708 



BRITAIN. 



Britain. 



GEORGE III. 



1809. 

 Duel be- 

 tween Lord 

 Castle, 

 reagh and 

 Mr Can- 

 ning. 



Changes in 

 the cabinet. 



Military 

 operations 

 in Spain. 



colonial department, and Mr Canning, the secretary 

 of state for foreign affairs. The grounds of Lord 

 Castlereagh's challenge were, that Mr Canning ha- 

 ving conceived his lordship inadequate to the duties 

 of his high station, had clandestinely obtained a pro- 

 mise of his removal from the Duke of Portland; and 

 during six months that the plan of his dismissal was 

 in agitation, had disingenuously concealed the circum- 

 stance from hie lordship's knowledge. It appeared 

 indeed undeniable, that Mr Canning, who had de- 

 nounced the other to the premier as an incapable 

 war minister, far from disclosing this opinion to Lord 

 Castlereagh himself, had treated his lordship as if he 

 still possessed his confidence, and had allowed him to 

 plan and to carry into execution the most expensive 

 and formidable armament that ever sailed from the Bri- 

 tish shores. The affairs of Spain called for a vigo- 

 rous minister to be sent from this country : Lord 

 Wellesley was accordingly gazetted to that appoint- 

 ment ; but he delayed from May till August, till the 

 Walcheren expedition should sail ; while the interests 

 of Spain were neglected, that he might succeed Lord 

 Castlereagh as war secretary. Even Lord Castle- 

 reagh's removal was not to take place, unless it 

 could be reconciled to his lordship's reelings. It ap- 

 peared, that such had been the clashing of personal 

 interests, such the indecision of our councils, that 

 four different arrangements, respecting the business 

 of the war department, had been resolved upon in the 

 space of as many weeks ; while Bonaparte was sub- 

 verting the last independent empire in Europe. 



In the mean time, the ministry was completely 

 broken up. The Duke of Portland, who had exert- 

 ed his matured and experienced talents in the cabinet, 

 but which had been rendered too inefficient to his 

 country by the bodily agonies which he endured un- 

 der the disease of the stone, resigned on the verge of 

 death. Lord Castlereagh and Mr Canning resigned 

 formally after their duel. By the demise of the 

 Duke of Portland, the superintendence of his majes- 

 ty's councils devolved on Mr Perceval. He wrote 

 to Earl Grey and Lord Grenville, inviting them to 

 assist in forming an extended and combined adminis- 

 tration. The offer, however, was not such as to 

 warrant the acceptance of those noblemen. Appli- 

 cation was made more successfully to the Marquis 

 Wellesley, who succeeded Mr Canning as secretary in 

 the foreign department ; Lord Liverpool was trans- 

 ferred from the home to the war department ; and Mr 

 Ryder was placed in the room of Lord Liverpool. 

 Lord Palmerston was appointed secretary at war, in 

 the room of Sir James Pulteney. 



The hopes of effectually assisting the peninsula 

 had no sooner been animated by the rising of the 

 Spaniards in Gallicia, and the approach of an Aus- 

 trian campaign, than Sir Arthur Wellesley was de- 

 tached with an army, small but well appointed, with 

 immediate orders to act in Portugal, but with discre- 

 tionary powers of extending liis co-operation to the 

 Spaniards. He landed at Lisbon on the 22d of 

 April. General Soult, who had penetrated through 

 Gallicia, and left that country behind him, without 

 dreading the insurrection which shortly after broke 

 out, had possessed himself of Oporto, and intended, 

 undoubtedly, to have marched to the south of Por- 

 3 



1809. 



tugal, where he expected to effect a junction with Britain. 

 Victor ; but, learning that a formidable British force 

 had landed, he attempted to force a retreat into 

 Spain by the route of Zamora : For this purpose it 

 was necessary to possess himself of the pass of Ama- 

 rante ; but the Portuguese general Silviera so obsti- 

 nately defended this approach, that he was obliged 

 to retreat back to Oporto. Marshal Victor was at 

 this period at Merida, while Cuesta held a position 

 at Monasterio. Conceiving that Victor's force was 

 sufficiently watched by the Tatter commander, Sir Ar- 

 thur Wellesley determined to advance against Soult, 

 and to drive him from Oporto. But Soult, sensible 

 of his inequality to meet the combat, and wishing, at 

 the same time, to give Marshal Victor an opportunity 

 of pushing into the south of Portugal, withdrew the 

 main body of his army, and left his rear guard at once 

 to entice his pursuer, and to protect his own retreat. 

 An action took place between the advanced guard 

 of the British and the rear guard of Soult at Vendas 

 Novas, in which the former, being gallantly support- 

 ed by a Portuguese regiment, drove the enemy from 

 a strong position on the heights above Grijon. The 

 enemy then retreated across the Douro, and opposed 

 the passage of our troops : the river was crossed, 

 however, with the characteristic valour of British Oporto u- 

 soldiers, and Oporto was recovered. Sir Arthur ' cen .ty ' 

 Wellesley even hoped to cut off the retreat of Soult. B 

 The Portuguese general Silviera was posted upon 

 the Tamaga. If he had been able to have held this 

 position, no retreat could have been open to the ene- 

 my, except across the Minho ; but the loss of the 

 Bridge of Amarante, which the Portuguese were 

 unable to defend, afforded the French a passage into 

 the north of Spain. Sir Arthur Wellesley left the 

 pursuit of Soult to protect Lisbon and the south of 

 Portugal from Victor. 



In the mean time, the affairs of the patriots in 

 Spain were checked with alternate success and disas- 

 ter. On the Minho they repulsed Marshal Ney 

 (Duke of Elchingen) and General Loison at the 

 head of 8000 men. Forcing Ney to retreat, they 

 bravely recovered Corunna and Ferrol. They got 

 possession of St Andcro ; but this last place was the 

 scene of a tragical reverse, it was recaptured by 

 the French general Bonnet, and 5000 patriots were 

 put to the sword. In the north east of Spain, Gene- 

 ral Blake threw succours into Gerona, which nearly 

 rivalled Saragossa in the bravery of its defence. He 

 endeavoured also to relieve Saragossa ; but exposed 

 himself, in a rash encounter with General Suchet, to 

 a total and disgraceful defeat. His troops, struck by 

 a sudden panic, abandoned their baggage, their ar- 

 tillery, and their arms. Blake was thus obliged to 

 abandon Arragon, and endeavoured, at a distance 

 from the enemy, to restore discipline to his army. 



Still, however, the French thought it imprudent, 

 while their reinforcements were abridged by the war 

 in another extremity of Europe, to advance to the 

 south of Spain. Before they could reach Seville, it 

 was necessary to possess the passes of the Sierra Mo- 

 rena ; and, in the strong-holds of these passes, the 

 enemy dreaded to attack the Spaniards under Vene- 

 gas. Leaving that quarter unassailed, King Joseph 

 sent reinforcements from Sebastiani's army to Gene- 



