1.809.) 
By 49th Geo. Til. c. 82, no serjeant 
or non-commissioned officer, or drummer, _ 
@; musician, in the local militia, shall be 
required to serve louger than the service 
required from privates, adjutants, quar- 
ter-masters, or serjeants, or, non-con- 
missioned oiicers of the local militia, are 
Rot to train men enrolled for the regular 
State of Public Affairs in August. 
213 
militia, unless ordered. by the lieu- 
tenancy, : 
The gnalifications which may be s1- 
tuated in other counties, than those to 
which the officers belong, (see vol. 7, 
No, 185, p- 497,) shall extend to the 
local militia only. 
STATE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS IN AUGUST. 
Containing official Papers and authentic Documents. 
ee 
SPAIN. 
Downing- street, August 15, 1809. 
5 sea of which the fullowing 
are copies and extracts,were this day 
received at the Office of Lord Viscount 
Castleveagh, one of his Majesty’s Prin- 
cipal Secretaries of State, from Lieute- 
nant-General the Right Honourable Sir 
Arthur Wellesley, K.B. dated Talavera, 
29th july 1809. © 
Talavera de la Reyna, uly 29, 1809. 
My Lorp—General Cuesta followed the 
enemy’s march with his army from the Al. 
berché on the morning of the 24th, as far as 
. Santa Olalla, and pushed forward his advan- 
ced guard as far as Torrijos. For the reasons 
statéd to your Lordship in my dispatch of the 
24th, I moved only two divisions of infantry 
and a brigade of cavalry across the Alberché 
to Casalegos, under the command of Liente- 
thant General Sherbrooke, with a view te 
keep up the communication between General 
Cuesta aid me, and with Sir R. Wilson’s 
corps at Escalona. It appears that General 
Vanegas had not carried into execution that 
part of the plan of operations which related 
to nis corps, and that he was still at Damiel, 
§n La Mancha; and the enemy, ia the course 
of the 24th, 25th, and 26th, collected all his 
furces in this part of Spain, between Torrijos 
and ‘Toledo, leaving but a small corps of two 
thousand men in that place. His united 
‘army thus consisted of the cotps of Marsha! 
Victor, of that of General Sebastiani, and of 
seven or eight thousand men, the guards of 
Juseph Buonaparte, and the garrison of Ma- 
tlrid 5 and it was commanded by Joseph Buo- 
“naparte, aided by Marshals Jourdan and Vic- 
tor, and General Sebastiani. 
On the 26th, General Cuesta’s advanced 
guard was attacked near Torrijos, and obliged 
to fall back, and the ‘General retired with his 
“atmy on that day to the Jeft bank of the Al- 
berché, General Sherbrooke continuing at 
Lasalegos, and the enemy-at Santa Olalla. Ir 
was then vubvious that the enemy intended 
to try the result of a general action, for which 
the best position appeared to be in the neigh- 
bourhood of Talavera ; and Geéneral Cuesta 
having consented to take up this position on 
tue morning of the 27th, I ordered- General 
Siterbrovke to retire with his cerps to its sta- 
Montrury Mac. No. 189. 
tion in the line, leaving General Mackenzie 
with a division of infantry and a brigade of 
cavalry as an advanced post in the wood, on 
the right of Alberché, which covered our 
left flank. The position taken up by the 
troops at Talavera, extended rather more than 
two miles; the ground was open upon the 
left, where the British army was stationed, 
and it was commanded by a height on which 
was in echellon, and in second line, a division 
of infantry, under the orders of Major-Gene- 
ral Hill. There was a valley between this 
height, and a range of mountains still further 
upon the left, which valley was not at first 
occupied, as it was commanded by the height 
before-mentioned; and the range of moun- 
tains appeared too distant to have any influ- 
ence upon the expected action. 
The right, consisting of Spanish troops, ex~ 
tended immediately in front of the town of 
Talavera down to the Tagus.. This part of 
the ground was covered “by clive trees, and 
‘much intersected by banks and ditches. The 
high road leading from the bridge over the 
“Alberché, was defended: by a heavy battery 
in front of a church, which was occupied by 
Spanish infantry. All the avenues to the 
town were defended in asimilar manner; the 
town was occupied, and the remainder of the 
Spanish infantry was formed in two lines be- 
hind the banks on the roads which led from 
the town and the right, tothe left of cur 
position. In the centre, between the two 
armies, there was a commanding spot of 
ground, on which we had commenced to 
construct a fedoubt, with some open ground 
in its rear. Brigadier-General Alexander 
Campbell was posted at this spot with a divi- 
sicn of infantry, supported in his rear by Ge- 
neral Cotton’s brigade of dragoons, and some 
Spanish cavalry. At about two o’clock on 
the 27th, the enemy appeared in strength 9n 
the left bank of the Alberché, and manifested 
an intention to attack General Mackenzie's 
division. ‘The attack was made before they 
could be withdrawn; but che troops, con- 
sisting of General Mackenzie’s and Colonel 
Donkin’s brigade’, and General Anson’s 
brigade of cavalry, and supported by General 
Payne, with the other four regiments of ca- 
valry, inthe plain between Talavera and the 
wood, withdrew in good order, but. with 
some loss, partitutarly by the 2d battalion, 
Y 
2 E SF thy 
\ 
