Star.
London, England, 1808-01-28 00:00:00

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fit Tatigee'orthe precectare, morello o that the
number of effective men left in .thole two regimente;
by the lime I crofred tae Chuello, was very much
reduced—zoi the preceding evening ter niny men
werolame and tared by the time 1✓ got t kerbs ,lalcm,
that I was obliges' to icave Iso of them there: Next
morning, when I gave the order to match, Brigadier
General Lumley reported to me, that a vad many
more were totally unable to proceed ; T ordered all
.fach men to be fent np to the principal divifion of the
army at" ReduCtion, bait cann,:t dio ally Hate their
number: there remained fo day Itglitoo execute
the orderb 1 had received that I 'lid not like to fubmit
to the delay. which a coltethnn of the regoilar re!
turns would have cod my ar :—from the badoefs
of the horfes, n nwithdanding the gri;atell zeal and
exertion on the p rrt of Captain F ale'', it was im-
poffible to get up to the Corral till long after the
aation ceafcd that evening.
(t. State, as well as you can, the amount of force
and number of troops at the time alluded to. A. /
think the whole amount of the two battalions did not
exceed tOOO men fit to march—they were not more.
Q.:_ Having dated that General Whitelocke
formed you that another regiment wonla he fent to
join you on the morning of the 2d of July, when
did it join ? A. It did not come op from the main
divifion until the 3d: it was the 87th Regiment.
Having been direfted to undertake fume im-
portant movements, what report was on directed to
make to General Whitelncke dui ing the reparation
of the advanced guard from the main body ? A. I
do not remember any fpecifie order on that Altic&
when I marched. Colonel Burke informed me that
it was General Whitelocke's intention to fupport me
with the whole army; I waited till ten o'clock on the
focceeding day ; when, hearing nothing of the main
divifion, I fent an officer with the 87th light compa-
any, to endeavour to find it; the officer fueceeded in
doing fo, and returned with the main disofioto
T. what dillance did General Whitelocke
march on the sd ? how far was the main body re-
moved from the line of operations of the advanced
guard ? A. Not knowing where the main diViliort
was potted during the night of the ad, I cannot
tell.
IZ Did you receive any direftiosv from General
WilitanCke to keep up the communications with the
main body of the army during their reparation,
thrnngh the medium of patroles, or in any other
manner ? A. Nnre whatever ; I confidered the order
t make my lodgment good in the firborbs of Buenos
Ayres, as peremptory, and fhatlld have • done fo
without at all thinking of the main body of the army.
Having Hated that the column under your
commend, after having driven a confiderable body of
the enemy actors the Omen°, croffed that liver and
came in oreferce of a formidable body of infantry
and artillery towards the evening of the ad—Could
yau have derived any lupport from the main body
under General Whitelroke, had certain circumftances
brought your corps into imminent danger at that
period ? A. 'Certainly not ; there was no affidance
I could derive from a corps on the right bank of the
Chuello, that could have at all availed me on that
night.
Q What appearances of hollility did you, on the
part of the enemy, obferve between the period of
landing and arriving at Coral ? A. Between the
28th and the ad, I taw nothing but the peafants of
the country, who were all mounted, and kept up a
defultory fire opon the column, except when I ap-
proached the village of Reduction, where I law fo
confiderable a number of thefe men in a -body,
that I formed General Crauford's divifion in line ;
the rapid advance of which drove them off, and I
took up my pofition for the night without any other
difficulty than what arofe from the attempts of the
enemy to cat off fentries and !haggling men. While
afcen :ling the left bank of the Chuello, on the morn.
ing of the 2d, I fell in with a confiderable quantity
of cavalry, (pethaps 6o0) many of whom were cloth.
ed uniformly, and had the appearance of regular fol.
diets: !bereft were peafants. like thofe I had leen on the
preceding day. ! obferved the left bankof theChoello
apparently lined with corpsof infantry—they marched
by the tight opporre merle for Come time, apparently
with the defign of defending the high ground above
the Chico pars over the Chnello. I outmarotred
them fbtonfiderably, however, that they were foiled
in that attempt ; and immediately after I paired, I
obferved them make that movement which I have be-
fore defcribed.
Q... Was the Chico pals the one by whip your
advanced guard paffed ? A. I btlieve fn.
Qz. Can you Rate the breadth and depth of the
river ? A. The breadth was about 30 yard., the
depth was fo confiderable, that we were obliged to
unload the artillery, and carry the ammunition over
on men's heads, and to order the infantry to carry
their cartridge boxes on their fhouldeas, to' prevent
being wet.
State to the Court if any, and what intent-
gen .e of the plans and movements of the enemy you
received between the period of landing and takite
;soft at Coral. A. None whatever. With the ex-
ception of one, every houfe was deferted, and every
man in the country was employed in active (price.
Q, At what haur did the advanced guard arrive
at the pars on the Coral ford ? A. About one

0 &milt-ding you did receive orders from Gen.
Whitelocke to inform him of the difeovery of the
ford, and having in corftquence given that infor.
motion, how many hours march would it have taken
for the main body to arrive at the ford ? A. I con-
ceive, that fr- m the pofition at Ruin&inn, the dittance
to that ford is very little more (i! taken in a direct
line) :han from the one from which I advanced—it
occupied me aboot four hours to arrive at the ford.
I raw General Wnitel cke's divition at a very confi-
derable Mance on the heights, and apparently in
motion. I cannot attempt to guef,; the &Rance, but
it was fa great that we could not poll.;vely afcertairt,
with the hell fpy whether it did move or no ;
or which way.
Supp‘ding that Gen. Whiteleeke had marched
forward in confeqnence of your having given Inch
informa.ion as betore alluded tn, would there have
been any feparati.,n of the columns for a longer pe.
tiod than the two hours yon Rated to have been
necelTary fir your marching the fame ditlance ? A.
I Rated that I was four hr.uri on the march. If I had
been ordered to halt at the ford for the coming up
of the mail' body, I mutt have been obliged:to (eta
a b rdy of ma to then the Alm who was to carry