Virginia Argus

NARRATIVE OF THE DUKE D'ANGOULÊME.

Extract of a letter from the duke d'Angoulême, dated Barcelona, April 18.

"I have at last arrived here, having done all that was in my power to do; and shall now state to you, in a few words, what has passed in the south. On the 20th of March, Amedee Descars repulsed general Debonnée before Montélimart; on the 2d of April we completely beat the enemy at the passage of the Drome—two cannon, two colours and 800 prisoners were the fruits of the victory—the possession of Valence, as well as of the course of the Isère, were its results. On the 3d I learned that gen. Ernouf, abandoned by the 58th regiment, had been obliged to retrograde upon Sisteron, and that Marseilles and Montpelier had hoisted the signal of rebellion. I was speedily informed that gens. Grouchy and Pire were marching from Lyons against me, and that gen. Gilly was marching from Nismes upon Pont St. Esprit:—I perceived that it was necessary to think of retreat. On the 6th I learned, by the arrival of Mr. Ferdinand Berthen, that all was over at Bordeaux and Toulouse. Gen. Pire the same day attempted the passage of the Isère, and was repulsed." The news from Nismes and Montpelier being disseminated among our national guards, made us lose a part of them. I quitted Valence at half past ten at night. I bivouacked with the 10th regiment, and afterwards marched for Montélimart, where I arrived at four in the afternoon of the 7th. The colonel of the 14th, who had rejoined me the evening before, informed me that he was no longer master of his regiment, which in fact quitted me, and proceeded to Valence. It had been proposed to me to depart alone from that town; this I refused. The country people who were ill disposed, were operating much on the minds of the regiment of artillery, which from that time was of no farther use. The proposal of departure alone was renewed; I again refused it, and sent gen. D'Aultanne to gen. Gilly at Pont St. Esprit, to make a convention with him for liberty to pass with my corps, in order to retire on the Durance; and on the 8th I continued my march. Gen. D'Aultanne found at Pont St. Esprit col. Laurent, of the 10th Chasseurs, and made an agreement with him, that I should be permitted to retire upon Marseilles, escorted by the 10th, or colonel general; but gen. Gilly refused his assent: I learned this news at Pierrelatte. As general D'Aultanne was detained a prisoner, I sent the baron de Damas, who concluded with general Gilly the convention which I hereto subjoin.

"The enemy had made himself master of the road of Avignon; but I wished to remain as long as possible, in order to secure, as far as depended on me, the lives and safety of the brave men who followed me. At last I set off, at nine in the evening, and was detained at Pont St. Esprit, where I was kept prisoner for six days, in contravention of the signed convention. I had for ten hours an officer of gendarmerie in my apartment; he had orders not to lose sight of me; and I did not get rid of him but by giving him my word of honour that I would not attempt to escape. It was General Grouchy who had arrived at Pont St. Esprit, that prevented me from continuing my journey; he himself was ordered by a General Corbineau, aid-de-camp of Bonaparte. I forgot to mention that the colonel of the 10th regiment had acquainted me that a third of his regiment had deserted, and that the rest would not... the artillery were still worse; there remained to me only 800 national guards. On the last day of my captivity general Grouchy set off for Marseilles. I was released on the 15th: I arrived on the 16th at Cette, and embarked the same day at eight in the evening. My passage thither was in thirty five hours; in fine, God has preserved me, as I hope, still for the service of the king. I have done all that I could. I quit France with sadness; the spirit of the country is very good; they every where blessed me: but the greater part of the army, and the gendarmerie, are detestable.—Those who guarded me were abominable: but twenty-five chasseurs remained faithful to the last, they wished to follow me every where, as well as more than forty officers. We embarked seventeen in number. When I left Cette it was said that war was declared, and that Bonaparte had demanded a levy en masse of two millions of men and three hundred millions of money. It is the opinion of France that the jacobins have assumed the upper hand, and that terror will reign. Toulon and Marseilles were obliged to surrender on the 11th and 12th."