to come through France, others that he is to march upon Zaragoza. General Paris is about Oleron.

We have been waiting for the ordnance store ships to renew our attack upon San Sebastian, which have at last arrived; and we shall open our fire to-morrow.

There is nothing new from the Continent. The French negotiators had not gone to Prague on the 24th of July; but I see in a late French paper that they had arrived.

The Austrians appear determined to join in the war if the armistice should be broken off; but it does not appear to me to be a determination so declared as that the other allies can act upon it.

I enclose you a note marked A, given to me by General Wimpffen, the Chief of the Spanish Staff. His library is in the house mentioned, and he is very anxious to save it.

I wish you would report officially and in detail your arrangements transferring the troops of Roche's division, and others, to Whittingham's division, as I am already getting into difficulties on that subject, as I told you I should in a former letter. You may put the whole army, if you like it, under Whittingham's command; but let each separate division, or brigade, or battalion, be under its own commanding officer, and report to the Staff of the particular army to which he belongs. Pray observe particularly the 29th Article of the Instructions in regard to the several commands.

The organization of the Spanish army, as it now stands, was fixed by the Government, and of course cannot be altered, at least without making a special report to Government, stating the reasons for the alteration. It would be very desirable, therefore, that you should refer here any alteration that you may wish to make. The consequence of not doing so is, that you involve me not only with the Government, but the Staff Officers are unable to account for the army.

I wish likewise that General Whittingham would attend to what has been frequently stated to him, viz., that when a Spanish soldier gets his full pay, he has no right to more than one pound and a half of bread as ration. I have daily complaints of his demands, and the Minister of War has written to me upon them.

I send you letters from England, and enclose one from

Since writing the above, I have received your dispatches and letters from the 16th to the 18th instant. I was quite certain that Suchet would move upon you to interrupt your operations, and it is fortunate that you were able to raise the siege without the loss of any of your guns or stores. I enclose my dispatch of this day, in which you will see that I have reported to all the allied Governments that I have approved of your proceedings.

If Suchet stays in Catalonia, you may depend upon it that he will not allow you to make the siege of Tortosa, without attempting to interrupt it. You must therefore be prepared to collect your whole force in a position to protect it. You should have at least two passages over the Ebro, protected by têtes de pont; and I beg you not to send the Duque del Parque till you shall be sure of Suchet having marched, or having largely detached. Arrange a mode of junction for General Copons, or in which he can co-operate with you effectually, and directly, upon the enemy, in case he should advance to raise your siege.

'Do not allow General Clinton's corps to get too far off. The French troops march better than ours, particularly, I believe, Suchet's; and he is not unlikely to form a scheme to cut them off.

I think it probable Suchet moved at the time he did, because he had heard of Soult's loss and retreat, and that he thought it better at once to carry into execution his scheme respecting Tarragona.

If you should find it necessary to feed Whittingham's, or any other Spanish troops, give them a magazine either afloat or on the coast; but do not on any account take upon your departments the burthen and expense of carriage and delivery to them. This is what they always want, because it saves them trouble and thought.

.

I would give the world to get rid of the

but I do not know how to manage the matter.

I know

*** well: he is a good administrator, but I believe no officer. I have a very good opinion, from what I have heard, of † † †, but I understand that he has a most violent, impracticable temper.

*** has quitted his army here, and wishes to go to Catalonia. He is by far the ablest and most energetic man I have seen in Spain, and is really an able officer; but his temper is probably the most difficult to manage that can be met with.

It is necessary to attend to all these points with this people. A man of that description getting himself into a dispute on a professional point with one of our officers would raise a flame in the country which would go to the breach of the alliance; and one of the characteristics of all Spaniards, which is to be attributed, I believe, to the desperate situation in which their affairs have been, is a thorough contempt for all the consequences of their actions, more particularly as they may affect the alliance of their country with foreign powers.'

'MY DEAR SIR,

To Admiral Sir E. Pellew, Bart.

'Lesaca, 25th August, 1813. I enclose you a letter from Mr. Croker. He has desired me to let you know whether I could send your letters through Spain; and I have informed him that I have a regular communication with Lord William Bentinck, by which letters to you could be sent; and Lord William Bentinck might send here any letters that you might wish to send to England. As, however, this communication is by messenit would probably be desirable that your own dispatches and letters should be sent by it.

gers,

SIR,

To Colonel Torrens.

'Lesaca, 25th August, 1813.

I have the honor to enclose a letter addressed by Major Despard of the Royal Fusiliers to Major General the Hon.

E. Pakenham. Major Despard died lately of the wounds he received at the battle of Sorauren, and has left a widow and four children very slenderly provided for. I am therefore induced to trouble His Royal Highness the Commander in Chief in their behalf; and I shall feel very much obliged to him if some provision can be made for them.

I have received your letter of the 29th June, containing a memorial from four French officers, deserters from the enemy; and I beg to state, for the information of the Commander in Chief, that I never held out any inducement to the officers of the French army to abandon their service, although I promised the soldiers who would desert pay, which those who have come over actually receive.

I think it however very likely that some of the British officers who were authorised by the Secretary of State to encourage desertion from the enemy's troops in the Peninsula may have stated in a proclamation that officers who would desert should receive a daily pay, according to their rank; but I never heard that such a prospect had been held out to them.

In reply to the memorial of the French officers before mentioned, I have the honor to enclose a letter from Major General Peacocke, with a statement of the money and clothes each officer received during his stay at Lisbon.

A great number of soldiers of this army having offered to re-enlist (the period of their services being nearly expired), since the proclamation of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent was made known to them, I beg to be informed if

they are to be re-enlisted before the expiration of the three years, which by the proclamation they are bound to serve.

I take this opportunity of transmitting to you a list of men in the Chasseurs Britanniques, who have either completed their period of service, or are within two months of it, and who, as it appears by the enclosed letter from Major General Inglis, were enlisted without reference to any Act of Parliament as to their re-enlistment. I am therefore of opinion that they ought to be discharged; and I will thank you to favor me with His Royal Highness the Commander in Chief's orders on the subject.

I have the honor to be, &c.

'The Adjutant General.

To Earl Bathurst.

WELLINGTON.

MY LORD,

No movement of importance has been made by the enemy or by the allies since I transmitted my last report.

It is generally reported, and it appears, that the enemy have been reinforced, and it is said that a considerable body of men are expected from the interior of France.

General Paris's detachment is stated to be in the neighbourhood of Oleron.

The enemy are strengthening their positions by works. The ordnance vessels having arrived at Passages, the fire against San Sebastian will recommence to-morrow morning.

I have received reports from Lieut. General Lord William Bentinck to the 19th instant, copies and extracts of which I have the honor to enclose*, from which it appears that Marshal Suchet collected the troops under his command at Villa Franca on the 10th, consisting of from 25,000 to

'MY LORD,

*Extract of a Report from Lord William Bentinck to the
Marquis of Wellington, K.G.

'Cambrils, 16th August, 1813.

On the 3rd the Duque del Parque's corps came up to Tarragona; as did the division of General Sarsfield on the 11th. General Elio could not spare the three regiments of the division of Mijares, which I had requested him to send

me.