HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



159 



he was to communicate with the 

 second corps, that of general Reg- 

 nier, who was to be under his 

 orders, and to have an eye on 

 what passed in the valley of the 

 Tagus.* 



The Supreme Junta, on the ap- 

 proach of the French army to the 

 Guadalquiver, fled to the Isle of 

 Leon. Most of them had been 

 employed, even from the time 

 when the French appeared at the 

 foot of the Sierra mountain, in 

 sending off their money and most 

 valuable effects to Cadiz, and in 

 selling as many things as they 

 could, for ready money, to the 

 English. One of their members, 

 couni Tilly, found means of going 

 to Philadelphia with an immense 

 fortune ; not less, it was said, than 

 three millions of dollars. Some 

 made their submissions to Joseph, 

 and said that others were going to 

 follow their example. 



This Junta, in number eighty- 

 six, had endeavoured to acquire 

 popularity by taking off the duties 

 most odious to the people; but 

 they never possessed the esteem 

 and confidence of the nation. The 

 greater part of the provinces paid 

 them but little submission ; and 

 all of them retained in their own 

 hands the administration of the 

 finances. The Central and Su- 

 preme Junta, without sufficient 

 authority to call forth and direct 

 the resources of the kingdom, 

 neither represented the king nor 

 the aristocracy, nor the people. 

 It was an assembly too numerous 

 for unity of design and prompti- 

 tude of action ; and too limited 

 ia its orgaaizatioD, to be the re- 



presentatives of the Spanish na- 

 tion. The Junta bestowed on 

 themselves, titles, ribbons, and 

 each 60,000 livres per annum. 

 They were suspected of a secret 

 desire, if n ot a determined resolu- 

 tion, to compromise matters, for 

 their own private interests, like 

 Morla : or, at least, to possess the 

 means of doing so. To this was 

 ascribed, not without a strong ap- 

 pearance of reason, their refusal to 

 admit a due British force, after the 

 retreat of sir John Moore, into 

 Cadiz, as a point of security, sup- 

 port, and retreat, in case of disas- 

 ter — and to prevent the Spanish 

 and English ships from falling 

 into the hands of the enemy. Yet 

 the argument by which they ex- 

 cused their opposition to the ad- 

 mission of the English, was not 

 unplausible. The fortress of Ca- 

 diz, they said, situate at a great 

 distance from the enemy, and easy 

 to be defended both by sea and 

 land, needed not for its security 

 any additional force. If a con- 

 juncture should arise when rein- 

 forcements might be necessary, 

 these could easily be brought from 

 different points ; but such an event 

 was yet far off. The Junta de- 

 clared that they were by no 

 means jealous of the English ; but 

 that they were under the necessity 

 of respecting the public opinion, 

 on which their authority was 

 founded. Counter orders were 

 given to 7,000 English troops, un- 

 der general Sherbrook, on their 

 way from Lisbon to Seville and 

 Cadiz, though the English general 

 was far from making any preten* 

 eioos to the command of the Spa* 



Letties de Soult ^ Berthier, Fevvier 2^t 3. Seville. 



