"This gave something over a pound a head to the 400 soldiers and the crew,
twice that amount to the non-commissioned officers, and sums varying from
ten pounds apiece to the ensigns to fifty pounds to the major. The admiral
was asked to approve of the transaction, and said, 'I have no right
formally to sanction it, since, so far as I know, it is not a strictly
naval matter; but I will give you a letter, Colonel, saying that you have
informed me of the course that you have adopted, and that I consider that
under the peculiar circumstances of the capture, and the fact that there
are no men available for sending the prizes to England, the course was the
best and most convenient that could possibly be adopted, though, had the
craft been of any great value, it would, of course, have been necessary to
refer the matter home.'"
A week passed without movement. The expedition had left England on the
12th of July, 1808, and Sir Arthur rejoined it towards the end of the
month. He had learned at Oporto from Colonel Brown, our agent there, that,
contrary to what he had been told at Corunna, there were no Spanish troops
in the north of Portugal, but that a body of some 8,000 Portuguese
irregulars and militia, half-armed and but slightly disciplined, were
assembled on the river Mondego. After a consultation with Admiral Sir
Charles Cotton, Sir Arthur had concluded that an attack at the mouth of
the Tagus was impracticable, owing to the strength of the French there,
the position of the forts that commanded the entrance of the river, and
the heavy surf that broke in all the undefended creeks and bays near.
Pages:
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77