manners, and of religion, contributed not a little to that disposition of men's minds. They reproached the Spaniards with having no longer an army to unite with theirs, and with having deceived the English government. The Spaniards returned for answer, that Spain had numerous armies, but that the English had allowed them to be destroyed without having made any effort to assist them. During the 15 days that have just elapsed, they did not fire a single musket. The light cavalry only had given some blows with their swords. Gen. Duresnel, at the head of 400 light horse of the guard, fell in at the close of the evening with a column of English infantry on their march, sabred a number of soldiers, and carried disorder into the columns.-Gen. Lefebvre, Disnonettes, colonel of the chasseurs of the guard, detached two days before, with three squadrons of his regiment, having taken a quantity of baggage, of women, and stragglers, and finding the bridge of Ezela cut down, imagined that the town of Benavente was evacuated. Carried away by that impetuosity with which the French soldiers have been so often reproached, he swam across the river, in order to make for Benavente, where be fell in with the whole of the cavalry of the rear-guard of the English: a long contest here ensued, of 400 men against 2000. There was no resisting numbers. Those brave fellows recrossed the river. The horse of gen. Lefebvre was killed by a ball. He had himself received a wound from a pistol shot, and, being dismounted, was made prisoner. Ten of his chasseurs, who had also been dismounted, were like they beheld the destruction of the army of Gallicia at Espinosa; of the army of Estremadura at Burgos, of that of Arragon and Valencia, at Tudela; of the army of reserve at Somo-Sierra; in fine, they beheld the fall of Madrid without making a single movement, and without any attempt to succour the Spanish armies, to whom, however, a division of the English troops would have proved of considerable assistance. In the beginning of December, information was received that the columns of the British army were retreating on Corunna, where they were to re-embark. By later accounts, it afterwards appeared that they had halted, and that on the 16th Dec. they set out from Salamanca in order to take the field. As early as the 15th, the light cavalry had marched from Valladolid. The whole of the English army passed the Douro, and arrived on the 23d in presence of the duke of Dalmatia at Saldanha.-As soon as the Emperor was apprised at Madrid of this unexpected determination on the part of the English, he marched in order to cut off their retreat, and pursue their rear. But notwithstanding the diligence exerted by the French troops, the passage of the mountain of Guadarrama, which was covered with snow, the incessant rain, and overflowing of the torrents, delayed their march full two days.-On the 22d the Emperor left Madrid. His head-quarters were on the 23d at Villa-Castin, the 25th at Tordesillas, and on the 27th at Medino de Rio-Secco. On the 24th, at break of day, the enemy had began to move, in order to outflank the left of the duke of Dalmatia, but having been informed dur-wise taken, 5 were drowned, and 20 were ing the morning of the movement that took place at Madrid, they immediately began to retreat, abandoning their Spanish adherents, whose passions they had inflamed, the remains of the Gallician army, that had conceived fresh hopes, some of their hospitals, a part of their baggage, and a great number of stragglers. They committed great devastations, the inevitable result of forced marches of troops in retreat; they carried away with them mules, horses, and several other effects; they pillaged a great number of churches and convents. In the abbey of Sahagun, which contained 60 monks, and which had all along been respected by the French army, they committed every sort of depredation. Every where the priests and the monks were seen flying at their approach.—This disorderly conduct exasperated the country against them, and their difference of language, wounded. This sharp affair must have convinced the English what they would have to dread from such men in general action; gen. Lefebvre undoubtedly committed a fault, but it was the fault of a Frenchman; he ought to be blamed and rewarded at the same time. The number of prisoners taken from the enemy, up to the present moment, and who are chiefly composed of scattered individuals and strag glers, amounts to 300.-On the 28th the head-quarters of the Emperor were at Valderas; the head-quarters of the duke of Dalmatia at Manilla, the duke of Elchingen at Villatora. On his departure from Madrid, the Emperor appointed king Joseph his lieut.-general, with the command of the garrison of the capital, together with the corps of the dukes of Dantzic and Belluno; the divisions of cavalry of Lasalle, Milhaud, and Latour Maubourg, are left for the protection of the centre. The weather is exceedingly bad. To a piercing cold, heavy and continued rains have succeeded. We suffer, but the English must suffer still more. Twenty-Second Bulletin. Benavente, Dec. 31.-On the 30th, the cavalry, commanded by the duke of Istria, passed the Ezela. On the evening of the 30th, it traversed Benavente, and pursued the enemy as far as Puenta de la Vilana. On the same day the head-quarters were established at Benavente. The English were not satisfied with destroying an arch of the bridge of Ezela, but they also blew up the buttresses with mines, a damage wholly unprofitable, and which could be hurtful only to the country; the rear betook themselves to the most shocking plundering. The soldiers, in the excess of their continual intemperance, gave reins to all the licentiousness of brutal inebriety. Every thing in their conduct bespoke rather an hostile army than one which came to the assistance of a friendly power. The contempt of the English for the Spaniards gave a sharper edge to the impression made by so many outrages. This experience will throw a salutary damp on those insurrections, instigated by foreigners. One cannot help regretting that the English had not sent an army into Andalusia. The army that passed through Benavente ten days ago, triumphed already in hope, and already having their colours hung with trophies, nothing could equal the audacity and security they displayed. On their return, their countenance was sadly changed. They were harassed with fatigue, and seemed to be borne down with shame of retreating without a battle. In order to anticipate the just reproaches of the Spaniards, the English continued incessantly to repeat, that they had been promised to be joined by numerous forces; and the Spaniards repelled their calumnious assertions by arguments to which there was no answer.-Ten days ago, when the English were traversing the country, they well knew that the Spanish armies had been destroyed. The commissaries whom they employed to accompany the armies of the left, of the centre, and of the right, knew full well that it was not 50,000 incn only, but 180,000 men that the Spaniards had put under arms; that these 180,000 men had fought, while, for six weeks, the English had remained unconcerned spectators of their struggles. These commissaries could not but have made it known that the Spanish armies had ceased to exist. The English, therefore, could not be ignorant that the Spaniards were without armies. When, ten days ago, they again moved forward, intoxicated with the silly hope of deceiving the vigilance of the French general, they fell into the snare which the French general had laid for drawing them into the open country. They had before made some marches on their return to their ships.-You ought, observe the Spaniards, to have persisted in that prudent determination, or else you should have been in force enough to balance the destinies of the French. Above all, you ought not to have at first advanced with such confidence, only afterwards to fall back with so much precipitation. You should not have drawn the theatre of the war among us, and exposed us to the ravages of the two armies. After having brought down upon our heads such accumulations of disasters, you ought not to throw the fault upon us.- -We have not been able to resist the French troops; nor do you seem more able to make head against them. Forbear therefore to accuse us, to outrage us-all our misfortunes we owe to you. The English had reported throughout the country, that they had defeated 5000 of the French cavalry on the banks of the Ezela, and that the field of battle was covered with their dead. The inhabitants of Benavente were much surprised, upon visiting the field of battle, to have found there only three Englishmen and two French. That contest, of 400 men against 2000, does great honour to the French. During the whole of the 29th, the river continued to swell considerably, so that at the close of the evening it became impossible to ford it. It was in the middle of the river, and at the moment he was on the point of being drowned, that general Lefebvre, being carried away by the current to the side occupied by the English, was made prisoner. The loss of the enemy, in killed and wounded, in that affair of advanced posts, has been far greater than that of the French. The flight of the English was so precipitate, that they left at their hospital their sick and wounded, and were obliged to burn a fine magazine of tents and cloathing.-They killed all the horses that were over fatigued or wounded, and which might embarrass their retreat. It is scarcely here to be credited how that spectacle, so shocking to our manners, of hundreds of horses shot with pistols, is revolting to the Spaniards. Many persons look upon it as a sort of sacrifice-some religious ritewhich gives rise, in the mind of the Spaniards, to very strange pictures of the religion of England. The English are retreating in the utmost haste. All the Germans in their pay are deserting. Our army will, this evening, be at Astorga near the borders of Gallicia. Twenty-Third-Bulletin. Benavente, Jan. 1.-THE duke of Dalmatia arrived on the 30th December at Mancille, where was the left of the enemy, consisting of the Spaniards under gen. Romana. Gen. Franceschi overthrew them in a single charge, killed a great number, took two standards, and made prisoners a colonel, two lieut. colonels, fifty officers, and 1, 500 men.-On the 31st the duke of Dalmatia entered Leon, where he found 2000 sick. Romana succeeded Blake in the command, after the battle of Espnosa. The remains of that army, which, while before Bilboa, consisted of 50,000 men, were reduced to almost 5000 at Mancilla. These wretches, without clothes, and oppressed with every misery, filled the hospitals.-The English are held in detestation by these troops whom they despise, and by the peaceable inhabitants whom they abuse and whose substance they devour, in order to support their own army.-The mind of the people of the kingdom of Leon is much changed. They loudly cry out for Peace and their King; they curse the English and their fallacious insinuations. They reproach them with being the cause of the shedding of Spanish blood, in order to feed the English monopoly, and perpetuate the war on the continent. The perfidy of England and her motives are now obvious to the meanest and most illiterate Spanish peasant. They know what they suffer: and the authors of their sufferings are before their eyes.-Meantime the English retreat with the utmost haste, pursued by the duke of Istria, with 9000 cavalry. Among the magazines which they burnt at Benevente, were, independant of tents, 4000 blankets, and a great quantity of rum. We picked up upwards of 200 waggons of baggage and ammunition, left on the road from Benevente to Astorga. The shattered remains of Romana's army threw themselves into the latter town, and increased the confusion. The events of the English expedition to Spain must furnish materials for a fine opening speech to the English Parliament. The English nation must be informed, that her army remained three months in a state of inaction, while it was in their power to assist the Spaniards; that its leaders, or those whose orders they executed, have been guilty of the extreme folly of making a movement forward after the Spanish armies had been destroyed; that, in a word, it entered upon the new year by running away, pursued by an enemy, whom it did not dare to fight, and by the curses of those whom it had stirred up to resistance, and whom it was its duty to support. Such enterprizes and such results can belong only to a country that has no government. Fox, or even Pitt, would not have been guilty of such blunders. To contend against France by land, who has one hundred thousand cavalry, fifty thousand horses for all sorts of military equipment, and nine hundred thousand infantry, was, on the part of England, carrying folly to the utmost extreme; it betrays indeed a greediness for disgrace; it is, in fine, to administer the affairs of England just as thecabinet of the Thuilleries could wish them to be administered.-It betrays no'small ignorance of Spain, to have imagined that any importance could be attached to popular commotion, or to indulge the smallest hope that by kindling in that country the flames of sedition, such a conflagration could be attended with any decided result or any material duration.-A few fanatical priests are quite sufficient to compose and propagate libels, to carry a momentary disorder into the minds of men: but something else is required to cause a nation to rise to arms.-At the time of the French Revolution, it required three years and the presence of the convention to prepare the means of military successes; and who that does not know to what hazards France was nevertheless exposed? France was, however, stirred up. Supported by the unanimous resolution to reassert rights of which she had been deprived in times of obscurity. In Spain, it was a few men who stirred up the people, in order to preserve the exclusive possession of rights odious to the people. Those who fought for the inquisition, for the Franciscans, and for feudal rights, might be animated by an ardent zeal for their personal interests, but could never infuse into a whole nation a firm resolve or a permanent opinion. In spite of the English feudal rights, the Franciscans, and the inquisition, have no longer any existence in Spain.-After the capture of Rosas, gen. Gouvion Saint-Cyr shaped his march. against Barcelona, at the head of the 7th corps. He dispersed every thing that he found before that place, and formed a junction with gen. Duhesme. That junction brought his army to 40, 000 men.--The | and obstinately contested, to the inclosed dukes of Treviso and Abrantes have car- Report of lieut.-gen. Hope, who succeedried all the outworks at Saragossa. The ed to the command of the army, and to gen. of engineers, Lacoste, is preparing whose ability and exertions in direction the means of getting possession of that city of the ardent zeal and unconquerable vawithout loss.-The king of Spain has gone lour of his majesty's troops, is to be attrito Aranjuez, in order to review the first buted, under Providence, the success of corps, commanded by the duke of Belluno. the day, which terminated in the complete and entire repulse and defeat of the enemy at every point of attack. The hon. capt. Gordon, my aid-de-camp, will have the honour of delivering this dispatch, and will be able to give your lordship any further information which may be required. I have the honour to be, &c. D. BAIRD, lieut.-gen. Twenty-fourth Bulletin. Astorga, Jan. 2.-The Emperor arrived at Astorga on the 1st of Jan. The road from Benevente to Astorga is covered with dead horses belonging to the English, with travelling carriages, artillery, caissons and warlike stores. There were found at Astorga magazines of sheets, blankets, and the tools and implements of pioneers.As to Romana's army, it is reduced almost to nothing. The small number that remain are without coats, shoes, pay, food, and it is no longer to be considered any thing. The Emperor has charged the duke of Dalmatia with the glorious mission of pursuing the English to the place of their debarkation, and of driving them into the sea, at the point of the sword.The English will learn what it is to make an inconsiderate movement in presence of the French army. The manner in which they have been driven from the kingdoms of Leon and Gallicia, and the destruction of a part of their army, will, no doubt, teach them to be more circumspect of their operations on the continent.-All that remains of the Spanish insurgent troops has been without pay for several months back. BATTLE OF CORUNNA.-London Gazette Extraordinary, dated Downing-street, Jan. 24, 1809. The hon. captain Hope arrived late last night with a dispatch from lieut.-gen. sir David Baird to lord viscount Castlereagh, one of his majesty's principal secretaries of state, of which the following is a copy: His majesty's ship Ville de Paris, at sea, Jan. 18, 1809.-MY LORD; By the muchlamented death of lieut.-general sir John Moore, who fell in action with the enemy on the 16th instant, it has become my duty to acquaint your lordship, that the French army attacked the British troops in the position they occupied in front of Corunna, at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon of that day.-A severe wound, which compelled me to quit the field a short time previous to the fall of sir John Moore, obliges me to refer your lordship for the particulars of the action, which was long His majesty's ship Audacious, off Corunna, Jan. 18, 1809.-SIR; In compliance with the desire contained in your communication of yesterday, I avail my. self of the first moment I have been able to command, to detail to you the occurrences of the action which took place in front of Corunna, on the 16th instant.-It will be in your recollection, that about one in the afternoon of that day, the enemy, who had in the morning received reinforcements, and who had placed some guns in front of the right and left of his line, was observed to be moving troops towards his left flank, and forming various columns of attack at that extremity of the strong and commanding position, which, on the morning of the 15th, he had taken in our immediate front.-This indication of his intention was immediately succeeded by the rapid and determined attack which he made upon your division, which occupied the right of our position. The events which occurred during that period of the action you are fully acquainted with. The first effort of the enemy was met by the commander of the forces, and by yourself, at the head of the 42nd regt., and the brigade under major-gen. ford William Bentinck.-The village on your right became an object of obstinate contest. I lament to say, that soon after the severe wound which deprived the army of your services, lieut.-gen. sir John Moore, who had just directed the most able dispositions, fell by a cannon-shot. The troops, though not unacquainted with the irreparable loss they had sustained, were not dismayed, but by the most determined bravery not only repelled every attempt of the enemy to gain ground, but actually forced him to retire, although he had brought up fresh troops in support of those originally engaged. The enemy, finding himself foiled in every attempt to force the right of the position, endeavoured by late commander of the forces, to withdraw numbers to turn it. A judicious and well- the army on the evening of the 16th, for timed movement, which was made by the purpose of embarkation, the previous major-gen. Paget, with the reserve, which arrangements for which had already been corps had moved out of its cantonments to made by his order, and were, in fact, far support the right of the army, by a vigo- advanced at the commencement of the rous attack, defeated this intention. The action. The troops quitted their position major-general having pushed forward the about ten at night, with a degree of order 95th (rifle corps) and 1st battalion 52nd that did them credit. The whole of the regiments, drove the enemy before him, artillery that remained unembarked having and in his rapid and judicious advance, been withdrawn, the troops followed in the threatened the left of the enemy's position. order prescribed, and marched to their reThis circumstance, with the position of spective points of embarkation in the town lieut.-gen. Fraser's division, (calculated to and neighbourhood of Corunna. The picgive still further security to the right of quets remained at their posts until five in the line) induced the enemy to relax his the morning of the 17th, when they were efforts in that quarter.-They were how- also withdrawn with similar orders, and ever more forcibly directed towards the without the enemy having discovered the centre, where they were again successfully movement.-By the unremitted exertions resisted by the brigade under major-gen. of captains the hon. H. Curzon, Gosselin, Manningham, forming the left of your di- Boys, Rainier, Serrett, Hawkins, Digby, vision, and a part of that under major-gen. Carden, and Mackenzie, of the royal navy, Leith, forming the right of the division who, in pursuance of the orders of rear under my orders. Upon the left, the ene- adm. de Courcy, were entrusted with the my at first contented himself with an at- service of embarking the army; and in tack upon our picquets, which however in consequence of the arrangements made general maintained their ground. Finding by commissioner Bowen, capiains Bowen however his efforts unavailing on the right and Shepherd, and the other agents for and centre, he seemed determined to ren- transports, the whole of the army were der the attack upon the left more serious, embarked with an expedition which has and had succeeded in obtaining possession seldom been equalled. With the excepof the village through which the great tion of the brigades under major-generals road to Madrid passes, and which was si- Hill and Beresford, which were destined tuated in front of that part of the line. to remain on shore, until the movements From this post, however, he was soon ex- of the enemy should become manifest, the pelled, with considerable loss, by a gallant whole was afloat before day light.—The attack of some companies of the 2nd bat- brigade of major-gen. Beresford, which talion 14th regiment, under lieut.-colonel was alternately to form our rear-guard, ocNicholls; before five in the evening, we cupied the land front of the town of Cohad not only successfully repelled every runna; that under major-Gen. Hill was attack made upon the position, but had stationed in reserve on the promontory in gained ground in almost all points,and occu- rear of the town.-The enemy pushed his pied a more forward line than at the com- light troops towards the town soon after mencement of the action, whilst the ene-eight o'clock in the morning of the 17th, my confined his operations to a cannonade, and a fire of his light troops, with a view to draw off his other corps. At six the firing entirely ceased. The different brigades were re-assembled on the ground they occupied in the morning, and the picquets and advanced posts resumed their original stations.Notwithstanding the decided and marked superiority which at this moment the gallantry of the troops had given them over an enemy, who, from his number and the commanding advantages of his position, no doubt expected an easy victory, I did not, on reviewing all circumstances, conceive that I should be warranted in departing from what I knew was the fixed and previous determination of the and shortly after occupied the heights of St. Lucia, which command the harbour. But notwithstanding this circumstance, and the manifold defects of the place, there being no apprehension that the rear-guard could be forced, and the disposition of the Spaniards appearing to be good, the embarkation of maj.-gen. Hill's brigade was commenced and completed by 3 in the afternoon; maj.-gen. Beresford, with that zeal and ability which is so well known to yourself and the whole army, having fully explained, to the satisfaction of the Spanish governor, the nature of our movement, and having made every previous arrangement, withdrew his corps from the land front of the town soon after dark, and was, |