HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



179 



from this operation formed part 

 of the fund for granting double pay 

 for the same space of time to the 

 soldiers who had sustained with 

 honour the Spanish character. 



After the defeat and flight of 

 the Spaniards from Medellin, the 

 French under Victor, immediately 

 entered Merida, where, and be- 

 tween which place and Badajoz, 

 they remained for a considerable 

 time stationary ; after which they 

 marched from the Guadiana to 

 the Tagus, and having forced the 

 bridge of Alcantara, proceeded 

 down the river with their face 

 towards Abrantes and Lisbon. 

 Cncsta on the confines of Estre- 

 madura and Andalusia re-assem- 

 bled and strengthened his broken 

 army, which increased fast in num- 

 bers, although they were, for some 

 lime, greatly in want of arms. 

 It is the noble character of the 

 Spanish nation to rise under mis- 

 fortune. Though, like all raw and 

 undisciplined troops, they were 

 subject to panics, and were easily 

 drawn to follow any example of 

 flight, they were as easily rallied. 

 Though dispersed, they re-assem- 

 bled. Though vanquished, the un- 

 conquerable will remained to de- 

 fend their country at the risk of 

 their lives. It is this invincible 

 spirit of liberty, which, by pro- 

 tracting the war, and keeping up 

 a warlike disposition and warlike 

 habits, may be favoured by some 

 of those events which we call 

 chance, that opens a gleam of hope 

 at the present morgent that the 

 Spanish cause, even against such 

 fearful odds, may yet be ultimately 

 triumphant. 



Sir Arthur Wellesley, who had 

 arrived at Lisbon on the 22nd of 

 April, proceeded on the 28th to 



join and take the command of the 

 army, whose head quarters were 

 at Coimbra, and advanced against 

 Oporto. At the same time, mar- 

 shal Beresford, at the head of a 

 body of Portuguese, marched to 

 the upper Douro, Marshal Soult, 

 who commanded there, knowing 

 how unequal he was to its defence 

 against an English army of su- 

 perior force, the forces under 

 general Beresford, and the spirit 

 of the colintry, determined to eva- 

 cuate Oporto, and proceed through 

 Leon to join the other Frenth 

 corps in Gallicia, according to 

 the general system of concentra- 

 tion adopted after the certain and 

 immediate prospect of an Austrian 

 war, as already stated. The mar- 

 shal, that he might effect his re- 

 treat with the least danger of be- 

 ing overtaken by the English, 

 adopted a'curious stratagem, which 

 was found not to be altogether 

 unsuccessful. While he talked 

 loudly of defending Oporto to the 

 last extremity, certain of receiving 

 all necessary succour and support 

 from his sovereign and nation, he 

 sent out one detachment of his 

 army after another, on preteiice 

 of exercising. The commanding 

 officers of these alone were en- 

 trusted with the secret orders, to 

 send back a few companies, by 

 way of a blind, but to march the 

 main body with ail possible ex- 

 pedition in an opposite direction. 

 Thus the marshal stole away from 

 Oporto; but, at the same time, 

 from the view, it was conjectured, 

 of drawing Sir Arthur further on 

 in pursuit of him, thereby to give 

 general Victor an opportunity of 

 pushing down the Tagus into the 

 South of Portugal, or from what- 

 ever other motive, he left his rear 

 N 2 guard 



