seeing every precaution had been taken on the part of Don Miguel’s General, to prevent the possibility of doing injury to British property. The most expert engineer had been selected to undertake the destruction of the wines in question. The flames, however, extended beyond the calculation of the engineer, and two or three British lodges Mere in imminent danger; one store, the property of Mr. Ormerod, containing upwards of two thousand pipes of wine, was actually on fire.
“Upon being made acquainted with this circumstance, I considered it my duty to act with promptitude, satisfied that the protest officially forwarded from the British Consul to the General commanding on the southern side, would be of little avail in rescuing from destruction the property of Mr. Omerod, I therefore, without receiving the authority of the British Consul, took upon myself the entire responsibility of landing the crews of H.M. squadron in the Douro, for the purpose of extinguishing the fire, which had already reached one of the British lodges.
“I must acquaint your Lordship, that I took the precaution to send Lord George Paulet expressly up to the commanding officer at Caudal, for the purpose of acquainting him that it was my intention immediately to land the crews of the British squadron – that my only object was to save British property, then in imminent danger – and that there was nothing which might be even mistaken for an act of hostility contemplated on my part. I also took the precaution to request the officer commanding the piquet abreast of the British squadron would accompany the seamen and marines of H.M. ships, in order that he might explain our intentions to the officers commanding the inner piquets; but so much time had elapsed before Lord George Paulet could have an interview with Marshal Count d’Almar, that I was compelled to land, with a force of 130 men, and proceed direct to Villa Nova, before the sanction of the Marshal could be obtained. Fortunately I did not await the return of Lord George, or hesitate to put into immediate execution the project I had planned. Half an hour’s delay, and Mr. Omerod’s property must have been inevitably destroyed.
“Your Lordship may imagine that the easiest mode to have preserved from destruction the wines of the British subjects would have been to disembark the seamen of the squadron on the beach at Villa Nova; but this mode, for many reasons, was found to be impracticable. In the first place, the flames were so extensive that it would have been impossible to approach the lower lodges: in the next, the pathways leading to the British stores became impassable from the torrents of boiling wine that were then running into the river: and lastly (I am sorry I am compelled to record such an act of perfidy), the officer commanding at the Serra convent was directing a heavy fire of artillery at the vicinity of Villa Nova, even long after he must have perceived the people employed in extinguishing the flames were composed of the crews of H.M. squadron – nor could there be any excuse for this treachery, for