Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-01-26
Sisraverts scatsv Gs7s'!s.
STURDY, JANUARY 20.

r. ,,,,,,..,,.r,s oG the adverse armios IN
Portugal, still nFrr large tle'd ''r conJTc'
,cr. lYhat induced Massrns to remain
E,e 7grr:s iantlrr, bsfsre tie lines Of lsr6
tgIh;nnt9,, =? and how will the contes, even
toe. Are questions OK great NOM, MT,
s.ore especially the latter
3 .f;rv vrturing 4 question ON another
r. al, wc think il proper TO state the more
nron,raut facts thst have occurret' on the
scrnr o! actiou. Since the battle Of Bussco,
(.4r n?:h Sept. DOWN to the '24th Novrn-
hc,. bring - date of the las, Official ntel-
Eer,ncc from Lord Wellington,
L.2r;i Wvtiiny,on having repulscd Mas
srn4 II Husaco, and finding thu, h. bad ia
+ " Z cifcni,ous route. TO change th= thea
,,e Of wa. retired 70 Torre dr V~dras and
Aiu1nirs, TO cover Lisbon, position ma
t.rel:;. strong, a2H rendered still more SO,
b: Qualifications and formidable batteries.
Msssena, seemingly no WAYS dispirisrd
br ms glilu-- ot his attack on Busaco, AL.
vances 10 lord Wellington, and, oa The 9Th
Oct. occupies range OF heights in sight 81
ths British, add remains there foe zceeSs.
Daring this period. neither army at
Temps The lines OF III. other. Nassena
frequently foragrs, but his parties are al
WAYS s,raitened in their excursions, and
his troops much distressed for want OF their
accustomed provisions.
About the 18th November, Nassena
breaks I'D his camps, and retreats towards
the fron,irr. Of Spain. Lord Wellington
follows HIM, finds him always too strongly
! posted 10 be attacked, and gains no advan-
tage over him except making about four
hundreG prisoners.
IN Lord Wellngton's dispatch of the
*si:t November, he thinks it probable, that
Mass. ia will he reinforced. and STATES, on
Info. nation derived from Conceal S;lvi.ra.
that ,we nv thousand men were chiefly EN-
rlevcd N Cas,il-, IN raising contributions
Of ratabI;. for him. And in his d-spa'ch
= Of tie ash November, he expresses an %
r;uion, TIA, h might attempt TO regala
slnsarem and It's neighborhood.
With respcc, 70 the object of his rrtrca,,
XrS ~, fisI
Mass<na's intention in this move mcus was
sWhrr to quit Portugal entirely, or co fail
back To- get supplies and Join the French
Forces on the frontiers. We shall not, b.
pdhus any other conjecture, pretend 80
pee further than his lordship.
Our coniessurrs 60 to other points I"
the rause that obliged Masscua TO remain
Inactive in front of Lord Wellington, DUR
Ing p:ri,d Of five weeks, and, GO the
Prnhsbfc issue Of the contest.
As to tbs first, the inactivity Of Masse-
pa We are Of opinion that the near view
Il Lord Welling,on's forces. the impress
|'ocs i'll fcit from the recent affair ot Bus
kco, and the natural and artificial strength
his position, suggested that ans attempt
iorcc it would br hopeless and that an
lDsu ccssial Effort woald be ruinous by
en,iering it impossible TO regain Spain
nh the remnant of a defeated and dIsQr-
PrGanizrd army. These considerations we
lave to be of sdficient wight 20 ac-
pun' Tor his no; attacking Lo,d yelling
% IN his lines; but will they also account
bis remaining so long as he did, con-
11os MS ssansy sserss of Prosl,loes. 10