Alexandria Advertiser And Commercial Intelligencer

From the Madrid Court Gazette, of July 2.

Letter of the Prince of Peace, Generalissimo of the Spanish army, to the King.

SIRE,

It is not yet fifty days since I left your majesty to take the command of this army, destined to compel Portugal to deliver herself from the yoke of England, a power which, taking advantage of the harbors, and appropriating to itself the riches of this degraded kingdom, waged against us the most disgraceful and ruinous war by destroying our commerce. Many years of warfare over every part of our dominions, an alarming rise in the price of provisions, the insatiable avarice of jobbers, bad harvests, and other misfortunes, which it is unnecessary to enumerate, had produced such an effect, that the public treasury was exhausted, and credit undetermined. The necessary consequence was, that the army was ill clothed, ill fed, and ill supplied with ammunition and accoutrements. But knowing their love and veneration for their sovereign, in their intrepidity and valour, I did not hesitate for a moment to place implicit confidence in these characteristic qualities of the Spanish soldier. As soon as I was assured that the answers of the Portuguese minister tended to delay the satisfaction we demanded, I resolved to treat no longer but from the mouth of the cannon, Your Majesty's troops, by different routs, penetrated into Alentejo, and by the 6th of June got possession of all the fortified places in that extensive province. By their gallantry they had taken Campo Major, strongly garrisoned and well provided for a siege; they had routed the enemy at Arrouches, and at Flora de Rosa; they had overrun the best cultivated, richest and most populous part of the province; they had seized the immense magazines which the enemy had formed; they had compelled their opponents to pass the Tagus, not believing themselves in safety till this great river should be between them and their pursuers. The eleven standards I had the honor to present to your Majesty by the officers who had shared in the glory of taking them, are a proof of the triumph of your royal arms. Our enemies, whom we rather call prejudiced friends and relations, could hold out no longer, and on the 6th of June I signed a Peace, re-establishing a state of things which your Majesty had suspended with so much regret. By the condition of the Treaty, the harbours of Portugal are shut against English Shipping of every description. The privateers of England will thus no longer be able to interrupt our commerce, and to block up our ports, and the chief cause will be removed which irritated the paternal heart of your Majesty against your natural friend and ally. This advantage, though the principal, is not the only one resulting from peace: the great depots of contraband merchandise all along the frontier of Portugal, affording an irresistible temptation to the unprincipled to transgress the laws, and bro't many to destruction. All these have now been moved into the interior. The province of Olivenza, one of the most fertile in the Peninsula, together with its formidable capital, belongs to your majesty; thus Estremadura is rendered secure, and Portugal is deprived of all means of threatening us from behind. To these advantages it may be added, that the effusion of the blood of our countrymen has been spared, that the expense of the expedition has been trifling, and that we have never met with the smallest reverse! I am far, Sire, from ascribing these events to myself. Providence who knows the integrity of heart, and exemplary piety of your majesty, has brought them about, making use, as means, of the valor and self devotion of your troops, worthy in all respects of such a sovereign. Nevertheless, it is to me an extreme satisfaction, and a singular happiness, to present to your majesty the laurel and the olive which have crowned the arms directed by me. My heart is penetrated with joy when I reflect that fortune has afforded me an opportunity of making some small return for the singular favours heaped upon me by your majesties, as a recompence for my loyalty and my affection for your august persons, and my lively and ardent wishes for the permanence of your glory and prosperity. I cannot suppress a wish that your majesties will deign to visit your troops, that you may experience the sweet emotion felt by just and beneficent princes loving their people, and beloved by them. You will be placed in the midst of an army, animated by valor, by loyalty, and by every national virtue. But my voice is too feeble, my language is too tame to convey an idea of their sentiments, to express their impatience to see, and to salute your majesties; their desire to sacrifice themselves in your service, and their hope to be rewarded for their toils. May Heaven prosper with its blessing all the designs of your majesties as completely as wishes your most loyal subject.

(Signed) Manuel De Godoy.

Head-Quarters at Badajoz, June 28, 1801.