Despatches and Correspondence of the Marquess Wellesley, K. G. : During His Lordship's Mission to Spain as Ambassador Extraordinary to the Supreme Junta in 1809

Richard, Marquess Wellesley (1760–1842) was Governor-General of Bengal from 1798 to 1805. He was appointed British ambassador to Spain in 1809, during the Peninsular War against France in which his brother Arthur was a leading general. This collection of correspondence illustrates Wellesley's diplomatic skills at a time of crisis.

Richard, Marquess Wellesley (1760–1842) became one of the most controversial politicians of his generation during his time as Governor-General of Bengal (1798–1805). Although this period saw him achieve territorial gains in India, the financial cost was considered too high and many in London disagreed with the changes he made in Bengal. In 1809, after his return to Britain, he was appointed ambassador to Spain during the height of the Peninsular War (1808–1814) between France and an alliance of Britain, Spain and Portugal. His younger brother Arthur, the Duke of Wellington, was one of the key generals during this campaign. This collection of papers, published in 1838, covers this brief but dramatic period of Wellesley's career, after which he was appointed foreign secretary. Its editor, the political activist and historian Robert Montgomery Martin (1800–1868), also edited five volumes of Wellesley's Indian correspondence (also available in this series).