208 



ANNUAL REGISTlER, ISIO. 



cut off from the French by 

 a double line of fortifications, 

 mounted with heavy artillery, and 

 manned, partly, by a body of 

 3,000 seamen. So that the enemy 

 could not advance to Almeida 

 opposite to Lisbon ; which it was 

 apprehended might be his inten- 

 tion. The corps of general Hill 

 and general Beresford were post- 

 ed on the south bank of the river; 

 while in front of the grand line of 

 Torres Vedras, lord Wellington 

 lay with the main body of the 

 British army at Cartaxo. The 

 British fleet lay between, and on 

 whichsoever side an attack might 



be made, was ready to bring 

 over reinforcements from the 

 othei'. The number of troops 

 that could be brought into action, 

 within not many hours, has been 

 variously stated. They seem, as 

 far as we have been able to judge, 

 in point of numbers, to have been 

 pretty nearly equal ; that is, on 

 each side from 80 to 90,000. 

 What advantage of numbers there 

 was, probably lay on the side 

 of the allies. Such nearly 

 were the relative positions and 

 force of the French and the al- 

 lied army of Portugal at the close 

 of 1810. 



