684 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



mand in chief of his armies, thinks 

 it right, on assuming the said com- 

 mand, to state and declare to his 

 comrades in arms his sentiments on 

 this occasion. 



The field marshal and command- 

 er in chief, during the time he served 

 in the army which was sent by his 

 Britannic majesty to support the 

 admirable and prodigious efforts 

 made by the Portuguese to recover 

 their liberty and independence, so 

 unjustly attacked, had an opportu- 

 nity of becoming intimately ac- 

 quainted with the military charac- 

 ter of the nation ; and although he 

 thinks he has given the most effec- 

 tual proofs of the favourable idea 

 he had formed of that character, 

 by accepting the above command, 

 yet he wishes and hopes to prove 

 in a more decisive manner, that the 

 command in chief of the Portuguese 

 army could not have possibly been 

 confided to any other officer so 

 thoroughly convinced of the innate 

 military talents and disposition of 

 the Portuguese, who want nothing 

 but some skill and uniformity of 

 plan in the direction of their war- 

 like energies, to prove that they 

 are still what they have always been, 

 if not the best soldiers, at least 

 equal to the most valiant and most 

 intrepid troops of Europe. The 

 field marshal commander in chief 

 will therefore exert himself with 

 incessant zeal and application to 

 render those qualities as efficient as 

 they are accustomed to be when 

 they are assisted by a strict and well- 

 regulated discipline. It is univer- 

 sally acknowledged that the Portu- 

 guese are loyal to their sovereign, 

 obedient to their lawful authorities 

 who represent him, and endure, 

 without murmurs, the privations and 

 inconveniencestowhicharmiesiMUSt 



frequently submit. The patriotism, 

 energy, and enthusiasm, of which 

 they have but very lately given the 

 most unquestionable proofs; the 

 glory which they acquired in Rous- 

 sillon, and the successes which they 

 obtained on the northern tfrontiers, 

 clearly show their determined intre- 

 pidity and valour, qualities which 

 cannot but render them worthy of 

 their ancestors, and as famous as 

 them. 



No nation, Portuguese, is there- 

 fore better quahfied than you are 

 to form the best troops. The field 

 marshal commander in chief, con- 

 vinced of this truth, finds himself, 

 with the utmost pleasure, identified 

 with the Portuguese nation. He is 

 a Portuguese officer, and confides 

 to the Portuguese his character and 

 honour, perfectly satisfied that they 

 will be preserved unimpaired, and 

 returned to him with gain. 



The field marshal commander in 

 chief deems it necessary to assure 

 you, that he will at all times consi- 

 der it as one of his most important 

 duties, to raise and reward merit, 

 whenever he shall meet with it, and 

 that the only recommendation he 

 shall notice, will be that derived 

 from zeal, activity, skill, valour and 

 patriotism, qualities which shall at 

 all times find in him a sure and zea- 

 lous protector. 



The field marshal commander in 

 chief calls the attention of all the 

 general and subaltern officers to the 

 present state and improvement of 

 the army, and being convinced that 

 the best method of introducing dis- 

 cipline and a strict observance of 

 duty into a military corps consists 

 in the example set by the officers, 

 he hopes they willnevcrfail to give 

 their men a lesson so necessary and 

 important. 



The 



