[29] General Thiebault, who was present at this council, represents the force against them, independent of Lisbon, of 30,000 British, and 17,000 Spaniards, at more than 80,000 men, auxquels rien ne manquoit! In reality, every man in Portugal was their enemy; but except animosity and individual courage, the Portugueze at that time wanted every thing.
[30] It is asserted by General Thiebault, that General Kellermann was sent to feel his ground, under pretext of a conference relating to the prisoners and wounded. Upon that General’s return he says, “On conçoit de quel interêt étoient les nouvelles qu’il rapportoit, et combien elles parurent heureuses quand on sut à quel point il avoit réalisé tout ce qu’on avoit pu esperer. Il avoit été reçu avec la plus grande distinction; il avoit eu le talent de faire prendre aux Anglais l’initiative des propositions qu’il avoit à leur faire; sachant parfaitement l’Anglais, il avoit suivi la partie la plus mysterieuse de leurs conversations[31] ; il s’étoit fortifié de la certitude que, malgré l’énormité de leurs avantages, les Anglais, incertains de l’époque de l’arrivée des renforts, qu’ils attendoient, n’étoient pas tranquilles sur leur position: il étoit parvenu à traiter pour la flotte Russe en même temps que pour l’armée Française, et cela en faisant pressenter que les Russes alloient se joindre à nous: il étoit arrivé de cette manière à demander même que nous émmenassions la flotte Portuguese, non pour l’obtenir, mais afin d’avoir quelque chose à céder, dans le cas où des articles d’une haute importance seroient trop contestés; et c’est ainsi, que par autant d’habilité que de fermeté et d’adresse, il parvint à conclure et à signer un traité provisoire.” This statement is sent into the world with General Kellermann’s sanction, Baron Thiebault’s Relation having, as the preface states, been read to him. General Kellermann was so successful in this negotiation, that he can derive no additional credit from these additions to the plain facts. With regard to the initiative, he came declaredly to treat for an armistice preparatory to a convention for evacuating Portugal, and he produced a paper containing the wishes of the French Commander-in-chief; the deliberations upon his proposal, which he is said to have overheard, were not carried on in his presence, but in an inner room. (Proceedings upon the Inquiry, p. 57.) As to the demand that the French might carry away the Portugueze fleet, the French are certainly bold askers; and in this negotiation, as in many others, they proved that Fortune favours the bold; ... but he must have been more than bold, who could have made such a proposal. What was afterwards asked upon that score will appear hereafter.
[31] Voici quelques-unes des phrases qu’il recueillit: Notre position est delicate—Le corps de Sir John Moore n’est pas encore arrivé à Figuières—La bonne intelligence des Russes et des Français doit nous donner des inquietudes, &c.
LIST OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CENTRAL JUNTA.
| For Aragon | D. Francisco Rebolledo de Palafox y Melzi, Gentleman of the Bed-chamber, and Brigadier in the army; D. Lorenzo Calvo de Rozas, Intendant of the army and kingdom of Aragon. |
| Asturias | D. Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, Knight of the Order of Alcantara, of the Royal Council of State, and formerly Minister of Grace and Justice; Marques de Campo-Sagrado, Lieutenant-General of the army, and Inspector-general of the troops of Asturias. |
| The Canaries | Marques de Villanueva del Prado. |
| Old Castille | D. Lorenzo Bonifaz y Quintano, Prior of the holy Church of Zamora; D. Francisco Xavier Caro, Professor of Laws at Salamanca. |
| Catalonia | Marques de Villel, Conde de Darnius, a Grandee, and Gentleman of the Bed-chamber; Baron de Sabasona. |
| Cordoba | Marques de la Puebla de los Infantes, a Grandee; D. Juan de Dios Gutierrez Rabé. |
| Extremadura | D. Martin de Garay, Intendant of Extremadura, and Honorary Minister of the Council of War; D. Felix Ovalle, Treasurer of the army of Extremadura. |
| Gallicia | Conde de Gimonde; D. Antonio Aballe. |
| Granada | D. Rodrigo Riquelme, Regent of the Chancery of Granada; D. Luiz Funes y Salido, Canon of the holy Church of Santiago. |
| Jaen | D. Francisco Castanedo, Canon of the holy Church of Jaen, Provisor and Vicar-general of that diocese; D. Sebastian de Jocano, of his Majesty’s council, in the Tribunal de Contaduria Mayor, and Contador of the province of Jaen. |
| Leon | Frey D. Antonio Valdes, Bailey and Grand Cross of the Order of S. Juan, Knight of the Golden Fleece, Gentleman of the Bed-chamber, Captain-General of the Fleet, Counsellor of State, formerly Minister of the Marine, and acting Minister of the Indies; the Vizconde de Quintanilla. |
| Madrid | Conde de Altamira, Marques de Astorga, a Grandee, Knight of the Golden Fleece, Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III., First Equerry, and Gentleman of the Bed-chamber; D. Pedro de Silva, Patriarch of the Indies, Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III., and formerly Camp-Marshal of the Royal Armies. |
| Majorca | D. Tomas de Veri, Knight of the Order of S. Juan, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Palma Volunteers; Conde de Ayamans, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Palma Militia. |
| Murcia | Conde de Florida-Blanca, Knight of the Golden Fleece, Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III., Gentleman of the Bed-chamber, and formerly First Secretary of State, and acting Minister of Grace and Justice; Marques del Villar. |
| Navarre | D. Miguel de Balanza; D. Carlos de Amatria, Members of the Deputation of the kingdom of Navarre. |
| Seville | D. Juan de Vera y Delgado, Archbishop of Laodicea and Coadjutor of Seville; Conde de Tilly. |
| Toledo | D. Pedro de Ribero, Canon of the holy Church of Toledo; D. José Garcia de la Torre, Advocate of the Royal Councils. |
| Valencia | Conde de Contamina, a Grandee, Gentleman of the Bed-chamber; Principe Pio, a Grandee, Colonel of Militia. |
[33] Llorente, under his name of Nellerto, (vol. i. 155,) asserts, that when Florida-Blanca was summoned to the central Junta he left a writing, addressed to the municipality of the city of Murcia, protesting that he acted under fear and compulsion, and in the full knowledge that his country was going to destruction; and adding, that he made this solemn declaration lest King Joseph should one day treat him as a criminal. This infamous calumny, which by its own absurdity confutes itself, is advanced by the ex-secretary of the Inquisition upon no better authority than that of a Madrid journal, published under the Intruder’s government. It is so palpably calumnious, that I should not have thought it worthy of contradiction, if it had not been doubtfully repeated by Col. Jones in his very able Account of the War.
[34] An account of them may be found in the notes to the Chronicle of the Cid, pp. 141 and 418. Marshal Gouvion St. Cyr says of the present Miquelets, that they are the best light troops in Europe (p. 54.) But Cabañes argues that they cannot possibly be so efficient as they were when war was carried on less scientifically, and he regrets that it was not possible to raise regular regiments in their stead. P. i. 90.
[35] Aun vea el hora que vos merezca dos tanto. V. 2348, p. 318. Mr. Frere proposed to read merezcades.
[36] I give this remarkable story from that very meritorious journal, ‘The Plain Englishman,’ (vol. i. 294,) where it is related by the editor on the authority of Sir Richard Keats himself.