History of the Peninsular War, Volume 2 (of 6)Southey, Robert
History
History of the Peninsular War, Volume 2 (of 6)
Southey, Robert
Peninsular War, 1807-1814
as he informed Sir Hew, and denote the intimate alliance between the
two countries.
♦ELVAS AND ALMEIDA GIVEN UP.♦
All difficulties being at length removed, the forts were delivered up,
General Leite entered the city, and the French garrison, between 1400
and 1500 in number, were marched to Aldea Gallega. No insults were
offered them on the way; and they were joined by their comrades, who,
having been wounded at Evora, had been left in that city, and treated
with careful humanity by the inhabitants. The garrison of Almeida were
not removed so easily. The Portugueze had kept up an irregular blockade
of that fortress after Loison’s departure; they borrowed fire-arms from
the Spaniards of Ciudad Rodrigo, and were so little scrupulous in their
mode of warfare, that a friar poisoned the water of a tank at which
the cattle belonging to the garrison used to drink. Almeida might long
have defied any efforts which the Portugueze or the Spaniards in that
quarter could have made against it; it was, however, gladly delivered
up, in conformity to the convention, and the garrison were marched
to Porto, under a British escort, there to be embarked. ♦TUMULTS AT
PORTO.♦ On the day of their arrival, they employed themselves in
converting as much of their plunder as possible into money: purchasers
were not wanting, and their market continued the whole day and
night, horses being the ostensible articles. Such a traffic excited
the indignation of all but those who were profiting by it; and that
indignation was excited to the highest pitch, when, on the following
morning, as the baggage of the French was examined at the Castle
of St. Joam da Foz, in presence of the governor and of Sir Robert
Wilson, several rich church vestments were found in one of the boxes.
The horror which the Portugueze feel at sacrilege is perhaps hardly
conceivable by those who are not acquainted with them. The governor
himself, on this occasion, joined the populace in their outcry, and
immediately gave orders that no vessel should be permitted to pass the
castle. The news soon reached Porto, exaggerated as it passed from
mouth to mouth; a mob collected, bent upon putting the French to death;
and some insults were offered the English for protecting them. The
Bishop, Sir Robert Wilson, and many officers, Portugueze and English,
used their utmost exertions to quiet the tumult. They succeeded in
restoring peace at St. Joam da Foz: but the crowd still continued on
both sides the river; and at an early hour of the morning some thousand
persons had assembled, with a determination to attack the French on
board the transports: they placed artillery on both shores, and mounted
guns on board the ships. Fortunately for the French, they were provided
with sixty rounds each man, and one of the transports in which they
were embarked was armed with six-pounders. The Bishop and Sir Robert
Wilson again came down to mediate, and the latter was employed, without
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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