The National Register. — London, England, 1809-02-05 00:00:00

rr.B. 5. put on the half-pad 16t, 'on which ht will be placed so soon a the Duke of York has it in his power, there being at preset) . no opportunity crf doing so. Q. Did that Captain Malin ever serve in any corps ? A. 1 never heard hedid, and I do not believe he ever did. The other witnesses not being present, Mr. Perceval pCoposed that ih'e Chairman should report pro gress, and inquired of the Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Wardle) when he would be ready to go on with any of the other charges. Mr. Wardle said, this must depend on the arrival of Captain Huxley Sandon. I.ordCAsTLEnt.scat said, he understood the waggon train was arrived ; the ord'r sent down ; and that Captain Huxle, Sanden might he in town by the time the Committee should be ready to proceed on Monday. Mr. CANNING asked which charge the Honourable Gentle man meant to bring; forward first ? Mr. WARDLE said, he could not discover where Mrs. Shaw was: could he'have found her, he should have brought on that charge first. He should, if agreeable, make a communication to-morrow to any of the Right Honourable Gentlemen opposite, of the charge he should next proceed in, and of the day on w hich •he should bring it forward. Mr. SHERIDAN stated, that he had used the freedom some days ago, understanding that his Honourable Friend (Mr. Wardle) was about to bring forward charges of the kind to send to him, requesting that he would he cautious how he inter fered in the business, he (Mr. Sheridan) having reason to be lieve, that, with the very best intentions, his • Honourable Friend had lent himself to an association of an unprincipled kind. He was sorry to understand that his Hon. Friend had not received that message, for, in the end, he was assured he • should find he had been decoyed into a foul and unprincipled as sociation. Were we, however, to be told, that so grave and important charges—charges by which the vital interests of the country at this critical moment were affected, in which it was a question whether any officer, or soldier in the British army • ought or ought not to look up with reverence and respect to their head; whether, indeed, he was worthy of continuing a moment longer in the command of the army. Were we to be told that in such a case as this any delay ought to be admitted ? The Hon. Gentleman, forsooth, was not ready to prove his charges.—Yes, but he was ready to make them ! Of delay, is such a case, the honour, the best interests of the country, would not admit. If the Gentleman chose to make his charges he must be ready to prove them. It was at length settled, that the Committee should sit again on Tuesday, and that Capt. Huxley Sanden, Mr. Donnovan, Mrs. Clarke, Mrs. Shaw, &c. be summoned to attand.—Ad journed. Note.—Something like serious altercation took place between Mr. Canning Rad Mr. Whitbread ; when, aptly enough, Mr. Fuller admonished the House that they had " better go home and go to bed !" TUESDAY'S LON DON GAZETTE. Admiralty-Office, Jan. 31. • Copy of a Letter transmitted by Viee.Admiral Lord Collingtrnod. llie Majesty's Ship Excellent, Rosas Bay, Nov. 21. MY Lottb,—l have anxiously waited an opportunity to inform your Lordship of the investment of this port by the enemy, with a force computed at five or six thousand men. On the evening; Of the 6th inst. the enemy was first observed in motion between Figueras and Castillern, and, on the following morning, was in complete po 'session of the Aicights that encompas this 13ay. 'On the same da;, at noon, a small body of •the enemy entered the town of Rotas, which, in an instant, was cleared of its inhohi tants, who either fled to their boats or the citadel for . protecti4n; but a well directed fire from the Excellent "aild Meteor bomb, both within point-blank shot of the town, obliged the enemy precipitately to retire. On the first appearance of the enemy, Col. O'DttlY, Goveroor of this fortress, made application to - me UK assistance; when I. immeliately • reinforced his garrison with the marines of the Eltc.llent, (with the exception of an Officer and twenty-five men, who had been previously detached to Fort Trinite),„and an Officer and fifty seamen. On the ith, the enemy took possession ofseveral houses and ruins itOlie-rear of the l town, as an advanced post, from which he has been repeatedly dis lodged by the Citadel and the guns and shells of his Majesty's sin the Bay. On the Bth, at noun, observing a body of THE NATIONAL REGISTER'. - e. Miquelets hard pressed by the enemy front their advanceil po s ts, was induced to m-ke a sortie from the Citadel w it it the seamen' and marines, and the ()dicers commanding them; but the very superior force of the enemy, woo endeav mire,' to surround us, obliged us to retire, but not till my officers and men had di , :- ,laved a spirit and courage which r ave me the most lively sata , faction. lam sorry I am obliged by this little affair to send sour Lordship a return of wounded men. Late on the evening of the 9th, I received from the Governor the unpleasant advice, that a large breach was mathe in the rampart of the Citadel, by a part of the bulwark failine, down, sufficiently capacious to ad mit twenty-five men abreast. I proffered to the Governor every assistance that the urgency of the moment required, aad directed Capt. Collins immediately to weigh, and place the \leaser as neat the shoal as pos:lble, to flank the breach in the event or an attack. I sent at the same time two boats to enfilade the beach wit h the cannonades; cartenately, the lateness of the hour precloded the • enemy gaining information of the event. The following morning I sent an Officer and a party of seamen to assist in repairing the breach, directing the seamen and marines in the Citadel to be employed on the same service!. By every exertion, the 'sampan was placed in a state of security for t h e ni g ht, the defence Of which was entrusted to an ()dicer and forty seamen, whom I sent on shore for that purpose. On the third day I was happy to see .the repair completed, and the.work ns defensibte . as it was pre viout to the disaster. On the morning of the 15th instant, at' eight o'clock, the enemy made a most resolute assault on the Fort Tr!nite with about two hundred men, anti a reserve of about two thousand to support them. The enemy were bravely repulsed ; but in a moment again advanced in greater force ; • when two of the outer gates were broken open; hut by a mils( galling and steady fire of musketry and hand-greoadea from the fort, the enemy was a second time obliged to retire, with great I oss,leav ing their leader, a Chief of Brigade, and many others, dead under its walls, and the second in command carried oft' desperately wounded. Expecting a third assault would be made, I threw iu a reinforcement of thirty marines, o tit a Ca 'Will) and Subaltern, by means of a rope-lad d er, w filch was effected w itbout-loss, and with one man hnt slightly wounded, daring an incessant fire of musketry.-1 cannot speak in terms of sufficient praise of the officers and men in theirglorious defence of Fort .Trinite, on which occasion five marines were wounded, and one Spaniard ; but I have Ihe satisfaction to inclose to . vour Lordship a letter I have received from the Spanish Officer commanding its garrison, iv Bich does him great honour.---1\ o further attempt was made on this fort till the '2oth instant, w lieu the enemy opened a battery of three heavy guns from a height commanding it ; but as vet has made no impression on its wall. The Lucifer bomb had been throwing her shells the t o preceding (lays to prevent the enemy making a lodgment on this height ; but was compelled to retire after being struck three times by the battery. During the pre vious night the eaemy threw up an extensive entrenchment three hundred yards from the Citadel, and at day-hre'zik opened a fire upon the ships in the Itay front three large mortars, which obliged us to retire out of their reach : the bomb vessel=, from having a longer range of shells than the enemy, were enabled to throw them with effect. Fort Trinite, from its insulated situa tion and strength, 1 am of opinion, may stand a long siege. Rut l ant not so sanguine N I . ith respect to the Citadel, whose garrison is very inadequate to its defence, and having, as L conceive, a vulnerable point. I waited on the Governor on Sunday last, to take my leave, when he inforated me, that he oats in expecta tion of A reinforcement ; hut I am opprOwnAive the blockade of the enemy in Barcelona will prove an obstacle tobiffex peewit success. I beg leave. to coitclude this dispatch fO your. Lordship, by expressing how highly•satisficd I have been with the conduct of time officers and company. of the ship I have the tumour to command, as likewise of thoselif the Meteor aud Lucifer bombs, commanded by Captains Collins and Hall, whose great eaer lions during the ardeous and most fatigu in g - service they have itu periouily been called upon to perform, reflects the greatest credit upon him. I have, Ike. (Signed) • • • W2s - r. Right Hon. Vice-Admiral Lord Collingwood, &e.-15zc.. List of men belonging to his Majesty's ship the Excellent, who we're wounded in actibn with the' enemy between the Sth and 16th day of November, 1808, in Itosas Bay. Rob. Palmer, John Sands, and F. D. Coke, seamen, dangerously; Jas. Lambe, and Deli& Nosh ia, mariners, badly; .1, cal, sea man, slightly . ; - J. Brown, Serjeant of Marines, slightly ; • Ed. Magennis, seaman; Jas. Roberts and P. Hyson, marines; Jas. Martin, seaman, slightly ; J. Burrows, ditto, badly : J. Smith and J Brady, marines, dangerously ; Wm. Wilson. U gl • , r• 1.... • • ... ..► 93