than ordinary pains would be taken to misrepresent their contents and to abuse the public judgment.  But however it was at any rate to have been expected—­both from the place which Sir J. Moore held in the Nation’s esteem previously to his Spanish campaign, and also especially from that which (by his death in battle) he had so lately taken in its affections—­that they would weigh a good deal in depressing the general sympathy with Spain:  and therefore the Author of this work was desirous that all which these letters themselves, or other sources of information, furnished to mitigate and contradict Sir J.M.’s opinions—­should be laid before the public:  but—­being himself at a great distance from London, and not having within his reach all the documents necessary for this purpose—­he has honoured the friend, who corrects the press errors, by making over that task to him; and the reader is therefore apprised, that the Author is not responsible for any thing which follows.

* * * * *

Those, who have not examined these letters for themselves, will have collected enough of their general import, from conversation and the public prints, to know that they pronounce an opinion unfavourable to the Spaniards.  They will perhaps have yet to learn that this opinion is not supported by any body of facts (for of facts only three are given; and those, as we shall see, misrepresented); but solely by the weight of Sir John Moore’s personal authority.  This being the case, it becomes the more important to assign the value of that authority, by making such deductions from the present public estimate of it, as are either fairly to be presumed from his profession and office, or directly inferred from the letters under consideration.

As reasons for questioning a priori the impartiality of these letters,—­it might be suggested (in reference to what they would be likely to omit)—­first—­that they are the letters of a soldier; that is, of a man trained (by the prejudices of his profession) to despise, or at least to rate as secondary, those resources which for Spain must be looked to as supreme;—­and, secondly, that they are the letters of a general; that is, of a soldier removed by his rank from the possibility of any extensive intercourse with the lower classes; concerning whom the question chiefly was.  But it is more important to remark (in reference to what they would be likely to mis-state)—­thirdly—­that they are the letters of a commander-in-chief; standing—­from the very day when he took the field—­in a dilemma which compelled him to risk the safety of his army by advancing, or its honour by retreating; and having to make out an apology, for either issue, to the very persons who had imposed this dilemma upon him.—­The reader is requested to attend to this.  Sir John Moore found himself in Leon with a force ‘which, if united,’ (to quote his own words) ‘would