#809.) 
ject. When Tentered Spain, I hada com- 
Munication with. General Cuesta, through 
Sir Robert Wilson and Colonel Roche, re- 
specting the occupation of the Puerto de 
Banos, and the Puerto de Perales, the former ~ 
.of which, it was at last settled, should be 
held by a corps to be formed under the Mar- 
_ quis de Ja Reyna, to consist of two battalions 
‘from General Cuesta’s army, and two from 
Bejar; and that the Puerto de Perales, was 
to be taken care of by the Duque del Parque, 
by detachments from the garrison of Ciudad 
Rodrigo. 1 doubted of the capacity of the 
garrison of Ciudad Rodrigo, to make the de- 
tachment to the latter, but so little of the 
efiectual gccupation of the former, that in 
avriting to Marshal Beresford on the i7th 
July, I desired him to look tq the Pyetto de 
¥erales, but that I considered Banos as se- 
~Cure, as appears by the extract of my letter 
which Tinclose. On the 30th, intelligence 
was received at Talavera, that 12,000 ra- 
tions had been ordered at Fuente Oe see for 
the 28th, and 24,000 at Los Santos for the 
saine day for a French corps, which it was 
Delieved was on its-march towards the Puerto 
de Banos. General Cuesta expressed some 
anxiety respecting this post, and sent me a 
message, to propose that Sir Robert Wilson 
should be sent there with his corps. Sir‘? 
Robert was on that day at Talavera, but his 
corps was in the mountains towards Escalona, 
and as he had already made himself. very 
useful in that quarter, and had been’ near 
Madrid, with which city’ he had had a 
communication, which I was desirous of 
keeping’ up, I proposed that a Spanish corps 
should be sént to Banos without loss of time. 
I could not prevail with Ge neral Cuesta, al- 
though he certainly admitted the necessity 
of a reinforcement, when he proposed that 
Sir Robert should be sent to Banos; and he 
was equally sensible with myselr of the be- 
mefit tg be derived to the cause, from send- 
- jpg Sir Robert back to Escalona. At this 
time we had no further intelligence of the 
enemy’s advance, than that ee rations were 
ordered ; and I had hopes that the enemy 
might be deterred from advancing, by the 
intelligence of our success on the 28 3th, and 
that the troops in the Puerto might make 
some defence; and that under these circum- 
gtinces, it was not desirable to divert Sir R. 
‘Wilson fiom Escalona. On the 30th, how- 
‘Wrever, I renewed my application to General 
Cuesta, fo send there a Spanish division of 
sufficient strength, in a lecter to General 
© Donoghue, of which I inclose a copy, but 
without’ effect ; and he did not detach Gene. 
ral Bassecourc till the morning of the 2d, 
after we }iad heard that the enemy had en- 
tered Bejar, and it was obvious that the 
troops in the Puerto would make no defence. 
On the 2nd we received accounts that the 
enemy had entered Plasencia in two columns. 
The Marquis de la Reyna, whose two bat- 
galigas Comsisted of paly Ge apa with | 
' to Santa Olalla i in his fae 
State of Public Affuirs in October. 423 
20 rounds of ammunition each. man, retired 
from the Puerto and from Plasencia, Myf 
firing a shot, and went to the bridge of 
maraz, which he declared that he ee 
remove; the battalions of Bejar dispersed 
without making any resistance. ~The general 
called upon meon that day, and preposed that 
half of the army should march to the rear ta 
oppose the enemy, while the other half should 
maintain the post at Talavera, My answer 
was, that if by half the army, be meant 
half of each army, I could unly answer, that 
I was ready either to go or to stay with the 
whole British army, but that [ could not se- 
parate it. He thea desired me to chuse 
whether I would go or stay; and I preferred 
to go, from thinking that the British troops 
were most likely to do the business effectu- 
ally, and without contest; and from being 
of opinion it was more- important to us ‘than. 
to the Spanish army, to open the commu. 
nication through Plasencia, altheugh very 
important to them. With this decision, 
General Cuesta appeared perfectly satisfied, 
The movements of the enemy in our front 
since the 1st, had induced meto be of opinion, 
that déspairing of forcing us at Talavera, 
they intended to force a passage by Escalona, 
and thus to open a communication with the _ 
French corps coming from Plasencia. This 
Suspicion was confirmed oa the night of the 
2nd, by letters received from Sir Robert Wil- 
son of which I inciose copies; and before I 
quitted Talavera on the. 34, I waited upon 
General O’Doaoghue and conversed with 
him upon the whole of our. situation, and . 
pointed out to him the possibility that im 
case of the enemy coming through Escalona, 
‘General Cuesta might find himself obliged 
to quit Talavera, before I should be able to 
return to him; and I urged him to collect 
all the carts that. conld .be got, in order to 
remove our hospital, At his desire [put the 
- purport of this conversation in writing, and 
port &> 
sent him a letter to be laid before General 
Cuesta,-of which I inclose a-ccpy. The 
British army marched on the 3rd to Oropesa, 
General Bassecourt’s Spanish corps being at 
Centinello, where | desired that it mighe 
malt the next day, in order that I might be 
nearer it. About five o’clock in the evening, 
heard that the French had arrived from Pla- 
sencia at Navalmorai, whereby they were 
between us and the bridge of Alimaraz. 
About an hour afterwards, [ received from 
General O'Donoghue, the letter-and its ins 
closures, of whichI inclase copies, announcing 
to me the intention of General Cuesta to 
march from Talavera in the evening, and to_ 
leave there my hospital, excepting. such 
men as could be moved by, the means-he al 
ready had, onthe ground of his enn 
that I was not surong enough for the corps 
coming trom Plagencia, and that the enemy 
was moving upon his flank, and had returned 
that thes rgasong did not apRxaF ho eie.pH {ie 
pieng 
I acknowledge - 
