192 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



mands the great eastern road, and 

 forms the defence ofLisbon, against 

 an enemy advancing from the Spa- 

 nish frontier : it is flanked on the 

 south-east by the Tagus, and on 

 the north-east byexceedinglysteep 

 mountains ; it is further strength- 

 ened by fortifications, which com- 

 mand the road that runs between 

 those heights and the river. To 

 give an idea of the extent of San- 

 tareni, it will be sufficient to say, 

 that it contains seventeen churches. 

 Santarem bears sad marks of the 

 French invasion in 1808. Junot's 

 army pillaged both churches and 

 altars ; they respected nothing but 

 the fortifications. The next im- 

 portant post on the great eastern 

 road to Spain, is Abrantes, distant 

 thirty miles from Santarem ; than 

 which it is of still greater impor- 

 tance. It is seventy miles distant 

 from Lisbon, and one hundred and 

 twenty from Guarda, whicli was 

 the principal station of the British 

 army: it is situated fast by the 

 Tagus; it was a Roman station; 

 a circumstance which sufficiently 

 indicates its natural strength. It 

 was not fortified. Villa Velha is 

 another military position, inas- 

 much as it commands another pas- 

 sage over the Tagus. It is envi- 

 roned by rugged and bare moun- 

 tains, through which the Tagus 

 seems to burst by force. Casteilo 

 Branco is situate at the foot of 

 another pass. The country around 

 is full of military positions, so 

 strong, that it may be considered 

 as one fortification. Casteilo 

 Branco was also a Roman station. 

 The citadel and v/alls are in ruins. 

 It could not stand a siege ; but still 

 it is a strong j osition. Midway 

 between Casteilo Branco andGuar- 

 da is Cavilha. Here the country 



begins to rise, to become rugged, 

 and to be covered with heights, 

 forming what in the peninsula are 

 called Sierras, or chains of moun- 

 tains. The Sierra d'Estrellas, or 

 Mountain of Stars, in the imme- 

 diate vicinity of Coviiha, rises to 

 the height of 6,000 feet above the 

 level of the sea. It is so steep, 

 that while the stones of some of 

 the houses built thereon are 50 or 

 60 feet from the ground on one 

 side, their floors, as in the city of 

 Edinburgh, on the opposite side 

 are on a level with it. A city so 

 large and so situated as Coviiha, 

 must be of incalculable advantage, 

 in case of a retreat, in opposing 

 an advancing enemy. 



From Coviiha the ground rises 

 from mountain to mountain to 

 Guarda, the principal station of 

 the English. It stands on one of 

 the mountains of the Sierra d'Es- 

 trellas, near the source of the Mon- 

 dego ; it has an old castle, and is 

 encompassed by turreted stone 

 walls. Guarda is so situated, that 

 when seen at a distance it looks 

 like a steeple on the summit of 

 the mountain on which it is situ- 

 ate. . The roads leading to it are 

 extended over clefts of rocks : it 

 is beyond a doubt the strongest 

 position in Portugal ; it is impreg- 

 nable. So long as lord Wellington 

 could feed his army at Guarda, 

 he could set the whole power of 

 France at defiance. Guarda might | 

 be reduced by famine, but not by 

 force. From Guarda to Ciudad ^ 

 Rodrigo, for a considerable time, H 

 the head quarters of Massena, the " 

 distance is about twenty-five miles; 

 but the two armies were so far 

 advanced beyond their respective 

 head quarters, that divisions of 

 them were sometimes within ten. 



