718 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



dep uties shall give their assistance. 

 It will therefore be necessary, in 

 consequence of this sovereign 

 and general determination, that 

 the marquis de Romana separate 

 himself from his troops, and 

 come to this city to exercise the 

 functions of representative of the 

 national body, though it is certain- 

 ly most difficult to place at their 

 head a chief of equal experience 

 andachievement; considering, how- 

 ever, the state of the kingdom of 

 Gallicia, and the principality of 

 Asturias, the junta, after mature 

 deliberation, has determined that 

 the marquis shall transfer his com- 

 mand to that general of his army 

 whom we shall judge most capa- 

 ble. 



I communicate to your excel- 

 lency the order of his majesty, for 

 its fulfilment, advising at the same 

 time that the command of the 

 army cannot with propriety be 

 transferred to the major-general 

 the conde de Noronha, because 

 he being second commandant-ge- 

 neral in Gallicia, ought always to 

 remain in that kingdom. 



In consequence of this royal 

 order, the marquis de Romana has 

 signified, that he has confided the 

 command of the army to the major- 

 general don Gabriel de Mendezabal, 

 and that of the kingdom, to the 

 conde de Noronha, second com- 

 mandant-general and president of 

 its royal audience. 



Proclamation to the Army by the 

 Marquis de Romana 



Soldiers ! — The august voice of 

 our sovereign, Ferdinand, reached 

 «ur ears in Denmark, and we obey- 



ed the call. Our country invoked 

 our aid, and a generous nation, tra- 

 versing stormy seas, conducted us 

 to join our valiant countrymen, from 

 whom we had been separated by the 

 atrocious perfidy and vile prostitu- 

 tion of an individual. You have re- 

 sisted the mortal blows aimed at 

 you by the tyrant Napoleon, to 

 destroy you. You have suffered 

 ■with me the disasters which his un- 

 equalled force has spread through 

 the whole nation, and through all 

 Europe ; but you, without other as- 

 sistance than your own valour; with- 

 out other arms than those furnished 

 by nature ; without other ammuni- 

 tion than your own inimitable con- 

 stancy ; without other stimuli than 

 your own heroicpatriolism ; without 

 other ambition than that inspired by 

 your honour and fidelity, have dis- 

 puted the first fruits of his triumph ; 

 and have raised your names to a 

 level with those of the men who 

 have been born to inspire admira- 

 tion. 



Gallicia is covered with French 

 carcases ; neither ancient Carth- 

 age, nor modern France, can com- 

 pare their marches with thoseinces- 

 sant ones, which during six months 

 of want and privation, you have 

 made among the impenetrable Alps 

 ofCastiIe,Gallicia, and the Asturias, 

 in the most exposed and rigorous si- 

 tuations. Immortal wariors ! with- 

 out great and signal battles, you 

 have annihilated the proud army of 

 the tyrant, by aiding j^the national 

 patriotism, supporting the noble 

 fermentation, harassing the troops 

 of the enemy, defeating them in 

 small skirmishes, and reducing their 

 possession to the ground on which 

 they stand ; you have fulfilled the 

 most elevated obligations of 

 the soldier, and the fatigues and 



cares 



