The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-02-24
Saiat johns, { Autigua, } Jan. "a.

I During the last week, melancholy accounts
OF the affairs in Spain have reached us from
various quarters. The sum of these is, that
Bonaparte after having annihiiated the army
OF Castanos and vansuished Blake and others
of the Spanish leaders, had marched to Ma
drid. drenching his footstepsin the blood of
the Patriots ard desolating the whole Conn
try around. The only printed account which
we have seen, WILDE found above, extracted
from the st. Christopher ADVERTISER of the
l7th inst. which was politely handed to US
yesterday.
However, by the arrival of the ship CITY
Of Edinburgh, Capt. w Cock. on Wednes-
day last at Falmouth, we have resolved &C
counts varying considerably from the fore
going, This vessel sailed fron the Mother
bank in company with the rest OF our out
ward bound fleet on the 18th of Dec. but part
cd IN a gale two days afterwards. Now there
is every probability that at the period of
captain C's departure, the event Of battles.
which from the report of the Ring Dive,
Could not have been fought later than the
end of Nov. OF first DAYS Of December. must
have been known in England. Indeed; cant.
I %aitrUNs, thai these actions were known to
have taken place, but attaches very different
results TO them. The CONF ct between Cas-
t'nos and the French is.represented to have
been obstinate and ~sanguindry beyond des-
criptlon, and at the conclusion stood so near
jy equipoised, that the victory could be ascrib-
ed to neither party the Spaniards however,
perhaps from Partially, were supposed to
have gained some small advantage. General
Blake, it was acknowledged, had been so
roughly handled in tive or three encounters
As 90 be under the necessity of retreating
this, however, he had performed in the best
order.
Since writing the above, our minds have
been still further relieved from gloomy al.
prehension. H.. NJ ship Gree, capt Collier,
arrived last night from Of Martinique, and
brings tke intelligence that admiral Cocirane
had received an express, 1--WE suppose from
sofAe part OF Spain or ~Poftugal) Informing
him that a part Of the French army eluding
the vigilance Of the Spaniards had by a cir
%cuitous route, taken possession of Madrid.
he Spanish troops had not suffered the de-
teats reported the conflicts i'm which They
had been engaged, had not terminated in suci,
a manner as to depress their Courage. but
tney still renamed r~esolute and hearty in the
cause, and sangufne in the expectation of es.
tabiishing their Independence.
In this mapouvre of Bonapa rte. we mean
dispatching a d vision of his troops into the
rear OF his enemy, we NAV trace sometime
Of the plan which h. practisedlat Jena, viii
> nost unparalleled success. 1t will be re.
menbered, that, upon the occasion alluded
to, General Dayottst was detached at the
head Of a strong body, with orders to take
a compass and post himself about 20 miles
in the rear Oh the left wing Of the p~russian
army. These orders were no sooner exc
suited than Bonaparte made his attack
he Prussians we're defeated and the fuei-
u'es, from Tie centre aud left wing either
DESTROYED or 80 entirely dispersed, that any
aite"Ipt afterwards to re assemble them
must have proved altogether ~fruitless It
may be objected, that there is "A vast differ
enee between 90 miles and tue distance OF
nl tdrid from the sceie Of action, and that
these troops muse be too far removed to CO.
oPeraie with the main army. But may hot
beD'p2rte intend. that when his arrange