The Sun.
London, England, 1806-03-01 00:00:00

*,;ee, dOrpoiltrstion_ off Gre Point with the
Frigate, and • the Transports containing the
Regiment, which was certainly well executed
by. Honeyman.
On the sth, at three o'clock in the morning, the
Troops were put in the boats ,and assembled along-
side of the
.Espoir, but the surf ran so .high, that
a landing was deemed totally impraaicable, and
consequently the troops returned. to their ships; and
I immediately accompanied the General on board
the t;spoir- for the purpose of.making a close exa-
minition of the wholeOmst, from Craig's Tower.to
Lospard's 13ay ; on_ no part of which did it appear
possible to: land a .single boat without extreme

-dcmger.
To the evil conSsequences 91 delay in counnencing
(r)erationson an Enerny's.Coast, was to be added the
very alarming possibility that some reinforcements
Might arrive by one of the various Squadrons in
motion when we left Europe ; and therefore the Ge-
neral and raysell'were induced to consider_ that how-

,
ever difficult :the task-' might be of advancing from
Saldanha Bay, yetit was an objea of very great mo-
ment tnaccompl_iSh a safe and speedy landing for
t-heTroOpt and the instant the decision was made,
the Diomede, with the-TransPorts of the 34th Re,
ghnerit,.the Cavalry Ships, and a proportion of Ar-
tillery, under the orders of Brigadier-:General
resford, sailed for Saldanha, .-preceded by Cap-
tain King, in- the Espoir, having onboard Capt.
Smyth, of the Engineers) (an- Officer well acquainted
with the country) with a .view of.seizing the Post-
Master, and as many cattle as pdssible,- antecedent'
to the arrival of the adVanced division of the Fleet.
Soon after the .Diomede
_weighed, the Westerly
' -wind began to abate; and on the 6th in the morn—
ing the Officers examining he Beach reported that
the surf had considerably subsided during the night;
which ildtec wat so evident from the Diadem,

when She stood in shore, that-I requested Sir David

Baird to perthit General Ferguson,. and Colonel
Brownrigg, the QuarterLMaSter-General, to attend
the Oriker on his second examination, that their
feelings might in some measure be balanced against
those of professional men,
.and to satisfy the Army-
that no measure, in which its safety was so inti-
mately connected, should be determined on With-
out due and proper deliberation.
In .the mean time, the Diadem, Leda, and En 7

counter, were placed in a situation to render the
• most effectual assistance ; and the 71st . and 72d
Regiments, with two field-pieces and. a howitzer,
ready mounted, in the Boats. of the'Raisonable and
Belliqueux, rendezvoused alongside the two former
Ships, manifesting the most ardent desire for the
signal from General Ferguson. At this moment
the Proteoor joined the Squadron, and Capt. Row-
ley, who was well 'acquainted with the anchorage,
Volunteered his services to place her to the North-
ward, so as to cross the fire of the Encounter, and
more effe&ually cover the landing of the Troops.
Captain Downman, at the same time went in
shore with a light Transport Brig, drawing only six
feet, to run her on the Beach as a break-water, if it
would' in any degree facilitate the debarkation of
the Troops. •
At half past twelve the Encounter conveyed by
Signal General Ferguson's opinion, that a landin,s
ay .be effeeted, and the joy that was manifest in
the countenance of every Officer, heightened thQ
cliaraderistic ardour of the Troops, and, under an
anxiety piobably to be first on shore, induced them
to urge the Boats to. extend their line of Beath
farther than was prudent, and occasioned the loss of

one Boat, with a party of the 93d.Regiment.
I report this event to their Lordships with the
most unfeigned regret ; and 'it is doubly painful to
me, because-from all the ed-brts of the Enemy posted
-on an advantageous height, the Army had only two
men wounded in landing. This circumstance must
fully proVe hoW well the covering vessels were
placed, and how ably their guns N,veie, served;' and
I. trust my Country will acquit me of having ap-
plied every expediencthat could be devised to pre-
vent the occurrence of an accident,which I so sin-
cerely deplore. - . •
The surf increased considerably towards the close
of ,the evening, and about eight o'clock the landing
of any more Troops was stopped, but re-commenced
in the morning, when all the men; and prOvisions
which the General' judged necessary to -take; were,
disembarked without a moment's loss of
• Conceiving' that .a detachment of the Squadron
might be of service at the- head of the Bay, I pro
"seeded there with the Leda, Encounter, and Protec-
tOr, 'and a division of Transports, and I understand,
from filing occasionally that evening over the Bank
towards the Salt Pan, that the Enemy was obliged to
move from an eligible-situation which he had before.
occupied.
On the following morning we discovered the Bri-
tish Army adVancing with unparalleled' rapidity over
a heavy country, defended by a numerous train of
wellser-ved Artillery ; and as I cone ivied a few fresh
Troops might be 'applied with adafitage, I desired
Captain Downman to- land with' the Marines of
the Squadron, and two field-pieces; to await- the.
arrival of .Sir David Baird at Reit Valley, whom
I very 'soon after had the pleasure of personally
congratulating on the vidoty he had obtained over
a 'General of such' high military fame as General
Janens.-

When the Army was in motion to-take up its
position at Craig's Tower, and while I was proceed-
ing up the Bay to anchor in the, most convenient
place for landing the battering train, a Flag of Truce
was discovered coming towards the-
_Diadem, by
which_ I received the I..etter_No. •1, from the Com-
mandant.of the Town and Castle; and the next day,
In conjutiCtion with Sir David Baird, the Capitula-
tion No. 2,. was, accepted;; and at six a royal salute
was fired from the Squadron, op. His Majesty's CO-
lours. being once more
hoisted on the Castle.
Although their Lordships will perceive by the
detailed accounts of. our transactions here, and. tte
accompanying ' plan of the - different dispositions
wr..re made,- that service fell
to the lot. of the Squadron .1 have the •ho-
nour to comm.and,..yet it is what I owe. every Of-
ficer and. Seaman to state that under the most
laborious duty I , ever. experienced, 'their. zeal never
abated. To, Captain.. Rowley I feel perkinally. in-
debted for his readiness on eyery-...occasion ;. and I
.have -no. doubt but thehighest satisfaElion will be,
expressed of the coadU4 p Capt. Byng, who .c9M-.;

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