“Br.-general Anstruther, who took possession of Almeida from the French, and who has been there ever since, and to whom I had written to make preparations for the passage of the troops on this route and Coimbra, has stopt them within the Portuguese frontier instead of making them proceed as I had directed to Ciudad Rodrigo and Salamanca.” 5º. History. “_Sir John Moore did not hear of the total defeat and dispersion of Belvedere’s Estremaduran army until a week after it happened, and then only through one official channel._” That channel was Mr. Stuart. Sir John had heard indeed that the Estremadurans had been forced from Burgos, but nothing of their utter defeat and ruin: the difference is cunningly overlooked by the reviewer. Authority. Extract of a letter from sir John Moore to Mr. Frere, Nov. 16th, 1808. “I had last night the honour to receive your letter of the 13th, together with letters of the 14th from Mr. Stuart and lord William Bentinck.” “I did not know until I received Mr. Stuart’s letter that the defeat of the Estremaduran army had been so complete.” Now that army was destroyed on the morning of the 10th, and here we see that the intelligence of it did not reach sir John Moore till the night of the 15th, which if not absolutely a whole week is near enough to justify the expression. 6º. History. “_Thousands of arms were stored up in the great towns._” Authority. Extract from sir John Moore’s letter to Mr. Stuart. 1st December, 1808. “At Zamora there are _three or four thousand_ stand of arms, in other places _there may be more_. If they remain collected in towns they will be taken by the enemy.” 7º. History. “_Sir John Hope’s division was ordered to pass the Duero at Tordesillas._” Authority. Extract of a letter from sir John Moore to sir David Baird, 12th Dec. 1808. “Lord Paget is at Toro, to which place I have sent the reserve and general Beresford’s brigade, the rest of the troops from thence are moving to the Duero, my quarters to-morrow will be at Alaejos, _Hope’s at Tordesillas_.” Now it is true that on the 14th sir John Moore, writing from Alaejos to sir David Baird, says that he had _then_ resolved to change his direction, and instead of going to Valladolid should be at Toro on the 15th with all the troops; but as Hope was to have been at Tordesillas the same day that Moore was at Alaejos, namely on the 13th, he must have marched from thence to Toro; and where was the danger? The cavalry of his division under general C. Stewart had already surprized the French at Rueda, higher up the Duero, and it was well known no infantry were nearer than the Carion. 8º. History. “_Sir John Moore was not put in communication with any person with whom he could communicate at all._” Authority. Extracts from sir John Moore’s letters and Journal, 19th and 28th November.