The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1807-03-12 00:00:00

A. I de. The signal was immediately made, but 1 ,, m what ship I cannot recolleFt. 0 W as not the Volontatre considered as the fora mutter of Admiral Willaumeh's squadron a—A. It v is. O. State to the Court, whether, from the conver sati-on you had with the officers of the Voiontaire. t i, e Cape was the first destination of Admiral Willaumez's squadron ?—Fri. , r.i all the conversa tions I had with the French officers, I bad no doubt but they were destined to the ('ape of Good Hope ; a nd in a conversation with Captain Krittel, who commanded Le Polontaire, he expressed much a nxiety for the fate of the French fleet, stating his t,,, t s that they would arrive, two at a time, to water and refresh. Q. Did you not coffeft that the French squadron, all or part, might be hourly expected at the Cape of Good Hope?—A. Certainly, a. La Voiontaire had , t,etti lung parted from them, anti had been long at sea• Q. V.'hat did you understand to he the ulti- Qra;a destination of the French Beet, from any in tormation you have stated to have had from coaversations with Captain Brittel, and the other olcers of the VolaqtairvPL-A. I obtained informa tion, which appeared to me to be certain, that they were hotrod uitimately to the Brazils for-refresh ments, and then to the West Indies ; which infor mation I communicated to Sir H. Popham, having obtained it front an off.cer of La Fulontasre, whom I did not think in the French ;merest. Q.What rank did he hotel ?—A. A Liru•enantey. Q. Were you not aware that I had been ac quainted with the officer in question before the present war ?—A. Ye., I was. Q. Do you not imagine, from the circumstances which transpired. that ti,e officer in question was ez • ceedingly inclined to give me every information in his power with rasped to the situation and final destination of Admiral Willaumez's squadron ?—A. Yes. - Q. Did f not app-ar perfettly satisfied. from the information which I had from this offizer, materi ally corroborated by Captain Brittel and the other claims, that Admiral Willaumes had tailed for the Brazils. long betUre I expressed any invention of proceeding to the East coast of South America ? A. Certainly. Q. Do you remember me receiving intelligence that Admiral Willaumez had really arrived at St. Saivadote, in tie Brazils, on the Ist of April, and sailed from ;hence to the West Indies on the 20th —A. Yee. Q. That information was, I believe, received by Anon our arrival in the Rio de IA Plata. and I a..k you whether it did not completely confirm the in formation 1 received from the French officers. pre vious to my sailing from the Cape ?—A. To the first part of that I Answer, it was, to the hest of my recollection ; that is, from the information I received on Our arrival at St. Sal adore. To the latter part I answer, that it did confirm the intormation re ceived from the r.f{icots of La rolontairt. Q. Do you remember my wing on shore at the request of Sir D. Baird, accompanied by the Cap tains of the squadron, to make a regular inspeetion of the state and position of the batteries, and how far those already crated, and erating, in conse quence of my suggestion, would completely corn :need, what is called the anchorage in Table Bay s sad all the landing places from Three Anchor Bay, so tho West of the Green Point, down to Craig's Tower, on the gastermost point ?—A. Ido, as I at tended you on that occasion. Q. Do you recollect Sir David Baird expressing himself most perfectly satisfied with the state of defence in which the Cape was I—A. I do; I have frequently heard him express himself in a way which convinced me he appreiseaded no danger from any attack of the enemy. Q. Can you inform the Coutt, whether you formed the same opinion yourself, from the observa tions you made on the strength and p4sition of the batteries?—A. As far as I can judge of a military position, I should consider the Cape, in thc hands of Sir D. Baird, and the troops he there had, as nearly impregnable. Q. State to the Court, whether, in your opinion, all the yearly commerce, between England and In dia, if it could be collated in Table Bay, would be perfeOly secure from any attacks of the enemy ? A. 1 think any host le man of war, that might at tack them, would be destroyed by the effcft of the batteries, provided the merchants' ships were pro perly moored. Q. Do you remember The Gazette. with Lord Nelson's victory over the Combined Fleets, being published at the Cape of Good Hope I—A. Yes. Q. Was that antecedent to, or after the capture of La Volontatre ?—A. I cannot recollect ; but I think it must have been subsequent; but cannot speak with certainty. Q. Coupling the impressions which you had on your mind by the detailed destruetion of the Com bined Fleets, from the different Gazettes which came to the Cape, with the intelligence which we received by La frq/aftfiiire, of the state of the French ships at Brest, add other ports, would you imagine that any force could be collated in Europe, sufficient se make any attempt on the Cape of Good Hope ? A. I have no idea that they could. Q. Is there any place, within your knowledge, that is so difficult to make au im,;ression upon, by an invading army, as the Cape of Gond Hope ? A. No, speaking generally ; but I do not mean to include Gibraltar, Cadiz, and such forts as those. Q. Do you know that Sir David Baird was equipping and practising a very wrong corps of Flying Artillery, and had raised a Hottentot reei merit, before I left the Cape for South America ? A. Yes, they were then raising rapidly : the former he was equipping, and constantly poetising. Q. If the enemy had been in possession of such a corps of flying Al tillety, :114d had attempted to op pose our landing with it, should we not have very ma terially suffi red from the heavy toil* which rose on that beach, to the nestlmm-J of Cr Tower, if t: expedition had not been rotally defeated ?—A. if the enemy had had such a corps, and it had ken well Freed, and done its duty, I think the landing would km Iwo impossible, es a landing at the Cape of Good Hope- at the best of times, very diflicutt. Q. Do you apprehend that avy naval power is so expert in their boats, and so accustomed to land under circumstances of extreme difliculty, whether from the surf or personal exertions, ofposcel them, as the °teem and seamen of thst British Navy ; is it not almost impossible?—A. I do not; but I ivlly speak of 'I able Bay. Q. Was it not generally understood by Sir D. Baird, and the principal military c Ricers at the Cape, that the best possible defence against sin in vading army, was a strong corps of flying artillery A. Certainly. Q. When I sailed from the Cape of Good Hope, with the whole of my upiadron, did you not know, and was it not generilly understood, that f was going to attempt a eon,. de main against one of the enemy's possessions, in the Rio dela Plata ? A. Yes. Q. Could I have pragsibly left behind a frigate, or even a gun•brig, without risking the sneer ss of whatever attempt I meaut so make on either of those settlements ? A. No ;as our force altogether was small, when combined. Q. As you say cur force was small, I wish to ask you, from all the i..forination which we were in possession of, respelting the defenceless Lice of the enemy's settlements in the Rio de la Plate, was there the smallest doubt expressed by any officer in the army or navy, eniployrd on that expedition, or by General Baird, of obtaining quick possession of the places above alluded to, provided we sailed immediately, and aeted with promptness and vigour on our arrival in the Rio de la Plata ? A. No ; ❑ot the least Q Did you ever, direiLly or indireellyg Jw, that Sir David Baird offered the least ribjettioat or argue runt against my tak i ng the whole of the tquadfon from the Cape. of which he was the Goverhor, or express a wish for any thing to remain, except 'he Charlotte schooner, which was to be ready to f , )Ilow me with any dispatches that might be necessai y A. Never. Q. Was there any thing that ever came to your knowledge, which coulJ it dice you •to believe or suspe9, that my object for um,ettaking the attack of Buenos Ayres was not to advance the pub!ic in terest of the couotty, and to meet the wisl.es of those under whom I thought I was aF•y;, by en. deavouring to establish a permanent positn.n in the Rio de la - Plata ? A. From the various conversa tions I have had with, and the knowledge I have of you, I am confident you had en objet ;n view hut the annoyance of the enemy, the honour of the service, and the public interest of the commerce of Great Britain. Q. Atter the capture of Buenos Ayres, did I not do every thing, by precept and example, to con ciliate the minds of the inhabttar.ts, and to prove to them that the great ohje.ll of the Lxpedition was to establish a commercial intercourse between that country and Great Britain ? A You did. Q. Were not applications frequently offered to me, on the propriety of immediately embarking th• quicksilver and bark, and other valuable merchari dize ; and did I not refuse to do so, until tie fl -t was oomph:v.ly provisioned ; and by that wish:ion to the pulkc service, did I not snake a very mate rial private sacrifice, and to what amount in your judgment? A. I think it was proposed to you to embark the property, which you curi.tantly de dined, ur.til the &et was completely viduallad, and I think you thereby made ♦ personal sad private sacrifice of at least YO,0001• Q. Do you seine:l;4er ray having sent from the Cape of Good Hope to England ; liat Admiral Cochrane, in the West Indies ; to Sir Edvi.ard Pel lew, in the East Indies ; and to the Commanding Officer off the Mauritius, the intelligence received of Admiral Willaurnez's fleet, and its probable ulti mate destination ? —A. Yes. Q. Do you recoiled ever to have known an in.- stance of the intelligence I received, and which I generally communicated to you, to have been incor red ?—A. No ; I do not recollt:d any. Q. Was there ever a doubt entertained by any Captain or Officer of the squadron, that the Rio de la Plata was completely within the Cape station ? A. Never ; I have heard them frequently converse on that subjed. Q. Do you not know, of your own knowledge. tat Captain Rowley, who commanded the Barron oble, under my orders, was at the Cape station, last war, in different ships ?—A He has told me so ; and, I think, he told me he commanded the bnpurieuse. Q. Do you remember my being supersec!ed by Admiral Stirling at Maldonado? This question was objeded to by the Cone T. Sir HOMS Porn Ast only wished to chew, from the manner in whici - . he was sent home, that he had not the necessary witnesses, because he bad no idea of being called to a Court Martial. After a variety of observations, the question was ordered to be expunged, as being irrelevant to the charge. Ry the pROMOToll• Q. ihrlien did Sir Home Popham first commu nicate to you his intention to attack the enemy in the Rio de la Plata ?—A. To the best of my recol lzdion, in the latter end of March ; we having, ge nerally speaking, given up tiny expectation of Ad miral Willaumea, alter the 2041 of March. Q. De you recoiled the day when a fonningen brig e inn in, at d stael her having been boarded by a French squadron ?—A. No. 9. Were the letters which were written by Sir Home Popham, to the Admiralty, communicated by him to you ?—A. No ; I do not recolied to have read any part or parts of letters from Sir Home Popham, to the Admiralty, while we were at the Cape. Q. I do not ask you, Sir, whether you ever read any parts of those letters ; but I ask, whether the substance of t hose letters from the Cape ves ever communicated by Sir Home Popham to you ?—A. I do not know to what letters you allude. Pausacuroa—" Turn to Nu. 19 ; 2L-t March, ISub." [Letter read by Witness, stating, that a Ton niugen brig corning in teas boarded by a French squad. on.] Q. Having looked at that letter, does it bring to your recolleflinn the tail of a 'lonningen brig having crane in, and Luting, that she had been hoar tied by a French squadron 3—A. Ycs ; but I did not tecolleel the time ; I have no recollerftion, except(rom that letter. Q. State to the Court, whether the con v tion you !Lid with Sir Home Popham, on the subject of his undertaking an Expedition to the Rio de la Plata, were or were not riot. to the date of that fetter? A. I think 1 hare already acsisered that • .. question fully. I had no knowledge of Sir Home's intention, prior to the date of that letter. Q. Am I to understand you, Sir, as swearing positively, that you Lad no conversation with Sir Home Popham, relative to taking an Expedition from the Care, prior to that letter ? A. Certainly. Q. Upon your arrival at the Cape, and taking possession of it, did Sir Home Popham obtain the private signals of the enemy, and shat signals were they ?—A. We obtained of course the colonial signals ; those, I mean, used at the signal posts. Q. Were those signals known to the several Cap tains of the Is f olad:rin ?—A. They were, to the best of my recline:iron ; I had a copy of them, as Cap tain of the Diadem. Q. Had these signals been made to In Vadantaire before she struck ? A. Not that I recolleel. Q Were any ships cruising without the Bay when Le Vatontaire stood in for it ? A The Raiwa able and Nfirrisiris were at sea, and chased La VOlCill• tuire into the Bay. Q. Supposing La Vvlontaire had not struck to the Di..dem, would not those ships have been able to have captured h e r ? A. N o ; because the DladtAl would have sunk her, or blown her up. Q. Supposing no ship had been there, could not those slips have captured her ? A. Yes ; J. think thoy migi.t. Q. Is it not therefore manifestly of service to the Cape to have some of His Majesty's ships there, which could be so employed ? A. The Board of Admiralty are the best judges of that. Question read again. A. It would be advantageous at all times to have ships cruising in every probable situation that ene mies' ships may be found in ; but, with respell to the '•isdlraritage of the Cape, I do nut see any. .Qu *leo repeated. A. 11 it is understood that it refers to trade, I think i so: Q. You have described to the Court what you think of the Cape as a military position ; do you not thins that security would be materially added to, is the event of an attempt upon it, by its baying a naval forte for its prate/lion ?—A. As far as 1 can ju.'ge, the Cape is :xtrirrnely strong, and capable of being well defencbd without ships ; but most undoubtedly the addition of ships, if the enemy were not superior in naval force, would be an assivance. Q. V l / 4 Fen did Sir Home sal from the Cape for the Rin de la n'ttat ? What naval force did he take with him, any, what di 7esve 7 A. lie sailed in the rule die I think the 13. h or 14th ; • , /ern, Ruion a lie, DlOthtd., eissur, and L • ;r.-I . ig. I do not know of any man of war kit b.., .1. Q. thu you return home with Sir it5....-ne Pop ham' ? A. 1 did. By the Counr. PRCEMENT--‘• Did any ship or vessel arrive at the Cape, trom which yim received any intelligence on the day of your sailing, relative to Buenos Ayres ? A, Not that I recoiled. Q. When the Yetontaire was taken, she had on board a number of English prisoners ; do you recol lect how many ? A. lo the best of my recollection, they might amount to nearly two hundred. Q. Do you know the number of her crew ? A. I think about three hundred. Q. When she arrived, was she very short rf wa ter ? A. Yes. Q. If she had not had the two hundrei rilfnaers on board, might she not have contiau. d much longer at sea without being very short of water A. Certainly, in as much proportion as the prison ers had used. Q. You hare spoken of the intelligence ycu re ceived from au officer on board the Voiontai,e, rela tive to Willaunsees squadron, did you learn from him how he himself was informed of that destira tion ?--A. No; but I considered him. and found hum, a very intelligent man, and one who appeared to me to he much in the confidence of his Captain. q. Did he tell you that he bad seen the orders of Admiral Willaturniz, or that kis Captain had informed him what those orders srete?—A. No. Yon have said, that if the whole of the commerce Iwitween Great Britain and the East Indies was properly anchored in Table Bay, that it might be defended by the batteries on shore ?—A. I mean to say, that as many as the Bay will hold, if properly anchored, could be prntesied. Q. Would those ships be proteited by the bat teries, before they approached near the shore, going into Table Bay A. 1 hey would. Q. Would those batteries proteCt the ships some leagues firm the shore ? A. Certainly not. Q. Would then the Commander of the Cape, or ships coming thither, be better pi oteeted by ships of war cruising off the Cape, than without ? A. Yes, certainly. Q. I think you have said, from the information you rec-ived from the Volontair,, of the state of the French ships, at Brest and other ports, that the enemy could not coffee, in Europe, any force to make an attempt en the Cape. Did you obtain, trom the "'violets:re, information of the naval force in Holland, of the naval force in Toulon, of the sta tion of ships escaped into Cadiz, or of those which were left by t..e Vsibanfire, of the squadron in Rochefort ? A. No ; but in all the conyetsations I had with the Frei ch officers, which were nume rous, I uncLirstood it to be their opinion, that the naval forces •1 the Allies sit France, as well as her self, were not in a stare to attempt t ffensiee opera. lions, generally sr aking ; upJn which I had founded my opinion. Q. De you mean that it was the opinion of t. • Officers. •hat France and her Allies were not caps hle of sending any squadron to sea.—A. I do not know what might be their opinion of France or her Allies being capasl.! of sending out a few cruisers, but I think it was tile opinion of those Officers, that they were not able to scud to sea a Naval Expe. di: ion. Q. I think you have said Sir D. Baird thought flying artillery the most efficacious ro present a landing of an ememy at the Cape of Good Hope? A. I did. Q Did rut consider him to say that they were ,o efficacious as to render a naval tore. unnecessary. —A. No. 1 never heard him speak of the co-opera tion of a naval force with hi, flying artillery; but I have frequently he:ad him express his opi nion, that the Cape was in perferft security, and that the landing at troops, opposed to his army, amounted to almost an impossibility ; and I New crive, that had the Dutc made proper resistance with their flying artillery, at Lot pude. Bay, it would have been very difficult, it not errepiasibil, to have made gond cur I,nding Q. Is the toad between the Ctn. an'. C iaidinal Bay of such • 'description as to admit of a flying artillery being rapidly trtrnsported there, it an enemy shimid attrirpt to land there ? A. I have newel' been there; it is about sixty miles dista..t, and the road is bad. Q. You have said you do not know that Sir David Baird ever ohjetted to the whole force going with Sir lii.me Popham with the troops ? A. I have. Q. Can you say Sir David Baird never did o'sect to sending them ? A. I cannot say what might have passed between Sir David 1! tird and Sir H .me Popham, whe I have not been present, but I Mask it likely, if he had objected, 15h• uld have heard it. Q. Yon have said, there was no doubt in the mind of any Captain hi the squadron, that Steno* Ayres was in the lint sof the con,m;:nd of th• Officer commanding at the :'ape ; have you seen any order or instrudions, which can kiddy tae belief. .bat it was within such limits ? A. No ; but I have,eser understood so, anti from knowing that the cruisers of the Cape station have gone frequei fly to cruise at the mouth of Rio de la Plata, and some as high as Monte Video, I could entertain no doubt on the suhjed. Q. Do you speak of your own knowledge ? A. I speak upon general knowledge ; I cannot say saw them; bat knew it from the men who were on board the Deonirde. Q. After leaving the Cape, the squadron went to St. Helena ; did you find t .e:e any of the East India Company's ships, or any other ship waiting for convoy for England? A Not that I recoiled, Q. You stated that under Sir David Baird yes thought the Cape impregnable ; do you mean to say, that it was thought so impregnable, atter the t sailing of Sir Home Popham ind his squadron, with the troops, for Buenos Ayres ? A. I mesa to say, the enemy must have sent so Largo a force to make any impression, as would render it nest to impossible to arrive there within any time of the season, so as to insure the smallest prospad of fewness. , Q. Do you know when the winter is supposed to begin at the Cape?—A. I should conceive at the lawr end of April. Q. Do you know what force Sir D. Baird had there after the squadron bad sailed ?—A. I should think about 6000 men. By Sir HOME POPHAM. Q. On what day does it appear the Marriagea was hoarded by the French Beat?—A. On the gist of February. Q. Is not the Cape considered. every tempestuous station to cruise off in the winter ? A. Yes. Q. Did we not leave the it.a.rnaite and Aare-isle; in Tahle Bay a day or two previous to their coming in with La Yaw:Mire ; and were they not thavireo turning to Table Bay ? A. Yes, they were, so the best of my recolection. Q. When you said the Rmiseamtie and Nereirmis would have taken the its!. faire, if the Dimdrat had not been at anchor there, did you not assume that the Cape was in possession of the English ? A. Yes. - Q. firowt the position in which yne sa as the Aimee ships in the morning, do you not tainit the indent. di e amid have got under the protection of the batteries. provided the Cape was in possession of the enemy, before the Rativiable and Amnesic: could have got up to her ? A. Yes. Q. if greater advantages can be manifest, as likely to be derived by employment of the squadron on other service than that of remaining in the vicinity of the Cape during the winter, ought not that squadron so to be employed ? A. .-s tar as dean• ter of opinion goes, I should reply yes. Q. Did you hear of any capture made by the enemy within the ptecinds of e r. car, duriitt the absence of the squadron in the Rio ee la Plat . ? A. I do not recoiled that any such tiling hanpened. Q. Do you remember having been told, on tl a night of our anchoring, after weighing on the 10:n of April, that there was a person in the squadron who was eight years at Buenos Ayres, and two of those interpreter to the Cosnonnhouse ? A. Yes. Q. Do you remember what information he gave relative to the state of Buenos Ayt ea ?—A. He gave a good and clear account of the situation of ituen. Ayres, and its mean; of defence, and from his know ledge of the people, it would be very easy to obtain possession of it with a few troops. Q. Do you recoiled my going to Sir D. Baird. on shore, wirb that information ; and that thn troops he granted for the expedition were embarked in 48 hours, and that we sailed as soon atter as the weather would permit ?—A. Yes. Q. Do you recoiled how severely the British troops. on board La Volontatre, had suffered from the scurvy, for want of water ; and do you, recoiled several having died on their pa.sage to the shore ? A. Ido receded they were much Aid:Jed with the scurvy, and it is probable their shnit al lowance of water might have contributed to, or caused it ; but as I did not attend them to the shore, I do not know, except from hearsay, of many hav ing died. By the COURT. Q. Was it likely that ship would have endurel so short an Allowance- it water, if the British pr.- soners were not on sward? A. Certainly not. By the PRRSIDENT. Q. You have sand, you ddl not hoar of any cap ture being made by tlig enemy, in the vicinity of ' e Cape, after the sallidg of Sir Home Popham, and his squadron? A. Yes. After some few mote questions and observations. at aid o'clock the Court adjourned until nine o'clock tonitorrow naongag. FIFTH D stY. WWNPSOAV, MARCH 11. The Cot rt having met at half past nir• o'clnck, and Sir Home Popham having taken kis place, the Paulo:tar thus addiessed him: "Sir Hoene Popham, you are at liberty to pro eed in c Xing further r%!dence in support of .our detene.." Sir flows Poen • iit—" I bad three or four MOTO witnesses to examine, hut tiey chieBv go to corm. borate the evidence of Captain King, I not theta• tore new mean to call ; but that knew! sot re _ _ _