The Sun.
London, England, 1807-01-28 00:00:00

Admiralty Office, Jan. 27.

Dispatches, of which the folloviitig• are Copies-,
have been received at thii Office frool Commodore
Sir Home Pophau, addressed to Wilham Marsden,
Esq.

gm,

His Majesty's Ship Diadem, de la

Plata, Aikgust .25, 11306.

When the iverit's of war cease 'to b'e 'favourable to
any armatneirt, I consider' it the duty of Command-
ing Officers to state all the tircuthstances under their
knowledge or information with clearness and per-
sPicOlty, which', either progressively or sUddenly, led
to a reve'r'se of fortune.

• in pursuing course, .1 fdel confident I shall be
t.ble to satisfy the Lords Ceintnissioner of the Ad—
rniralty, that the liberal and beneficent principles
upon which the Government of General Peresford
Was 'cOndn'aed do [bore honour :to his Majesty's
Arms', and the clitht-ter of Great Britain, than if
Ile had yesortta ti'expedient§ coinpletely within his
power, which would have .effednally annihilated
all the etforts of the Enertiy, and wrested, pro-
baaly for bVer, theie CotintrieS from the erciwti of
Spain.

.
Puerklon, one of the Mhnicipality, appeari to
have been the greatest organ of the Revolution: He
himself with great art and anclress in pre-
paring the peOple fora gerieralinsurreetion.
The arms in the-. town *ere secreted, ready. fo'r
the moment of action, _the discontented assembled
every night, and attended to his instrictions, arid he
raised all the :rabble ,of the country by the ample
Supplies-of money: with Which-he furnibed
'66 the horth • side of. the river. :.C.0106e1 Li:lick), a
French alicer in the Spanish service, and on his
parole, successfully employed himself in colleding
people at coloriia.
Terror was established, anctevery person who-re-
fused to tontribute.his assistance to thiS conspiracy
Was threatened. With immediate death. •

• •
I have traced this from very unquestionable au.
thority, and so rapid was the progress of the Revo-
lution, when it first sheaved itself; that it was not
till the 41st July that I learnt, by a dispatch froth the
Genefai; whicli,r6ached nie.at Ensenada; on My re-
turn front Monte Video, that he was apprehensive,
from the informatiOn' he-received, ati insurrection
would shortly be made. '
heard at the saute time from Captain Thomson
that seventeen of the 'Enemy's Vessels had just ar-
rived at .Colonia, and as it was reported !icit force ,
was still to be increased from, Monte Video, I seat
orders thr the Diomede to be brought to Ensenada;
and for Captain King, of the Diadem, to Come up
with the remaining few‘ Marines, the two compa-
nies of :Blues, and as many other men as could in
any degree be spared from- the Ships,' for the pur—
pose of arming some Vessels to attack the Enemy
at Colonia,; as it was imposSible to prevent his cross-
ing from the north shore' whenever the wind was
Enr.,

On the ist of August,.in the afternoon, the Leda
anchored off Buenos Ayres; about twelve milesdis-
tont, and on my lauding on the 2d, which I did as
soon as the weather would admit of a Boat getting
on shore, I found the General had just made a very
successful attack on about fifteen hundred Spaniards
tinder Pueridon, five leagues from the town, with
five hundred men, in which he took all the Enemy's
cannon (I think nine pieces) and several ptisoners.
On the ad I attempted to return to the Leda, in
the Encounter, which Captain Honyman brought
within a few miles of the shore for this purpose, as.
it blew very strong : but the wind freshened sown!.
• siderably from the Eastward that we could not get
to windward.

On the 4th, in the morning, it was very thitk
weather, and the gale increased so much that it was
impossible to weigh. •
About noon Captain King arrived in a Galivat with
one handred and fifty men from the Diadem, for
the purpose of arming and commanding the few
small Vessels we had collected in the harbour ;
but he was not able to get there till the folloWing
day.

On the sth, in the morning, it moderated, and r
reached the Leda, when I received a report Irma

• • , ;41 t
Captain Thom;on„ that, In the gale of the preeed-
.
ing 'day, the Enemy had,crossed from Colonia to-
tally „Unobserved, ny. any of.our Ships, ekceptithe
Schooner under ; the Command of Lieutenant Her-
rick, who Nr'riS Eying in the narrow gut leading to
'`Conchas and 'St. Isidro.;. but the easterly wind had
tilrown so liiluch Wat4i; -in the river that the Enemy
:were ei..ni)l4.d to
.cross dyer any part of the
,Patmas
the.neceSsity of making -a greater de-
tour hyitoing higher .42p the river.
On the Gth. and 7th it blew 'hurricane; the
Ledawas iyiok in
,flaur fathoms, mil; two anchors
'dowiv, and her yards and topmasts struck.
On the 4Clth I heard from Captain King that five
of oar Gun -boats had foundered at their 'anchors ;
'that the Walker had lost her rudder, and that the
Launches and large CuttCfs of the Diadem and Leda
were lost. I‘.

The torrents of rain that fell daiing the 6th, 7th,
and Bth, • hkd fenqered-lhe roads totally lmpraai-
Cable fin
.any, but 'Cavalry, 'and consequently
General Beresford was most seriously disappointed
in his dete'rtnination to attack .the Enmity at a dis-
tance 'from the toml ; in which, had it taken place,
I entertain no doubt that his Army would have add,
ed another "trait of its invincible spirit under his dis-
positions.
The Enemy, however, by his inexhaustible sup-
ply of horses, suffered little iilcoifvenience from the
stafe of the roads, and he was Therefore enabled
to approach the toVvii, by several direaions,
out giving the Britih Army any opportunity, to at
tack him.

On the :10th, the evening, the Castle was.
stfrumOn'ed, and. on the following day I landed,
while our remaining Vessels were firing on the Spa-
nish posts ; and I learnt that, exclusive of the Spanish
'Army, which ‘.vas -divided into many colanans,- oc-
cupying the vaii-ous avenues of the town, the inha-
bitants were all armed, and sheltered on the tops of
'the' houses and-churches, with a design of carrying
On a war of ambush.

Under these circurnstances, and the manifest dis-
position of the Enemy to prevent an. engagement,
it • was xleterrnined to embark the wounded' that
night, and cross the Rio .`hello, for the purpose of
moving towards 'Ensenada; but this measure was in
a'zgreat degree frustrated. by, the weather, which be-
came very violent dUring the night, and conse-
quently retarded the progress of embarkation,
though the Enemy added a considerable number of
men to the houses and churches' near thrf Castle,
and advanced by All the streets not under the influ-
ence of its fire ; in short, Sir, his obje& was to
avoid by every means a general a6tion, aid to place
his men in such a situation that they could fire at
our troops while they rein:lined in perfect security
themselves. •

On the 12th, at day-light, I. understand a smart
fire began
.from the Enemy's advanced posts, but
was. Soon returned with great effea from our artil-
lery, which was p!aated towards the principal streets
leading to the great square, and for a short time
the Euctrry by his initticuse nuMbers strewed a
greater degree of tirmnes than on any. other occa-
sibli, and o.lolkt-forward with three pieces of and..
lery, which Colonel rack of the 7lst soon charged
and took: from him. During thin time, however;
reinforcements crow-I:led the tops of all :the houses
comthandit;g the great square from the back streets,
acrd our people were soon considerably annoyed by
People they could not get at. The Enemy com-
manded the Castle in thte same way, with the addf-
tional adiialitag4 of a gun at the tip of one of the
churches, which I consider an indelible stigma
Against the character of the Bishop, not only from
his situation, but from the professions he made.

I can, easily conceive how the 'feelings of General
Beresford must, at this tnomei)t, have been on. the
rack; disappointed in his last eiforts to induce the
enemy to a general 'engagement in the great Square,
his gallant little army falling fist by shuts from in-
visible persons, and the only alternative which could
Present itselt-to:save the useless effusion of so ,much
valuable blood was a flag of truce, which was hoist-
ed at the castle about tine o'clAck... •

In instant there were near 10,000 men in the
great square, pressing tUrward hi the most out-
rageous manner to get into the Fort, and even firing
at -our men on the ramparts, so much so that it w as
with extreme dia.:lenity the British troops were pre-
vented revenging this' insult; indeed the. General
wa,s obliged to tell.the Spanish OfficerS, if their men
.did„ not retire in the codrse of one. Minute,' he must,
as the.Onl7 Measure of haiil down the flag of
truce,,. and re-commence hostilities; this firmness
had the desired. effect, and he then sent his condi-
tions to the Spanish General, and they were instantly
acceded to. .

I.
_inclose a copy of the Capitulation, and I trust
the. high and independent language in which it is
couched, and the terms -di&ated by Gen. Beresford
to an, Officer at the head of myriads of people, will
do hiin infinite honciui in England, and obtain for
him His :Majesty's most gracious approbation of his
Condud. ,

I havb received, and annex, aileturn of the killed,
wounded, and tnissing, by which -it. appears, that
there are 2 officers,- 2 serjeants, 1 drumther, 43 sank
and file killed ; 8 officers, 7 serjeants, 92 rank and
file wounded, and 9 missing ; making a total of 05 ;
and scarce any of those misfortunes:Were occasioned
except from .the inhabitants .on the tops of the
houses and the churehes.

The EneMy confesses to have lost about 700 kill-
ed and wounded in the short a:mai& in the streets ;
and if it had not been for the inhabitants I have little
doubt that 'the Spanish troops would have been corn-.
pletely defeated, although seven times the number
of the British fortes. • '

• Nothing is More diffiCult than to give their Lord-
ships an idea-of the number of men in' arms ; but
from the best accounts we can obtain it is thought
Pueridon, and the other people engaged in this plot,
had colleted from 8 to 10,000 men ; that Liniers
may have brought over from 800 to 1000 ; and the
town furnished, armed in various ways, about ten
thousand, under the secret arrangement Of the Ma-
gistrates:
When every Vessel that could escape from Buenos
Ayres had joined, I proceeded towards Ensenada, to
retire the detachment of Marines ; Lieut. Groves,
of the Diadem, was obliged to quit the Balem
Schooner, as she would not work out; one Gun-boat
and a Settee, a prize, were also left' in the harbour,
with the Justina, a small English Mer Chant Ship that
had followed the Expeditit n from St: Helena, Capt,
Thomson, of the Neptune, who was in the C-16/10,

••
Tea 4 made prisoner, ant Lieut. Burgh, Of the Raison
able, with Mr. Ramsay; a Midshipman and 7 men,
who were in the Sette as
,her boats could not, hold
them. Lieut. Herric"z, in , the Dolores, the other
armed SchoOner, work3d out in . a manner Which,
coupled. with his condu6 on the whole of the busi-
ness; doeshiM great creoc.,
On the 13th, in the m )rning, the deochMent of •
.Marines,. under the come ind of Lient..S`ivaile, was
'embarked from Ensenada, and his.' two Spanish
field-pieces Spiked and thrown into _the river:
011 be 14th -I sailed for. this aachoragc,f where 1
arrived.the fallowing day, and imnsedkltely a ldressed
"'the Governor of Monte yideo on the suhjea of our
tops. . .
On, the iGth, in consegnence of receivingt
Liniers's Aid-de-camp a letter from Genera y;
ford„.l dispatched t‘yo of the Transports to %trios
Ayres, where one arrived on the l7th, but from the
preVarication of the Governor of Monte Video in the
first instance, and his subsequent dishonourabl*
conduct, no troops have yet ,beeueinbarked'.
Whilst I had the. honour of betng on board the
Leda IJiad every reason to be satisfied with the zeal-
ous attention of Captain Honyman, his Officers, and
Ship's :Company ; and I cannot but express n'iy
treme opprobatton.of the coquet of all the Officeri
and Seamen, who. were constantly employed in the
small Vessels and Boa,.i.me,er almost every 1-iva7,
tion, in the very severe and trying weather we ex-
perienced the last ten days.
I most sincerely regret, hewever, that my situa,
tion has imposed on me the painfill duty of making
this Report to their lf,ordships, especially as it is"done
principally by materialS collected from did-erent
people, which they prObably in many instances de-
duced from vague and uncertain conclusions : itr
however,.it should hereafter appear-that I have. hit-
ed in any instance to do ample keitice to the conana,''
energy, and prowess of General Beres-flad, and the
Officers and soldiers under his command, it has been'
owing to the limited scale of my conununications
since the leth, from the extreme jealousy Of the
Enemy, 'and net froni any in lispo,ition to aPpre7 •
ciate rti.eir merits in the most liberal manner ;
r 2 sen-
'titnetlt which I have held on every occasion,. and..
publicly marked it in all my tormer Dispatches..
I have the honour to be, &c. .
HOME POPHA AC.
[Here follow the Articles of Capitulation, and List or
Killed and Wounded, as given.ia our Paper yesterday.]
SIR, Diadem, Rio dela Plata, 00. 9, t th3l3.
On the sth instant, off Lobes, we fell in with, the
Rollo, having a detachment of the 38th. on board;
she sailed from the Cape in company with the Met.
lantho, which,was to die -Westward of her. I too.k.
the troops out of the Rollo, and cent her to Rio "
Grande, for the purpose of purchasing any flour or
bisciait,„ and ascertaining whether any 4tiantiiy of the
latter could be baked there.

~On the tith, we returned to this anchorage, v lire,
we fonnd the Protcaor, with iho Adautan and.(7o-
- Transports, having on b4)arol Litlachnt.uts.
of theth e_3Btii, and the,Piadein ViLtqati!.:r. lhiit do
time in ordering, all the Men of .Jr t i coinplete
their provisions to tim,e months, for fear, of any•ae
ei,lent happening to the Vitt~aallcr.
On the 7th, in the evening, the Medusa joined
with four of thp Lancaster's Convoy; and Captain'
Bouverie reported, that the Lancaster to the
Eastward with the remaining two Shipq, having the
preceding night parted their cables. The Leda
joined the 'same evening, and Captain Honyman
reported, that he had detained a Danis3'h Ship, bound
to Monte Video, having on board the Governor of
Valdivia.

I intended to havoc dispatched the Wellington. this
evening„ but Colonel Vassal particularly requested
I would detain her till the arrival' of the Lancnster.,
as Colonel Backhokisci was a senior Lieutenant-Colo-
nA to himself, and; succeoding adventitiously to the
command of the army, . he would naturally be de:
sirous of making a report td 'the Duke. of Ydrk of
the state of his force, and the arrangements he had
made.

. The weather was so hazy,. and the current so
strong to the Southward, that the Lancaster did. not
join till the 12th, in. the evening ; on the following
day, as it appeared to me that the Commanding
Officer of the troops intended to make his first at-
tempt on Monte Video, and was anxious to see that
plae,- I diretied Captain' Bewley to take all the
Transports to Flores Bay, and proceeded on the 14th
off Monte Video, and then to Flores, where we ar-
rived on the 15th, in the morning-.
From the to the 27tli it blew so hard, that
nothing could be attempted :. on the 28th, in the
morning, the wind was Easterly, and every cir-
cumstance as 'favourable as possible to try the expe4
riment ; and as the .Pilots assured us a flat run off
from the .rocks of the town for a mile, making
precisely the same water 'alongside of them as at
that distance, I ordered Captain ,Edmonds, who
very handsomely requested to remain, till the experi-
ment was tried, and to command theleading Trans-
port, not to attend to the ostensibte orders of lead-
ing ddwn in , three Fathom, but to haul in till he
bad small auarterlless Three, to ascertain whether
the Flat really run,otf as described or not. Captain
Edmonds will explain the circumstance fully to their
Lordships : he borrowed as near the 'shore as he
could for the safety bf the Frigatos, and then was
only within random shot, and therefore I would
pot let the Leda go down a second time, for unless
the Ships could have got well within point-blank
shot,. there was no chance of making a breach for
the Army to land in. the town. Although the Ene-
My fired for more than an hour upon our Ships, in
consequence of there being but little wind, 1 am
happy to inform you that only one man was
wounded.

.As I now saw it was impossible to get close
enough in to wake any breach in the South Wall
with the Men of Wat', I proposed to Colonel Back-
house to take Maldonado, which I should have at-
tempted early in the winter if the Marines had not
been left at J3nenOs Ayres.
Maldonado is an excellent harbour, where the
Fleet can water, and get bullocks,-which stow really
becomes necessary to recruit our :nen.
The Island Gorreti, which fortnB the harbour of
Maldonado, is very strong, and after the troops ore
landed to take the village, and the batteries on the
sea coast in reverse, I shall prose. to take the
Island, provided it does not surreaer to my mu-
llions. •

I have the honour to he, Bcd.
HOME POPHAM,

SIR,

Diade►n, Maldonado ifarbour, !tie de--la

Plata, Ociober 30,1806.

• •
Iconsidered-it right to take pOtsessibn of the bar-
both.' of Maldonado, as a. safe anthorag,e fot the Ships
now in the river, and those expected to arFivo, inde-
pe.ndeut of the supplies which that distriCt could so
abfait.ltlntly
1 therefore request that you will intbim my Lords
CoMmissioners of the Adtiiiralty, that the moment
I satisfied Brigadier Geberal Backhouse of the expe-
diOcy of the measure, no time was lost in moving
palq Of ihe'Bgth Ileginient Co the Leda and Medusa,
:when they accompanied the Diadem to this- place.
Tbe firigates anchored about five o'clock yester-
da'y itilifttig, to the westward of 'the westmost" bat-
tery
.;.and Captain Honyinan informed, me by tele-
grinoli that the beach was' smooth, .and that the de-
batkation could be easily covered. • • :,‘
At :six
.the troops from the Diadem assembled
alAgside the Leda, and a landing was immediately
ekected without any opposition ; 'but, as Irthoughr
it p(*iible that the enemy might have a greater force
than he • sheaved on the= hills, and as the nearest
Transport ,was yet tome distance front the Roads., I
oraered the Marines of the Medusa, and a :tom
pany of Blues, from each Ship; to be landed, to
support the. Army, who entered, and took pus-
se;sion of the village. of Maldonado before eight
o'clock. •

' This morning I sent a summons to the fortified
Isiand.of i3orreti; which forms this harbour; and I
inclose, for their Lordships' information, a Copy of
it, with the Comtnandant's answer; and my reply,.
which was 'accompanied by an assurance, through
Lieutenaht Wiseman, of the Diadem, who was em-
ployed on this service, that I would not hold any
further cOttimunicatibn with him until his Majesty's
colours, which sent for that purpose, were hoisted
on the:Fort.

This proposition was acceded, to, and the Spanish
prisoner, were ininiedi,itety embarked, • consisting of
one Captain, two LieUtenants, one Ensign, and one
hundred and fotr Lus'n,

t.;nerti is a very strong position, defended by
twenty twenty... War pounders in four batteries, so
placed as to command the roadstead, the eastern
pa,sa6e between it, and the peninsula; and the otly
two practical beaches for lauding.
The Troops were disembarked as they arrived, and
the Transports ordered to be watered as fast as pos-
sible, and held in readiness for any-other service.
it is impossible tOr we to conclude this Dispatch
without assuring their Lordships that I continue to
receivethe' most -cordial assistance from every Officer
and man in the Squadron under my command, nor
could I observe the least abatement of their zeal un-
der many considerable- privations which they expe.,
,decreed during-the whole of this winter.
. .

nine the honour to be, Sic.
HOME POPHAM.

RetUrn of Ordnance taken in the Island of Gorreti.
2o Twenty. lour-pounderi mounted on field carriages, Side
Arms, and Ammunition complete.
4 T y,t o u pounders not mounted.
zoo Stiinil-of Arms, and various mikes small articles.
HOME POPHAM.
His Britannic A Taf esty's Ship Diadem,
SIR, ifiu de la Plata, Ocl. 30, 1806. _ .

Britannic Majesty's Forces are in possession
of Maldonado, and with a view to save time, as the
Generiii k on shore,"l summon you to surroader the
Island of Gorreti.

Any'opposition on your part to such a force as is,
uow iu this Bay must be fruitless.; and if you do
not allow the Officer who is charged with this let-
ter to hoist his Majesty's colours at the fOrt, and
trust to the knoWn liberality of ,the British Nation,
you will • have.to answer for all the serious and inevi-;
table consequences of an attack whenever the Gene-
ral and myself think it expedient' to make one.
• (.Signed)HOME POPHAM.
To the COmahaluiant the Islodsof
• .His illajasty's SO) Diadem, Rio de la
- • Sin, - Plata, Oct. 30; 1806.
The Island must surrender immediately.
• The British Nation always treats its Prisoners with
~honour and
. Private property is held sacred by British OificerS.
The Sp.inisli Officers and .Men at Gorreti shall
inamecliately join- the Prisoners already taken.
(Signed) HOME .POPHAM.
To the Commandant of the Island of Gurreti.