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

c °ming. near me,, made the think it was a frtnation
which it was not advifeable to remein in, and I de.
term,ined to take the firll favourable opportunity af
extricating myfelf from, it, conceiviag the bell ap.
protunity would be when the enemy thould approach
in large npmbers in the fire:es, as by mix* evith
them we might, by that meat's, render lets effeatual
the fire from the forrounding houfes, which wete by
this titre completely occupied. Between twelve and
one o'clock a conliderable column came into the
area on the weft fide of the convent, apparently with
an intention of taking our three pounder flaadit g in
the fireet. I immediately ordered the rifle corps to
come down from the upper pat t of the building, and
likewife to take down the colours of the 71(1 regi-
ment, which being found in the church, we had
/tallied ; and whilst I was preparing for evacuating
the pall, the enemy, on the point of feizing the guess
were attacked with great bravely by the grenadiets
of the 45th regiment, under Colonel Gard, which
had joined me at the convent, together with a fmall
patty of light infantry, under 111..j0r Trotter. The
enemy in the fireet gave way, hut the fire from the
honfes was fuch that about forty elate 45th (grena.
dicta) were killed or wounded in three or four
minutes. Major Trotter was killed. I ordered the
remainder (feeing it was impoffible to do any thing)
to retreat into the convent, which we continued to
defend until half pall three o'clock. After the at-
tempt to evacuate it, which I have jolt defcribed, I
WAS fully convinced that we were unable to extricate
ourfelves by our own exertions ; and as not long
after it appeared that the firing had ceafed in all
other'parts, and nobody came near us, I concluded,
of cootie, that the attack had generally failed. About
this ti:ne I afTembled Lieutenat Colonel Pack, Lieut.
Colonel Gard, and Major M'Leod, who commanded
the detachment of the rifle corps. I told them that
in my opinion a retreat was uttterly impoffible
that it was completely in the enemy's power to anni-
hilate the remainder of the brigade, we being then is
the very heart of the town, out of which it was cleat
to me that all the re(l of the army had been 'obliged
to retreat ;—in thefe circumflances, having waited
about eight hours in a pat which I had been ordered
to occupy, in expectation of thole orders I had
been taught to cepa:, I did not think thatthefacrifice
of thole who remained was neceffary either for the
honour of his Majefly's arms, or could be of any ad.
vantage ; but I added that although I &mild feel
myfelfjußified in eating upon my own opinion, yet
I thonld do nothing with a view to putting an end
to the anion, unlefs I had the etaire concurrence
and fatadion fmy field officers, they being the only
cues in the convent a-ding as fuch. After mature
deliberation, Lieutenant Colonel Pack, and Lieute.
nant Colonel Gard did pofitively and unecrivocally
give it as their opinion, in concurrence with thine,
that our (iteration fully juftifi.d me, and made it ad.
vifable that I fhould hold out a Wag of truce, and
put an end to the anion on the bed terms we could
obtain. Lieutenant Colonel Holland, who was on
the flaff, and was prelim at this converfation, was
not confulted, becaufe he was my brother in law, and
I thought it would be improper. Major Mac Leod
appeared to hefitate, from which I thought he was
of opinion we could extticate out (elves. I then Paid
to him—lf you think we can get out of this place,
although I do not, I will at this moment place my-
fell with you at the head of the column, and let us
be the firft to lead it ont. Major Mac Lead did not
accept this propnial, but cocnurred in opinion with
the other field officers.

A flag of truce WAS then held out, but as the
enemy had in the courfe of the day feveral times ap
proached with flags of truce, merely for the purple
of enticing us out, and then fired upon us, our people
after this naturally fired upon their flags of truce, fo
that it was a long time after we difplayed it, before
they took any notice of it. At length, an officer
came, with whom I bad a cooverfation in the pre-
fence of Colonel Pack and Lieutenant Colonel Gard;
and finding that no other terms would be obtained,
I thought it advifeable to furrender the brigade as
prifoners of war. The number I think we furrendered
was 600 rank and file. My divilion, on entering the
town, confihled of about 54.0. Colonel Gard brought
with him about too, and Colonel Pack's divifion
was about 70. The number of killed and wounded
I cannot exaltly (late, but we left nearly one hundred
wounded on the floor of the convent. On the after-
noon of the 6th, Major General Gower came into
General Liniers's houfe, where I then was. He
came into the room where we were dining with Gen.
Liniers, and in which I had no opportunity of laying
any thing but what was heard all round the table—
and I Paid nothing of matters of confidence. He
afterwards went with General Liniers into his num
apartment ; and before they entered upon bufinef., I
thought it my duty to take General Gower elide, and
tell him that from what I had obferved, I was quite
convinced, that if the army attacked again in tt a
fame way as they had done on the sth, they would be
completely defeated. Not another word palled Ie•
tween us until tome hours after this, when Major
General Gower fent to me to come into General
Linier's room ; and when I came there the articles rf
were on the table, and
the convention drawn tip
perfune- were employed in copying them. I (late this,
to thew that not a tingle word had previoufly pallid
about the prifoners. Gen. Goer told me that Oen,
Liniers was receiving various reports of great cruelties
committed by our foldiers, which kept the people is
a (late of great irritation, and which might produce
fetious contr./pence: to the prifoners in their power—
to which I replied, that I believed, and I de now
believe, that fo long as fuch irritation was kept t p
by thefe reports, there was region to apprehend that
the prifoners were not fafe. General-Gower WI ore
an order, and anted me if I would accompany Ge.
neral Eglio to the Refidencia, in order to deliver this
order to the officer commanding there, which I did.
Examineci by the Judge Advocate. .
(ZDid any gun boats approach the town after
you were taken prifoners, and what etre& had their
fire on the town ? A. Two or three gun bats did
fire on the town on the morning of the 6-h. Some
of the Eliot went through General Liniers's houfe, but
the fire of fn finall a number coal not be [efficient
to produce any effefi.
q:._ Was the co.-operation of the fleet ever required,t
or was it mentioned in the plan of attack? A. Ido
not know if it was required, nor did it enter into any
1
'plan of attack, communicated to me.
40L. Should you have adopted the pion you did, if
)ou-had known that the Itsfidencia was the fpuifie