370 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809, 



commended to me to makeapropos- 

 al to the enemy, to induce him to 

 allow us to embark quietly; in 

 which case he gets us out of the 

 country soon, and this place, with 

 its stores, &c., complete ; that 

 otherwise we have the power to 

 make a long defence, which must 

 cause the destruction of the town. 

 I am averse to make any such pro- 

 posal, and am exceedingly doubtful 

 if it would be attended with any 

 good effect; but whatever I resolve 

 on this head, I hope your lordship 

 will rest assured that I shall accept 

 no terms that are in the least dis- 

 honourable to the army or to the 

 country. I find I have been led 

 into greater length and more detail, 

 than I thought I should have had 

 time for ; I have written under in- 

 terruptions, and my mind much oc- 

 cupied with other matter. My let- 

 ter, written so carelessly, can only 

 be considered as private. When I 

 have more leisure, I shall write more 

 correctly ; in the mean time I rely 

 on general Stewart for giving your 

 lordship the information and detail 

 which I have omitted. I should 

 regret his absence, for his services 

 have been very distinguished ; but 

 the state of his eyes makes it impos- 

 sible for him to serve, and this 

 country is not one in which cavalry 

 can be of much use. If I succeed 

 in embarking the army, I shall send 

 it to England ; it is quite unfit for 

 further service until it has been re- 

 fitted, which can best be done there. 

 "John Moore." 



London Gazette Extraordinary, 

 dated Dorvning-street, Jan. 2^, 

 1809. 

 The honourable captain Hope 



arrived late last night with a dis- 



patch from lieut.-gen. sir David 

 Baird to lord viscount Castlereagh, 

 one of his majesty's principal secre- 

 taries of state, of which the fol- 

 lowing is a copy. 

 His Majesty's ship Ville de Paris, 



at sea, Jan. 18, 1809. 

 My lord ; By the much-lamented 

 death of lieutenant-general sir John 

 Moore, who fell in action with 

 the enemy on the I6th instant, it 

 has become my duty to acquaint 

 your lordship, that the French 

 army attacked the British troops 

 in the position they occupied in 

 front of Corunna, at about 2 o'clock 

 in the afternoon of that day. A 

 severe wound, which compelled me 

 to quit the field a short time previ- 

 ous to the fall of sir John Moore, 

 obliges me to refer your lordship 

 for the particulars of the action, 

 which was long and obstinately 

 contested, to the inclosed report of 

 lieutenant-general Hope, who suc- 

 ceeded to the command of the army, 

 and to whose ability and exertions 

 in direction of the ardent zeal and 

 unconquerable valour of his majes- 

 ty's troops, is to be attributed, un- 

 der Providence, the success of the 

 day, which terminated in the com- 

 plete and entire repulse and defeat 

 of the enemy at every point of at- 

 tack. The honourable captain 

 Gordon, my aide-de-camp, will 

 have the honour of delivering this 

 dispatch, and will be able to give 

 your lordship any further informa- 

 tion which may be required. I 

 have the honour to be, &c. 



D. Baird, lieut.-gen. 

 His Majesty's ship Audacious, off 



Corunna, Jan. 18, 1809. 

 Sir; Incompliance with the desire 

 contained in your communication of 

 yesterday, I avail myself of the first 

 moment I have been able to com- 

 mand, 



