212 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



worthy successor of the immortal 

 Mina, * in the command of his 

 party, had routed near Pampeluna 

 800 Gcmachies [apes]." So the 

 Spaniards nick-named the French, 

 as the Americans, in the war with 

 England, called our soldiers Lob- 

 sters. It would seem that nick- 

 names of enemies are of some use 

 among raw troops, consisting of 

 armed peasantry. It is added in 

 the same paragraph, tliat this ex- 

 cellent warrior laid Pampeluna it- 

 self under contribution, by threat- 

 ening to starve it. The common es- 

 cortforacourierto the smallest dis- 

 tance was 200 dragoons; to France 

 1400. Buttowards the end of 1810, 

 when the Guerillas had increased 

 prodigiously, in both boldness and 

 numbers, at the same time that 

 the Portuguese militia and orde- 

 nanza hung in great force on the 

 rear of Massena, this force was 

 deemed very inadequate indeed to 

 the service. In November, a body 

 of French infantry and cavalry, 

 3000 strong, passing the Zezerc, 

 and crossing the Lower Ceria, took 

 the road by the side of Castle 

 Branco to the Spanish border, 

 merely for the purpose of escorting 

 a courier and obtaining informa- 

 tion ; as appeared from the short 

 time in which they returned to the 

 positions at the bridges of the Ze- 

 zere and the fort of Punhete. 



There was a whole division of 

 French troops under the orders of 

 general Ciarapede, appointed for 

 escorting couriers between Ciudad 

 llodrigo and Santarem. When 

 general Foix was sent, in No- 

 vember, by Massena to Paris, he 

 was escorted by 2000 men. On 



his return to the French position 

 at Salamanca, with dispatches for 

 Massena, January 13, 1811, lie 

 was escorted by near 3000 men. 

 The success of patriotic skirmish- 

 ing in Anagon forced Buonaparte 

 to send 4000 gens d'armes into 

 that province from France. 



These are a few of the examples 

 of the activity and enterprise of 

 the Guerillas. But, after all, the 

 Guerillas were liable to be cut off 

 in detail, or most easily dispersed ; 

 while the French, by seizing the 

 fortresses, ports, cities, and towns, 

 and the roads from one city or 

 town to another, proceeded by 

 sure steps to the conquest of the 

 whole country ; of a large portion 

 of ivhich, at the end of 1810, they 

 had uncontrolled, though very un- 

 quiet possession. Nothing greatcan 

 be achieved by mere numbers, 

 without combination or concert. 

 The operations of the Guerillas 

 were accidental and desultory. 

 Even the Spanish armies did not 

 compose one grand army, but were 

 always placed beyond a ready and 

 useful communication with each 

 other. All the elernents of a great 

 and glorious army were to be 

 found in Spain ; but a spirit was 

 wanting to breathe on the chaos, 

 and reduce it to form. None 

 could be more sensible of this than 

 the Spaniards themselves, and ac- 

 cordingly every eye was directed 

 with fond expectation to the meet- 

 ing of tiie Cortes. Nor was it the 

 Spanish nation alone that enter- 

 tained the most sanguine hopes 

 from this assembly. It was gene- 

 rally thought by intelligent and 

 learned men, that the Cortes would 



■ * It would appear that Mina, wlio appears again on the theatre of war, had been 

 obliRcd to ronsult for some time his personal safetv, being cut ofl'fiora his party, by 

 night. 



