450 PENINSULAR WAR. [1809. 



FROM JOHN WHISHAW.* 



"Saturday, August 19, 1809. 



" DEAR BROUGHAM, I am much obliged to you 

 for your letter, which I have just received, and which 

 was very acceptable, as I have been for some days 

 very desirous of knowing your address, supposing the 

 circuit to be ended. 



"The Hollands arrived last Saturday in good 

 health and spirits, all of them looking very well, 

 indeed much better for their journey. I went to 

 them early this week, and am now there again, stay- 

 ing for a few days. Their views of Spanish affairs 

 are extremely rational i.e., considerably desponding. 

 They properly consider the question as in a great 

 measure disposed of by the event of the Austrian war ; 

 but they think it will be a conquest difficult to be 

 retained, and inconvenient and embarrassing to the 

 conquerors. Except in Biscay and among the mer- 

 chants in some of the port-towns, there is, properly 

 speaking, no French party. But there is in many 

 places a great languor and indifference, and disposi- 

 tion to side with the strongest party. Still there 

 remains in the great body of the nation an excellent 

 spirit, which deserves to be animated and called out 

 by better leaders. The Junta appears to be feeble- 

 ness itself, too numerous for an effective or strong 

 Government, and too few for any purposes of popular 

 representation ; for indeed they are in other respects 

 altogether unfit. They are divided into committees 



* See above, p. 371. 



