Star.
London, England, 1811-07-30 00:00:00

who had been made prisoners, with 7,800 men, of
whom 400 wqe officers, who have been conducted to
France. The General sent for me, and in presence
of the principal officers of his army, openly told me,
that I was the cause of all the horrors his troops had
committed in Tarragona, because I had defended
myself beyond the limits prescribed by the laws of
Literal translation of a report of the siege of Terra- war ; and that these laws authorised him to punish
gona, which Gen. Contreras, Ex-Governor of that il me even with death, for not having demanded a ca-
place, addressed to the Council of Regency : 1 pitulation as soon as the breach was practicable ;
" On the 28th inst. at day-break, the enemy opened ' that on entering by assault, he had a right to put
his fire to batter in breach the curtain of the front of ; every thing to fire and sword ; and that, by conse-
St. John, at the angle which it forms with the left ! (pence, the besieged ought to have hung out the
flank of the bastion of St. Paul. Our artillery and : white flag, as soon as the breach was opened.
our infantry behaved heroically ; they several times 1 " I replied, that if it was true, that the laws of war
succeeded in silencing their fire, and retarding an ope- prescribed, that if the assailant enter, he may deliver
ration which threatened us with an assault. i up a town and its inhabitants to plunder, flames, and
44 The situation of Tarragona was at this moment the sword ; and ' that they in consequence indicate,
most critical—for, from the want of shipping, of time that the moment when the assault is about to take
and opportunity, I found it impossible for me to save place is the time to capitulate n these same laws,
my garrison by sea ; as little could I do so by land, however, do not prohibit the garrison to defend itself,
because the enemy surrounded me with all his army, . and endeavour to repel the assailants ; that I had re-
and awaited my sallying out to drive me back. . sisted because I had a force sufficient to repel his,
" To speak of capitulation was unworthy of the which would doubtless have been the case, had my
heroic defence which the place had made. The Mar- dispositions been obeyed in the way that I ordered
quis of Campoverde had promised to present himself them ; that, besides, I expected succours on the day
with an army for my relief ; the English had arrived following, both from Campoverde, and from the sea, LAYBACEI, JUNE 21.
two days before with another division of troops for &c. ; that having resisted until the breaeh was prac- i On the 21st ult. two English frigates made their
my st,f-n)ort, but they did not resolve upon diem- ticable, I should have passed for a coward, had I not appearance off the harbour of Ruchge, in Istria, and
barking when they saw the danger in which the place dared to defend it ; and, in short, that no law for- immediately commenced an attack against that small
was of being invested ; and thus, in spite of the aid bade me to repel the assaults. ' place ; but the national guard made such a courage-
of our troops, and the presence of our allies, I saw 1 66 General Suchet, convinced by the powerful rea- ous attack on their enemies, that the English, nut-
myself reduced to my owe. soldiers. i sons which I gave him, treated me at last, as well as withstanding their superiority of numbers, were corn-
" In this state of things, knowing the activity of the other general and private officers, with all the pelled to relinquish their design and retreat.
the enemy, who would not lose a moment in attack- i distinction which we had merited by our resistance. :
AUGsBUROH, JULY 5.
ing me before the ill-combined operation for raising 1 64 The garrison behaved heroically in the defence '
In some parts of Bavaria many of the foxes have
the siege could be carried into effect, an operation iup to the moment of the assault; it then spewed some
Their
mad,.irobably in conselquenhcel of g .
the , rear heats.
which lasted a number of days, I took that measure 1 weakness, the soldier gave way and was intimidated.
bite as the same me anc o y consequences as
which was due to Spanish honour, to my character, I The officers, on the contrary, always behaved per-
to my personal reputation ; and resolved to die fight-
i fectly well, and, sabre in hand, made the greatest that of a mad dog.
I
ing, rather than think of a surrender. lefforts to keep the soldiers to their duty, and to col- DRESDEN, JULY 11.
66 I saw beforehand the two. consequences which lect them in order that they might resist and attack The magistrates of this city have raised a collec-
my resistance would. infallibly produce : either the I the French, who were pursuing and cutting them- tion from the merchants here resident, which in the
confusion, the defeat, the flight of the enemy, if I was , down in the streets. But their terror increased every first two days amounted to 600 roubles, for the benefit
victorious ; or, if I failed, and the enemy penetrated ! moment, and they let themselves be sabred even by of the inhabitants of Cronstadt who suffered by the
into the place, a horrible carnage of my soldiers and us, without even then resolving to recommence the fire.—Tie; Princess Anna will in eight deys set out
of the inhabitants. combat. i to take the waters at Carlsham.
46 But in tereseeing all this, in determining to re- " Every thing has conspired against this poor gar-1 LEIPSIC, JULY 13.
ceive and to repel the French upon the breach, I rison. Campnverde, on leaving it, himself promised The last letters from Petersburgh, and of some
again consulted, whether my force was capable of to come speedily to its relief and deliverance, and ' commercial places in Russia, seem to confirm the
that enterprize, one of the most heroic which the war I never did so, though he daily renewed his promises, news, that the Ukase, which prohibited all impel.-
presents, and to which few men know how to make as may be seen from a great number of letters which tation of foreign merchandize into Russia, will be
up their minds. I have preserved, and of which I send copies sub- revoked, or experience great modifications, This
" In reality I knew that I had still 8000 of !behest joined.. The kingdom of Valencia sent to the aid of news is of the highest importance to Saxony and
and most warlike troops of Spain, who had immor- I the place, General Miranda, with a division of the Prussia. The cloth and woollen merchandize whicle
talized themselves in the defence of Tarragona, and troops of that kingdom, who landed at Tarragona, are made in these kingdoms, and which remain now
to whom only this last effort was wanting for the i and the following day re.embarked, and was to join on hand in the magazines, will find an advantageous
completion of their work. the army of Campoverde. An English division made sale. It is known that the Russian manufactures
64 Resolved, then, to .resist the assaults of the 9 its appearance on the 28th. Colonel Skerret, who are not equal to the consumption of the inhabitants,
enemy, I placed, in the face of the breach, two I commanded it, came on shore to confer with me. i VIENNA, JULY 13.
battalions of provincial grenadiers and the regiment lOn the 27th the English engineers came to reconnoitre i
We learn from Semlin, that the Grand Vizier la
of Almeria, with orders not to fire a single musket, : the front of attack ; and, convinced that the place !
not acquiesce in some of the pretensions of Russia,
and to throw themselves upon the breach as soon as was incapable of resistance, they returned to their
the French should appear there, in order to drive i ships . so that they all kept aloof from the place, and as during the time of discussing them he had time
back their column at the point of the bayonet ! though they had come to relieve it. This abandon. to receive the greater part of the reinforcements he
(for it was thus that this terrible operation was to I ment on the part of those who came in order to save had demanded, he has marched his army towards the
anube. A.s soon as the Russian General was in.
be executed) ; and on compelling them to retire, ;it was the worst of all : it made such an impression ; Dr,
such a terrible carnage was to be made among them, hich is tithing less than
aormed of this movement, w g
I on the spirits of the soldiers, that they began to fore- I
that they should not dare to return a second time. they :pacific, he gave orders to his regiments to quit thOr
' see that they were lost ; they were cast down ;
, present positious. We expect important events, so
1
44 I distributed among the soldiers wine, brandy only continued their resistance in consequence of my
my cool_
,much the moor:
between
and tobacco. I spoke to them myself so as to inflame Ibecause the news or the prolongation
continual exhortations, because they saw
of the armistice
their courage ; and I took all the precautions which confirmed. the Turks and Russians is
i ness, and the confidence which I felt, that if they
were proper to be taken under such circumstances.— i executed my orders the French would never effect an not PAIMPOL, JULY 16.
The result did not answer my expectations. Our; entrance. These reasonings were only of weight for!
.The Eleonore has captured a superb American
troops received the French with a firmness worthy of a few hours ; the idea of seeing themselves abandon- !
: brig from
. New York, bound to Plymouth and Lou.
admiration ; but they did not altogether follow my I
ed soon laid hold of their minds, and completely sub-
i don, with 1800 barrels of stock-fish, 50J et mrpen,
instructions, which were to attack the assailing co-idued them.
lumn in its advance ; and the regiment of Almeria I i tine, and 200 of potash.
" The English Commandant came on the evening
soon yielded the around which it occupied for the ,of the 26th, and asked me what I wished he should I
purpose of supporting the grenadiers, and acting AS . do with his troops ? I replied, that if he as ould Cis-'
a reinforcement and a reserve. . I embark, and enter the place, he should be received i--
" At last 1500 of the enemy's grenadiers, support- ! with joy, and treated as he deserved ; that he had!
ed by 5 or 6000 men, without reckoning the bulk of : only to choose the point which he wished to defend,
the army of Suchet which surrounded the place on and that I should immediately consent to it.
all sides, entered the breach. Our troops began to' "If the Marquis of Campoverde had not promised
retire in disorder from the wall ; and a;thougli ell the to come to our relief, without keeping his promise; if
officers and myself made every effort to stop them, General Miranda had not shewn himself in the place
and prevail upon them to charge the enemy anew, with his division, only to appear and disappear, like a
and defend themselves in the streets, this was impos- :. flash of lightning ; if the English division had never
sible ; the soldiers thinking to find safety in flight, ' come in sight ; if the garrison, in short, had not been
threw themselves down on the side towards the sca, . told every Jay and hour of its last extremity, that it
leaped over the walls and pallisades, and attempted , was about to be relievcd ; convinced, then, that it
to escape ; but they were taken by the enemy's , had to depend only on its own strength, it would have
troops, who invested us on the Barcelona side of the . done a great deal more; but this assemblage of cir-
place. ! cumstances, so good and excellent in appearance, but
" In proportion as our troops gave way, the enemy , most pernicious in reality, because they rested on no
occupied the ramparts of the old and new town, and plan, good or bad, discouraged the garrison, and
entered the streets, where all were killed or wounded have been the cause of that fatality, by which it lost
without distinction of class, ege, or sex. This v agedY all the merit which.it had acquired up to the moment
was only less cruel, because the French officers, full of assault.
of generosity, saved all they could, and even exposed " A great number of officers fled from Tarragona
themselves to become the victims of their own sol- to avoid the hardships and die danger, some without
diets, who, burning with the thirsted- carnage, thought
; permission, others soliciting it upon pretexts that were
only of sleughtering. far from honourable, others feigning sickness, others,
66 At this moment, running myself to the gate of in short, committing acts of baseness to conceal their;
San Magin, to collect there, if possible, some soldiers pusillanimity, and these not only merit no distinction,
in order to charge the enemy, to save them during but ought to be cashiered, otherwise they will still
the night, er to attempt to break through, •I was have the impudence to appear with their decoration;
wounded in the belly by the stroke of a bayonet, and
and say that they were at the siege.
made prisoner by an enemy's detachmeat. The re- , 14 The greater part of the corps were commanded
port then spreach that I was killed ; and the general by Captains, from the want of the Commandants
disorder increased to such a degree, that the soldiers who had departed. These captains ought to be co.
might be seen throwing away their arms, taking to lonels, and those who have gone off, and have been
flight, and thus falling into the hands of their ene- amusing themselves at Villanueva and elsewhere,
mies, who made them all prisoners. should be dismissed the service ; otherwise justice
" Tarragona, in tine, after one of the most obstinate will not be done, and it is necessary that justice should
sieges, du: ing which I left untried none of those mea-
be done.
sures which are dictated by the art ofdefence, and which ~
As to myself, I have never asked any thing,
the smallness of my force and means permitted—Tar- and I wish nothing else at present but to be exchanged
ragona fell, amidst the horrors drawn on by the he. if possible. I anxiously wish to re-enter the field, and
roism of a garrison which shut its ears to all propo- in the mean time I hope that my wife, who is at Ma.
sals for capitulation, on die 28th of June, a day that jorca, will 'receive a part of my pay, a thing however
will be memorable in future times for the tragical end which I should not ask, if my property was not in the
of this ancient capital of Spain, which has been con- power of the enemy.
demned to see its temples and edifices destroyed, dur- " Before the fall of the place, I wrote and declared
ing the siege, by more than 4000 borlibs or grenades, ' openly, that upon the system on which operations
and an innumerable number of bullets and of balls, were carried on, or rather, to speak more properly,
which filled with terror the isles of Majorca and Mi- meditated, the fortress, the garrison, and the army,
norca, and the coasts of the Mediterranean, the hos- would infallibly be lost.
vitals of which are filled with its wounded defenders; , " The Superior Junta of the principality can inform
which, in short, has seen at the last moment of its you of this, because I always took care to acquaint
existence so many victim; slaughtered. - I them with what was passing; on their side, they did
66 On the following d iy, General Count Suchet I all that they could, in order that the operation of
caused me to be conveyed en a litter to his head. i raising the siege might be attempted, the only opera-
quarters at Constanti, where I found Generals Cour. tion which it was necessary to be employed about,
ten, calmer, Brigadier Mesina, '0 in* Chiefs; and to execute without delay, and in concert wid4
. , ~. . .
' '

repaired to Barcelona, by way of Villa Franca and
Villa Nova. From thence he marched towards the
Montserrat. The army of Campoverde is in part dis-
solved by the defection of his troops, with the remains
of them he has retired to Montserrat, whither he is
closely pursued.

Ste, whatever were the numbers end ;Ware of the
enemy's force which we had to combat—but it was
all in vain, and every day till this was less thought
of at bead-quarters, as will appear Isom the letter of
General Campoverde, in which he orders me to 'mid
him3ooo of the best troops of the garrison, who were to
be embarked in the night of the 27th, under the orders
of Colonel O'Roun, who came to me for that pur-
pose at eleven at night. I gave orders that he should
embark with the regiment of Almeria ; but this ar-
rangement did not take place, and no one has seen
O'Rouan again.
ti From the same letter may be seen the confusion
which reigned at head-quarters, where the Marquis
of Campoverde believed that a division of 4000 Eng-
lish had arrived in the place, and the English Com-
mandant assured me that be had only 1000 men, who
had left Cadiz on the 9th of June. The Marquis also
wished that the troops which he demanded of me
should be embarked the same night, and he ct.uld not
but know that this was impossible, for I had no other
means but those which the English lent me, and the
latter had then none that were disposable."

GERMAN PAPERS.

THE EN INC, ST A R.

LONDON.

TUESDAY, JULY SO.
PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ON!' O'CLOCK:
S per Ct. Cons. for money 641—Ditto for account 63
3 per Ct. Reduced 631}—Navy 5 per Cent. 9's;;
4 per Cent. 790—Bonds 11s. 12.. preen.—Ommum I jai&
hiacheq. (3d.) par to 21. pre.—Ditto (3+1.) Ss. 6s.prem.

Paris Journals to the 26th inst. have been received,
and among their contents there ate some interesting
articles, which will be found in another part of our
Paper. A pompous account is given by SOULT of the
affair in which the picquet of the I Ith Dragoons was
surprised. With respect to the battle of Albuera, it
is somewhat gratifying to hear the confession of a
French General, for the first time, that the English
troops bore the brunt of the action, and spared their
Spanish and Portuguese allies. We have also ex-
tracted from the French papers an interesting report
from the late Spanish Governor of Tarragona, ad-
' dressed to the Council of Regency : it has evidently
undergone some alterations in the hands of its French
translators, particularly when the humanity of the
French officers is so highly praised, but upon the
1 whole it appears to be authentic.
It appears that the army ander CAMPOVERDE is still
in a state calculated to give uneasiness to the enemy.
Marshal SUCIJET, after the capture of Tarragona, is
said to have repaired to Barcelona, and from damage
to have directed his march towards Montserrat. But
General CASIPOVERDE, We are informed, had retreated
to the same place with so much of his army as COTO
tinued with him ; and it was in pursuit of this army
that SUCIICT was marching.

It will be seen by the following letter, that some
disturbances have arisen in Dantzick, in consequence
of the animosity which prevails between the French
and Russian troops :

"Dania' k, July 16.

•{ This place has been thrown into great confusion
by an alarming riot that occurred among the soldiery
a day or two since, in which between 70 and 80 lefes
were lost.

" General Rappe was giving an entertainment on
his birth-day to a select party of the Officers of the
Garrison, which consists of 25,000 men ; and during
the absence of their Commanders, many of the mer