ed with only 12,000 men,-the Portugueze had 270 pieces of cannon mounted, and ill as they had constructed the works, those works were still sufficient to afford protection to the city, though it would have been far better to have defended the streets and houses;-Porto might then have been more fatal to the French than Zaragoza, for Soult, if then defeated, must inevitably have been destroyed.

But the blind populace, led by blind leaders, relied upon their numbers, and gave up the advantage of street-fighting, where their numbers and their artillery must have ensured success. They even insisted upon dividing D'Eben's legion into small parties to intermix with the people, instead of stationing them in a body in the most important points. The enemy reconnoitred the works on the 26th. On the two following days he attacked the works, and on both was repulsed. On the 29th, the distrust which the people entertained of their officers, occasioned irretrievable confusion; the enemy entered the city, at a time when they had not more than six round of cartridges left. Another hour of steadiness, and Porto would have been saved from the horrors which ensued! Upon the pretext that a French officer, who was sent to summon the city, had been killed, many thousands of the inhabitants, without distinction of age or sex, were bayonetted, and their bodies for three days exposed in the streets, then cast into the river. The river had already received but too many victims, the wretched inhabitants flying from their butchers, thought to escape by the bridge of boats, it gave way beneath these numbers, those who were behind prest on, and more perished in the water than

in the assault. In the Madrid Gazette, it was said that the whole garrison was put to the sword.Thus the French chose to represent the massacre, when they made it their boast; but the massacre was indiscriminate.

A week after this dreadful butchery, a newspaper was published at Porto, under direction of the French, and the first number opened with a panegyric upon Marshal Soult, because he had not entirely destroyed the ci ty. "The catastrophe which Porto had suffered," it said, "was truly dreadful, and might serve as a warning to all who had the folly and temerity to undertake great enterprizes, without calculating the means, or looking on to the end. But amid the horror, with which so severe an example affected every feeling heart, there was abundant matter of consolation for minds which were capable of weighing things in the balance of true philosophy. Towns carried by assault, had invariably, among the most civilized nations, paid with their total destruction the penalty of their contumacy: this was the fate which Porto had to apprehend, and from this it had been spared by a hero who always listened to the voice of mercy, and in whose heart valour and humanity contended for superiority!"

The plans of the ferocious Soult were thus far successful; but already the French in Galicia had reason to wish that he had never entered Portugal. A few days only after he had been baffled by the garrison of Caminha in his attempt to cross the Minho, a par- March 10. ty of Portugueze, under Alexandro Alberto de Serpa, crossed at that point, and were joined at Guardia by a body of peasantry. The united force amounted to about

4000 men; the Mayorazgo of Galicia, Don Joaquin Tenreyro, put himself at their head, their parish priest acted as officer, and this gal lant peasantry thus officered, undisciplined and ill-equipped, proceeded to besiege the French garrison in Vigo, consisting of 1300 men. This town is situated in a bay, which is one of the largest, deepest, and safest in the whole Spanish peninsula. It is built upon a rock, but, notwithstanding the severe loss which the Spaniards, during the War of the Succession, suffered in that port, no care had been taken to fortify it; it has merely a wall, with a fort flank ed with four bastions on. the land side, and an old castle, equally dilapidated, toward the sea. The neighbourhood of Ferrol has made it neglected as a naval station, and Galicia is too poor a country for foreign commerce. There is, however, a manufactory of hats there, which are exported to America; and a fishery is carried on so extensively as to afford employment for thirty mercantile houses. It derives some importance also from being the seat of government for the province of Tuy. The population amounts to 2,500. Sir John Moore had fixed upon this port as the place of his embarkation, and ordered the transports here; and the delay occasioned by waiting till they came round Cape Finisterre to join him at Coruna, gave time for the French to come up, and for that battle, which, while it redeemed the character of the army, proved fatal to himself.

Captain Crawford, in the Venus frigate, was off the port, and he wrote to Captain M'Kinley, who was then at Villa Garcia, telling him how much the presence of his ship would contribute to the success of the patriots.

Meantime Don Pablo Murillo, whọ had distinguished himself so gallantly in Estremadura, came to examine the state of the siege. He learnt that a reinforcement of 1800 French were at this time in Pontevedra, about four leagues off. They had to cross the bridge of St Payo, over a river which discharges itself into the head of the bay of Vigo, and Murillo immediately took measures for defending the passage. From Don Juan Antonio Gago, an inhabitant of Marin, who was at the head of 500 peasants, he obtained two eight-pounders, and from the town of Redondella, one 24 and two 18-pounders. With these means of defence, he entrusted this position to Don Juan de O'Dogherty, a lieutenant in the Spanish navy, who had the command of three gun. boats. While he was taking these necessary measures, a detachment of three thousand men from that army of Romana, which Soult, in his lying dispatches, boasted of having destroyed a fortnight before, drove the enemy back from Pontevedra, and took possession of the town. Murillo joined them; and being of opinion that the speedy reduction of Vigo was the most important object which could then be undertaken, they proceeded to that place.

The French governor Chálot, a Chef d' Escadron, had replied to every summons which Tenreyro sent him, that he was not authorised to surrender to peasantry. Captain M‘Kinley having now arrived, he was again summoned to surrender, and negoci ations were begun, which continued till the third day, when Murillo joined the besiegers with the force from Pontevedra, March 26. consisting of new levies and retired veterans, 1500 of whom had now come forward to deliver their

country; a council of war was held, by which Murillo was appointed commander-in-chief, and requested to assume the title of colonel, for the sake of appearing of more consequence to M. Chálot, whose complaint it was, that he was not suramoned by an officer of sufficient rank. Having been thus promoMarch 27. ted to accommodate the Chef d' Escadron, he sent him a summons in due form to surrender within two hours. Chálot replied, that he could not possibly surrender till he had heard the opinion of the council of war, of which he was president; the members were at present dispersed, and he required 24 hours to collect them. Murillo returned a verbal answer, that he granted him another two hours, and the Frenchmen, after another ineffectual attempt to prolong the term, delivered in their proposals of capitulation, which were, that they should march out with their arms, baggage, and the whole of their equipage, and with the honours of war; that they should be conveyed in English vessels to the nearest French port, on parole not to bear arms against Spain or her allies till exchanged, or till peace should have taken place; that the money belonging to the French government, and destined for the payment of the troops of the second corps, should remain in the hands of the paymaster, who was accountable for it, and that the papers relating to the accounts of the regiments should be preserved; finally, that the troops should not lay down their arms, nor the town and forts be delivered up, till the moment of embarking. Murillo with the three French officers who brought these proposals, and two Spaniards, went immediately on board the Lively, to lay them before Cap-. tain M'Kinley, and answer them with

his concurrence. The answer was in a spirit becoming England and Spain. The garrison were required to ground their arms on the glacis, and surrender themselves prisoners of war; the officers were allowed to retain their swords and wearing apparel, nothing more. The demand respecting the money was refused; the place was to be taken possession of as soon as the French grounded their arms, and if these articles were not ratified within an hour, hostilities were to recommence.

The officers who were sent to negociate agreed to these terms, but the ratification was delayed beyond the hour allotted; and the Spaniards, who were prepared to execute what they had threatened, began the assault between eight and nine at night; while those who had muskets kept up a fire upon the enemy, others be gan to hew down the gates. An old man particularly distinguished himself at the gate of Camboa, by the vigour with which he laid on his strokes, splintering the wood, and when a ball went through him, by the composure with which he died, happy to have fallen in the discharge of his duty, and in the hour of victory. D. Bernardo Gonzalez, the commanding officer of the detachment from Pontevedra, sprang forward, and taking up the axe of the dead, continued the same work, notwithstanding he was thrice wounded; a fourth wound disabled him, and he was borne away: seven Spaniards fell at this point. Meantime, Murillo was informed that the capitulation was now ratified, and forcing his way through the ranks amidst the fire, with great difficulty he made himself heard, and put a stop to the assault.

On the following morning, when Murillo had made preparations to enter and occupy the place, information

was brought him from the little town of Porrino, that a reinforcement from Tuy was on the way to the French. Porrino is about a league to the eastward of the road between these two places, and equidistant about two leagues from both. News, therefore, could not be brought so soon but that the troops must closely follow it. Murillo instantly sent off a part of his force as secretly as possible to intercept them, and he remained hurrying the embarkation of the French, by telling them that he could not restrain the rage of the peasantry. How well they had de. served any vengeance which the peasantry could inflict the garrison were perfectly conscious, and were as eager to get on board as Murillo was to see them there. In this haste, the baggage could not be examined conformably to the capitulation, for the hurry of both parties was increased by hearing a firing from the town. The troops from Tuy had arrived under its walls, and, to their astonishment, a fire was opened upon them. They were attacked, routed, and pursued with such vigour, that out of 450, not more than 50 escaped; 72 were taken prisoners, and sent on board to join their countrymen, all the rest were either killed or wounded. The military chest, containing 117,000 franks, had been delivered up according to the terms; but an examination of the baggage was thought necessary; about 20,000 more were discovered, and the whole of both sums was distributed among the troops and peasantry. Never had a more motley army been assembled,-men of all ranks and professions bore arms together at this time in Galicia. Among those who distinguished themselves were soldiers and sailors; D. Francisco Sanchez Villamarin, the Al

ferez of that brave band of students of Salamanca, the greater part of whom had fallen in this holy war; the abbot of Valladares, and the first preacher of the Franciscans, Fr. Andres Villagaloi. Murillo sent off part of his forces to reduce Tuy; 5000 of the enemy were at this time assembled at Santiago, which they were fortify. ing, and this skilful officer hastened to place Pontevedra in a state of defence, and to secure the bridge of S Payo, that the French might not be able to form any farther junction. Tuy was soon recovered, part of the French being killed, the rest made prisoners. The Portugueze having assisted in the conquest, re-crossed the Minho to defend their own coun try, and they barricaded the streets of Viana, and fortified the bridge over the Lima at that town, lest the French from Porto should attempt to succour their countrymen in Galicia by that direction.

This

While the communication between the French in Galicia and Portugal was thus cut off, Romana being reinforced at Sanabria by 3000 volunteers from Castile, and having rested his harassed army, resolved to march into Asturias, and join his troops to those of that principality. could not be done without crossing the enemy's line of posts between Astorga and Villafranca, both which places were garrisoned with from 800 to 1000 men. The walls of the former city, old as they were, were sufficient to withstand an army who had no other weapon than their muskets; and the French had strengthened the works materially. But Villafranca had no other fortress than the old palace or castle of the marquisse of Astorga. From Sanabria, therefore, he first moved to Ponferrada, where he made some prisoners, and recovered

a great quantity of corn, several four pounders, and one dismounted twelvepounder, all part of his own stores and artillery. The news of his defeat had been circulated over all Galicia with the utmost industry; the French had added, that he himself was made prisoner; they fired salutes for their pretended victory, and, the better to delude the people, they even proceeded to the mockery of offering up thanksgivings in the churches, lying towards God as well as man. But, in spite of these artifices, the truth was known, and deputations from some town or village came every day to this brave general, assuring him that the Galicians were faithful to the cause of their country. Romana having remounted his twelve-pound er, dispatched his camp-marshal D. Gabriel de Mendizabal to attack the garrison at Villafranca. That officer's first care was to get between them and Galicia, while the commander-in-chief intercepted their retreat towards Astorga; for this purpose he proceeded on the night of the 17th to Cacabelos, and sent one detachment round by the right to occupy the bridge at the other end of the town, while another filed round by the left to join it there; every horseman taking up a foot soldier behind him to ford the Valcarce, and the smaller river which falls into it. Mendizabal, with the remainder of the troops, advanced along the road. His advanced parties drove in the French at all points, till they retired to the castle. The twelve pounder was brought up; but the Spaniards found that the French fired securely from the old fortification while they themselves were exposed; upon this they entered, and, with bay onets fixed, advanced to storm the castle. Mendizabal was at their head;

a ball passed through his clothes without wounding him. He summoned the enemy to surrender, and upon their hesitating what answer to return, repeated the summons with a threat, that if they refused, every man should be put to the sword. The white flag was then hoisted, and a negociation begun, which the French were conducting with a view to gain time, till the Spanish commander cut it short, by allowing them a quarter of an hour to surrender at discretion. Upon this they submitted; Mendizabal then, as an act of free grace, permitted the officers to keep their horses and portmanteaus, and the men their knapsacks; and the colonel commandant of the French, in returning his thanks for his generosity, complimented him upon his good fortune in having captured the finest regiment in the Emperor Napoleon's service. The number of prisoners were about 800. The Spaniards lost two officers and thirty men, 82 wounded. The result of this victory was, that the Bierzo was cleared of the French, and that they fell back from the neighbouring part of Asturias upon Lugo, there to make a stand, supported by the main force, which was divided be tween Santiago, Coruna, and Ferrol.

These events in Galicia, with the recapture of Chaves, and the bold advance of Silveira to the bridge of Amarante, were little expected by Soult, who had entered Portugal, thinking to intimidate all whom he did not either deceive or corrupt. "In consequence," said he, in the proclamation which he issued, "of the successes obtained in Spain by the army of his majesty the emperor, my august sovereign, I come to take pos session of your whole territory in his