In the mean time, the ministry was completely broken up. The duke of Portland, who had exerted his matur ed and experienced talents in the cabinet, but which had been rendered too inefficient to his country by the bodily agonies which he endured tinder the disease of the stone, resigned, on the verge of death. Lord Castlereagh and Mr Canning resigned formally after their duel. By the demise of the duke of Portland, the superintendence of his majesty's councils devolved on Mr Perceval. He wrote to Earl Grey and Lord Grenville, inviting them to assist in forming an ex tended and combined administration. The offer, how ever, was not such as to warrant the acceptance of those noblemen. Application was made more sticcessiully to the Marquis Wellesley, who succeeded Mr Canning as secretary in the foreign department ; Lord Liverpool was transferred from the home to the war department ; and Mr Ryder was placed in the room of Lord Liver pool. Lord Palmerston was appointed secretary at war, in the room of Sir James Pulteney.
The hopes of effectually assisting the peninsula had no sooner been animated by the rising of the Spaniards in Gallicia, and the approach of an Austrian compaign, than Sir Arthur Wellesley was detached with an army, small but well appointed, with immediate orders to act in Portugal, hut with discretionary powers of extending his co-operation to the Spaniards. He landed at Lisbon on the 22d of April. General Soult, who had penetrated through Gallicia, and left that country behind him, without dreading the insurrection which shortly after broke out, had possessed himself of Oporto, and in tended, undoubtedly, to have marched to the south of Portugal, where he expected to effect a junction with Victor ; but, learning that a formidable British force had landed, he attempted to force a retreat into Spain by the route of Zamora : For this purpose it was ne cessary to possess himself of the pass of Amarante ; but the Portuguese general Silviera so obstinately defended this approach, that he was obliged to retreat back to Oporto. Marshal Victor was at this period at Merida, while Cuesta held a position at Monasterio. Conceiving that Victor's force was sufficiently watched by the latter commander, Sir Arthur 'Wellesley deter mined to advance against Soult, and to drive him from Oporto. But Soult, sensible of his inequality to meet the combat, and wishing, at the same time, to give Marshal Victor an opportunity of pushing into the south of Portugal, withdrew the main body of his army, and left his rear guard at once to entice his pursuer, and to protect his own retreat. An action took place be tween the advanced guard of the British and the rear guard of Soult at Vendas Novas, in which the former, being gallantly supported by a Portuguese regiment, drove the enemy from a strong position on the heights above Grijon. The enemy then retreated across the
Douro, and opposed the passage of our troops : the river was crossed, however, with the characteristic valour of British soldiers, and Oporto was recovered. Sir Arthur Wellesley even hoped to cut off the retreat of Souk. The Portuguese general Silviera was posted upon the Tamaga. If he had been able to have held this position, no retreat could have been open to the enemy, except across the Minho ; but the loss of the Bridge of Amarante, which the Portuguese were unable to defend, afforded the French a passage into the north of Spain. Sir Arthur Wellesley left the pursuit or Souk to protect Lisbon and the south of Portugal from Victor.
In the mean time, the affaris of the patriots in Spain were checked with alternate success and disaster. On the Minho they repulsed Marshal Nev (Duke of Elchingen) and General Loison at the head of S000 men. Forcing Ney to retreat, they bravely recovered Coruna and Ferrol. They got possession of St Andero ; but this last place was the scene of a tragical reverse,—it was recaptured by the French general Bonnet, and 5000 patriots were put to the sword. In the north east of Spin, General Blake threw succours into Gerona, which nearly rivalled Saragossa in the bravery of its defence. Ile endeavoured also to relieve Saragossa ; but exposed himself, in a rash encounter with General Suchct, to a total and disgraceful defeat. His troops, struck by a sudden panic, abandoned their baggage, their artillery, and their arms. Blake was thus obliged to abandon Arragon, and endeavoured, at a distance from the enemy, to restore discipline to his army.
Still, however, the French thought it imprudent, while their reinforcements were abridged by the war in another extremity of Europe, to advance to the south of Spain. Before they could reach Seville, it was necessary to possess the passes of the Sierra Morena ; and, in the st•ong-holds of these passes, the enemy dreaded to attack the Spaniards under Venegas. Leav ing that quarter unassailed, King Joseph sent reinforce ments from Sebastiani's army to General Victor ; whose army, thus strengthened to the number of 35,000, took its station along the Alberche, and in the neighbour hood of Talavera. His design was to oppose the march of the united Spanish and British armies against Madrid ; for Sir Arthur Wellesley, after returning from the pur suit of Soult, judged it expedient to direct his force against Victor, and for this purpose determined to co operate with Cucsta.