Note of the Moniteur.-This is a singular calculation which Lord Wellesley makes of the first and fourth corps, and the reserve. The first corps is composed of 36 battalions, the fourth of 30; the reserve of 20 battalions, and the cavalry of 40 squadrons. Lord Wellesley had therefore around him 170 battalions, 80 or 90 squadrons, and he expected to conquer Madrid with 20,000 men! We do not speak of the Spaniards; they may be reckoned as of consequence for plundering isolated persons, or for defending themselves behind a wall; but very little account can be made of them in a regular battle, as the English may have been convinced. If Lord Wellesley had had, besides his 20,000 men, the whole army of Lord Chatham, which went to bury itself in the marshes of the Isle of Walcheren, he could have derived nothing from his expedition but disgrace, confusion, and defeat. If the British mean to dispute Spain with France, they must laud an army, if not equal to the French army, at least two-thirds as strong, that is to say, of at least 150,000 men, for the Spaniards cannot be reckoned for more than one-third in a regu lar battle.

Nothing can be more advantageous to France than to have the British engage in land wars; for then, instead of conquering Britain by sea, we shall conquer her on the Continent. Such a contest shews to admiration what those are who direct the cabinet of London.

Themistocles advised the Athenians to abandon their citadels, and take refuge on board their ships. It is to be wished that the British cabinet may persist, as it has begun, in the plan of deserting its ships aud throwing itself on the Continent. We have predicted the humilation of Britain, and peace before a year elapses.

Before a year shall have expired, the British, whatever efforts they may make, will be driven out of the Peninsula, and the Imperial eagle will fly on the fortress of Lisbon.

"We had reason to expect, as the Marquis de la Reyna would not remove the boats from the river Almarez, Soult would have destroyed them. Our only retreat was, therefore, by the bridge of Arzo Bispo; and if we had moved on, the enemy, by breaking that bridge, while the army should be engaged with Soult and Ney, would have deprived us of that only resource. We could not

VOL. VI.

take a position at Oropesa, as we there by left open the road to the bridge of Arzo Bispo, from Talavera, by Calera; and after considering the whole subject maturely, I am of opinion that it was advisable to retire to the bridge of Arzo Bispo, and to take up a defensive posttion upon the Tagus."--(London Gazette.)

Note of the Moniteur-We shall not continue these notes.-it would be an insult to our readers. The falsehood of the report of Lord Wellesley must be evident to every one.

Conclusion. Lord Wellesley, without knowing the force of the enemy with whom he had to contend, without be ing furnished with that which consti tutes an army, advanced to Talavera. The idea of entering Madrid turned his brain. He took the French army for an army of sepoys. He arrived at Talavera, with 25 or 26,000 men. He was there joined by 30,000 Spaniards, and, with these two armies united, he intended to penetrate to Madrid. The Duke of Belluno manœuvred skilfully to draw him on, and formed a junction with the 4th corps and the reserve, and, with the king at their head, marched against the enemy. The Duke of Dalmatia, with still more considerable forces than those of the king, marched upon their rear. Lord Wellesley could not extricate himself but by beating, separately, the two armies. The first and fourth corps presented him with an opportunity, since they attacked, without waiting for the three corps commanded by the Duke of Dalmatia. The British fought well; the battle of Talavera was doubtful; though the loss of the British was much more considerable than ours, for the French artillery was more numerous. It appears that, by a series of multiplied faults, the French could not take the position on the left; but the British were beaten back every time they attempted to advance upon the French. When the 70,000 men commanded by the Duke of Dalmatia were at Plasencia, Lord Wellesley believed there were not more than ten thousand men there, and formed the most ridiculous combinations. He perceived, however, the folly of his calculations, his extreme imprudence, and was sufficiently fortunate to escape into Portugal with his infantry. What would have been the case, if mancuvring according to the principles of war, the French army had not given battle until all united? Lord Wellesley says,

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that the want of the means of conveyance prevented him from marching to Madrid. What would have been the consequence, if he had marched to Madrid, and the Duke of Dalmatia had placed himself between him and the Tagus? He would have come with his army to France. He has sacrificed brave men through presumption, and ignorance of that of which a general ought not to be ignorant.

This expedition greatly resembles that of General Moore in the month of November last. But General Moore was more prudent, and saved himself sooner; and though he suffered enormous losses, the half of his army returned to Britain, without their baggage, &c. Like General Moore, General Wellesley, abandoned his hospitals, his baggage, his artillery, and arrived in Portugal with the half of his army. At this moment he has not 18,000 men under arms, out of the 40,000 which left the ports of Britain.

The Moniteur of the 30th. of September, contains an article extracted from an evening paper on the failure of our expedition against Antwerp, in which it is said, that the Armistice concluded on the Danube, could not but have a powerful influence on the issue of that expedition, and makes the following remarks on this assertion:-" What a miserable excuse; what have the affairs of the Danube to do with the expedition of the Scheldt. Can it for a moment be supposed that France stood in need of the army which is in Vienna to defend herself against the English? The English expedition failed because it was extravagant; it would also have failed had the French been defeated at Wagram; nay, it would in that case have more certainly failed of success, because an unfortunate event would have doubled the energy of the French in the interior; it would have failed, because, in fact, fools only could attempt a similar expedition in a month, and a climate where epidemic fevers carry off one moiety of the army. Had it been undertaken in the month of May, the chances against its success would have been far less considerable; because at that time of the year no dread of maladies was to be entertained. The cabinet of St. James's acting in a different manner, displayed the utmost ignorance of circumstances, in a case to which it attached so much importance. The expedition was absurd; because Flushnig could not be supposed to be taken but

after a long siege, carried on in the midst of inundations; because after the reduction of Flushing it was necessary to direct further operations against Batz, Bergen-op-Zoom and Lillo; and because no attack on the strong place of Antwerp could be made but after previous sieges, to the number of three, which must take at least three months; and because it was not recollected that the fourth battalions of the regiments of all the army which remain in France, form an army of more than a hundred thousand men, exclusively of the national guards and gens d'armes of the neighbouring departments. In less than eight days a corps of 4,000 horse was assembled at Antwerp, while all the cavalry of Lord Chathain's army did not exceed 1,000.

Let not the English boast of their holding the key of the Scheldt, they cannot hold it; any force which may be destined to defend that place must in the end be lost to England, either by capi tulation or sickness, and in the former case we shall be more than indemnified for the loss of 4,000 men, who capitulated in Flushing, not 1,000 of whom were French.

Stockholm, Sept. 23.-The treaty of peace between Sweden and Russia was signed at Frederiksham on the 17th instant. The exhausted state of the country, occasioned by the perverse measures adopted and ob stinately pursued by the late government, did not warrant a hope that it would be possible for his present Majesty to obtain a favourable peace. The King's endeavours to induce his Russian Majesty to lower his demands having proved fruitless, he directed his ministers to sign a peace, by which valuable possessions are severed from Sweden. In so doing, his royal Majesty has merely consulted the urgent wants of the realm, speedily to obtain tranquillity and repose after a destructive war, which had exhausted all its resources. His Majesty having thus felt obliged to consent to painful sacrifices, derives his sole consolation from the firm conviction, that the preservation of the provinces, which are left to Sweden, must be ascribed to the late revolution, which induced Russia to

nations and men. Is there a single in stance, or circumstance, in which such frail beings as we are do not need his protection and aid? It is permitted to a people who summon all their powers and means of resistance, to call on the divine aid by the least danger, when all the means are employed which are left at their disposal. Is there a danger, however small, which, without the aid of the Supreme Being, is surmountable? Is there any one, however great and insurmountable it may appear, which does not disperse of itself when God shews him self gracious.

Accept, gentlemen, my thanks for the feelings you have expressed to me, and with it the assurance, that whatever may be said, written, or surmised, the more your country, and especially your city may suffer, the more your condition may become critical, the more my affection and solicitude for you shall also in

crease."

Iceland, which is subject to the crown of Denmark, and containing an extent of surface nearly equal to England, was provisionally taken under the protection of our government in July last. Strange as it may appear, the island was in effect reduced by six seamen belonging to a letter of marque from the Thames. These dauntless fellows took the governor and the whole Danish garrison prisoners. The native Icelanders are estimated at 45,000; but they are much scattered, have little communication with each other, and are miserably poor. They did not seem to interest themselves in the question who should be their rulers.

A letter from Naples, of the 9th ult. states, that on the 4th a new crater opened on mount Vesuvius to the south-east from which there had been a continued eruption of lava. The torrent of lava, which took a direction towards the town of Della Torre, had divided into two branches, and formed an island, at the extremity of which it again united, and produced a lake of fire in the district of A Trio del Cavallo. In the night of the 5th there was an eruption of

an immense quantity of ashes and stones.

The following instance of extraordinary presence of mind and courage is mentioned in one of the last Madras couriers :-Veljee Patell, an inhabitant of Mahonaodabad, in the vicinity of Kaira, about noon on the 13th of January last, whilst working in his cotton field, perceived a royal tigress approaching him in an attitude that convinced him of the animal's desire to destroy him; and as he was aware, from the nature of his situation, that he could not escape, he made preparations to receive her. The tigress springing on this undaunted cultivator, he held out his left arm to oppose her

whilst, with his right uplifting a harand, or small hatchet, his premeditated blow was so correctly delivered between the ears of the animal, and with such force opposed to the velocity with which the ti gress advanced, that it occasioned her immediate death. Veljce Patell's left wrist was much lacerated.

Lately died at. Smradiarke, a bathing place in Moravia, the HowARD of Austria, Count Von Barchbold a victim of his humane efforts. He travelled in Europe for 13 years, and 4 years in Asia and Africa, in order to become acquainted with the happiness and wretchedness of mankind, and ever to promote the former, and mitigate the latter. He was the founder of the Moravian humane society, and of the establishment of preservation at Prague and Brunn. Not one hour of his life he passed unprofitably. At this period he had converted his fine castle at Buchlowitz, in Moravia, into an hospital for sick and wounded Austrians, in attending whom he caught an epidemic fever, which terminated his life.

By the latest advices from Ame rica, it appears that Mr. Jackson had arrived, and reached the city

of Washington, on Friday, the 8th of September, and that he was politely received, as far as relates to the interchange of the ordinary ceremonies paid to persons engaged in diplomatic missions. These formalities, however, were confined to the minister; Mr. Maddison being at his country-house in Virginia, where he proposed to remain three or four wecks longer, after which time he will probably re-visit Washington, and admit the British plenipotentiary to an audience, The letters agree in stating, that the negociation with Mr. Jackson will not commence until the meeting of congress, which is appointed for the first Monday in November. Some delays will necessarily arise after that date. The appointment of the committees, and the necessary preliminary business will occasion the lapse of nearly a week, and it is not usual for the president to transmit his message to the legislative assemblies, until these matters have been deliberately arranged. Subsequently to this communication from the chief magistrate, discussions will take place on the proposals, so that it is probable that the ultimate decision of the republican government will not be known, even at Washington, until the middle or close of November, should a favourable attention be given to the negociation with this country. In the interval impediments may arise from the spirit of caution naturally produced in the American authorities by their late disappointment. One letter distinctly mentions (in opposition to what has before been confidently stated) that satisfaction was not given to the administration of the United States by the exposition of the instructions to Mr. Erskine, and it adds, that no intercourse will be allowed with the new plenipotentiary until, as a part of his credentials, the instructions be has received respecting the extent of his own powers shall have been

disclosed. Mr. Jackson appears to he unpopular in several places on account of his having been employed in the expedition against Denmark, and having delivered the insulting claims of this country. He is styled in some of the American prints— Copenhagen Jackson!

The following is the important case of the men arrested as deserters from the frigate L'Africaine, by John Hunter, Esq. sheriff of Baltimore, at the request of William Wood, Esq. British Consul for the Port of Baltimore.-An Habeas Corpus was applied for to Judge Scott, late on the Thursday evening, on behalf of seven men, arrested and held in custody by the sheriff, at the request, and on the statement of the British consul that they were deserters, by their counsel. The Habeas Corpus was issued as prayed for, returnable the next morning at nine o'clock. Accordingly, this morning, the men were brought up amidst an immense concourse of citizens, who filled the court-house and the neighbouring street, and the sheriff made return that he had arrested and detained the men in custody, in virtue of the following, from the British consul:

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British Consul Office, Baltimore,
Sept. 6, 1809.

"JOHN HUNTER, Esq. "SIR-Having received information that 13 seamen have deserted from L'Africaine frigate, and are now in this city, I have to request that you will be pleased to secure them till they can be sent on board. I am, &c.

WILLLIAM WOOD." By virtue of this authority, I have arrested and put in prison the fol lowing persons, to wit:-John Nowland, William Whokes, Denis Murphy, Richard Hewes, John Earp, John Burwell, and Jacob Lamb.

The judge said, that he conceived it his duty to give notice to Mr. Wood (the British consul) of the ap plication, so that he might appear