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the 23d, under col. Vassal, advanced against Maldonado, seemed to be occupied by 600 regulars and militia, y mounted, with one howitand one 4-pounder field-piece. ugh our troops were without jartillery, they soon dispersed enemy, with the loss of their and about 50 men killed and aded. The loss on our side two killed and four wounded, be 38th regiment.

Jolonel Backhouse adds,-" To cool intrepidity of our little ma on this occasion, much se is due, as it advanced with utmost steadiness and alacrity, without firing a shot, until piently near to make a certainty carrying both the guns and the , which was principally done the bayonet, notwithstanding advance was made under heavy harges of grape and musketry. To the well-known gallantry Aability of col. Vassal, I feel mymuch indebted; and the con. t of every other officer in the d has commanded my thanks." The next day the heavy batteries the beach of the harbour, and > peninsula, surrendered at distion to sir H. Popham. The Arines and armed seamen sent on ore by sir H. were of the greatt assistance in the capture of laldonado. Col. Backhouse clo8 his dispatches with mentioning e great services he received from ajor Trotter of the 83d, and maor Tucker of the 72d.

Return of Ordnance, Ammunition, and Stores, &c. taken from the Enemy in the Town and Vicinity of Maldonado.

Brass Ordnance. 1 Six-inch

howitzer, with 10 rounds of ammu nition; 1 six-pounder, with 10 rounds of ditto.

Iron Ordnance. 12 twenty-sixpounders on sea-batteries; 20 twenty-four-pounders, on the island of Goretti; 700 muskets, 200 pistols, 300 swords, 180 barrels of powder.

Then follow copies of two let. ters from sir H. Popham to W. Marsden, esq. The first is dated on board the Diadem, in Rio de la Plata, August 25th, and describes the circumstances which progressively led to the surrender of the settlement of Buenos Ayres.

"Pueridon, (says sir H.) one of the municipality, appears to have been the greatest organ of the revolution. He applied himself with great art and address in preparing the people for a general insurrection. The arms in the town were secreted, ready for the moment of action; the discontented assembled every night, and attended to his instruc tions, and he raised all the rabble of the country by the ample supplies of money with which he was furnished on the north side of the

river. Col. Liniers, a French officer in the Spanish service, and on his parole, successfully employed himself in collecting people at Colonia. Terror was established, and every person who refused to contribute his assistance to this conspiracy was threatened with immediate death.

I have traced this from very unquestionable authority; and so rapid was the progress of the revolution, when it first shewed itself, that it was not till the 31st of July that I learnt, by a dispatch from the general, which reached me at Ensenada, on my return from Monte Video, that he was appreheusive, from the information he S$3

had

received, an insurrection would shortly be made. I heard at the I heard at the same time from capt. Thompson, that seventeen of the enemy's vessels had just arrived at Colonia; and, as it was reported that force was still to be increased from Monte Video, I sent orders for the Dio. mede to be brought to Ensenada, and for capt. King, of the Diadem, to come up with the remaining few marines, the two companies of Blues, and as many other men as could in any degree be spared from the ships, for the purpose of arming some vessels to attack the enemy at Colonia, as it was impossible to prevent his crossing from the north shore whenever the wind was fair.

"On the 1st of August, in the afternoon, the Leda anchored off Buenos Ayres, about twelve miles distant; and on my landing on the 2d, which I did as soon as the weather would admit of a boat getting on shore, I found the general had just made a very successful attack

on

about 1500 Spaniards under Pueridon, five leagues from the town, with 500 men; in which he took all the enemy's cannon, (I think nine pieces,) and several pri soners. On the 3d I attempted to return to the Leda, in the Encounter,

which captain Honeyman brought within a few miles of the shore for this purpose, as it blew very strong but the wind fresh ened so considerably from the eastward, that we could not get to windward. On the 4th, in the morning, it was very thick weather, and the gale increased so much, that it was impossible to weigh.-About noon, captain King arrived in a ga. livat with 150 men from the Diadem, for the purpose of arming the few small vessels we had collected

in the harbour, but he was not able to get there till the following day. On the 5th, in the morning, it ma derated, and I reached the Leda; when I received a report from cap. tain Thompson, that in the gale of the preceding day the enemy crossed from Colonia totally unobserved by any of our ships, except the schooner under the command of lieute. nant Herrick; but the easterly wind had thrown so much water in the river, that the enemy were enabled to cross over any part of the Patmas bank without the neces sity of making a greater détour by going higher up the river.-On the 6th and 7th it blew a hurri cane; the Leda was lying in four fathoms, with two anchors down, and her yards and topmasts struck.

On the 8th I heard from captain King, that five of our gun-boats had foundered at their anchors; that the Walker had lost her rudder, and that the launches and large cot. ters of the Diadem and Leda were lost. The torrents of rain that fell during the 6th, 7th, and 8th, had rendered the roads totally imprac ticable for any thing but cavalry; and consequently general Beres. ford was most seriously disappoint. ed in his determination to attack the enemy at a distance from the town; in which, had it taken place, I entertained no doubt that his army would have added another trait of its invincible spirit under his dispositions.-The enemy, how. ever, by his inexhaustible supply of horses, suffered little inconveni ence from the state of the roads, and he was therefore enabled to approach the town by several direc tions, without giving the British army any opportunity to attack him.-On the 10th, in the evening,

Castle was summoned; and on following day I landed, while remaining vessels were firing on Spanish posts, and I learnt, that, usive of the Spanish army, was divided into many co18, occupying the various aveof the town, the inhabitants fall armed, and sheltered on the of the houses and churches, a design of carrying on a war mbush.-Under these circum. ces, and the manifest dispo. a of the enemy to prevent an gement, it was determined to ark the wounded that night, and s the Rio Chello, for the pur of moving towards Ensenada; this measure was in a great derfrustrated by the weather, by the weather, ch became very violent during night, and consequently retardthe progress of embarkation, ugh the enemy added a consi. ible number of men to the ses and churches near the Castle, advanced by all the streets not er the influence of its fire; in tt, sir, his object was to id by every means a general ac, and to place his men in such ituation that they could fire at troops while they remained in feet security themselves. On 12th, at day-light, I understand mart fire began from the enemy's vanced posts, but was soon rened with great effect from our tillery, which was planted toward e principal streets leading to the eat square; for a short time the emy, by his immense numbers, jewed a greater degree of firmness an on any other occasion, and Jushed forward with three pieces of rtillery, which colonel Pack, of he 71st, soon charged and took rom him. During this time, how

ever, reinforcements crowded the tops of all the houses commanding the great square from the backstreets, and our troops were soon considerably annoyed by people they could not get at. The enemy commanded the Castle in the same way, with the additional advantage of a gun on the top of one of the churches, which I consider an inde. lible stigma against the character of the bishop, not only from his situation, but the professions he made. -I can easily conceive how the feelings of general Beresford must, at this moment, have been on the rack. Disappointed in his last efforts to induce the enemy to a gene. ral engagement in the great square, his gallant little army falling fast by shots from invisible persons, and the only alternative which could present itself to save the useless ef fusion of so much valuable blood, was a flag of truce, which was hoisted at the Castle about one o'clock. In an instant there were near 10,000 men in the great square, pressing forward in the most outrageous man. ner to get into the fort, and even firing at our men on the ramparts; so much so, that it was with extreme difficulty the British troops were prevented revenging this insult; indeed the general was obliged to tell the Spanish officers, if their men did not retire in the course of one minute, he must, as the only mea. sure of safety, haul down the flag of truce, and recommence hostilitics: this firmness had the desired effect, and he then sent his conditions to the Spanish general, and they were instantly acceded to."

From the subsequent part of this letter, it appears that our loss on the above occasion amounts to 2 officers, 2 serjeants, 1 drummer,

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and 43 rank and file, killed; and 6 officers, 7 serjeants, 92 rank and file, wounded; and 9 missing; ma. king a total of 165; and scarce any of those misfortunes were occasion. ed except from the inhabitants, on the tops of the houses and the churches." The enemy confesses to have lost about 700 killed and wounded, in the short conflict in the streets; and if it had not been for the inhabitants, I have little doubt, (says sir II.) that the Spanish troops would have been completely defeated, although seven times the number of the British forces.-Nothing is more difficult than to give their lordships an idea of the number of men in arms; but from the best accounts we can

obtain, it is thought Pueridon, and the other principal people engaged in this plot, had collected from 8 to 10,000 men in the country; that Liniers may have brought over from 800 to 1000; and the town furnished, though armed in various ways, about 10,000, under the secret arrangement of the magistrates." -Lieutenants Groves, Herrick, and Swaile, of the navy, receive great praise from sir H. for their conduct in bringing out several vessels from the harbour.

The articles of capitulation agreed that the British troops should march out with the honours of war, and be embarked for England as prisoners; and that the Spanish troops made prisoners by us on the capture of the place, should be exchanged for the British officers taken at the recapture. This capitulation, after being signed, was bro. ken by the Spaniards, who marched our troops up the country.

The officers killed, were capt, Kennett, of the R. engineers, and

lieut. W. Mitchell, of the 71st regiment,-Officers wounded, captain Mackenzie, R. M. lieut. Samp. son, St. Helena regiment; capt. Ogilvie, R. artillery; lieut. M'Do. nald, ditto; lieut. col. Pack, lieut. Murray, ensigns Connel and Lucas, (since dead,) all of the 71st regi. ment.

Statement of property captured at Buenos Ayres, but not removed, and which was recaptured on the 12th of August. Dollars.

Goods of the Philippine
Company
Debts due to difto
4000 Arab. B. Tobacco,
at 6 dollars, sold for 14
2000 ditto Parly ditto

50,000 Reams Paper (2
dollars)
5000 Quintals of Quick-
Playing Cards

silver (40 dollars)

40,000lbs. Spanish Snuff
(2 dollars)
20,000lbs. Havannah ditto
(2 dollars)
37,500lbs. Bark,(1 dollars)

100,000 1,011,537

24,000

12,000

100,000

50,000

200,000

80,000

40,000 56,250

-1,673,797 Vessels and Floating Property 1,500,000

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The second letter, from sir II. Popham, dated on-board the Dia. dem, relates merely to the capture of the town and harbour of Maldenado, as described by col. Back. house. A third letter, dated Oct. 31, states the capture of the island of Goretti, by sir H. Popham.-Goretti is a very strong position, defended by 20 twenty-four poun ders, in four batteries, so placed as to command the roadstead, the eastern passage between it and the peninsula, and the only two prac. tical beaches for landing.

The

The Gazette of Feb. 14. conis an order of the commander-inff, that, in addition to the perion recently granted to the 76th ment of foot, for placing the d Hindoostan in their colours appointments, the regiment I be allowed to place the Ele. nt in their colours and on their ointments, inscribing the word Hindoostan" around it; as a disnished testimony of their good duct and exemplary valour dug their service in India.

Capture of Curaçoa.

to admire the decision of captain Brisbane, in attempting the har bour, and the determined bravery and conduct displayed by himself, the other three captains, and all the officers and men under his command; and is another strong instance of the cool and determined bravery of British seamen.

Captain Brisbane being, from his situation, obliged to act as gover nor, I have, as an acknowledge. ment and high approbation of his conduct, continued him in that situ ation until his majesty's pleasure shall be known; and request, in the strongest manner, that their lordships will be pleased to recommend him for that appointment.

Admiralty office, Feb. 21. Captain Lydiard (who will stain Lydiard, of his majesty's have the honour of delivering this, hip the Anson, arrived here this and who fully partook of the conmorning, with dispatches from quest, and has before distinguished cite admiral Dacres, commander- himself off the Havannah,) I beg to in-chief of his majesty's ships and refer their lordships to for any tessels at Jamaica, to William information. I shall put an actMarsden, esq. of which the following captain in the Anson until his ing are copies : return, or I receive directions there

Shark, Port Royal, Jan. 1, 1807.
SIR;

I have much satisfaction in con-
atulating my lords commisioners
the admiralty on the capture of
e island of Curaçoa, on New-
ar's day, in the morning, by the
ur frigates named in the margin *,
ader the orders of captain Bris-
ane, of the Arethusa: a copy of
hose letter I inclose for their
rdships' information.

Whilst I contemplate the immense trength of the harbour of Amsteram, and the superior force conained in its different batteries oposed to the entrance of the friates, I know not how sufficiently

on.

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Arethusa, Latona, Anson, and Fisgard,

tho

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