An Act Of Courage h-7

by Allan Mallinson

  A guard of honour from the Guarda Real da Polícia presented arms, the late-morning sun picking out the gold lace and the red facings of the blue uniforms. An official from the court bid Sir William formal welcome, presented Mr Forbes, chargé d’affaires at the British legation, and then conducted him briskly to the carriages and escort of light dragoons. It was all very practised, observed Sir William, comme il faut yet matter-of-fact, and entirely without sign of the exigency which caused him to be here.

  The cortège set off without further ceremony, the court official, the chargé and Sir William in the first carriage, the military staff in the two following. The drive to the Palácio Cor de Rosa would be but a mile, although a frustrating mile, for Sir William had hoped for a confidential word with the chargé. The diplomatic usages did not permit of it, however, so he had to content himself with the official’s polite enquiries about the passage from England and his previous acquaintance with the country, and with looking out of the windows and making appreciative remarks, pretending to as much ease as he could.

  When the Palácio Cor de Rosa came into view, he expressed delight with its faded pink façade, though in truth he thought it a pleasing rather than a magnificent aspect, judging it to be a house the size of Kensington Palace, a place to take tea rather than to receive ambassadors. The official explained that, for the present, the regent considered it better to be at a certain remove from the city.

  There was more splendid ceremony, however, for another guard of honour awaited his inspection in the forecourt. Halberdiers of the Archeiro do Guarda Real, not long returned from self-imposed exile in Brazil, resplendent in scarlet coats, blue velvet and gold and silver lace, stood to distinctly grand attention. Sir William removed his hat and bowed, for these were gentlemen-at-arms. Then the lord chamberlain conducted him to an ante-room, its mirrors and gilding as fine as any he had seen, and here at last, with the officials of the court withdrawn, he was able to speak with the chargé d’affaires.

  ‘Where is Colonel Norris?’ he asked as the door was closed, taking a pillbox from his pocket and swallowing a dose of calomel. ‘I had imagined he would be here. Indeed, I expected he would be at the landing.’

  The chargé d’affaires spoke quietly, though they were alone except for a footman. ‘It was his intention to be here, Sir William, but to be frank I wished first to have words with you privately. I confess Colonel Norris and I do not see eye to eye in respect of how the army is to be used. And since I have no expertise in these matters I felt I must talk directly with you.’

  ‘Indeed, sir?’ Sir William wondered at the presumption, and his dyspepsy made it plain.

  Mr Forbes was not dismayed. ‘There is scarce time to rehearse the disagreements before the audience with the regent, Sir William. We shall have opportunity when we drive to the legation. For the audience itself, I have taken it upon myself to suggest that it would be better to conduct matters in our respective languages rather than in French.’

  Sir William nodded. ‘I am obliged, Mr Forbes.’

  ‘And though the regent will undoubtedly press you as to intentions, I think it better to defer to the pending discussions with the minister for war.’

  ‘I am happy to follow your lead in this respect.’

  ‘And if I may add, perhaps you might reassure Her Highness as to the size of your force?’

  ‘Indeed I shall. The number is in excess of five thousand, of mixed arms, including two battalions of Guards. They will arrive in a few days. And there will remain a presence of one ship-of-the-line and two frigates for as long as may be.’

  Mr Forbes nodded appreciatively.

  When they left the palace, an hour later, the chargé d’affaires was more at ease. ‘I thought the princess regent pressed you hard on your discretion in the employment of your force, Sir William. I compliment you on your evasion. These are early days, and it is as well that the insurgents do not know what to expect. I am afraid I would not give a farthing for the privacy of anything divulged in that place at present.’

  ‘Well, Mr Forbes,’ replied Sir William, taking another calomel pill, ‘I should myself prefer a more certain understanding of the limitation. You will have seen the princess regent’s look of satisfaction when I informed her that my orders were to co-operate with her forces in order to drive out the enemy. I imagine she believes there is an enemy to be driven from the capital.’

  ‘It may come to that, Sir William, yes. But the minister for war, Senhor Saldanha, will be much more pressing in his questions, I assure you.’

  ‘He may press me all he likes, Forbes, but he is unlikely to learn more than the regent.’ He made to pocket the pillbox again, thought better of it, and took another calomel. ‘But tell me now, what are these misgivings of yours concerning Colonel Norris? I am acquainted with his work from his previous appointment, and I know him as a most diligent and scientific officer.’

  The chargé raised his hands. ‘Sir William, I have no grounds for complaint in that regard, I assure you. Put very simply – and I repeat that I am all too unread in these matters – Colonel Norris’s opinion is that the lines of Torres Vedras should be the limit of intervention. He wishes to restore the lines to what they were during the time of the Duke of Wellington’s occupation.’

  Sir William’s brow furrowed. ‘There is prudence in that, is there not? It was the duke’s opinion that, since the whole of Portugal is border with Spain, the country is indefensible, yet if Lisbon is held then the country is unconquered. Lisbon was saved by those lines, I rather think.’

  The chargé knew it was presumption, indeed, to bandy strategy with a lieutenant-general, and he wondered at Sir William’s forbearance. Yet he was determined to understand why his own opinion was so ill found. Not just his opinion, but that of one of Colonel Norris’s own staff, who, he understood, was possessed of wide experience and enjoyed the confidence of the Duke of Wellington himself. ‘You see, Sir William, if the Miguelites are allowed to run free up to the lines of Torres Vedras, they may gather such . . . momentum that it might provoke an uprising in Lisbon. In which case, fighting front and rear, a force might be overwhelmed, defeated . . . destroyed even. Especially since, in those circumstances, and given the orders under which the force is sent here, resistance might in fact be beyond your remit.’

  Sir William did not reply at once, recognizing in this otherwise insignificant-looking envoy a man with a firm grasp of the principles of strategy. He chose his next words very carefully. ‘Mr Forbes, have you represented these views to London?’

  ‘I have.’

  ‘Did you propose any alternative?’

  ‘In very general terms, yes. In truth, Sir William, I cannot own to these designs being mine, only the sentiment of unease which underlies them. Colonel Norris has upon his staff a Major Hervey’ – he did not see the slight change in Sir William’s countenance, and if he had, he would not have been able to determine what it portended – ‘a very enterprising officer who has made a personal reconnaissance of the frontier at Elvas, and has consulted with the Portuguese authorities there. He is of the firm opinion that a forward deployment of British troops would be the most expedient from every point of view.’

  Sir William took a deep breath, thumped at his stomach two or three times, and took out the pillbox again. ‘Except, Mr Forbes, from the point of view of withdrawal in the event of serious reverse!’

  The chargé looked anxious at the mention of failure.

  ‘Oh, I do not mean a reverse to our own men, but to the regent’s forces.’

  Still the chargé said nothing.

  ‘It is a contingency that must be considered, Forbes.’

  ‘Yes, of course, Sir William. And I confess I do not know what Major Hervey’s thoughts on that are, though I imagine he weighed them carefully.’

  ‘I don’t doubt it, Forbes. Indeed, I know he has,’ Sir William huffed. ‘We are well acquainted with Major Hervey’s estimate and plan. I believe I have three copies of it, by the courtesy
of his friends at the Horse Guards, Mr Canning’s own office and the Duke of Wellington himself.’ He did not say that this latter had come to the duke by way of Lady Katherine Greville.

  ‘Ah yes,’ replied Forbes, somewhat abashed. But he was determined to press his case, not least since Sir William now appeared to him to be uncommonly open to debate. Indeed, he found it curious to meet with such equanimity in a lieutenant-general when a mere colonel had been so intransigent. ‘Sir William, since the end of last month there have been Miguelite incursions the length of the country. By all accounts even Oporto has been harried, and there are so-called juntas of regency in the name of “King” Miguel. These Miguelites are not so many, however, or else they would by now have been showing themselves this side of the Tagus. And their Spanish seconds have neither the stomach nor the means for a true fight. But let them advance without check to Torres Vedras, and nine parts of the country will be theirs. All they need then do, as I indicated before, is sit where Marshal Masséna once did.’ He held up a hand to stay Sir William’s point. ‘Yes, well do I know that Masséna had to raise the siege and quit the country before long. But then, he could not expect a rising in Lisbon. With a Miguelite army camped in front of the lines, and another marching on them from Lisbon, what, then, would be the purpose of the forts? They might protect His Majesty’s regiments, and such of the regent’s as might be induced to follow, but they would not be defending Lisbon. And from the state of the forts as I have seen them, I would not wager short odds on their protecting the occupants either. Nor is there any prospect of adequate repair, for there is not the money, even if there were the time.’

  Sir William looked thoughtful. ‘I know what we heard at the regent’s just now, but what is your own intelligence?’

  In truth, the chargé’s intelligence was little, but it was inevitably more recent than anything London might provide. ‘I received a communication from the ambassador in Madrid this very morning. He has been obliged to withdraw from the court in Madrid, which is not a gesture of a power disposed to be friendly. And he appeared not to know that a British force was being sent here, so we may suppose the Spanish court does not either. We may suppose, therefore, that the Spaniards will give the Miguelistas no less succour than hitherto.’

  Sir William looked disappointed. ‘Then we shall proceed blind in respect of their true intentions, unless the minister – Senhor Saldanha? – is better served with intelligence than the court. But as to Torres Vedras—’

  The carriage swung into the courtyard of the chargé’s residence, interrupting Sir William in the delivery of his judgement. It pulled up sharp, footmen opened the doors, and the two men stepped down.

  As they did so, Colonel Norris appeared from inside the residence. Hatless, he bowed.

  ‘Good day, Sir William,’ he said briskly.

  Sir William bowed by return. ‘Good day, Norris.’

  The chargé thought the reply a shade curt, but he was unused to the company of military men, so not disposed to think much of it. ‘You are come very much apropos, Colonel Norris,’ he said as they went inside. ‘We were speaking of Torres Vedras.’

  Colonel Norris quickened. ‘Indeed? I am just come from the ministry. We were discussing the same.’

  Sir William turned, to see his staff alighting. ‘Colonel Ash, join us if you please.’

  A green-jacketed colonel stepped forward. ‘General!’ He nodded to Colonel Norris, not so much a greeting of recognition as acknowledgement.

  ‘I think we will have this out here, now, before we go to the ministry.’

  ‘Very good, General.’ Colonel Ash looked at the chargé.

  ‘My library; this way, Sir William.’

  The chargé led them to the room from which he conducted the business of the legation. It was not large, but it faced south and there was a fire burning.

  ‘Perhaps we may sit at this table?’ He called for coffee.

  Sir William was not obliged by ceremony any longer. As soon as they were seated, he began. ‘Colonel Norris, I have what I believe are your preliminary recommendations.’ He held up a manuscript copy. ‘Do you have anything to add before we address them?’

  ‘No, Sir William, other than that I now have the detailed estimates for the restoration of the forts.’

  Sir William held Colonel Norris’s gaze.

  ‘The first estimates were in my judgement too imprecise. We have been calculating them afresh these past three weeks, else I would have sent them to London.’

  ‘Very well, and what is the precise cost?’

  ‘In sterling, six hundred and fourteen thousand.’

  Sir William blinked.

  ‘And two hundred and twenty thousand for their equipping and provisioning.’

  Sir William looked at the chargé, who said nothing. ‘By my understanding that is three times their original cost, Norris.’

  ‘Yes, Sir William, but the lines are in poor repair.’

  ‘And the Portuguese are able to find such a sum?’

  ‘I do not know, Sir William. The ministry has yet to present the estimates to the Cortes.’

  Sir William looked at the chargé again.

  This was Mr Forbes’s area of expertise, and he at last felt confident in expressing his opinion. ‘I know the figure to be beyond the country’s immediate means, and that it does not include any element of compensation to those whose industry and livelihood would be interrupted. I am told that the regent would look to a subsidy from England.’

  Sir William was puzzled. ‘Then the authorities are of the opinion that the lines should be put into proper repair?’

  The chargé did not hesitate. ‘I did not say that, Sir William. The war minister’s opinion, Senhor Saldanha’s, is that if it were a condition of intervention on our part then he would agree to it and seek to raise the money – principally, as I said, by requesting a subsidy from London, but also in loans, although I have to say that I do not imagine credit will be easy to come by, in the circumstances.’

  ‘I believe I am correct in stating that any substantial subsidy would not be voted by parliament,’ said Sir William, shaking his head in a way that suggested the notion was preposterous. Then he turned to Colonel Norris again, and fixed him very intently.

  Norris looked uncomfortable.

  ‘What would be the consequence of occupying the lines as found?’

  ‘I . . . that is . . . it would not serve, Sir William, for the defences are not in any condition to stand.’

  ‘And if the money were forthcoming, how long would the works take?’

  ‘Three to four months, Sir William.’

  Lieutenant-General Sir William Clinton, beetle-browed, lowered his voice. ‘You may suppose that if His Majesty’s ministers send troops as promptly as they do now, His Majesty’s ministers are of the opinion that invasion is imminent.’

  Colonel Norris now looked distinctly uncomfortable.

  ‘What is your alternative design?’

  ‘Alternative? I do not have one, Sir William. My initial appreciation of the situation determined me upon the best course, which is the restoration of the lines of Torres Vedras.’

  Sir William slammed his hand on the table. ‘Damn it, man! There’s neither the money nor the time to restore the lines! Have you no other thoughts on the matter?’

  Colonel Norris was stunned. He opened his mouth, but he could only splutter.

  ‘Ash, give me that paper of Hervey’s!’ barked Sir William.

  What was left of the colour in Norris’s face drained away. ‘Major Hervey? What has he to do with it?’

  Sir William ignored the protest. He all but threw the manuscript across the table. ‘See, here: it was you who forwarded it to London, I imagine?’

  Design for the Employment of British Troops

  in the Defence of the Portuguese Regency against InvasionObject to repel invasion by land by those Portuguese forces disloyal to the Regency, and their Spanish abettors.Information It is known from the assemblage o
f the Portuguese elements that there exists the threat of invasion in the north of the country, into Tras os Montes, and in the south from Huelva into Algarve. These however would not threaten the capital immediately. This latter is likeliest from south of the Serra da Estrela and along the valley of the Tagus, or through the passes of the Alentejo, having crossed the frontier at Portalegre, Elvas or Ardila, each of which places is fortified.Intention A general reserve be constituted from which troops may be sent to Tras os Montes or Algarve. The line Portalegre–Elvas–Ardila be re-inforced by infantry and cavalry of the Ordenanza. A mobile division be formed at Lisbon or Torres Vedras, three brigades, light, two Portuguese one British, and cavalry brigade mixed. This division ready to march to frontier once it is known where the enemy intends his main advance. Portuguese Telegraph Corps to establish line from Torres Vedras to Elvas, and thence to Portalegre and Ardila. Cavalry to establish despatch routes in case of failure of telegraph.

  M.P. Hervey

  Bt-Major

  Lisbon, 26 October 1826

  Colonel Norris turned the pages of the memorandum, and its detailed annexes, with increasing alarm – and anger. It was familiar enough, but no more welcome than on the first occasion he had seen it. ‘No, Sir William, I did not send this to London. I considered it, as I would a submission from a subordinate, and dismissed it as unfeasible. I am greatly dismayed that Major Hervey should have sent this to London without my leave. Indeed, I regard it as—’

  Sir William turned to the chargé, as though he did not hear. ‘Mr Forbes, I should like to go at once to meet Senhor Saldanha.’ He rose and walked from the room without a word.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  REPUTATIONS