at six o'clock in the evening, three columns of the enemy mounted the height on our left, gained it, and poured such a âre on the troops below, that longer defence was impracticable, and the whole was obliged to retire on the mountains on our left, leaving open the main road,along which a considerable column of cavalry immediately poured. The battalion of Seville had been left at Bejar with orders to follow me next day, but when I was obliged to return, and the action commenced, I ordered it to Puerto Banos, to watch the Monte Major road, and the heights in the rear of our left.

When the enemy's cavalry came near, an officer and some dragoons called out to the commanding officer to surrender, but a volley killed him and his party, and then the battalion proceeded to mount the heights, in which movement it was attacked and surrounded by a column of cavalry and a column of infantry, but cut its way and cleared itself, killing a great many of the enemy, especially of his cavalry.

The enemy is now passing to Salamanca with great expedition; I lament that I could no longer arrest his progress, but, when the enormous superiority of the enemy's force is considered, and that we had no artillery, and that the Puerto de Banos on the Estremaduran side, is not a pass of such strength as on the side of Castille, especially without guns, I hope that a resistance for nine hours, which must have cost the enemy a great many men, will not be deemed inadequate to

our means.

I have to acknowledge the services rendered me on this occasion

by colonel Grant, major Reiman, don Fermen Marquis, adjutantmajor of the dragoons of Pavia, captain Charles and Mr. Bolman; and to express the greatest approbation of two companies of the Merida battalions advanced in front, and of the commanding officer and soldiery of the battalions of Seville, and the Portuguese brigade. I have already noticed the distinguished conduct of don Carlos, and his battalion merits the highest encomiums.

I have not yet been able to collect the returns of our loss. From the nature of mountain warfare, many men are missing who cannot join for a day or two, but I believe the enemy will only have to boast that he has achieved his passage, and his killed and wounded will be a great diminution of his victory. I have the honour to be, &c.

ROBERT WILSON.

Sir A. Wellesley, &c. &c.

Truxillo, Aug. 21, 1809. General Cuesta moved his headquarters from the neighbourhood of the bridge of Arzo Bispo on the night of the 7th instant, to Peraleca de Garbin, leaving an advanced-guard, consisting of two divisions of infantry, and the duke D'Alberquerque's division of cavalry, for the defence of the passage of the Tagus at this point.

The French cavalry passed the Tagus at a ford immediately above the bridge, at half-past one in the afternoon of the 8th, and surprised this advanced-guard, which retired, leaving behind them all their cannon, as well as those in the batteries constructed for the defence of the bridge.

The

The general then moved his head-quarters to the Mesa d'Ibor on the evening of the 8th, having his advanced-guard at Bohoral. He resigned the command of the army the 12th (on account of the bad state of his health), which has devolved upon general Equia. The head-quarters of the Spanish army are now at Deleytosa.

It appears that a detachment of Vanegas's army had some success against the enemy, in an attack made upon it in the neighbourhood of Aranjuez, on the 5th instant. General Vanegas was then at Ocana, and he had determined to retire towards the Sierra Morena; and after the 5th, he had moved in that direction. He returned, however, towards Toledo, with an intention of attacking the enemy on the 12th, but on the 11th the enemy attacked him with Sebastiani's corps, and two divisions of Victor's in the neighbourhood of Almoracid. The action appears to have lasted some hours, but the French having at last gained an advantage on general Vanegas's left, he was obliged to retire, and was about to resume his position in the Sierra Morena.

On the 9th, 10th, and 11th, large detachments of the French troops which had come from Placencia, returned to that quarter, and on the 12th, they attacked and defeated sir Robert Wilson in the Puerto de Banos, on their return to Salamanca.

It appears now that the French force in this part of Spain is distributed as follows:-Marshal Victor's corps is divided between Talavera and La Mancha; Sebastiani's is in La Mancha; marshal Mortier's at Oropesa, Arzo Bispo, and Navalmoral; marshal Soult's at Pla

cencia; and marshal Ney's at Salamanca.

Distress for want of provisions, and its effects, have at last obliged me to move towards the frontiers of Portugal, in order to refresh my troops. In my former dispatches I have informed your lordship of our distress for the want of provisions and the means of transport. Those wants, which were the first cause of the loss of many advantages after the 22nd of July, which were made known to the government, and were actually known to them on the 20th of last month, still exist in an aggravated degree, and under these circumstances I determined to break up on the 20th. from Jaraicejo, where I had had my head-quarters since the 11th, with the advanced posts on the Tagus near the bridge of Almaraz, and to fall back upon the frontier of Portugal, where I hope I shall be supplied with every thing I

want.

The London Gazette of Tuesday, the 22nd of August, contains some further dispatches from Flushing, though of no important nature.They contain a return of the garrison of Flushing, which amounted to 200 officers, 4,985 rank and file, and 618 sick. Total 5,803.-The whole force opposed to ours on the island was upwards of 9,000 men. This greatly exceeds the estimate in the former dispatches.

Downing-street, Sept. 2, 1809. A dispatch, of which the following is a copy, was yesterday morning received at the office of lord viscount Castlereagh, one of his majesty's

majesty's principal secretaries of state, from lieutenant-general the earl of Chatham, dated head-quarters, Ratz, Aug. 29, 1809.

My lord-Major Bradford delivered to me your lordship's dispatch of the 21st instant, signifying to me his majesty's commands that I should convey to lieutenant-general sir Eyre Coote, the general and other officers and troops employed before Flushing, and particularly to those of the artillery and engineer departments, his majesty's most gracious approbation of their conduct; and which I have obeyed with the most entire satisfaction.

I had the honour in my last dispatch of acquainting your lordship with my intention of proceeding to this place, and I should have been most happy to have been enabled to have announced to your lordship the further progress of this army. Unfortunately, however, it becomes my duty to state to your lordship that, from the concurrent testimony from so many quarters, as to leave no doubt of the truth of the information, the enemy appears to have collected so formidable a force, as to convince me that the period was arrived, at which my instructions would have directed me to withdraw the army under my command, even if engaged in actual operation. I had certainly understood on my arrival at Walcheren, that the enemy were assembling in considerable force on all points; but I was unwilling to give too much credit to these reports, and I was determined to persevere until I was satisfied, upon the fullest information, that all further attempts would be unavail

able.

From all our intelligence it appears, that the force of the enemy

in this quarter, distributed between the environs of Bergen-up-Zoom, Breda, Lillo, and Antwerp, and cantoned on the opposite coast, is not less than thirty-five thousand men, and by some statements is estimated higher. Though a landing on the continent might, I have no doubt, have been forced, yet as the siege of Antwerp, the possession of which could alone have secured to us any of the ulterior objects of the expedition, was by this state of things rendered utterly impracticable, such a measure, if successful, could have led to no solid advantage; and the retreat of the army, which must at an early period have been inevitable, would have been exposed to much hazard.

The utmost force (and that daily decreasing) that I could have brought into the field, after providing for the occupation of Walcheren and South Beveland, would have amounted to about twenty-three thousand infantry, and two thousand cavalry. Your lordship must at once see, even if the enemy's force had been less numerous than repre sented, after the necessary detachments to observe the garrisons of Bergen-op-Zoom and Breda, and securing our communications, how very inadequate a force must have remained for operations against Lillo and Liefkenshoeik, and ultimately against Antwerp; which town, so far from being in the state which had been reported, is, from very correct accounts, represented to be in a complete state of defence; and the enemy's ships had been brought up and placed in security, under the guns of the citadel.

Under these circumstances, however mortifying to me to see the progress arrested of an army, from

whose

whose good conduct and valour I had every thing to hope, I feel that my duty left me no other course than to close my operations here; and it will always be a satisfaction to me to think, that I have not been induced lightly to commit the safety of the army confided to me, or the reputation of his majesty's arms.It was an additional satisfaction to me to find that the unanimous opinion of the lieutenant-generals of this army, whom I thought it right to consult, more out of respect to them, than that I thought a doubt could be entertained on the subject, concurred entirely in the sentiments I have submitted to your lordship. I am concerned to say, that the effect of the climate at this unhealthy period of the year, is felt most scriously, and that the numbers of sick already is little short of 3,000 men.

It it my intention to withdraw gradually from the advanced position in this island, and sending into Walcheren such an additional force, as may be necessary to secure that important possession, to embark the remainder of the troops, and to hold them in readiness to await his majesty's further commands, which I shall most anxiously expect. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed)

CHATHAM.

British Deserters.-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 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. Ac cordingly, 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:

British Consul's Office,

Baltimore, Sept. 6, 1809. 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. WM. WOOD.

John Hunter Esq. By virtue of this authority, I have arrested and put in prison the followins persons, to wit: John Nowland, William Whokes, Denis Murphy, Richard Hewes, John Earp, John Burwell, and Jacob Lamb.The Judge said, that he had conceived it his duty to give notice to Mr. Wood, (the British Consul) of the application, so that he might appear and show cause, if any he had, why the men should be detained.

In the course of a few minutes Mr. Wood came into court, and the counsel for the prisoners, Messrs Glenn and J. L. Donaldson, moved the court that the men be discharged, sufficient cause for their detention not appearing on the return.Mr. Wood's counsel, Mr. Walter Dorsey, requested to be allowed time to inquire into the law; and