APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. 361 



this melancholy situation, the divi- 

 sion of general la Pena not having 

 moved, and that which was an- 

 nounced as his division proving to 

 be a corps of the enemy, of about 

 8,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry, I 

 gave directions for retreating in the 

 best possible order ; placing the 2d 

 regiment of Valencia in an oblique 

 position to cover the retreat of our 

 troops. The troops were surround- 

 ed on all sides, but they gallantly 

 cut their way with the bayonet. I 

 put myself at their head, and left 

 general St. March with the cavalry 

 to protect this daring and only re- 

 source that was left to us. The ge- 

 neral discharged this trust with the 

 same exactness that he did every 

 other duty confided to him during 

 the action. I can assure your ex- 

 cellency, that I never witnessed an 

 occasion in which all the officers 

 and soldiers more completely per- 

 formed their duty ; but of those 

 who were under my orders, I ought 

 to make particular mention of the 

 third battalion of the royal Spanish 

 guards, and the regiments of Cas- 

 tile, Segorbia, and Turia. D.M. 

 Velasco, commander of the artillery 

 of my division; D.A. Ulloa, com- 

 mander of general St. March's ; 

 D. J. Monino ; D.R. del Pino, who 

 though surrounded by the enemy, 

 spiked a part of the artillery which 

 they could not bring oft", are vei-y 

 much entitled to consideration for 

 having entirely destroyed three 

 columns of the enemy. 



The enemy's loss cannot be less 

 than 8,000 men, as we may assure 

 ourselves, when they admitted it 

 exceeded 4,000. I have not yet 

 received all the returns of the loss 

 on our side, but 1 doubt whether it 

 amounts to 2,000 in killed, wound- 

 rd, and missing. I liave the satis- 



faction of having saved half of the 

 artillery, which was brought off by 

 routes almost impracticable, and of 

 having been a near spectator of 

 every thing that passed to the last 

 moment. I can assure you, that in 

 this unfortunate event all those 

 under my command havedone their 

 duty to their king and country ; 

 and that had the captain-general 

 ordered the army of the center to 

 support us, it would, beyond all 

 doubt, have been the most glorious 

 day for his majesty's arms, of any 

 recorded in the history of this war. 



Municipal Sitling. — Madrid, Dec. 

 9, 1808. 

 This day at 11 o'clock in the 

 morning, the hour appointed for 

 the opening of the Sitting, the 

 following persons assembled :— 

 The corregidor ; the regidors ; 

 the alcades ; the deputies of the 

 third estate; the heads of the 

 assembly of the Masta [the 

 council of the Masta is composed 

 of the great proprietors in cattle] ; 

 the procurators ; the alguazil ma- 

 jors; the suffragan bishops; the 

 vicars ; the body of the curates 

 and beneficed clergy ; the heads of 

 the different commonalties; the 

 body of the nobility ; the deputies 

 of the five principal corporations ; 

 and all the deputations representing 

 the 64 divisions of the city of 

 Madrid. — The corregidor rose to 

 address the meeting, and informed 

 them, that he had had the honour 

 of being admitted to present the 

 homage of his respect to his im- 

 perial and royal majesty, and to 

 lay at the foot of his throne the 

 tribute of gratitude of the inhabi- 

 tants of Madrid for the kindness 

 and clemency which his majesty 



had 



