JET. 32.] PENINSULAR WAR. 477 



to you for your letter, and for the sheets of the ' Edin- 

 burgh Keview/ which I received by the last post."* 

 I read them to Lady Grey last night, and I am sure 

 it will not be less gratifying to you to receive her 

 applause than mine. I think it a clear and excellent 

 exposition of all the transactions of the campaign. 

 If I were disposed to criticise severely, I should per- 

 haps say that it was better as a political paper than 

 as a critical review; but if this does not interfere 

 with the general object of the publication, the objec- 

 tion is of no importance. There is one point on 

 which, as I believe you are aware, we are perhaps 

 not quite agreed, I mean on the policy of beginning 

 in Portugal. I still am inclined to think that that 

 was the best operation if it had been properly and 

 rationally conducted. There is one other point, too, 

 on which I could have wished you had been fuller, 

 and that is on what is the strongest plea of the 

 ministers viz., that the diversion created by Moore 

 saved Spain at the time, and afforded the means of 

 all the subsequent resistance that has been made. 

 Nothing, in my opinion, can be more false than this. 

 It did indeed create a diversion, which drew off Bona- 

 parte with his main force for three weeks or a month. 

 But being then free from all uneasiness with respect 

 to any British army, which for the purposes of the 

 campaign was annihilated, he had champs libre for 

 his further operations against the Spaniards; and 

 he would have made short work if he had not been 



* See p. 474, note. 



