Mr. Perceval 527 Troops sent to Portugal 530 Issues of money required 531 Conduct of Lord Grenville as Auditor of the Exchequer 532 State of the opposition 536 Their expectations 538 Language of the anarchists 538 Mr. Perceval popular at this time 542 Schemes for a new ministry 544 The King’s opinion during an interval of amendment 545 The Prince Regent announces his intention of making no change 546 Mr. Perceval’s reply 547 HISTORY OF THE PENINSULAR WAR. CHAPTER XXIV. SIR A. WELLESLEY ENTERS SPAIN. BATTLE OF TALAVERA. RETREAT OF THE BRITISH ARMY. DEFEAT OF THE SPANIARDS AT PUENTE DEL ARZOBISPO AND ALMONACID. ♦1809.♦ ♦VICTOR RETREATS BEYOND THE TAGUS.♦ The head-quarters of Marshal Victor, after he returned from his movement in favour of Soult to his former position, were at Truxillo: Cuesta was on his left flank, having his head-quarters at Fuente del Maestro, and his advance at Calemonte on the Guadiana, a league from Merida. The British General had formed a plan for cutting off the enemy’s retreat by a movement through Castello Branco and Plasencia to the bridge of Almaraz; this he relinquished, because it did not coincide with Cuesta’s opinion, and because he found it impossible to prevail upon that general to choose a secure position, or to concentrate his army, which was distributed with so little judgement in an open country, that if Victor had attacked it, an easier victory might have been obtained than that of Medellin. The French have seldom suffered such opportunities to pass, and Sir Arthur was very apprehensive that the army, which had been raised with such exertions, would be dispersed before he could effect a junction with it. But Victor was content to forego this advantage rather than risk the danger of being cut off from Madrid by such an operation as Sir Arthur had meditated; he broke up, therefore, at the beginning of June, and retreated across the Tagus at Almaraz; Cuesta followed, without obtaining any advantage over him in his retreat, and sufficiently fortunate that the French Marshal was in too much fear of a better army, to profit by the want of discipline in the Spaniards and the want of skill in their commander. ♦ALBURQUERQUE PROPOSED FOR THE COMMAND IN LA MANCHA.♦