CHAPTER XII.

1813.

Affairs on the Eastern Coast of Spain-The Duke of York withdraws many of the old Soldiers from Wellington's ArmyOpposition of the Cortes-Expectations excited by the English Journals Inclemency of the Weather-Description of the Frontiers-Passage of the Bidassoa-Battles of the PyreneesResignation of Sir T. Graham-General Orders-Proclamation to the French-Reception of the Allies by the Biscayan Peasantry.

WHERE Wellington was not present to direct in person, there, as usual, everything was progressing unfavourably to the cause of the Peninsula. In Catalonia, the French had made such advances, under the skilful guidance of Suchet, that he often thought of going thither himself; but political considerations outweighed in his comprehensive view those of a purely military nature, and in the march of affairs in Germany he saw the germs of ultimate success, notwithstanding the reverses experienced by the allies.

The difficulties on the eastern coast of Spain had, no doubt, been much augmented by the frequent changes made in the command of the Anglo-Sicilian army. In about fourteen months, it had received no fewer than seven different generals, and, in the same busy meddling spirit, the government was constantly taking from Wellington his veteran battalions, in spite of his remonstrances, and replacing them with men who had never been under fire. It was in vain he urged upon the ministers and upon the Duke of York, at that time commander-in-chief, the impolicy of

258

OPPOSITION OF THE CORTES.

such changes, declaring that one veteran, inured to the climate and the fatigues of war, was worth at least five young soldiers fresh from England. They persisted in too many cases, though in others their obstinacy seems to have yielded to his remonstrances, which, indeed, were as strong as was compatible with his ideas of due submission to those of higher place and authority than himself. "It is," he says to the Duke of York, "a matter of perfect indifference to me, personally, whether the army is strong or weak, or whether I am to carry on operations in France, in Spain, or in Portugal; but I hope your Royal Highness will consider, that if the public interests require, as I have been told, that I should carry on operations during the winter, it is expedient that the veteran soldiers should remain with the army, and that, if the war is to continue, it should be reinforced early in spring."

But it was in the Spanish government that Wellington found the greatest obstacles to his success. Not one of the engagements that the Cortes had entered into, and which he had made the condition of his taking the command of their armies, had been adhered to, nor would they attend to his suggestions as to those civil and financial arrangements, which he thought requisite for the maintenance of the troops and for the better establishing of the government in the provinces conquered from the enemy. The Cortes preferred a system of their own, and the consequences were such as might have been anticipated; though the whole country, excepting Catalonia, and a small part of Aragon, had been cleared of the enemy, though the harvest had everywhere been abundant, and millions of British gold were being circulated in the

ENGLISH JOURNALS.

259

Peninsula, still the Spanish forces, weak as they were in number, were literally starving. Yet the French had proved that armies could be maintained in Spain, at the expense of the country, much larger than any that were necessary for its defence. Under these circumstances Wellington thought it right to resign the command of the Spanish troops on the 30th of August, yet continuing to fulfil the duties of a chief, till the new Cortes should assemble and accept his resignation.

So little were the people of England aware of the difficulties which beset their general even in the midst of his successes, that, like the Spaniards, they began to be discontented at his not marching at once into France and conquering the whole country up to the walls of Paris. The public press helped not a little in spreading and keeping up this illusion, and occasioned Wellington to observe sarcastically, "If I had been at any time capable of doing what these gentlemen expected, I should now, I believe, have been in the moon. They have long ago expected me at Bordeaux; nay, I understand that there are many of their wise readers-amateurs of the military art→→→ who are waiting to join the army till head-quarters shall arrive in that city; and when they shall hear of the late Spanish battle, I conclude that they will defer their voyage till I arrive at Paris."

A month had elapsed since the fall of San Sebastian, during which time the weather had been exceedingly inclement, and the troops, particularly those who had to guard the passes on the right, had suffered in consequence severely. In the day, till about twelve o'clock, the hills were, for the most part, enveloped in clouds, though when they opened, as they would do

260

STATE OF THE WEATHER.

at intervals, the troops could distinctly see from their stormy abode the fields and gardens spread out below, basking in the temporary gleams of sunshine and tempting by their evident fertility. The evenings, however, were in general remarkable for their beauty, the mountain ranges being brilliantly lit up and coloured by the last glances of the daylight. In the night sleet and snow would fall, and so intense was the cold that several men perished, yet, as the troops had to drag the fuel up with them, they were forced to be sparing of their watch-fires; on one occasion a picquet was snowed up in the neighbourhood of Roncesvalles; still it was impossible for him to move his right wing till the fall of Pamplona. He had, indeed, purposed to cross the Bidassoa with the left wing of his army immediately after the storming of San Sebastian, and would have done so but for the mistake of the officer of engineers in transmitting the orders for the collection of the pontoon train; at the same time he felt a great disinclination to enter the French territory under existing circumstances, and would have preferred turning his attention to Catalonia. In numbers he was scarcely equal to the enemy except by about twenty-five thousand Spaniards, who were not always to be relied upon in the field, and who, being neither fed nor paid, would be sure to plunder and set the whole country against them. In addition to this, he would be obliged to take, or to blockade, the fortresses of St. Jean Pied de Port and Bayonne, as being absolutely essential to the safety of his advance. Still he considered that “he ought to bend a little to the views of the allies," and accordingly he resolved to invade France with the left wing of his army, and occupy a range of heights on

FRONTIERS OF SPAIN AND FRANCE. 261 the right bank of the Bidassoa, extending from the great mountain La Rhune to the sea.

From Passages to the mouth of the Bidassoa runs the steep side of the mountain of Jaysquibel, which terminates at the entrance of the river in a rocky promontory called the Point of Figueras. Its narrow crest is difficult of access, and it is separated from the Pyrenean chain by a broad irregular valley, along which the road passes that leads from Vittoria to Irun. In this picturesque spot, rendered yet more striking by the gloom of the surrounding heights, are the towns of Ernani and Oyarzun, and the village of Lesso. At the foot of the mountain, on a small peninsular eminence, contiguous to the Bidassoa, stands the melancholy town of Fontarabia, with its narrow streets, darkened by the projecting roofs and large balconies of the houses, and with its fortifications all in ruins. The river at the time-of high water, when it rises sixteen feet, washes the ruined walls; but when the the tide is out, it leaves a considerable extent of sand on both sides of the channel, forming what is usually called a dry harbour. Opposite to Fontarabia, on the French side, is the little town of Handaye, or Andaye, celebrated for its brandy. Near the river, and about a mile from the ruins of the bridge, which connects the great road leading from Vittoria to St. Jean de Luz and Bayonne, but which the French had destroyed in their retreat, stands the town of Irun, and just below this spot is the Isle de la Conférence, or, as it is sometimes called, the Isle of Pheasants. On the other side of Irun the mountains rise in a succession of steep acclivities, surmounted by the rugged points. of the Crown Mountain, or Monte de Haya, the