12 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



dispatches from Mr. Frere at Ta- 

 lavera, repeating in terms still 

 more vehement the necessity of 

 an advance upon Madrid, and 

 resting the fate of Spain upon the 

 decision of the British general. 



In the mean time the peo))le of 

 Madrid had risen in a species of 

 phrenzy on the constituted Autho- 

 rities, erected new powers, chosen 

 for their general the Duke of In- 

 fantado, and declared their deter- 

 mination to die for their courtiy. 



It was not to be expected but 

 that such accounts from the Junta 

 of Madrid, confirmed by the 

 emissary of the British Minister, 

 who had been himself an eye- 

 witness of the popular spirit in 

 Madrid, should make a deep im- 

 pression on the mind of a British 

 general * desirous above all things 

 of fulfilling the wishes of his coun- 

 try, and preserving untarnished 

 the British name. Sir J. Moore ac- 

 cordingly determined on attempt- 

 ing a diversion in favour of the 

 capital. For this purpose he or- 

 dered Sir David Baird to suspend 

 his retreat, and advance to Bene- 

 vento. And having General Hope's 

 division within reach, he opened a 

 communication with the Marquis 

 Romana at Leon, and replied to 

 the Spanish Authorities at Madrid 

 with assurances of co-operation. 



The zeal of Mr. Frere, however, 

 would not trust entirely to the 

 impressions which his statements, 

 corroborated bv those Don T. 



Morla and Colonel Charmiily 

 might make upon the mind of the 

 general. He resolved to force 

 him into his views, by desiring, 

 that in case Sir J. Moore persisted 

 in his intention to retreat, " Col- 

 onel Charmiily might be examined 

 before a council of war." The 

 general, treating this ebullition of 

 diplomatic authority with con- 

 tempt, after dismissing Charmiily, 

 wrote to Mr. Frere an exposition 

 and defence of his conduct (re- 

 sulting from circumstances already 

 explored) and without further no- 

 ticing the insult, prepared to give 

 effect to his intentions by dispatch- 

 ing Colonel Graham to Madrid 

 for information. The Central Jun- 

 ta, part of which the colonel found 

 at Salamanca, informed him, that 

 on the 3rd of December, Castel 

 Franco and Morla had made some 

 sort of agreement with the French, 

 who, on the day before, had got 

 possession of the Buen Keteiro, 

 and Prado of Madrid : that these 

 officers were suspected of treachery 

 in having refused admittance to 

 the troops of St. Juan and Here- 

 ida : that the captain-general Cas- 

 tellar, and other military officers of 

 rank, had refused to ratify the 

 agreement, and had left the town : 

 that the inhabitants still kept their 

 arms ; and that the French, to the 

 amount of 20 or 30,000, remained 

 in the Reteiro : that Castanos's 

 army of 30,000 men, was at Gua- 

 dalaxara : and that St. Juan's 



army 



• Mr. James ISIoore, on tlus subject, makes the following natural, and to those 

 concerned, piercuig observation : — " It could never enter into the conception of 

 Sir J. ]M. tliat the two chiefs of the Junta had conspired to betray the capital of 

 their own country, to ?ntice the armv of their allies into the power of the enemy, 

 nor was it imaginable that the British minister could be so grossly deceived, as to 

 send for his instruction intelligence llie reverse of truth, or to require of him in so 

 positive a manner to succour a city which had actually' surrendered." Nanat. 

 p. 146. 



