The Sun.
London, England, 1834-05-20 00:00:00

wards the breaches-, but the French, although turned
on both flanks and abandoned by fortune, did not yet
yield ; and meanwhile the detachment of the fourth
regiment which, had entered the town when the San
Vincente was first carried, was strangely situated, for
the streets were empty and brilliantly illuminated,
and no person was seen; yet a low buzz and whisper
were heard around, lattices were now and then gently
opened, and from time to time shots were fired from
underneath the doors of the houses by the Spaniards.
However, the troops with bugles sounding, advanced
towards the great square of the town, and in their
progress captured several mules going with ammu-
nition to the breaches • but the square itself was as
empty and silent as the streets, and the houses as
bright with lamps; a terrible enchantment seemed to
be in operation, for they saw nothing but light, and
heard only the low whispers close around them, while
the tumult at the breaches was like the crashing
thunder. _ .

" There, indeed, the fight was still plainly raging,
and hence, quitting the square, they attempted to take
the garrison in reverse, by attacking the ramparts from
the town-side, but they were received with a rolling
musketry, driven back with loss, and resumed their
movement through the streets. At last the breaches
were abandoned by the French, other parties entered
the place, desultory combats took place in various
parts, and finally General Viellande, and Phillipon
who was wounded, seeing all ruined, passed the bridge
with a few hundred soldiers, and entered San Cris-
toval, where they all surrendered early the next
morning upon summons to Lord Fitzroy Somerset,
who had with great readiness pushed through the town
to the draw-bridge ere they had time to organise fur-
ther resistance. But even in the moment of ruin the
night before, the noble governor had sent some horse-
men out from the fort to carry the news to Soult's
army, and they reached him in time to prevent a
greater misfortune.
" Now commenced that wild and desperate wicked-
ness, which tarnished the lustre of the soldiers' hero-
ism. All indeed were not alike, for hundreds risked
and many lost their lives in striving to stop the vio-
lence, but the madness generally prevailed, and as the
worst men were leaders here, all the dreadful passions
of human nature were displayed. Shameless rapacity,
brutal intemperance, savage lust, cruelty, and murder,
shrieks and piteous lamentations, groans, shouts, im-
precationsithe his Sing of fires bursting from the houses,
the crashing of doors and windows, and the reports of
muskets used in violence, resounded for two days and
nights in the streets of Badajos. On the third, when
the city was sacked, when the soldiers were exhausted
by their own excesses, the tumult rather subsided than
was quelled. The wounded men were then looked
to—the dead disposed of.
" Five thousand men and officers fell during this
siege, and of these, including seven hundred Portu-
guese, three thousand five hundred had been stricken
in the assault, sixty officers and more than seven hun-
dred men being slain on the spot. The five generals,
Kempt, Harvey, Bowes, Colville, and Picton were
wounded, the first three severely ; about six hundred
men and officers fell in the escalade of San Vincente,
as many at the castle, and more than two thousand at
the breaches, each division there losing twelve hun-
dred. And how deadly the strife was, at that point,
may be gathered from this, the forty-third and fifty-
second regiments, of the light division, alone lost more
men than the seven regiments of the third division en-
gaged at the castle.
Let any man picture to himself this frightful
carnage taking place in a space of less than a hun-
dred square yards. Let him consider that the slain
died not all suddenly, nor by one manner of death ;
that some perished by steel, some by shot, some by
water, that some were crushed and mangled by heavy
weights, some trampled upon, some dashed to atoms
by.t.he fiery explosions ; that for hours this destruction
was endured without shrinking, and that the town was
won at last, let any man consider this and he must
admit that a British army bears with it an awful
power. And false would it be to say that the French
were feeble men, for the garrison stood and fought
manfully and with good discipline behaving worthily.
Shame there was none on any side. Yet who shall
do justice to the bravery of the soldiers? the noble
emulation of the officers ? Who shall measure out
the glory of Ridge, of Macleod, of Nicholas, or of
O'Hare, of the ninety-fifth, who perished on the
breach, at the bead of the stormers, and with him
nearly all the volunteers for that desperate service?
Who shall describe the springing valour of that Por-
tuguese grenadier who was killed the foremost man
at the Santa Maria? or the martial fury of that des-
perate soldier of the ninety-fifth, who, in his resolution
in win, thrust himself beneath the chained sword-
blades, and there suffered the enemy to dash his head to
pieces with the ends of their muskets ? Who can suffi-
ciently honour the intrepidity of Walker, of Shaw, of
Canch, or the resolution of Ferguson of the forty-third,
who having in formerassaults received two deep wounds,
was here, with his hurts still open, leading the storm-
ers of his regiment. the third time a volunteer, and
the third time wounded ? Nor would Ibe understood
to select these as pre-eminent, many and signal were
the other examples of unbounded devotion, some
Known, some that will never be known ; for in such a
tumult much passed unobserved, and often the ob-
servers fell themselves ere they could bear testimony
ito what they saw ; but no age, no nation ever sent
forth braver troops to battle than those who stormed
padajps,
" When the extent of the night's havoc was made
known to Lord Wellington, the firmness of his nature
gave way for a moment, and the pride of conquest
yielded to a passionate burst of grief for the loss of his
gallant soldiers."

ST. JAMES'S, WESTMINSTER,--Yester-
day morning a meeting of the parishioners was held at
Willis's rooms, to elect twelve vestrymen and five au-
ditors of accounts for the year, under the new Vestries
Act. J. Peat, Esq., the churchwarden, took the
chair. The Hon. F. Byng proposed the following
Persons as vestrymen :—Lord King, Sir F. Burdett,
lion. W. Ponsonby, J. H. Powell, Esq., Mr. Ar-
nett, Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Bidgood, Mr. Nicoll, Mr.
Stones, Mr. Stanton, Mr. Chapple, and Mr. Fisher. Mr.
Turner seconded the motion. Mr. Kemp then pro-
posed the following list as an amendment :—Mr. Ar-
nett, Mr, Didgood, Mr. Caldwell, Mr. Chapple, Mr.
Crookes, Mr. Cowley, Mr. Drake, Mr. Fisher, Mr. Per-
kins, Mr. Stock, Mr. Stanton, and Mr. Vickery. Mr.
Lawford seconded the amendment, and it was carried
lay a large majority. A poll was then demanded, and
granted upon the part of the former list. It is to com-
mence to-day, and last three days.
WEYMOUTH.--There were immense shoals
of mackerel on Monday and Tuesday floating in the
West Bay, which have produced a most abundant har-
vest to the fishermen along the coast. Old May-day
was observed here according to ancient custom, when-
ever the fishing season has proved prosperous, as a
gala day. Numerous groups of fishermen from Ab-
hotsbury, Langton, Chickerell, Fleet, and Wyke,
assemble on the beach, bearing garlands and other
rural insignia, accompanied with music, extending on
the ridge of the pebble bank for a considerable dis-
tance, form festive parties, in which the female and
junior branches of their families always participate,
and dedicate the after-part of the day and evening to
mirth and hilarity. There have not, until within a
ew days, been so copious a supply of fish on our coast,
or have they been of so fine a flavour, as we have
been accustomed to find of late years • but those now
}hovering along the coast prove smaller fish, and are
of a particular rich and firm quality, and, from their
abundance, have induced a recurrence to the renewal
of this shadow of votive offering to their tutelar marine
deity.—Sherborne Journal.
The Duke of Richmond has arrived in
Paris. His visit is not purposely, we understand, for
Political objects, but on his own private affairs. His
'chief object in coming is to strain every nerve in de-
feg.ee of his title to the estate of Aubigny, in France,
aga.iggt the claims of his family, who consider them-
selves Legally entitled to share it with him, according
to the laws of France. The estate was granted by
Louis XIV. to Charles 11. of England, and to the
first Duke of Richmond, a natural son of Charles by
his first mistress, Mademoiselle Guerouille. It has
continued since in the possession of the Dukes of
Richmond. According to the laws of France passed
in 1792, all the heirs of the third Duke of Richmond,
who died in 1806, had an equal right to a share in this
estate. The late duke, however, took possession of
the whole as elder son, in spite of the law of 1792,
abolishing entails and primogeniture, under the plea,'
as he now maintains, that his title was of such a cha-
racter as not to be under the control of the common
law of the land. Whether the French Courts still
acknowledge the validity of such a title, and so far
adapt the customs and prejudices of England in favour
of an English duke, as to exempt his property from
that division among all the children to which every
other estate in France is liable, is a question which
will, ere long, be tried before a French tribunal.—
Galignani.