vision, when a great proportion of the whole army should have been despatched. These unsuccessful attempts revealed to the English what we designed next day; and still more evidently demonstrated the importance of the station they held. They passed the greater part of the night in fortifying it with artillery.

The sun rose next morning on the two armies, drawn up in battle-order, and again the cannonade commenced. The defence of Portugal being intrusted to the English army, the fate of that country, and, perhaps, of all the Peninsula, was now to be decided by this contest. The veterans of the first and fourth French corps, accustomed for years to conquer throughout Europe, and always to witness their ardour seconded by the combined skill of their chiefs, burned with impatience for orders to engage, and thought to overthrow all before them by one well conjoined assault.

Only one division, consisting of three regiments of infantry, was sent by the valley to storm the position, which we had, for a moment, obtained possession of the preceding evening. After considerable loss, this division reached the top of the eminence, and was nearly successful. One of the regiments had advanced as far as the artillery, when our charge was repulsed, and the whole division was forced to retire. The English, apprehending by this renewed attack, that the French designed to turn their left by the valley, stationed their cavalry there; and caused a division of the Spaniards to occupy the skirts of the high Castilian mountains beyond it. The French receded to the ground they first occupied. The cannonade

continued for another hour, and then became gradually silent. The overpowering heat of mid-day obliged both armies to suspend the combat, and ob serve a kind of involuntary truce, during which the wounded were removed.

King Joseph, having at last gone himself to reconnoitre the enemy's position, gave orders, at four o'clock, for a general attack against the army of England. A division of dragoons was left to observe the Spaniards in the direction of Talavera. General Sebastiani's corps marched against the right of the English, whilst Marshal Victor's three divisions of infantry, followed by masses of cavalry, charged against their left, to attack the eminence by the valley. King Joseph and Marshal Jourdan took post with the reserve, in the rear of the 4th division. The artillery and musketry were not long in being heard.

The English Commander, stationed on the hill which overlooked the field of battle, was present always wherever danger called. He could sur

vey, at a glance, every corps of his army, and perceive below him the least movement of the French. He saw the line of battle formed, the columns disposed for the conflict; he penetrated their designs by their arrangements, and thus had time to order his plans, so as to anticipate and prevent those of his foes. The position of the English army was naturally strong and difficult of approach, both in front and flank; but in the rear it was quite accessible, and gave ample freedom to their troops to hasten to the quarter threatened.

The French had a ravine to pass before they could reach the enemy. They had to advance over ground much intersected, very rugged and unequal,

obliging them frequently to break their line; and the positions they attacked had been previously fortified. The left could not see the right, or know what was passing there, for the rising ground between them. Every corps of the army fought apart, with unparalleled bravery, and ability too; but there was no co-operation in their efforts. The French were not then commanded by a General-in-chief, the resources of whose genius might have compensated for the advantages which the nature of the ground denied them, and yielded to their enemies.

The division of Lapisse first passed the ravine, attacked the fortified eminence, ascended it in defiance of a fire of grape-shot, which mowed down its ranks, but was repulsed with the loss of its General, and a great number of officers and soldiers. In retreating, it left the right of the fourth corps uncovered, which the British artillery took in flank, and forced for a moment to retire. The left of General Sebastiani's corps, advanced under a most intense fire of artillery, to the foot of a redoubt on the right of the English, and between the combined armies. It was too far advanced, and too soon forward-it was encountered and driven back by the united corps of the English right and the Spanish left. Assistance came, and the combat was renewed. In the centre, Marshal Victor rallied the division of Lapisse at the foot of the hill, and abandoned all further attempt to gain possession of it. The French then tried to turn it either by the right or left. Vilatte's division advanced in the valley, and Ruffin's moved to the right of this by the foot of the Castilian mountains. The cavalry, forming a

second line, were in readiness to debouch into the plain in the rear of the enemy, wherever the infantry could open a passage.

Just as the French began to move, the English, with two regiments of cavalry, made a charge against their masses. They engaged in the valley, passed onwards regardless of the fire of several battalions of infantry, between the divisions of Vilatte and Ruffin, and fell with an impetuosity never surpassed on the 10th and 26th regiments of our chasseurs. The 10th could not resist the charge. They opened their ranks, but rallied immediately, and nearly the whole of the 23d regiment of light dragoons, the foremost of the English cavalry, was either destroyed or taken captive.

A division of the English Royal Guards, stationed on the left and centre of their army, being charged by the French, at first repulsed them vigorously; but one of its brigades being too far advanced, was in its turn taken in flank by the fire of the French artillery and infantry, sustained considerable loss, and retreated with some difficulty behind their second line. The French took advantage of this success; they again moved forward, and but one other effort was necessary to break through into the plain, and combat on equal ground. But King Joseph thought it was too late to advance with the reserve, and the attack was delayed till the following day. Night again closed over us, and the conflict ceased from exhaustion, without either side having won such a decided advantage as to entitle it to claim the victory.

The corps of Marshals Victor and Sebastiani withdrew successively during the night towards the reserve, leaving an advanced guard of cavalry on

the scene of the engagement, to take care of the wounded. The English, who expected a new attack in the morning, were greatly surprised, when day dawned, to see that their enemies, leaving twenty pieces of cannon, had retreated to their old position on the Alberche. The English and Spaniards, according to their own accounts, lost 6616 men. The French had nearly 10,000 slain.

King Joseph left the first corps d'armée on the Alberche, and went with the fourth corps and the reserve to reinforce Toledo. That city, having a garrison of only 1500 men, had been warmly attacked by a division of the Spanish army of General Venegas, who had taken Aranjuez and Valdemoro on the 27th. Some days previously Madrid had nearly been seized by the vanguard corps of the English General Wilson, who had advanced from Escalona to Naval-Carnero. The inhabitants of the capital had opened their gates, and gone in crowds to meet him in their holiday dresses, after having obliged three French battalions, that formed the garrison, to shut themselves up in the fort of the Retiro. King Joseph lodged a complete division in Toledo, and came on the Ist of August to Illescas, that he might be equally able in that situation to march against the army of Venegas, to assist the corps on the Alberche, and to overawe the inhabitants of Madrid.

The English retired on the 3d of August to Oropesa, without attempting any attack against Marshal Victor. They left the Spaniards at Talavera, and General Wilson's corps at Escalona. On the night of the 4th, the combined English and Spanish armies suddenly passed the Tagus, by the bridge of Arzobispo, on the approach of the