Star.
London, England, 1810-11-26 00:00:00

't,t"#)

r
. '.`A 0 a--FRENCN

MOll, of Loison's division, was dangerously wounded
and left behind in the ranks of the enemy.. General
Gintindorge is dead of his wont*. The General of
FRivision MerJe is wounded ; mare also the Generals
of. Brigade Foix and Maucune ; they will not be able'
to serve again for some. time. The Colonels of the
26th regiment of the Jim, of the 6th and Vd light
infantry are killed, and several others wounded.-. .
Theft are many vacancies of officers in the different
Corps, which must be filled up.
The An ;lo Portuguese army acknowledge) to'
have lost 4000 men, one half of them English. •
" Illeave behind me my sick and wounded at Coins
bra, where I am fortifying two convents ; lean nOlr
leave a small number of troops to defend thenr. 'The
best-defence I can give them is to beat the English,
and force them to re-embark.

-IMPERIAL inmate. •••` •

- a Palace of Positaltrehleao, November 111,1131.0.
. •
" WA rot. o Ste.,--Considering thaithe route of the Simpltra,
which connects the empire and our kingdom of Italy, is of use to
more than %ivy millions of people ; that it has cost more to the
Treasuries of France and Italy than eighteen millions; Which ea-
peace would he entirely useless if the trade through it did not find
seamunnclation and security; that the Valais has nor adhered to.
any of the engagements it entered into, when we ordered the
works for opening this grand communication sto be commenced ;
wishing moreover, to put an end to the anarchy which prevails
n that country,. and to cut short the oppress:ve claims to save-
eignty
.or •ne part of the population over the other, we have de-
lved and ordered as follows :
" Art. 1. The Valais is united to the Empire.
" 2. This territory is to form a department under the name of
the Department of the Simplon.
" 3. '1 his depar:ment will be included in the seventh milker/

" General Regnier.deserves the highest praise ; he
,has conducted himself like an 'able and experienced
General. General Loison maintained his reputation.
In short, every officer and soldier has fought with bra-
very aid enthusiasm. I will send you a statement
of the rewards to be given to the brave army of Por-
tugal, which is animated by the greatest devotion for
the service of the Emperor.—l-am; with the most
respectful devotion, Monseigneur.; Sti
(Signed) " 'MASSXII4."

44 4. Immediate possession shall be taken of it in our name,
and.a Commtuary-General shall be appointed tqgovern it for the
remainder of the year.
" 5. AU our Ministers are charged with the execution of the
present Decree " (Agned) " NAPOLEON."
ißy another Decree of the same date, the General of Division
Caesar Berthier i% appointed Commissary General, and ordered
to take possession of the Valais.]

ZATERCEPTED DISPATCH.

PRIVATE LETTERS.

FRENCH ACCOUNT OF '1 HE BATTLE OF BUSACO.

Runa, November 11.

We have besnlong wondering on what the Feench
army has so long existed, and to this day we have not
discovered the secret ; but it is certain that they now
have a quantity of provisions. The deserters state.
that they are thus supplied, as well as with lather ne-
ceisaries.—We have reason to believe that Massena
does not mean to stir during the winter, unless we
move him • and that he is throwingup works in his
rear, to which he will, when it is necessary, retire, A
part of -his position new is of great strength.—Our
communication is open all round by Peniche to Obi.
dos, where there are about 7000 Portuguese.—
The position now is this: our left at Torres Vedras
and Peniche ; our right south of Villa Franca ; head-
quarters, sometimes at Pero Negro, sometimes at
Sombral and Runa, according to circumstances. Mar-
shal Beresford and 40,000 Portuguese at Alha.ndra—
British force 42,000."

• LETTER PROM MASSENA TO BERTHIER.
" Coimbra, October 4.
14 Monseigneur—We set out on our march on the
16th ult. in order to enter Portugal, as I have already
informed rout 'Highness. On the sth day we arrived
at Vistu, after pasiing through very bad roads. We
were obliged to halt there for five days, •in cyder to
give time fOr the park of artillery and baggage
to come, up, and be put in order, as I have had the
bbnour of acquaint.ng you from Viseu.
•as I left the latter Place on the 24th. Oh the third
day of *march I. arrived in front of the position of
Busaca, which was occupied by the allied English
and Portngnese armies, I reconnoitred this position
the treat moaning at day-break. .1' directed an attack
On the.left by the second carps, and on the centre by
the sixth the eighth corps remained in reserve. The
position is certainly the strongest id all Portugal,
Geneial Regnier, however, gained the top of the
ridge, and was beginning to establish himself there,
*hen' General Hill; ivith-a corps of -20,000 men, at-
tacked in close column the troops who, worn out
with fatigue, were beginning to form on .the ridge
of the Mountains, and drove them down. This re-
treat, supported by a good reserve, was executed in
good order, and the second corps resumed its first
position.. •
In the centre 'were the divisions of Loison and
Marchand. The first made an attack on the right
of the road which leads to the convent of Busaco,
and the other on the left. General Loison being
obliged to climb a very steep mountain to regain the
great road,' reached it after great exertions ; but he
had not sufficient time to form there in close column,
and to establish himself ; two English columns came
up in close order, and, protected by a numerous ar-
tillery, charged this division, and obliged it to retreat.
General Marchand, who wes to support this ;IJ tack,
took up a position to stop the enemy. The English
did not dart to advance above 300 toises from their
line of battle. The remainder of the day was spent
is skirinishing.
" Having attentively reconnoitered this position,
which Lord Wellington would not have ventured to
occupy, if he had not like me, considered it extremely
strong, my plan was immediately decided on, and I
endeavout ed to Obtain by.my maaeuvres an advan-
tage which 'would have cost too many brave men. I
sent out reconnoitring parties of Infantry and cavalry'
towards the right and left, to examine she country,
and to keep theedenly, in doubt as to the course. of
my movements. .
• " 'From the intelligence I received, I decided on
thrning•the English army by my right. The position
df the bridge of Marcella, which the enemy had for-
tified, and on which he could make a flank movement
by the ridge of. I'ebacosa, favoured his means of
moving thither hii whOle f0.,..2e in less than two hours
—while the road of
,Sardao, grossing the Col de Ca-
ranuela brought me upon Botalvo, in an open and
fertile 'country.' This movement turned she left of
the enemy, and gave me the power of manoeuvring
on his flank:
• 06 At six at night on the 28th, I quitted the po-
ifition of Moira, and I marched upon Boialve. The
eighth carps,
,whith. had not; suffered, formed the'
advanced guard, the sixth corps the main body, and a
TAGUS, NOVEMBER[ t.
the second the rear:guard. AU my wounded follow- •
" Massena has attempted nothing yet. He keeps
ed, on the carriages of the train and beasts of burden.
The enemy, perceiving after midnight.this ma-
up a good front, but we think he has begun upon his
oeuvre on his left, placed a strong
retreat. Though some.accounts say, he expects strongrear-guard •-•t
forcements front Spain, namely, the greater part of
%Leo, 'and marched in great disorder in several co.
the army that waabefore Cadiz, and the troops that
'limns towards Coimbra, after having blown up all
were stationed at• Seville and the adjacent country;.
his ammunition and burnt his magazines.
but they will not, cannot penetrate the impregnable.
• " On the Ist 1 arrived at Coimbra ;the enemy had_
positions Lord Wellington occupies. So little stp,
left all his cavalry, with some regiments of infantiy,
our
P indeed, is entertained of their forcing
which we charged • • He retired from thence upon
general orthe arm
C-ondeixa. 'On the 2cl I sent Mip My advanced lArd e
wes,. fthat the last
or every soldier to haveder issued
four sto
provisionsy towards this villagekand the enemy was again driven
in his knapsack, and six days' grog for the whole
from it ; it -is now at Reditiha. Mysavalry coin;
wands all the reads which fall' into the great road of army, in carts, waggons, and on mules ; so that we
Lisbon and General Montbruu has marched n are very sharply looking out for Massena's retreat.
Figuera. ,moo
17 It is a well-ascertained fact, that he has had but little
- • •
" Lord -Wellington. with' the allied'army, is Te= bread for a considerable time prise ;and their deaths,
sickness, and desertion, must thin their 'numbers to
treating upon Lisbon. He gives out that it is his in-
an alarming degree. Massena in a scrape ;he was
tendon to dispute with us alt the positions.
" I. march in one body, and will use every endea-
never before so bewildereel,afiehis cause is hopeless.
-sour to induce him hto gireattle—theonlY I.:mania.' More dirt ! ! ected Pottugnese have been discovered'in
destroying him, or forting trim .to re:embark.
The ',Portugal, and have been confiliect The sailors have
suffered much 6fi the Tagus, 'but they hive plaied
allied army is estimated at from '6O to 70,000 men
awns. and 'their part well, and waliiigion *pain 'in
ineluding 24,000 British. . The enetny
high terms of the naval brigade (600 men) which...oo'i
d,•stioys every thing as he evacuates the coutitryt
eisies:the fottS at -Alhehdrn' 'Lick, it seems, has no
forces the inhabitants to abandon their beinens"
eigh )3randy, when they ineet
umbra; a town of 20,000 inhabitants, 11 deserted: Nife ch-leaten 40 t. N••
French at the well-kern whincethey both draw water:
chi
tind no provisions ; .the army is subsisted on Indian
Villa Franca' is deist/ destroyed by shot and shell;
hest and thevegetables which we find remaining
Oa ground, Lord Wellington, not daring
.to wait Great confidence prevails among..alrtlasses of penple
The tith. And 23d. regithenishive nerved
'for us in the open country,' encleairours to destroy '4.`aut .
%eery thing which might subsist ariny,,. The in- "ere' The In Olti4rals— as "'ell dl* *OP"
habitants of the towns and villages are very miserable from Liebbn'whfi°felfitifthlentit Of all' SotiV;•• ' .TBl
-4*--they are compelled to serve on pain of death. In Kent 'teethe Meditetriiheith.
short, no period of -history -furnishes an exampleof " "r 43 ri(Admiral 13 Ai:
TUE AOOl,-- C un-
sticktetibtrity, .. . pant, Cxsar, Poittiers, linper ttent;Aplactuns; Wm. read-
" °beim in killed and wounded antourits to 8600 nought, itienibai(Sir• WilliaPti), 4sPriatent,'
FlA't 8ei504 It many Ofqtas QviR-4 &• st• iicfeni".llll4i•r44/ainei'Mestsil ilgiferearikarlf*.
. . t, • / ;ei 491401PFPRRifhPRIC4F;444feero% -1,4131•?;4'
-4—‘s. • t omit. at ;ncLU.I...A et: 414 Id-

" Lisbon, November 11.

" The appearance of the two armies in sight of
each other at the distance of five leagues from the
city, is incomprehensible for thirty-two days, without
doing any thing excepting skirmishing with the out-
posts. The enemy has advanced into Alentejo, and
have made bridges across the Tagus, and it is said
that he is undertaking the siege of Abrantes. Our
army is motionless, and we are exchanging prisoners.
The mOst eitraordinary news is the capture of the
Commissioner Mascarenhas Neto, who was a Courier
of Napoleon, and formerly a Spanish deserter. They
found his dispatches in his boots when he was appre-
hended at Bobadela. This man was Adjutant under
the orders of Junot, but he is now in our power, and
we shall see what will be done with this prisoner, or
rather traitor."

" NOVEMBER 12...`•11 By the concentration of the
French forces in consequence of the pressure of the
Portuguese militia on their rear, our communication
is open with Coimbra, garrisoned by 6000 Portuguese,
and Figueras not far distant. On the other side we
are not shut out from Themar, beyond which the
enemy has sent a force. Lord Wellington's head-
quarters continue at Pero Negro. Romana is to the
South of Torres Vedras. General Beresford to the
right of him.
We have letters from Cadiz to the 7th of this
month, the fever does not appear abated, as on the 4th
43 died, on the sth 56, and on the 6th an equal
number. It was feared that all who had not before
had it would catch it. They do not call it the yel-
low frier. The exchange of prisoners is going for-
ward, and our prisons are emptying. In return we
get Portuguese and a few English."

" Novntarat 18.—The latest advices from the
army inform us that not the slightest alteration had
taken place on either side. Deserters continue as
usual to come in, who to our surprise are well clothed
and fed, so that it seems as if Massena had provisions
for his army. We have heard that Loison has crossed
the Zezere, with the view of attacking Abrantes, and
we find that three attacks have already been made
upon the place, in which the French were repulsed
with loss. The rains have now set in, and the French
are erecting huts to put themselves under cover, as it
they intended to remain. Our troops are ait under
shelter."