Star.
London, England, 1811-04-16 00:00:00

position, and the soldier's ! the Sea spirits. evasys *
hal
every
royutdafryom
S the alamanca
rececaiv and
sa ci Ciudad ddlitooedns:ard, ,
anevery thing that was necessary for their refreshment.
Thus the army of Portugal has lived six months
, epon the resources of the country—it has changed its
March 1 place when all those resources were exhausted, and
when the difficulties of transport and of roads left no
formed, hope of drawing any thing from the depots. The
1,...... i
months which precede the harvest are in general the'
h,ad. most difficult for subsistence, because then the gra-
-1 naries are empty, their difficulties have of course ex-
, isted in a much stronger degree in an enemy's country
already laid waste.

iar-
Fore
of

know-

pre-
,byum
mena-
one
upon
the

ceria,
General Hill
move-
- Pun-
other of
been
have
army of

was to

S.ORD WELLINGTON'S LETTER, ALLUDED TO BY EMI
rptcEvAL 1N TUE DOUSE, OF COSIMONS.

So far back as October List, his Lordship, contem-
plating the evacuation of Portugal by the enemy, re-
commended the inhabitants of the districts, through
which they pass, to the benevolent attention of his
country. It will be seen by the following letter that
he paid, on that occasion, the highest compliment to
the loyalty of the Portuguese nation ;—m I declare
(says his Lordship) that I have scarcely known an
instance in which any person in Portugal, eyen of the
lowest order, has had communication with the enemy,
inconsistent with his duty to his Sovereign, or with the
orders he had received."—Such a people are well wor-
I thy of that benevolent attention to which his Lordship
so impressively recommends them.
iCo )), of a Dispatch from Viscount WaLLINCITOth to Earl of
LiveaPOUL, dated,

soon
27th of
them
who
made a

were
was
!d and

. bank
the left
• in an

PORTUG4L.

THE SUffERING PORTUGUESE.

lim --

on the
liarged him.o
' times.—
' our ba-
ld soon
Iy's line,
posit ion,
''oheriot.
ith the

Pero Negro, 47th ef October.
MY 1.01111-••• Your Lordship has been apprised of
the measures which had been adopted, to induce the
inhabitants of Portugal to quit that part of the coun-'
try through which the enemy was likely to pass, or
which it was probable would become the seat of his
operations; carrying off with them their valuable pro-
perty, and every thing which could tend to the ene-
, my's subsistence, or to facilitate their progress.
There is no doubt that these inhabitants ad suffici-
ent knowledge, from former experience, of the treat-
ment they would receive from the enemy: and there is
no instance oft hose of any town or village having re-
mained, or of their having failed to remove what might
be useful to the enemy, when they had sufficiently
early intimation of the wishes of government or of my-
self, that they should abandon their houses, and catty
away their property.
All those who :.re acquainted with the nature of
military operationf, with their dependence upon the
assistance of the country to supply the wants of the
army, and particularly with the degree to which the
French armies depend upon this assistance, must be
aware of the distress which this system has occasioned
to the enemy; and the official and private letters
which have been intercepted are filled with complaints
of its effects, which have been repeated in the official
papers published in the Moniteur at Paris.
It happened, unfortunately, that the Indian corn
harvest, which it the principal support of the inhabi-
tants of a large part of Portugal, was on the ground
at the moment of the enemy's invasion. This of course
could not bz. carried off; and where the enemy's troops
Ihave been, they have, as usual, deStroyed what they
could not consume, and nothing remains.
If, therefore, the result of the campaign should be
to oblige the enemy to withdraw from Portugal, it is
much to be apprehended that the greatest distress will
be felt in those districts tlkfough which the enemy's
troops have passed; which there are no means what-
ever in the country of relieving.
Upon former occasions the wealthy inhabitants of
Great Britain, and of London in particular, have step-
ped forward to assist and relieve the distresses of fo-
reign nations, whether suffering under the calamities
inflicted by PHOVILIZSCS, or by a cruel and powerful
enemy. This nation has received the benefit of the
charitable disposition of his Majesty's subjects ; and
there never was a case in which their assistance was
required in a greater degree, whether the sufferings
of the people, or their fidelity to the cause they have
espoused, and their attachment to ids Majesty's sub-
jects, be considered.
I declare, that.l have scarcely known an instance
in which any person in Portugal, even of the lowest
order, has had communication with the enemy, incon-
sistent with his duty to his own Sovereign, or with the
orders he had received.
I would, therefore, beg leave to recommend the un•
fortunate portion of the inhabitants, who have suffered
from the enemy's invasion, to your Lordship's pro.
tection ; and I request you to consider of the mode
of recommending them to the benevolent disposition
,of his Majesty's subjects, at the moment, which I
hope may be not far distant, that the enemy may be
wader the necessity of evacoating thc,country.
I have the honour to bet etc. (Signed)

•. . .
.
,
•'.. FWICH PAPERS.
--.:-..
' PARIS, APRIL 9.
wrrnt.uoceez ritom rile ARMY OP PORTUGAL.
Aa Aid-de-Camp of Marshal the Prince of Essling
kat ai''ved at Paris. He set oet,on the 23cl March,
frafterWorico, Which was the head-quarters.
. All the' megaiines which the army had formed,
Were enthely ealtausted.'on the 28th of FebroarY,-e
' - The foragers, Who Were sent 20 leagues from he-ad•
eprarters, no ledge! brattiest in any thing.
On the Ist of Match they were reduces' to subs's'
on the`yeserve of biscuit, which could only furnish 1!
days food, and, it was impossible to wait for the har
vest, as no resource courd be expected from it before
.
,
' June. There remained, therefore, to the Prince o
- gssling only three measures to adopt.
One was toiittack the English. in
,their lines befor
Lisbon, bUt thiprinciples of tnilitary tactics forbad
this, ieasmuch as his heavy artillery could not
brought up. .. ,
'Another was to pass the Tagus to form a kinetic
with the army of Andalusia, and by that means open
lug a communication by the great road with Sevil
and Madrid, finding his artillery in Badajos, drawir
his provisions from the Alentejo, changing his line
operation, and maintaining the double tete-ele-por
i which the army had constructed on the right and It
1
~ banks of the Zezere, at Punhete.
•
General Bile, with an activity and a tnte kao,
ledge of all the resources of his art, which ala hi
, . the greatest honour, as well as the artilleryi was pi
.i
paring to construct 200 boats. We might then, 1
throwing at once two bridges over the Tagus, mer
sing a pa:sage in front of Punhete, effecting o
lower down opposite Santarem, bearing then up
the rear of the division of General Hill, which t
English kept before Punhete, or leaving the Engl
army at Lisbott, and by a movement upon 4..,e:
obliging them to recal the division of General V.
in order to succour Lisbon ; profiting by this mo•
rnent to throw over a bridge in the environs of Pi
liete. The Tagus being passed by one or other
these operations, a communication would have hi
opened with Seville and Madrid, and we might h;
been reinforced-with all the resources of the army
Andalusia.
The third measure which presented itself war
repass the Mondego, bearing upon Guarda, and op
ing a communication with Ciudad Rodrigo, wh
there were shoes, clothing, ammunition, artillery, 1
gazines and money for the army, which had not b
paid for six months.
•
On the 3d of March the Prince of Essling deer
on the last measure.
On the 4th, all the baggrze and the sick v
placed on a great number of mules and asses wl
were with the army; they were sent forward on
road, and gained two marches. The rearguard
confided to the Duke of Elchingen, who advaii
&one Leyria to Malian°, threatening to turn the
- eition of Cartazo. On the 10th the rear-guard
` lat Pombal.
Our sharpshooters, who remained in front of
town, and the English :.wanted guard were engaj
lehich gave rise to the combat of Pombal. Our
ivanced posts retired, and the Englidi advanced gt
entered the town. The first -brigade of the
' division of the Duke of Elchingen charged the en(
° with the bayonet, and killed and wounded 4or
' men.
Our loss in this combat amounted to .5 killed
18 wounded. The English advanced guard ha(
artillery ; the artil:cry of our rear-guardtwaz in
-,e
tpry. and played constantly upon them.
On the 11th the French erear-guard was on
heights of Redinha. The English General advai
with his whole !irmy. At two in the aileinoo
, .
deployed about 23,000 men under the tire of 4
our pieces of artillery, which played with great
.-..
Pity. All the shot b..-re upon the mass of the em
they beingaininasked by any battery. Disarder
nifested itself several times in their columns. A
five their artillery arrived, and they mounted i
batteries. We saw with pleasure that one of
. •, divisions manoeuvred on the right to turn our lef
.
i the valley of Redinha. We let them do it. -As
! as they were sufficiently eagaged the :oth and 27
li the line charged them with the bayonet, and put 1
completely to the rout. The English Officer
l' commanded was killed. The third Hussars ma
fine dia. rge. The loss of the English, who
several hours under the fire of our artillery,
,li considerable. Our loss amounted to $0 killed
l ' ll wounded-
:l 1 On the 15th the advanced guard was at Fo
11' Arome.
'll • Our artillery was in a position on the right
of
the Ceira, which cometanded much of the
bank. We engaged the enemy very adroitly
1
affair of advanced posts, which embarrassed hi
rtf
1 We drew him tinder the fire of the artillery o
right bank, whilst the 39th and 69th charged
'rite village was taken and retaken several elm
1 - ThelEngrish were exposed to all the fire of ow
. ; teries, disorder prevailed in their ranks, and
communicated itself to the whole of the enemy'
, r fatigued with the incon7eniencies of such a pre
some fugitive Englisk ari ived at Liniza and Pia
The village cat Foz de Arorne remained nil
Trench near guard.
Our loss amounted to 200 men ; that of the r
,
' 11 to 1200.. An English General Officer was kill
; 0 This vas the 'moment to march against the
• i Es% army, and to ruin it. This resolution was
instant'agitated in the. French army, but it w
I: i ;; 15th, -and the retreat had commenced on the ,
1l; I ; ' We had Only marched one and a half or two li
,
, $
der day, am" there only remained provisions f
or three days, at a half ration. It was, therefa
possible to step—there was not a day to lose, a
i • army continued its movement. •
, 1 j, On the 17th the rear-guard had wholly pass
I' Alva. ' Instructed by the combats of Pombal,
diiiha, and of Fuz de Arome, the enemy no
'hewed himself.
These three combats were advantageous
IL . French army'. Net a single caisson; not a c
, with baggage, me one sick man was left behii
c . took twelve days to march from Santarem
banks of the Alva.
.
i ' ' All the movements of the retreat were talc
~,
t, 1 ; pet upon the movements of the Inglisb, but a
necessity of subsistence.' , ..
l ;At I,9the on the 224 the army WaS In I
. . ..,... . .
'. i • or '-•.•: