Nothing was done by the army of the Marquis of Campo Verde, who, I am told, complains that General Miranda did not attack the enemy when ordered by him to do so. I have, &c., EDWD. CODRINGTON. Minute of a Conference betwixt Generals Caro and Miranda with General Doyle and myself this day. [Page 235.] Off Areñs de Mars: July 9, 1811. About 8 o'clock Generals Caro and Miranda came on board the 'Blake.' After being seated in the cabin with General Doyle and myself, General Caro begged General Doyle would explain to me that they were come, in consequence of my promise, to request I would embark the division of Valencian troops which I had brought from Peniscola. I desired to know what promise General Caro understood me to have made. He answered, that I would take the above troops back to Valencia. I denied positively that I had made any promise to re-embark them if they should ever join the Marquis of Campo Verde, although I had deeply pledged myself to restore them to General O'Donnell if they joined in a sortie from the garrison, which I was very confident would be decisive of its success. I then referred General Miranda to a similar explanation which I gave to him through General Doyle on the same day after our quitting Peniscola, when he had said he was ordered both by his written instructions and by verbal explanations from General O'Donnell, not to land within the garrison. General Miranda instantly repeated that so he was: upon which General Doyle, to whom he had shown those instructions, jointly with myself, after leaving Tarragona for Villa Nueva when under a difficulty as to how he should proceed, referred him to them again, when it appearing that he was therein positively ordered disembarcar en la plaza de Tarragona,' General Doyle stopped. 6 General Miranda.- Read on.' Doyle. No, Sir. There is the positive proof of your receiving such an order.' Miranda. Well, but read on.' Doyle. No, Sir. This' (pointing to the paper) is the positive proof of your receiving such an order, which we wanted to establish because you positively denied it.' SPANISH GENERALS. 485 Upon this General Caro shrugged up his shoulders, said, 'he was not aware of there being any such order,' and General Miranda again requested General Doyle would read 'For what purpose '? on. Miranda. To prove that I was not to shut myself up with the division in the Plaza di Tarragona.' Doyle. There is no occasion, Sir, for any proof of that; for it was a part of the very stipulation made by Captain Codrington when he strongly pledged himself to General O'Donnell.' General D. continued, 'And now, General Caro, that we have proved to you that General Miranda had orders to land in Tarragona, and that Captain Codrington is bound by no such promise as you had imagined, I must inform you that he has been eight days waiting upon the coast with all the ships of war and transports which are wanted for other services, for the sole purpose of embarking these troops: and he desires me to add that in consideration of what is due to the liberal and exemplary assistance afforded by General O'Donnell and Valencia in aid of Tarragona, but not at all on account of any pledge he has been said to have given, he will use the same exertion in re-embarking and restoring the troops which he would have done if so bound by his word of honour.' General Doyle, through whom this explanation took place, was present on all the occasions referred to, and as much a party to the whole as he could make himself, by offering in his capacity of a General in the Spanish service to head the meditated sortie and re-embark with the troops. EDWARD CODRINGTON. Minute of a Message from the Marquis of Campo Verde brought by Colonel O'Ronan, with my answer thereto. [Page 235.] Colonel O'Ronan, aide-de-camp to the Marquis of Campo Verde, arrived, and informed me that he came from the marquis who was on his march to this town or Areñs, for the purpose of embarking all the infantry not Catalans, and the whole of the remaining cavalry, leaving his horses on the beach. Colonel O'Ronan said this determination was the result of a junta composed of the Marquis, General St. John, General Caro, General Miranda, the General of Artillery, Brigadier Santa Cruz, Brigadier Pelasco, and General Sarsfield; that after the thing had been proposed and discussed a long time, General Sarsfield was the first to give his vote: that he rose from his seat and said: 'Any officer who could give such an opinion must be a traitor to his country, and that he and his division would stand or fall with the Principality.' Every other officer was of a contrary opinion, except the Marquis, who thought with General Sarsfield, and yet, it seems, allowed himself to be led on by the other generals; in short, it appears he had resolved to abandon the Prin cipality!!! I told him without hesitation that to embark the Valencians I felt a duty to General O'Donnell, to the kingdom of Valencia, and to the whole nation: but that I felt it equally my duty upon no account to embark the army of Catalonia, and thus become a party concerned in the abandonment of a province which I had been sent to protect; that I must therefore positively decline to embark the Marquis's division, and begged Colonel Ronan to say so. The colonel, who could not venture again on shore lest he should be murdered by the inhabitants of Mataro for having been bearer of a commission to arrest Brigadier Milan about a month ago, sent to the Marquis my answer (as he assures me) as nearly as possible in the terms in which I gave it. Off Areñs: July 14. Brigadier Santa Cruz, who is now on board the 'Blake,' says that his vote followed General Sarsfield's, and was "That the Valencian division should be embarked according to promise, but that the whole of the other troops ought to remain for the defence of the Principality.' Captain C. to the Marquis of Campo Verde. [Page 235.] 'Blake,' off Mataro: July 5, 1811. MY LORD MARQUIS,-I received your letter after reaching Mataro in order to embark the Valencian division, having already waited three days at Villa Nueva for the same purdose. But I have to remind you that by ordering the division out of Tarragona in breach of the terms by which I bound myself when I brought them, you yourself broke the pledge given by me, and dissolved my contract. I said that they might raise the siege by joining in the sorties under General Sarsfield, but that if they landed elsewhere and went out of my sight, I would not engage either for their being of use to the garrison or for their return hereafter. I am the more particular in men LETTER TO MR. VAUGHAN ABOUT CATALONIA. 487 tioning this because you have used some strong expressions to urge me to that as a duty which I had already done out of regard for General O'Donnell, who made such exemplary efforts to save Tarragona. I shall remain hereabout with the vessels belonging to Valencia, and as many English transports as I can spare for the purpose, until I hear further from General Miranda as to the part of the coast at which he wishes to embark. But as the whole of the ships of war under my orders have other important services to attend to besides this, I must urge your directing the Spanish frigates "Prueva' and 'Diana,' who have hitherto done scarcely anything for their country, to assist in the embarkation and to receive as many troops as they can carry. I have, &c., EDWD. CODRINGTON. Captain C. to C. R. Vaughan, Esq. [Page 252.] 'Blake,' Mahon: December 14, 1811. MY DEAR VAUGHAN,-As I have said a good deal in my letters to Mr. Wellesley upon the subject of raising corps in this part of the Peninsula, in which, perhaps, I may differ from many others, I am anxious to be clearly understood both by him and by you, and by no means intend to say that the formation of corps upon a plan similar to that practised in Portugal would not have equally good effects, but that it is not so easy to put it in practice here as it has been there, and can never be productive of similar benefit, unless undertaken in a very different mode and by different sort of people from those at present entrusted with it. We have no man here, who, raising the corps himself, would head it as a colonel and serve under the Spanish generals. If an English division had come here at the time of the dispersion, under our friend Graham, for instance, or any general fit for the command, Eroles, and probably Sarsfield also, would have rejoiced in serving under him; but I doubt if any man of rank and character would be contented to serve under either of the gentlemen endeavouring to form corps in this part of the Peninsula. But since Lacy has established his popularity from his very successful arrangements, and both Eroles and Sarsfield are at the head of the two principal divisions of his army, I do not see how any alteration can be advantageously made at present. I am clearly convinced that it would be better to induce the Spaniards to fight their own battles if possible, provided they would do it well, than to attempt to take the lead where we could only send a small proportional force. And as far as Catalonia is concerned, I really think it might be done successfully by the employment of officers from the army of Lord Wellington, of the Engineer, Quartermaster-General, and the Adjutant department, merely to instruct them, without any oblique interest whatever arising from this temporary employment. These officers would be of most essential service in thereby being able to form a correct opinion as to what may be hereafter expected from the resistance which these people will, I doubt not, continue to make in spite of even further reverses. Although I offer my opinion, believe me I have not the vanity to think it otherwise than extremely liable to error, even upon a subject more immediately within the line of my own professional judgment and I therefore trust you will set me right whenever you see occasion. I am aware, also, that I have formed my own opinions without knowing the sentiments of Mr. Wellesley or the communications which may have taken place betwixt him and Colonel Green: and that, therefore, the observations which I make can only have the merit of coming from one contiguous to the scene of action, and anxiously desirous of promoting that cause to which his professional duty has made him a party. The liberality and energy with which the movements of this fleet are now directed has established already the popularity of our chief; and if the French fleet should come within his grasp, annihilation will be the order of the day. I shall relieve Adam again as soon as I can get ready, and he will return to his former station upon the coast of Murcia. I have sensations which make me doubt my being able to continue much longer in this climate. Believe me yours, with great regard, EDWD. CODRINGTON. Extract of a letter from Captain Codrington to Admiral [Page 257.] January 26, 1812. On the morning of the 19th I went to Rens by desire of General Lacy, to be present at the final arrangement for the attack of Tarragona that night. I found the commanding officers belonging to the different corps assembled; and the order of attack was scarcely made known to them, before an |