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Grand total of individuals killed and wounded-1243.

J. MACDONALD, Lieut.-Col.
Dep. Adjutant-General.

London Gazette Extraordinary.
Sunday, April 7.

Downing-Street, April 6. Captain Camac arrived this morning with dispatches from Lord Viscount Wellington, to the Earl of Liverpool, dated Villa Seca, 14, and Louzao, 16th ult. of which the following are

extracts:

Villa Seca, March 14, 1811. The enemy retired from their position which they had occupied at Santarem and the neighbourhood in the night of the 5th inst. I put the British army in motion to follow them on the morning of the 6th. The first movements indicated an intention to collect a force at Thomar, and I therefore marched upon that town, on the 8th, a considerable body troops, formed of a part of Marshal Sir William Beresford's corps, under Major-General the Hon. William Stewart, which had crossed the Tagus at Abrantes, and afterwards the Zezere, and of the 4th and 6th, and part of the first division of infantry, and two brigades of British cavalry. The enemy, how ever, continued his march towards the Mondego, having one corps, the 2d, on the road of Espinhel; General Loison's division on the road of Anciao, and the remainder of the army towards Pombal. These last were fol. lowed, and never lost sight of, by the light division and the royal dragoons, and the 1st huzzars, who took from them about 200 prisoners.

On the 9th the enemy collected in front of Pombal the 6th corps, with the exception of General Loison's division, the 8th corps, and the 9th corps, and General Montbrun's division of

cavalry. The huzzars, which, with the royal dragoons and light division, were immediately in front of the ene my's army, distinguished themselves in a charge which they made on this occasion, under the command of Colonel Arenschildt. A detachment of the 16th light dragoons, under Lieutenant Weyland, which had been in observa. tion of the enemy near Leyria, made prisoners a detachment, consisting of 30 dragoons, on that morning; and had followed the enemy from Leyria, and arrived on the ground just in time to assist their friends the huzzars in this charge. I could not collect a suffficient body of troops to commence an operation upon the enemy till the 11th. On that day the 1st, 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th, and the light division of infantry, and General Pack's brigade, and all the British cavalry, joined upon the ground immediately in front of the enemy, who had commenced their re treat from their position during the night. They were followed by the light division, the huzzars and royals, and Brigadier-General Pack's brigade under the command of Major-General Sir William Erskine and Major-Ge. neral Slade, and made an attempt to hold the ancient castle of Pombal, from which they were driven; but the 6th corps and General Montbrun's cavalry, which fomed the rear-guard, sup. ported by the 8th corps, held the ground on the other side of the town, the troops not having arrived in time to complete dispositions to attack them before it was dark. Upon this occasion Lieutenant-Colonel Elder's battalion of Portugueze caçadores distinguished themselves. The enemy retired in the night ; and on the 12th, the 6th corps, with General Montbrun's cavalry, took up a strong position at the end of a defile between Redinha and Pombal, with their right in a wood upon the Soure river, and their left extending towards the high ground

serve.

above the river Redinha. This town was in their rear. I attacked them in this position on the 12th, with the 3d and 4th light divisions of infantry, and Brigadier-General Pack's brigade, and the cavalry, the other troops being in reserve. The post in the wood upon their right was first forced by Sir Wil. liam Erskine with the light division. We were then able to form the troops in the plain beyond the defile; and the 3d division under Major-General Picton were formed in two lines in the centre, having General Pack's brigade supporting their right, and communieating with the 3d division; and the light division in two lines on the left. These troops were supported in the rear by the British cavalry; and the 1st, 5th, and 6th divisions were in reThe troops were formed with great accuracy and celerity, and Lieu tenant-General Sir B. Spencer led the line against the enemy's position on the heights, from which they were immediately driven, with the loss of many men killed and wounded, and some prisoners. Major-General Sir William Erskine particularly mentioned the conduct of the 52d regiment, and Col. Elder's caçadores, in the attack of the wood; and I must add, that I have never seen the French infantry driven from a wood in a more gallant style. There was but one narrow bridge, and a ford close to it, over the Redinha river, over which our light troops pass ed with the enemy; but as the enemy commanded these passages with cannon, some time elapsed before we could pass over a sufficient body of troops to make a fresh disposition to attack the heights on which they had again taken post. The third division crossed, however, and manoeuvred again upon the enemy's left flank, while the light infantry and cavalry, supported by the light division, drove them upon their main body at Condeixa. The light infantry of Major-General Picton's di

vision, under Lieutenant-Colonel Williams, and the 4th caçadores, under Colonel de Regoa, were principally concerned in this operation. We found the whole army yesterday, with the exception of the second corps, which was still at Espinhal, in a very strong position at Condeixa; and I observed, that they were sending off their baggage by the road of Ponte de Murcella. From this circumstance I concluded that Colonel Trant had not given up Coimbra; and that they had not been able to detach troops to force him from the place. I therefore marched the 3d division, under Major-General Picton, through the mountains upon the enemy's left, towards the only road open for their retreat; which had the immediate effect of dislodging them from the strong position of Condeixa; and the enemy encamped last night at Cazal Nova in the mountains, about a league from Condeixa.

We immediately communicated with Coimbra, and made prisoners a detachment of the enemy's cavalry which were upon the road.

We found the 6th and 8th corps formed in a very strong position near Cazal Nova this morning, and the light division attacked and drove in their out-posts; but we could dislodge them from their positions only by movements on their flanks. Accordingly I moved the 4th division under Major-General Cole upon Panella, in order to secure the passage of the river Esa, and the communication with Espinhel, near which place Major-General Nightingall had been in observation of the movements of the 2d corps since the 10th; and the 3d division, under Major General Picton, more immediately round the enemy's left, while the light division and Brigadier-General Pack's brigade, under Major-General Sir W. Erskine, turned their right; and Major-General Alexander Campbell, with the 6th division, supported the light

troops by which they were attacked in 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 Mirando 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, Lieutenant-Colonel Ross, and Majors Gilmour and Stewart particularly distinguished themselves; as also the light infantry battalions of General Picton's division under Lieutenanant-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 retreating 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 sup ported by the main body, Before

they quitted their position, they de stroyed 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 with. drew from their position; and they have since burnt every town and village through which they have passed. The convent of Alcobaça was burnt by or der from the French head-quarters. The bishop's palace, and the whole town of Leyria, in which General Drouet' had his head-quarters, shared the same fate; and there is not an inhabitant of 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 the assurances have been fulfilled, which were held out in the proclamation of the French commander 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 secu

rity 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. Í have received the most able and cordial assistance throughout these operations from Lieutenant-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-General Slade, and Major-Ge neral the 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. Colonel 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 lordship, that Badajos surrendered on the 11th instant.

Louzao, March 16. Major-General Cole joined MajorGeneral 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 carcasses 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 Ceira this morning. Brigadier-General Pack's brigade had been detached in the morn ing through the mountains to the left, as well to turn the enemy in his posi tion at Miranda de Corvo, as in view to any others they might take up on this side of the Ceira. The light di vision, under Major-General Sir W. Erskine, was ordered to possess some heights immediately above Foy d' Aronce, while Major-General Picton's division was moved along the great road to attack the left of the enemy's position, and of the village.

The 6th division, under Major-Ge neral 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 for cing the enemy to abandon his strong positions on this side of the Ceira, with considerable loss. The colonel of the 39th regiment was made prison. er. The light troops of General Picton's division under Lieutenant-Colonel Williams, and those of Major-Ge neral 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 ad

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Sir, I reported to you in my letter of the 10th ultimo my having received information of an intended attack on this island by the Danes. On the 8th instant I received corroboration of this intelligence; 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 nearly 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 ele vation, for the purpose of reconnoi tring, I discovered the landing had already been effected, under the cover of darkness and a fog, and that the enemy were advancing 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 instant.

As

ly ordered a retreat, which was effect ed in good order, and without loss, although the enemy were within pistolshot of our rear, and seemed determis ned to enter our batteries by storm; but Fort York and Massareene batte ries opened such a well-directed fire of grape and musketry, that the assailants were obliged to fall back and shelter themselves under the sand-hills. 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 pointblank shot. I 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 bat. tery 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 had now succeeded in bringing up a field.

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