Chapter XII: Necessity of a provisional Government 277

Castaños prevents a contest between Granada and Seville 279

Plans for a Government 279

Arrival of a Sicilian Prince at Gibraltar 280

Ambition of the Junta of Seville 282

The Council of Castille advise a Central Junta 283

Project of the Junta of Seville 284

The Provincial Juntas assent to it 289

Unworthy choice of the Junta of Seville 290

The other members unexceptionable 292

Jovellanos refuses all offers from the Intrusive Government 295

Aranjuez chosen for the place of meeting 296

Installation of the Central Junta 298

Conduct of the Council of Castille 299

The Leonese Deputies arrested by Cuesta 300

Cuesta’s vindication of his conduct 301

The Council of Castille interfere 303

Cuesta is summoned before the Junta 303

Declaration of the New Government 306

Jovellanos proposes a Regency, and that a Cortes be summoned 311

Expectations from a Cortes 313

State of the war in Catalonia 315

Duhesme resolves to besiege Gerona 316

Difficulties on the march 317

Troops from Minorca land at Tarragona 318

Barcelona blockaded 319

The Junta of Catalonia remove to the head-quarters 320

Caldagues sent to interrupt the siege of Gerona 321

He attacks the enemy’s batteries with success 321

Duhesme raises the siege 323

Unpopularity of the Commander in Catalonia 324

Difficulties of the service 325

The Marques approaches Barcelona 327

British troops ordered from Sicily to Catalonia, but detained
by the Commander 328

Bilbao occupied by the French 329

Difficulties in bringing the Spanish armies into the field 330

The Marques de la Romana 333

Distribution of his troops in the Baltic 334

Their conduct when the oath of allegiance to Joseph was
proposed 336

An agent sent to communicate with him 337

He asks for a force to cover his retreat 338

Sir Richard Keats goes upon this service 339

Plan for collecting the Spanish troops 340

Romana takes possession of Nyborg 341

The entrance of the British squadron is resisted 342

Arrival of some of the regiments from Jutland 343

They leave the Isle of Funen 344

Fate of the horses 345

The Spaniards are landed in the Isle of Langeland 346

They sail for Gottenburg, and there embark for Spain 348

Romana lands in England 349

Error of the Spaniards in not appointing a commander-in-chief 350

Difficulty of feeding their armies 350

Bilbao taken by the French, and retaken 351

Position of the armies in October 352

Commissioners sent to the Spanish armies 353