a change in the war department should take place immediately upon the close of the session. When that time arrived, the earnest and repeated entreaties of most of lord Castlereagh's friends in the cabinet were employed to prevail upon Mr. Canning to consent to the postponement of the arrangement.

At length, and most reluctantly, he did give his consent to its being postponed to the period proposed by lord Castlereagh's friends, viz. the termination of the expedition then in preparation; but did so upon the most distinct and solemn assurances, that, whatever might be the issue of the expedition, the change should take place at that period; that the seals of the war department should then be offered to lord Wellesley (the person for whose accession to the cabinet Mr. Canning was known to be most anxious), and that the interval should be diligently employ ed by lord Castlereagh's friends in preparing lord Castlereagh's mind to acquiesce in such an arrange

ment.

It was therefore matter of astonishment to Mr. Canning, when at the issue of the expedition he reminded the duke of Portland that the time was now come for his grace's writing to lord Wellesley, to find, that so far from the interval having been employed by lord Castlereagh's friends in preparing lord Castlereagh for the change, the same reserve had been continued towards him, against which Mr. Canning had before so earnestly remonstrated. Being informed of this circumstance by the duke of Portland, and learning at the same time from his that there grace were other difficulties attending the

promised arrangement, of which: Mr. Canning had not before been apprised; and that the duke of Portland had himself come to a determination to retire from office, Mr. Canning instantly, and before any step whatever had been taken towards carrying the promised arrangement into effect, withdrew his claim, and requested the duke of Portland to tender his (Mr. Canning's) resignation, at the same. time with his grace's, to the king. This was on Wednesday the 6th of September, previously to the levee of that day.

All question of the performance of the promise made to Mr. Canning being thus at an end, the reserve which lord Castlereagh's friends had hitherto so perseveringly practised towards lord Castlereagh, appears to have been laid aside, lord Castlereagh was now made acquainted with the nature of the arrangement which had been intended to have been proposed to him.

What may have been the reasons which prevented lord Castlereagh's friends from fulfilling the assurances given to Mr. Canning, that lord Castlereagh's mind should be prepared by their communication for the arrangement intended to be carried into effect; and what the motives for the disclosure to lord Castlereagh after that arrangement had ceased to be in contemplation, it is not for Mr. Canning to explain.

In addition to Lord Castlereagh's and Mr. Canning's statements of the origin of the late duel, the following has been published by Lord Camden :

As it may be inferred from a

statement

1

statement which has appeared in the public papers, that lord Camden withheld from lord Castlereagh a communication which he had been desired to make to him, it is necessary that it should be understood, that, however Mr. Canning might have conceived the communication alluded to, to have been made to lord Camden, it was never stated to lord Camden, that the communication was made at the desire of Mr. Canning, and that, so far from lord Camden having been authorized to make the communication to lord Castlereagh, he was absolutely restricted from so doing.

As it may also be inferred that lord Camden was expected to prepare lord Castlereagh's mind for any proposed change, it is necessary that it should be understood that lord Camden never engaged to communicate to lord Castlereagh any circumstances respecting it, before the termination of the expedition.

Saturday's London Gazette.-Fo

reign Office, Nov. 11, 1809. A letter, of which the following is an extract, was this day received by earl Bathurst, his majesty's principal secretary of state for foreign affairs, from lieut.-col. Carrol, dated Army of the Left, Camp on the Heights of Tamanes, Oct. 19, 1809.

I have the honor to acquaint you, that the army of marshal Ney, now commanded by gen. Marchont, advanced on the morning of yesterday, in force ten thousand infan try and one thousand two hundred cavalry, with fourteen pieces of artillery, to attack this army, which

was most judiciously posted on these heights.

The enemy divided his force into three columns, which advanced against the right, center, and left of our line; it soon became evident that the principal object of his attack was to force and turn our left, it being the point in which our position was weakest.

The enemy, at the commencement, gained some advantage of position on our left, in consequence of the retreat of a small party of our cavalry, destined to cover the left of our line. This success, however was momentary, as the vanguard, led on by generals Mendizabel and Carrera, charged with the greatest spirit and gallantry, routed the enemy, and retook, at the point of the bayonet, six guns, of which the enemy possessed himself during the retreat of the division of our cavalry. The vanguard in this charge committed great slaughter amongst the enemy, taking from them one eightpound gun, with a quantity of ammunition. After a long and obstinate contest, the enemy, being unable to gain a foot of ground, began to give way in all points.About three o'clock in the afternoon the enemy betook himself to a precipitate and disorderly flight.

The loss of the enemy, as far as we have been yet able to ascertain, exceeds one thousand in killed and prisoners. The numbers of the wounded must be very considerable.

Our loss has been comparatively very trifling, not exceeding three hundred; one imperial eagle, one eight-pounder brass gun, three ammunition waggons, twelve drums, with four or five thousand stand of arms, an immense quantity of ball

cartridges,

cartridges, carts of provisions, and knapsacks loaded with plunder, fell into our hands.

No language can do sufficient justice to the gallant and intrepid conduct of the troops on this memorable day; it would be impossible to make any distinction in the zeal and ardour of the different corps, for all equally panted for the contest. The vanguard and first division, however, had the good fortune to occupy those points against which the enemy directed his principal efforts, and to add fresh laurels to the wreaths they had acquired in Lugo, St. Jago, and San Payo.

The steady intrepidity displayed by the second division, through whose ranks the party of retreating cavalry passed, and the spirit and promptness with which it pushed forward against the enemy, who had at that moment turned our left, is deserving of the highest approbation.

The entire of the cavalry, with the exception of the party attached to the vanguard, about three hundred, who, from being overpowered, were obliged to retreat, evinced the greatest steadiness and resolution in maintaining the post allotted them, and keeping the enemy's cavalry in check.

It is, however, to be lamented that our cavalry did not find themselves in a situation to enable them to take advantage of the enemy's disorderly flight across the plain between these heights and the village of Carrascalejo, a league in extent; for had five or six hundred horse charged the fugitives, the victory would have been most decisive.

The vanguard of gen. Ballasteros's division is in sight; we only

wait his arrival to pursue, and annihilate the discomfited enemy.

From prisoners we learn that general Marchont proclaimed at Salamanca his intention of annihilating, by two o'clock on the 18th, thirty thousand peasant insurgents; his orders to his army were, on pain of death, to possess itself of the heights by twelve o'clock, as he proposed proceeding to destroy Ballasteros's division, after having dispersed and annihilated this army.

The French general certainly appears to have held this army very cheap; judging from his plan of attack, which was far from judicious, but executed, to a certain point, with the greatest bravery, and with that intrepidity which the confidence of success inspires.

Our light troops pursued, and hung on the enemy's rear; several parties of which, amongst whom were 200 of the regiment of Bal lastro, have not returned as yet, having expressed a determination of hanging on the enemy's flanks as long as the cover of the woods afforded a facility of so doing. The number of the enemy's dead already found and buried amounts to upwards of 1,100. Several, no doubt, will be found in the woods.

Pole, of which the following are copies:

Villede Paris, off St. Sebastian, Oct. 30, 1809. Sir,-By my letter of the 16th Sept., their lordships would be informed of the intelligence I had received relative to the intended movements of the French squadron, and of my reasons for changing my station to St. Sebastion.

While on this station, on the night of the 22nd inst. the Pomone joined, and capt. Barrie (who with indefatigable perseverance had, with the Alceste, watched the port of Toulon) informed me, that the day before, several of the enemy's squadron had put to sea, that others were coming out when he left them, and that there was every appearance of the whole fleet being on the move from the harbour. They had a numerous convoy with them, and as this movement was made with the first of an easterly wind, there was little doubt of their being bound to the westward. I immediately made the necessary signals for the squadron to be prepared for their reception, and placed the three frigates and sloop (Pomone, Hydra, Volontaire, and Minstrel) to windward, to give notice of the enemy's approach.

On the following morning (the 23rd) soon after eight o'clock, the Volontaire made the signal for a fleet to the eastward; while they continued to come down before the wind, no alteration was made in the squadron, except by advancing two fast-sailing ships, the Tigre and Bulwark. At ten, the Pomone made the signal, that the enemy had hauled to the wind, and the convoy

separating from the ships of war (which were now discovered to consist of three ships of the line only, two frigates, two smaller frigates, or store-ships, and a convoy of about twenty sailing vessels,) I ordered rear-admiral Martin to chase them, and eight of the best sailing ships, which standing on contrary tacks, might take advantage of the changes of the wind which was then variable.

At two p. m. the Pomone having got far to windward, was directed by signal to convoy such of the convoy as could be come up with; and in the evening she burnt two brigs, two bombards, and a ketch. The enemy before dark was out of sight, and the ships chasing not much advanced, were standing to the northward; while the squadron with mestretched to the southward. The next morning neither the French nor our own chasing ships were in sight.

This morning rear-admiral Martin joined with his division, as named in the margin,* having again fallen in with the enemy on the 24th, off the entrance of the Rhone, and on the 25th they chased them on shore; the Robust, of 84 guns, bearing the flag of rear-admiral Boudain, and the Leon, of 74, off Frontignan, where the day following themselves set fire to them.The Boree, of 74 guns, and a frigate ran on shore at the entrance of the port of Cette, where there is little probability of either of them being saved.

I cannot sufficiently express the high satisfaction I have felt at the intrepid perseverance of rear-admiral Martin, and of the captains of

the

the ships who were with him in the pursuit. Nothing less ardent, or less skilful, would have produced a result so fortunate, where the coast near the Rhone is exceedingly shoal and dangerous, so that some of the ships were in five and six fathom water, the weather thick, and the south east wind blowing strong.

I enclose to you, sir, rear-admiral Martin's letter, and beg to congratulate their lordships on three great ships of the enemy being thus destroyed, without the smallest resistance on their part, or a shot being fired by the British ships, except a few by the Tigre at the Borée, when she was pushing ashore at Cette; of their two frigates, the Pomone and Pauline, one hauled her wind some time in the night, and fetched into Marseilles Road.

The other part of the French squadron are found to remain in Toulon, by the ships which have since examined that port.

I have the honour to be, &c.
(Signed)

COLLINGWOOD. Canopus at Sea, Oct. 27, 1809. My lord,-In obedience to the signal for the Canopus to chase E. N. E. I stood that way the whole of the night of the 23rd, and the following day, in company with the Renown, Tigre, Sultan, Leviathan, and Cumberland; in the evening four sail were seen, to which we immediately gave chase, and pursued them till after dark; when, from shoal water and the wind being direct on the shore, near the entrance of the Rhone, it became necessary to keep to the wind during the night. The following morning, the 25th, the same ships were again seen, and chased between Cette and Frontignan, where they ran on shore.

Two of them (an 80 gun ship, bearing a rear-admiral's flag, and a seventy-four) at the latter place, and one ship of the line and a frigate at the former. From the shoal water and intricacy of the navigation, it was impossible to get close enough to the enemy's two line of battle ships near Frontignan, to attack them when on shore, for in attempting to do so, one of his majesty's ships was under five fathom water, and another in less than six. On the 26th, I sent the boats to sound, meaning, if possible, to buoy the channel (if any had been found) by which the enemy's ships could be attacked; but at night we had the satisfaction to see them set on fire.

From the circumstances under which the ship and frigate ran on shore at the entrance of the port of Cette, I have little doubt the former will be lost; and the frigate must certainly have received considerable damage; but they cannot be got at on account of the batteries.

Your lordship must be well aware that nothing but the great press of sail carried by his majesty's ships, and the good look out kept, could have enabled them to close with those of the enemy from the distance they were at the time they commenced the chase.

I have the honour to be, &c.
(Signed)

G. MARTIN, Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood, Commander-in-Chief, &c. &c.

Ville de Paris, off Rosas, Nov. 1, 1809. Sir,-When the enemy's convoy

was chased on the 23rd ultimo, their transports separated from the ships of war, and, under the protec