This was the intelligence which Marshal Ney found when he reached Lugo on his return from Asturias; and though Lugo itself had been saved by the unexpected arrival of the army from Portugal, the appearance of that army, and the recital of its adventures, were alike discouraging. ♦COMBINED OPERATIONS OF MARSHALS NEY AND SOULT IN GALICIA.♦ The two Marshals had not parted upon good terms, they met upon worse, and the ill feeling that existed between them extended to their troops. Ney’s soldiers talked of the Portugueze campaign in terms which provoked resentment, and quarrels arose, in which the officers ♦NAYLIES, 134.♦ took part. This, however, was no time for reproaches and bickerings; all fear of pursuit from the English being over, a plan was concerted for destroying Romana’s army, and recovering what had been lost in Galicia. For this purpose Ney was to act against Carrera and Morillo, and having defeated them, and retaken Vigo, to send a column upon Orense; while Soult was to pursue Romana’s army in the valley of the Sil, and disperse it, after which he was to march upon the Puebla de Sanabria, and there observe the Portugueze frontier, threatening to re-enter it, and keeping up a communication with Ney by Orense, and with the corps under Mortier by Zamora. In pursuance of this plan Ney hastened to Coruña; and Soult, having been supplied from that fortress with field-pieces and stores, commenced a pursuit ♦OPÉRATIONS DE M. SOULT, 276.♦ little resembling that from which he had so recently escaped. ♦ROMANA REJOINS HIS ARMY.♦ The day on which Carrera drove the enemy from Santiago Romana[17] landed at Ribadeo, and joined his army at Mondoñedo. Here he was informed of Soult’s arrival at Lugo, and apprehending immediately that an effort would be made by the two Marshals to enclose him, he marched by the Valle de Neyra to Orense, and there took up a defensive position, covered by the Minho and the Sil. The Conde de Noroña, D. Gaspar Maria da Nava, had just at this time arrived in Galicia, with the appointment of second military and political chief, and had taken the command at Santiago: him he directed to withdraw from that city and retire upon Pontevedra, and he applied to Silveira for assistance; but the Portugueze general could not move without orders from Marshal Beresford. It was believed by the Galician army, that if the Portugueze had continued the pursuit two days longer, even without the British, Soult’s men were in so helpless and miserable a state, that they would gladly have surrendered, Lugo must have fallen, and the remainder of the enemy have been shut up in Coruña. If the event was less advantageous to the common cause, it was more honourable to the Galicians. ♦PROCEEDINGS OF SOULT.♦