stance in estimating the amount of the remuneration. No notice of the intended sacrifice was given; and it is obvious, that by proportioning the general compensation receivable by the body to the special claims of two individuals, a more than adequate reward would be granted to the majority.

If it should be thought fit to adopt the suggestion of your committce, the commissioners ought to be credited in account for the proposed commission, and to be debited for all sums applied to their own use, since they have been taken with out due authority, the same general principles being observed by the auditors in the settlement of the concerns of these commissioners which are usual in similar cases.

Your committee further suggest, that the commissioners should be directed to use their utmost diligence to make up and transmit their accounts to the lords of his majesty's privy council, with a view to their being submitted to the board of treasury, and by them referred to the auditors.

Your committee have not pursued their examination of all the topics to which their attention has been called, as will be seen by the evidence, partly because such investigation might detain them too long from their inquiries into other subjects, and partly on the ground of their not wishing to be considered as exempting the government from the duty of applying their attention to the transactions of the commissioners, or the auditors from the diligent and exact performance of the functions of their important office. The magnitude of the charges on the vessels and cargoes

sold, which manifest itself in the difference between the gross and the nett proceeds, and in the excess of the charges above the whole proceeds in the case of many vessels, appear to demand attention.

Your committee have had it chiefly in their view to examine and animadvert upon those points which derive importance either from the magnitude of the saving in question, or from their involving some general principles on which it might be material to insist.

On a review of the whole of the subject which has been before them, they beg leave generally to remark, that to commit pecuniary trusts of extraordinary magnitude to persons, however respectable as individuals, and however qualified for their employment by the habits of their former lives, without settling, during a long course of years, the mode or amount of their remuneration,-without providing any material check on their proceedings,

and without reminding them of their responsibility by calling for any regular or periodical account, is a neglect which may be expected often to lead to equally prejudicial consequences, and is a deviation from the acknowledged duty, and also, as your committee trust, from the ordinary practice of government.

majesty's principal secretaries of

state.

Oporto, May 12, 1809.

My lord,

I had the honour to apprize your lordship on the 7th inst., that I intended that the army should march on the 9th from Coimbra to dispossess the enemy of Oporto.

The advanced guard and the cavalry had marched on the 7th, and the whole had halted on the 8th to afford time for marshal Beresford with his corps to arrive upon the Upper Douro.

The infantry of the army was formed into three divisions for this expedition, of which two, the advanced guard, consisting of the Hanoverian legion, and brigadier-gen. R. Stewart's brigade, with a brigade of six-pounders, and a brigade of three pounders, under lieutenantgeneral Paget, and the cavalry under lieutenant-general Payne, and the brigade of guards; brigadiergen. Campbell's and brigadier-gen. brigades of infantry, with a brigade of six-pounders, under lieutenant-gen. Sherbrooke, moved by the high road from Coimbra to Oporto, and one composed of major-gen. Hill's and brigadier-gen. Cameron's brigades of infantry, and a brigade of six-pounders, under the command of major-general Hill, by the road from Coimbra to

Aviero.

On the 10th in the morning, before daylight, the cavalry and advanced guard crossed the Vouga with the intention to surprise and cut off four regiments of French cavalry, and a battalion of infantry and artillery, cantoned in Albergaria Nova and the neighbouring villages, about eight miles from that river, in the last of which we failed;

but the superiority of the British cavalry was evident throughout the day; we took some prisoners and their cannon from them; and the advanced guard took up the posi→ tion of Oliviera.

On the same day major-gen. Hill, who had embarked at Aveiro, on the evening of the 9th, arrived at Ovar, in the rear of the enemy's right; and the head of lieut.-gen. Sherbrooke's division passed the Vouga on the same evening.

On the 11th, the advanced guard and cavalry continued to move on the high road towards Oporto, with major-gen. Hill's division in a parallel road, which leads to Oporto from Ovar.

On the arrival of the advanced guard at Vendas Novas, between Sonto Redondo and Grijon, they fell in with the outposts of the enemy's advanced guard, consisting of about four thousand infantry, and some squadrons of cavalry, strongly posted on the heights above Grijon, their front being covered by woods and broken ground. The enemy's left flank was turned by a movement well executed by majorgeneral Murray, with brigadiergeneral Langworth's brigade of the Hanoverian legion; while the 16th Portuguese regiment of brigadiergeneral Richard Stewart's brigade attacked their right, and the riflemen of the 95th, and the flank companies of the 29th, 43rd, and 52nd of the same brigade under major Way, attacked the infantry in the woods and village in their center.

These attacks soon obliged the enemy to give way, and the hon. brigadier-gen. Charles Stewart led two squadrons of the 16th and 20th dragoons, under the command of 2 & 2

major

major Blake, in pursuit of the enemy, and destroyed many and took many prisoners.

On the night of the 11th the enemy crossed the Douro, and destroyed the bridge over that river.

It was important, with a view to the operations of marshal Beresford, that I should cross the Douro immediately; and I had sent majorgen. Murray in the morning with a battalion of the Hanoverian legion, a squadron of cavalry, and two sixpounders, to endeavour to collect boats, and if possible to cross the river at Ovintas, about four miles above Oporto; and I had as many boats as could be collected brought to the ferry, immediately above the towns of Oporto and Villa Nova.

The ground on the right bank of the river at this ferry is protected and commanded by the fire of cannon, placed on the height of the Sierra Convent at Villa Nova, and there appeared to be a good position for our troops on the opposite side of the river, till they should be collected in sufficient numbers.

The enemy took no notice of our collection of boats, or of the embarkation of the troops, till after the first battalion (the Buffs) were landed and had taken up their position under the command of lieut.-gen. Paget, on the opposite side of the river.

They then commenced an attack upon them, with a large body of cavalry, infantry, and artillery, under the command of marshal Soult, which that corps most gallantly sustained, till supported, successively by the 48th and 66th regiments, belonging to major-general Hill's brigade, and a Portuguese batta

lion, and afterwards by the first battalion of detachments belonging to brigadier-gen. Richard Stewart's brigade.

Lieut.-gen. Paget was unfortunately wounded soon after the attack commenced, when the command of these gallant troops devolved upon major-gen. Hill.

Although the French made repeated attacks upon them, they made no impression, and at last major-gen. Murray having appeared on the enemy's left flank on his march from Ovintas, where he had crossed, and lieutenant.-gen. Sherbrooke, who by this time had availed himself of the enemy's weakness in the town of Oporto, and had crossed the Douro at the ferry between the towns of Villa Nova and Oporto, having appeared upon the right with the brigade of guards, and the 29th regiment, the whole retired in the utmost confusion towards Amaranthe, leaving behind them five pieces of cannon, eight ammunition tumbrils, and many prisoners.

The enemy's loss in killed and wounded in this action has been very large, and they have left behind them in Oporto 700 sick and wounded.

Brigadier-general the honourable Charles Stewart then directed a charge by a squadron of the 14th dragoons, under the command of major Hervey, who made a successful attack on the enemy's rear guard.

In the different actions with the enemy, of which I have above given your lordship an account, we have lost some, and the immediate services of other valuable officers and soldiers.

In lieutenant-gen. Paget, among

the

in action with the advanced posts of the French army at Albergaria Nova, 10th May, 1809. None killed; 1 major, 2 rank and file, wounded; 1 rank and file, missing. Total 4.

Names of officers wounded. Hon. major Lincoln Stanhope of the 16th dragoons, slightly wounded in the shoulder. Abstract of killed, wounded, and missing in the army, under the command of lieut.-general sir Arthur Wellesley, in the action on the heights of Grijon, May 11, 1809.

Nineteen killed, 63 wounded, 14 missing. Total 96.

Names of officers killed and

wounded.

16th light dragoons.-Captain Sweatman, wounded slightly; lieut. Tomkinson, severely.

1st batt. detachments.-Captain Owens, 38th foot, wounded; lieut. Woodgate, 52nd foot, severely wounded.

1st batt. king's German legion.Captain Delanring, killed. 2nd ditto. Captain Langrelin, severely wounded.

Rifle corps king's German legion. -Lieut Lodders, wounded. Abstract of killed, wounded, and missing in the army, under lieut.general sir Arthur Wellesley, in action with the French army under the command of marshal Soult, in the passage of the Douro, May 12, 1809.

Twenty-three rank and file, killed; 2 general and staff officers, 3 majors, 2 captains, 3 lieutenants, 1 serjeant, 85 rank and file, wounded; 2 rank and file missing.

Total.-23 killed, 96 wounded, 2 missing-121.

Names of officers killed, wounded, and missing.

Lieut.-gen. Paget, lost his arm, but doing well.

Capt. Hill, aid-de-camp to gen. Hill, slightly.

14th light dragoons.-Major Hervey lost his right arm, but doing well; captain Hawker and lieut. Knipe, slightly.

3rd foot.-Lieut. Monaghan, slightly.

48th foot, 2nd batt.-Major Erskine, slightly.

66th foot, 2nd batt.-Major Murray, severely in the arm; captain Binning, slightly.

Royal engincers.-First lieutenant Hamilton, severely.

Oporto, May 13, 1809. Return of ordnance, ammunition, carriages, and ordnance stores, &c. taken in the arsenal of Quartieri St. Oviedo, on the 12th May, 1809.

Brass guns, French, the carriages broken to pieces-10 twelve pounders, 12 eight pounders, 18 fourpounders, 16 three pounders.

Brass howitzers, French, one carriage good-2 eight inch, 1 sixinch.

French caisions.-4 serviceable, 36 unserviceable.

Three thousand whole barrels of English gunpowder.

Three hundred thousand English musket cartridges.

Round shot.-2,000 nine-pounders, 256 eighteen-pounders, 508 twelve pounders, 656 eight-pounders, 580 four-pounders, 200 threepounders.

Shells-400 six inch.

Six hundred flannel cartridges. Case shot-120 six inch howitzers.

Wheels