HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



195 



he speaks so ill, determined in fa- 

 vour of the Spanish troops." 



Lord Wellington (the new title 

 of sir Arthur Wellesley) was uni- 

 versally condemned for having 

 dashed into the heart of Spain 

 without having even any tolerable 

 idea of the force opposed to hin>, 

 and at the risk (for he was aware 

 of the incapacity and remissness 

 of the junta, and even their ina- 

 bility to do all the good they 

 wished) of being starved out of 

 it. The corps of Soult, Ney, and 

 Mortier, which lord Wellington 

 estimated at first, when he thought 

 " the business might be done with- 

 outa contest," at 10 or 12,000men; 

 and afterwards, when he deter- 

 mined to cross the Tagus at the 

 bridge of Arzo Bispo, at 30,000 

 men, were found afterwards to 

 have amounted to not less than 

 70,000 men. And from the most 

 deplorable and inexcusable igno- 

 rance (as he might in a friendly 

 country have commanded spies in 

 the greatestabundance) he thought 

 he could cover his left flank against 

 this formidable army by leaving two 

 battalions at the Puerto de Banos ! 



While lord Wellington gave 

 himself up to the impulsion of 

 courage and a passion for fight- 

 ing, the combinations of the 

 French generals were most skilful, 

 and the plan concerted, notwith- 

 standing the check at Talavcra, 

 executed on the whole with ala- 

 crity and success. Marshal Vic- 

 tor manoeuvred in such a manner 

 as to draw the British army far- 

 ther on up the course of tiic 

 Tagus. A junction was formed 

 with the corps or army of Sebas- 

 tian!, and a reinforcement with 

 king Joseph at their head from 

 Madrid. The French were re- 



pelled at Talavera, not put to rout. 

 It was indeed most glorious to the 

 British ; but, in regard to its result 

 or consequences, little if any thing, 

 more than a drawn battle. In the 

 mean time marshal Soult, with 

 still more considerable forces than 

 those under Victor, or, it may be 

 said, king Joseph, marched upon 

 the rear of Lord Wellington, who 

 prudently saved himself by a timely 

 and well-conducted retreat. But it' 

 the French armies under king Jo- 

 seph and marshal Soult had avoided 

 an action with the English before 

 they were united, as Buonaparte 

 himself would have continued to 

 do, if he had been present instead 

 of Joseph, the British army would 

 never have left Spain with their 

 colours flying. Or again, if Vic- 

 tor or Joseph had drawn lord 

 Wellington still farther on, or de- 

 layed for a few days their attack 

 at Talavera, the marshals Soult, 

 Ney, and Mortier, with an over- 

 whelming force, might have come 

 between him and the bridge of 

 Arzo Bispo. In short, the march 

 of lord Wellington into the very 

 throat of danger was most improvi- 

 dent ; his escape most fortunate. 



As to general Cuesta, he was 

 surprised at Arzo Bispo by the 

 French, who forded the river some 

 miles above the bridge, and obliged 

 him to retreat across the Ibor with 

 the loss of all his cannon. He re- 

 signed on account of ill health, 

 and was succeeded in the com- 

 mand of the army by general 

 Equca. 



In the beginning of August, 

 while so great a part of the French 

 forces in Spain was drawn down 

 the valley of the Tagus in pursuit 

 of the allied army, general Vene- 

 gas, with not fewer, it was said by 



O 2 the 



