Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-11-28

s
e sinbra last Tnursday; aad NOR was
.lso current there, thar battle had been
io.,eht at Leyria, in which the enemy had
hen worsted, with the loss or 5000 men.
W. hope this Gashipg aad bsilliant affair at
caimbra is the foreruaaer Of others equally
Important"
p. S. The Lisbon mail came yester,
A,y sruuad By sea. aad as The wind is now
.,,org south We look for another hourly. -
All lhe. vessels that were outside the Bar,
90, ,ader weigh yesterday, and are proba.
Ely gone TO Virgo, I'LL the eqlinoctial gales
are 5vrr; they will be severe"
A7other letter, same date.
Since writing you this morning, have
us, learned that our governor (IranG had
,aken 5000 prisoners at Cnimpsa. hasiug
,n,erld that city with only the militia of his
district, about COCO. They will ak arrive
here ON Friday. We have taken all the
medicine chests, surgeons, 81. and abous
40 officers are amongst them; but colonel
ponpiona, the Portuguese traitor, waa
was appointed governor by the French, es-
capped. We are all, as you may naturally
suppose, very much elated; the bells are
ringing, and every demonstration of 10y is
shrwing. The militia entered Coimbra on
Sunday evening at five, and he few cavalry
Immediately took possession OF the bridge;
the infantry dispersed all over the city, sad
took the French By surprise. We lost a
bout 90 men. and col ScrPe, Of the Penna-
feel Portuguese regiment, vas wounded in
the arm !; col. Trant had several shots fred
q, him, but escaped. The French, by their
own accounts. plundercd Coiosbra most
cruelty, and the destruction of property
there was very great. Tie officer who bro't
his account declares he never Witnessed
such horrid scenes"
O her letters mehtion that upwards of
10000 Portuguese militia We're on the
mach from the Left bank Of the Duoso for
Coimbra. The division Of col. Wilson, is
stated in the bulletin, to have occupied the
position al Rnsdco on the Oh Ca tact not no
Iicsd in the Oporto lettrs) and on the
that of Trant obtained possession OF Coim-
bra by most brilliant coub sc main, gen.
hElller's division, we learn by letter from
O2orto, Under date of the 9>h Inst. arrived
at Coirlbra after the re capture OF that
town, ana Immediately crossing the Mon
d-go. pushed on TO Condeixa in the rear of
lhl French army. OF the division undsr
gems SiIgsira and blctllar, We have DO
accounts,
These bold operations in the rear Of the
French. we should suppos-. Uasthave dis
conee,ted Massena extremely. We cannot
otherwise accopnt for lis appatent inactiVi-
~ from the s,h (whea the head quarters of
the allied armv were at Arcobacco, and
those of the French at Leyria) &c. the 15h,
the date Of lord Wellington S last dispatch
es. Ii was not by allowing che allied army
to settle in the fortified and almost impcne-
uabie position as it is stated to be, extend
ing from Torres Vedras to the Tagus, that
he could expect to fight TO advantage the
battle that is 10 decide the fate Of Portugal
and his own. The sooner this was brought
On the better for Massena. ExT edition
was every &hing to him; delay almost posi-
tive destruction. His rapid advance after
the 2Sth uls. when he turned the position of
Busaco, shcws that he was anxious 10 bring
on a grneral engagement as soon as posi-
BE. His subsequent hesitation proves That
he rrlin9uishtd or deferred this plan, either
IN cons guence Of the precarious prospects
of succtss from an attack on lord yelling
toms pos'tlon, OF the alarming movements
IN his rear.
It will be seen on reference 90 the map
and the particulars here stated, that the
picture which We drew on Thursday of
Massena's dangers and emaarrassments
was no, overcharged. We can hardly con
ceiye any situation more desperate than that
N which he was at the date of The last ac-
81 on's; with an army at least equal, if not
Eerlor, in numbers in his front; an ac-
1--WE numerous and brave militia; hoslil: