\ History. 
Bonaparte's 
measures in 
Holland. 
Disputes 
between 
Russia and 
France. 
Gperations 
in Spain, 
652 FRANCE. 
all the works that were going on in the dotk yards, ,a officer in the French ice, espe- 
and the ships that were Building. From Antwiep he ally as an engineer, and poe eden ibe 
went to Amsterdam, whence, on the 13th of October, which hhe Gould btrenythen' the Soctifleetions, or 
he issued a decree for assembling in council the depu- the of the Nothing, however 
ties to the legislative body, from the Dutch departments. could w the valour of the British, who carried 
In consequence of this meeting, a number of decrees the place by storm, after ring a severe loss, on the 
were issued, the most important of which were to the 7th of April. Soult had pus to relieve this 
following purpose: The departments and their bounda- 
anes al Sere of the French system of taxation 
into Holland, on 1st of January 1812—the establish. 
ment of two imperial manufactories of tobaceo—roads 
with their tolls—canals—aqueducts for conveying wa- 
ter from Amsterdam to the Hague—the proportion 
of the budget in Holland for the year 1810, by which 
the revenue is fixed at 95 millions of livres, and the 
at 111 millions—the establishment of two 
academies and secondary schools, on the French plan, 
&c. Bonaparte returned to Paris on the 11th of No- 
vember ; and soon afterwards issued an order for the 
immediate call of 120,000 conscripts of the year 1812. 
This increase of his forces was occasioned by the dis- 
putes. which, during 1811, had arisen between the Em- 
peror of Russia and Bon : the former, the 
treaty of Tilsit, had to exclude British goods 
from his dominions ; but the consequences of this mea- 
sure were so extremely prejudicial to the finances of his 
empire, already nearly exhausted, and to the interest of 
his nobles, many of whom depended entirely on the 
interchange of the uce of their estates for the 
merchandize of England, that Alexander was induced 
to connive at the infraction of the treaty in this 3 
This gave umbrage to Bonaparte ; and as Alexander, 
moreover, would not yield up Finland to Sweden, which 
Bonaparte required him to do, the difference was im- 
creased and exasperated, The whole year 1811 passed in 
negociations and discussions between France and Rus- 
sia; but as neither party was prepared for war, hosti- 
lities were deferred. Bonaparte still saw the Peninsu- 
la not only unsubdued, but requiring almost constant- 
ly fresh ao 3 ; and the Emperor Alexander, fatally 
convinced of the ruin attending the bere peep of 
hostilities, before eve’ ing was and prepa- 
red, resolved not to pr Bar, Sabo hastily. 
But though Bonaparte was afraid to act in a decided. 
ly hostile manner towards the Emperor of Russia, the 
King of Prussia received no such scrupulous treatment 
from him. Indeed he seemed resolved to humble that 
monarch as much as ible; and obliged him, much 
against his will, to join the confederacy of the Rhine, 
and to place a considerable body of his troops under 
the orders of General Rapp, the French commander on 
the southern coast of the Baltic. This confederation 
was now extremely powerful: At the beginning of this 
year, the states composing it contained a territory of 
5703 square leagues, with a population of nearly 15 
millions ; and the contingent of troops, which its 39° 
members furnished, was fixed at 118,682 men: these 
were taken, in the autumn of 1811, into the pay of 
France. See ConreDERATION oF THE Rute. 
As the history of the war in Spain, which is given 
under the article Brirrain, terminates with the reduc- 
tion of Ciudad Rodrigo, in January 1812, we shall re- 
sume and continue it in this place, 
“ The preservation of Ciudad Rodrigo being of the 
utmost consequence to the French, Marshal Marmont 
A. D. 1812. marched to its relief; before he arrived, however, it 
surrendered. 
. Lord Wellington’s next en ise Was 
Badajos, which had been rapelt time blockaded by 
General Hill. This place was commanded by Philip- 
expr, bowechwlemlernscre deve he commenced 
again retreated. : 
of Marmont were at Sa- 
‘and of Soult at Seville. 
Lord Wellin at Fuente de Guinaldo. 
His Lordship, at this time, formed a plan to cut off the 
communication between the French army of Portugal, 
and that before Cadiz ; and, for this 
ries of masterly manceuvres, he made h 
the bridge of Almaraz, on the eastern side of the pro- 
vince'of Estremadura. Here again Marshal Marmont 
_ Thenext 
his Lordshi Boggs toate. igh 
is ip’s Marmont, however, 
he was not able, or didjnot deem it prudent, to attempt 
preventing the loss of Reem r im e to’ 
its recapture. A ingly, ected his ‘on 
the Douro, Pe and 19th of June. et 
refuse battle ; but beasts fi , 
however, a communication * some forts in the nei; 
pourhood of the city, which still held out... 
these forts Lord Welli 
having reduced them, he forward against Mar- 
mont. The latter retired, crossed the Douro, and took 
to Lord phage 
in order to draw Marmont away it, he moved 
such a direction, as seemed to threaten Madrid. — 
French general also, about the same time, endeavoured 
to carry into execution a scheme for cutting off the com- 
munication between the British army and Ciudad Rod. 
rigo ; and, for this purpose, having reinforeed, he 
moved in such a manner, as to threaten the left of the 
British. Lord Wellington, on ria ene retreated a 
little, so as to render it secure; an i 
thus foiled, attempted to turn the right. Lord Wi 
lington now manceuvred in such a manner, as would 
not only protect it, but enable him to take ad 
any blander which Marmont might commit. Thus 
several days were spent. Marmont, constantly ma- 
neeuvring to turn the right of the British, wi | Lord 
Wellington, making correspondent movements, in order 
to defeat his object. At last, Marmont, in his anxiety 
to out-manceuvre the British army, d the 
per defence of his own, extending his line to the 
so far as to weaken the main body considerab 
fault Lord Welli instantl 
vantage of it. The centre 
attacked with such successful and 
that they were soon beaten. The ri, 
5 
- 
g 
s bravery, 
would have as 
urpose, by a se- 
master of 
7 
Badajos tae 
ken, 
7th April, 
1812, 
— ) 
a et... 
aphersion: M 
i This Battle of 
Frc a took ad. S#lamanca 
of the French were 
