CHAP. after this reinforcement, found itself nearly as LXXXI. strong as before the battle, it was foiled in its hopes 1809. of farther success by the complicated misconduct of the supreme junta and of the Spanish general. The same want of provisions and means of transport, which had impeded its former operations still retarded its advance, at a time when a movement concerted with Venegas might have recovered the capital. On the 2d of August, intelligence was received that Soult, Ney, and Mortier, having united their forces, were advancing through Estremadura on the rear of the British, and that two hostile columns had already entered Plasencia. General Cuesta then proposed to the British commander, that half of the army should march to the rear, to oppose the enemy, while the other half should remain at Talavera. Sir Arthur Wellesley replied, that he was ready either to stay or go with the whole British army, but that he could not separate it. General Cuesta then desired him to choose whether to go or stay. Sir Arthur preferred the former alternative, and left Cuesta at Talavera, under an engagement, that if compelled to quit that post, he should bring with him the wounded. On the 3d of August, the British army marched to Oropesa, and finding that a strong hostile force was interposed between that place and Almarez, crossed the Tagus next day over the bridge of Arzobispo, and continued its route through Deleytosa to Badajoz. Cuesta, leaving half the sick and wounded at Talavera, proceeded likwise to Oropesa, and on the the night of the 5th retired across the Tagus at Arzobispo. He shortly afterwards resigned the command. At this juncture, which may be considered as the close of the campaign, the marquis of Wellesley arrived at Cadiz to supersede Mr. Frere, as ambassador to the Spanish government. His great talents were exercised in enforcing the necessity of a more efficient administration, a wiser ap The British into Portu withdraw gal. Resignation of Cuesta. plication LXXXI. State of the war in La Mancha, plication of the public resources, and a reform of the CHAP. whole military system. THE subsequent operations of the patriots during 1809. this year may be briefly noticed. Venegas, at the head of the army of La Mancha, being defeated near Toledo by Sebastiani, was superseded in the command by the marquis of Areizaga, who having collected about fifty thousand men, advanced upon Madrid, and on the 19th November was beaten at Ocana. The French soon afterwards reduced Cordova and Seville, and thus laid open the road to Cadiz. In old Castile, the duke del Parque, at the head of Castile, thirty thousand men, after repulsing the French at Alba de Tormes, retreated to the mountains of Faenza, on the borders of Galicia. In Catalonia, and CataBlake was unable to make head against the French army under Augereau, to whom Gerona, after a long and heroic defence, capitulated on the 10th of December. Thus at the close of 1809, the principal fortresses of Spain had fallen into the hands of the enemy, her numerous armies had been dispersed, while the forces of her ally were constrained to act on the defensive. lonia. the Guer In maintaining the fortresses however, the French The French found themselves exposed to an incessant and de- harassed by structive warfare against their convoys, detachments, rillas. and outposts. In Catalonia they were so harassed by this guerrilla system that they found it extremely difficult to victual their garrison in Barcelona. Åbout the middle of October they made an attempt to introduce supplies by sea. Lord Collingwood, having obtained intelligence of their design, sailed from Minorca, and took his station off Cape St. Sebastian, on the coast of Catalonia. On the 23d the A convoy intercepted hostile squadron, consisting of three ships of the by admiral line, two frigates, two armed store-ships, and a con- Martin. voy of sixteen sail, came in sight. Rear-admiral Martin was ordered to give chase: he fell in with the ships of war off the entrance of the Rhone, but as $ 2 the CHAP. the wind blew directly on shore, they eluded him. LXXXI. On the following day he drove two of them, 1809. one of eighty and the other of seventy-four guns, on shore off Frontignan, where they were burnt by their own crews: the other ship of the line and one frigate ran on shore at the entrance of the port of Cette. The second frigate hauled her wind during the night, and escaped to Marseilles. Two brigs, two bombards, and a ketch, were burnt by the Pomona, while admiral Martin was in chase. The other vessels made for the bay of Rosas, and took shelter under the batteries. Here they were attacked on the 30th by the boats of the squadron under the orders of captain Hallowell; and though bravely defended, and protected by a constant fire from the forts, the whole were captured, or destroyed. This success was of considerable importance, as it demonstrated the effective aid which might be derived from the British navy in the defence of the peninsula. CHAP. LXXXII. Austria declares war against France. Bonaparte enters Movements of the Insurrection in the north of Germany. - Operations in Italy. - Insurrection in the Tyrol.-Hostilities renewed on the Danube. Battle of Wagram. Armistice. Daring march of the duke of Brunswick Oels through Saxony.-Expedition to Walcheren.-Treaty of peace between Austria and France. Fate of the Tyrolese. - Imprisonment of the pope, and annexation of Rome to the French empire. — Divorce between Bonaparte and Josephine. Revolution in Sweden. War between Russia and Turkey. · Discussions with America. - Recall of Mr. Erskine.-Partial change of administration. — Jubilee. - Restoration of the Ionian republic. LXXXII. 1809. Austria de clares war against THE emperor of Austria declared war against CHAP France on the 8th of April, and shortly afterwards issued a manifesto, detailing the provocations which he had received, the sacrifices which he had made, and the motives of self-defence, which, combined with a due regard to the welfare of other France. powers, guided his conduct in this appeal to arms. At the commencement of hostilities, the Austrian Amount forces were computed at nearly 400,000 men. bution of They were divided into nine corps, of which the her forces. first six were under the immediate orders of the archduke Charles, and were respectively commanded by Bellegarde, Collowrath, the prince of Hohenzollern, baron Rosenberg, the archduke Louis, and general Hiller. The seventh corps, under the archduke Ferdinand, was sent into Poland; and the eighth and ninth, commanded by Chastellar and Giulay, were stationed in Italy, under the s 3 arch. and distri 1809. CHA P. archduke John. There were also two corps of LXXXII. reserve, one of 20,000 men, commanded by prince John of Lichtenstein, the other of 10,000, under the orders of general Kienmayer, and troops to the number of 25,000, acting in small parties in the Tyrol, in Croatia, and on the confines of Bohemia. In addition to these, there was a kind of militia, called the landwehr, in the Austrian kingdoms and provinces. Positions of the French armies. The Aus Bavaria. THE French had a corps under Davoust, at Ratisbon; another under Massena, at Ulm; and a third, under Oudinot, at Augsburg: the headquarters were at Strasburg. Of their auxiliaries there were three divisions of Bavarians, the first under Lefebvre, at Munich; the second under De Roy, at Landshut; and the third under Wrede, at Straubing. A division of Wirtembergers was posted at Hydenheim; the Saxon troops were encamped near Dresden, and the Polish corps was posted near Warsaw, under the orders of prince Poniatowski. THE main Austrian army passed the Inn on the trians enter 9th of April, and on the 10th crossed the Iser at Munich, having driven the French before them through Landshut. Other corps, advancing from Bohemia, expelled the French garrison left by Davoust in Ratisbon, and secured that important passage of the Danube. The archduke Charles extended his line from the Iser, at Landshut, to the Danube, at Neustadt, a distance of twentyeight English miles. There was a body of reserve at Eckmuhl, near Abensberg. Bonaparte quits Paris for the army. INTELLIGENCE having reached Paris by telegraph, late in the evening of the 12th of April, that the Austrians had passed the Inn, Bonaparte quitted that capital early on the following morning, and arrived on the 16th at Dillingen, where he promised the old elector of Bavaria, that he would restore him to his capital in fifteen days. On the |