HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



207 



by adding art to the advantages 

 whicli it enjoyed by nature, and 

 even by laying its environs under 

 water. The French position formed 

 a triangle, of which Santarem and 

 the Tagus were the base ; the 

 Zezere one of the legs, and a 

 chain of mountains the other. 

 BriJges were thrown across the 

 Zezere, and a body of troops 

 was stationed at Punhete, whicli 

 was fortified. In November and 

 December, the cavah-y,9or 10,000, 

 were dispersed in cantonments 

 along the right of the Tag is, so 

 far as the borders of Upper Beira, 

 Redoubts were constructed at dif- 

 ferent points on the same side of 

 the river. Thus the circle Mas- 

 sena had to depend on for subsist- 

 ence was somewhat widened, and 

 he looked forward to the reinforce- 

 ments and supplies which he ex- 

 pectedfromDrouet and Gordonne 

 on the one hand, and from Mortier 

 on the other, Drouet's corps, 

 12,000strong, with a largeconvoy, 



t arrived early in December, and, 

 some weeks thereafter, that under 

 Gordonne, nearlyequal innumber. 

 Towards the end of that month, 

 detachments from the army of 



I Mortier, and that of Soult, to the 

 number of 12 or 14,000, having 

 quitted Andalusia, were on their 



I march on the left of the Ta- 

 gus, through Estremadura. When 



; Drouetwas advancing through the 

 valley of Mondego, col, Wilson, 

 to avoid an unequal contest, aban- 

 doned Coimbra, and retired on 



I Espinhal. 



' There was now some appear- 

 ances that seemed to menace a 

 turn of fortune in favour of the 



I French. But lord Wellington 



I was firm in adhering to his plan, 

 nor ever for a moment doubted of 



ultimate success. He considered 

 that if the reinforcements sent, or 

 yet to be sent, should be unable to 

 protect his convoys against the at- 

 tacks of those numerous bodies of 

 troops that harassed him in flank 

 and rear, and to cover the forma- 

 tion of magazines, they would ag- 

 gravate the distress arising from 

 the want of necessaries, instead of 

 alleviating it. The ardour and 

 activity of lord Wellington were 

 suitable to the importance of the 

 crisis. He was very sparing in 

 his diet, and slept in his clothes. 

 He was up every morning at four 

 o'clock, and at five he rode out 

 and visited his advanced posts. 

 The noble enthusiasm with which 

 he was actuated was infused by 

 sympathy. The whole country- 

 was under arms. Every thing at 

 Lisbon was military. The city 

 was garrisoned by marines from 

 the English fleet. The garrison 

 of Lisbon was sent to reinforce 

 the array, which was also aug- 

 mented by the arrival of 10 or 

 12,000 men, under the marquis 

 of Romana. The greater part of 

 the British troops had arrived from 

 Cadiz, and other regiments were 

 arriving from time to time from the 

 Mediterranean, Lisbon, and Gib- 

 raltar. The seamen and marines 

 were also landed from the fleet, 

 to assist in working the guns in 

 the batteries. The banks of the 

 Tagus on the right were flanked 

 by our armed boats, and seven 

 sloops were sent up the river. 

 Great fortifications were raised on 

 the south of the Tagus, to cover 

 the river and protect the shipping. 

 The peninsula, formed by a creek 

 or small bay at Moita, near Alden 

 Gallega, on the Tagus, and the 

 bay of St. Ubes, at Settuval; was 



