Star.
London, England, 1811-04-24 00:00:00

PARLIAMEATARr PROCEEDINGS.

261 M MARCH.
MY Loin—l had communicated to your Excel-
lency my arrival at Arronches, with all my forces,
except the division of Brigadier-General Cole, to
which, in consequence of the continued marches it
had made, it was judged accessary to give a day's
rest at Portalegre.
On the 44th, I caused the troops to move from Ar-
,roßches for Quinta de Regnengo, a little more than
half way to this place, and the division of General
Cole for At roncho; ; and, having joined yesterday, at
tan in the morning. 1 put the whole in motion for this
town. I could not know the intention of the enemy
with respect to this place, but in case he should endea-
vour'to maintain it, I proposed to post myself between
him and Badajos, and thus cut him off from the latter.
We discovered the enemy's advanced cavalry on the
heights of Lopo de Matto, about a league distant ; but
perzeiving that we were inanceuvring on their flank,
they retreated, and some skirmishing took place at the
foot of the walls of the town with the advanced ca.
valry. When i reached the heights. of the Place, I dis.
covered the enemy's force on the outside of the town.
I did not, however, know whether or not he was mas-
ter of the place. There were tour regiments of cavalry,
the regiment of infantry, No. 100, of three battalions,
with some horse artillery.
I ordered Brigadier General Long, with the ca-
valry, to endeavour to turn the enemy's right, keep-
ing cut of the reach of the place. My object was to
detain the force of the enemy till some infantry could
arrive. The Brigadier made a wider circuit there
than was intended, so that he more effectively flanked
the enemy, and obliged him to retreat hastily, and
indeed with extraordinary rapidity. The cavalry
advanced upon his right flank, and Brigadier General
Long, seeing a favourable opportunity, ordered Col.
Head, with two squadrons of the 13th Light Dra- I
goons, to charge the Cavalry of the enemy, which
obliged the infantry to fall back to support it. This
charge was followed by Colonel Otway, with two
scptadrons of the 7th Portuguese, supported by Gen.
Long, with the remainder of that regiment, the Ist
Portuguese, the br;g-ade of Colonel De Grey, and was
made with the most determined courage; the French
were entirely- routed, and pursued into the town of Ba.
dajor, two leagues distant, in which flight the greater
part of them were sabred, as were the conductors and
artillerymen of sixteen pieces of cannon, which were
taken on the road, but afterwards abandoned. •.
This success, though occasioned by a great loss
to the ener,iy, was in some manner unfortunate, be-
caose. not knowing what had been done by the ca-
valry that had made the charge, and continuing to
pursue the infantry with the remaining cavalry and
two pieces of artillery, for the space of a league, to
support the detached body which had advanced, and
not having received any notice from it, nor knowing
what new force the enemy might send Pram Badajoz,
pruden)ce obliged Me to halt with my cavalry till the
infantry could come up. The enemy's, infantry,
amounting to-about 1200 men, though in much con.
fusion, continued to march iq column without belting,

notwithstanding we were not mine than 160 yards
distant from them ; yet, not knowing any thing of
the 13th regiment of Dragoons, and the 7th Portu•
guest, I could not bawd the loss which would have
necessarily taken place, even though successful, had
j ordered a charge by the heavy brigade under the
tammand of Colonel De Grey. The attention, firm-
samis, and order of this brigade, composed of the 3d.
'Dreg on Guards, and 4th Dragoons, merits my
, warmest approbation.
General Long manceevred with great ability, and
II made the greatest exertions to moderate the excessive
ardour of the cavalry, and regulate their naovements.,
The valour of all was exemplary, particularly of Colo.
eels Head and Otway, and their squadrons ; and the
bitty thing to be remarked is, that which is customary.
to our troops on their first encounter with the enemy,
sob great an impetuosity.
The loss of the enemy was very considerable, not
less than 5 or 600 men in killed, wounded, and priso-
ners. We likewise took a great number of horses and
mules ; in fact the enemy abandoned every thing, but
we had only means to bring away what is mentioned
I:n the inclosed list, and some carriages, &c. were de-
stroyed. We also suffered some loss, a return of which
I have the honour to transmit to you. It was not my
intention yesterday to have proceeded to this city ; and
I was only induced to do so, from the prospect of cap-
turing or destroying the force which the enemy had
incautiously left there, and which would infallibly
have taken place, if our cavalry had lilt compelled
the enemy to make a retreat so rapid, that the infan-
could not come up with it.
After the long marches and fatigue necessarily con-
sequent on them, I sent the troops into cantonments
otry
here and at Elvas, for rest and refreshment, and to
make the necessary preparations for the ulterior ope-
s
t rations recommended by your Excellency. Of the
corn and provisions in the place at the time of its sur-
render to the enemy, the latter had not time to carry
any thing away, and they will prove a very opportune
assistance to us. The enemy left behind 8,000 rations
of biscuit, not expecting so sudden a visit.
I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed)
C. BERESTORD, Marshal.
[Then follows the. return of the killed, wounded,
Ste. the same as in the Gazette.],
LISBON, APRIL is. • .
A letter dated from Marmeleiro the 2d inst. states
that the enemy cononued to be pursued with the ut-
most vigour, and that the number of prisoners was
daily augmenting, without the loss of a single man
en our part. Massena was in Alfactes, together with
the 6th corps of the army, commanded by Loisom—
Ney was still under arrest , and would, it was said,
set out for Salamanca.
Our army was to have attacked the enemy on the
3d, but from letters which are continually arriving
from the advanced posts, the French retired the pre-
, ceding night.
When the enemy retired from the neighbourhood
' of Coimbra, being near the town of Avo, Captain
Mar Francis Madeira da Costa, with Ensign A. J. P.
Figueireda, who were organizing a company of Fu-
zileers, by orders of General Bacellar, were there ;
and being informed that the enemy burned and de-
stroyed whatever fell in their way, killing some per.
sons, they resolved, with their troop, to defend the
said town and the passage of the river Avo, and in
effect the enemy arriving there on the seventeenth
of last month, and attacking that town, the said
Officers, with some 60 men, opened so brisk a fire,
that they obliged him precipitately to retire, but fear.
ing they should be attacked again, thdy shut them-
selves up in the castle of the town, where another
attempt was made upon them by a squadron of horse
and some infantry, hut so lively a fire was so skilfully
• directed from the Castle, that they were shamefully
compelled to fly, leaving behind them Iforses, arms,
and other effects, and carrying off many killed and
wounded, which were afterwards found. They tried
a third attack, in which they likewise were repulsed;
the same happened on the 18th and 19th, in other 1 We mentioned yesterday, in a second edition, that
attacks, in which the enemy met with considerable ; by accounts received from Holland it appeared that
loss on their part.
, the unceasing and relentless tyranny of France had
Letters from Elvas, dated the 6th instant, infcrm '
' at length roused that patient people to resistance;
us that, in the morning of that day, the allied army I
marched from thence, and that on the preceding day , and that there bad been insurrectionary movements
-the other corps belonging to the same army began to In different quartets.
move from other points, taking the road toitirumenha, We are not yet enabled to appreciate the instil!.
where they will {rats the Guadianna. His Excel-
lency Marshal Beresford will unite in Jururnenha Bence with more certainty than on its first arrival ;
but the. particulars have been received by so many,
owtth his Excellency General Caatinas.
and are.so amply detailed, that they seem entitled to
The united forces which will act under the corn.
mand of his Excellency will amount from 35,000 to some attention.
,40,000 men. We know from another quarter, that Sunday night, the Sreoutaioe logger brought ac-
'the Army of the Centre of Spain, which was in counts to the Down's to the above effect, and partici.,
Murcia, and marched upon Granada to act against l
•Sebasthoni, is composed of 22,000 infantry and 3000 arly, that Rotterdam bad been the scene of much
tumult. One of the letters from that ship states,
horse. The corps of the intrepid Ballasteros consists
• of, at present, from 15,000 to '20,000 combatants; so that the populace had risen upon the Garrison rf Res-
that the forces ready actually to act in combination terdano and had takes possession of the batteries and
and threaten the enemy, in Estremadura and Anda- . porta. lt adds, that the French troops had been di.-
lasia, are calculated at 85;000' good troops, who anne
march anxious to revenge the outrages and devasta- 4 them and at other places, and that the insu:-
rection was spreadingvery fast.
tions which the enemy committed in the lands they
A Gentleman who lett Holland on Saturday last,
occupied, and which presents to their eyes the most
horrible picture of barbarity and tyranny, and which and arrived in town yesterday, states, that before he
act as incentives to inflame their natural ardour. came away; he heard a report that the Amsterdam
MADRID, MARCH 6. post had been stopped, in eonse.quence of a senora
The day before yesterday this government received insurrection in that City and in Dort.
official intelligence that the escort which was conduct. Other accounts, brought to Deal and Dover by
ing the prisoners ftom Olivenza to France, was attack- some smugglers from the Dutch' oast, state, that not
ed at Cora, and the whole of the prisoners set at liberty. only at Dort and Rotterdam, but at Amsterdam, the
Bessieres has imposed a contribution of 2+ millions people bad risen upon the French and massacred a
of rials on the province of Burgos, and enlisted all the great number of them. These accounts also state that
men in that city capable of bearing arms, whether all communication between Holland and Walcheren
bachelors or married. To rob the provinces which had been cut off for thtce days, and it is inferred by
have submitted of their money, is the system of France. the people at the latter place that the Dutch people
According to the last intelligence there are not more
•
than 3000 of the enemi'e troops in Burgos. • F ce
have overpowered the military. It is also said that
insurrectionary movements have appeared in ran ,
Letters arrived by the mail of to-day state, that up- and that for -Some time past there have been intar,,ars
wards of 4000 prisoners taken at Tortosa, which had among the higher ranks, as well as the people 10 gc•
already entered France, made their escape, after hay- neral. -
ing murdered the whole of the soldiers who escorted A letter from Dover states that* French military
them. 'According to reports this was occasioned by had been disarmed at Rotterdam and other places,
a French soldier having run through the body with and that the insurrection was spreading rapidly.
a bayonet, an unfontutate Spanish iiispner w4o could We have also seen a communication from the
not walk. _
putolt coasts describing the insurrection as Navin;

HOUSE OF COMMONS, APRILtS.

At four o'clock the SPEAKER took the Chair, sixty.
eight Members being present. Strangers were how.
ever excluded, as the Ballot for a Committee to take
into considc- cion the Petition complaining of an tan.
Sue return for the county of Limerick, which required
the presence of 100 Members, stood Gra on the orders
of the day. During our absence, we understand. the
following Members took the oaths and their seats:—
Cecil Bisshopp, Esq. for Newport, Isle of Wight,
the room of Lord Palmerston; who has been ret.trned
lo_ serve for the University of Cambridge ; Lori
pestilev, for the Borough of Luggersh4ll,inthe rorin
of T. Everett, Esq. who has accepted the Chiltern
Hundreds; and Colonel O'Dell, for the county sf
Limerick.
A new writ was ordered to be issued for a Memlfer
to serve for Taunton, in Somersetshire. in the room
of Jahn Hammett, Esq. deceased.
The SPEAKER thee proceeded, in conformity
with an order made yesterday, to call over thellou;
and at live o'clock the gallery was opened.—On our
admission, we found the Sesasizt on his legs, id.
dressing the House on the subject of the defaulters.
It was, he observed. in the power of the House to
make any older they might think it, in regard to
those Honourable Members• who had not attended.
The words of the Act of Parliamea on the subject
fully empowered then'. He was convinced than
great number of Members who were in town my,
have been aware of the necessity for their attendance.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUtIt,
after a few prefatory observations, moved, " that the
names of the defaulters be called over to-morrow,"
The SPEAKER hoped the Members then present
would apprise their friends of the proceedings of the
House. It was notorious that a great number of
Private Committees had been sitting that day—Clen-
tlemen should give their attendance In the evening as
well as in the morning.
Mr. W. WYNNE, as we understood, expressed an
opinion that those Members who were in town, should
be taken into custody.
The motlonwas then put and carried, and the
House then adjourned till to-morrow (this day.)

THE EVENING STAR.

L0141)0N.

WEDNESDAY. APRIL 24.

PRICE OP STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE OCLOCX,
Cone. money 6431—f0r account, 6411—Reduced 631.
4 per cent. 30..-5 per Cent. Navyl6lll.
Lacbeg. to 6s. prerilicride 255. pre u.
PRICF. OF SI OCKS YESTERDAY.
Bank Stock 114041 240 India Stack 1813
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Sper Cent. Navy 94 94 Cons. for acc. 646

The Duke of Kent packet, which left Lisbon on
the 14th instant, has arrived at Falmouth, and con-
firms the accounts before received of the French having
entirely evacuated Portugal. By this Packet, Lord
LwitaPoot. received a private communication from
Lord Wstutiarom, dated %Tana Temora. (not Villa
Mayor) on the Bth instant. This communication re.
fers to a public dispatch without mentioning its con-
tents. It is known, however, that his Lordship lost
no time in endeavouring to bring MASSENA to an
action, in the position he had chosen on the Goa•—•
For this purpose his Lordship crossed that river with
1 30,000 men ; but the enemy, net daring to risque
lin action, fled precipitately on his approach.
Ample extracts from the Lisbon Papers, and from
private letters, brought by the Duke of Rent, will be
found in our columns of this day: