At this period, all the acts of the government were
promulgated in the emperor's name, without any indication being given by the
Spaniards of their feeling dissatisfied at the change.
We had yet to
perform the task of framing the budget of 1811, and doing away with taxes that
were either unnecessary, or opposed by their very nature to the public welfare,
as well as to re-model upon fresh bases these administrations which had only
been imperfectly organized.
The lottery was suppressed: the
manufacturing and disposal of those articles, of which the Spanish government
had reserved to itself the exclusive monopoly, having been declared free and
open to all, a reduction took place amongst the persons hitherto employed in
duties no longer required of them. It had been proved by experience, that the
extent of power given to the contadoria of the province had presented solid
guarantees to the communes against arbitrary taxation, and secured to them the
regular payment of all the supplies which they had furnished; to its functions
was accordingly added the duty of examining and passing the accounts of all
public accountants. The dilapidations detected by that fostering administration
were repressed by measures of severity, and led to important restitutions of
funds.
The customs were organized on a principle similar to that which
prevailed in France; and out of regard for the Arragonese, as well as for
ourselves, the corps of custom-house officers was principally composed of
veteran Spanish officers and soldiers, who had voluntarily tendered their
services. The administration of national domains was likewise definitively
settled, and the small districts were authorised to work on their own account
the estates which it was found impossible to farm out, under the condition of
their paying three fourths of their former produce. With a view, in short, to
complete these measures, the receiver and paymaster were directed to furnish
every month to the contadoria a statement of receipts and expenditure, and to
make it public, in order to satisfy the inhabitants that the government rigidly
and exclusively devoted the produce of the revenues to the service of the army
and the administration of the province.
The governor- general soon had
occasion to convince himself that the inhabitants of Arragon had appreciated
his good intentions, and relied upon his justice. Such was the happy influence
of these arrangements upon the state of our finances, that it enabled him to
lighten the burden of the extraordinary war contribution, of five hundred
thousand reales per month.
During the month of September 1810, the
emperor directed that all British merchandise found in Arragon should be
confiscated and burnt. The commander-in-chief represented that such an order,
if carried into effect, would prove a fatal blow to commerce, which was barely
reviving and commencing a new existence; he proposed that a duty of fifty per
cent should be levied upon those goods, according to what had been done in
Holland, rather than that he should arbitrarily take them from their rightful
owners. His proposal, however, was not attended to; all British merchandise
found in commercial warehouses was consigned to the flames, in the public
square of Saragossa, where a similar act of authority had formerly been
exercised by command of Charles IV. Articles of colonial produce not having
been specifically named in the emperor's decree, a tax was imposed upon them,
the produce of which, though inconsiderable, contributed towards the resources
of the public chest. No means were neglected that were in any way calculated to
soften down, in the mode of execution, the odium and the arbitrary character
which attached to such a measure in the minds of commercial men.
The
capture of Tortosa opportunely occurred, to crown the first year of the
existence of the government of Arragon, and to hold out to us a brighter
prospect for the future. During the course of this siege, which lasted until
the 2nd of January, 1811, our expenses were increased by the necessity we were
under of maintaining a corps of six thousand men, which the marshal duke of
Tarentum had placed at our disposal. On entering Tortosa, our funds were
exhausted; the country was so completely drained of provisions and money, that
we were compelled to draw from Arragon, during several months, the means
requisite for the pay and subsistence of the troops. As soon as tranquillity
was restored, an extraordinary contribution of three millions of reales was
imposed upon that corregimiento, which contained no more than thirty-two
villages; but a considerable time elapsed ere we could succeed in obtaining the
money so levied.
With a view to afford relief to the indigent class of
the population of Arragon, extensive works had been undertaken in that
province. Immense plains, which must have remained barren and uncultivated had
it not been for the advantage they derived from irrigation, were wholly
indebted for their fertility to the imperial canal, so called from its having
been commenced in the reign of Charles V. The sluices, the dykes, and the large
basin of the MonteTorrero, which served the purposes of a port, had been
destroyed by the army; means were adopted for repairing all the damage done to
the canal, and in a short time it was restored to commerce and agriculture.
Works were also undertaken for the beneficial object of supplying water to the
city of Saragossa, which possessed no public fountains. The requisite level was
taken, and measures were employed for the purpose of conveying water through
the basin of the Casa-Blanca to a fountain which was erected in the public
square, near the ruins of the convent of San-Francisco, in the middle of the
Cosso. The quarter between that part of the city and the gate of Santa Engracia
was wholly uninhabited since the siege, and a mere heap of ruins. A plan was
adopted for clearing the ground, and opening a broad street, planted with trees
; it was carried into effect at a later period, to the manifest satisfaction of
the inhabitants.
The hospital of the Miscricordia was repaired ; the
revenues of that establishment were restored, and 700 foundlings, who had found
an asylum in it, were engaged in the dressing of wool, the tanning of leather,
and the manufacturing of cloths. The hospitals of Huesca and Teruel were
likewise re-established, and juntas appointed to superintend the administration
of them. The spacious and elegant civil hospital of Saragossa, the existence of
which bore witness to the generosity of the inhabitants, was also restored to
its former condition, together with all the revenues annexed to it; and was
likewise used as a military hospital.
The artillery stood in need of
saltpetre for the manufacturing of gunpowder. This object was attended to, and
afforded means of subsistence to many families. The circus destined for
bull-fights had been partly destroyed; it was repaired, and the population of
the neighbourhood flocked to the city, in order to witness some of those
national amusements. The academy of the Friends of the Country was revived;
funds were applied to the school for drawing architecture, and mathematics,
which was daily attended by 150 youths of the province. The city of Saragossa
was secured against a coup-de-main, by the construction of several works made
of earth or masonry. The fortifications of the castle were extended and
improved, so as to place the capital of Arragon in a condition to defend
itself, at a moment when the army might be called away to other points. With a
view to give the Arragonese a more direct interest in the success of our
operations, and to find employment for those Spanish officers who had attached
themselves to our cause, the commander-in-chief formed four companies of
fusileers, and two of gendarmes; they were soon clothed, equipped, and armed
for service; the soldiers were all able-bodied men, indefatigable, and
excellent guides. They were paid and subsisted like the rest of the army, and
claimed our warmest praise by the zeal and valour they displayed on several
occasions. The regulations laid down by the principal corregidor, don Mariano
Dominguez, and his personal activity, were the means of keeping up an excellent
police in the capital. During a period of sixteen or eighteen months, there
never existed the slightest disturbance, not even when the course of military
operations had compelled us to leave a very weak garrison in the town. Not a
single assassination was committed, whilst at a former period, according to the
extracts from the registers, upwards of 300 were computed to have occurred
every year, in a time of profound peace. A great number of distinguished
families, who had fled from the province in consequence of their political
opinions, or from the fear of military events, had voluntarily returned, and
the sequestration laid upon their property had been accordingly set
aside.
Whilst these improvements were taking place, the commander- in-
chief learned with considerable astonishment, on the 19th of March 1811, that
in virtue of a decree of the emperor, he was directed to lay siege to
Tarragona, and that lower Catalonia was placed under his orders, as well as the
active portion of the army then assembled in that province. By an increase to
his forces of 18,000 men, and the management of an important siege, he was, no
doubt, afforded the means of honourably serving his country; but he had also
fresh difficulties to surmount. The troops of the army in Catalonia had been
paid, and in a great measure subsisted by France; but the pay of several corps
was eight months in arrear, whilst others were paid to the day. The state of
the public funds did not afford the means of at once bringing up those arrears.
The high price of corn increased the disadvantages of our position. The
monapolising system, favored by the English, had raised the price of wheat from
sixteen to thirty-two francs per quintal. These circumstances called for the
utmost exertions on our part; the requisite orders were immediately
issued.
Three extensive depots of provisions were to be formed at
Lerida, Tortosa, and Mora. Eight battalions of infantry were directed to scour
the mountains and collect all the sheep they could find. Our regiments had
commenced their march from the different points of Arragon for the purpose of
forming new divisions of the army, when the news which arrived on the 21 st of
April of the capture of Figueras, compelled the commander-in-chief instantly to
proceed to Lower Catalonia.
As the course of events no longer admitted
of a moment's delay, he ordered the principal depots of provisions to be
established at Mora ; first, because that point presented to us the shortest
though the most difficult road for transporting corn to Reuss; in the second
place, because the road from Tortosa to Tarragona was reserved for the
artillery ; and, lastly, because the road to Lerida did not offer sufficient
security, as the Catalonians always kept the open field. Notwithstanding the
inclemency of the season, we succeeded in a short time in collecting 9,500
quintals of corn and flour at the town of Mora, 11,000 at Mequinenza, 6,000 at
Caspe, 12,000 at Saragossa, and 4,000 at Huesca. Regular and safe convoys were
organized by the active vigilance of the director, Bondurand; 4,000 quintals of
flour, a quantity of biscuit, every thing requisite for an hospital, and
medicines of all descriptions, followed our first columns. Numerous means of
transport were collected between Mora and Reuss, and if the enemy should fail
in an attempt to break our line, we were in hopes of meeting, for some time,
all the wants of the besieging army.
We had subsisted until now without
resorting to the ruinous system of contracts ; this was an incalculable
advantage in our situation; for the whole of the sums destined for paying the
troops would have proved inadequate to satisfy the demands of contractors. Our
resources were very nearly exhausted. Upwards of 120,000 sheep. and 1,200 head
of cattle of a small size, procured from Lower Catalonia, Valencia, and
Arragon, had been consumed in the vicinity of Tortosa during the last six
months. We had to guard against the danger of a scarcity of meat in the midst
of our siege operations. Yielding to the urgent representations of the
authorities of Arragon, and compelled, moreover, to give way to necessity, the
commander-in-chief authorized, for the first time, the director, M. Bondurand,
to make a public contract for the supply of the cattle required, for the
service of the army. In virtue, however, of a special clause in the contract,
the cattle were to be brought from France and distributed alive.
It is
right that we should enter into some explanation on this subject. Experience
had long taught us that in a hostile country, the, service of supplies which is
so essential to the success of an army, might be usefully entrusted to military
accountants. The fellow feelings they entertained for their comrades, their
sense of discipline, the taste s and habits of a military life which support
them in the midst of danger render them better calculated to protect the trust
confided to their care whereas civil employ's, whose presence in the corps is
not only accidental, but also fails to hold out the same guarantees, generally
enter upon the temporary exercise of their functions with views of
self-interest, which compromise the safety of the service. Such were the
considerations which led the commander-in-chief to direct that the cattle
should be distributed alive to the respective regiments. Owing to this
arrangement, the heads of corps were charged with the duty of superintending
the proper distributions to their soldiers, and requiring, that they should be
always provided with meat for two days' consumption. The consequence was, that
the cattle being thus divided amongst the troops, could subsist with less
difficulty, were more effectually watched, never occasioned any delay in our
movements, and that, on reaching his bivouac, the soldier was not obliged to
quit his quarters or to go out marauding in quest of food. This plan, which was
followed during the whole campaign, proved no less advantageous than economical
to us. If the regulations of the service were to establish its adoption in the
different situations in which our army might be placed in an enemy's country,
it might be attended with the advantage of facilitating the movements of the
troops, of securing at a less expensive rate a main branch of the subsistence
of an army, and of preventing the system of plunder which every where spreads
desolation. Towards the end of April, 1811, baron Lacuee, master of requests in
the council of state, who was sent to fill the office of intendant-general to
the army, arrived at our head-quarters at Saragossa. He was accompanied by six
auditors, MM. Combes Sieyes, Dumees, d'Arthenay, de Montigny, d'Hautefort, and
d'Arlincourt. One of them remained attached to the general administration ; the
other five were to be employed in the provinces. This fresh organization did
not in any manner affect the system of administration we had adopted ; the
commander-in-chief continued to unite in his own person the civil and military
powers; he was specially entrusted with the high police of the province, and
his superintendence extended over whatever constituted the intendantgeneral's
duties..
On the 3rd of May, 1811, the whole army had reached the camp
in front of Tarragona.
On the 28th of June, after a most obstinate
defence, Tarragona fell into our hands. During the progress of this operation,
Arragon continued to furnish supplies to the army. We have known some of the
peasantry of Teruel to have travelled to the town of Mora, a distance of fifty
leagues, in order to bring their quota of provisions. A great number of
communes had solicited and obtained arms to enable them to resist the inroads
of the Guerillas; others had requested that French garrisons might be left to
protect them. The municipalities, curates, and public functionaries had shown
the utmost zeal in pointing out the places of retreat of malefactors and of the
enemies of public tranquillity; private individuals had given precise
information respecting the approach of armed bands. In short, many traits of
humanity had been shewn towards our stragglers, who had been picked up by the
peasantry and kept concealed from the fury of the Spanish guerillas These were
no equivocal signs of the general feeling; they held out to the administration
a prospect of improvement in the minds of those whom it was appointed to
govern.
After taking possession of several places in Catalonia, the
commander-in-chief had returned to Saragossa in the beginning of August.
Eighteen months had elapsed since he was directed to feed the war by the war,
to draw from the country whatever was required for the subsistence of the army,
and he had in that space of time succeeded in clearing off fourteen months'
arrears of pay, of general charges, and of extraordinary allowances. The
expenses of the artillery and of the corps of engineers, the extraordinary
requisites for a siege and for the hospitals, the horses required for the
cavalry, and the cost of transport had all been liquidated. The charges of
administration, of justice, of the police, of finances, the expenses of public
works, the ecclesiastical pensions, those assigned to widows, and the retired
allowances of military men, had been paid with no less punctuality. Upwards of
ten millions of francs, either proceeding from the old taxes laid in the time
of the Spanish government, from extraordinary war contributions, from national
domains or the private domains of the crown, had been lodged in the military
chest, which still contained a reserve fund exceeding 600,000 francs. The army
and the fortified towns bad been provisioned by requisitions of corn, wine,
brandy, oil, and cattle..
Public order had never been disturbed,
notwithstanding the collision produced by a state of war; the inhabitants of
the country had resumed their labours as they were wont to do in profound
peace; commercial industry, being no Ionger fettered, had considerably extended
its speculations; manufactures had been established in Saragossa; the ruins of
that splendid city were beginning to disappear, and public walks or
establishments of general utility were substituted for them. These results far
exceeded our expectations. It is no doubt an easy task to levy contributions
and to incur expenses ; but to allay almost on a sudden the hatred of a people
enthusiastically attached to their country, to modify their institutions,
usages and habits, and whilst overburdening them with taxes, to acquire such an
ascendency over their minds as to induce them to second our enterprises without
the slightest manifestation of further resistance on their part, without our
revolting the national pride, such was the success at which it behoved the
superior administration of the government of Arragon to aim, and it was
beginning to indulge the hope that it had nearly accomplished so desirable an
object. We shall find it perseveringly adhering to the same system in the
province of Valencia, at a later period and obtaining a similar
result.
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