on ’the Spaniards’ not to be reconciled
with this and other passages, he speaks—not
of the Spanish people—but of the Spanish
government. And, even for what may still remain
charged uncandidly upon the people, the writer does
not forget that there are infinite apologies to be
found in Sir J. Moore’s situation: the
earliest of these letters were written under great
anxiety and disturbance of mind from the anticipation
of calamity;—and the latter (which are
the most severe) under the actual pressure of calamity;
and calamity of that sort which would be the most
painful to the feelings of a gallant soldier, and most
likely to vitiate his judgment with respect to those
who had in part (however innocently) occasioned it.
There may be pleaded also for him—that want
of leisure which would make it difficult to compare
the different accounts he received, and to draw the
right inferences from them. But then these apologies
for his want of fidelity—are also reasons
before-hand for suspecting it: and there are
now (May 18th) to be added to these reasons, and their
confirmations in the letters themselves, fresh proofs
in the present state of Gallicia, as manifested by
the late re-capture of Vigo, and the movements of
the Marquis de la Romana; all which, from Sir J. Moore’s
account of the temper in that province, we might have
confidently pronounced impossible. We must therefore
remember that what in him were simply mis-statements—are
now, when repeated with our better information, calumnies;
and calumnies so much the less to be excused in us,
as we have already (in our conduct towards Spain) given
her other and no light matter of complaint against
ourselves.
* * * *
*
END OF THE APPENDIX.
=VIZ=.
(a) LETTER TO MAJOR-GENERAL SIR CHARLES W.
PASLEY, K.C.B., ON HIS ‘MILITARY POLICY AND
INSTITUTIONS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE,’ 1811.
(b) LETTER ENCLOSING THE PRECEDING TO A FRIEND
UN-NAMED.
* * * *
*
NOTE.
These two Letters—the latter for the first
time printed—form a fitting sequel to the
‘Convention of Cintra.’ See Preface
in the present volume for more on them. G.
* * * *
*
TO CAPTAIN PASLEY, ROYAL ENGINEERS.
Grasmere, March 28, 1811.
MY DEAR SIR,
I address this to the publishers of your ‘Essay,’
not knowing where to find you. Before I speak
of the instruction and pleasure which I have derived
from your work, let me say a word or two in apology
for my own apparent neglect of the letter with
which you honoured me some time ago. In fact,
I was thoroughly sensible of the value of your correspondence,
and of your kindness in writing to me, and took up
the pen to tell you so. I wrote half of a pretty
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