St. XXXI. l. 5.—Desolating fires.
This circumstance is mentioned in private letters; but not that the French set fire to the field designedly:—it would rather seem that the accidental bursting of their shells in the dry grass occasioned this conflagration, which ravaged a great extent of ground, and entirely consumed many of the dead, and (horrid to relate!) some of the wounded. This must have been a new and striking feature of war.
St. XXXIII. l. 14.—France moves her busy bands.
Immediately after the repulse of their general attack, the French began to retire; which they did in good order; and during the night effected their retreat towards Santa Olalla, leaving in the hands of the British 20 pieces of cannon, ammunition, tumbrils, and prisoners.
St. XXXIII. l. 18.—Windy car.
‘Ventoso gloria curru.’
St. XXXIII. l. 34.—Glory of the day.
If, says an eloquent writer in the Quarterly Review, we cherished, in former circumstances of the war, a hope of the success of our efforts for the assistance of Spain, and of her final deliverance, ‘We own we cannot consent to abandon it now, when such a day as that of Talavera has re-established, in its old and romantic proportion, the relative scale of British and French prowess; when an achievement, the recital of which is alone sufficient to shame despondency, and to give animation to hope, has not only inspired us with fresh confidence in ourselves, but, by infusing into our allies a portion of that confidence, has furnished them with new means and new motives for exertion.’——
Quarterly Review, No. III. p. 234.
St. XXXIV. l. 18.