Star.
London, England, 1806-09-15 00:00:00

LONDON 13411171-14 fIXTRAORDINART, ,
1111TVItnalf.larf..13, teofi„ •
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noweim STMT. taftflllllllll Is, 21106,
ef whloa tie fonourettr are ropier said satraps, fateillitirbeen essayed w the Moo of tilt *Wit Han. Wllßso
Windburn, one of lio Maislty's reiodpol Secretaries of Sews
froos Ms& amoral nerestord. Ilismossileg a detsehnist of
his Msjeny's troops, ht South America.
Yon of SIKTIOI Ayres, July 5, 1836.
Sir—T had the honour to communicate to you, by
my letter dattd the ;nth April, the eirctimflances of
My arrival at St. Helena, and the refult of the appli-
cation to the Honourable the Governor of that place
for troops.
The fleet failed thence the ad of May, and after a
mica onezpeaed lon,. pafraee made Cape St. Mary."
on the Bth of Jnne. His M•jefly's fhip Narciffus bad
been difpatched from the fleet on the 27th of May,
and Sir Home Popham thought it right to proceed
in her foe the porpofe of making •hinsfelf acquainted
with the navigation of tbe river, that no delay miglek,
occur in proceeding immediately on the arrival of
the troops to fuch place as our infermation (tumid
induce us firft to attack. I had fent Captain Ken-
net of the Royal Engineers (not liking myfetf to leave
the troops) in the Narcilfue, to make fueb reconnoit.
, tering of the enemy's placeipn the river, as eircum-
Rance,s would admit : anil collea every polßble
information concerning them, sad the &smith of the
cactus at the fevers! places.
trots fogs and baffling winds we did not meet the
Narciffits until the lizth'ilay after our arrival in the
Aver, aqd I had there the fatisfaeion to fee in com-
pany with her the Ocean teanfport, which had par-
ted
from ns previous to our gniag to St. Helena. Sir
House Popham and myrelf immediately confulted
Othetber ft would be better fir* to attack the town
of St. Philip of Monte Video„ or Buenos Ayres, the
capital of the provinces; and;afier much rearming,
we determined
et:erceed egainß Buenos Ayres,
which made it n y to remove from the line of
battle SIM, the troops and marines, and fuch icemen
as were Incorporated with the latter, and others that
bad been pratifed to arms during the pall:age. into
tbe tranfprtrts, and his Majefty's fhip Narciffus, which
Irks greeted on the tfith ult. and though then only
*boot ninety miles from Bognor Ayres ; Rill, though
to his (kill Sir Home Popham added the mot perks
vering zeal and affidoity, yet from fogs, the in-
tricacy of the navigation, 'and continual oppofing
winds, it was not until the zeith, at night, that we
reached oppolite to it. We found coercive* the mat
Morning, about eight miles from the Point of tag-
mes, where I peopofed landing, having bees in/cr-
ated by an Englifhman, who was pilot lot the rivets
and who had been taken by the Narciffus oat of a
Pertuguefe velfel, that it was an excellent place, and
In mil, mull from it into the country. As loon as
the wind would permit, on the zyth, Sir Home Pop-
ham took the (hipping es near as it was polßble ler
Mem to go; and at a convenient diflance for dif-
embarking, which was (fated in the cootie of
the afternoon and night, and without env oppofition;
the enemy rensaining at the village of Reduaion, on
sleight about two miles from ye In our front ; the
whole intermediate foam, as well as to the right and
Lek, beings partials ; but my goideinformed me
that though In-winter it was impeffable' it was then
very pvaaicable, *ad eafy for guns to pats.
It was eleven o'clock in the morning of the 26.`:,
before I mold move off my ground, and the enemy
could, from his pofition, have counted every man 1
bad ; the numbers as per margin *. He was drawn
ppsip along the brow of a hill, on which was the vil.
lap of Reduction, which covered his right Rink, and
his force emsfieed principally of cavalry ( I have been
AK* informed two thoulind), with eight field pieces.
' The nature of the ground was fuch, that I was under
the neceßity of going direttly to his front ; and to
make my lint as much as I could, equal to his, I
formed all the troops into one line, except the St.
Helena infantry of one hundred and fifty men, which
I formed one hundred end twenty yards in the rear,
with two field pieces, with orders to make face to the
right or left, as either of onr flanks Mould be threat
coed by his cavalry. I had two fix pounders on each
lank, and two howitzers in the centre of the fir*
line. In this order I advanced again* the enemy,
and after we had got within the range of his guns,
• tongue of fwamp mired our front, and obliged me
to halt while the guns took a (mall circuit to croft,
and which was fcarcely performed when the enemy
opened their field pieces on us, at fir* well pointed,
but as we advanced at a very quick rate, in fpire of
the boggy ground that very (bon obliged us to leave
all our guns behind, his fire did us but little injury.
The 7 iII regiment reaching the bottom of the heights
in a pretty good linejeconded by the marine bat-
ralion, the enemy would not wait their nearer ap-
proach, but retired from the brow of the hill, which
our troops 'gaining, and commencing a fire of fmall
arms, he fled with precipitation. leaving to us four
field pieces, and one tumbril, and we law nothing
more of him that d•y.
I halted two hours on the field to veil the troops,
and to make arrangements for taking with us the
enemy's guns and our own, which hid now, by the
exertions of Captain Donnelly, of his Majeßy's (hip
Nareiffus, been eztricated from the bog. He had ac-
cidentally landed, and accompanied the troops on
feting them advance to the enemy, and I am much
indebted to him for his voluntary affißance. •
I then marched in hope, ml preventing the dettrue•
titan of the bridge over the Rio Choc)°, a river at this
1 (calms of the year not fordable, and which lay be-
tween us and the city ; dißant from it about three
, miles, and eight from our then fituation ; and though
I uted every diligence, I had the mortification to fee
it in flames long before I could reach it. I halted
• the troops for the night a mile from it, and puttied
on three companies of the 7111, under Lieutenant
Colonel Pack, with two howitzers, tn the bridge, to
_
endeavour to prevent its total &Oration. I amen-
panied this detachment, bet on reaching the bridge
tound'it entirely confumed ; and as the enemy der
ing the night was hexed bringing down guns, I with-
drew the detachment before light, as ;heir pofitlon
was thought too ern and expofed to the enemy'p
fire, who had at nine o'clock. on heating tome of
our foidiers go to the river to get weter, opened a
fire from their guns, and a contiderable line of in-
Lofty.
As loon as it was light I fent Captain Kennett of
• Oft the: AdulkState of the Tempe, lee se do end of dos
lore'. (Mr.{ iwi -