Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-04-07
LATEST FROM PORTUGAL.

The shin Belyidera Capt. Hill, at Baltimore,
left ST I1bes on the evening Of the 2Sth Febru-
arv The American Consul, who came over
from Lisbon on the previous Gay, furnisheo
Cant. Hill with the following intelligence:
Don Miguel still occupies the strong place OF
santarem distant II leagues from Lisbon,
where having united his force from the pro-
vinces he collected about 5000 to $4,000 men,
mostly Royalist volunteers and militia. On the
18th he ordered General Lunos to take 5000
men Of his best troops, and directed an attack
upon the whole of the Constitutonallst lines at
Cartaxo Feigned attacks were mace upon
most of our positions to prevent assistance De-
ING given to one another, while strong mass
of about 1000 men marched upon the position
occupied by Count Salhandra, the General-ln-
Chief Don Miguel had previously announced
TO his soldiers that a movement in his favor had
taken place in Lisbon, &c. Thus misled, the
Miguelites, thinking they had small force TO
FIGHT against marched, full of confidence and
in high spirits, against Saldanha, who ordered
his troops to retreat three miles until the Miguel
ties had crossed a bridge, which he might have
defended with small force, but his object was
TO secure them He allowed them to form, and
then gave the word of attack, which was no
sooner given than executed by his brave and
anxious soldiers, though their force was very
inferior. The Miguelites stood Tor some time
and made a vigorous resistance, but could moi
finally stand against the impetuosty OF our men,
and retreated in the greatest confusion Mean
| while Sahandra had sent two companies Of
| sharpshooters to cut off their retreat by the
bridge. which got there before the enemy and
opened most murderous fire upon them, and
! forced them to throw themselves into the stream
which soon was full of dead bodies. Night
prevented a continuation of this scene o.
| slaughter; but the General asserts that he never
witnessed so fatal an issue, in proportion to the
numbers Of the two armies.
| Our loss in killed and wounded amounted tc
37O-that of the enemy was $50 prisoners, sc
deserters, and killed -: killed and wounded
! not mentioned, as it is enormous. Accounts
! from Santarem make it amount to nearly the
whole of 1000 men, as many of the soldiers
/ availed themselves Of the darkness to desert tC
! their homes.
No foreign soldiers were engaged in Saldan
hra's division. Don Pedro has received some
reinforcements of men, and 400 horses pur
chased in England. In the meantime Migue
still holds out, and the country. is ravaged by
bands of royalsts and robbers, who commit the
| greatest cruelties and depredations upon the
poor unoffending inhabitants
The above battle is, perhaps, the most regu
lar that has been fought and in which both par
ties showed much skill.
Last month division of Pedro's army under
the command of Saldanha had taken Leira, {
considerable town on the highway to Coimbra
after defeating the garrison, and at Torres No
vas had defeated two squadrons of cavalry
which were almost entirely cut to pieces or ia
ken prisoners.
Trade Of course. mostly at a stand; an ad
mission has been allowed Of 10000 moys o
hard Wheat, 1000 do. soft do, 1000 do of In
dian Corn, to begin 1st March, and to stop the
moment that quantity is fulfilled. great dea
has already arrived, and the above quantity is
expected shortly to be completed The admis
sion is only allowed in Lisbon.