806 
FRANCE. 
her, and, while rallying his troops, he received his death 
from a (hell which fell perpendicularly on his head. 
General Perignon, his fucceffor, immediately attacked 
the Spaniards, who were (aid to be between forty and fifty 
thoufand in number, on (trongly fortified mountains, in 
the neighbourhood of Figttiere, defeated them after a 
bloody engagement, took their artillery, forced an en¬ 
trenched camp to which they had retreated, and compelled 
them to fly fix or (even leagues from the field of battle. 
The fort of Figuiere was then invefted, and, though gar- 
rifoned with ten thoufand men, and abundantly victualled, 
held out only two days, the garrifon yielding themfelves 
prifoners.of war. After thefe fucceffes, the French pro¬ 
ceeded to the fiege of Rotas, which was formed amidft 
many difficulties ; but they foon made a practicable 
breach in the walls. The garrifon, fearing the town 
would be taken by affault, evacuated it in the night, and 
embarked on-board vellels in the bay, leaving only five 
hundred men, who opened the gates as foon as their com¬ 
rades were out of danger. The French now extended 
their requifitions throughout Catalonia, threatening alike 
the cities of Gironne on the river Terilfe, and of Tortofa 
on the Ebro. 
The war in the Weftern Pyrenees was conducted during 
the fame period with no lefs fuccefs : the mildnefs of the 
winter favoured the enterpriling genius of the French, 
and they laboured with the greatest earneftnefs to ftreng- 
then their pofitions on the fide of St. Jean de Luz, which 
they greatly extended, and in proportion (traitened thofe 
of the Spaniards. At length a general affiuult was made 
by thirteen thoufand Spanifli infantry, feven hundred ca¬ 
valry, and a numerous artillery, on the whole line from 
Calvaire to the Bidaffoa, as well as on the Croix des Bou¬ 
quets. The French, though at firft thrown into confu- 
fion, rallied, and contefted the day with great gallantry ; 
fome fault in generalfhip, and a want of vigour in fome 
points of attack, were prejudicial to the aflailants; and, 
after an arduous conflict of feven hours, the French retain¬ 
ed all their pofis, though the Spaniards retreated in good 
order. The French brigadier l’Efpinafle particularly 
diflinguilhed himfelf in this engagement ; and the con¬ 
vention, in reward of his valour, elevated him to the rank 
of brigadier-general. 
In the early part of the fummer, the general fuccefs 
which crowned the French arms animated the foldiers on 
the Weftern Pyrenees to attempt various exploits ; with¬ 
out waiting for fifteen battalions promiied from La 
Vendee. They prelfed their commander, general Muller, 
to lead them into the territory of Spain. Urged by their 
valour, the general divided his force into three portions, 
to penetrate by different routes to inveft Pampeluna. Two 
thoufand three hundred men, under general LaviCtoire, 
moved on the 2d of June towards Berdaritz ; fifteen hun¬ 
dred troops directed their march acrofs the mountains, 
through a narrow pafs ; while eight hundred threatened 
the Aldudes through the vale. The Bifcayans, with 
Lavicloire at their head, having reached the mountain 
of Ourifca, prelfed boldly forward ; but their ardour was 
•allayed by a violent difehargeof mulketry and grape-(hot, 
which killed ViCtoire. The French, however, defeended 
impetuoufly from the mountain, and by a fpirited exertion 
gained the redoubt ; the Spaniards took fhelter in the 
Cafa Fuerte, but, finding the cannon of the redoubt turned 
againft them, furrendered at diferetion. 
Another column of two thoufand men under general 
Lefranc, attacked the Straits of Ifpeguy j and, though 
oppofed by numerous difficulties, and two lines of re¬ 
doubts, they carried their point, having wounded the 
Spanilh general, and killed a hundred men. A column 
of four thoufand under general Suzamicq, was employed 
in keeping the Spaniards in check on the fide of Altobif- 
car, while general Caftelvert, at the head of fifteen hun¬ 
dred men, penetrated without oppofition through the 
Strait of Mayo. The Spaniards immediately abandoned 
their redoubt, while the French burnt the village of Al¬ 
dudes, having thus gained the entrances of the valley of 
Baztan, which opened their way to Pampeluna. 
Although considerably difpirited, the Spaniards made 
a vigorous attack on the French on the 23d of June: 
eight thoufand infantry and five hundred cavalry defeend- 
ing rapidly from Vera, made themfelves matters of the 
rock of Urrugna ; but the republicans, fpeedily rallying, 
drove back the aflailants, with the lofs of five hundred 
killed and wounded. 
The king of Spain, contrary to the opinion of his ex¬ 
cellent general, don Ventura Caro, placed his principal 
hopes on the defence of the valley of Baztan, and fought 
to animate his army by a proclamation, calling to mind 
the glorious achievements of their anceftors, in defending 
that territory againft Louis XIV. But Caro, diftrufting 
the effect of this appeal, folicited his recal; and with him 
vnnifhed all the fpirit, enterprife, and refolution, which 
the Spaniards had hitherto difplayed. General Urrutia, 
who commanded in the valley of Baztan, endeavoured to 
amufe the French by frequent movements, and exhibi¬ 
tions of a pretended force ; but they, defpifing fineffe, 
made a fpirited attack July the 10th, on the camp of the 
emigrants on the mountain of Arqiiinzu, killed a great 
number, wounded their leader the marquis de St. Simon, 
and took a number of prifoners, whom they executed as 
traitors. The French, fluflied with fuccefs, on the 26th 
of July, took pofleffion of the fertile valley of Baztan, 
after a flight and ineffectual refiftance on the part of the 
Spaniards. Such was the terror of the inhabitants, that 
the French found it ahnoft deferted ; they declared the 
property of the fugitives fubjeCt to the laws refpeCting 
the property of emigrants, and employed commiffioners 
to get in the harveft for the benefit of the republic. The 
day following, the centre of the French army, under ge¬ 
neral de la Borde, attacked the Spanifli intrenchments ex¬ 
tending from Biriatu to Vera, which were ftrongly fortified 
and valiantly defended; but the republicans furmounted 
every obftacle, forced the intrenchments, and captured 
Vera and Lefaca on the other fide of the Bidaffoa. After 
this fuccefs, four battalions, on the 4th of Auguft, took, 
pofleffion of the valley of Lerins, leading from Elizondo 
to St. Eftevan, along the Bidaffoa, while two other bat¬ 
talions gained the heights of Almandoz. The Spa¬ 
niards left in St. Eftevan only a few volunteers, who, 
on the approach of the French, blew up their magazine, 
and fled. 
Meanwhile general Moncey, quitting Elizondo, joined 
de la Borde; and with their united force, amounting to 
twelve thoufand men, marched to attack a Spanilh camp 
on the mountain of Aya, which covered the rear of Irun: 
they reached their place of deftination on the enfuing day, 
and, contrary to all expectation, the Spaniards precipi¬ 
tately retreated, without refiftance. At the fame time 
the French general Fregeville took a pofition deemed al- 
rnoft impregnable on the mountain of St. Michael, while 
DelT'ein crofting the Bidaffoa, the Spaniards fled in every 
direction, and the French became completely mafters of 
the river. Irun fell into the power of the victors ; and 
Garreau, with a few troops, feizing the favourable op¬ 
portunity, furnmoned Fontarabia, which, being incapable 
of defence, furrendered, with the caftle of Figuieres,which 
commands the harbour. In thefe enterprizes the repub¬ 
licans took two thoufand prifoners, with a vaft quantity of 
ammunition and (tores. The general next attacked St- 
Sebaftian, and employed Latour d’Auvergne to arrange 
the capitulation, which was figned on the 4th of Auguft 
by the governor and alcades, to the great regret of the 
garrifon, who complained of being betrayed: they were 
l'eventeen hundred in number, and made prifoners of war ; 
all the (hipping in the harbour was given up to the vic¬ 
tors, who increafed their booty by a general requifition, 
and by obliging the people to take affignats at par. The 
provisional affembly of Guipufcoa, fenlible of the perilous 
fituation of the territory, met at Guetaria, and offered a 
capitulation, by which their province (hould be conlidered 
1 as 
