GENERAL HISTORY. 



[143 



CHAPTER XVI. 



War in the Peninsula — Valencia taken by the French — Their Failure at 

 Tariffa — Lord Wellington'' s Investment of C'iudad Rodrigo — Cap- 

 ture of that place by Storm — Attempt on Tarragona — Further Suc- 

 cess of the French in Valencia — Investment of Badajoz by Lord 

 Wellington — Its capture — Irruption of the French into Portugal — 

 Successes of Spanish Parties — Expedition of General Hill to Al- 

 maraz — Defeat of Ballasteros at Bornos — Capture of Lequitio — 

 Advance of Lord Wellington to Salamanca — Capture of its Forts— 

 MarmonVs Advance — Battle of Salamanca — Retreat and Pursuit of 

 the French — Valladolid entered — Affair of Cavalry at Ribera — Al- 

 lied Army enters 3Iadrid, and Fort La China taken — Astorga capi- 

 tulates — Blockade of Cadiz broken up — Bilboa evacuated— Seville 

 recovered by the Allies — Lord Wellington advances to Burgos. Fai- 

 lure of Attempts to take its Castle. French collect and advance — 

 Retreat of the Allied Army, which returns to Freynada. — Transac- 

 tions of the Spanish Cortes and Regency — Public Signature of the 

 Constitution — Settlement of the Succession — Lord Wellington ap- 

 pointed Commander-in-Chief of the Spanish Armies — Ballasteros 

 displaced — Affairs of Portugal. 



''I "'HE conclusion of the last j'ear 

 ■■- left the important city of 

 Valencia invested on all sides by 

 Marshal Suchet, without any other 

 prospect of defence, than its own 

 force,and the fugitives from Blake's 

 defeated army, afforded. The lines 

 with which Valencia are surround- 

 ed are said to have been 6,000 

 toises in extent, and to have cost 

 the city 12 millions of reals, and 

 the labours of some thousands of 

 men for two years in forming 

 them. They were, in fact, an in- 

 trenched camp, defended by nearly 

 20,000 troops of the line, 6,000 

 militia, and 100 pieces of cannon. 

 The French trenches were opened 

 in the nights of the 1st and 2d Jan. 

 within 70 to 80 toises of the Spa- 

 nish works, and in four days the en- 

 gineers pushed mines within 50 



toises of the fosse. Batteries were 

 erected at 60 toises distance, and the 

 effects of these operations caused 

 theSpaniardsto abandon their lines, 

 and take post in the suburbs. On 

 the 5th a bombardment was begun, 

 and a capitulation was offered to 

 the town by Suchet, which was 

 rejected by Blake. The bombard- 

 ment was recommenced, and in 

 three days and nights 2,700 bombs 

 were thrown into the city, causing 

 many fires and explosions. The 

 engineers by that time had made 

 a lodgment in the suburbs, and 

 had placed mines under two of 

 the principal gates. The horrors 

 of an assault were impending over 

 this populous cit}' ; and in order to 

 avert them, General Blake now 

 consented to a capitulation. By its 

 terms, Valencia was put into the 



power 



