This last commander had been sent, in the month of to assist our forlorn ally, the King of Sweden, against a combined attack from Russia, France, and Denmark. His army reached Gottenburg on the 17th of May, but was not permitted to land. Sir John Moore repaired to Stockholm, to communicate his orders, and to concert measures for the security of Sweden. He there found, to his surprise, that though the Swedish army was quite insufficient for defensive purposes, his Majesty's thoughts were intent on conquest. It was first proposed that the British should remain hi their ships, till sonic Swedish regiments should be collected at Gottenburg, and that the combined forces should land and conquer Zealand. Upon an examination of the plan, it was found that the island of Zealand, besides its for tresses, contained a regular force, superior to any that could be brought to bear against it, and that the adja cent islands were full of French troops, which could not be prevented from crossing over to it in small parties. It was next proposed, that the British alone should land in Finland, storm a fortress, and take possession of the province. But General Moore justly represented, that 10,000 British troops were insufficient to encounter the principal force of the Russian Empire, which could quickly be brought from Petersburgh. The Swedish monarch is said to have haughtily told Sir John Moore, that lie would command him to undertake any enterprise which he might think proper. Sir John Moore asked, by what authority he should do so. " By authority from your own sovereign," replied Gustavus. Sir John begged to be shewn the document; a reply which was felt by the monarch as an implied doubt of his royal word ; and for daring to disbelieve a false assertion, lie ordered the British commander to be put under arrest. Sir John escaped, however, from Stockholm in disguise, and, conformably to his instructions, brought back his troops to England.
Strengthened by the assurances of speedy reinforce ments, Sir Arthur Wellesley determined to disembark in \londego Bay, a situation in which he could be sup ported by a Portuguese army, which had advanced to Coimbra. On the 9th of August, the advanced guard marched forward on the road to Lisbon, and on the 15th had a slight action with the French at Obidos. Next day they halted, and on the day after an attack was made upon a large force of the enemy, under General Labor de, at Roleia. Their force amounted to 6000 men ; but there was some reason to believe, that it would be join ed by another body of equal force, under General Loison, who had gone to quell an insurrection in the south of Portugal, hut was expected to return in the course of the night. The French were defeated, but retreated in good order. By this success the road was cleared to Lisbon. On the day after this affair, the British army moved to Lourinha, to facilitate the junction, and pro tect the landing of the troops under General Anstru ther,after which they resumed their march. But Junot was determined to attack the British army before its re inforcements should arrive. Leaving Lisbon with the greater part of his forces, he came up with Sir Arthur Wellesley on the 21st of August, and attacked him in his position at Vimeira. The French renewed their on set in different columns, with the utmost impetuosity. They were repulsed at all points, after repeated charges with the bayonet, and at last retreated with the loss of about 3000 in killed, wounded, and prisoners, leaving behind them IS pieces of cannon and 23 ammunition waggons. After the dispositions for thc battle of Vimeira had been made, and the action already commenced, Sir Henry Burrard, who was superior in command to Sir Arthur Wellesley, arrived at the scene of action; but declined to deprive Sir Arthur of the honour of obtaining a vic tory, which appeared so probable.
On the 22d, Sir Hew Dalrymple, the lieutenant go.
vernor of Gibraltar, arrived to take the command over both at Cintra, the place to which the British had moved after the battle. \Vhen intelligence was received in England, in the words of Sir A. Wellesley, that the whole of' the French army in Portugal, under the com mand of the Duke of Abrantes in person, had sustained a signal defeat, the public hope was naturally sanguine that the victory would be followed up by important ad vantages. The arrival of the next dispatches was cele brated by the firing of the Park and Tower guns, at a late and unprecedented hour of the evening. With as tonishment it was learnt in the morning, that this cere mony had been performed for a convention, which had been signed at Cintra, between the respective generals of thc British and French armies; a convention founded on the basis of an armistice, agreed upon the clay after the battle of Vimeira. It was stipulated, among other articles, that the English government should be at the expense of transporting the whole of the French army to any of the ports between Rochefort and L'Oricnt. When the army arrived in France, it was to be at liber ty to serve again immediately, and the property of the French was to be sacred and untouched. It might either be carried off into France, or sold in Portugal. By the seventh article of the preliminary treaty, it had been even stipulated, that the Russian fleet should be allowed either to remain unmolested in the Tagus, or to return home. But this was indignantly refused by Sir Charles Cotton, our admiral off the Tagus, who obtained the surrender of the Russian ships, on condition of their being restored by his Britannic majesty, in the event of a treaty being concluded with Russia, and of Admiral Siniavian and his crews being conveyed to their own shores by our ships.
The general regret and indignation of the country at this convention of Cintra, was expressed in petitions to the throne, for an inquiry into the whole transaction. An inquiry was set on foot. The report of the military board stated, in defence of the convention, that, from the want of cavalry in the British army, it was not possible to have followed up the victory of Vimeira by an inune diate and fresh blow. \Vhen the suspension of arms was agreed upon, thc army under the command of Sir John Moore had not arrived, and doubts were entertain ed whether so large a body of men could be landed on an open and dangerous beach. The landing was indeed accomplished, but it was still doubtful whether they could be supplied with provisions from their ships, on a coast so impracticable. The convention, it was added in the report, released 4000 Spanish soldiers, and also 2000 Portuguese. The enemy, if driven to extremity, might have been joined by 6000 Russians. They were masters of thc Tagus and of thc strong fort of Alentejo, and might have detained our army during the remain der of the year. Our army was immediately left at li berty to march into the heart of Spain by a direct route, while the enemy, who were liberated by the convention, took a circuitous route by sea. From this approbation of the convention, however, Lord Moira made a spirited dissent, with reasons which sufficiently overpowered the fallacious arguments which have been stated. And in spite of the favourable report of the board, his majesty signified his disapprobation of the terms.