Star.
London, England, 1810-02-24 00:00:00

mosimws... . •
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Was it hot understOOd that they might have been detlntled for a
considerable number of days ?-1 believe certainly it was, but the
enemy ailltat time had had abundance of time to provide modes
of defence that possibly they did not possess on our first arrival
What modes of defence do you allude to, that came w Wain your
knowledge ? Strongly garrisoning them ; probably mounting
guns that might not have been mounted, for we obi:a-wed them j
busy at work at an old fort near Lillo, which they pot into a state
of defence; and they opened a mortar battery near Doel, whilst
we lay off it.
On what day did you observe this battery constructed ?—rThey
were construving a battery at Fort Hendrick, which is the lint I
allude to, I think from the 14th of August to the '26th or 21th, '
when most of the guns Were mounted ; and the mortar battery
near Dori was opened, I think, on the 29th or 29th.
Have you any reason to believe that the forts of Lillo and Lief-
kenshoeik were not in a state of defence when the armament
sailed from England ?—I incline to the opinion that there were
few troops in the country on our first arrival; but I do not know
that those forts were not perfectly garrisoned.
Have you any reason to think that the fortifications of LillO and
Liefkenshoeik were not in a state of defence, and that they were
not provided with a sufficient number of guns at the time of the
sailing of she Expedition ?—No, I have not ; I meant to allude to
troops, which I was of opinion the country was almost destitute-
of at the time of our first arrival.
Then you have no reason to think that the forts were not in a
perfect Vitt of defence, with respect to their works, at the time
of your first arrival ?—No,certainly not.
From the extent of the works of Lillo and Liefkenshoeik, do
they require many men to garrison them ?—1 do not know the
extent of their works, but I should apprehend they must require
some hundred men at least to garrison them.
Supposing there were some hundred men to garrison those
forts, would it not have been impossible, until those forts had
been reduced by siege, for the fleet to have co-operated in any at-
tack upon Antwerp?—The fleet could not have co-operated in
an attack upon Antwerp, above I,illo and Liefkenshoeik, until
they were reduced.
Had you any knowledge of the state of the fortifications of
Antwerp at the time you arrived at South tieveland ?—I had not.
Had you any knowledge of the amount of troops iu Antwerp
upon the sth of August ?—No : there were various reports as to
the state of Antwerp, some stating Antwerp to be destitute—
others the reverse. _ _

What part of the service did you conduct yourself ?—My ori-
ginal orders directed me to proceed up the East Scheldt with the
reserve of the army, to get possession of South rieveland and the
islands of Sundt-it and North gel/eland, and to secure the naviga-
tion of the Eastern Schelde; 1 was aferwards ordered by Sir R.
Strachan to take upon me the command in both Scheldts, and on
the 14th I shifted my Rag from the East to the West Scheldt.

In the execution of th'e orders which you received, how soon
did you arrive with the naval force under your semmandat South
Beveland?—l landed the principal part of the reserve of the army
with Lieutenant-General Sir John Hope bn the lst of August,
but at that time not well understanding the navigation,.sloops of
war only were taken up with me, but we afterwards moved up
the frigates and even ships of the line.
At what period did the frigates and ships of the line arrive?—
I cannot at present state the days, but I could Lave earlier moved
them up if I bad found it requisite.
Can you state sviti,in a day or two of the time ?—On the 6th
of August I ordered !•ome frigates up, and on the Bth the Superb,
a ship of the line; in the command I had in the Eastern Scheldt,
I kept ships eff Ziricl.see with a view to cover that island, as we
found it very useful to draw the supplies, to keep theinhabitants,
in order to overawe tbnn, and to keep the enemy from it, and
my ships were frequently very variously stationed in the Ewe-n
Scheldt, conformably to circumstances. I could have ordered
every thing up, if it had appeared necessary.
On the 6th you ordered sonic frigates to be moved up, and on
the Bth a ship of the line, but you say you could have ordered
them up, sooner if necessary; what circumstance induced you to
think it was not nec...ssary to move them up sonnet ?—Accordiug
to the command with which I was left, I stationed my ships as I
thought best calculated under all circumstansts. I fon.:d it re-
quisite to station some ships in the Keetan; some I kept off North
Beveland. My object for stationing ships in the Keetan war to
cover the islands of Duiveland and Schowea • and my object in
keeping ships off Coltesplaat in North Beveland, was to protect
the few transports which I had ordered there; and also conceiv-
ing
that the final embarkation, whenever it took pLsce, would be
from Coltesplaat in North Beveland.
You thought the ships were snore usefully employed In other
services ?—Precisely so. -
When did all the ships arrive, having those things that were ne-
cessary for the equipment jnd acting of the army of reserve ?—I
believe on the Ist of August there was a victualler, and I believe
a ship with some horses absent. I think those were the only
ships that were at that time. abs. nt ; it appeared to be by mis-
take.

When did the ships having the heavy artillery, and having the
horses for the draft of the artillery, and when the ships having
cavalry on board, arr:ve ?—There was one of the cavalry ships
got on shore near 7.cricksee, and the horses were carried up in
4111211 vessels; but I believe all the horses belonging to the reserve
and all the artillery of the reserve required to be landed, were,
if I mistake not, larded on the Ist, 2d, or 3.1 of August.
When did the battering train destined for the siege of Ant-
werp arrive ?—lt went up the Western Scheldt, acid must have
arrived between the 20th and 24th of August.
Was there any unnecessary delay In their arrival ; so far as
you know, could they by proper management have arrived
sooner ?—I know of no unnecessary delay. Masters of trans.
ports left to themselves, if they are without men of war, we
know are very idle.
Were those tran'ports left entirely to themselves, and were
then• idle ?—I do not know ; I have no knowledge of movements
of the transports, or indeed the men of war at the entrance of the
Western Scheldt.

Do you recollect having shifted your flag on the 14th of Au-
gust, to the Camilla, in the West Scheldt ?—l'ertectly.
Do you recollect what was the state of the flotilla which was
with you at that time ?—One ‘2O-gun ship, ten sloops, seven gun-
brigs, one rocket-ship, three divisions of gun-boats, and thirty
slat boats, armed with carronades.
Did you consider yourself at that time in a state to proceed to
the ulterior objects of the Expedition, if the Army had been ready
to co-operate with you ?—No; I did uet consider that the naval
force was sufficient, at that tune, to have justified me, had the
army been ready, to have entered into any operations.
Far what purpose did you write to Lord Rosslyn, on the 17th
of August ?—ln consequence of my having received orders from
my Commander-in-Chief to form any plan, and to act with my
Lord Rosslyn for the accomplishment of the ulterior object ;
namely, the destruction of the fleet at Antwerp.
Did you consider the force then under your command suffici-
ent to have induced you to proceed, if the army had been ready
to co-operate ?—I would have gone ; but I knew at the time I
wrote to my Lord Rosslyn, that the army was not ready; I had
every reason to believe they were not ; I had seen my Lord Ros-
alyn on the 15th, and I was in expectation, every tide, of men
of war ships of the line, and frigates, and that I must have had
a sufficient naval force, before any plan could have been formed
to act upon.

Do you mean to he understood, that if the army had at that
time been ready to co-operate with you, you hid not a sufficient
naval force ?—No ; I think it would have been my duty to have
gone on, if the arm had been ready.
Do you consider that you had at that time a.sufficient force to
co-operate with the army, if it had been ready ?—I had not; I had
no, other flat boats than what I brought with me from the Eastern
Scheldt, the flat boats from the Western Scheldt had not arriv-
ed ; I could have transported at that time bit a comparatively
small body of men ; if the question is in allusion to naval force
in the situation of the enemy at Antwerp, and with their boom
across, with myself in possession of a very formidable flotilla and
IS frigates or sloops, I %boobd have considt red it my duty to have
gone on, knowirg also that a much inore formidable naval force
was on its passage to me.

When did you receive any reinforcements ?--I was daily re-
ceiving reinforcements. On the next day, the 18th, one ship of
the line, one fifty, near twelve frigates, one twenty-gun ship,
eleven sloops, four bombs, eight gun-brigs, and five divisions of
gunboats.

Did you on that day or the next send Sir Home Popham to Sir
Richard Strachan ?—Yes, I believe it was the 18th.
Winn was your object in sending Sir Home Popham to Sir
Richard Strachan ;—My object in sending Sir Home Popham to
Richard Strachan was to beg that Rat boats might be hasten-
ed, and expressing my wish that the Commanders in Chief of both
c:rvice, would accelerate, by every means iu their power, what-
ever measure were to be undertaken.
When you were informed by the Admiralty that you were to
take 3 part in this Expedition, what was stated to you by the First
Lord of the Admiralty to be the object of the Expedition ?•—The
taking of tkshirg, ;Ind the destruction of the enemy's fket ae