The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-09-07 00:00:00

1120.11i1l In l LODGING wanted for a WI-
-1)0W LADY, in a small refired family, lift, or iaore
fn .m London. Plain Famil. but is IA that is es-
p ct .d; the Te:tm mutt therefore he moderate.—A line,
sta.ing the particulars, post paid, addressed to A. Z. at Alr.
A4oiliall's' Attorney, Quality Court, Chummy-lane, will
meet williilutiediate attention.

FROMpE FRENCH 11,1PERs%

14DRID, AvausT 11.

LETTER WRITTEN ON TU 10TH AT TOLEDO, AND
SENT TO MADRID.

cc MT DEMI FRIEND,
" Do nut fail to forward intelligence, as I pro.
fit by the free communication between this city and
the capital, which is preserved by the 4th corps
and the reserve. Our apprehensions must have
beeo reciprocal during the 8 or 10 dap, while
three hostile armies had surrounded us by their
manoeuvres.
gg My solicitude at this critical moment diJ not
prevent a man who recollects his first profession
of a soldier, from following attentively, and with
interest, the movements of 40,000 Frenchmen,
who were threatened by two of these armies, which
•mounted to 120,000 men ; while, at the centre
of these operations, I have still to explain how it
has happened that the French succeeded at the

same time in coveting Madrid, in preventing the
union of the two combined armies, and in detaining
at Talavera that of the Anglo.insurgents till the
arrival at Placentia of the Duke of Dalmatia.
" You, as a mil.tary man, will take an interest
iit the details I am about to communicate, though
you will see fresh radon to deplore the fate of our
unhappy country, which is desolated by a handful
• of ambitious men, who can have no hope to see
their party triumph.
" On the 21st of July the English army of
35,000 men, including 5000 Portuguese, effected
a junction with 40,000 insurgents under Cuesta.
On the same day these combined forces came in
front of the Duke of &Ilene, posted on the hanks
of the Alberche, whose advanced guard defended
Talavera.
" It appears that their plan of campaign was
to drive the first corps far from its positions, in
order to wake at Toledo with the army of la
Mancha, under the command of Venegas, and
Oen to advance, to the number of 120,000 men,
upon the capital ; thus obliging the French army,
which covered and defended the shores of the Ta.
gus, to retreat blond the mountains of the GIL'.
&mina, that they. might nut commit themselves
against so imposing a force.
" 1-a this siteation, all the French could do was
to collect their troops in the environs of Toledo,
to avoid any engagement of their corps apart, and
when once united, to offer battle to arse. of the
combined armies before they could unite. Gone.
ral Sebastiaiti occupied with the fourth corps the
borders of the Guadiana, observing Venegas, at
three days' march from Toledo; the Duke of
.1/ellen° maintained, with the first corps, a posi.
tion on the Alberche, at three days' march both
from Madrid and Toledo. There was no time to
be lost, and the movements of these two corps
wi re to be combined with as much rapidity as
precision.
" lti spite of the immense superiority of the
enemy, the Duke of Belluno maintained his poet.
tion on the 22d and I3d. Oa the 24th, by are.
tragrade movement, he proceeded to Torrijus ;
and on the 25th, to the left bank of the Guada.
rama, two leagues from Toledo. The order was
given to General Sebisitiani to fah back by forded
marches un that city, where he arrived on the
25th, having sltiifully assigned his movement,
that he might not be pursued by the enemy. Tim
King quitted' adrid on the I3d, with the body
of reserve, aid advanced to Naval.Carnero, so
order to hold in check 8000 men, as well English
as Portuguese, who threatened by way of Esca.
lona to take in the rear the first carpi, in its posi.
tion of Alberche. Tho reserve also, after a
march of mega than 12 leagues, establilhed itself
at Vargas, tea leagues from Toledo. Thus the
whole army was united on the 25th, without the
necessity of firing a single musquet.
Before his departure from Madrid, the King
had sent orders to the Duke of Dalmatia, to unite
at Salamanca the three corps under his command,
and to march to Placentia, in order to cut off the
retreat of the English into Portugal. His Majesty
had, in like manner, the intention to throw 3000
men-into Toledo, in order to secure the bridges of
that city over the Tagus, and oblige Venegas, in
case he should purpose c: using the river, to march
by its side as far as Ar IRO's, which would retard
fur three days the movements of that General.
61 These .rrangenients being made, the King, at
the head of the army, which he had collected on
the 25th near Toledo, marched against the Anglo.
insurgents. His advanced guard met that of Cu.
este in the environs of &cations, which was se ra.
pidly attacked and routed, that that General, be.
lag disconcerted, was not able to collect his forces,
and recrossed the Alberche in the greatest disor.
der. The King took his position at Santa Otalla.
On the 27th he renewed his march. At Casaligas
the ad vanc.ii guard of the enemy was in like man.
nor driven beyond the Alberche. The King pur.
sued it, fording that river at tee head of his army
—a movement which was executed in perfect or.
der, and in the most brilliant style.
" At the right of this ford, hills covered with
trees extend to the mountains of Escalona, which
en this side are on the right bank of the Tagus.
The English had placed there a great pert of their
force. They endeavoured to defend themselves by
a brisk and well supported fire : but the divisiou
of General Lapis.e attacked them with such vi-
gour and impetuosity, that they yielded that posi.
tion at once, and left on this attack, which was
made with the bayonet, 1200 dead on the field of
battle. It was four in the evening when the
Duke de Belluno obtained this important adwart.

tags. lie bevertheless pursued the enemy from
position to, position, till, night arriving, he was
forced to halt near to Talavera.
66 At dAy-break, the whole hostile army op-
pelted in order of battle ; its right supported b)
the Tagus, and covered by heavy artillery in tin
town of ralavera ' • its left stretching to the moun-
tain, and deployed upon an eminence, the position