The Sun.
London, England, 1808-10-15 00:00:00

keep in the streets, as the houses are incapable of
receiving such a multitude. What an excellent
coup-de-main might you strike! I would myself
condua you to Spigno by a by-road, well covered
with trees. Your sudden arrival will fill them with
terror, and you may wake them all prisoners."
The Officer to whom the peasant addressed him-
self was a Captain,. who took him to his Colonel.—
He questioned him very closely, and he repeated,
with the simplicity of truth, every thing that he
had said to the Captain. The Colonel ordered the
regiment to follow the road marked out by the pea-
sant, and to pour in their fire on the enemy the in-
stant that they arrived at 40`pigno. This was done;
and the reader rr,ay judge of the surprise and terror
of the French, when they saw the enemy so near
them ! The victory was complete :. a vast number
of them were killed, still more wounded, and twen-
ty-four pieces of cannon, and six tri-coloured flags
taken.

Colopel WoKAZOwICH immediately gave BEAU-
LIEU an account of this unexpetled vi6tory,*for
which he was indebted to the ads ice of a pool: peasant ;.
of Spigno. The General lost no time in sending for I
the cannon, the ammunition waggons, and the pri-
soners, whpse arrival filled the town of Acqui with 1

Joy.
Colonel WOKAZOWICH did not content himself
with writing to BEAULIEU ; he wrote also to D'AR"'
GENTEAU ; and entreated him to.send immediately

a strong reinforcement of men, and ammanition; to
enable filth- to keep possession of Degowwhich. 1) F.;
hoped to retake. In effeia, he did retake it,' having
found it without troops ! The French, absolutely
panick-struck, bad evacuated. it before his arrival.
They bad joined the fugitives who escaped ijrom
Spigno, and al!, supposing that they were pursued
by a considerable body, accelerated their flight win-
out once daring to look behind them. Wox,tzo-
WICII then took possession of Dego without the
smallest obstacle. He found theie tt,e.same.artillery

which had been kit oy the brave Ahstro-Sardioian
Garrison ; and, alter pursuing tl French to a con-
siderable distance, tell back, and entrenched himself
there, waiting, but in vain, all that clay and the fol-.
lowing night, for the reinforcements which he had
demanded of the itlfaMOUS D'ARGENTEALT.

BUONAPAitTE, informed, at length, Of the small
number of enemies who had again taken. possession
of Dego, and determined to defend it, sat down be-
fore it with an immense force. He allows that. it
was gallantly defended; and in this he is. corre&;
but he persists in maintaining that it was defended
by BEAULIEU, and in that, he does not advance one
sylitble of truth.

It became necessary to yi.ld to superiority of
numbers, and determine on a retreat. WoKAze-
wtcu did it, but in so noble, so brilliant a manner,
that it is impossible not to aoinire such a display of
skill and intrepidity.
At two in the eternoon, the Colonel observing
that the enemy's columns were continually receiving
reinforcements, and that his own means of defence
were on the point of failing, assembled his principal
Officers, and addressed them in these words :

" My brave Comrades, our ammunition is nearly
all expended; there is but one way to preserve our-
selves, and that is to open a passage to Acqui by the
sabre and the bayonet. This method is somewhat
perilous, it is true, but it is necessary. After having
covered ourselves with glory yesterday, as well 'as to-
day, shall we tamely surrender ?. A true Croat never
fears danger; honour is the only objea whicli be
has in view ! I wait for your instant reply, and I
trust that it will be conformable to my own opi-

nion."

He was not deceived; the reply was courageous,
and the execution still more so. The signal was
given ; 'all the companies marched out, and threw
themselves with intrepidity and fury on the left to
Dego, 'to gain the road to Spigno and Acqui. It
was now that a most tierce and bloody contest took
place, with the bayonet and the sword, man to
man ; a contest of the most glorious kind Inc the
Croats. The vast numbers of the enemy struck no
terror into them : the more the danger in-
creased, and the obstacles appeared insurmountable,
the more their courage blaied! They broke the
ranks, and opened
,themselves a way through the
thickest of the enemy's battalions. In a word, the
retreat was effeaed, and these soldiers, covered with
.dust, with blood, and with honour, arrived at-Acqui
amidst
,the acclamations and, applauses of.the gar-
rison and inhabitants.

BUONAPARTE asserts that they lost 2000 men, in-
cluding the prisoners. But he, who, his official
report, states the number, of his,enemies at 7000,
when they amounted, at the highest,
to no more
than '3OOO, might very well double the loss which
they .sustained ! What I can affirm one my own
knlowledge, is, that more than half of: these three
battalious reached Acqui. But, if they had really
lost two-thirds 'of their nurnber, would they, for
that, have less claims to' be ranked in the list of