The Sun.
London, England, 1810-09-26 00:00:00

[PRIE SIXPENCE HALFPENNY.

From the LONDON. 'GAZETTE, Sot. 25, 1810,

. • Admiralty-Office, Sept.:2s, 1810. ' •
Dispatches, of which theVollowing are Copies aria
Extracts, have been received at this Office from •
Vice-Admiral Drury, Commander in Chief of his
Majesty's shipsand vessels in the East Inclie4, adA
dressed to John Wilson Croker, Esq.
His I%lajesty's ship Caroline, Madras
Ro.lds, April 4z, 181
You will be pleased to acquaint the Ho-
nourable the Lords Cummissioners of the Admirahy,
that ,iu consequence of hiSMa.',esty's order in Coun-
cil, and their Lord%hips, direStions, to put the !shod
of Java and the Molocels under the Most
.rigid slate
of blockade, I endeavoured to effect it with the few
ships that 'could be spared from India : but finding
it impossible to cover such an extent of et):3.,
to answer the purpose of annoying or distressin'g„the
enemy to any extent, I judged it would best be Jo tie
by seizing' upon the principal Settlement in the
EaStern Islands, secUring_their shipping and:% aluabla
crops of the Moluccas. and thereby fulfilling the ih-
tention of the blockade in a great degree, and at the
least risk to the commercial and political; interests of A
India. This objeet.is materiallyprornoted by thetakiug
and destroy ing seven of the enemy's corvettes in the
Java and Molucca Seas, as well as, other shipping
to some extent within These six months.

SIR,

I seleaed Captains Tucker, Montag:le, and Spen-
cer, commanding the ships and vessels named in
the margin to execute this service. The squa-
dron being very deficient of Marines, , I qequested
the Supreme Government to lend the service of t
Companies from one of the Native regiments, Which
was immediately attended to,.and they embarked on
board the Dover and Cornwallis accordingly.
Captain Tucker has executed this service with
courage and sound • judgment ; and as the inciosed
letters upon the subjed convey their own comment
and commendation, any praise of mine upon the con-
dad of those di.ninguished officers and men would
indeed be gilding refined gold; their LoYdsliips know
well how to appreciate it:
II have the honour to be, Bcc.
(Signed) W. 0. Dr. unY.

j. W. Croker, Esq. Admiralty.
Goveinment-House, Castle New Vianria
SIR, Amboyna, Feb. 20,.18/:-:
Since my letter of the Bth inst._ acqmaintinß your
Excellency with the capture of' the Mitch 61_5eic,srof
w,r Rembang and Hope, by his-Majesty's ship Dover
under my command, off the Island of Ambovna,
the senices of the force under my orders; and the
capture of the said Island, require that I should en-
ter into a detail, thereof.
1 have-therefore to inform your Excellency, that
being joined on the gth by his Majesty's ship (-1
and a Dutch-sloop of war (the 114ndarine),
which she had taken, I proceeded irninediately up
.the harbour of AMboyna, and anchored
,in L-thha
Bar, from whence we were enabled to examine
tolerably *ell die numerous batteries ereeted since
the EngliNh restored the island in 1803, on the dif-
ferent heights commanding the fort and anchorage
of Vitoria, as well as the anchorage of Pert uguese
Bar.

These•anchorages are also fOrther. proteeted by the
fort of ViEtOria, the sea .face of which is extremely
strong, a battery close on the beach, well to the right
of the fort, , mounting four I 2-pounders, one
pounder, two 6-pounders, and one brass a2-iyoun-
der,. and a heavy battery built upon piles tar (tut in
the sea, mounting nine 12-pounders (iron), and one
brass 3e-poupder.
Ou the morning of the 16th the plan of attack
was deter Mined upon, in consultation with Captains
Montagu and Spencer, of the Royal Navy, Captain
Major Henry Court, of the Honourable the East
India Company's Coast Artillery, commanding the
troops, and Captains Philips and Forbes, of the Ma-
dras European Regiment.
"The arrangements for the attack were,that 400
men, selected as per margint,. under the command
of Captain Court, should be landed a tittle to the
right orPoituartese Bay, and advance immediately
to the attack of the batteries on the heights com-
manding that 'anchorage, as well as the town and
tort of ViLtoria, and that at the same time the ships
should commence their attack on the fort and such
batteries as they could be brought to bear upon ;
about two P. M. the boats being all out, and every
thing in readiness for landing the party selected for
that service, the ships were got under weigh, and
stood across the Bay, with the apparent intention
of working out to sea ; bUt by . keeping the sails
lifting and other manoeuvres, we contrived to drift.
in towards the spot fixed upon fora lauding, at
the same time keeping the boats on the opposite
side of the ship, .so as not to be perceived by the

enemy.
Upon a nearer approach the preparative -signal
was made to bear up and sail large, the ship. bore
up together with a tine breeze, and passing within
cable' s
length
.uf
,the
.landing-place, slipped all the
boats_ at the same moment per signal. •. The troops; •
seanien and marines, were instantly landed, and
formed agreeably to the direalions issued by Captain
Court, to whose report of their further. proceedings
I beg leave to refer your Excellency.
z.
The ships immediately .ot;:nmenced Ettuck up-
on the fort and surrounding batteries, which, was
•Qoutinued Without intermi,sion for two ho,irs and a
half, by which time, having drifted .very close in,
exposed to an extreme heavy fire, ,particularly from
the heights on the left of she town,- with red hot
shot, and th'e objeXofthe attack- beipg.accomplish-
- * Dove:, Corn.vallis, and Samarang,

t 176 troops ; seamen and marines of the Dover, 85 ; sea-
men and marines of the Cornwallis, ses ; seamen .and m►a-
ri:►es or the Sat-twang, 35.—Total .40.1, including Ofactrs.