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claimed the victory. The events of the succeeding month plainly evinced, that the former were following up their victory, whilst the latter were unable to prevent, or obstruct the preparations of their enemies for renewing those attacks which were finally so successful, as-to induce the Austrian Emperor to sue for an armistice, which was agreed to on the humiliating terms dictated by the. French.

From the dispatches of Sir A. Wellesley received just previously to the arrival of those containing the account of the battles of Talavera, the people of this country were prepared for the intelligence of the retreat of the British. They were at least assured of the inability of Sir Arthur "to continue his military operations on, "account of the great deficiency of the means for transporting "his army," which he had confidently expected would have been furnished by the Spaniards. The account of the battles of Talavera were therefore so wholly unexpected, that the ministerial journalists more particularly, were again suddenly roused from that tone of despondency respecting the affairs of Spain, which they had lately indulged, and in language of extravagance bordering on frenzy, representing the victory of Sir Arthur as complete in itself as important in its consequences, expressed their renewed hopes, and sanguine expectations, not only of the "deliverance of Spain," but "the deliverance of Europe." The report so industriously circulated, and so confidently believed, but for which there appears to be no foundation, of the rupture of the armistice between France and Austria, gave new vigour to these hopes and expectations. Not a moment was allowed for sober reflection on the nature, or the consequences of the victories so proudly claimed, of which however some hints were given by the British general in the short extract of one of his letters published in the same extraordinary gazette, which contained the details of his victories. the fruits of these contests, we are informed on the part of the British, of the "capture of 20 pieces of cannon, ammunition, "tumbrils, and some prisoners, which the enemy left on his re"treat across the Alberche, conducted in the most regular order." Of the number of these prisoners we are not informed. The French on their part state" the capture of 800 infantry, and a whole regi"ment of cavalry;" the former part of this statement nearly agrees with that of the British commander, who states the number of the "missing" at 653. By the details of the latter it is evident that the British forces on various points were repulsed, or in military phrase, obliged " to retire," or "to change their position;" the final result, appears to have been, that our forces kept possession of their main positions, and that the French were in the end repulsed, and retired although unpursued. Of the loss sustained on both sides

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the accounts, as may naturally be supposed, materially vary. The French state" that theirs is not considerable.", The Spanish general follows the example of the French in merely stating the loss on his part as not considerable." The British general, states" from report the loss of the French to amount to about 10,000," sending us at the same time the regular returns of the killed, wounded, and missing of the British, amounting to 5367 men, and 444 horses, that is one fourth part of the army!

By the short extract of Sir Arthur's dispatch, written three days after the battle, we are informed "That the French had appeared "with a rear guard of about 10,000 men on the heights of the left " of the Alberche, but that the extreme fatigue of the troops, the "want of provisions, and the number of wounded to be taken care "of prevented the British from changing their position ;-that the "French afterwards retired." Thus the British at Talavera, like the Austrians after their much boasted victory at Aspern, were unable to pursue the enemy, or in any way to hinder his future plan of operations. New reports, however, invigorated the hopes of our ministers and their dependents. Some curious intercepted letters of Marshal Soult were published, in which he gives a most melancholy account of the state of his own army, representing it a's almost annihilated. Fresh dispatches have been received from Sir Arthur Wellesley, the contents of which are concealed from the public eye; but by the accounts inserted in the Lisbon papers, and by various private letters, it appears that the "intercepted letters," were forgeries, designed to mislead the British general; that the French generals were forming a plan to surround his forces; to frustrate which he had found it requisite hastily to retreat towards Portugal, leaving a great part of his sick and wounded at Talavera ;-that " Marshal Soult was in his rear with "a considerable force, that the Spaniards afforded him no assis"tance; that the inhabitants fled to the mountains taking all "their live stock, &c. with them, and otherwise acting with great "hostility to the English army; that Soult had taken several "detachments of the English that were going to and coming from "the army." Sir Arthur Wellesley it farther appears had effected his retreat across the Tagus to Deleitosa about 80 miles from Talavera; and that, for the present, his position was deemed secure. The conclusion of the second campaign, the catastrophe of a second British army in Spain remains to be told, and we have little doubt, will be told before the expiration of another month!、 We have thus thought it necessary to recapitulate the leading particulars in the history of our connection with the " universal Spanish nation" for this twelvemonth past; and if any thing can open the eyes of our countrymen to the infatuation of ministers,

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and to the gross, the repeated, the uniform deceptions which have been practised upon them, surely a little calm, sober, impartial, reflection must prove effectual for the desired purpose. The hireling writer in the Morning Post clinging to the last delusive hope, makes a feeble effort to support the spirits of his countrymen. "Although," he observes, "the intelligence we have communicated "of the retreat of Sir Arthur Wellesley is, in some respects rather "unexpected, the vigilance of the British chief, his rapidity, and judicious movements encourage the fond hope that he will soon recover the advantages and position which for a moment he found "it expedient to abandon." Such language can only be the effect of wilful blindness; there is we should imagine scarcely a man to be found who does not wish that Sir Arthur had not been quite "so rapid" in advancing into the heart of Spain; that he had been better acquainted with the state of the French forces, and the disposition of the Spaniards in general, before he had led his army into a situation from which he was unable to retreat, until he had diminished it by a fourth part. Seldom have our countrymen bled so profusely to so little purpose. There is no doubt but, Sir Arthur is by this time pretty well convinced of the correctness of the opi nion of Sir John Moore respecting the Spaniards, and that it is only sacrificing a British army to send it to the assistance of a people who will make no effectual" efforts to assist themselves." Ministers resolving that however the campaign might terminate, Sir Arthur should experience their marked partiality, have lost no time in exalting him to the dignity of the peerage, creating him "Baron DOURO of Wellesley in Somerset, and Viscount WELLINGTON of Talavera, and of Wellington in the said county." The haste discovered on this occasion forcibly demonstrates the prodigality with which ministers lavish royal favours. But this need not excite surprise in the minds of those who reflect on the manner in which the dignities of the peerage have been conferred, more particularly under the administration of WILLIAM PITT, when they were heaped on the heads of those who had no services to plead, and no claims to make, but what arose from their parliamentary interest, and from a calculation of the number of members they could enlist in the ministerial service. A peerage might with equal propriety have been bestowed on General Burgoyne during the American war, soon after his brilliant victory at Ticonderoga; but the ministers of that day thought proper to wait till the termination of the campaign, and every one will recollect how it terminated! Were our present ministers, fearful of the result of the battles of Talavera, in such a hurry to elevate. Sir Arthur lest misfortune should overtake him, or an inquiry be instituted

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VOL. VI.

into his conduct? The whole business of the Spanish campaign in which the blood of our countrymen has been so prodigally spilt, and the resources of our country so uselessly squandered, will we hope form a subject of the most serious investigation...

THE EXPEDITION.

The public have been amused during the past three months with details of the vast preparations for an expedition embracing the grand objects of distracting the attention, and dividing the forces of NAPOLEON, and by these means encouraging "the oppressed "nations of Europe," which are represented as anxiously on the watch for the restoration of their "old regular governments" under which they so long and so richly enjoyed the blessings of freedom and independence! Seldom indeed has the country witnessed a naval and military armament fitted out on so large a scale, and at such immense expence; and to crown their expectations, the whole is placed under the direction of a general, the Earl of CHATHAM, whose astonishing military talents, great experience, and brilliant exploits pointed him out to our sapient cabinet as the most suitable, the most fit, and the very best commander for the purpose in all his Majesty's service!

This expedition was, when it first began to be talked of, termed secret, but before it sailed, all its various professed objects were known, to almost every person in his Majesty's dominions, and it is scarcely necessary to add, to our enemies as well as to ourselves.

The public have lately been overwhelmed with Gazettes, ordinary and extraordinary, in which the most minute and tedious details have been given of every petty operation whether by sea or land; we have inserted the most material at length, and have abridged the remainder. The first object, the capture of the island of Walcheren, is, after many difficulties, and greater opposition than was at first apprehended, at length attained. The attainment of the ulterior objects, the possession of Antwerp and the French fleet consisting of nine or ten sale of the line &c. is now doubtful: but as Flushing has surrendered, although Lord Chatham cannot boast with Lord Wellington that he has vanquished "double his "numbers," it is somewhat surprising that his lordship has not been made a Duke, or fat least a Marquis: we are persuaded his services will be to the full as advantageous to the British nation, in the Scheldt, as those of the ci devant Sir Arthur, now Baron Douro of Wellesley, and Viscount Wellington of Talavera; to have rendered whose titles complete, there should, however, have been added, Marquis of Cintra, that his lordship's talents as a convention-maker might thus be remembered equally with those which

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have rendered" this first of heroes, this illustrious Marlborough, "this military Nelson, the object of adoration" (we borrow the language of the Morning Post) to his friends the present ministry, and their dependents.

The glorious part of the service in which this grand expedition has been successfully employed is the bombardment, and the conquest of Flushing. Some particulars relative to this event, notwithstanding the minuteness we have noticed, are not contained in the extraordinary gazettes, but may the better enable our countrymen duly to estimate the peculiar glories of this sort of warfare, and for which this nation has rendered itself more conspicuous at Copenhagen than even at Flushing. These particulars are detailed in the following extracts.

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Extract of a Letter received by a gentleman at Stowmarket, from an Officer of the Marines belonging to the Expedition, dated Camp before Flushing, Aug. 16.

"I have just time to inform you, that yesterday at three o'clock in the "morning, Flushing surrendered, after 36 hours' bombardment with up"wards of 600 guns and 50 mortars.-We have lost more than 400 men "killed, and 700 wounded, 200 of whom have undergone amputation.— "Several officers have fallen, and we have not had our cloaths off for 10 days, or an exchange of linen.-The French have lost 2000 men, and I am sorry to say we were obliged to burn the greatest part of the town "down before they would surrender, which buried upwards of 700 men, women, and children, belonging to Flushing. Dreadful to relate! but 'for hours after we were in the town, we could hear distinctly the poor "sufferers groaning under the smoaking ruins !"

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Extract of a Letter from Flushing, dated Aug. 17

"On Friday evening the town of Flushing was still burning in various parts, and the streets in several quarters reduced to a mass of ruins "presented a most shocking spectacle. The French had been allowed "three days to bury their dead. Even the streets which had suffered least "from the bombardment, were strewed with human limbs, swords, muskets "and arms of every kind, mixed in horrid confusion, and the effluvia "from the putrid bodies threatened infection. The barracks presented a "frightful scene of slaughter, and the beach was covered with our cannon "balls which had rebounded from the walls of the fort, and had rolled "down to the water side."*

* Every suggestion for the improvement of the horrid art of wholesale massacre, appears to be received with eagerness by the people of this country, while it is well known that in several instances they have been rejected with indignation by the French. The destructive effects of the Congreve rockets, on the houses and inhabitants of Copenhagen, were the subject of triumph at the time: our expedition is said to be well stored with these terrible instruments. There is indeed another famous instrument, and which (for what reason we know not), to the great grief of the Editor of the Morning Chronicle is not so fashionable as it once was :" It is 66 much to be lamented" (says this humane writer) that there were no more

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