The Prose Works of William Wordsworth eBook

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on ’the Spaniards’ not to be reconciled with this and other passages, he speaks—­not of the Spanish people—­but of the Spanish government.  And, even for what may still remain charged uncandidly upon the people, the writer does not forget that there are infinite apologies to be found in Sir J. Moore’s situation:  the earliest of these letters were written under great anxiety and disturbance of mind from the anticipation of calamity;—­and the latter (which are the most severe) under the actual pressure of calamity; and calamity of that sort which would be the most painful to the feelings of a gallant soldier, and most likely to vitiate his judgment with respect to those who had in part (however innocently) occasioned it.  There may be pleaded also for him—­that want of leisure which would make it difficult to compare the different accounts he received, and to draw the right inferences from them.  But then these apologies for his want of fidelity—­are also reasons before-hand for suspecting it:  and there are now (May 18th) to be added to these reasons, and their confirmations in the letters themselves, fresh proofs in the present state of Gallicia, as manifested by the late re-capture of Vigo, and the movements of the Marquis de la Romana; all which, from Sir J. Moore’s account of the temper in that province, we might have confidently pronounced impossible.  We must therefore remember that what in him were simply mis-statements—­are now, when repeated with our better information, calumnies; and calumnies so much the less to be excused in us, as we have already (in our conduct towards Spain) given her other and no light matter of complaint against ourselves.

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END OF THE APPENDIX.

III.  VINDICATION OF OPINIONS IN THE TREATISE ON THE ’CONVENTION OF CINTRA:’ 

=VIZ=.

(a) LETTER TO MAJOR-GENERAL SIR CHARLES W. PASLEY, K.C.B., ON HIS ‘MILITARY POLICY AND INSTITUTIONS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE,’ 1811.

(b) LETTER ENCLOSING THE PRECEDING TO A FRIEND UN-NAMED.

* * * * *

NOTE.

These two Letters—­the latter for the first time printed—­form a fitting sequel to the ‘Convention of Cintra.’  See Preface in the present volume for more on them.  G.

* * * * *

TO CAPTAIN PASLEY, ROYAL ENGINEERS.

Grasmere, March 28, 1811.

MY DEAR SIR,

I address this to the publishers of your ‘Essay,’ not knowing where to find you.  Before I speak of the instruction and pleasure which I have derived from your work, let me say a word or two in apology for my own apparent neglect of the letter with which you honoured me some time ago.  In fact, I was thoroughly sensible of the value of your correspondence, and of your kindness in writing to me, and took up the pen to tell you so.  I wrote half of a pretty

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