STATE PAPERS. 



721 



at the same time the work of your 

 genius, the result of the most scien- 

 tific military combinations of your 

 inherent intrepidity, and of the cou- 

 rage of so many brave men, these 

 victories and successes are no less 

 owing to your admirable foresight. 

 It is this which has inspired your 

 majesty with the idea of assembling 

 at first, in the interior of the empire, 

 whatever might be the complexion 

 of affairs, the youth of France who 

 are successively called to serve their 

 country, and of making them con- 

 stantly pay their contribution to the 

 safety of the state, at the same time 

 that they accustom themselves to 

 arms. 



The temporary dereliction of this 

 systemwouldbeproductiveof some 

 danger to the empire, and it would 

 be placing rather too great a reli- 

 ance upon the future, however flat- 

 tering appearances might be at pre- 

 sent, to suffer the depots in the inte- 

 rior of France to want the regular 

 supply of recruits whenever a part 

 of the young soldiers who fill them, 

 should be called into actual service. 



A short glance at the state of 

 your majesty's armies will be suffi- 

 cient to show, that the levy, which 

 I feel it my duty to propose, is suf- 

 ficient at present. 



Master of Vienna, and of more 

 than half the Austrian monarchy, 

 your majesty is at the head of the 

 most formidable army that France 

 ever had beyond the Rhine; and to 

 judge of what it is capable of ef- 

 fecting, it is only necessary to men- 

 tion that it was hardly formed when 

 it conquered Austria, in the fields 

 of Thaun, of Abersberg, and of 



Eckmuhl. Whether the negotia- 

 tions of Altenburgh terminate in 

 peace, orwhether the war continue, 

 your majesty has in your depots 

 troops enough fit to take the field, 

 to recruit )-our army in Germany. 



In the month of January your 

 majesty pursued the English army 

 in Galiicia. While you were en- 

 gaged in it, your majesty was in- 

 formed that the court of Vienna 

 intended to break its engagements. 

 Though such an event seemed to 

 call the principal part of your 

 forces into Germany, your majesty 

 nevertheless thought proper to leave 

 your veteran army in Spain ; not 

 that the whole of that army was 

 actually necessary to complete the 

 subjugation of the Spanish rebels, 

 but to deprive England of the pos- 

 sibility of prolonging that rebellion, 

 of which she is the cause. That 

 power, seeing in the new system 

 established in Spain, the presage of 

 her own ruin, did not, however, de- 

 spair of overturning it; and her ef- 

 fortsuponthisoccasionhavegreatly 

 surpassed all that we have seen her 

 make upon similar occasions. 



General Moore had not been 

 able to bring oft' from Galiicia the 

 half of his troops. The immense 

 losses which his army sustained 

 did not dissuade the English go- 

 vernment from sending a fresh ar- 

 my, consisting of 40,000 men, to 

 Lisbon. It penetrated to the cen- 

 ter of Spain, and rallied round it 

 the various corps of insurgents.— 

 The banks of the Alberche and the 

 Tagus witnessed their flight and 

 their confusion. Compelled to re- 

 treat to the farther side of that ri- 

 ver. 



to superintend this business consist of some members of the Council of Finances, 

 and several deputies nominated by such of the cities of Spain as have authority to 

 vote for representatives (Frocuradores) in the Cortes.] 

 Vol. LI. 3 A 



