"No. 4.-Copy of a Letter from John Alvey, Esq. his Britannic Majesty's ViceConsul in Oporto,to Lieut. Crowe,commanding his Britannic Majesty's cutter Dart. Oporto, Aug. 1, 1810. "Sir ;-After having paid my respects to you this morning, I must now beg leave to transmit to you the inclosed extract from an English Officer of rank, to Mr. J. Tindale, a respectable merchant of this place, whereby you will perceive the critical situation in which we find ourselves; and I, therefore, request in my own name, as well as in that of all the English merchants of this place, that you will take into consideration, the necessity of having a sufficient force off this Bar, (if it be consistent with the general tenor of your orders) to protect all the English ships which can be got ready for setting sail, as well as all the English subjects who, on account of the imminent danger, may be under the necessity of embarking without the least delay. I yesterday received a letter from the Commissary General in Lisbon, of the 28th of last month, wherein he informs me, that the gun brig Growler had set sail from thence for this city, but she has not yet made her appearance. We are in the utmost consternation, and unanimously entreat your assistance.-I have, &c. JOHN ALVEY, Consul." " To Lieat. Crowe, commanding his Majesty's cutter Dart." "No. 5.-Extract from the letter referred to in the preceding one, dated Peinhancos, July 28, 1810: We are here at present; the Guards. 'and the division which was commanded by Gen. Cameron, composed of the 24th, 42d, and 61st regiments, have arrived in Jaupajo and Gouvea. Lord Wellington's bead-quarters will be this evening in Ce'lerico, but it is said that General Cotton 'still remains in Guarda. I have seen some 'officers of the staff, who told me that the force commanded by Massena, including 'Regnier's division, amounts in the whole to 105,000 men, 40 regiments whereof are cavalry: 86,000 men are marching against our rear; you will hardly suppose that lord Wellington means to oppose such a force; we must retreat, and occasionally quit the country.' "No. 6.-Dated Truxillo, 28 leagues from Oporto, July 29, 1810. It is said we are to retreat as far as Maurila, 4 leagues from Coimbra, where 'we are to make our first stand. I know that engineers have been detached to undermine the bridge, in order to blow it up. 24,000 rations of biscuit are to be 'sent there this evening. Various are the 'conjectures formed here, but all agree in think of engaging in the hopeless conthe opinion that it would be madness to test with Massena's army, and I really suppose, until our whole force shall have formed a junction, we are not to 'make any resistance or defence. The horse artillery and heavy horse marched this morning for Celerico, to protect the ' retreat of our rear guard.' "No. 7.-The Commander in Chief will author of letters which excited so much not make any enquiry to ascertain the fear and consternation in a place where it is most to be wished none should exist. He has frequently lamented the ignorance displayed in opinions announced in letters which the like letters are published. It from the army, and the indiscretion with is impossible that many officers of the of facts to be able to form a correct opinion army can possess a sufficient knowledge of the probable events of the campaign, and when once published, cannot but proyet their opinions, although erroneous, duce mischievous results. The Commander in Chief, therefore, requests that the officers, on account of their own reputation, will refrain from giving opinions upon matters, with regard to which they cannot possibly possess the necessary knowledge for giving it with correctness; and if they chance to communicate to their correspondents facts which relate to the position of the army, its strength, the formation of its magazines, preparations for cutting down or blowing up bridges, &c. they will at least tell their correspondents not to publish their letters in newspapers, unless it be certain that the publication thereof cannot prove injurious to the army and the public service.(Signed) CHARLES STEWART, Briga dier and Adjutant General.” "Although the Marshal hopes that the letters in question are not written by any "The time which has elapsed during which the enemy has remained on the frontiers of Portugal, must have proved to the Portuguese nation what they have to expect from the French. The inhabitants of some villages have remained in them, confiding in the promises of the enemy, and hoping that, by treating the enemies of their country well, they might conciliate and mollify them, and inspire them with humane sentiments; that their property would be respected, their females preserved from brutal violation, and their lives secured. "Vain hopes! The inhabitants of these submissive places have suffered all the evils which a cruel enemy could inflict; their property has been plundered, their habitations burnt, their women atrociously violated, and those whose age and sex did not provoke the brutal violence of the soldiers have fallen victims to the imprudent confidence which they placed in promises made only to be broken.-The Portuguese must now see that no other means remain to avoid the evils with which they are threatened but a determined and vigorous resistance, and a firm resolution to obstruct as much as possible the advance of the enemy into the interior of the kingdom, by removing out of his reach all such things as may contribute to his subsistence or facilitate his progress. These are the only and most certain means to prevent the evils with which the country is threat ened. The army under my command will protect as large a portion of the country as is possible; but it is obvious that the people alone can deliver themselves by a vigorous resistance, and preserve their goods by removing them out of the reach of the enemy. The duties, therefore, that bind me to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent of Portugal, and to the Portuguese nation, oblige me to make use of the power and authority with which I am furnished, to compel the careless and indolent to make the necessary efforts to preserve themselves from the dangers which threaten them, and to save their country. In conformity with this, I make known and declare, that all magistrates and persons in authority who shall remain in the villages or towns, after having received orders from the military officer to remove from them, and all persons, of whatever class they may be, who shall maintain the least communication with, or aid and assist in any manner the enemy, shall be considered as traitors to the state, and tried, and punished as such an enormous crime requires. WELLINGTON." Head Quarters, 4th Aug. 1810. PORTUGAL. -Extract of Dispatches from Lord Viscount Talavera, relating to the Fall of Almeida.-Dated CELERICO, 29th Aug. 1810.-Published in London, 19th September 1810. The enemy opened their fire upon Almeida late on Saturday night or early on Sunday morning, the 26th instant, and I am concerned to add, that they obtained possession of the place in the course of the night of the 27th. I have no intelligence upon which I can rely, of the cause of its surrender. An explosion had been heard at our advanced posts, and I observed on Monday that the steeple of the church was destroyed, and many houses of the town unroofed. I had a telegraphic communica tion with the Governor, but unfortunately the weather did not allow of our using it on Sunday, or during a great part of Monday, and when the weather cleared on that day it was obvious that the Governor was in communication with the enemy,After I was certain of the fall of the place, I moved the infantry of the army again into the valley of the Mondego, keeping a division upon Guarda, and the outposts of the cavalry at Alverca. The enemy attacked our piquets twice yesterday in the morning but feebly, and they were repulsed; in the afternoon, however, they obliged Sir Stapleton Cotton to draw in his posts to this side of Fraxedas. Captain Lygon, of the 16th Light Dragoons, was wounded in the morning, and two men of the Royal Dragoons were wounded in the afternoon.-A picquet of the regi ment made a gallant and successful charge upon a party of the enemy's infantry and cavalry, and took some prisoners.-The second corps under General Regnier has made no movement of any importance since I had the honour of addressing your lordship last. A patrole, however, belonging to this corps fell in with a squadron of Dragoons, consisting of one troop of the 13th British, and one troop of the 4th Portuguese, belonging to Lieutenant-General Hill's corps, under the command of Captain White of the 13th, and the whole of them were taken, with the exception of the captain and one man, who, I since understand, have been killed. I enclose he copy of Brigadier-General Fane's retport to Lieutenant-General Hill of this affair, which it appears was highly creditable to Captain White, and the allied troops engaged. No movement has been made, and nothing of any importance has occurred in Est remadura since I addressed your lordship last.-In the north, the enemy moved a small body of infantry and cavalry on the 20th to Alcanezas; but General Silveira moved towards them from Braganza, and they immediately retired. considered to have merited the approba- Lieutenant-General Hill. PORTUGAL.- -French Account of the Siege and Fall of Almeida.-PARIS, 11th Sept. SIEGE OF ALMEIDA.-The Prince of Essling caused the trenches to be opened before Almeida on the night of the 15th of August; a false attack directed against the north of the town had drawn the attention of the besieged to that quarter. Two thousand workmen took advantage of that circumstance, to dig the first parallel to a depth of three feet, along a line of more than 500 toises, in spite of the difficulties arising from the rocky nature of the ground, and the necessity of every instant covering themselves by gabions.-Between the 18th and the 19th, though the fire of the enemy was very brisk, and the obstacles which the rocks presented to the enlargement of the trenches appeared insurmountable, the parallel was finished, and the rocks blown up by the petard.-Between the 20th and Escalhos de Cima, August 22, 1810. 25th, eleven batteries were erected. DurSIR-I have the honour to report to ing the night of the 24th, the second payou, that the troops of the 13th Light rallel was opened in the rock, at less than Dragoons, and one of the 4th Portuguese 150 toises from the place. The terrible Dragoons, forming the squadron under the fire of the fortress did not permit us to command of Captain White, of the 13th maintain it during the day; but on the at Ladoera, this morning fell in with a following night the miners finished deeppatrole of the enemy's Dragoons, consist-ening and enlarging the trenches with ing of one captain, two subalterns, and about sixty men. Captain White fortunately succeeded in coming up with them, when he immediately charged and overturned them; and the result has been, the capture of two lieutenants, three serjeants, six corporals, one trumpeter, and fifty privates, and about fifty horses. The Captain was also a prisoner, but escaped during the bustle on foot.-I am happy to say, this has been performed without the loss of a man on our side. Six of the enemy are wounded. Captain White expresses his obligation to Major Vigoreux, of the 38th regiment, who was a volunteer with him, and to the Alferes Pedro Raymundo di Oliviera, commanding the Portuguese troop (which he states to have done its duty extremely well, and to have shewn much gallantry ;) and also to Lieutenant Turner, of the 13th Light Dragoons, to whose activity and courage he reports himself to be indebted for several of his prisoners, I trust the whole will be the petard. The mounting and supplying of the batteries were also finished the same night.-On the 26th, at five in the morning, eleven batteries, mounted with 65 pieces of cannon, opened their fire on the fortress, which returned it with vigour; but at four in the afternoon their fire slackened; at seven, one of our bombs exploded the principal powder magazine of the place; the explosion was terrible. At the departure of the courier, the fire of our batteries was redoubled with activity. To the Prince of Neufchatel and Wagram. "Sir-In my last dispatch, I had the honour to acquaint you that on the 26th the fortress of Almeida returned our fire till 4 in the afternoon; that then it ceased entirely; that at seven a considerable explosion took place in the fortress; and that the conflagration was kept up during the night by our bombs and howitzers. This state of things determined me to summon the Governor to surrender, yesterday morning. He sent me some officers to ask a cessation of hostilities. I made known to them the terms of capitulation which I should offer. Several hours of the day were employed in negociation, which did not produce the success which I desired. I therefore ordered our fire to recommence at eight in the evening, and three hours after the Governor of the place signed a capitulation, of which I have the honour to send you a copy, together with that of my summons. Almeida is thus in the possession of his Majesty the Emperor and King. We entered it this morning at nine o'clock. The garrison are prisoners of war, and shall be conducted to France. We have found on the batteries of the place, 98 pieces of cannon and 17 requiring repairs, 300,000 rations of biscuit, 100,000 rations of salted meat, and a great quantity of other provisions. -I think it my duty to say something to your Highness of the di-position of the garrison, The Marquis d'Alorma, a General of Division, a Portuguese, and several other general or superior Officers of his nation, employed in the French army, approached the fortress while the negociation was going forward. They were recognized, from the walls, by a greas number of their countrymen, who loudly expressed their satisfaction at being freed from the yoke of the English; which was much increased, when they arned that the Emperor had attached to his service, and in their several ranks, the Portuguese officers who were in France; and that far from having reduced them to the state of humiliation which the English make them feel at present, he had admitted them to the honour of fighting at his side, in his great campaigns.-The horrors committed by the English are deplorable; they cut down the corn, destroy mills, houses, and make a desert of that unfor tunate country which they were invited to defend. They thus violate the law of nations and of war. This nation is accustomed to respect nothing; its interest for the moment is its only law. It is the division of Loison, of the corps of the Duke of Elchingen, which has carried on the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo, and Almeida. The two other divisions of that corps, the three divisions of the 2d corps, and the three divisions of the corps of the Duke of Abrantes, have not yet fired a mus quet. The Duke of Abrantes is at Ledesma; General Regnier, commanding the 2d corps, is at Zarza Mayor. The soldiers are in good health, the army is well provisioned, and burning with desire to teach the English that which we have already taught the division of Crawfurd. The Emperor may rely on the bravery and dispositions of the army, as well as on my zeal and respectful devotion. I have the honour, &c. MASSENA, Marshal, Fort Conception, Aug. 23, 1810. Prince of ESSLING, Commander in Chief of the Army of Portugal. Copy of Summons to the English Governor of Almeida. Camp before Almeida, Aug. 27, 1810. "M. Governor,-The town of Almeida is in flames; all my besieging artillery is battering it, and the English army cannot come to your relief. Surrender, then, to the generosity of the armies of his Majesty the Emperor and King: I offer you honourable terms. To induce you to ac cept them, consider what took place at Ciudad Rodrigo, the deplorable state in which that town now is, and the misfor tunes, which are reserved for Almeida, if you prolong an useless defence. Receive, M. Governor, the assurances of my high consideration. " MASSENA." (Signed) Capitulation granted in the name of his Majesty the Emperor of the French and King of Italy, Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine, &c. &c. by the Marshal Prince of Essling, Commander in Chief of the Army of Portugal, to M. the English General Cox, Governor of Almeida, for the surrender of that Place to the troops of his Majesty. Art. I. The garrison shall be prisoners of war, with the honours of war; that is to say, they shall march out with their arms, which they shall deposit on the glacis of the place. The militia shall re turn to their homes, after having deposited their arms; the garrison are hot to serve during the present war against France or her allies. II. The officers of every description, and the soldiers, shall retain, the former their swords and the latter their baggage only. (To be continued.) Published by R. BAGSHAW, Brydges-Street, Covent Garden :-Sold also by J. BUDD, Pall-Mali, LONDON :-Printed by T. C. Hansard, Peterborough-Court, Fleet-Street. VOL. XVIII. No. 14.] LONDON, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1810. [Price 18. "REAL MONEY can hardly ever multiply too much in any country, because it will always, as IT increases, be the certain sign of the increase of TRADE, of which it is the measure, and consequently " of the soundness and vigour of the whole body. But this PAPER MONEY may, and does increase, "without any increase of Trade; nay often when Trade greatly declines, FOR IT IS NOT THE "MEASURE OF THE TRADE OF ITS NATION, BUT OF THE NECESSITY OF ITS GOVERNMENT; and it is absurd, and must be ruinous, that the same cause which naturally exhausts the @ wealth of a Nation should likewise be the only productive cause of money."-Burke, Report of the Bullion Committee: IN A SERIES OF LETTERS TO THE TRADESMEN AND FARMERS LETTER VII. -[450 the design of the writer is to serve the cause of truth, and especially when the truths, he wishes to make apparent, have been industriously enveloped in darkness; in such a case, every other quality in writing ought to yield to that of clearness. It was stated, at the out-set of our Inquiries, that the Chief Object of them was, to ascertain, or, at least, to enable ourselves to form a decided opinion, "Whether it be possible, without a total destruction of all "the paper-money, to restore Gold and Silver "to circulation amongst us." In pursuit of this object, it became necessary for us to make some preliminary inquiries as to the Review of the ground over which we have passed in the foregoing Letters-Opening the way into the history of the Bank's stoppage in 1797-Vague notion about the increase of bank-notes being a sign of an increase of The cause, the immediate cause, that is Trade and Wealth and Prosperity-This notion examined—Mr. Randle Jackson's to say the cause which came close before' the effect, was the increase of the paperspeech, inveighing against those who have recommended that he and his partners shalt be money. This cause was evident to every one; but, then, it became us to inquire compelled to pay their promissory notes in two years-His notion that an increase of bank-what had been the cause of that increase; notes naturally arises from an increase of Trade-Abuse heaped upon those who wish the Bank to pay its notes-Such persons called Riflers and accused of wishing to destroy the Credit of Old England-An increase of promissory notes is a proof of an increase of Debi-Five ways in which bank-notes get out into circulation-Absurdity of supposing that an increase of promises-to-pay are a sign of an increase of the means of paying-N. B. An Account of the distresses arising from the failure of the Banks at Salisbury and Shaftsbury. cause of the Gold and Silver having gone out of circulation. useless as would be those of a farmer, who, otherwise our inquiries would have been as upon finding a score of his sheep dead, should content himself with ascertaining that they had been killed with a knife, without making any inquiry as to the perhad been used. Common sense, therefore, son by whom the destructive instrument dictated to us to inquire into the cause, or causes, of the increase of the paper-money; and, in order to come at a clear underwere obliged to go back to the inauspistanding with respect to these causes, we cious origin of the paper-money system, that fatal system, whence arose the National Debt, that Debt which even PITT himself, the great abettor of the system, called "the best ally of France." During this retrospect, we have seen, that the Bank of England is merely a Com pany of traders, whose charter arose out P |