enclosed letter having been addressed to me, as well as to your Excellency, I have taken the liberty of opening it.

"His Excellency

General Cuesta.'

I have the honor to be, &c.

'ARTHUR WELLESLEY.

MEMORANDUM.

Plan of Operations to be adopted in case the Enemy's Columns, now on their march towards Plasencia, should enter Portugal, sent to Mr. Villiers, Marshal Beresford, and Brigadier General

'Jaraicejo, 12th August, 1809. 1. Marshal Beresford's corps is already ordered to fall back upon Castello Branco when necessary, where, or on the road to which place, he will probably find the British brigade under the command of Major General Lightburne. The Marshal will naturally take the road from Castello Branco by Sobreira Formosa, throwing a small corps by the road of Perdigão; the enemy probably will take the road by Fundão and by the tops of the hills, which comes into the other road at Cardigos. The Marshal will in this case have an opportunity of delay ing the enemy at the ravine at Cardigos.

2. From Cardigos they may move direct upon Abrantes, or they may move by Villa de Rei, and across the Zezere upon Thomar. Here, therefore, we must have a fresh combination for our defence.

3. Brigadier General has been ordered to halt at Abrantes, if his orders should find him there; at Niza, if they should find him south of the Tagus; or at Castello Branco, if north of the Tagus. He should be ordered to proceed to Abrantes, wherever he may be: if at Castello Branco, he should proceed by Villa Velha, and should destroy the flying bridge and all the boats at that place. This, however, must be done in communication with Marshal Beresford.

4. From Abrantes he should proceed to S. Domingo, and defend the passage of the Cades, in case the enemy should take the direct road to Abrantes from Cardigos, instead of that by Villa de Rei towards Thomar.

6

5. Marshal Beresford will in this case go to Villa de Rei,

and defend the passage of the Zezere.

6. If General should find himself obliged to retire,

he will throw himself into Abrantes, which place he will maintain at all events as long as possible; and with this view he will give immediate directions, and will take measures that a large quantity of provisions should be brought up the hill into the town.

7. It is possible that at this season of the year the Tagus may be fordable at Villa Velha, and the enemy, instead of turning to his right and taking the road by the hills, called the Marquez d' Alorna's, may turn to his left and cross the Tagus at Villa Velha. In that case, Marshal Beresford and General will join their corps at Abrantes as soon as possible. They will take up the bridge at Abrantes, keeping the boats and the materials under the hill below the

town.

8. It is to be observed, that the object of all these operations is only to gain a few days of time to enable the British army to return from Spanish Estremadura. Every day's delay would therefore be of importance.

9. It would be very desirable that Marshal Beresford should reinforce Brig. General with a brigade of artillery, and a squadron of dragoons for patroles.

· Arthur Wellesley.'

Lieut. General the Hon. Sir A. Wellesley, K.B., to
Marshal Beresford.

'MY DEAR Beresford,

'Jaraicejo, 12th August, 1809.

I have put in the form of a memorandum nearly what I stated to Hardinge yesterday, of which I send you one copy and another to - of course you will make such alterations in this plan, as may appear to you most expedient upon a view of the situation of affairs upon the spot; understanding always that I wish that General — should join me at Abrantes, if the enemy should operate upon the north of the Tagus; and that I wish you and

to be ready to throw yourselves upon his back, while I shall attack him in front, if he should cross at Villa Velha, and remain in Alentejo.

I have not yet heard that they have passed Plasencia; as soon as I do I shall move, and shall not halt till I shall reach Abrantes. I understand that the three divisions which had passed to Plasencia are not strong, and I think are composed

of the troops of Soult and Ney's corps. Mortier is certainly

still at Arzobispo.

• Marshal Beresford.'

Believe me, &c.

'ARTHUR WELLESLEY.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE COMMISSARY GENERAL.

Jaraicejo, 12th August, 1809.

1. The store at Abrantes, according to the return of it given to me yesterday, is much too large, particularly in biscuit and flour, and it ought forthwith to be reduced to the amount of 300,000 rations of flour.

2. This should be done by sending down, in boats to Santarem or Valada, in the first instance, all the overplus.

3. Orders should be forthwith sent to Abrantes to commence upon this operation without loss of time, care being taken that the boat people are paid, to secure the return of the boats. 4. Boats should likewise be sent up from Lisbon, Santarem, and Valada, as soonas possible, to aid in the removal of the stores; and regular passports must be made to the boat people in order to secure their regular service.

5. After the flour and biscuit shall have been removed, the oats and barley should be reduced to a supply of six days for the horses, &c., of the army by the same means; and the salt meat to 90,000 lbs.

'ARTHUR WELLESLEY.'

Lieut. General the Hon. Sir A. Wellesley, K.B., to his Excellency General Cuesta.

. SIR,

'Jaraicejo, 12th August, 1809. I have the honor to enclose a copy of a letter which I received last night from Colonel Waters, whom I had sent with a flag of truce on the preceding day, the 10th. Your Excellency will observe that there are no troops nearer than the bridge of Arzobispo, and but few there.

'I have to inform your Excellency that I learnt last night from my posts upon the Tagus, that the enemy have been moving in corps of considerable strength for the last three days towards Plasencia. I do not know that any troops now remain at Navalmoral or at Almaraz.

Lieut. General the Hon. Sir A. Wellesley, K.B., to the
Right Hon. J. Villiers.

'MY DEAR VIlliers,

'Jaraicejo, 12th August, 1809. Since I wrote to Lord Castlereagh, on the 8th instant, letters which I sent for your perusal, the Spaniards have been surprised at the bridge of Arzobispo, which they lost, together with from ten to twenty pieces of cannon.

They have since that day been employed in getting their army through the mountains, which they have not yet accomplished.

We have occupied the bridge of Almaraz, with the army, first at Deleytosa, then at this place, in the rear of that point. Our wounded are gone to Truxillo, and I propose to move them from thence to Elvas, where I shall establish the hospital.

The French have been moving since the 9th towards Plasencia. They have gone in three divisions, none of them of great strength, the first only about 4000 men. I have not yet received intelligence whether they have passed Plasencia, and I can therefore form no decided opinion respecting their intentions. I think, however, that if they meditated a serious attack upon Portugal, they would not have moved off by daylight, in sight of our troops; and I therefore suspect that these movements are intended only as a feint to induce us to separate from the Spaniards, to secure that kingdom.

In case, however, the intention to invade Portugal should be serious, I have drawn up a memorandum of the plan of defence to be adopted, of which I enclose you a copy. I have sent a copy to Marshal Beresford, and another to General through General Leite, by this messenger; but it is desirable that you should also send them copies of this paper, by a trusty person, without loss of time.

I shall know this night whether the enemy have passed Plasencia; if they shall have done so, I shall march tomorrow, and I shall not halt until I reach Abrantes. I trust, therefore, that the Government will be under no alarm for the safety of Portugal.

'Our Commissary has collected at Abrantes an unreasonable quantity of provisions and stores. I have given him directions to reduce the magazines there to a reasonable extent,

by sending down the overplus by water. I shall be obliged to you to urge the Government to give him every assistance in boats of a light draught, to navigate the upper part of the river; as I propose in the first instance, in order to make shorter work of it, to remove the overplus only as far as Santarem or Valada, from whence we can get it, when I please, either up or down the river.

'I shall be obliged to you if you will read the memorandum which is sent to Mr. Dunmore and Mr. Murray by the messenger who will go this night.

In case the enemy should enter Portugal, I should wish the troops at Lisbon to remain at that station, till they shall receive orders from Marshal Beresford or me to move; and I do not propose to move them, at all events, farther than Villa Franca.

'We are starving, and are ill treated by the Spaniards in every way: but more of this hereafter. There is not a man in the army who does not wish to return to Portugal.

'The Right Hon. J. Villiers.'

Believe me, &c.

'ARTHUR WELLESLEY.

Lieut. General the Hon. Sir A. Wellesley, K.B., to his Excellency Marquis Wellesley.

MY LORD,

Jaraicejo, 12th August, 1809, 8, A.M. I have the honor to enclose to you the copy of a letter which I received yesterday morning from General Cuesta, and a copy of my answer. I have not since heard from the General, but I transmitted to him yesterday afternoon a report which I received from Mr. Commissary Richardson, who was coming from Truxillo to the British army with bread and barley, and was stopped and deprived of all his barley and a small part of his bread, by a detachment of Spanish cavalry.

I understand there was a firing of cannon and musketry in the neighbourhood of the Mesa de Ibor, yesterday morning at about eight o'clock. But I conclude that it was an affair of no consequence, and probably the Spanish posts firing at a French patrole, as I learn from Lieut. Colonel Waters (whom I had sent in to the French Commander in Chief with a flag of truce relating to our sick and wounded), from Val de Casas on the 10th, that there were no French troops on this side of the bridge of Arzobispo, excepting those immediately at the bridge.