in the face of a heavy fire from the batteries and troops on the beach.

The prize having bilged, it was impossible to get her off: the British, therefore, were obliged to be contented with destroying her. Captain Brenton, having again volunteered, proceeded with a party to destroy the French schooner, then also on shore. By 9 A. M., after overcoming a resistance that wounded Mr. Joshua Jones, the master of the Amaranthe, and killed one and wounded three seamen belonging to the Express, the British set fire to and burnt the schooner. But for the rash act of Lieutenant Crooke (and yet who, under such circumstances, could refrain ?) the whole of this enterprise would have been accomplished with a very slight loss. As it was, the loss amounted to 12 killed, 31 wounded, and 26 missing; a part of the latter probably drowned, the remainder prisoners.

The other corvette, the Papillon, appears to have reached St.Pierre unseen by any British ship; and on the 19th, in the morning, the Amphitrite was discovered, close to Pigeon island, by the British 38-gun frigate Ethalion, Captain Thomas Cochrane, 18-gun ship-sloop Star, Captain William Paterson, and advice-boat Express. The French frigate, being to windward and ably manœuvred, managed to escape into Fort-Royal bay, after receiving a few ineffectual shot from the Ethalion and Star. The remaining French frigate, the Junon, arrived safe at Guadaloupe.

On the 14th of November, at 8 h. 30 m. A. M., the British 64gun ship Polyphemus, Captain William Pryce Cumby, cruising off the city of Santo-Domingo, despatched her boats in chase of the French national schooner Colibri, of three carriage-guns and 63 men, commanded by a lieutenant de vaisseau, which was attempting to enter the road. At 9 h. 20 m. Lieutenant Joseph Daly, with the barge, in the face of a heavy fire of grape and musketry, boarded and carried the schooner. In accomplishing this very gallant service, the barge had one marine killed; and the French, in defending their vessel, had one man killed and five wounded.

On the 1st of August the British 74-gun ship Kent, Captain Thomas Rogers, and 16-gun brig-sloop Wizard, Captain William Ferris, running along the coast of Italy from Genoa to Cape Del Melle, discovered a convoy of 10 sail of coasters deeply laden, lying at anchor, under the protection of a gun-boat, close to the beach abreast of the town of Noli. As there appeared a chance, by a prompt attack, of bringing out the vessels before the enemy had time to collect his force, Captain Rogers despatched the boats of the Kent and Wizard, under the orders of Lieutenant William Cashman, second of the Kent, assisted by Lieutenants James Lindsay and Fairfax Moresby, Captain of marines Henry Rea, and Lieutenants of marines John Hanlon and Patrick Grant, also of that ship, and Lieute

nant Alexander Bissett, of the Wizard; which latter vessel, as there was very little wind, was to tow the boats, as well as cover them in their approach to the shore.

By great exertions, the boats were towed by the Wizard; close to the vessels, when it was found impossible to bring them out without landing, most of the vessels being fastened to the shore by ropes from their keels and mast-heads. The boats, therefore, pulled to the beach with great resolution, exposed to the fire of two guns in the bow of the gun-boat, of two fieldpieces placed in a grove which flanked the beach, of a heavy gun in front of the town, and of a continued fire of musketry from the houses. But all this was no check to the ardour and intrepidity of British seamen and marines; who leaped from the boats and rushed upon the enemy, with a fearless zeal that was not to be resisted.

The gun in front of the town was soon taken and spiked by Lieutenants Cashman and Hanlon; and the French, who had drawn up a considerable force of regular troops in the grove to defend the two field-pieces, were dislodged by Captain Rea and Lieutenant Grant, of the marines; who took possession of the guns and brought them off. In the mean time, Lieutenants Lindsay, Moresby, and Bissett, who had equally distinguished themselves in driving the enemy from the beach, were actively employed, first in taking possession of the gun-boat, which was the Vigilante, commanded by an enseigne de vaisseau, with a crew of 45 men, and then in freeing the merchant vessels from their fasts to the shore. The whole was soon accomplished, and the party re-embarked under the protection of the Wizard; who, by her judicious manœuvres and well-directed fire, contributed very essentially to keep the enemy in check, both in the advance and in the retreat of the boats. Notwithstanding the perilous nature of this very gallant enterprise, Lieutenant Cashman and his party accomplished it with so comparatively slight a loss, as one seaman killed and one mortally wounded. The French, on the other hand, left many dead upon the ground.

This

Among the British cruisers appointed to harass the French army in its movements along the east coast of Spain, was the 38-gun frigate Impérieuse, Captain Lord Cochrane. description of service, requiring, with great boldness and nautical experience, no slight share of military knowledge, was peculiarly adapted to the genius of that zealous and enterprising officer: and never did Lord Cochrane exert himself more strenuously, more effectually, or more honourably, than in the aid he afforded to the cause of the Spanish patriots. Of one quality in Lord Cochrane, we, in common with other compilers, have to complain: the brevity of his accounts; all of which appear to be written more to recommend to notice his gallant companions in arms, than to blazon his own feats to the world.

On the 31st of July the Impérieuse silenced, and Lord

Cochrane landed with his marines, under Lieutenant James Rivers Hore of that corps, and took possession of, the castle of Mongal ; an important post completely commanding a pass in the road from Barcelona to Gerona, then besieged by the French, and the only post between those towns occupied by the enemy. The Spanish militia are represented to have behaved admirably, in carrying an outpost on a neighbouring hill. Lord Cochrane demolished the works, and gave up to the Spanish militia the arms of the 71 prisoners made on the occasion.

In the latter part of September, cruising off the coast of Languedoc, Lord Cochrane landed with a portion of his officers and men, and blew up and completely demolished the semiphoric telegraphs at Bourdique, La Pinde, Saint-Miguire, Frontignan, Canet, and Foy, with their telegraph houses, 14 barracks of the gens d'armes or douanes, one battery, and the strong tower upon the lake of Frontignan. The telegraphs being of the utmost consequence to the safety of the numerous convoys that passed along the coast, their destruction was a serious blow to the French, and particularly beneficial to the patriots, and those who espoused their cause, by preventing about 2000 troops, intended for the important fortress of Figueras, from advancing into Spain.

Always anxious to do justice to those who embark with him in services of danger, Lord Cochrane, in his official letter, attributes the successful result of the enterprise just recorded to the exertions of Mr. David Mapleton, the first, and Mr. Urry Johnson, the second lieutenant, Mr. George Gilbert, assistantsurgeon, Mr. William Burney, gunner, and Messieurs Houston Stewart and George Charles Stovin, midshipmen, of the Impérieuse.

On the 7th of November a body of about 5000 French troops occupied the heights around the bay of Rosas, at the north-eastern extremity of Spain; and at noon on the same day, a small detachment entered the town of Rosas, the inhabitants of which had fled for protection either to their boats or to the citadel. At this time the British 74-gun ship Excellent, Captain John West, and bomb-ship Meteor, Captain James Collins, lay within pointblank shot of the town. A well-directed fire from these ships soon compelled the French precipitately to retire towards some houses and ruins in the rear of the town, which they occupied as an advanced post. On the 8th, at noon, observing that the French were hard pressing a body of Miguelets, Captain West made a sortie from the citadel at the head of 250 of the Excellent's seamen and marines; but the superior force of the French, who endeavoured, with their cavalry, to surround the British, compelled the latter, after being successful in their object of rescuing the Miguelets, to retire within the fortress. The seamen and marines, who, throughout this to them novel engage

ment, behaved in the bravest manner, had several of their number wounded, and Captain West himself had his horse shot under him.

On the 15th, at 8 A. M., the French, about 200 strong, with a reserve of 2000, made a most resolute, but unsuccessful assault upon Fort Trinidad, one of the defences of Rosas, and part of the garrison of which consisted of one officer and 25 privates of the Excellent's marines. In a second assault, with increased numbers, two of the outer gates were broken open; but, by a steady and galling fire of musketry and hand-grenades from the fort, the French were, a second time, obliged to retire, leaving their leader, a chief of brigade, and several other officers and men, dead under the walls. Expecting a third assault, Captain West, by means of a rope ladder, threw in a reinforcement of two officers and 30 marines; of whom one man only was slightly wounded, although the party had bravely entered during an incessant fire of musketry from the besiegers. On the 20th the French opened a battery of three guns from a height that commanded the fort; and, although these guns made no sensible impression on the fort, they succeeded in driving away the bomb-ship Lucifer, Captain Robert Hall; which vessel had recently joined, and during the two preceding days had been throwing her shells, to obstruct the enemy in his works. Another battery, erected nearer to the citadel, shortly afterwards compelled the British 74 also to retire from the shore. The loss sustained by the Excellent and Meteor, in these different attacks, amounted to 21 seamen and marines wounded, but none killed.

On the following day, the 21st, the Excellent was relieved by the 74-gun ship Fame, Captain Richard Henry Alexander Bennett; a portion of whose marines supplied the place of those of the Excellent which had been thrown into, and since withdrawn from, Fort Trinidad. On the 22d both the latter and the citadel of Rosas were more than half invested, and a breach was nearly effected in Trinidad. The Spanish garrisons were also in a deplorable situation. In this state of things, it was considered necessary, on the 23d, to withdraw the marines of the Fame, and that ship soon afterwards retired from the

coast.

On the 24th or 25th the Impérieuse arrived in the bay, and joined the Lucifer and Meteor bomb-vessels. Lord Cochrane went himself to examine the state of Fort Trinidad; and, finding that the garrison, composed of 80 Spaniards, was on the point of surrendering, threw himself into the fort, with 50 seamen and 30 marines belonging to the Impérieuse. The resources of Lord Cochrane's active mind must, indeed, have astonished the Spaniards. Among other substitutes which he made use of, about 1000 bags, together with barrels and palisadoes, supplied the place of walls and ditches. So that the French, when on

the 30th they assaulted the castle with 1000 picked men, were repulsed with the loss of their commanding officer, their storming equipage, and all who had attempted to mount the breach.

The whole of this daring and important service was effected without any loss to the British. On the 5th of December the citadel of Rosas capitulated; and, considering further resistance in Fort Trinidad impracticable against the whole French army, Lord Cochrane fired the trains for exploding the magazines, and re-embarked his men. As usual, he speaks in the highest terms of his officers; among whom he names Lieutenant Urry Johnson, Lieutenant of marines James Hore, William Burney gunner, William Lodwick carpenter, and midshipmen Houston Stewart, George Charles Stovin, and Frederick Marryat.

COLONIAL EXPEDITIONS.-WEST INDIES.

In the month of February the British 18-pounder 32-gun frigate Cerberus, Captain William Selby, 12-pounder 32-gun frigate Circe, Captain Hugh Pigot, and 20-gun ship Camilla, Captain John Bowen, cruised off Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadaloupe. Finding the impossibility of preventing the French privateers and their prizes from gaining that port, while they were enabled to shelter themselves under the batteries of Marie-Galante until an opportunity offered for them to run over, Captain Selby resolved to attempt the surprise of Grand-Bourg, the principal town on the island.

Accordingly, on the 2d of March, early in the morning, the three ships weighed from Petite-terre, and soon after daylight disembarked, with very slight opposition, 200 seamen and marines, under the orders of Captain Pigot, at a spot about two miles from the town. The British, as soon as they appeared in sight of Grand Bourg, were met by an officer with a flag of truce. The unconditional surrender of Marie-Galante immediately followed, and Captain Selby garrisoned the island with a detachment of marines from his little squadron.

The ease with which Marie-Galante had been obtained determined Rear-admiral Sir Alexander Cochrane, the British commander-in-chief at the Leeward-islands, to send an expedition, under Captain Selby, against the island of Désirade, another spot that afforded shelter to the Guadaloupe privateers. Accordingly, on the 29th of March, the Cerberus, accompanied, this time, by two sloops, two gun-brigs, and a schooner, weighed from off Marie-Galante; and on the 30th the boats of the squadron, under the command of Captain William Henry Shirreff, of the ship-sloop Lily, stood towards the shore of Désirade, which was defended by two 8-pounders, that completely commanded the narrow entrance of the harbour; where also was posted a detachment of national troops and militia, about 70