of your Majesty, constitates it an imperious and sacred law.

REPORT OF THE MINISTER OF WAR TO HIS

MAJESTY THE EMPEROR AND KING.

SIRE, The greatest part of your Majesty's troops had been called without our territory, for the defence of the grand.interests which are to ensure the preponder ance of the empire, and maintain the Berlin and Milan decrees, so fatal to England. The Continental system has scarcely been 15 months in execution, and England is already at the last gasp. Had not events happened, which your Majesty could not have expected, perhaps, in this short period of time, the prosperity of England would have been entirely annihilated; and convulsions would have been experienced in Her interior, which would have finally thrown into discredit the war faction, and called to the administration, moderate men and friends of justice.

No person understands better than your Majesty, to expect from time what time is to produce, and to maintain, with unchangeable constancy, a system and plan of conduct from which you have calculated the results which are infallible.

During the absence of the greater part of our troops of the line, the immense number of maritime establishments, strong places, and important points of the empire, are guarded by the fifth battalions and the depots, and by the marine troops; which is attended with the inconvenience of diverting, by incessant marches and countermarches, the fifth battalions and

depots from their proper destination, which are to supply, the active armies. These marches fatigue the soldier and embarrass the administration. Besides, when such numerous armies are seen without the

frontiers, the citizens who do not understand the measures taken by the administration for the interior establishments, may feel some justifiable uneasiness; these inquietudes are of themselves contrary to the dignity of the empire; these must be prevented from increasing, by the estab lishment of a constitutional force, for the defence of the territory alone.

By our constitutional laws, the national guard is especially charged with guarding the frontiers, our maritime establishments, our arsenals, and strong places; but the national guard, which embraces the whole of the citizens, cannot be placed on permanent duty, but only for a local and particular service."

April 1812:

In dividing the national guard into three bands, and in composing the first of all the conscripts of the six last classes, viz. from the age of 20 to 26 years, who have not been called upon to join the active army; the second, of men from 26 to 40 years; and the third, of men from 40 to 60 years of age; to the first band the active service will be confided; then the second and third bands will only have the reserve service, which is quite local.

For 1812, the first band, comprehending the conscripts from 1806 to 1812, who have not been called to the army, and who have not since married, and are in a condition for service, will form a resource for 600,000 men.

I propose to your Majesty to raise from this number 100 cohorts, which will constitute the fifth part of those, who remain. of the classes of 1806, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. These men should be organized and clothed at the chief place of each military division.

Those cohorts, composed of $ companies, 6 of which are to be fuzileers, one artillery, and one a depot, will contain nearly one thousand men each. Your Majesty would thus have 100 cohorts or battalions,

who, constantly under arms, and united in brigades and divisions under order of chiefs of the line staff, would offer a chosen army, and might be compared to the ancient French grenadiers. These troops, constantly encamped, and by reason of their service abundantly supplied with every thing, would suffer few losses by war.

By this means our strong places on the Rhine, our establishments at the Helder, upon the Meuse, the Scheldt, at Boulogne, Cherbourg, Brest, L'Orient, Rochfort, Toulon, and Genoa, would be guarded by a combination of such force, that in five days 30,000 men could be collected at any particular point of the coast attacked; and in less than ten days, considering the speedy means which your Majesty has established in urgent circumstances, from 60 to 80,000 men of the first band, the marine troops, the departmental guards, and of the fifth battalions, all of which would march to the point menaced, and could form a junetion, independent of the assistance afforded by the 24 and 3d bands of the neighbouring departments.

I do not propose the establishment of any cavalry; the gens d'armes alone, forming a force of 16,000 chosen men, will furnish sufficient cavalry for the attacks against which we have to guard.

Nevertheless,

Nevertheless, while this institution will completely protect the French empire against the idea of an attack, all the depots and fifth battalions, being no longer occupied in forming garrisons or defending the country, will feed the active army with more activity and efficacy. This will in reality be equivalent to an augmentation of the troops of the line. It is placing 100,000 more Frenchmen under the banners of your Majesty. But these men will be renewed every six years, by the conseription for the army. This augmentation will cause very little addition to the losses, because these troops will be seldom exposed but to the ordinary chances of mortality. It will likewise cause an increase in expence of 48 millions; but this expence cannot be placed in competition with the immense advantages which will result from it.

This institution is eminently conservative and national: it is useful and necessary. Frenehmen are willing to make every sacrifice to acquire the liberty of the seas they know that they must be armed, or this grand measure will not be accomplish

ed.

SITTING OF MARCH 13.

The Senate having met at noon, Count Lacepede, in the name of the Special Commission, appointed in the sitting of the 10th, presented the following report upon the projects of the Senatus Consultum :

"SENATORS-Your Special Commission has examined, with all the attention the importance of the subject demanded, the Senatus Consultum project, relative to the organization of the national guard of the empire, as well as the levy of 100 cohorts from the 1st band of the national guards, and has with care compared the different dispositions with the reasons which have been stated to you.

"This project is divided under two titles. The first offers one of those important insti tutions which will signalize one of the most illustrious of reigns; the second puts in motion part of that force established by the first; one is the ground of action, the other the consequence and application of it.

"Let us, before all, examine the first: -It separates into three bands the national guard of the empire; it points out the Frenchmen who, according to the difference of their age, must belong to one or other of these three bands; it determines the nature of the services which their coun

try and sovereign ave a right to expect from them.

"And now, what is the national guard of the empire? The nation armed. And what nation but that which extends from the banks of the Baltic Sea to those beyond the Tiber; and whose ancient renown every day acquires fresh eclat by its successful and new associations, and by the immortal glory of him who governs it?

"This nation had not received different successive laws, but particular organiza tions only. It is going to receive a grand political law, a general organization.

"And what a wonderful change is this profound conception of the Emperor going to produce! Order was established at his command, among the immense number of Frenchmen, whose very zeal and bravery, not regulated by his foresight, would have led to confusion and disorder. That admirable and regular motion is the result of the high wisdom of him, who, combining with the fruits of his genius, the produce of experience, carries his views into future ages, to give durability to all the monuments he erects.

"But what is the grand and principal effect of this new institution? The safety of the interior, and public security. Hitherto the safety of the interior of empires was provided for by armies, who became offensive or defensive according to the circumstances of the war and the chances of success. But the security was neither entire nor durable. The fear of a reverse weakened it; bad success might annihilate it; and what a situation was that people in, whose comforts and labours were every moment interrupted by anxiety and fear?

"Let us refer to history, and we shall see how frequently weak governments could only satisfy their subjects by imprudently pointing out the number of their troops, their military dispositions, and their political arrangements; and been obliged to give way, by dangerous and absurd dispositions of their, forces, to the ridiculous ideas which the want of security suggested, joined to false notions respecting the true elements of a good defence.

"The project of the Senatus Consultum, which is presented to you, Senators, prevents for ever all these misfortunes.

"When, should even all the active ar mies quit the frontiers, and proceed to an immense distance to hurl the imperial thunder, the immense inclosure of the empire would present numerous defenders, which could be replaced by still more numerous defenders; and the French empire,

considered, if I may be allowed so to express myself, as an immense citadel placed in the middle of the world, would shew its natural garrison, in a national guard, regularly organised, uniting to the constancy and instruction of old veterans, all the vigour of a youthful army.

"This is what the hero has thought fit to do, to render our frontiers inviolable to tranquilise minds the most prompt to conceive alarins to guard the public seeurity against all the attempts of false zeal, from ignorance or perfidy. This is what the father of his people has done; for this great benefit but trifling sacrifices are required.

"The cohorts of the first band will be renewed with one-sixth each year; the young Frenchmen who constitute a part of it will know the exact period when they will return to their paternal roofs, and be restored to their affections, their labours,

their habits; they will enjoy the price of

their devotion.

"Arrived at the age in which ardour is united to strength, they will find in their military exercises salutary games and agreeable relaxations, rather than severe duties and painful occupation. They will not be strangers to any of the advantages which the old phalanxes of Napoleon enjoy. Let us now proceed, Senators, to examine the second titlę.

"You have heard the Minister for Foreign Affairs and for War, expose the frank, firm, and moderate policy of the Emperor. European commerce must be freed from the shameful yoke wished to be imposed upon it. Nature demands this: the most solemn treaties prescribe it; the imperial interests of the state demand it.

"Already does the enemy of continental independence suffer in his island a part of

war.

Let

those evils with which he wished to inundate the world. He has swore everlasting Let a formidable power render abortive this attempt against humanity. Let all the active armies of the empire be ready to march to whatever place they may be called by the greatest of heroes. 100 cohorts of the first band answer to the country for its frontiers, strong places, ports, and arsenals. Let 100,000 brave men, chosen from among those of the first band, join in the standards of glory. Here we again find the same paternal solicitude of the Monarch, and the same foresight of the great Captain.

What relates to the successively re

newing of that part of the first band, which will be placed at the disposition of the Minister of War, is fixed with care; and every Frenchman of the first band who shall have married anterior to the publicaof the Senatus Consultum, shall remain in the bosom of his young family, and constitute part of the second band. The assembling of a part of the first band will allow the conscripts destined to augment or complete the active armies, to be longer, exercised at their depots; and every thing has been calculated in such a manner, that at the least signal a numerous army can be promptly collected, and with facility march towards all points menaced.

"In order to be better able to judge of all the advantages of the institution proposed to you, represent to yourselves, Senators, all the irregular appeals from the national guard which you have witnessed. Let those of our colleagues, whose military renown and the confidence of the Emperor have frequently placed at the head of these national guards, hastily collected, remem-` ber how much they have deplored the inevitable disorders of forced and truly painful marches--of dispositions which time did not permit to digest-of sacrifices al most inevitable-of losses in men, ammunition, and money.

"If you call to your recollection the circumstance so honourable for several departments of the empire, when British pride split upon the banks of the Scheldt, can you suppose, that if at that epoch, at which you expressed in so solemn a manner the devotion of the French people towards the Emperor, the institution which France is going to receive from its tutelary genius, had been established, England would have dared to conceive the hope of the most trifling success.

"Your commission has, therefore, the honour of unanimously proposing the a-doption of the Senatus Consultum, which was presented to you."

The Senatus Consultum was adopted with the utmost unanimity.

SPAIN & PORTUGAL.

SIEGE OF BADAJOZ.

After taking Ciudad Rodrigo, the allied army remained a considerable time in the neighbourhood of that place, with headquarters at Gallegos, and afterwards at Frenada, no disposition having been made by the French to disturb it. On the 6th of March it moved to the southward; on'

the

he 11th, arrived at Elvas; and, on the 16th, invested Badajoz. The progress of the siege of that fortress, up to the 27th March, will be seen from the following extracts of dispatches from the Earl of Wellington:

"Elvas, March 13, 1812.

"I moved the head quarters from Frenada on the 6th, and arrived here on the 11th instant.

"There are none of the enemy's troops in the field in Estremadura, excepting that part of the 5th corps not in the garrison of Badajoz, the head quarters of which are at Villa Franca, and a detachment, consisting of about a division, under General Darican, whose head quarters are at La Serena.

"The enemy have made no movement, and I have heard of no operation of importance since I addressed your Lordship last. According to the last accounts, Marshal Soult was in the lines before Cadiz."

*Camp before Badajoz, March 20, 1812.

"According to the intention which I announced to your Lordship, I broke up the cantonments of the army on the 15th and 16th instant, and invested Badajoz, on the left of the river Guadiana, on the 16th, with the 3d, 4th, and light divisions of infantry, and with a brigade of Lieutenant-General Hamilton's division on the right. These troops are under the command of Marshal Sir William Beresford and Lieutenant-General Picton. We broke ground on the following day, and have established a parallel within two hundred yards of the outwork called the Picurina,

which embraces the whole of the south east angle of the fort. The work has continued ever since with great celerity, notwithstanding the very bad weather which we have had since the 17th...

"The enemy made a sortie yesterday from the gate called La Trinidad, on the right of our attack, with about two thousand men. They were almost immediatèly driven in without effecting an object, with considerable loss, by Major-General Bowes, who commanded the guard in the trenches. We lost upon this occasion a very promising officer, Captain Cuthbert, Aid-de-Camp to Lieutenant-General Picton, killed; and Lieutenant-Colonel Fletcher was slightly wounded, but I hope he will soon be able to resume his duties. I have not yet got the returns, but I believe that our loss since the commencement of these operations, amounts to 120 men killed and wounded.

"On the same day that Badajoz was invested, Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Graham crossed the Guadiana, with the 1st, 6th, and 7th divisions of infantry, and General Slade's and General Le Marchant's brigades of cavalry, and directed his march upon Valverde and Santa Martha, and thence towards Llerena; while LieutenantGeneral Sir Rowland Hill, with the 2d and Lieutenant-General Hamilton's divisions, and Major-General Long's cavalry, marched from his cantonments near Albuquerque upon Merida, and thence upon Almendralejo. These movements induced General Drouet to retire from Villa Franca upon Hornachos, in order, I conclude, to be in communication with General Darican's division, which was about La Serena.

"I heard from Sir Thomas Graham and Sir Rowland Hill to the 19th inst. The former was at Los Santos and Zafra, with General Slade's cavalry at Villa Franca; and the latter at Almendralejo. Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill took three officers and a few hussars prisoners in Merida.

"I have reports from the neigbourhood of Ciudad Rodrigo of the 17th inst. The enemy had sent a small detachment to Béjar, principally with a view to plunder; but there was no appearance of any imme diate movement. The 6th division had moved from Talavera, through the Puerto del Pico, on the 8th and 9th instant; and the 4th division, on the same days, from Toledo through the Guadarrama; and the first division only remained on the Tagus, near Talavera."

Camp before Badajoz, 27th March 1812, "The operations of the siege of Badajoz have continued since I addressed you on the 20th, notwithstanding the badness of the weather, till the 25th instant. On that day we opened our fire from twentyeight pieces of ordnance in six batteries, in the first parallel; two of which were intended to fire upon the outwork called La Picurina, and the other four to enfilade or destroy the defences of the fort on the side attacked. I directed Major-General Kempt, who commanded in the trenches on that

afternoon, to attack La Picurina by storm, after it was dark that night; which service he effected in the most judicious and gallant manner.

The attack was made by five hundred men of the 3d division, formed into three detachments; the right under the com mand of Major Shaw, of the 74th; the centre under the Hon. Captain Powys, of

t

the 83d; and the left under Major Rudd, of the 77th regiment, The communication between the outwork of the body of the place, was entered on its right and left by the right and left detachments, each consisting of two hundred men; half of each of which detachments protected the attack from sallies from the fort, while the others attacked the works in its gorge.

"It was first entered, however, by the centre detachment of one hundred men, under the command of the Honourable Captain Powys, of the 83d regiment, who escaladed the work at the salient angle, at a point of which the pallisades had been injured by our fire. The detachments

which attacked the work by the gorge had the most serious difficulties to contend with, as it was closed by not less than three rows of strong pallisades, defended by musketry, and a place of arms for the garrison, musket proof, and loopholed throughWhen the attack upon the salient angle, however, succeeded, the whole got into the work.

out.

"The enemy's garrison in the outwork consisted of two hundred and fifty men, with seven pieces of artillery, under the command of Colonel Gaspard Thiery, of the Etat Major of the army of the South; but very few, if any, escaped. The Colonel, three other officers, and eighty-six men, have been taken prisoners, and the remainder was either killed by the fire of our troops, or drowned in the inundation of the River Rivellas. The enemy made a sor tie from the ravelin called St Roque, either with a view to recover Là Picurina, or to protect the retreat of the garrison, but they were immediately driven in by the detachiments stationed in the communication to protect the attack.

"Brigade-Major Wilde, was unfortunately killed by a cannon-shot after the work was in our possession; and Majors Shaw and Rudd, and the Honourable Captain Powys, were wounded, the latter on the parapet of the work, which he had been the first to mount by the ladders.

notwithstanding all precautions, our bridge of pontoons was carried away on the 224 instant; and the flying bridges were so much injured, as almost to become useless; but still the operations have been carried on without interruption.

"Since I addressed your Lordship on the 20th, General Drouet has had his troops on the line between Medellina on the Guadiana, and Zalámea de la Serena, and Llerena, apparently with the view of keeping the communication open between the army of the south and the divisions of the army of Portugal, stationed on 'the Tagus.

"Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Graham made a movement to Llerena on the 25th at night, but the enemy, consisting of three battalions of infantry and two regiments of cavalry, having heard of his march, retired into the mountains during the night.

"Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland Hill has likewise sent a detachment to La Guarena, and proposed to march himself this morning upon Medellina, in order to cooperate with Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Graham."

From the date of the investment to the 26th March, the British loss has been 7 officers, 5 serjeants, 95 rank and file, killed; 28 officers, 15 serjeants, 2 drummers, 447 rank and file, wounded; 11 rank and file missing.

Badajoz is the capital of Estremadura ;' it stands on an eminence on the south side

of the large river Guadiana, over which there is a bridge 700 paces long, and 14 broad, built by the Romans. On this bridge, the Portuguese were defeated by Don John, of Austria, in 1661. It is 175 miles S. by W. of Madrid, 170 N. of Cadiz, 120 N. by W. of Seville, and 140 E. of Lisbon. Badajoz contain six monasteries, the same number of nunneries, and a population of seven or eight thousand persons. The fortifications are partly ancient and partly modern; the fine Roman bridge over the Guadiana is defended by a tete de pont, on which a few guns were mounted. On the right bank of the river stands the fort of St Christoval, which commands the city. Badajoz was twice besieged by the Portuguese, but was not taken by them.

[An Extraordinary Gazette has been received to-day, (27th) containing accounts of the taking of Badajoz, by storm, on the, evening of the 6th instant; these de-. tails we must defer till our next Number.]

After the reduction of Valencia, the

French