HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



211 



in dillerent directions. When the 

 French returned, after the retreat 

 from Talavera, to their old quar- 

 ters, the Guerillas were dispersed, 

 but not subdued ; for, on the de- 

 parture of the French troops from 

 a variety of posts, to join Massena, 

 the Guerillas appeared again in 

 force with increased boldness ; 

 and of this alternation of concen- 

 trating the French forces for fight- 

 ing great battles and dispersing 

 the different divisions, for sub- 

 sistence in a poor and exhausted 

 country, resolute to maintain its 

 independence, there seemed to be 

 no end. In proportion as the 

 Guerillas increased in numbers 

 and daring resolution, it became 

 necessary for the French to send 

 stronger and stronger escorts for 

 protecting their couriers and con- 

 voys against those parties, or, as 

 the French called them, bands, 

 who incessantly attacked the ene- 

 my in the rear, impeded his com- 

 . munications, cut off his supplies, 

 I and, by the booty that fell into 

 their hands, made up in no incon- 

 I siderable degree tor the ravages 

 I committed in the provinces by the 

 ' invaders. Indeed the misery to 

 j which the country had been re- 

 duced, was so great as to drive 

 1 many young men to the Guerillas 

 i as their only means of a livelihood. 

 j We find the French generals, in 

 I their private dispatches to the 

 I government, intercepted, continu- 

 ally deploring the necessity they 

 were under of detaching or sepa- 

 rating their divisions, for the pur- 



pose of maintaining the public 

 tranquillity in the conquered pro- 

 vinces, overawing the country,and 

 retaining it in subjection. The 

 French, notwithstanding the supe- 

 riority of their numbers, were un- 

 able to invade at once all parts 

 of the country. Harassed on 

 every side by an armed population, 

 they were ignorant of the number 

 of enemies they had to contend 

 with. The Guerillas, dispersed 

 by superior forces in one place, 

 appeared re-organized in another. 

 New bodies of armed men ap- 

 peared to spring up from the 

 earth after they were supposed to 

 be destroyed. 



A convoy destined for the pay 

 of the French army, was inter- 

 cepted in the night of the 10th of 

 October, by the celebrated par- 

 tizan, the patriot hero, Mina, be- 

 tween Bayonne and Madrid. The 

 governor of Gomara sent 300 men 

 to reinforce the escort, which was 

 also 300. The whole was dis- 

 persed or taken by 500 under 

 Mina, who became master of 12 

 carts loaded with silver, 60 pri- 

 soners, 30 horses, arms, and am- 

 munition.* A convoy was taken 

 by the Guerillas, of 6000 muskets, 

 and 6000 uniforms, on its way 

 from Bayonne to the troops in As- 

 turias. In the environs of Ma- 

 drid, a body of 8000 men, under 

 I'Empecinado, made King Joseph 

 himself tremble on his usurped 

 throne. It is stated in a Spanish 

 journal, that about the beginning 

 of September' "the uncle and 



• The following patriotic trait of the intrepid Mina, wlio so successfully harassed 

 the French in the north of Spain, deserves honourable mention. Among the num- 

 ber of French prisoners made by his party at the end of January, 1810, was the lady 

 of a French general, who olli?red him a ransom nf (jOOO piastres. " Send me 6000 

 stand of arms," said Mina, "and you sjiall have the lady." 



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