The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-08-30 00:00:00

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W:4l-eIfEREN.

IRTSACT Or A I'AITATN. I.4TTILR rllOll TUC
iNKS (or iroK wok:msg.
" fiesfl-quatters, I'er Lacs, gourn:perrlasil, Aisg.
" Sitte.• toe sill r tow al lu-iitiros itotieno, has
occurred in -throw Woods et sulk. wilt niterstot or
importance to mint a special coinnittitie,tion.---
Tiiis real or apparent interruption of active opera-
tions has. oiveis rise to a variety of coojcettires
!mid touch regret. The reduction of ..le7lushitig by
means of replar approaches and bombardment,
had already cosithinieot ,uumb precious time ; sad
those olio catisider celerity its the great element of
militury suecess, were uisturalke anxious to eel the
investitio.furee transferred from before the sateen:
dereol fo;lotress to a scene of active service. Whilst,
this ft-cling u'lirershily pervaded tile tinny. nod the
lethal:swots who wished Its operations to be emirat-
e-II with soccer', it was* source of much disoppoint-
, surto to learn, that allay of 9,4 hours after the time
stipulated fur the evacuation of the fortress by the
prisoners of star was to take place. This delay,
Omagh by some represeoted as granted upon the
request of the French Coontnandaat, was by others,
attod these not the worst informed upon such sub-
jects, attributed to an inadvertent unmake on the
part of rote of the English Commissioners fur 'moo-
cieting the terms of capitulation. The conditions
of surrender had et first been prepared ill the
shape of a rough draft, into which all the necessary
alterations and orterlineations ought he introduced,
previously to the nicking a lair copy, which was to
be the official instrument, and signed, in form, by
the Commissioners on both sides. When the whole
process had, after some nine and discussion, beep
completed, it was not thought necessary .to preserve
both the interlined rough draft and the executed
document, cud cousequently one was destroyed ;
but it was not till the Commissioners reached I laud-
Quarters, that it was discovered that it was the
unesecitted rough droll only that was presooved.
Without au authentic instrument, the terms of the
copitulatiou could not be acted Nom ; and hence
arose the delay of 3t hours in the final execution
of them, according to the representations of per-
sons professing to be well informed upon the soh-
ject. No blotone is perhaps ottrobeta:ole for the
*mistake,' if evert this statement be correct ; bait, no-
queAtionshly, the loss of a single day, when so
mach depended aorta expedition, is a grouts! of
'much regret. Sane Galejealousy„ too, has beta
stated to exist between two of the highest officercio
the comatismil.of the army, respecting the appututto
meat of Commissioners ; one cousidering it as his.'
right, by virtetiof his haiincarranged ate] direcisof
all the uperatious of the sieg,e; whilst the other ex- '
ercised the right of aerual uppenitoisesit, ill virtue
of his t horityns Contra's/ides-so-Chief: • This hit
hero rumoured in diedhilhary aide; but it is diiF '
to both these oificersoto skate, that the mo4Kerfeet
harmony and cordiality sec.o unifiantily td-,hare
sulisistril betwixt theta throu;ihnut.all the tokilatious
ef the campaign. .• • •
14 The situation of the town of Pitishidge when
put iuto the peotession *of the British army, and
British subjects were adon4tecl to see it, was de-
plorably frightful. Scareph it house hod swotted
• dada •e, and imally two-tfindsof the whole were
in a slate of sroolting ruins ; or, though still stand-
log, shattered, and tottering to the foundattoti.—
• Great numbers of the inhabitants suffered. perhaps
not less iii the whole than 500 ; and those elits es-
caped, were chiefly indobted for safety to the *Lei-
ter of their cetlers, or where they had none, to
the humanity of their ueighbours who had. In
one cafe, that Of AO English family lung resident
its the town, the extensive vaults under their house
were thrown open to the inhabitants, without
distinction ttf ape or sex, of country or religion ;.
said it is gratifying to add. that of above 300 per-
sons who took refuge there, pot ourssuffered injury,
though the house had beau • Vepeatedly perforated
with °moon-bolls rockets, and bombs.
wire
the to and it- tioforteusto: Mind:anode wire thus
exposed to tint destructive effects of the bombord-
anent, more terrible than so} upon record, the MCP.
cites* Commatollitit took possession of the vaults
under the Stadthouse, ;shove. he contitioed femtisig.
owl unaffected by the bavot..ausl lainantatiotts thot
surrontoled him on all *Who, swutil that great pile
became itself a victim to the tames, acrd tioretrt-
coed to WI the cause of its destruction under the
at .ss of its ruins. W heti driver from this looletog
hole, he it represented by some of his pots offieers,.
as haying peso • .rots one vault to soother, until
he reached that under his olio house, where he was
wheu the itievotoble destruction, to which lie bad
never before been exposed, compelled him to un-
coorlitioluil surrender. He is justly an object of
oxecratiou in the town, which he has successively
pillaged, oppressed, and laid in ashes; whilst the
second in cominsuol, a boot mid generous soldier,
who fearlessly shared the dangers of the bornburri-
mem with his comrades and the inhabitants, is the
object of their commoo respect and esteem.
" The offensive stench which proceeded from the
half smothered flames, on the first entrance of the
British, 'added considerably to the afflicting im-
presioiou produced by the sight of so much havoc
mod human misery. But the desolation is not con-
fined to the town or the present semon. The des-
perate pleasure of opening the sluices, resorted to
by the French coineral, has kid a considerable
portion of the ishiGd under water, anal eaused an
extent of mischief, which it will he the work at
least of three years to repair. Had the inundation
takers place smile months sooner, it would not
bare been attended with the some serious cootie-
.9nences t bat at this season, when the power of
evaporation is so email, ,and the quantity of
autumnal rains so considerable, the mischief
mist he greatly aggravated before the inters
position of a dry summer can arrest its progress.'
Die immolation was widely spreoloog throughout
thrf British lines; sad, if the sluices lead continued
open .but 4$ hours longer, it would have been im-
possible to have orosecuted the operations of the
siege. The boodoinloneut took place at the critical
moment; and the um/sr-allele(' gallantry with which
the flattery was carried that cominomoted the shoves,
put an rod to the danger, and insured thee:ono:test
of the town. It is so ()phonon generally ',reorient
hers, that the town might have been coaled fly too
swat on the first light. The Fron..h prisoners svh-
wit their pooh: to have beet' ell ..re.it *loot driven
, it
hits the toms, that they fount, impossible to ulna.
tsr a siogle visupoity, still less a regitneot ; arid. it