Слике страница
PDF
ePub

of action, but declined to take upon himself the command of the army. On the 22d, Sir Hew Dalrymple, who had been called from his situation of lieutenant-governor of Gibraltar, to take the command of all the different corps sent by the British government into Portugal, reached Cintra, the place to which the British army had moved after the battle. Within a very few hours after his arrival, a flag of truce came in from Junot, proposing a cessation of hostilities, in order that a convention might be settled, by which the French should evacuate Portugal.

When intelligence was received in England, that in the words of Sir Arthur Wellesley, "The whole of the French force in Portugal, under the command of the duke of Abran tes in person, had sustained a signal defeat;" there was an universal expectation, that it would be followed up with other victories, and ultimately lead to some solid advantage.

That such an advantage had in fact been obtained, was firmly beheved, when, on the arrival of the next dispatches from the army, the firing of the Park and Tower guns was heard, and that too, at a time of night very unusual, if not quite unprecedented. But how great was the surprise of the public when it was understood that the discharge of the Park and Tower guns related to a convention, signed at Cintra, by which it was, among other stipulations, agreed on," That the English government should be at the expence of transporting the

whole of the French army to any of the ports between Rochfort and L'Orient. When the army arrived in France, it was to be at liberty to serve again immediately. All the property of the army, as well as the personal property of the individuals of the army, was to be sacred and untouched. It might either be carried off into France or sold in Portugal. In the latter case, full security was to be given by the British to the purchasers, that the property they had would not be taken from them, nor they themselves molested on account of the purchase."

The whole of this convention will be found in another part of this volume. It was founded on the basis of an armistice agreed upon between Sir Arthur Wellesley and general Kellerman on the day after the battle of Vimeira. But the seventh article of that preliminary treaty, stipulating that the Russian fleet should be allowed either to remain in the Tagus unmolested as long as it thought proper, or to return home, was afterwards rejected by Sir Charles Cottop; between whom and the Russian admiral Siniavian, a convention was agreed to for the surrender of the Russian fleet to the British fleet, on the 3d of September.

The regret and the indignation of the British nation was raised by the convention of Cintra, to a painful height. The throne was besieged, as it were, with petitions from all parts of the kingdom, calling loudly for an inquiry into

See Appendix to Chronicle, p. 267. + See Appendix to Chronicle, p. 271.

that

ti at transaction. The answer to the petition from the city of London, that for "The institution of an inquiry, there was no need of their interference," was universally deem ed ungracious. It was supposed to have been framed by the minister noted for brickness and petulance. An inquiry was set on foot. The board in their report", after giving a well-arranged, and not altogether an uncircumstantial account of Sir Arthur Wellesley's expedition, declared, "That on a consideration of all circumstances, as set forth in the report, they most humbly submitted their opinion, that no further military proceeding was necessary on that subject. Because some of them might differ in their sentiments respecting the fitness of the convention in the relative situation of the two armies, it was their unanimous declaration, that unquestionable zeal and firmness appeared throughout to have been exhibited by lieutenant-general Sir Hew Dalrymple, Sir Harry Burrard, and Sir Arthur Wellesley, as well as that the ardour and gallantry of the rest of the officers and soldiers, on every occasion during the expedition, had done honour to the troops, and reflected lustre on his majesty's arms.”

But his royal highness the duke of York, in a letter to Sir David Dundas, president of the board of inquiry, observed to the board, that in their report, their opinion respecting the conditions of the armistice and convention had been altogether omitted. He therefore thought it his duty to call their at tention to these two principal points

*See Appendix to Chronicle, p. 277.

in this important case, the armistice and convention, and to desire that they might be pleased to take the same again into their most serious consideration, and subjoin to the opinion they had already given on the other points, whether, under all the circumstances that appeared in evidence before them, respecting the relative situation of the two armies, on the 23d of August, it was their opinion, that an armistice was advisable, and if so, whether the terms of the armistice were such as ought to have been agreed on? And whether, upon a like consideration of the relative situation of the two armies subsequently to the armistice, and when all the British forces were landed, it was their opinion, that a convention was advisable, and if so, whether the terms of that convention were such as ought to have been agreed upon. The board met again. The questions proposed by the commander in chief were put to each of the members. Some approved the treaties in question, adding the reasons of their approbation; others disapproved them, giving the reasons of their disapprobation. A formal declaration of disapprobation on the part of the king, of both the armistice and convention, with reasons, was officially communicated to sir Hew Dalrymple".

Sir Arthur Wellesley had strenu ously recommended a pursuit of the French; and great pains was taken by his friends at home, to screen him from the odium of both the armistice and convention: with which Sir Arthur appears indeed to have

↑ See Appen: to Chron. p. 282,

Jave expressed much dissatisfaction o his friends in private, though he ad not hinted any disapprobation when in consultation with the other enerals. But the board unaninously approved the judgment of ir Harry Burrard, in abstaining rom pursuit." A superior cavalry," hey observed, retarding our adance, would have allowed the eneny's infantry, without any degree of risk, to continue their retreat in he most rapid manner, till they hould have arrived at any given nd advantageous point of rallying nd formation: nor did Sir A. Vellesley, on the 17th of August, hen the enemy had not ralf the valry he had on the 21st, pursue more inconsiderable and beaten my, with any marked advanige."

In short, the report of the board as an indirect censure on Sir Ar ur; for if Sir Harry Burrard was stified under all the circumstances not advancing until the arrival the reinforcements under Sir ohn Moore, Sir Arthur Wellesley, ho knew that he must be speedily inforced, judged ill in pushing rward and exposing himself to an tack, from which the enemy could aly experience, at the worst, the isadvantage of a repulse, instead f waiting for a day or two, for ach an augmentation of numbers i would have ensured the ruin of

the enemy, notwithstanding the superiority of cavalry. It was generally believed, and it was probably the truth, that Sir Arthur, confiding in the bravery of his troops, burned with a desire to have a brush with the French, before he should be superseded in the command by the arrival of Sir John Moore.

All Spain and Portugal, as well tar, was indignant at the Convention as the English garrison at Gibralof Cintra.

deliverance of Portugal were only As the defeat of Junot and the mediate, and not the ultimate objects of the British army, it march ed from Lisbon, but not till the 27th of October, nearly two months after the convention of Cintra; unJohn Moore, to the assistance of the der the command of general Sir Spanish patriots. The general's instructions were, to march through which was to be the general renSpain with his face towards Burgos; dezvous of the British troops: not only of those now under the command of that officer, but of those with which he was to be reinforced from England. And he was to combine his operations with those of the commander in chief of the Spanish armies. But the issue of this expedition, together with the arduous struggle that preceded it, carries us into the year 1809.

VOL. L

[Q]

СНАР.

CHAP. XIII.

Interview between the Emperors Alexander and Napoleon at Erfurth Artful Policy of Buonaparte.-Offer of a Negotiation, on the Part ef France and Russia, for Peace with England, rejected.-Establishment of a Central Junta in Spain.-Their declared Principles and first Acts of Government.-Relative Positions of the Grand French and Spanish Armies.—Arrival of Buonaparte at Vittoria.— Successive Engagements and Defeats of the Spaniards.--The French enter Madrid.--Enthusiasm of the Spanish Colonies in the Cause of King Ferdinand, and of their Mother Country.-Brief Re trospect of the Affairs of the Northern Powers of Europe.—Italy.— Turkey.-East Indies.

HE two emperors, when they Tmet at Erfurth, were each of

them attended by a very numerous and brilliant suite, and kings, sovereign princes, and other persons of high distinction, came day after day, to do homage to the great emperor of the West. Among others who attended Alexander, were his brother the grand duke Constantine*, the count Romanzow, and the two counts Toltson, one of whom was the Russian ambassador at Paris. The suite of Buonaparte was composed of Berthier, Talleyrand, Caulincourt, Champaguy, secretary Maret, the principal writer of official reports, the generals Lasnes, and Duroc, all of them bearing their new titles of princes, dukes, and counts, and in short all the staff officers belonging to the French army cantoned in Bavaria. The kings and sovereign princes of Germany, waited for the most part on Buonaparte in person. The Austrian general, count St.

Vincent, arrived at Erfurth, September 28th, with an apology from the emperor of Austria, for not at tending the conference, and no doubt the strongest and most po lite assurances of friendship towards both the French and Russian emperor. Count St. Vincent was closeted a long time with Buonaparte. Great was the pomp and ceremony, and most splendid the feasts and other entertainments, that took place on the occasion of this imperial and royal convention. The little town of Erfurth was astonished to witness a magnificence, that would have been admired at Paris. The first dinner was given by Buonaparte.

Napoleon and Alexander held their conferences every day at ten o'clock. These being over, they rode out together, either in the same carriage or on horseback, to take a view of the adjacent country. In one of these rides Alexander consented to traverse together with Buonaparte the

whole

Whom it was the policy of Buonaparte to flatter with the hope of reigning at Constantinoples

whole field of Jena, the burying ground, or grave, it may be called, of the ally to whom he had sworn eternal friendship over the ashes of the great Frederick! What opinion must Napoleon have entertained of his brother emperor when he gave him so affronting an invitation, and what can the world and posterity think of Alexander for accepting it? The archduke Constantine, while at Erfurth, appeared every day in the uniform of the horse-guards of Buonaparte. It was the great object of Buonaparte, in the conferences and convention at Erfurth, to concilate the goodwill of all parties there, that he might be enabled, having secured quietness in his rear, to bear with all his disposeable force on Spain and Portugal. Insignificant as the German powers had become, combinations might be formed by which they might distress him greatly in the present moment. Any concession, therefore, that would secure their connivance at his projects in the west, it would be prudent in him, in the present circumstances, to make: fully aware that if he succeeded in Spain, it would be an easy task again to reduce the countries in Germany, which he now occupied. But, at the same time that he found him self under the necessity of recalling his troops from Germany, he wished to hide as much as possible the weakness therein implied, and a. vert the designs to which a full con viction of that weakness might give birth. He therefore deste rously contrived to give the with

drawing of his troops the appearance of being the result of a negotiation; an act of favour to the sovereigns of Russia and Prussia. A negotiation was entered into at Erfurth, under the mediation of Alexander, in consequence of which Napoleon engaged to evacuate the Prussian territory, as soon as the contributions should be paid up: which he graciously reduced to one third of their total amount. And he wrote a letter to the queen of Prussia, with his own hand, in which he promised her the completion of all her wishes. He also relaxed in the severity of his restrictions and imposts on the commerce of Holland.

With regard to Alexander, it was easy to persuade him that the insurrection in Spain was only the natural consequence, and what was to be apprehended from the conclusion of the treaty of Tilsit *.

In consequence of the conferences at Tilsit, the garrisons of Prussia were evacuated. And the veteran troops of France began to march from the Oder to the Ebro; while, on the other hand, 40,000 French conscripts were sent to Germany. Another visible effect of the meeting at Erfurth was an offer of peace on the part of Russia and France to the British government. A flag of truce, with two officers, one a Frenchman, the other a Russian, arrived October 21st, at Dover. The Frenchman, by orders of lord Hawkesbury, who happened then to be at Walmer Castle, was detained. The Rus[Q 2] sian

This sentiment was expressed on sundry occasions by Alexander, after his re turn to Petersburg. And it may be presumed, that it had been inculcated on his phant mind, by the companion and guide of his excursion to the field of Jena.

« ПретходнаНастави »