The National Register. — London, England, 1809-08-27 00:00:00

burn, of the Beljeisle, were most judiciously placed at the south east es ti of the town; and to the south west, Capt. Open, of the CI s de. had Tv it h equal -kill and judgment, placed the bomb and atllee vessels under his orders. .1 had much satisfaction in wit oyes ing the fire that was kept up by the sqoadrous under these two waken, and the precision with which tlse shells were thrown from the bombs. Unfortuuately the wind was too Kant wallow me to weigh when the Cutleries opened, hut it proved more favourable the following day, I immediately put that intention into execution, and ht ten in the'forenoon of the 14th, proceeded with the Sla VS already named towards Flushing, meaning to pass to a more convenient anchorage for placing the squadron against it, when .uch 4 measure should appear to be necessary. This squadron was led iu by the St. Domingo, bearing my flag, and I was followed by the Blake, with the flag of Rear-Admiral Lord Gardner; the other ships advanced in succession, Sno. after ye had opened our fire, the witol came more southerly, and the St. Dinning° grounded inside of the Dog Saud. Lord Cari;iier not knowing our situation passed inside of us ? by which a • ,slake al-or grounded. The other ships were immediately clii , eted to haul off, and anchor as previously intende . ,. After hell o .: some time in this situation, during which the enemy's fire slackeoed, by the active and zealous exertions of Capt..o wen, of she Clyde, who came to our assistauee, and anchored close to the gt. Domingo, she was got off, and soon after 1 had the satis faction of seeing the Blake also afloat, and come to anchor with the' rest of the squadron. I was much pleased with the conduct and exertions of Capt. Gill, of the St. Domingo, and his officers, and with the steadiness, energy, and good order of the ship's company. Lord Gardner bears equal testimony to the behaviour of the officers, seamen, and mat ines, of the Blake,, and his Lord ship mentions the assistance he received front Capt. Codrington in the highest terms of praise. The fire of the eueloy towards the evening had considerably abated, the town was burning in many places, and MIAs damage was done to the houses. At seven o'clock 1 received a inessage from ticatenant-General Sir Eyre Cause, requesting I woold cease hostilities, us a summons had been sent into ; but at 'light the lire a7ain commenced, and yv as kepi up o ithotit iiitermissioo until two zr'clock of the morning of the 151 n, when the French Commandant. General Monne, offered to surrender . This was ~;,:nntunicated to me by the Lieut.-Gen. audits consequence I directed the flag of truce to he hoisted at day-light on b, , ard his ol. t iesty's ships, and that hostilkie, shmild cease. The LieutoCengral having also intimated his wish, that two Commissioners should be Sent on the part of the Navy, to assist in the proposed Capitulation, I accordingly nomipated Lord Gardner to meet Sir Eyre Coate, at Last Zoo. burg, and to take with him Captain Cockburn, to act in con junction with the Officers 'on'the part of the army. Shortly after I received a message from the Earl of Chatham, requestin. , to see me at Zoubuig. On my arrival there, 1 found his Lori"- p,had selected Colonel Long, Adjutant-General of the Army, and Captain Cockburn, to be the Commissioners for settling the ternisof Canitulatiou, which were finally couauded late iu the evening of the 15th. In the extensive and various branches of the service commit ted to my care, their Lordships must be aware, that it would be impo.,ilde that all the Hag 011icecs could be employed in the effettive . O.tips under tp t y command ; but I an no, less i 9 Ma id for the active exertions of Rear Admiral Otway, with wham I left the difficult task of arranging all the service connected iv it h the operations again.! Hushing, and 1 :A p p y iu this opportunity of making him my acknowle4eitiviits for the abi lity with which those arrangements Pere mark, and that service conducted. To Rear Admiral Sir Richard Keats my thauks are particularly due, fur his zealous exertions in defeating the inten tion; of the enemy at Ilathz, and his active co-operation ieut.-General Sir John Hope on South Beyeland, and the up •r part cif the L;a 4 a Scikeldt: Their Lordships . have already been informed that Rear Ad miral 1.. rd Gardner accompanied me on the service WI Flush in where his Lordship Conducted himself with his accus tomed g Alantry. I have much pleasure : in hearing the most ample testitiehiy to the exertions of Sir Home Popham, with the advaucel tlutilla , in the upper part of the West Scheldt, NI !Leh haS 1 Ken of the most essential service. I little received th,• most kbatlbfaCtory accounts froth Lieutenant General Sir r.' Ceiote, of the conduct of Captain Charles Richardson qf the C:e..ar, With whose aCti% ity and zeal 1 have been lung ac quilmleil. Captain Richardson s peaks in high terin, of the at-scit‘pce he r e ceived from Captain Blarney .of the Harpy,, as l`ta AS his gallastry throulOwitt the , whigs.4f ftservice., iu, thV 547 battery worked by the setu,•en. 1 cann , :t conclude this letter, without assuring their Lordsitips that every Captain, Officer, Seaman. and Marine, have um..t zealously done their duty, nor will it, I hope, be thought taking away from the merits of others, in drawing their Lordships particular notice to the energetic ex ertions of the Captains, Officers, and Men, employed in the gun boats; they have been constantly under tire, and gone through all the hardships of their situation with the utmost ebeerfulness. Herewith enclose the reports of the Otbeers who have had tommands in the present service, including the returns of killed and wounded. Lieutenant William May, First Lieutenant or my flar, ship, i* the bearer of this dispatch, and 1 recommend bins to their Lordships ap an Officer of merit. I have the hangar to be, &c. (Signed) R. J. STRACINAN. Camilla, in the West Scheldt, Ang. 15. Sir—T. have the honour to inform you that in purstuinee of your instructions, I yesterday hoisted my flag in the Camilla, and am at present with IS sloops and gun-brigs. and four divi• sines of gun-boats, lying between the Saeftingen Shoals, a posi tion jitdicinusly choien by Captain Sir Home Popham, as it ef fesanally cuts off the communication between the East and West Scheldt. The enemy's flotilla, considerably increased in number, has retired above or under the protection of Lill°, and the 'men of war, with top-gallant yards crossed, are anchored off and be low Antwerp, as far town as I'hillipe. Six of our frigates are anchored off Waerden, waiting as opportunity to come up. It. G. KEATS. Rear Admiral Sir R. J. Strachan, Bart. and K.B. Here follows a letter from Captain Cockburn, inclosing the following Return of killed and wounded on hoard the flotilla under the orders of Captain Cockhurn, of his Majesty's slop Belleisle, at the attack of Flushing, from the of August 1909, until 13th following :—Total 7 killed-22 wounded. Nowa of Officers killed and wounded. Marlhotough , Lieutenant Rennie, killed. San Juso—Lieutenant Russell, and Mr. Burnside, surgeon, slightly wounded. East Zouberg, before Flushing, Ang. 16. Sir,—l beg leave to inform v;iit, That in o4ed - ienl eto your General Orders issued on the es% h ult. I landed w ith tie army on the Sand-If ills, near the signal-post on tie island of '-Valche ron, on the %Oen. The officers and seanirc rat did me the ho. nour to place under my orhers, were cum; osei of three di visionS, having ha, -ge of nine piece , of ordnance, Heti were :int wn and worked by them. At eight A.M. on the Slst, the left divi sion took post before Ter Veere, and joined in the attack of that place, throwing sever:if c:.".s of rockets into it with coati effect ; during the night a flag of truce was received, and !Le tei mg of capitulation agreed in, and signed by Geo , ral Fr:ser and myself. On the Lot inst. the troops quitted Ter Veers, on their way to fort ltaininek:..m, warn we +lyre cinis!!inly em ployed in the construction of works, and draw lag h av 'ill it liso capitulated on the 2d, Et The aeti.clknent.t.,ca proceeded to East Zonherh, and were ( . ..nyio:.e‘l chy and iti‘ht in rutting fa:eines, erecting and :lrat‘ 11.: heavy d naive into them. The artillery hors:s 'Ewing found inadequate to pectin-in that service front the narrow food-, Oil tkatng, of the night, nod difficulty of di i ring clear of the ditches, into w 'deb th.%y had thrown several `2 , 1-pounder gtia% and carringei. This kmportans duty, from the heav rains and soft unidd.., soil, was attended with the greatest difficulty and fatigue. After having assisted in mou n ting all the batteries, and a:lKr wise completing them, on the Nth, General Sir Lyre Coate honoured me with the command of a new work just lined out for six tsv rm. , -four pounders ; we wide every possible exertion to omplete it, under a galling tire from the enemy's ramparts,' dis ctapt only 600 yards, during the day four ssere s killed and one wounded in the battery. At sunrise on the Ilth we opened st► most de,tractive fire on the rampart and town in front of us, and in two. hours escry gun we could bear upon wa , silent. Our fire was kept tip incessantly until about seven o'clock in the even ing, when I received :in order to cen , ^ firing, a: did all the works. We immediately put the battery in a, state for renewing the fire iffoind neeessary , and at nine w e opened again bv order - wink still Greater effect, and continued our lire until two % o'clock. sti hen we efasta to tire, by order, the Fuencla General having tweed to capitulate on the baAs of the garrisua becoming pci,oners of war. Icannotconclude this report, w ithont assurinz you that I hay recei t mt gyets,y pvisLblg support frvnu Captain Warney anti TILE .NATIONAL REGISTER -- - burn, of the Rellrialt , were most judiciously placed at the south battery w or k e d b y I east en iof the town; and to the south pest, Capt. Owen, of the '4' iill4OUI assuring the CI de. had nit b equal ,k and judgment, placed the bomb and Seaman, and Marine, etller ves-els under his orders. I had much satisfaction in wit- will it, I hope, be the aye- fig the fire that was kept up by the sq9adrous under these two in drawing their Lord .LiGror: a nd the tvrPrision with which t h e Kholle mar. atria's. it. 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