but not before succour had reached the town. In a few days the French heavy battering cannon made a breach, the troops marched to the assault, but were attacked by a body of 10,000 men in the rear. Afterwards the besieged made a vigorous sally against their lines, penetrated the batteries, spiked the cannons, and set fire to the works. Duhesme could not have made good his retreat had he not sacrificed all his artillery and stores. These successes added to the enthusiasm of the Spaniards: newspapers were established advocating the popular cause; the blood so profusely shed in the massacres of the invaders, could not quench the sacred flame of freedom.

Stirring events were also going on in Portugal; there the resurrection of Castillian independence had the most powerful effect. Junot's vanity failed to perceive the gathering storm. The news of the massacre of Madrid, was the signal for rebellion at Oporto; which was not suppressed without much trouble. Junot immediately disarmed 5,000 Spanish troops in the capital, but he could not prevent the peasants in the neighbourhood of Oporto from again raising the standard of revolt. A junta was formed, and the Bishop, a zealous patriot, made president. General Loison was ordered to proceed from Almeida, to check the insurrection in the province of Entre Douro-Minho, which had a most formidable appearance; but though he defeated the peasantry twice with great slaughter, he was compelled to retreat to Lisbon. In the south, the patriots routed several bodies of the French; in the east, the inhabitants of the town of Beija were only put down by a bloody nocturnal assault. Junot's return to the capital was hastened by the news of the rising in the Alentejo, where a junta and

provisional government had been formed at Evora. The propinquity of this town to Gibraltar was so alarming, that a powerful expedition of 7,000 infantry, 1,200 cavalry, and eight guns, was dispatched against it, under the sanguinary Loison, who had been trained to barbarity in the Egyptian campaigns. A battle was fought, in which the combined Spanish and Portuguese forces were defeated. The French entered the town, and a bloody slaughter ensued; neither age nor sex being spared; the French boasted that they had lost only 290, while 8,000 of the insurgents had been put to death. But the hour of retribution had come; and Loison was roused amid his fancied security, by the intelligence that a British army had been seen off the Portuguese coast.

CHAPTER VI.

English expedition sails from Cork-Sir A. Wellesley proceeds to Corunna-Issues a Proclamation-Landing in Mondego Bay-Junot's proceedings-Combat at RoliçaReinforcements-Batttle of Vimiera-Sir A. Wellesley superseded by Sir H. Burrard-Sir H. Dalrymple-Convention of Cintra-Court of Inquiry-Napoleon's Efforts.

THE English government, as soon as it perceived that the Spanish insurrection was no transient display of enthusiastic feeling, but the commencement of a severe struggle, had resolved to send a force to the Peninsula. Troops to the amount of 10,000 men, at first intended for a South American expedition, had been collected at Cork; the command was given to Sir Arthur Wellesley, whose military genius government seemed now to appre

ciate. Two smaller divisions were afterwards prepared at Ramsgate and Margate; and Sir John Moore, who with 12 000 men had been sent to Gottingen to offer assistance to the King of Sweden, against Russia, was likewise ordered to follow the expedition as a reinforcement. Yet though Sir

Arthur Wellesley sailed from Cork as commanderin-chief, he was, on his arrival in Portugal, destined to be superseded by a senior officer, Sir Harry Burrard; who again, was only to lead the troops until the arrival of Sir Hew Dalrymple from Gibraltar ; arrangements both unjust in themselves, and calculated to produce unfortunate consequences.

"When Sir A. Wellesley received the command of the expedition at Cork, government gave him no reason to believe that he was to be superseded in the supreme direction of it. The first intimation he had of that intention was by a letter from Lord Castlereagh, dated 15th July, 1808, which was received by him at sea, off Mondego Bay. Many officers who held the situation, and achieved the victories which he had in India, would have at once resigned the command, in which he was to be reduced to such a subordinate station; but Sir A. Wellesley, with the single-hearted feeling and patriotic devotion of true greatness, acted otherwise. In answer to Lord Castlereagh, he said :- Pole and Burghersh have apprised me of the arrangements for the future command of the army. All that I can say on the subject is, whether I am superseded or not, I shall do my best to ensure its snccess; and you may depend upon it that I shall not hurry the operations, or commence them one moment sooner than they ought to be commenced, in order that I may acquire the credit of the suc

cess.

The government will determine for me, in

6

what way they will employ me hereafter; whether here or elsewhere.' When asked by an intimate friend, after his return, how he who had commanded armies of 40,000 men, received the order of the Bath, and the thanks of Parliament, could thus submit to be reduced to the rank of Brigadier of infantry, he replied, For this reason-I was nimute-wallah, as we say in the East; I have ate of the king's salt, and therefore consider it my duty to serve with zeal and promptitude, when or wherever, the king or his government may think proper to employ me.' Nor was this disinterested and high-minded patriotism and sense of duty without its final reward: inferior men would probably have thrown up the command, and rested on the laurels of Seringapatam and Assaye; but Wellington pursued the path of duty under every slight, and he lived to strike down Napoleon on the field of Waterloo."

The expedition sailed from Cork on the 12th of July, General Wellesley preceding it in a fast-sailing frigate, to procure the necessary information for regulating its destination. He landed at Corunna on the 20th, and entered into communication with the junta of Gallicia, by whom he was told of the unfortunate defeat of Rio Seco; but though they declared their willingness to accept stores and arms, the self-confident junta declined the aid of troops. Money and arms, they said, were all they wanted, they had still men in abundance. They even offered to send an army into the north of Portugal, to assist in driving away the French; and recommended that the British forces should be landed on the banks of the Douro. At Oporto, General Wellesley had a conference with the au* Despatches.

thorities and bishop, who urged that the landing should be effected nearer to Lisbon, where the main body of the French lay under Junot. Sir Arthur deeming this his best plan, resolved imme diately to prepare for it. The bishop likewise promised the co-operation of a Portuguese force of 5,000 men, and cattle for draught and food. Having received intelligence of Dupont's surrender, he resolved to disembark in Mondego Bay ; a bold resolution, since Junot's force was a third superior to his own.

Before landing he issued the following proclamation to the people of Portugal, eminently descriptive of the true nature and objects of British interference :-"The English soldiers who land upon your shores, do so with every sentiment of friendship, faith, and honour. The glorious struggle in which you are engaged, is for all that is dear to man, the protection of your wives and children, the restoration of your lawful prince, the independence, nay, the existence of your kingdom, and the preservation of your religion; objects like these can only be obtained by distinguished examples of fortitude and constancy. The noble struggle against the tyranny and usurpations of France, will be jointly maintained by Portugal, Spain, and England; and in contributing to the success of a cause so just and glorious, the views of his Britannic Majesty are the same as those by which you yourselves are animated."

At Mondego Bay, the whole fleet assembled on the 31st of July. Next morning the disembarkation commenced; and in spite of a strong west wind and heavy surf, which caused the loss of several boats and a number of lives, was completed by the 5th, when General Spencer's brigade came up.