front. These troops were supported by the cavalry and by the 1st and 5th divisions, and Colonel Ashworth's brigade in reserve.

These movements obliged the enemy to abandon all the positions which they successively took in the mountains; and the two corps d'armée, composing the rear-guard, were flung back upon the main body at Miranda de Corvo, upon the river Esa, with considerable loss of killed, wounded, and prisoners. In the operations of this day, the 43d, 52d, and 95th regiments, and 3d caçadores, under the command of Colonels Drummond and Beckwith, and Major Patrickson, Lieut. Colonel Ross and Majors Gilmour and Stewart particularly distinguished themselves; as also the light infantry battalions of General Picton's division under Lieutenant-Colonel Williams, and the 4th caçadores under Colonel de Regoa, and the troops of horse-artillery under the command of Captains Ross and Bull. The result of these operations has been that we have saved Coimbra and Upper Beira from the enemy's ravages, and we have opened the communications with the northern provinces, and we have obliged the enemy to take for their retreat the road by Ponte de Murcella, in which they may be annoyed by the militia acting in security upon their flank, while the allied army will press upon their rear. The whole country, however, affords many advantageous positions to a retreatHg army, of which the enemy have shewn that they know how to avail themselves.

- They are retreating from the country as they entered it, in one solid mass; covering their rear on

every march by the operations of either one or two corps-d'armée, in the strong positions which the country affords; which corps-d'armée are closely supported by the main body. Before they quitted their position, they destroyed a part of their cannon and ammunition; and they have since blown up whatever the horses were unable to draw away. They have no provisions excepting what they plunder on the spot; or, having plundered, what the soldiers carry on their backs; and live cattle. I am concerned to be obliged to add to this account, that their conduct throughout this retreat has been marked by a barbarity seldom equalled, and never surpassed. Even in the towns of Torres Novas, Thomar, and Pernes, in which the head-quarters of some of the corps had been for four months, and in which the inhabitants had been induced, by promises of good treatment, to remain, they were plundered, and many of their houses destroyed on the night the enemy withdrew from their position; and they have since burnt every town and village through which they have passed. The convent of Alcobaça was burnt by order from the French head quarters. The bishop's palace, and the whole town of Leyria, in which General Drouet bad his head-quarters, shared the same fate; and there is not an inhabitant of the the country of any class or description, who has had any dealing or communication with the French army, who has not had reason to repent of it, and to complain of them.

This is the mode in which the promises have been performed,

and

and the assurances have been fulfilled, which were held out in the proclamation of the French Comamander in Chief; in which he told the inhabitants of Portugal, that he was not come to make war upon them, but with a powerful army of 110,000 men, to drive the English into the sea. It is to be hoped that the example of what has occurred in this country will teach the people of this and of other nations, what value they ought to place on such promises and assurances, and that there is no security for life, or for any thing which renders life valuable, excepting in decided resistance to the enemy. I have the honour to enclose returns of killed and wounded in the several affairs with the enemy since they commenced their retreat. I have received the most able and cordial assistance through out these operations from Lieut. General Sir Brent Spencer, and Marshal Sir W. Beresford, whom I had requested to cross the Tagus, and who has been with me since the 11th instant; from Major-Generals Sir W. Erskine, Picton, Cole, and Campbell; Major-Gen. Slade and Major-General, the Hon. C. Colville, and the general and other officers commanding brigades under their orders respectively. I am particularly indebted to the Quarter-master-general Colonel Murray for the assistance I have received from him, and the deputy Adjutant-general the Hon. Col. Pakenham, and the officers of the Adjutant and Quarter-master-general's department, as also to those of my personal staff, who have given me every assistance in their power.

I am sorry to inform your lord

Louzao, March 16. Major-General Cole joined Major-General Nightingall at Espinhell on the afternoon of the 14th, and this movement, by which the Esa was passed, and which gave us the power of turning the strong position of Miranda de Corvo, induced the enemy to abandon it on that night. They destroyed at this place a great number of carriages, and buried and otherwise destroyed or concealed, the ammunition which they had carried; and they likewise burnt much of their baggage and the road throughout the march from Miranda is strewed with the carcases of men and animals, and destroyed carriages and baggage. We found the enemy's whole army yesterday in a very strong position on the Ceira, having one corps as an advanced guard in front of Foy d'Aronce on this side of the river. I immediately made arrangements to drive in the advanced guard, preparatory to the movements which it might be expected to make to cross the Cira this morning. Brigadier General Pack's brigade had been detached in the morning through the mountains to the left, as well to turn the enemy in his position at Miranda de Corvo, as in view to any others they might take up oà this side of the Ceira. The light division, under Major-General Sir W. Erskine, was ordered to possess some heights immediately above Foy d'Aronce, while Major-Gent Picton's division was moved along the great road to attack the left of the enemy's position, and of the village.

The

The 6th division, under MajorGeneral Campbell, and the hussars and 16th light dragoons, supported the light division, and the 1st division and the 14th and royal dragoons, the third. These movements succeeded in forcing the enemy to abandon his strong positions on this side of the Ceira, with considerable loss. The Colonel of the 39th regiment was made prisoner. The light troops of Gen. Picton's division under Lieut. Col. Williams, and those of Major-Gen. Nightingall's brigade, were principally engaged on the right, and the 98th regiment in front of the light division; and these troops behaved in the most gallant manner. The horse artillery, likewise, under Captains Ross and Bull, distinguished themselves upon this occasion. The troops took much baggage and some ammunition carriages in Foy d'Aronce. I had been prevented from moving till a late hour in the morning by the fog; and it was dark by the time we gained possession of the last position of the enemy's advanced guard. In the night the enemy destroyed the bridge on the Ceira, and retreated, leaving a small rear-guard on the river.

ligence; but as every exertion had been made to complete the works as well as our materials would allow, and as piquets were nightly stationed from one extreme of the Island to the other, in order to prevent surprise, I waited with confidence the meditated attack.

Yesterday his Majesty's ship Tartar anchored on the north side of the Island. The enemy's flotilla and army, consisting in all of nearly four thousand men, have this day, after a close combat of four hours and a half, received a most complete and decisive defeat, and are fled back to their ports, with the loss of three pieces of cannon and upwards "of five hundred prisoners; a number greater by one hundred and fifty men than the garrison I command.

I am now to detail the proceedings of the day. In the morning, just before dawn, the out-piquets on the south-side of the Island made the signal for the enemy's being in sight. The garrison was immediately put under arms, and I lost not a moment in proceeding with the brigade of howitzers, and two hundred infantry, accompanied by Captain Torrens (who had hitherto acted as major-commandant to the battalion), in order to oppose their landing. On ascending an elevation, for the purpose of recon noitring, I discovered the landing had already been effected, under the cover of darkness and a fog, and that the enemy were advanc ing rapidly and in great numbers.

On both wings the enemy now far outflanked us, and I saw that if we continued to advance, they would get between us and our works. I instantly ordered a retreat, which was effected in good

order

order, and without loss, although the enemy were within pistol shot of our rear, and seemed determined to enter our batteries by storm; but Fort Yorke and Massareene batteries opened such a well-directed fire of grape and musketry, that the assailants were obliged to fall back and shelter theinselves under the sand-hills. As the day lightened, we perceived that the enemy's flotilla, consisting of 18 gun boats, had taken up a position on the south-side of the Island at point-blank shot. -ordered the signal to be made to the Tartar and Sheldrake that the enemy had landed, upon which these vessels immediately weighed, and under a heavy press of sail used every endeavour to beat up the south-side, but the extent of shoals threw them out so many miles, that it was some hours before their intention could be accomplished. The gun-boats now opened a very heavy fire on our works, while a column of about six hundred men crossed the island to the westward, and took up a position on the northern shore, covered by hillocks of sand, by breaks and inequality of ground. Another column made many attempts to carry the Massareene battery by storm, but were as often repulsed, and compelled to cover themselves under hillocks of sand, which on this island are thrown up by every gale.

The column on the south-side bad now succeeded in bringing up a field-piece against us, and Captain Holloway, who had commanded at the advanced post, joined us by water. I had been under great apprehensions that this ofacer bad fallen into the hands of the enemy; but finding, after se

veral gallant attempts, that he was cut off from reaching head-quartero by land, he, with the coolest judgment, launched a boat, and landed his party under Fort Yorke amidst the acclamations of the garrison. Immediately afterwards Lieutenant H. L. Baker, who, with Lieute nant Turnbull, of the royal marines, and some brave volunteers, had in the Anholt sohooner, gone on the daring enterprize of destroying the enemy's flotilla in his ports, bore down along the north-side of the island. Things were in this position when the column on the northern shore, which, divided by the sand-hills, had approached within fifty paces of our lines, made another desperate effort to carry the Massareene battery by storm; the column to the south-east also pushed on, and the reserve appeared on the hills ready to support them; but while the commanding officer was leading on hia men with great gallantry, a musket ball put a period to his life. Panic struck by the loss of their chief, the enemy again fell back, and sheltered themselves behind the sand-hills. At this critical moment Lieutenant Baker, with great skill and gallantry, anchored his vessel on their flank, and opened a well-directed fire. The sand hille being no longer a protection, and finding it impossible either to advance or retreat, the assailants hung out a flag of truce, and offered to surrender upon terms: but I would listen to nothing but an unconditional surrender, which, after some deliberation, was complied with.

In the mean sime the gun-boats on the south-side which had been much galled by the fire of Fort

Yorke

Yorke and Massareene battery; got under weigh, and stood to the westward, and the column of the enemy which had advanced on the south-side, finding their retreat no longer covered by the flotilla,, also hung out a flag of truce, and I sent out an officer to meet it. was asked to surrender; the reply that I returned, it is unnecessary to mention. The enemy finding my determination, sought permission to embark without molestation; but I would listen to nothing but an unconditional submission; and I have the pleasure to inform you, that this corps also laid down their arms, and surrendered themselves prisoners of war.

The prisoners, which were now more numerous than my small garrison, were no sooner secured, than operations were commenced against the reserve, which had been seen retreating to the westward of the island.

I took the field with Major Torrens (who, though wounded, insisted on accompanying me) and Lieutenant and Adjutant Steele; but as our prisoners were so numerous, and as we had no place of security in which to place them, I could only employ on this occasion the brigade of howitzers under Lieutenants R. C. Steele and Pezant, of the royal marine artillery, and part of the light company commanded by Lieutenant Turnbull. When we arrived at the west end of the island, we found that the enemy had formed on the beach, and were protected by 14 gunboats towed close to the shore. To attack such a force, with four howitzers and forty men, seemed an useless sacrifice of brave men's lives: I therefore, with the advice

of Major Torrens, halted on the hills, while I reluctantly saw the reserve embarked under cover of the gun-boats, and the flotilla take a final leave of the island.

I am happy to say, our loss bas not been so considerable as might have been expected from so desperate an attack, we having only two killed and thirty wounded. The enemy has suffered severely; we have buried between thirty and forty of their dead, and have received in the hospital twenty-three of their wounded, most of them have undergone amputations, three since dead of their wounds, besides a great number which they carried off the field to their boats. Major Melsteat, the commandant, fell in the field; Captain Borgan, the next in command, wounded in the arm; Captain Prutz, adjutant-general to the commander of the forces in Jutland, lost both his legs; since dead.

The most pleasing part of my duty is to bear testimony to the zeal, energy, and intrepidity of the officers and men I had the honour to command: to particularize would be impossible; the same ardour inspired the whole. To Lieutenant Baker, next in command, who will have the honour of delivering this dispatch, and will give you every information you may require, I am much indebted; his merit and zeal as an officer, which I have some years been acquainted with, and his volunteering with me on this service, claim my warmest esteem. Captain Torrens, the se, nior officer of the royal marines, and who acted as commandant of the garrison, bore a conspicuous part on this day, and although wounded, I did not lose his va

luable