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COBBETT'S

COMPLETE COLLECTION OF

State Trials:

To be completed in Thirty-Six Monthly
Parts, forming Twelve large Volumes in
Royal Octavo,

ap

The Second Part of the above Work will be published on the 1st of February. By some very respectable communications which have been made to me from gentlemen of the profession of the law, it pears that the intention which I originally entertained with respect to the Pleadings was much misunderstood. Upon that subject, however, I trust all misunderstanding has been completely removed by the assurance given in the Register of the 31st of Dec. that the whole of those Pleadings will be scrupulously retained: And in And in order to remove all professional doubts, as to how far this new and enlarged Edition of the State Trials may, with safety, be cited as authority in the Courts, and relied on as of equal authenticity with the former, I think it right to state, that it is intended to be a literal transcript of the last edition, as far as that edition extends; that where I have inserted fuller and better reports of any Cases, or of any parts of Cases, the text of the old Edition will nevertheless be retained; and that the new matter will be distinguished in a manner not to be mistaken, and be distinctly pointed out in the Table of Contents to each Volume. To such Gentlemen as may happen to be in possession of curious Trials, or of documents relating to Trials of the description of those to be contained in this Work, I shall be much obliged for a communication of them. If the document, or paper, whether in print or manuscript, be requested to be preserved, great care shall be taken of it.

OFFICIAL PAPERS.
Lord MOIRA's Reasons for disapproving the
Armistice and Convention of Cintra. (Con-
cluded from p. 32.)

HAD it been impracticable to reduce the French army to lay down its arms unconditionally, still an obligation not to serve for a specified time might have been insisted upon, or Belleisle might have been prescribed as the place at which they should be landed, in order to prevent the possibility of their reinforcing (at least for a long time) the armies employed for the subjugation of Spain. Perhaps a stronger consideration than the merit of those terms presents itself. Opinion rela

tive to the British arms was of the highest importance, as it might influence the confidence of the Spaniards, or invite the nations groaning under the yoke of France, to appeal to this country, and co-operate with it for their deliverance. The advantages ought, therefore, to have been more than usually great, which should be deemed sufficient to balance the objection of granting to a very inferior army, hopeless in circumstances, and broken in spirit, such terms as might argue, that notwithstanding its disparity in numbers, it was still formidable to its victors. No advantages seem to have been gained that would not have equally followed from forcing the enemy to a more marked submission. The gain of time as to sending succours into Spain cannot be admitted as a plea; because it appears that no arrangements for the reception of our troops in Spain had been undertaken previous to the Convention; and this is without reasoning on subsequent facts.-The Convention in Egypt, which has been advanced as a parallel case, appears to me inapplicable. No object beyond the dislodgment of the French from Egypt was there in question. In the present instance, the operation of the Convention upon the affairs of Spain was a consideration of primary interest; and in that view; the inevitable effect of some of the articles offers itself to my mind as liable to material objection.—I trust that these reasons will vindicate me from the charge of presumption, in maintaining an opinion contradictory to that professed by so many most respectable officers: for even if the reasons be essentially erroneous, if they are conclusive to my mind (as I must conscientiously affirm them to be), it is a necessary consequence that I must disapprove the Convention.MOIRA, General.-Dec. 27, 1808.

SPANISH REVOLUTION.-Fourteenth Bulletin of the French Army of Spain, dated Madrid, Dec. 5, 1808.-[The following are passages of the 14th Bulletin which were abridged in vol. xiv. p. 1019.]

who commanded one of the gates, had the A Butcher's boy from Estramadura, audacity to require the duke of Istria should go himself into the town with his this presumptive demand with indignation. eyes blindfolded. Gen. Montbrun rejected He was immediately surrounded, and effected his escape only by drawing his sword. He narrowly escaped faling a victim to the imprudence with which he had forgot that he had not to make war with

civilized enemies. To take Madrid by assault might be a military operation of little difficulty; but to engage that great city to surrender, by employing alternately force and persuasion, and by rescuing the people of property, and real good men, from the oppression under which they groaned: this was what was really difficult. All the exertions of the emperor, during these two days, had no other end. They have been crowned with the greatest success.-It would have been difficult to form a conception of the disorder that reigned in Madrid, if a great number of prisoners, arriving in succession, had not given an account of the frightful scenes of every description, of which that capital presented the spectacle. They had intersected the streets, erected parapets on the houses; barricades of balls of wool, and of cotton, had been formed; the windows had been stopped with mattrasses. Those of the inhabitants who despaired of a successful resistance, were flying into the fields; others who had preserved some share of reason, and who preferred appearing in the midst of their property before a generous enemy, to abandoning it to the pillage of their fellow-citizens, demanded that they should not expose themselves to an assault. Those who were strangers to the town, or who had nothing to lose, were for a defence to the last extremity, accused the troops of the line, of treason, and obliged them to continue their fire-The enemy had more than 100 pieces of cannon mounted; a more considerable number of two and three-pounders had been dug up, taken out of cellars, and tied upon carts, a grotesque train, and in itself sufficient to prove the madness of a people abandoned to itself. But all means of defence were become useless. The possessors of Retiro are always masters of Madrid. The emperor took all possible care to prevent the troops from going from house to house The city was ruined if many troops had been employed. Only some companies of sharp-shooters advanced, and the emperor constantly refused to send any to sustain them. At eleven o'clock the prince of Neufchatel wrote the annexed letter, No. 3.-His majesty at the same time ordered the fire to cease on all points. —At five o'clock gen. Morla, one of the Members of the Military Junta, and Don Bernardo Yriarte, sent from the town, repaired to the tent of his serene highness the major general. They informed him that the most intelligent persons were of

opinion that the town was destitute of resources, and that the continuation of the defence would be the height of madness; but that the lowest classes of the people, and the crowd of men strangers to Madrid, wished to defend themselves, and thought they could do it with effect. They required the day of the 4th to make the people listen to reason.---During the night the most mutinous withdrew themselves from the danger by flight, and a part of the troops was disbanded. At ten o'clock gen. Belliard took the command of Madrid; all the posts were put into the hands of the French, and a general pardon was proclaimed.-From this moment, men, women, and children, spread themselves about the streets in perfect security. The shops were open till eleven o'clock.-All the citizens set themselves to destroy the barricades and repave the streets, the monks returned into their convents, and in a few hours Madrid presented the most extraordinary contrast, a contrast inexplicable to those unaccustomed to the manners of great towns. So many men, who cannot conceal from themselves what they would have done in similar circumstances, express their astonishment at the generosity of the French. Fifty thousand stand of arms have been given up, and 100 pieces of cannon are collected at the Retiro. The anguish in which the inhabibitants of this wretched city have lived for these four months cannot be described. The Junta was without influence; the most ignorant and the maddest of men had all the power in their hands, and the people at every instant massacred, or threatened with the gallows, their magistrates and their generals.-The general of brigade, Maison, has been wounded. Gen. Bruyere, who advanced imprudently the moment the firing ceased, has been killed. Twelve soldiers have been killed, and fifty wounded. This loss, so trifling for an event of so much importance, is owing to the smallness of the number of troops suffered to engage: it is owing besides, we must say, to the extreme cowardice of all those that had arms in their hands against us.--The artillery, according to its usual custom, has done great services. Ten thousand fugitives, who had escaped from Burgos and Somosierra, and the second division of the army of reserve, were on the 3rd within three leagues of Madrid; but being charged by a picquet of dragoons, they fled, abandoning, forty pieces of cannon, and 60 caissons. A meritorious trait cited. An old general

retired from the service, and aged eighty | our forces at Tudela, and at Espinosa,

years, was in his house at Madrid, near the street of Alcala—a French officer entered, and took up his quarters there with his party. This respectable old man appeared before him, holding a young girl by the hand, and said, "I am an old soldier; I know the rights and the licentiousness of war; there is my daughter; I give her 900,000 livres for her portion; save her honour, and be her husband." The young officer took the old man, his family, and his house, under his protection. How culpable are they who expose so many peaceful citizens, so many unfortunate inhabitants of a great capital, to such misfortunes --The duke of Dantzic arrived at Segovia on the 3d. The duke of Istria is gone in pursuit of the division of Pena, which having escaped from the battle of Tudela, took the route of Guadalaxara. Florida Blanca, and the Junta, had fled to Toledo. They did not think themselves in safety in that town neither, and have gone to take refuge with the English. The conduct of the English is shameful. On the 20th Nov. they were at the Escurial to the number of 6000 men. They passed some days there. They pretended they would do nothing less than pass the Pyrenees, and come to the Garonne. Their troops are very fine, and well disciplined. The confidence with which they had inspired the Spaniards is inconceivable. Some hoped that this division would go to Somosierra; others, that it would come to defend the capital of so dear an ally. Scarcely were they informed that the emperor was at Somosierra, when the English troops beat a retreat on the Escurial. From thence, combining their march with the division which was at Salamanca, they have taken their course towards the sea. "Arms, powder, and clothing, they have given to us," said a Spaniard, "but their soldiers came only to excite us, to lead us astray, and to abandon us in the critical moment." "But are you ignorant," answered the French officer, "of the most recent facts of our history. What have they done for the Stadtholder, for Sardinia, for Austria? What have they done recently for Russia? What have they done still more recently for Sweden? They every where foment war; they distribute arins like poison; but they shed their blood only for their direct and personal interests. Expect nothing else from their selfishness." "Still," replied the Spaniard, "their cause was ours. Forty thousand English, added to

might have balanced the fortune of the war and saved Portugal. But at present, that our army of Blake on the left; that of the centre, and that of Arragon on the right are destroyed; that Spain is almost entirely conquered, and that reason is about to complete its submission, what is to become of Portugal? It is not at Lisbon that the English ought to defend themselves, they ought to have done so at Espinosa, at Burgos, at Tudela, at Somosierra, and before Madrid."

Fifteenth Bulletin, dated Madrid, Dec. 7. His majesty has named the general of artillery, Senarmont, general of division. The major Legur has been named adjutant commandant. The life of this officer had been despaired of, but he is now out of danger. The count Khrazinski, colonel of the Polish light horse, though ill, has always wished to charge at the head of his corps. The sieurs Babecki and Wolygurski, quarter-masters, and Surzeyski, a soldier of the Polish light horse, who have taken standards from the enemy, have been named members of the legion of honour. His majesty has moreover granted to the Polish light horse eight decorations for the officers, and so many for the soldiers. The chief of squadron, Lubienski, reconnoitred, on the 2nd, the remains of the army of Castanos, near Guadalaxara. They were under the command of general Pena. Castanos was said to have been deposed by the General Junta. The duke of Infantado has been one of the principal causes of the misfortunes his country has suffered; he was the principal instrument in England, in its lamentable progress against Spain; it was he who was employed by that country to cause dissensions between the father and the son; to overturn the throne of Charles, whose attachment to France was known; to excite outrages against the first minister of that sovereign; to elevate to the supreme power that young prince, who, by his marriage with a princess of the ancient house of Naples, had drank in that hatred against the French, from which that house had never departed. It was the duke of Infantado who played the principal part in the conspiracy of the Escurial, and it was to him that the power of generalissimo of the armies of Spain was confided at that time. He was afterwards seen taking the oath of allegiance at Bayonne between the hands of king Joseph, as colonel of the Spanish guards. On his return to Madrid, we saw him throw off the masque, and shew himself

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100 pieces of field artillery, and 120,000 muskets, mostly English. The disarming continues without any difficulty, all the inhabitants conform to it with the greatest willingness; they return with eagerness and good faith to the royal authority which rescues them from the mischievous influence of England, from the violence of factions, and the disorders of popular movements. The king of Spain has created a regiment which bears the name of the Royal Foreigners," into which are admitted the deserters and the Germans who were in the service of Spain. He has also formed a Swiss regiment, called that of Reding the younger, that officer having conducted himself like a real Swiss patriot, and in a manner very different from gen. Reding. The one has deserved well from his countrymen, and will every where obtain esteem; the other, generally despised, will go to the taverns of London to enjoy a pension of some hundreds of pounds sterling, badly earned, and paid with disdain.-He must emigrate from the conti nent. The regiments of Royal Foreigners, and Reding the younger, consist already of many thousands of men.-The 5th and 8th corps of the army of Spain, and three divisions of cavalry, are but passing the Bidassoa; they are yet very far from being in line, and yet a very great number of victories have been obtained, and the greatest part of the business is done.

openly the man of the English. It was in his house that the ministers of England were lodged; it was in his society that the agents accredited and secret of that power lived. After having exhorted his fellow-citizens to a mad resistance, he was seen, with a cowardice equal to his treason, flying from Madrid to Guadalaxara, under the pretext of going to bring reinforcements, withdrawing himself by this stratagem from the dangers into which he had drawn his fellow-citizens, and shewing no anxiety except for the English agent, whom he carried off in his own carriage, and whom he served for an escort. And what will he gain by this conduct? He will lose his title, his property, valued at 2,000,000 livres a year; he will go to London, to seek the contempt, the disdain, and ingratitude with which England has always rewarded the men who sacrifice their country to the injustice of her cause. The Bulletin continues, "As soon as the report of the chief of squadron, count Lubienski, was known, the duke of Istria put himself in march, with 16 squadrons of cavalry, to observe the enemy. The duke of Belluno followed with the infantry. The duke of Istria arrived at Guadalaxara, and found there the rear-guard of the enemy, which was filing towards Andalusia, dispersed it, and made 500 prisoners. The general of division Ruffin, and the brigade of dragoons of Bordesault, informed that the enemy were moving towards Aranjuez, proceeded to that place. The enemy were put to flight, and all these troops THE duke of Montebello bestows much were immediately put in pursuit of all praise on the conduct of the general of those that are flying towards Andalusia.- brigade, Ponzet, in the battle of Tudela; The general of division Lahoussaye enter- on that of generals Lefebvre, on the geneed the Escurial on the 3rd. Five or 600 ral of brigade of artillery Couin, and also peasants wished to defend the convent, on that of his aid-de-camp, Guchenene, but were driven out by a brisk attack. who was wounded. He makes particular Every day contributes to dissipate the re- mention of three regiments from the Vismains of the stupor into which the inhabi- tula. General of brigade Augerau, who tants of Madrid had fallen. Those who had charged at the head of the division of Morconcealed their moveables and precious ef- lot, distinguished himself. M. M. Viry fects,are bringing them back to their houses. and Labedoyere took a piece of artillery Their shops are furnished as in ordinary in the midst of the enemy's line. The times. The barricades, and all the other latter was slightly wounded in the arm.preparations of defence, have disappeared. His majesty has appointed colonel Pepin, The taking possession of Madrid has been general of brigade, and the Polish majer executed without disorder, and tranquillity Kliki, colonel. The Polish colonel Kasireigns in all parts of that great town. A nouski, who was wounded, has been ap fuzileer of the guards having been found pointed a member of the legion of honour. with a number of watches upon him, and being convicted of having stolen them, has been shot in the principal place of Madrid. We have found in that city 200,000 pound weight of powder; 10,000 balls; 2,000,000 pound weight of lead;

Sixteenth Bulletin, dated Madrid, Dec. 8.

-Ruffin, general of division, having passed the Tagus at Aranjuez, pushed on to Ocana, and cut off the retreat of the remains (débris) of the army of Andalusia, who were retiring to Andalusia, and who, being frustrated in this design, have thrown

Seventeenth Bulletin, dated Madrid, Dec. 10.
His majesty reviewed yesterday on the
Prado, the duke of Dantzic's corps, which
arrived the day before yesterday at Ma-
drid; he expressed his satisfaction at these
brave troops. To-day he reviewed the
troops of the Confederation of the Rhine,
forming the division commanded by gen.
Leval. The regiments of Nassau and Ba-
den behaved well-The regiment of Hesse
Darmstadt did not sustain the reputation
of the troops of that country-The colonel
and major appear to be men of moderate
talents.-The duke of Istria set off on the
6th for Guadalaxara. He scoured the
whole road from Saragossa and Valencia-
made 500 prisoners, and took a great deal
of baggage. At Bastau a battalion of 500
men, summoned by the cavalry, were
broken in upon. The enemy's army beaten
at Tudela, Catalayud, abandoned by its
generals, and a great number of soldiers,
was reduced to 6,000 men. On the 8th at
midnight, the duke of Istria attacked, at
Santa Cruz, a corps which covered the
flight of the enemy's army.
That corps
was closely pursued, and a thousand prison-
ers taken. It wished to throw itself into
Andalusia by Madridego. It appears to
have been forced to disperse in the moun-

themselves upon Cuença. - The divisions |
of cavalry under general Lasalle and Mel-
haud, have directed their march for Por-
tugal, by Talavera de la Reina. The
duke of Dantzic arrived this day at Ma-
drid with his division of the army.-Mar-
shal Ney, with his division, has reached
Guadalaxara, coming from Saragossa.-His
majesty, anxious to spare the inhabiants of
that town from the horrors inseparable from
a capture by storm, was unwilling that Sa-
ragossa should be attacked, before the in-
telligence of the events at Madrid, and of
the dispersion of the Spanish armies should
be known there. If, however, that city
should obstinately make resistance, mines
and bombs should obtain satisfaction.
The 8th division has entered Spain. Ge-
neral Delaborde is about to establish his
head quarters at Vittoria.-The Polish di-
vision, under the orders of general Va-
lence, arrived this day at Buitrago. The
English are retreating on all sides. The
division of Lasalle has, however, fallen in
with 15 men, whom they have put to the
sword. They were stragglers, or men
who had lost their way.-Marshal Mor-
tier will arrive on the 16th in Catalonia,
to turn the enemy's army, and to form a
junction with the generals Duhesme and
St. Cyr.-On the 23d of Nov. the breachtains of Cuença.
in the castle of Trinity of the city of Rosas,
was found on approaching it, to be prac-
ticable. On the same day, the English
landed 400 men at the foot of the castle.
A battalion of Italians marched against
them, killed 10 men, wounded above that
number, and drove the rest into the sea.
-About 30 vessels were observed to come
out of the harbour of Rosas, which induced
a belief that the inhabitants had begun to
evacuate the town.-On the 24th, the ad-
vanced guard of the enemy encamped on
the Fluvia, consisting of about 5 or 6000
men, commanded by general Alvarez,
came in several columns, to attack the
posts of Navara, Pientos, Armodas, and
Garrigas, occupied by general Souham's
division. The 1st regiment of light infant-
ry, and 4th bat. light infantry, were alone
opposed to the enemy, sustained the at-
tack with firmness, and finally put them
to flight. The enemy has been repulsed
on the other side of the Fluvia with consi-
derable loss in killed and wounded. Se-
veral prisoners have been made, among
whom are col. Le Brun, the second in
command of the expedition, and col. of
the regiment of Tarragona, and the major
and a captain of that regiment.

Intercepted Correspondence, published by the
French.

THE following Intercepted Correspondence has been published by the French. It is annexed to the 17th Bulletin of the French army, and is introduced by the following short preface: "We found at Madrid at the duke de Infantado's, two caskets, containing the papers of the princess of Asturias, in which are things of the greatest importance. The passage in a letter from her mother, dated on the 15th Jan. 1806, informs us of the opinion which the queen of Sicily has herself of the English. These letters are full of proofs of the conspiracy which was forming to break the friendship between France and Spain." Copy of what is written in sympathetic ink in the Letter of Queen Charlotte to the Princess of Asturias: dated Jan. 15, 1806.

"My beloved child, I am infinitely uneasy at your situation, your health, and the increased grief you will have in hearing of our cruel fate.-But rely upon my truth. Do not give credit to any alarm, which they will not fail in charity to give you, and be prudent.-I shall write to you with perfect sincerity, and believe no other news, for I promise the heart and

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