History of the Peninsular War, Volume 4 (of 6)Southey, Robert
History
History of the Peninsular War, Volume 4 (of 6)
Southey, Robert
Peninsular War, 1807-1814
buying or selling gold, silver, or jewels, which had belonged to a
suppressed convent, or to an insurgent, were to be severely punished;
and those who assisted the insurgents in any manner were to be put
to death. Another decree sequestered the revenues of all archbishops
and bishops, and appointed pensions from the state instead. Another
commanded all persons possessing plate to the amount of more than ten
dollars, except in plates, knives, and spoons, to give in an account
thereof within three days; the mint was immediately to pay a fourth
of its value, and the remainder was promised within four months. All
plate which should be concealed after this edict was to be forfeited,
and a fourth of its value given to the informer; and silversmiths were
forbidden to purchase any articles in silver, except such as were
permitted to be in use by the present decree.
♦MEASURES OF SEVERITY.♦
These measures proved the neediness of the intrusive government. Its
atrocious character had already been amply demonstrated; if farther
proof were needed, it was to be found in a decree by which all persons
whose sons were serving in what it called the insurgent armies were
required to furnish a man to the Intruder’s service for every son, or
a proportionate sum of money; the elder brothers, or other nearest
relations or guardians of those who had no father, were subjected
to the same law; and those who had no money either for procuring
the substitute or paying the fine were to be imprisoned, or sent
into France. But it was reserved for this government to introduce a
new species of barbarity, which had never before been heard of in
war. Kellermann, whom the English had rescued with such difficulty
from the vengeance of the Portugueze at Lisbon, was at this time
governor-general of what the French called Upper Spain, ♦OCT. 28.♦ that
is, of the provinces of Salamanca, Zamora, Toro, Leon, Valladolid,
Palencia, Burgos, Soria, Santander, Biscay, Guipuzcoa, and Alava.
♦KELLERMANN’S EDICT.♦ Throughout this whole tract of country he placed
all horses and mares above a certain height in requisition for the
French armies, ordering them to be taken to the respective country
towns, and there delivered for that purpose; and every horse or mare
below the size named, or under thirty months old, with every mare that
should be three months gone with foal, was to have the left eye put
out by the owner, and to be in other ways rendered unfit for military
service. A fine of four times the value of the beast was to be exacted
from any one who disobeyed this edict, and all French officers were
charged to see it carried into execution. Nothing can more strikingly
evince their moral degradation, than that their general should have
ordered them to enforce the execution ♦MEASURES OF JOSEPH’S MINISTERS.♦
of an edict like this. These were the measures pursued in the name of
a King who was represented as being equally philosophic and humane,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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