8 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



ing tranquillity ; and the people be- 

 held the approaches of the French 

 and of the English with almost 

 equal indifference. The apathy of 

 the people proved the inactivity of 

 their rulers. The peasantry and 

 lower orders were well affected to 

 the cause of their country. But 

 the spirit of independence evapo- 

 rated in ascending to the higher 

 ranks. 



It was fortunately discovered by 

 Sir John Moore, that the fears of 

 Pignotelli had magnified the dan- 

 ger. Only 1,000 French cavalry 

 had entered Valladolid, and then 

 retreated to Placentia next morn- 

 ing. None of the French infantry 

 had, at that time, advanced be- 

 yond Burgos. Sir John Moore 

 delivered from his alarm, had now 

 to wait quietly the arrival of the 

 corps under the Generals Hope 

 and Baird ; whose opposite routes 

 did not permit him to move a step 

 towards the one, without retreat- 

 ing so much from, and hazarding 

 the safety of the other. The junc- 

 tion he expected to take place to- 

 wards the beginning of December. 

 This interval of leisure was dedi- 

 cated to a recapitulation of those 

 deficiencies which had continued 

 to clog all his operations ; namely, 

 the want of an able commissariat, 

 and of a supply of money. The 

 succours of the Spaniards were al- 

 ways tardy, and always inadequate 

 to their object. Those of the Bri- 

 tish ministry were as little to be 

 depended upon. If any changes 

 were made in the commissariat, 

 they were always from bad to 

 worse: insomuch that Sir John 

 Moore was frequency obliged to 

 remonstrateagainst a remedy which 

 robbed him of commissaries who 

 had at least the experience of half 



a campaign, to supply their place 

 by such as had no experience at 

 all. The fault was in the system, 

 and to this the remedy was not 

 adapted. To supply the want of 

 money, Lord Castlereagh left Sir 

 John Moore the unfettered use of 

 his own exertions ; excusing him- 

 self from interfering with them, 

 by stating the scarcity of silver in 

 England. To Mr. Fr6re, the Bri- 

 tish general detailed his own situa- 

 tion ; the desultory and feeble co- 

 operation of the Spaniards, the 

 apathy of the people, the languor 

 and the incapacity of the govern- 

 ment. Unfortunately, this minis- 

 ter had acquired his notions of 

 Spanish politics in London, and at 

 the feet of Mr. Canning ; and his 

 prejudices were not to be overcome 

 by that evidence of facts, which 

 was now accumulating from every 

 quarter of the country. From the 

 valley of Renedo de Caqueringa, 

 in the mountains of St. Andero, 

 General Leith wrote to Sir John 

 Moore, that the army of Blake 

 and Romana had been defeated in 

 successive combats, since the 5th 

 of November, and entirely dis- 

 persed. A straggling party of from 

 seven to 8,000 alone had reached 

 the valley of Renedo. The French 

 occupied the country from Burgos 

 to Reynosa. 



Sir John Moore, in addition to 

 the ruin of the British hopes in 

 the Asturias, was mortified by see- 

 ing the fugitives from Blake's ar- 

 ray passing without any fear of the 

 resentment of their countrj^men, 

 who looked upon these betrayers 

 of their country without anger, 

 and even without emotion. 



The defeat of the army of the 

 north, rendered the situation of Sir 

 David Baird alarming, if not im- 

 mediately 



