uring the progress of the negotiation. The
famous "_Convention of Cintra_" (most absurdly so named, as it was in
fact concluded thirty miles from Cintra) was signed accordingly on the
30th of August; and the French army wholly evacuated Portugal in the
manner provided for. The English people heard with indignation that the
spoilers of Portugal had been suffered to escape on such terms; and the
article concerning private property gave especial offence, as under that
cover the French removed with them a large share of the plunder which
they had amassed by merciless violence and rapacity during their
occupation of the Portuguese territories. A parliamentary investigation
was followed by a court-martial, which acquitted Dalrymple. In truth it
seems now to be admitted, by competent judges, that after Burrard had
interfered so as to prevent Wellesley from instantly following up the
success of Vimiero, and so enabled Junot to re-occupy Lisbon and secure
the pass of the Torres Vedras, it would have been imprudent to decline
the terms proffered by a repelled, but still powerful enemy--who, if
driven to extremities, could hardly fail to prolong the war, until
Napoleon should be able to send him additional forces from Spain.
Meanwhile Portugal was free from the presence of her enemies; England
had obtained a permanent footing within the Peninsula; what was of still
higher moment, the character of the British army was raised not only
abroad, but at home; and had the two insurgent nations availed
themselves, as they ought to have done, of the resources which their
great ally placed at their command, and conducted their own affairs with
unity and strength of purpose, the deliverance of the whole peninsula
might have been achieved years before that consummation actually took
place.

The Portuguese, however, split into factions--under leaders whose
primary objects were selfish, who rivalled each other in their absurd
jealousy of England, afforded to her troops no such supplies and
facilities as they had the best title to demand and expect, and wasted
their time in petty political intrigues, instead of devoting every
energy to the organisation of an efficient army, and improving the
defences of their naturally strong frontier. The Spaniards conducted
themselves with even more signal imprudence. For months each provincial
junta seemed to prefer the continuance of its own authority to the
obvious necessity of merging all their powers in s