lt was stated, that difficulty of ob-
taming prize-money was increased; but, oft the con-
trary, a much greater facility of access to the' hey
Office was now gained by the exertions of his Right.
Hon. Friend (Mr. Rose,) and by the interference of
Parliament. But the Noble Lord w owe hive it un-
derstood the House was then only devising how to
,ncrcase the difficulty when it sanctions the Bill
his Riga:; Hon.-friend. f the Noble Lord had pub.
fished his Resolution as a pampliiat, he (air. Crider )
would endeavour to feud tune to answer it. He mu-

tea the Horse would not bedtate one moment art
such a subject—and was actuated by feeling only an
interest in our Navy, which was the bulwark of our
national security—(Hear, !mar.) He was sure the
House had a just regard for th.tt revered service;
and if the Noble Lord dared, a division would el.
press, not their sews:, but the:r indignation, at bit
conduct.
Mr. LOCKHART wished the Noble Lord te
withdraw his motion, conceiving that the Resolunont
were such as did riot become either a Member of that
House, or a Captain of the British Navy to propose
for the adoption of ?Ark:mem.

Sir FRANCIS BURDETT said, that the Hon.
Secretary had indulged in a warrpth and a severity
of animadversii,n, which the oceasion by no means
justified. His Noble Friend had asserted much, and
he had denied much, and that on a very important
subject; but it remained to be seen which was in
error. He was willing to admit, that the late paiod
of the Session rendered the motion inexpedient ; but
he conceived, that if his Noble Friend were induced
to withdraw it, he would feel himself in duty bound
to bring it forward at an early period of the ensuing
Session, when ut course the present strong objections
to it would be removed. The Hun. Member had
taxed his Noble Friend with exaggeration ; but it
wit; impossible to conceive any thing, more exaggera-
ted than the whole of his own speech. He had stated
his Noble Friend to have described our seamen as
having wholly lost the energy and valour which had
once distinguished them. Now, his Nuble Friend
had never so described them : he had stated, that
their spirits were depressed by long confinement and
various other hardships ; but he had never stated that
their hearts were subdued, or that when brought into
action they did not forget every thing but that Licy
I had their own character and the character of their
country to support. The Hon. Baronet then pro.
ceeded to contend, that as it was not denied that in
some cases the sum of eighty pounds was taken fur
the discharge of a seaman, his Noble Friend's asser-
tion on that head had not been refuted, and went on
to remark on the impropriety of tile harbour-du' y
men being mixed with convicts. (No !no ! from the
Treasury Benches.) He knew nothing of the matter.
(Hear, hear)—and therefore he would support the in-
quiry, because the facts stated were of the last impor-
tance, knd it ought to be generally known whether
they were correct or incorrect. He hoped his Noble
Friend would not withdraw his Resolutions without
giving notice that he would bring them again under
the consideration of the House at an early period of
next Session.

Mr. ROSE defended himself from the insinuations
against his conduct in his official capacity, which
formed part of the Noble Lord's res 'lutions. He.
said, that no such bouds as those mentioned were
taken from the Clerks in the Navy OfE.:e, but that
on the contrary they ,had strict -irders to give ever,
sale-action to seamen, or their relatives, who might
make enquiries at the office, only ascertaining that
they hid a real interest in making the enquiry. In
very many cases seamen not knowing what otfice to
apply to came.to his house, and, he had always him-
self given them any information tjtey solicited. He
frequently received letters from them, :sad they were
answered uniformly by his own ha.-id.
Mr. CA LC RAF 1' thought that the Resolutions of
the Noble Lord were calculated to do intioite rms-
ehief—(Heer, hoar.) He was not satisfied with couch-
ing his opinions in a speech; that was too fleeting a
medium to answer his purpose. The Hun. Member
then proceeded to compliment the Honourable Secre-
tary of the Admiralty on the speech which he had
made in answer to the Noble Lord's Resolutions, and
which, he said, did equal credit to his bead and heart. •
He had never heard such a tissue of unfunded as-
, vrtions as had proceeded from the Noble Lord in
tile course of his extraordinary speech. He had spoken
art personsbeiog obliged to pay sefilj for a discharge,
but he should be glad to see the credit of the Noble
Lord's statement tried by one fact—(Hoer, hear,
from the Ministerial side.) Sucli vague and unau-
thorised statements were calculated to Lto much mis-
chief. He trusted, however, that the House would
mark their reprobation of such a proceeditig, and he
felt assured, that there was not one Mali in the House
(s.rve the Honourable Baronet) who wuuli support it.
(Hear, hear.)
• Sir J. WRO CTESLEY spoke as to the facility of
seamen receiving their pay at Somerset House.
Mr. STANNIFORTA contended, in opposition
to the Noble Lord, that discharges were obtained
with great facility.
Lord COCHRANE replied. He said he was not
at all displeased at the manner in which his plAiusi•
sitions had been received. It was to him only the
more convincing proof that they were true, or they
would not be felt so severely. He main:ained, that
he intended so cast no imputation upon the rxinduce
•or bravery of the Navy ; but the seamen wire ineffi-
cient from mere bodily debility and physical weakness.
The length of the war was one cause, aid the per-
formance of harbour-duty was another, to winch he
traced those evils. he had been dcried by the Hon.
Secretary to produce one instance et a petty officer
purchasing an exemption from harbour.uuty by the
payment of JE80; but in reply lie would st.ite, that
his own coxswain had paid Wat sum for such exemp-
tion. He believed, however, and the Hon. Secie try
wound inform him if hu was tight, that the Adneraity
had, at length, adopted some ieguiauons uiant that
subject. Every thing that he had adva,,ced he
pledged himself to prove at the bar of to H,.use, if
permitted. The physical inability of the reen was
the real cause of those disgraceful uisasters which had
happened. He nYsiutained, that it 24-poulidas were
;:tit in our ships, they would not be leund to con ,lc,
men capable art working them. The disgust At the
service in our navy was su great, that he al Leafed to
the lion. Secretary whether it was not true, that the
course of exchionge of prisoners between Ibis country
and America uras stopk:ed, because our men escaped
into the interioT, and had to be bri.uglit b ick by main
force. His tension for not bringiee tb. nicasole ',T-
wat earlier the Session wat., that he 1.1. e ,o
have brought in a bill to limit the bavai s, h v cc; but
v.rious obstscies bud prevented him, and 1:e it sub-
rusped the 14esolutions, because, bents matter of te-
e Irelt Memlaers scull have au oppertunity 3 esausas-
.ng tneir allegations before otat.oesaion, Wilco it car-
.only was his intention to morn tor leave to bring 1114
J. Bill Ellwood upon tie m.
Mr. 0401(El( stated, in reply to two filmdom
put to Lip ny the Noble 1.1.4, that the Aummiltf

IRI

A,

song sink*, Wild to tectile‘tlti istriettO duty,
ling to which they had always been attentive, but
.ainly not more so in consequence of any thing
t had fallen from the Noble Lord, nor wete any
meastres in contemplation. With regard to the
er question, the• tourse of -exchange of prisoners
h America, bad certainly been stopped for a while,
because nor seamen went up into the interior,and
re forcta to be brought down again by force, but
:auscr some hardships had been inflicted on our gal-
a men, and in order to make necessary inquiries
on the subject—(Hear, hear !).—Thus much he
oke of his personal knowledge, in contradiction to
sat the Noble Lord had said ; and as to his state-'
ent of forty of them being brought down to New
ork by force, the Noble Lord would excuse him if
disbelieved that, resting, as it did, only on the
oble Lord's own assertion. He would add, that
had taken down the three cases mentioned by the
.oble Lord, intending to make proper inquiry into
tern, and the result of which he should communi-
4te to the House.
The question was then negatived Without a division.
After a short eonvereation on the motion for going into a Com-
three on the Report on the Curates St ipendary Bill, it was agreed
he taken into further consideration en Wednesday.
Übe other orders of the day were then disposed of.—Adjourned.

tl

1]

i~

--'THE EVENING STAR.

LONDON.

TIMSDAY, JULY 8, IAIS.
lift OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT TWELVE OICLOC.K.
Red. 86ii—Cor.s. 56Li'l ex. div.—for ace. 5Ki 58
4 per Cr. 713i-5 per Cr. 85+; ex. div.—Oninium 5-/ 5
Bonds par 3r. (I.4.—Exch. Bilk is ss. pr.
Bank Long Anna. 14 :3.16th51
This morning the order was given to pay Dividends( : to !Vier.
chant., Bankers, &c. this day and to-morrow—to the Public, oil
Thursday.

Altona Papers to the ult. reached Town by
the Gottenburh Mail of yesterday. A Proclama-
tion has been circuLued in Norwayi by the Clams
PIZINCE of SwLDEN, in which he &elates that it is
not his intention to commit hostilities upon the Nor-
wegians, but to conciliate them if possible to the Swe
dish Government, not only by tutbearance, but. by
acts of positive kindness. lie states that the Swtdish
troops have taken up positions in Pomerania, for the
porpuse of carrying on war against Denmark, in
1-IPlitein4 Jutland, or Zealand, if necessary, and thus
to avoid all hostilities in Norway. A most agrOeable
expectation is held out in the latter part of this docu-,
rnenr, which we trust will be fulfilled---the guarantee
of Austria to the annexation of Norway to Sweden,
is said to be daily expected at Stockholm ! This
voti;tl be next to a declaration by Austria against
:France, and most happy shall we be to announce it
upon official authcrity.
In the mean citric, now that the CROWN PRINCE
has formally announced the commenci.meht of hosti-
lities with Denmark, it is extremely desirable that he
should .trike in instant and terrible blow against the
3/inish army opposed to him at Lubec and its vici•
thereby rendering it incapable of any diversion
in &vow of the FICI.Ch. DA VOUST must of necessity
come out of liamburgh to the assistance of his faithful
allies, and there must be an end of the Armistice.
Denmark, as we have more than once observed;
has now no right to expect mercy. Her uniform line
of policy for these twenty years has been marked by

a base submission to France. When all the crowned
heads in Europe shuddered at the murder of Louts
XVI. GROUVELLE) the chief regicide, who read the
sentence of death upon his Sovereign, was received
at C penhagen as the accredited M;nister of the Re.
volutionary Tribunal ; and when he delivered a dis-
course to the Daai,h Monarch, full of republicanism
and menaces, the KING of DENMARK and his Min;-
sters were silent. IVhen all the nations of Europe
took up arms to check the mania of the French revo-
lutionists, Denmark remained not merely a silent
spectator, but took care by covert acts of assistance
to France, to give uneasiness to her neighbours.
Upon the death of Mr. PITT, Lord Hoverm (the
organ of the new Ministry in the House of Commons)
in his Exposel of our foreign relations, solemnly de-
clared " that there was no security, and no confi:
dente to be reposed in the measures of Denmark."
When, in 1808, Sweden fought single-handed for
her existence against Russia, she lost Finland, because
she was basely attacked at the same moment by Den-
mark on the side of Norway, and could not concen-
trate her army in Finland.
But let us come to recent instances r—Let it be re-
collected, that when BONAPARTE meditated the con.
quest of Russia, last year, he endeavoured to seduce
.Sweden. He promisA, in a dispatch of which the
son of Marshal AUGEREAU was the bearer, not only
:Norway and Finland, but even certain allocations in
Germany, if Sweden would make common cause
against Russia. BERNADOT k: read the dispatch while
attending a meeting of the Stites-General. He pr
vately marked with a pencil, kfuss:, to all the offers
in succession, and his private Secretary sent oir young
ALTOEREAO in half an hour with a most laconic an-
er to the above effect.
When the Emperor ALEXANDER made. a similar
request to BERNADOTTE, his answer was frank and
manly—ii I cannot march an army to your assistance
while I am exposed to be attacked by Denmark on
the side of Norway."—Out of this answer arose the
guarantee of Norway to Sweden by Russia, to which
Great Britain subsequently acceded.
What might not havre been the consequences of the
refusal of Sweden to join Russia and Great Britain ?
W'hile the Russian army ts drawing on the invin-
cible NAPOLEON to Moscow, BERNADOTTE might have
led a naval and military armament against St. re.

tetabdvitt. We ate !tot *baiting entirely hipotheti-
callS, On this occasion, for we have reason to know
that precisely such an item fcirmed part of the mac,b-
nifictnt projilt of the invasion of Russia 14 rollA•
PARTE last Year !
But the hero of the drama hat of hit otirrl accord,
exposed all the wires which set ltis puppets in
motion: INlapot.EoN has impudently declared to the
world, that it is he who has long gUided the destinies
of Denmark ! In fact, he admits that it was he who
furnished Count BERNaTORY, with his credentials to
the Court of London ; and to give a colour to his
pretended friendship for Denniark, he restores the
' Danish crews of the four men of war in the Scheldt,
and permits the Danish army to defend Hamburgh
against his own troops.
The proposal of Count BERNSTORFF was precisely
to the following effect Let Gieat Britain ab-
jure her Alliance with Rtissia and Sweden—guarantee
the possession of benmark—and, in this case,
mark will condescend to take back all her Colonies,
and the ships which England seized for her own se-
curity—accepting of a compensation in money for
those which are no longer in existence 1"--After
this who can doubt the supremacy of BONAL;AILTE over
Denmark ?

No farther accounts had been received from Lord
WELLisoToN whim this Paper was put to press; but
we have various kart s, written before the battle of Vit-
toria, which all concur in representing the army as then
in such a high state. c)f health, vigour, and discipline,
that every thing po,sible to be achieved by men might
be expected !rent it. Though the fruit of Lord WEL-
LIN(i VON'S incessant attention to the troops has already
been displayed at Vittoria, a few extracts relative to
previous dispositions cannot but prove interesting to
our Military Readers.
An Oilicer belonging to the Light Division writes
thus to an Officer now in London :

" CAMP, JUNE 13

" Description cannot convey, even to a soldier, a
correct idea et the perfect state of this army. Never
did an army take the field so effective, the men in

such line condition, and every department so com-
plete in its equipment. Out of evil often comes
good : 'n- re!reat last year WAS thought to have
ruined the army ; but it hai produced eirects which
have raised it to a pitch of effective organization
w Lich we should probably never have witnessed, but
tor the necessity of new-creating its discipline, which
by that event was nearly annihilated. Ever since
that perird, the Generals and all the Officers have
been kept close and incessantly to their duty, and the
effects have been answerable to the exertions.

" Whatever your ililosophers and theorists may
say, nothing but the most rigid discipline, bordering
on extreme desvolisin, ever made an army or a fleet
forrni 1:+'•Ie. During the last half year we hive had

courts martial, punishirsents, and licentious in abun-
dance : but hit perhaps has tended more to the
effective state 01 the army, ,ai.d that Lord WELLING-
TON brings 45,c0U effective British into the held, be-
sides the Allies, is, that his Ltsrdship has kept a very

tight hand over ti -e Comm;ssaries and Doctors, in
consequence of which, the army was never so well
fed, or the sick fewer than of late.
46 The noble, the brilliant conduct of the Hussar
brigade, is the theme of praise and the
.admirat ion of
the whole army ; they hive led the way which we
hope all our other cavalry corps will follow. The
16th regiment of French Dragoons, which. our 10th
has completely annihilated, was one of th it chief
crack corps, famed for its explr.its, and which once
met General SLADE'S brigade. The French Dra•
goons are now cowed, they have never shewn fneir
faces with any kind of confidence shice the memora-
ble rencontre with the Hussar brigade in front of "Faro.
46 We bring into the field of as fine a staff as ever
wore a soldier's coat, 4.5,000 British and 50,000 Por-
tuguese CASTANOS' army with us, may amount to
15,000 completely armed.
SICIIET will, it is believed, be prevented from
joining the enemy in our front, by Sit-ions; NILIMAY,
whose force consists of 30,000 fine tro •ps. Besides
this forte, there are now, under the orders of Lord
WELLINGTINV, UpWarjS of 100,00(1 Spaniards, under
the Duke del PA ItQur., ato, WIIITTINOIiANI, DOYLE,
&c. You may therefore expect a decisive and bril-
liant campaign.
" The French in our front are about 80,000 t ffec-

tive men.
" JUNE 13.—Hitherto every thing has gone on as
well as the most sanguine of you could expect, and
you cannot but be well pleased with what the Army
has done. Including some excellent Spanish, and a
few Portugtbese and 6500 British, the force of cavalry
rather exceeds 10,000—the %%hole commanded by
Baron BocK, a most able cavalry officer belonging
to the King'S-German Legion, the same officer who
has so ably commanded the cavalry since Sir STA-
pLE-ros Co'r'ns was wounded at Salamanca.
" Until I saw matters here, I thought that all the
newspaper accounts of the exactions, extortions, and
tyranny of the French were fictitious, but they really
exceed every thing I have read. We were the first to
come into Z.tmora, Toro, Palencia, and many other
places, after the French had one out at the other
ends of these towns—l saw their orders posted up in
the public places. In every place heavy contributions
were levied, and imprisonment and castigation threat-
ened on those who fell short in their payments—nor
were these empty threats : in several places the j ils
were full of poor wretches who could not pay any
more, and even old men and women bore mat ks of
stripes. Besides the money, they seized the grain in ;
Toro and many other places, and actually set a price
upon it, and made the people buy it they directed
it to be sold in a few hours, and the money to be
forth-coming, under threat of military punishment.
—\Vhen they went off, they took ‘‘ith them all the
church plate, some belonging to the families whom
they had lived with, together with their table and
bed linen, pictures, &c. ; and in most places they
carried off the young women, many of whom were,
however, volunteers. Wherever th c French halted
seduction became a trade which they most success.
fully followed. Our astonishment is, that under such
a mass of misery inflicted on them, the Spanish na-
tion has not risen, man and boy, old and young, to
tear their cruel oppressors to pieces."