Star.
London, England, 1807-07-20 00:00:00

....

brave men wins have been my companions in arms, to
intrude upon ydur attention's. more than ordinary
detail ..f ur proceedings. I'hacl the honour of flat-
ing ir. my laft;thot the ex Tian <.f the jimainn of
the Mamelokei ed me to perfevere
in the attack OfAilldWajeivery exertion was con-
tinued to be made hytoch artillery As we could corn
mand, in reducing the enemy to fur-renfler, bat with-
out effeEt : the miflak, n ground upon which we were
aging rep !Eking the Marnehikes, and the general de-
ception of our informers were now about to become
manifell. On the 19th, the enemy left his pofition
oprfite liktnet, and crofling the river near Elfine,
eftsblithed'himfell there. He.advanced from ,Dibet
against Hamet on the fame day, and attacking Ma.
jot Vogelfang's pofition on the left, was repelled with
jr•fs ; a (14r/elision was made at the fame time at Ro-
letta. in a fortie againft the left of our lines, by about
eighty cavalry and zoo infantry ; the 35th regiment
.and the dragoons were engaged ; they repotted the
enemy with much fpirit, and drove him, as nfual, to
kis walls. The 35th had in this affair two kilted and
14 wounded. I this evening detached the light com
panies of the 35th and of De Rolle's to the poll of
El'Hamet under the- command of Captain Tarleion
of the former. His orders were to drive the enemy
acrafs the Nile, either during that nigh; or early
next morning. On attempting to effeEt this fervice
on the 2oth, the enemy was found to be powerful in
cavalry, and Captain Tarleton retired. I mutt here
!late the nature of the pofition of Hamet: horn Lake
Edko to the Nile is an ilthmus about two miles and
a half in extent, varying according to the depth of
water in the lake. The remains of a deep canal
with high banks extend from the river neatly two-
thirds aerofs this ifthmus ; the banks command the
plain on either fide. The village of Hamet is on the
fouthern fide of the canal, about half way acre& ; its
inhabitants were friendly to us. On the Banks of
the Nile, and at Hemet, are the only two regular
pales through the .hanks of the canal. At each of
thefe was polled a gun, and a proportion of Major I
V.Telfang's detachment. From the termination of
the canal tt, the lake is a plain, paffable by cavalry:
A picquet plaided this flank. As Captain 'rarletais '
retreated, he divided his detachment; he direEted the
march of his own company to the left pofition, and fent
the De RPlle's, reinforced to too rank and file. ID
Hamel village. While croffing the plain, the Latter
detachment, under Captain Reinack's orderr, was
fuddenly attacked by zoo cavalry, and as it (tmid
oppeari was with little oppofition routed ; two-thirds
were at-in pieces. Report of this reaching me by
ileveitWelOck In the forenoon, I detached Liente-
watit-COleisel M'Leod with two companies of the 78th
regitnent,"one -of the 35th, a piquet of dragoons un
der Captain Delaney, and a fix-pounder, to reinforce
'the poR, and take the command. Two more com-
panies followed in the afternoon, with a day's pro-
-*Hum -for his whole force, ammunition, &c all which
-arrived fafelv. 0a the arrival of the reinforcement,
the 'enemy retired towards Dileg, and I received af-
ftir.iitee'from the Lieutenant Colonel before fun-fet,

of the.perfeo fecurity of his polt ; he had detached
three Companies, the dragoons, and a three pounder,
,ureer Captain Tarletoo's orders, to the plains on
the right, a id hied reinforced the cantle• polt by a
company of the 35th regiment; the averatil!teength
of thele companies were 6o rank.and ale. t f,
•
During the day the enemy made no movement
Amt., but cant reinforcements
to Hemet friths the town, by the right bank of the
Nile. I vifited thet pis@ of Hemet during -the night
of the aoth, and had the gq.,4 fortune to efcape the
enemy's &leaky. sago bad turned Capt. Th e ievs
"pofition it inflict, to the number of 150. Having,
reconnoitred the linen( defence, which- I found els be
:ilitEalr'in witty pans, and very eitenfive, I confirmed
my. fortner inftruelions to LieutoCnlonel M‘latod,
that he- fhould defend the poll In the outwit,
-heir' if !likely' to be forced '•r turned by :a numerous
'cavalry, that be lhould cancen rate and oirisuyer
hirdelf upon the lake ; that if this was not featible,
he thould fall back on the main army. I at the
fame time concerted meafures for a general retreat
on the fucceeding night, unlefs certain intelligence
of the Mamelukes Mould arrive on the tfl.• Al.
though he had one third of my force under his or.
ders, I gave him reafon to expel a reinforcement of
8o men more, with ammunition, on the enfuing morn-
ing. About (even o'clock on the morning of the
1t•11, I received the following exprefs from hint :
'4 The cavalry were not to be fern this morning ; but,
to my utter ationithment, from 6o to 70 large germs,
and a large brig, are now coming down the Nile
upon us. Ido ant know what to fay of this; it ap-
pears, undoubtedly, a reinforcement to the enemy,
and one of confiderable magnitude. I take it for
granted they h the gun boats among them. I mull
make preparation, and be toady to retire upon you ;
let me know as fo-n as pollible " My anfwer, im-
mediately difpatched, was not received, the dragoon
being unable to pencu ate to the poll. The reinforce-
ment alto, which had marched under the orders of
your AideolioCamp, Captain A'Coart, was obliged
to return. Not a moment was to be loft in breaking
up from the pofition before Rolm*, ariMin fupporting
the H oo,t detachment. The advance upon us of a
firong b dy of cavalry in that diseition, prevented
my (letacLing a tingle c•irps to their relief, and it was
neceffary that the whole army thould move together.
The fidd guns were firft withdrawn froth the bat-
teries ; all camels were laden with ammunition and
inoispenfilde Rpm; the epronades and mortars kept
up their fire on the town to the 101 l moment that
.could be (pared, and were then defiroyed and buried:*
all (pare amMuni inn and notes were fet fire to and.
blown up. The picquets remained in their leashes
moil the field train, the wounded, and the Stores were
ofrembled in the plains, under the charge of the 78th
and De Roll's regiment, which .formed a
.1-quare-
retitnd them. The brave 35th then retreated, fol.'
lowed by the picquets. The enemy,. (*Hying from
the town in all direltions, furrourrded our ignore ;
but the bold front which the 35th kept, under the
command of Capt. Riddle, and the flanking polition•
of the tight infantry battalion, under Major O'Keefe,
on the heights of Aboumandour, prevented_hint mak
ing any impretEon Nothing could furpars the fiCadi•
nets of the troops you had entrulted to my command.
The 33th Regiment fired by its wings and platoons
retiring. and the 78th, with its front rank kneeling, as
during the movements of a field day. Under the
diteCtions of Colonel Ofwald, who regulated the
proceedings in. the rear, I felt tonfident of the good
conduit of the whole. About ten o'clock our little