Sir Arthur Wellesley to Lord Castlereagh.

On board the Donegal, August 1, 1808.

My dear Lord-I have nothing to add to my public letter of this date, excepting to tell you that I have every reason to believe General Spencer's account of the French force in Portugal is exaggerated. I intended to make the attack with my own corps, aided by the Portuguese, if it should have turned out that he could not join me, according to my orders of the 26th of July, till I received your letter of the 15th, in which you announced the reinforcement; and I shall now march on, of course, as soon as one of the corps will arrive.

Pole and Burghersh have apprized me of the arrangements for the future command of this army; and the former has informed me of your kindness towards me, of which I have experienced so many instances, that I can never doubt it in any case. All that I can say upon that subject is, that, whether I am to command the army or not, or am to quit it, I will do my best to ensure its success; and you may depend upon it, that I will not hurry the operations, or commence them one moment sooner than they ought to be commenced, in order that I may acquire the credit of the success. The Government will determine for me in what way they will employ me hereafter, whether here or elsewhere.

My opinion is, that Great Britain ought to raise, organize, and pay an army in Portugal, consisting of 30,000 Portuguese troops, which might be easily raised at an early period, and 20,000 British, including 4,000 or 5,000 cavalry. This army might operate on the frontiers of Portugal, in Spanish Estremadura, and it would serve as the link of communication between the kingdoms of Gallicia and Andalusia. It would give Great Britain the preponderance in the conduct of the war in the Peninsula; and, whatever might be the result of the Spanish exertions, Portugal would be saved from the French grasp. You know best whether you could bear the expense, or what part of it the Portuguese Government would

or could defray. But if you should adopt this plan, you must send every thing from England-arms, ammunition, clothing, accoutrements, ordnance, flour, oats, &c. These articles must find their way to the frontier, partly by the navigation of the Douro and Tagus, and partly by other means.

Ever, my dear Lord, yours most sincerely,

ARTHUR WELLESLEY.

The ground I have for believing that Custanhos has beat Dupont is, that I have read a copy of his despatch to the Junta of Seville, published in the Coimbra Gazette. Its purport is nearly what I have stated in my despatch, excepting only that Dupont may have surrendered, with his army, and that the French force south of the Morena, not engaged in the action of the 20th, may have capitulated on condition of being sent to France by sea. I do not understand Portuguese well enough to say whether this is not the case, and somebody has taken away the Gazette.

You will observe that I have exceeded my authority in ordering Spencer to draw for £100,000 upon England, and to advance that sum to the Junta of Seville; of which act I hope you will see the propriety, and that you will send me an approbation of it. I must mention, however, that since I did it, I have heard that Sir Hew Dalrymple had refused to advance them any money, although he had authority.

Draft.

Lord Castlereagh to Brigadier-General Decken.

Downing Street, August 4, 1808. Sir-His Majesty, having deemed it expedient that an officer of rank should be employed at the head-quarters of each of the armies assembled in the several provinces of Spain which are united in resisting French usurpation and invasion, has been graciously pleased to select you to be employed on this service. I am, therefore, to acquaint you that his Majesty has been pleased to appoint you a Brigadier-General upon the staff of the army serving under Lieut.-General Sir Hew Dal

rymple, in Spain and Portugal, in which capacity you are to receive the pay and allowance of your rank.

You are forthwith to repair to Gijon, and report your arrival to the Junta of the province, and to the General commanding the army of the province. You will inform them that his Majesty has sent you, in order that you may give every possible assistance to the cause in which they are engaged: 1st. In giving advice and counsel when called upon.

2nd. In employing the officers who are under your superintendence in instructing new levies, wherein their experience may be thought useful.

3rd. In learning and representing the real wants of their forces; and,

Lastly, In keeping up a communication with the Commanding Officer of his Majesty's forces in Spain and Portugal, so that he may be enabled to judge in respect to the points in which his Majesty's army can be best employed, so as to support and advance the common cause.

The nature of your destination will be opened to the Junta of the province of Asturias by Mr. Hunter, at Oviedo, who has received instructions to that purpose.1

I am particularly to desire that you will take frequent opportunities to be at head-quarters, and select such places of residence as will be most eligible for communication.

You will use every opportunity to correspond with the Commander of the forces in Spain, detailing to him all points of information which you may conceive it may be of use for him to be acquainted with. And you will make your communication hither to me, for the information of his Majesty and his Ministers, in the fullest and most confidential manner, and as frequently as may be in your power.

1 A letter precisely similar, and accompanied by the same instructions, was addressed to Brigadier-General Sontag, who was ordered to proceed to Corunna, his mission being to Gallicia, to the Junta of which province its object was to be communicated by Mr. Stuart.

I need hardly point out to your experience the various heads upon which information will be desirable; but still I am anxious that you should be possessed of the leading points on which his Majesty's Ministers desire information. I annex to this despatch a memorandum for your observation and guidance. You will instruct the officers under your superintendence conformably to these instructions, who are hereby directed to report their proceedings to you, and to obey such orders as you may give them; and, as the earliest intelligence is of importance, you will, at the same time, direct them to correspond with me; and, where the service may require it, immediately with the Commander-in-Chief of the army, or any general officer commanding a corps of his Majesty's troops, to whom it may be desirable that the intelligence they may have to communicate should, without loss of time, be conveyed.

An advance of £500 will be made to you, for any immediate contingent expense, and you will be allowed to charge as contingent expenses such disbursements as a General Officer upon a detached service is allowed to charge in a contingent account. CASTLEREAGH.

Enclosure.

Memorandum of the direct Objects respecting which Information is required in regard to the Provinces of Asturias and Gallicia. 1st. The state of the existing military force in the province, detailing the nature of its organization.

2nd. The artillery, specifying its distinct species, whether in fortifications or for the field, and distinguishing the number of each calibre.

The quantity of ammunition in proportion to the artillery; the quantity of spare gun-carriages, and the materials and means of making and repairing them.

Whether pontoons are necessary in the province, and whether any in store?

What quantity of entrenching tools, and whether there are internal means, and to what extent, of procuring a supply?

What quantities of camp equipage and necessaries, and what internal means of procuring a supply?

What quantity of artillery-horses, and mules? What internal means of procuring them, and what number wanting? Whether draught bullocks can be substituted, and to what number, and at what prices?

What the number of the Artillery corps and the Engineers ? How composed, what the nature of the officers, and in general the state of discipline and experience of the corps?

Cavalry.

What the number, composition, and state of the cavalry? The number of the regiments—whether light or heavy? Their establishment; the number and quality of the horses; the state of discipline; the means of recruiting and drilling the men, and of procuring horses for remount. What regiments old, what new; the state of their arms and equipments; and the internal means of increasing their quantity?

Infantry.

The number of regiments, and the number of men in each, distinguishing old battalions from new battalions; the number of levies assembled, but not regimented; the manner in which they are organized; their state of discipline; also the means of increasing their numbers.

The nature and state of their arms-the supply of muskets, ammunition, and the internal means of increasing the supply. Also the deficiency which must be provided elsewhere. ther pikes are in use, and what supply wished for?

Finance.

Whe

The rate of pay of the different descriptions of service. The monthly expense of pay.

The mode of paying the army-whether in money or paper, and the nature of the rations and stoppages.