eing in arms all
around them, and the supply of food becoming from day to day more
difficult. On the 16th of July, Dupont was attacked at Baylen by
Castanos, who knew from an intercepted despatch the extent of his
enemy's distress: the French were beaten, and driven as far as Menjibar.
They returned on the 18th, and attempted to recover Baylen; but, after a
long and desperate battle, in which 3000 of the French were killed,
Dupont, perceiving that the Spaniards were gathering all around in
numbers not to be resisted, proposed to capitulate. In effect, he and
20,000 soldiers laid down their arms at Baylen, on condition that they
should be transported in safety into France. The Spaniards broke this
convention, and detained them as prisoners--thus, foolishly as well a
wickedly, imitating the perfidy of Napoleon's own conduct to Spain. This
battle and capitulation of Baylen were termed by the Emperor himself
_the Caudine forks_ of the French army. He attributed the disaster to
treachery on the part of Dupont: it was the result of the rashness of
the expedition, and the incompetency of the conductor. The richest part
of Spain was freed wholly of the invaders: the light troops of Castanos
pushed on, and swept the country before them; and within ten days, King
Joseph perceived the necessity of quitting Madrid, and removed his
headquarters to Vittoria.

In the meantime Lefebre Desnouettes, whose early success in Arragon has
been alluded to, was occupied with the siege of Zaragossa--the
inhabitants of which city had risen in the first outbreak, and prepared
to defend their walls to the last extremity. Don Jose Palafox, a young
nobleman of no great talents, who had made his escape from Bayonne, was
invested with the command; but the real leaders were the priests and
some of the private citizens, who selected him for the prominent place
as belonging to a family of eminent distinction in their kingdom, but in
effect considered and used him as their tool. Some Spanish and Walloon
regiments, who had formed the garrisons of strong places treacherously
seized by the enemy before the war commenced, had united with Palafox,
and various bloody skirmishes had occurred--ere the French general was
enabled to shut them up in Zaragossa and form the siege. The importance
of success in this enterprise was momentous, especially after the
failure of Moncey at Valencia. Napoleon himself early saw, that if the
Valencians should be able to form an un