276 
® Afew houré after my attival General Kel- 
lermann came in witha flag of ttuce from the 
French General-in-chiefin order to propofe an 
agreement fora ceffation of hoftilities, for the 
purpofe of ‘concluding a cotivention for the 
evacuation of Portugal by the French troops. 
The inclofed contains the feveral articles at 
firft agreed upon and figned by Sir Arthur 
Wellefley and General Kellermann; but as 
this was done with a reference to the Britith 
admiral, who, when the agreement was com- 
mounicated'to him, objected to the feventh 
article, which had for its object the difpofal 
of the Ruffian fleet in the Tagus, it was 
finally concluded, that Lieutenant colonel 
Murray, quarter-mafter-general to the Britith 
army, and General Kellermann, fhould pro- 
éeed to the difcuflion of the remaining ar- 
ticles, and ‘finally to conclude a convention 
for the evacuation of Portugal, fubjed&t to the 
ratification of the French general-in-chief, 
and the Britifh commanders, by fea and land. 
After confiderable difcuflion and repeated 
reference to me, which rendered it neceflary 
for me to avail myfelf of the limited period 
latterly prefcribed for the fufpenfion 6f hos- 
tilities, in order to move the army forwards, 
and to place the feveral columns upon the 
routés by which they were to advance, the 
convention was figned, and the ratification ex- 
changed the joth of laft month. 
. That notime might be lost in obtaining an- 
chorage. for the tranfports and other fhipping 
which’ had for fome days been expofed to great 
peril on this dangerous coaft, and to infure the 
communication between the army and the vic- 
tnallers, which was cut off by the badnefs of the 
weather and the furf upon the fhore, I fent 
orders to the Buffs and 42d regiments, which 
were on board of tranfports with Sir Charles 
Cotton’s fleet, to land and take poffeflion of 
the forts on the Tagus whenever the admiral 
thought it proper todofo. This was accord- 
ingly carried into execution yefterday morn- 
ing, when the forts of Cafcais, St. Juliens, 
and Bugio were evacuated by the French 
troops, and taken pofleflion of by ours. 
As I landed in Portugal entirely unacquaint- 
ed with the actual ftate of the French army, 
and many circumftances of a local and inci- 
dental nature, which doubtlefs had great 
wejght in deciding the queftion; my own 
opinion in favour of the expediency of ex~- 
pellip e French army from Portugal by 
means of the convention the late defeat had 
induced the French general-in-chief to fo- 
inftead of doing fo by a continuation of 
ities, was principally founded on the 
ortance of time, which tlie feafon of 
rendered peculiarly valuable, and 
the enemy could eafily have confimed 
y inatHie protracted defence of the ftrong places 
= occupied, had terms of convention been 
x, ¥éfufed them. 
“ “S® When the fufpenfion of arms was agreed 
2 upon, the army under the command of Sir 
John Moore had not arrived, and doubts were 
. y ™ - * y 
Extraordindry Conventionin Portugal. 
7" ae 
[Oct, 1,) 
even entertained whéther fo large” a bady of 
men’ could be landed on an open and dangerous 
beach ; and that ‘being effected, whether the 
fupply of fo large’ an army with provifions — 
from the fhips could be provided for, under 
all the difadvantagts to which the thipping 
were expofed: During the negociation, the 
former dificulty was overcome by the acti- 
Vity, zeal, and intelligence, of Captain Mal- 
colm of the Donegal, and che officers and ment 
under his orders; but the poflibility of the 
latter feems to have been at an end, nearly at 
the moment when it was no longer neceflary.’ 
Captain Dalrymple, of the 18th Dragoons, 
my military fecretary, will have the honour 
of delivering to your lordfhip this difpatch. 
He is fully informed of whatever has been 
done under my orders, relative to the fervice 
on which I have been employed, and can 
give any explanation thereupon that may be 
required. 1 have the honour to be, &c. 
(Signed) Hew DaraymPce, Lieut-Gen. 
Suspension of Arms agreed upon between Licu= 
tenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley, K. B. 
onthe one part, and the General of Division 
Kellermann, Grand Officer of the Legion of 
Honour, Commander of the Order of the Iron 
€rown, and Grand Cross of the Order of the 
Lion of Bavaria, on the other part, each 
having powers from the respective Generals 
of the French and English Armies, 
Head- Quarters of the English Army, 
Aug. 22, 1808. 
Arr. 1—There fhall be, frora this date, 
a fufpenfion of arms between the armies of 
His Britannic Majefty and His Imperial and 
Royal Majefty, Napuleon 1. for the purpofe 
of negociating a convention for the evacyation 
of Portugal by the French army. 
II.—The Generals in Chief of the two are 
mies, and the Commander-in-chief of the 
Britith Fleet at the entrance of the Tagus, - 
will appoint a day to aflemble on fuch part of 
the coaft as fhall be judged convenient, to 
negociate and conclude the faid convention. 
Ill. The river of Sirandre thall form the 
line of demarcation to be eftablifhed between 
the two armies; Torres Vedras fhall not be 
occupied by either. ’ 
IV.—The General-in-Chief of the Eng- 
lifh army undertakes to include the Portu- 
guefe armies in this fufpenfion of arms, and 
for them the line of demarcation fhall be ef- 
tablithed from Leira to Thomar, 
V.—It is agreed, provifionally, that the 
French army {hall not, in any cafe, be con- 
fidered as prifoners of war; that all the indi- 
viduals who compofe it fhall be tranfported to 
France, with their arms and baggage, and the 
whole of their private property, from which 
nothing fhall be excepted, , 
“VI.—No individual, whether Portuguefe, 
or of a nation allied to France, or French, 
fhall be called to account for his political 
conduct; their refpective property fhall be pro~ 
tected, and they fhall be at liberty to with- 
- > hia, Wy 2 v WwW AM , draw 
