Chapter XLIV: Section V: Relating to the Conduct of the Local Juntas

_Sir David Baird to sir John Moore, Coruña, Oct. 24, 1808._

“The answer of the supreme government to our application as read by Mr. Frere last night in the presence of the junta of this province, is certainly very different from what I expected. Instead of expressing an anxiety to promote our views and dissatisfaction at the impediments thrown in the way of our measures by the Gallician government, it merely permits us to land here in the event of its being found impracticable to send us by sea to St. Andero, and directs that if our disembarkation takes place, it should be made in detachments of 2000 or 3000 men each! to be successively pushed on into Castille, without waiting for the necessary equipment of mules and horses.”

_Sir David Baird to sir John Moore, Coruña, Nov. 7._

“We have received no sort of assistance from the government.”

_Ditto, Astorga, Nov. 19._

“Had the Spanish government afforded us any active assistance, the state of our equipments would have been much more advanced.”

_Colonel Graham to sir John Moore, Madrid, Oct. 4, 1808._

“All this instead of at once appointing the fittest men in the country to be ministers, looks much like private interest and patronage being the objects more than the public good.”

_Colonel Graham to sir John Moore, Tudela, Nov. 9, 1808._

“_It is hoped_ that the Arragonese army will come over to fill it” (the line) “up, but being an independent command, no order has yet been sent. An express went after Palafox, who will return here this morning, and _then, it is hoped_, that he will send an order to general O’Neil at Sanguessa to march instantly; and _further, it is hoped_, that general O’Neil will obey this order without waiting for one from his immediate chief, Palafox, the captain-general of Arragon, who is at Zaragoza; at all events, there is a loss of above 24 hours by the happy system of independent commands, which may make the difference of our having 18,000 men more or less in the battle that may be fought whenever the French are ready.” ... “Making me compliments of there being no secrets with their allies, they” (the members of the council of war) “obliged me to sit down, which I did for a quarter of an hour, enough to be quite satisfied of the miserable system established by this junta” ... “In short, I pitied poor Castaños and poor Spain, and came away disgusted to the greatest degree.”

_Col. Graham to Lord W. Bentinck, Centruenigo, Nov. 13, 1808._

“If any thing can make the junta sensible of the absurdity of their conduct this will. It would indeed have been more felt if a great part of the division had been lost, as might well have happened. But the difficulty of passing so many men with artillery, and in small boats, and the time that would have been required so great, that I can hardly persuade myself these people can be so foolish as ever seriously to have entertained the idea. But with whatever intentions, whether merely as a pretence for assuming the command for the purpose of irritating Castaños; whether from the silly vanity of exercising power, and doing something which, if by great good luck it had succeeded, might have proved what might be done with a more active commander; or whether from a real conviction of the excellence of the scheme, it must be equally evident to every military man, indeed to every man of common sense, that it is impossible things can succeed in this way; and then the junta itself interferes, and to worse purpose.”

_Castaños’s Vindication._

“The nation is deceived in a thousand ways; as an example, it believed that our armies were greatly superior to those of the enemy, reckoning 80,000 men that of the centre, when your excellencies” (the junta) “knew that it only amounted to 26,000 men.” ... “Madrid possessed money and riches; the nobles and loyal inhabitants of that capital wished to give both the one and the other; but whilst the armies were suffering the horrors of famine, naked, and miserable, the possessions and jewels of the good Spaniards remained quiet in Madrid, that they might be soon seized by the tyrant, as they were in the end.”

_Stuart’s Despatch, August 7, 1808._

“No province shares the succours granted by Great Britain, although they may not be actually useful to themselves. No gun-boats have been sent from Ferrol to protect St. Ander or the coast of Biscay; and the Asturians have in vain asked for artillery from the dépôts of Gallicia. The stores landed at Gihon, and not used by the Asturians, have remained in that port and in Oviedo, although they would have afforded a seasonable relief to the army of general Blake. The money brought by the Pluto for Leon, which has not raised a man, remains in the port where it was landed.”

_Major Cox to sir Hew Dalrymple, Seville, August 3, 1808._

“I freely confess that I cannot help feeling some degree of apprehension that this great and glorious cause may be ruined by the baneful effects of jealousy and division.”

_Major Cox to sir Hew Dalrymple, Seville, August 27._

“The fact is, their” (the junta of Seville) “attention has been for some time past so much occupied by vain and frivolous disputes, and by views of private interest and advantage, that they seem to have neglected entirely every concern of real importance, and almost to have lost sight of the general interests of the country.” ... “A million of dollars have, I understand, been sent out.” ... “It certainly would not be prudent to intrust so large a sum to the management of the temporary government of a particular province, without having a sufficient security for its proper application. My own opinion is, that the less money which is given to them the better, until the general government is formed. This junta have shown too evident signs of a wish to aggrandize themselves, and a disinclination to afford those aids to other provinces, which they had it in their power to grant, not to afford just grounds of suspicion, that their boasted loyalty and patriotism have at times been mixed with unworthy considerations of self-interest and personal advantage.”

_Ditto, Sept. 5._

“By Mr. Duff’s present instructions, he would have had no option” (distributing the money), “even though the _iniquitous project of partition_, which your excellency knows was once contemplated, were still in existence.”

_Ditto, Sept. 7._

“A dispute between the two juntas” (Seville and Grenada), “which had nearly been productive of the most serious consequences, and would probably have ended in open hostility, had it not been prevented by the moderate, but decided conduct, of general Castaños.”

_Ditto, Sept. 10._

“The supreme junta of Seville have latterly manifested very different views, and, I am sorry to say, they seem almost to have lost sight of the common cause, and to be wholly addicted to their particular interests: instead of directing their efforts to the restoration of their legitimate sovereign and the established form of national government, they are seeking the means of fixing the permanency of their own, and endeavouring to separate its interests from those of the other parts of Spain. To what other purpose can be attributed the order given to general Castaños, not to march on any account beyond Madrid? To what the instructions given to their deputy, don Andrea Miñiano, to uphold the authority, and preserve the integrity of the junta of Seville; to distinguish the army to which he is attached by the name of the army of Andalusia; to preserve constantly the appellation, and not to receive any orders but what came directly from this government? And above all, what other motive could induce the strong and decided measure of enforcing obedience to those orders, by withholding from general Castaños the means of maintaining his troops, in case of his refusing to comply with them?”--“What has been the late occupation of the junta of Seville? Setting aside the plans which were formed for augmenting the Spanish army in these provinces, and neglecting the consideration of those which have been proposed in their stead, their attention has been taken up in the appointment of secretaries to the different departments, in disposing of places of emolument, in making promotions in the army, appointing canons in the church, and instituting orders of knighthood. Such steps as these make their designs too evident.”

_Captain Carrol to sir David Baird, Llanes, Dec. 17, 1808._

“This province” (Asturias), “the first to declare war with France, has, during seven months, taken no steps that I can discover to make arrangements against the event of the enemy’s entering the province.” ... “What has been done with the vast sums of money that came from England, you will naturally ask? Plundered and misapplied: every person who had or has any thing to do with money concerns endeavouring to keep in hand all he can, and be ready, let affairs turn out as they may, to help himself.”

_Lord William Bentinck to sir Hew Dalrymple, Seville, Sept. 19, 1808._

“Notwithstanding the professions of the Junta, their conduct has evidently fallen short of them, and I think it would be very desirable that more money should not fall into their hands.”

_Major Cox to sir H. Dalrymple, Seville, 10 July and 27th do._

“The proclamation of Florida Blanca was received here some time ago, but was carefully suppressed by the government.”

Other publications containing maxims similar to those inculcated by the proclamation of Florida Blanca have appeared, but are suppressed here with equal care.