his account of the second will
appear, from any report, to be an exaggeration.

It may be objected that--since Sir J.M. no where alleges these events as
proving any thing against the Spaniards, but simply as accounting for
his own plans (in which view, howsoever effected, whether with or
without due resistance, they were entitled to the same value)--it is
unfair to say that, by giving them uncircumstantially, he has
misrepresented them. But it must be answered, that, in letters
containing elsewhere (though not immediately in connexion with these
statements) opinions unfavourable to the Spaniards, to omit any thing
making _for_ them--_is_ to misrepresent in effect. And, further, it
shall now be shewn that even those three charges--which Sir J.M. _does_
allege in proof of his opinions--are as glaringly mis-stated.

The first of these charges is the most important: I give it to the
reader in the words of Sir John Moore:--'The French cavalry from Burgos,
in small detachments, are over-running the province of Leon; raising
contributions; to which the inhabitants submit without the least
resistance.' Now here it cannot be meant that no efforts at resistance
were made by individuals or small parties; because this would not only
contradict the universal laws of human nature,--but would also be at
utter variance with Sir J.M.'s repeated complaints that he could gain no
information of what was passing in his neighbourhood. It is meant
therefore that there was no regular organised resistance; no resistance
such as might be made the subject of an official report. Now we all know
that the Spaniards have every where suffered deplorably from a want of
cavalry; and, in the absence of that, hear from a military man
(Major-Gen. Brodrick) _why_ there was no resistance: '--At that time I
was not aware how remarkably the plains of Leon and Castille differ from
any other I have seen; nor how strongly the circumstances, which
constitute that difference, enforce the opinion I venture to express.'
(He means the necessity of cavalry reinforcements from England.) 'My
road from Astorga lay through a vast open space, extending from 5 to 20
or more miles on every side; without a single accident of ground which
could enable a body of infantry to check a pursuing enemy, or to cover
its own retreat. In such ground, any corps of infantry might be
insulted, to the very gates of the town it occupied, by cavalry far
inferior in numbers; _contributions ra