Position and strength of the French and Spanish armies--Blake moves from Reynosa to the Upper Ebro; sends a division to Bilbao; French retire from that town--Ney quits his position near Logroña, and retakes Bilbao--The armies of the centre and right approach the Ebro and the Aragon--Various evolutions--Blake attacks and takes Bilbao--Head of the grand French army arrives in Spain--The Castilians join the army of the centre--The Asturians join Blake--Apathy of the central junta--Castaños joins the army; holds a conference with Palafox; their dangerous position; arrange a plan of operations--The Spaniards cross the Ebro--The king orders a general attack--Skirmish at Sanguessa, at Logroño, and Lerim--The Spaniards driven back over the Ebro--Logroño taken--Colonel Cruz, with a Spanish battalion, surrenders at Lerim--Francisco Palafox, the military deputy, arrives at Alfaro; his exceeding folly and presumption; controls and insults Castaños--Force of the French army increases hourly; how composed and disposed--Blake ascends the valley of Durango--Battle of Zornosa--French retake Bilbao--Combat at Valmaceda--Observations 361 BOOK IV. CHAPTER I. Napoleon arrives at Bayonne--Blake advances towards Bilbao--The count Belvedere arrives at Burgos--The first and fourth corps advance--Combat of Guenes--Blake retreats--Napoleon at Vittoria; his plan--Soult takes the command of the second corps--Battle of Gamonal--Burgos taken--Battle of Espinosa--Flight from Reynosa--Soult overruns the Montagna de St. Ander, and scours Leon--Napoleon fixes his head-quarters at Burgos, changes his front, lets 10,000 cavalry loose upon Castile and Leon--Marshals Lasnes and Ney directed against Castaños--Folly of the central junta--General St. Juan occupies the pass of the Somosierra--Folly of the generals on the Ebro--Battle of Tudela 385 CHAPTER II. Napoleon marches against the capital; forces the pass of the Somosierra--St. Juan murdered by his men--Tumults in Madrid--French army arrives there; the Retiro stormed--Town capitulates--Remains of Castaños’s army driven across the Tagus; retire to Cuenca--Napoleon explains his policy to the nobles, clergy, and tribunals of Madrid--His vast plans, enormous force--Defenceless state of Spain 407 CHAPTER III.