HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



169 



between Cadiz and the adjacent 

 country by vessels employed for 

 that purpose ; so that not only in- 

 telligence was obtained, but pro- 

 visions for supplying the wants of 

 the garrison and inhabitants. 



About the middle of March, 

 four Spanish ships of the line, one 

 of 100 guns, and one Portuguese 

 ship of the line, were driven on 

 shore in the bay of Cadiz, and lost 

 in a tempest. The rigging, as well 

 as 6 or 700 of the crews, mostly 

 English, was saved by the humane 

 exertions of the French marines. 

 The greater part of the hulks were 

 burnt. Thirty merchantmen, richly 

 laden, were also driven on shore 

 and lost. The effects of this tre- 

 mendous gale were also severely 

 felt in the Guadalquiver. 



In the night between the 15th 

 and 16th of May, near 2,000 

 French prisoners made theirescape 

 on board the hulks of old ships in 

 which they were confined, by tak- 

 ing advantage of the tide and a 

 favourable wind, and cutting their 

 cables, and letting the hulks drift. 

 They were landed from their float- 

 ing prisons by boats sent to their 

 aid by their countrymen on shore. 

 The siege of Cadiz went on but 

 slowly. The besiegers were but 

 ill supplied with provisions and 

 ammunition, and exposed to in- 

 cessant attacks from the parties 

 called Guerillas, from the in- 

 terior. They were obliged to send 

 out, from time to time, strong de- 

 tachments for conveying their sup- 

 plies of provisions ; and parties of 

 150 or 200 horsemen, for even 

 escorting a courier. Thus the 

 Guerillas, by weakening in some 

 degree the line of blockade, ope- 

 rated as a diversion in favour of 

 tlic garrison of Cadiz. 



The besieging army was posted 

 in a semicircle from Santa Maria 

 to St. Pedro, approaching as near 

 as possible to theSpanish outposts. 

 Besieging artillery, with a re-in- 

 forcement of troops, arrived at the 

 French lines on the 20th of April. 

 Fort Matagorda, one of the out- 

 works situate on the main land 

 opposite fort Puntales, command- 

 ing, in some measure, theentrance 

 into Puntal Roads, about two 

 miles from Cadiz, was taken on 

 the 22nd. On this, new works 

 were erected, and rafts constructed 

 on the canal of Trocadero, From 

 this point the besiegers took every 

 opportunity ofannoying our vessels 

 as they passed and repassed. A 

 constant firing was kept up be- 

 tween Matagorda and the opposite 

 fort of Puntales. The fire of 

 the French batteries was directed 

 chiefly against our gun-boats, and 

 that of ours against their working 

 parties. The distance between 

 Matagorda, on the north, and 

 Puntales, on the south of the 

 canal leading from the outer to 

 the inner harbour of Cadiz, is 

 only two English miles. The 

 French posts on the bay of Cadiz 

 were also annoyed by the English 

 gun-boats. The seamen employ- 

 ed by Buonaparte in the summer 

 of 1809 on the Danube, were sent 

 into Spain to assist in the opera- 

 tions against Cadiz. 



In our last volume we had occa- 

 sion to notice various instances of 

 the exalted patriotism and courage 

 of the Spanish ladies. Tliese were 

 exemplified in a very striking and 

 singular manner at the siege of 

 Cadiz. " Yesterday," says a Bri- 

 tish officer, " I had the pleasure 

 of seeing a woman that has a cap- 

 tain's commission in the Spanish 



