The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-03-22


He wins the day that wins the race"
HUpIBRAs.
POrtugaL-The above common place
%.couplets, when l have taken for my mos
10 to this number, which the celebrated au'
thor of them used, IN his mock heroic po-
EN-, in an %ironicai sense, and which have
generally, heretofore, been In such sense
applied to events in real life, may, (t our
intelligence be correctly be literally applied
10 the recent events in Portugal, and under
stood as conveying serious Commendation
on the coHduct OF our commander, who
fought at Busaco, who, Immediately after
went thence with great CELEBRITY, and who
has lived to fight another day, and that,
too, according to all our intelligence up 10
this time (Monday morning, 22d Octooer)
with every chance in his favor, and with
almost a dead certainty of gaining a glori-
Gus and decisive vict.ry. The fight. or
the contest, between Baron Douro or Wei
lesley and Viscount Wellington of Iaiave-
IA and the French marshal, the prince OF
EsslllS, whose name is Massena, has, in
fact, been q chase. Two armies we're at,
probably, when they started, four hundred
miles, (by the road) from the spot where
they now are, ard at which spot, being a We
ny Strong, If not impeneIrable positi n, our
cemmander and his army arrived FIRST
That is to say, he, in the language of my
mo'to, won the race, and thus far, at least,
ne may be considered as victorious. In a
former number, l expressed my dislike to
the detailing OF the events of a campaign,
such as the present. by piece-meal be
cause such a mode OF proceeding. always
greatly diminished the pleasure of coDtem-
plating final success ; and l added, that,
IN The case before us, the final overthrow,
tue fout, the destruction, or the capture OF
MasSena and his army, when it should hap
pen, would not afford nearly so much salts
faction, as 1t would nave afforded, ii he had
never heard OF the victory oil Busaeo. The
strongest objections, however, TO this sort of
anticipate u seem now o be removed, or,
rather. there can be no more anticipation,
and that the time is come for recording The
events OF the campaign, seeing that, when
the last dispatches come away, every thing
was prepared for the final battle, and that,
In all probability, the intelligence OF that
Dat lie having been fought, and OF the last
victory having been gained, will reach us
beiOre TINS sheet gets into the Press. So
near the close as this; with the whole his.
Soricai materials of the campaign lying be
tore as and with nothing Ia add but a sen.
tence or Two, just to describe the time and
manner IN which our commander gave the
desperate enemy the eeuf-de-grdce, or, m
plain English, hut him u Of his ntiserv
thus C'rcumstanced, it would be wrong any
longer to delay giving, or. at any rae, at
tempting tosive, a brief his, DRY OF this in
steres'ing, aud will be long remembered
ssmpaign.-The campaign did not, as fal
as we have much INTEREST," in il, begin Till af
terthe fail OF Ciudad Rodrigo, a large citv
81 SPAN, about 20 miles (EngIish) from The
frontiers OF Poriugal-This city the French
under the Of Massena. had com
piettiy invested so carly as the 11tb of Jun,
last, aud, df'era most gallant defence, ul
Ger the command Of Don Andres Hsvesn
II SURRENDERED On the 10Th Of duly. DuriDe