solute. Mr Pitt, instead of following the pusillanimous counsels of those who advocated submission, presented a bold front to the danger, and prepared to meet it. He roused his countrymen to action, and placed arms in their hands. He assured them that, however great might be the peril of resistance, it was infinitely less than that which must necessarily accompany a dishonourable peace. Towards the enemy he neither lowered his tone, nor tarnished the honour of England by any proposal of concession. Perhaps no statesman ever exercised so powerful an ascendency over the public mind as Mr Pitt at the period in question. To his wisdom and intrepidity was the country, under Providence, indebted for safety at this memorable crisis. The courage which he roused to meet the danger averted it. There was no invasion, and the remains of the dreaded boat-flotilla were found rotting at Boulogne at the peace of 1814. At a time of such peril an accession of military talent in the person of Sir Arthur Wellesley could not be unwelcome to the Ministry. Almost immediately after his arrival he was appointed to command a brigade in the expedition fitted out for Hanover, under Lord Cathcart. The battle of Austerlitz defeated the object of this armament, and it was recalled before engaging in any operation. On its return to England the troops were distributed along the coast as a security against invasion. Sir Arthur Wellesley was then appointed to a command in the Sussex district, and shortly afterwards was elected Member of Parliament for the borough of Rye. In the same year he married the Hon. Catherine Pakenham, sister to the Earl of Longford. In April 1807 a change of Ministry took place. The Duke of Richmond was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, and Sir Arthur Wellesley Chief Secretary. In the month of August, however, he again embarked for fo. reign service, and sailed with the expedition to Copenhagen under Lord Gambier and Lord Cathcart. The command allotted to him was that of the division of reserve, with which, on the 29th of August, he had an affair with a considerable body of Danish troops. The latter fled after a brief engagement, leaving the British in possession of their guns, and above a thousand prisoners. He was subsequently appointed one of the Commissioners for drawing up the articles of capitulation for the town and citadel of Copenhagen. On his return to England he received the thanks of Parliament for his services during these operations. Of Sir Arthur Wellesley as a member of the House of Commons, little need be said. He certainly was not gifted with the qualities of an orator, and that command of felicitous expression which distinguishes his writings was not equally remarkable in his viva voce addresses. There is something, perhaps, in the military profession, and the habits of mind which it engenders, unfavourable to the attainment of oratorical excellence. Accustomed only to command or to obey, the art of persuasion is one which a soldier has no temptation to acquire, and few opportunities of exercising. It would be a violation of military propriety for a general to communicate to his inferiors in rank the grounds of a decision, and endeavour to lead them to the same conclusion. It is his object to attain conviction as best he may, with the knowledge that, when attained, it must necessarily become the rule of action to others. He may be supposed, therefore, to be less practically skilled than most men in the art of conciliating opinion, or of guiding the minds of others, through a maze of entangled reasoning, to some distant and descried conclusion. Whatever might be the amount of his qualifications as a parliamentary debater, Sir Arthur Wellesley, whenever he addressed the House, was listened to with attention and respect. On many occasions his sound judgment, and extensive practical knowledge, were of eminent service to his country. In particular, he so thoroughly exposed the folly of a project then contemplated by Ministers of employing negro troops in the East Indies, and sepoys in the West, that it was given up. Never, perhaps, was a more dangerous scheme conceived by ignorance and imbecility. In execution, it would have been found impracticable, or practicable only through breach of faith with the sepoy troops, and by placing in peril our whole Indian possessions. He also successfully vindicated the Administration of Lord Wellesley from the virulent attacks made on it in the House of Commons by Mr Paul and others. We now approach the most memorable period of the life of Wellington, when his highest ambition was about to be gratified by an appointment to command a force destined to contribute to the liberation of the peninsula. The Spanish people had long remained blind to the designs of Napoleon. Their means of intelligence were few and precarious, for it was the policy both of the monarch and the priesthood to discourage the dissemination of political intelligence. The deeplaid plans of Napoleon, therefore, for the subversion of their liberties, were far advanced to completion before the nation at large became aware of their nature and extent. Troops, under various pretences, had been poured into the country; their sovereign had been seduced into the French territory and made prisoner, and still no symptom of general and energetic resistance had been exhibited. The French soldiers had been welcomed as friends and allies by a generous and confiding people. This evidence of weakness, for such it seemed to Napoleon, emboldened him to cast aside the thin veil which had hitherto covered his designs. By threats and violence, Ferdinand and the other male branches of the Bourbon family were forced to abdi cate their rights, and Joseph Bonaparte was declared sovereign. In the mean time, the burden of maintaining the French armies was found to press heavily on the people of the provinces. The invaders, encouraged by impunity, became haughty and overbearing, and the harmony which at first existed between the military and the populace, was broken by acts of violence on both sides. These evils continued to increase. Not a day passed in which Castilian pride was not wounded by the arrogance of the intruders. Hostile encounters took place, and the seeds of animosity were sown, which subsequently ripened into an abundant harvest of atrocity and bloodshed. At length came the massacre of Madrid. The train had been laid, and a spark was only wanted to ignite it. Intelligence of the catastrophe spread, trumpet-tongued, through the country. From this time Spain was in arms; there was no province in the kingdom, where the invader did not encounter resistance, and the result was, that in less than three months, by their own unaided efforts, the French forces, amounting to 150,000 men, were driven beyond the Ebro. In Portugal the course of events had been somewhat similar, before the commencement of hostilities in Spain. A treaty for dividing the kingdom had been concluded at Fontainebleau, stipulating that Portugal should be invaded and taken possession of by the united armies of France and Spain. An army of 28,000 men, under Junot, assisted by a Spanish force of similar amount, was destined for this service. An edict was issued by Napoleon, declaring that "the house of Braganza had ceased to reign." The Royal family of Portugal, unable to offer effective resistance to an invading force of such magnitude, sought refuge in the Brazils. Junot's march on the capital was unresisted. A slight tumult took place in Lisbon, when the arms of Portugal were taken down, and those of the French Emperor elevated in their stead, but this was easily suppressed. At first no general resistance was offered by the people to French authority, and there can be little doubt that, had the government been moderated in its action by the dictates of humanity and prudence, the aversion of the Portuguese to foreign usurpation would have progressively diminished. But the abuses and oppression of the intrusive government rendered such a consummation impossible. The people beheld the plate torn by sacrilegious hands from the churches; the palaces of their nobles plundered, and even the humble dwellings of the poor robbed of their little property. Thus resistance, vehement though ill organized, arose in many quarters of the kingdom. Junot divided his forces, and sent divisions to suppress disturbance wherever it appeared, and reduce the people to obedience. But it was impossible. The presence of a French force produced temporary submission, and nothing more. Severity of punishment was tried in vain. The national animosity to the invaders continued to be exhibited in acts of isolated rebellion, and Junot was practically taught the useful and important truth, that men cannot be trampled into good subjects. In Spain, therefore, in the month of July 1808, the resistance of the people had so far been crowned with success. The French had been driven beyond the Ebro, and thus only a small portion of the kingdom was occupied by their forces. In Portugal it was different. There the invading army was in possession of all the fortresses of the country, and the unaided efforts of the people were manifestly unequal to the expulsion of the usurping government. The events passing in the Peninsula gave an entirely new aspect to the affairs of Europe, and roused a spirit of sympathy in its remotest corners. The British people, in particular, were animated by the strongest enthusiasm in the cause of Spanish independence. By the government every practicable assistance was afforded to the patriotic cause. Vessels freighted with arms, clothing, and military stores were speedily despatched to the north of Spain. Supplies of money were sent to assist the insurrection in Gallicia. The British army in Sicily was ordered to co-operate with the insurgent Catalans, and a force under General Spencer was sent from Gibral tar to afford assistance to the patriots of Andalusia. At this period it was determined that England should assume a more prominent share in a struggle in which her interests and safety were so vitally at stake. In the spring of 1808, a corps had been assembled at Cork with the destination of South America, in hope of wresting a colony from the very nation in whose cause it was now destined to fight. It consisted of about nine thousand men, and the command was allotted to Sir Arthur Wellesley. The despatch of the Commander-inchief, announcing his appointment, is dated 14th June, 1808. It enumerates in detail the regiments of which the expedition was to consist, and the general officers attached to the staff. The latter were as follows: Major General Spencer, Brig. General Catlin Crawford. On the 21st of June, Lord Castlereagh, then Secretary for the Colonies, writes as follows: Viscount Castlereagh, Secretary of State, to Lieutenant-General the Hon. Sir A. Wellesley, K.B. "DEAR SIR, Downing Street, 21st June, 1808. "Our accounts from Cadiz are bad; no disposition there or in the neighbourhood of Gibraltar to move; General Spencer returning to Gibraltar; the proceedings, however, in the northern provinces were not then known. It is material to know the effect produced by that effort which may be hourly expected. "The Cabinet are desirous of postponing, till they hear again, their final decision on your instructions, being unwilling you should get too far to the southward, whilst the spirit of exertion appears to reside more to the northward. "Hitherto no time, in fact, has been lost, as your equipment cannot be assembled at Cork for some days. The arms and cavalry transports are not yet got to Portsmouth, and it is better to bring the whole together, than to trust to junctions on the coast of Spain. "You will have the goodness to order the transports to be kept fully victualled whilst in port, that you may carry with you a full supply.-I am," &c. On being apprized of his appointment, Sir Arthur Wellesley vigorously commenced the business of preparation. One great advantage he possessed over most of his contemporaries; he fully understood not only the general principles of command, but the whole of the minute and multiplied details by which only these principles could be brought into effective action. From the duties of the lowest non-commissioned officer to those of the Commander-in-Chief, there was no single office in any department connected with the administration of an army with which he was not intimately conversant. The advantages arising from this extent and precision of information were very great; it ensured activity and competence to their duties in the sub ordinate officers of every class. Under his command no man could hope that ignorance or negligence would pass unobserved, and all felt sure that zeal and talent would meet with due appreciation and reward. The following letters to Major-General (now Lord) Hill, and the Honourable Charles Stuart (now Lord Londonderry), will afford some illustration of the knowledge and activity of which we speak, and will, on other accounts, be found interesting. Lieutenant-General the Hon. Sir A. Wellesley, K. B. to Major-General Hill. "MY DEAR HILL, Dublin Castle, 23d June, 1808. "I rejoice extremely at the prospect I have before me of serving again with you, and I hope that we shall have more to do than we had on the last occasion on which we were together. "I propose to leave town for Cork as soon as I shall receive my instructions from London. I understand that every thing has sailed from England which is to go with us; and the horses belonging to the Irish commissariat will be at Cork, I hope, before the transports shall have arrived, in which they are to be embarked. Let me hear from you if you learn any thing respecting them. The dragoons are to come direct from England to the rendezvous, and will not detain us at Cork. "I enclose a list of the names of the officers appointed to be Deputy-Assistant Adjutants, and Quartermasters-General. Major Arbuthnot will probably be in Dublin this day; and I shall send him to Cork immediately, and you will put him in charge of the Adjutant-General's department. You will put the senior of the list of Assistant Deputy Quartermasters-General in charge of that department, and give him the enclosed return of camp equipage and stores embarked in the Grinfield transport. I had understood that I was to have had stores of this description for 8000 men; and I shall be obliged to you, if you will desire the head of the Quartermaster-General's department to enquire whether there are in the transport any more camp equipage stores besides these contained in the enclosed return. "I beg you to arrange for the embarkation of the Deputy-Assistant AdjutantsGeneral, and the Deputy-Assistant Quartermasters-General; probably they and the Commissaries had best go in the horse ships. "I understand there is a vessel at Cork to carry thirty-six horses for the Officers, besides those intended for the Commissariat horses; and I shall be obliged to you if you will desire that spare room may be kept for my horses, and those of my Aides-de-Camp, which will arrive at Cork in a day or two. "There remains nothing now but to brigade the troops, which may be a convenience for the present, and give us the assistance of the General Officers in the different arrangements which may be necessary on board the transports. But what we shall do now can only be temporary, as the whole corps must necessarily be new-modelled when we join General Spencer. The veteran battalion must be put out of the question, as that corps must go into the garrison of Gibraltar. "The corps might be brigaded as follows:-The 95th, and the 5th battalion of the 60th; the 5th, 9th, and 38th; the 40th, 71st, and 91st. You will alter this arrangement if the corps belonging to your brigade are not put together, and you will put such (if all the corps of your brigade are not embarked for this service) corps as you please with the 9th. Let General Fane then command the Light Brigade, General Crawfurd the Highlanders, and General Ferguson, who belongs to Spencer's corps, that brigade which has been and will hereafter be yours. The Veteran battalion to report to General Fane, until it shall be otherwise disposed of. "Pray, let me hear from you, and acquaint me with all your wants, and whether I can do any thing for you here. You will readily believe that I have plenty to do in closing a government in such a manner as that I may give it up, and taking the command of a corps for service; but I shall not fail to attend to whatever you may write to me. "Believe me, my dear Hill, &c. Lieutenant-General the Hon. Sir A. Wellesley, K.B. to Major- "My DEAR HILL, Dublin Castle, 25th June, 1808. "I desired Torrens to write to you yesterday, to tell you it was probable that we should be detained till the cavalry should come round from Portsmouth; and I have now to request that you will make arrangements with the agent of transports that the soldiers embarked may have fresh provisions and vegetables every day, and that the stock of provisions in the transports may be kept up to the original quantity which each is capable of containing. "I also think it very desirable that the soldiers should have permission to go ashore as they may wish, under such regulations as you may think proper, and that the regiments should be sent ashore and exercised in their turns. "I request you to arrange those matters with the agents of the transports, which can easily be done by a good management of the ships' boats. "I shall let you know as soon as there is any thing certain of the cavalry. "Believe me, &c. Lieutenant-General the Hon. Sir A. Wellesley, K.B. to Brigadier-General the Hon. C. Stuart. "MY DEAR CHARLES, Dublin Castle, 25th June, 1808. "I enclose some papers which I have received respecting the state of the transports at Cork. The troops are certainly too much crowded, and I recommend those which can be quartered within one day's march of Cork may be landed, unless it be certain that we shall go immediately. The troops would be on board before I should get to Cork, if they should be landed, and marched only one day's march into the country; and they would certainly benefit by this arrangement. "Believe me, &c. Lieut.-General the Hon. Sir A. Wellesley, K.B., to Major-General Hill. "MY DEAR HILL, Dublin Castle, 29th June, 1808. "I received your letter of the 27th this morning, and I am glad to find that you make arrangements for landing the corps so frequently. It will tend much to the health of the men, and will make them feel less unpleasantly the heat and confinement of the transports. "There is camp equipage complete, including haversack and canteens, for 4000 men on board the Grinfield, which sailed from Portsmouth on the 21st of June; and for the same number on board the Tuscan, which sailed from Portsmouth on the 23d. "As soon as these vessels shall arrive, you will direct the regiments to make returns for the number of canteens and haversacks that they may require, which are to be issued upon these returns, from the Quartermaster-General's stores. But they are to be kept in their packages in the regimental store of each regiment, and are not to be issued to the soldiers until further orders shall be given. "Believe me," &c. By the instructions of Lord Castlereagh, dated 30th of June, Sir Arthur Wellesley was directed to sail in the first instance with the armament, but on arriving off Cape Finisterre he was to proceed in a fast-sailing frigate to Corunna, in order to confer with the authorities in Gallicia, and acquire authentic intelligence of the state of affairs in the Northern provinces of Spain. Having gained this informa tion, he was then-in case he judged the enterprise could be undertaken with a fair prospect of success-to proceed to Portugal, and land the force under his command at some favourable point to the North of Lisbon, with the view of expelling the enemy from that capital. He was also empowered to send orders to General Spencer to join him as soon as possible with the force under his command. |