166 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



cept what he would do with plea- 

 sure, his obliging offer. 



On the 16th of February, the 

 Junta of Cadiz received a written 

 message from king Joseph, by a 

 flag of truce, in which he gra- 

 ciously expressed his readiness to 

 forgive and forget all their of- 

 fences ; represented the ruinous 

 consequences of war, which must 

 annihilate commerce, and destroy 

 the mass of the inhabitants, and 

 requested tliat persons might be 

 deputed from Cadiz to treat for 

 the security of the Spanish fleet. 

 This note was addressed to three 

 of the leading members of the 



Junta Answer. " The city of 



Cadiz faithful to its principles, 

 renounces any other king than 

 Ferdinand VII." 



The duke of Albuquerque was 

 removed from the command of 

 the army in the Isle of Leon, and 

 General Blake appointed in his 

 stead. But until General Blake, 

 who was employed in collecting 

 the wrecks of the army of Arie- 

 saga, should arrive in Cadiz, the 

 command of the army was en- 

 trusted provisionally to general 

 Castanos. 



The cause and manner of the 

 duke's removal, which may well 

 appear a matter of surprise and 

 indignation was as follows : — 

 The duke's little armj^ on its ar- 

 rival after a long and rapid march, 

 in the Isle of Leon, was in want 

 of necessaries of all kinds. The 

 only authority at that crisis was 

 the Junta of merchants, above 

 mentioned. To this body the 

 duke applied for clothes, arms, 

 ammunition, accoutrements, and 

 pay ; and, in a word, for every 

 thing that his troops stood in 

 need of. The Junta alleged that 



it was not in their power to fur- 

 nish the necessaries demanded. 

 The duke maintained that it was ; 

 and declared publicly, that he 

 could not remain at the head of 

 an army in want of every thing 

 with which an army should be 

 provided. The feeble provisory 

 regency, crouching, and willing 

 to temporize with the Junta, ap- 

 pointed the duke of Albuquerque 

 ambassador to the court of Lon- 

 don ; which was only an honour- 

 able exile. It was easy to per- 

 ceive, that treatment so base and 

 injurious made a deep and pain- 

 ful impression on the feeling mind 

 of that high and heroic spirit. 

 But animated by the same love 

 of his country, which had re- 

 strained him from dissolving the 

 Municipal Junta, which he could 

 have done with a word of his 

 mouth, he smothered his resent- 

 ment for the space of eight 

 months; when, being no longer 

 under any anxiety for the safety 

 of Cadiz, he conceived it to be 

 due both to his own honour and 

 interest, as well as those of his 

 country, to vindicate his honour 

 and reputation. He set himself 

 to write and publish a manifesto, 

 that might serve as an answer to 

 his enemies. It was dated at Lon- 

 don, December 12, 1810. In 

 this the duke declared, that he 

 had attended in person the sittings 

 of the Junta of Cadiz as often as 

 possible to represent the urgent 

 necessity of the troops under his 

 command. His communication 

 was verbal, frank, friendly, and 

 confidential. This intercourse was 

 continued till he was convinced by 

 his own observation, as well as 

 what fell in conversation with in- 

 dividual members of that body, 



