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and it does not promise the preventing of successes and in "glorious victories," on these reinforcements from joining him. It our part; but, is there any man who now does not say, that there is a probability of calls that a glorious, or a successful war? our being able to bring him to an en- Yet, during that war, as well as during gagement; but, one thing is quite certain, this, there was a route about successes and and that is, that if we now attack him, it victories; there were huzzaings, and bonmust be in a position chosen by him, and fires, and firing of Park and Tower guns, not by us.- -These who think that going just in the way as we have seen them away from an enemy and letting that during this and the last war. The truth enemy follow you is the way to beat him, is, that these intervening events answer can draw, from Massena's movements, no the useful purpose of making the people conclusions to his disadvantage; but, those lose sight of the nature of the contest, of who look upon retreating as a sort of defeat its professed object, and, of so confuse and in itself may reasonably congratulate the confound all their notions about, that, in country upon the intelligence in the case of final defeat, their mortification is Gazette, which, though not of a very assuaged and their anger blunted. The decisive cast in general, speaks of one shout of victory buoys up their spirit for clearly conceived fact, namely, that the hour, their passions get enlisted in the Massena has actually retreated some leagues; contest, and that, which, with nations, and this is a fact of importance. To ought to be a matter of cool calculation offer any opinion as to future operations or of advantages and disadvantages with reevents is what I shall not attempt; and, gard to its liberties and its happiness, beit would have been much better for our comes at last the food of prejudice and of army if other writers had observed the faction, and, by dividing the people, bends same caution. All that we can know them to quiet submission to whatever may either of the real situation or of the pros- happen in the end, and, in the mean pects of the armies is very little indeed; while, makes them yield to the burdens, and all that we do know is much less; which war invariably brings upon them. indeed it amounts at least to just nothing-There is one reflection, which, though at all. We never know the truth but in the event; in the statement of what has taken place; and, it will be when the war shall have ended, when the result of all these retreats and pursuits shall be known, and not till then, that we shall be able to pronounce with justice on the merits, or demerits, of the planners and executors of the war. If we, in the end, beat the French; if we finally set Portugal free from their power, and leave it in a state to preserve itself so; the war, as far, it is a mere question of war; disconnected from other considerations it will have been wise in the plan and successful in the execution. But, if we fail in this great ultimate object the plan will have been unwise, and the execution unsuccessful; let the particular cause, or causes, and let the intervening operations be what they may. Wars between nations, like battles between individuals, depend upon the last blow; and, it is only because the duration of the former is longer than that of the latter, that we dwell upon any part of them but the end. When years are gone by, and we speak of a war from history, we look only at the result, and from that, and that alone, we denominate it successful, or unsuccessful. The war against the United States of America abounded in

it uaturally arises out of this subject, seems seldom to strike those who write upon the war in Portugal; and that is, that this has its costs, besides those of life and limb. The cost in barns and houses and mills burnt or blown up or gutted or pillaged, of corn fields burnt, of mules and cattle and sheep and animals of all sorts maimed and devoured and destroyed, of a country laid waste and of families ruined for ever; the cost of all these, as falling upon the People of Portugal I shall leave the People of Portugal to estimate. But of our own costs I should suppose that the amount could not now be less than a hundred thousand pounds a week, a sum adequate, or nearly so, to the maintenance of all the Parish Poor in England and Wales for the same space of time. Napoleon, we are told by our venal writers, makes his troops extort their support from the countries in which they are at war; if this be true, it follows, of course, that, in any event, we wage a very unequal contest with him in all countries, and especially in Portugal, where besides provisions for our own army we have to find a part, at least, of those of the people of the country. Whatever else, therefore, we ought to wish for, it is certain, that we ought most anx

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iously to wish, that this war may be of afflicted with complaints of the same geneshort duration. ral character as that of his Majesty. Q. Whether any amendment has alKING'S ILLNESS.It was my inten-ready taken place in the course of his Mation to enter fully into the questions,jesty's disorder, and whether the appearagitated in the public papers, since the ance of such amendment continues at prelast meeting of the two Houses, relative sent? to the subject then debated; but, want of room compels me to postpone the discussion 'till my next,

WM. COBBETT.

State Prison, Newgate, Tuesday,
December 4, 1810.

OFFICIAL PAPERS.

ENGLAND. KING'S ILLNESS.-Report of the
·Privy Council, of the Evidence of the
Physicians, on the 28th and 29th of No-
vember, 1810, laid before the two Houses
on the 29th.

COUNCIL CHAMBER, WHITEHALL, Nov. 29, 1810.
DOCTOR MATTHEW BAILLIE,
CALLED IN AND SWORN, AND EXAMINED.

(Concluded from p. 1088.)

Q. Whether in that particular species of the disorder his Majesty has fallen into, it has been found from experience, that the greater number of persons so affected have been cured?

A.-I believe that the greater number have recovered.

Q-Can you form any judgment or probable conjecture, of the duration of his Majesty's illness?

A.I can form no idea of the duration of his Majesty's present indisposition. If one considers what has taken place in his Majesty's former illness of the same kind, it is probable that it may not continue very long.

W Q. Whether, so far as experience enables you to judge of his Majesty's disorder, you think it more probable that his Majesty will, or will not recover, so as to render him capable of attending to public business?

A.-I can perceive no failure of his Majesty's faculties, and therefore I presume, if his Majesty should recover, that he will recover with the same capacity for business as before his present illness.

Q. What degree of experience have you had, yourself, in this particular species of disorder?

A-My experience has not been extensive. I have been in business for 20 years, and have occasionally seen patients

A. His Majesty is considerably better than he was ten days ago. He is certainly somewhat better than he was yesterday evening, and perhaps a shade better than yesterday morning,

PORTUGAL, Extraordinary Gazette, published by the Government in England, 3rd Dec. 1810.

1

A Dispatch, of which the following is an Extract, has been this day received at Lord Liverpool's office, addressed to his Lordship by Lieutenant-General Viscount Wellington, dated Cartaxo, 21st Nov.

1810.

The enemy retired from the position which they had held for the last month, with their right at Sobrai, and their left resting upon the Tagus, in the night of the 14th instant; and went by the road of Alenquer towards Alcoentre with their right, and Villa Nova with their left. They continued their retreat towards Santarem on the following days.-The allied army broke up from their position on the morning of the 15th instant, and followed the march of the enemy; and the advanced guard was at Alenquer on the 15th, and the British cavalry and the advanced guard at Azambuga and Alcoentre on the 16th, and at this place on the 17th.-In these movements they made about four hundred prisoners.-These troops have been followed on their march by Sir Brent Spencer's division, and the 5th division of infantry under Major-General Leith.-On the 17th I received accounts from Major-General Fane, from the left of the Tagus, that the enemy had constructed another bridge on the Zezere, that which had been first thrown over that river hav ing been carried away by the floods; and that they had on that day marched a large body of troops from Santarem to Golegao; and I immediately passed Lieutenant-Ge neral Hill's corps across the Tagus at Valada, in boats which Admiral Berkeley had been so kind as to send up the river to aid and facilitate the operations of the army.Having advanced from the position in which I was enabled to bring the enemy to a stand, and to oblige them to retire

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SWEDEN--The Reception, Inauguration, and Speech of the New Crown Prince. Stockholm, Oct. 31. This day the De

to pay their respects to his Royal Highness. To-morrow, it is said, that Prince will make his solemn entrance into this Capital. At mid-day there will be a levee, and in the evening a grand concert: at Court. On the evening of the 2d Nov. there will be a grand illumination in the city. On the 3d, at mid-day, the oath of

without ventering upon any attack, it is | nant-General Sir Brent Spencer and Marbut justice to Lieutenant-Colonel Fletcher shall Sir William Carr Beresford, and the and the Officers of the Royal Engineers, Officers of the General Staff of the Army, to draw your Lordship's attention to the have continued to give me every assistance ability and diligence with which they in their power. have executed the works by which these positions have been strengthened to such a degree as to render any attack upon that line occupied by the allied army very doubtful, if not entirely hopeless. We are indebted for these advantages to Lieu-puties of the Diet went to Drottningholm, tenant-Colonel Fletcher and the Officers of the Royal Engineers; among whom I must particularly mention Captain Chapman, who has given me great assistance upon various occasions.-Your Lordship will have observed how much the effective strength of the army in proportion to its total numbers has encreased lately. There is no sickness in the army of any import-fidelity aud homage will be taken in the ance; and above one half of those return- hall of the Diet, and in the evening, the ed as sick in the military returns are con- Opera of Gustavus Vasa will be pervalescents, who are retained at Belem till formed. On the 5th, his Royal Highness, they will have gained sufficient strength will hold a levee in the morning, and reto bear the fatigues of marching and of ceive congratulations; in the afternoon // their duty in the field. Besides the Allied there will be a circle at Court. On the Army, your Lordship will observe that 8th, the dissolution of the Diet; and on an additional force had been provided from the 9th, the usual discourse will be deli- [ the fleet; and I take this occasion of in-vered at its close. When the Prince forming your Lordship that in every instance I have received the most cordial and friendly assistance from Admiral Berkeley, and the officers and men of the squadron under his command. Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Williams has even done me the favour to come up the Tagus to su perintend the passage of Lieutenant-General Hill's corps over the river.-In my dispatch of the 20th of October, I in formed your lordship, that the Marquis de la Romana had joined the Allied Army in their positions in front of Lisbon, with a considerable detachment of the Spanish army under his command; he still continues with us, and I receive from him much valuable advice and assistance.Throughout the period, during which we occupied those positions, every thing went on with the utmost regularity and to my satisfaction, notwithstanding that the forre was composed of troops of various de scriptions, and of different nations; and 1 attribute these advantages entirely to the zeal for the cause in which we are engaged and the conciliating disposition of the SIRE-I appearing this day before Chiefs and General Officers of the arthie the throne of your Majesty, surrounded of the different nations and I have no by the St.tes-general of the realm, my doubt that the same cordiality will prevai!irst duty, as it is the first wish of my s as long as it may be expedient that the heart, is to lay at your feet the public. armies should continue united. Lieute hoinage of the sacred and inviolable sen

3

02

Royal came from Helsingbourg to Drott ningholm, the people, inpatient to see.d him, collected in crowds upon the road. To accommodate the wishes of the multitude, the Prince several times descended from his carriage, walked on foot a good way, and addressed several Swedish words to the peasants and other persons. who surrounded him. He took up with a him into his carriage several Governors of »] Provinces, in order to put questions tọ »? them on the country; he listened with the greatest interest to their information. These marks of goodness excited shouts of joy; the enthusiasm was generat. The weather has been constantly favourable; his Royal Highness enjoys the best. health.

941

November 1. The ceremony of the presentation of his Ryal Highness the Here ditary Prince, took place this day with the greatest solemnity, in presence of the assembled Member, of the Diet-His Royal Highness pronounced the following address:

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timents, which for life, attach me to your Majesty. I pay this homage to my king, Sire; but I also pay it to the person of a prince, who, long before he mounted the throne, had acquired, by his virtues, the confidence and love of the nation. In difficult circumstances, the State has always had recourse to your Majesty; twice the throne was vacant, and twice your Majesty performed the painful duties of royalty, without any other interest but that of the public weal. But all at once broke forth one of those revolutions which Heaven appears sometimes to permit, as a lesson to princes; and the na. tion conjured your Majesty to place yourself on that very throne which you had so long defended. I could never have foreseen that I should one day be associated to destinies so glorious, and that your Majesty, after having deigned to fix upon me the suffrages of your people, would at last crown so many favours, by adopting me for your son. A title so dear, fills my soul with an ambition the most noble! What am I not bound to do to merit, to support that illustrious name which your Majesty has this day bestowed upon me! It is not without great distrust of my own powers that I have accepted a task at once so honourable and so difficult. If I have been able to resolve upon it, it was only from thinking that I should follow in every thing the counsels of your Majesty, and that near you I should be instructed in the great art of reigning. God grant, Sire, that I may long enjoy your lessons. 1 God grant that the youthful mind of my son may be modelled after yours, and be penetrated with the great examples which your Majesty presents to his descendants. Messieurs the Deputies of the Nobility, called to be the first Defender of the Throne and of the State, I trust that you will second me in that noble office. You know, Gentlemen, that primitive nobility was the reward of great services performed to the country and what obligations are not they under to the State who enjoy by birth the rewards merited by their ancestors? The sacrifice of their life, on every occasion, is the least of their duties; it is only by giving an example of perfect disinterestedness, by an entire submission to the King and to the laws; it is only, in short, by living without reproach, that the nobility of your ancestors is really to be preserved.-Gentlemen, Members of the Clergy, the sublime morality of the Gospel, which it is your duty to preach,

should serve as a guide to all men; it contains a lesson for kings and people: I shall with pleasure avail myself of your infor mation, and my heart will be grateful for the good that you do in diffusing like good Pastors the precepts and the succours of the religion of Jesus Christ.-Gentlemen Burgesses, industry, arts, and commerce, ensure the prosperity of a state, as they increase the happiness of families in a free nation and under a just government; genius and talents lead to every thing, and those who distinguish themselves, in your order, have great claims to the esteem of the sovereign. And you, brave Swedish peasants, I have every where heard proclaimed the qualities which distinguish you; and I see with a pleasing emotion the particular consideration which your country grants to you. What, are not they highly worthy of those distinctions whose arms alternately support and defend the country? Continue to honour by your labour and your virtues the useful and respectable order that you form in the state. Your King watches like a father over your dearest interests; his Majesty will permit me to participate in his tender solicitude. It is, however, to you all, faithful Representatives of the Swedish nation, that I address myself. The King deigned to propose me as successor to the throne; you confirmed that choice by an election free and unanimous, and his Majesty this day indissolubly binds the ties which already attach me to you. So many favours, such esteem and confidence impose on me the greatest obligations; I feel them sensibly, and am firmly resolved. to fulfil them. Bred in camps, I bring you a frank and loyal soul, an absolute devotedness to the King my august Father, an ardent desire to do every thing for the happiness of my new country; with such intentions, I hope to do good. Sound policy, that alone which the laws of God authorise, must have for its basis justice and truth; such are the principles of the King: they shall also be mine. I have beheld war close at hand; I know all its ravages; there is no conquest which can console a country for the blood of its chil dren shed in a foreign land. I have seen the Great Emperor of the French, so often crowned with the laurels of victory, surrounded by his invincible armies, sigh after the olive of peace. Yes, Gentlemen, peace is the alone glorious object of a wise and enlightened Government; it is not the extent of a state which constitutes its

force and independence; it is its laws, its industry, its commerce, and above all its national spirit. Sweden, it is true, has sustained great losses; but the honour of the Swedish name has not suffered the least attaint. Let us submit, Gentlemen, to the decrees of Providence; and let us recollect that it has left us a soil sufficient to supply our wants, and iron to defend it.

part of the country, the whole being in the possession of our troops.-The garri son of Peniché, and the garrison of Obidos, which place Captain Fenwick, of the Portuguese service, has lately occupied, under the direction of Brigadier-general Blunt, and the British cavalry, continue to carry on a destructive warfare in the rear of the enemy's right, while the high road from Coimbra by Leyria is in the possession of Colonel Wilson's detach

PORTUGAL.Dispatches from Lord Viscountment. I enclose a letter from Marshal

Talavera; and from Marshal Beresford, and Col. Trant, up to the date of 3rd Nov. 1810.-Published by the Government in England, on the 19th Nov. in An EXTRAORDINARY London Gazette.

(Concluded from p. 1056.)

Beresford, on the effects of the operations of Brigadier-general Blunt and Captain Fenwick. I have received no letter from General Silveira of a later date than the 19th of October. He had not, at that time, heard of the march of any of the

From Lord Talavera to Lord Liverpool, dated enemy's troops in Castile. He occupied

Pero Negro, 3 Nov. 1810.

with his detachment the roads from Al-
meida to Trancoso, Celerico, and Guarda.
He had heard that General Bonnet had
evacuated the Asturias; and it is sup-
posed, had moved into Biscay. I have
leters from Estramadura and Castromarin
of as late a date as the 27th of October,
stating that Mortier's corps was still at
Seville, in a very inefficient state, and
having many sick. My last accounts
from Cadiz are of the 22ď ult.
Marshal Beresford to Marshal General Lord
Viscount Talavera; dated Sapataria, Nov.
3, 1810.

I have not observed any alteration in the enemy's position or numbers since I addressed you on the 27th ultimo. They have a considerable body of troops, principally cavalry, on the Tagus, between Punhete and Santarem; and I have reason to believe that Loison's division of infantry had not marched in that direction, as I reported to your Lordship they had in my last dispatch; some of the corps compos: ing that division have certainly remained in the camps in front of this army. The enemy have pushed some troops across the Zezere above Punhete, principally cavalry, apparently to reconnoitre the roads in that direction and the Fort at Abrantes; but I conclude that the rains which have fallen within these few days will have swelled that river, and that these troops will have retired again. They are still reported to be at work upon materials for a bridge both at Santarem and Barquinha; but I have detached MajorGeneral Fane with a body of cavalry and infantry to the left of the Tagus, from whom I hope to receive accurate accounts of what is passing opposite to him on this side; and he will endeavour to destroy these materials, if it should be practicable.judgment of Brigadier-General Blum, jo It is reported by all the deserters, that the enemy's troops continue to suffer great distress from the want of provisions. -It is impossible to form an estimate of the quantity of provisions which they found in the villages on the ground which they occupy; but it is certain, that they can draw none from any other

My Lord;-I have the honour to annex a return taken from the several reports received from Brigadier-General Blunt, of the number of killed and prisoners to the detachment which he sent from Peniché to Obidos, under the command of Captain Fenwick (Lieutenant in the Buffs), since his former reports of the proceedings of that officer, and which, with what had been previously reported upon, will make the amount of the enemy's loss to that de tachment, besides the wounded, which they are generally enabled to carry off, about 160 men.-I take the occasion of remarking to your Lordship the zeal and

re-occupying the town of Obidos when the principal force of the enemy had passed it; and he gives much applause to Captain Fenwick, for his activity and conduct in the command of the small detach ment he has been enabled to detach from Peniché, under his command. I have the honour to be, &c. (To be continued.)

Published by R. BAGSHAW, Brydges-Street, Covent Garden :-Sold also by J. BUDD, Paul-Mall.

LONDON :—Printed by T. C. Hansard, Peterborough-Court, Fleet-Street,

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