The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-08-09 00:00:00

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(PRICR SIXPINCY

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From the MARTINIQUE GA Z 131134 Jaw 14.
]
CkPFLTRE OF TH DIAM E OND ROCK.I
We have given here, according to our promise.
,an extrael from the Oificial Report of the Capture
of the Diensceid.
This Rock, which was never deemed of the least •
importance till it struck the fancy of Commodore
Fiiiiii to sink millions of money in it ;—this Rock,
qualified nevertheless by the British Gazettes, with
the pompous appellation of " The Gibraltar of the
Windward Islands," and with which the AdmiMs- a._ ..
nation of that.Goontry have been pleased to amuse
Pt.islio by theinosi exaggerated accounts and
poetical deacriptionsf, WAS taken possession of by the
French soldiers in three days. Thoto:h this con-
quest will be considered but trifling to our armies,
accustomed to far greaser triumphs, it is not tie
less glorious to the handful of brave M 471 cooterned
in it. —lt will always be said to their honbue, that
100 Frenchmen conquered, in a few hourt t'onlace
that nature, art, and eighteen months incessant la-
bour, had conjoined to render in some degree im-
pregnable. It is true, that it cost the English much
lets trouble to occupy it. for nobody, before Sir Sa- .
e
mnel Flood, ventured to dispute the possession of it
with the reptiles and birds of the see, who reigned
there for ages without a rival. t
It was a post thus fortified that the French soldiers
earrieddn %I sty hours --lad there been a French gar-
rison upon it, of 100 men, with provisions and am.
munition, it would probably have held out against
10,000 men. But suc't i- the fortune of - the two
Belligerent Nation.. that the one has the superiority
in money, as the iittor has it in betlery; and the
result to the latter inuA Le, that it will also 'have
the money.
On the 7th Pi airial, two days before the expedi-
tion, the Captain-General. General Lauristrin,: Ad-
wsirals Villeneuve and Graiina, with a number of
General and other Officers. went to the Diatnotul
Quarter, in order to inspect the Rock, as moth as
its disunce trim the share would permit them.
The Captain General staid there till Saturdaystlght.
when he was called to Fort Royal by dispatches he
received from there, of the arrival of the ?rends fri-
gate Didoss. General d' fioudetot remained tbelte till
the surrender of the Rock, in order to assist the be-
siegets in the case of need. • .
Extraet of the Official tenet of Chef d'Eteadetret Boyer.
Aid de-Comp to the Captain%General, to V illasetJoyeu,,,,
Captain•Otneral at Martinique and its Dt?en‘sciza.
Gs:. EN AL.-1 embarked on the evening of the 9th
Prairial, with the 400 men of the 82c1 regiment,
which you put nuclei my command, for the expedi-
tion against the Diamond. The naval forces, under
the command of Captain Casmao, consisted of ths •
following ships:
Le Pluton,74, Capt. Casmici.
Le Beru-iii, 74, Cap. Camas.
Le Sperise (frigate), Capt. C';abert.
L'Areas (brig), Capt. 'I aillard ; and
La Foot (schooner), Capt. Meynard.
The trodps were embarked on board the Inuion and
Be, :rick. The current ran so strong against us dur.
ing the night, that in the morning we found ourselves
under the lee of St. Lucia. The whole of the 10th
was spent in heating up again, so as to commence the
attack the 'following morning: we anchored for the
night off Point Borgnesae. On the morning of the
11th, the ships being all collefted again, the troops
were embarked in the boats, and were dire led to
mate fast to the Argus, in order to be towed near the
Rock. I divided them in two divisions ; the first,

which I commandNl in person, was to attempt the

landing near the Little Savanna, with Captains Pi.
cede and !Mossier ; the second, composed of Span-
ish boats, and almmanded by Capt. Don P.osando
Porlier, with the troops under Capt. Cortes, Aid-de.
Camp to Gen. XI loudetnt. and Lieutenants Blair:on
and Nocus, was to land at the Pasch. On the same
day, between nine and ten o'clock, we effWled our
landing much wooer. assd with less difficulty, than we
had ex?e,!ted ,not w;thctAnJing a most brisk and deter-
mined fire which the enemy (having abandoned the
lower part of the Hoek) kept upon us from the
heights, and particularly from the middle Battery.
where they had perfect command of us, and the violent
manner in wh;ch the sea is constantly agitated near
the Rock. We took a man prisoner, whom we
found concealing himself. The fortifications of the
Rock, and the positions of the enemy, were exaß4
AS I had conceived them to be from the opposite
shore. The staling of it appeared to me there, tabs
perteftly easy, and I had made my dispositions ac-
cordingly ; but tl • moment we had landed. this