The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-08-01 00:00:00

of April ?—A. I *at not parttcularlreonsuitetfi
but Sir Ilarry Neale, on the morning of the ttth,
swing the enemy's slaps on shore, asked me what
I thought (or words to•that effect) coutd be done
in taking the line.of-battle ships in to attack the
enemy ? I told him, perhaps we might destroy
some of their ships, but that we should sacrifice•
our own, having no idea whatever of any of the
ships being able to return.
Q. Are you quite clear that you gave that opi.
don to Sir If. Neale, on the morning of the lffth
or April ? A. Yes.
Q. I think you have said that you had no
knowledge whatever of the anchorage within the
Isle of Air, where ships of the line may ride in
five fathoms water, till after the 12th of April ?
A. 1 had no knowledge of that anchorage until
after the Itth.

Q. If you had known of that anchorage before
the I2th of April, would the tide have admitted
ships of the line to have gone to it on the morning
of that day ? A. The tide would not have ad-
mitted the ships of the lino to have gone to that
anchorage, wail twelve or one o'clock on that
day.
Q. Were you on board the Crledonia on the
afternoon of the 11th April? A. Yes.
Q. Du yon know the cause of the fleet being
moored that afternoon ? A. I mentioned to Cap-
Wit Bedford, about seven in the evening, the ne-
cessity of mooring the fleet, that they might not
swing on board of each other d•tring the weather..
tile ; he mentioned it to Lord Gambier, and the
fleet was moored. To unmoor wassolwly the bo.
sitten of half an hour.

Q. Had three or four line.of.battle ships been
advauced towa:.ds the Isle of Alt, and laid during
the night at single anchor, could they, by weigh-
ing when Lord Cochrane made the tignal, about
five in the morning, at that time of tide, have
gone into the road of Ai:, without the greatest
danger, to have attacked any part of the ene.
my ?—A. Had four sail of the line gone into
Aix Roads, when Lord Cochrane made the
signal, th..y would there have met a force
equal to theinsdves ; they would have made
an attack nosier every disadvantage ; the fire of
Isle d'Aix, as well as the fire of the Foudrey.
ant, th.. Cassini, and Ocean. would have been
directed on them, they hid no place to retreat to,
and their t,nh safety remained in the destruction
of the l'aem)'s ships, and in silencing the batteries
from th • Isle d'Aix, which I a u sure it would
have been impossible fur them to accomplish.
Q. Dui you know any thing of the Calcutta
striking? A. Yes; she had not struck when I
eas on board the Imperieuse; and the Aigle, Uni-
corn, .end :itteral,l, had anchored and fired on her;
one of her shot struck a boat astern of the Ins.
pericuse after they had anchored and fired ; the In.
clefatigable had not anchored when I left the Im.
perieulle.
Q. Were the ships and vessels sent in to attack
the enemy as soon as it could have been done with
propriety, considering the state of the wind and
tide ? A. They were, in my opinion.
Q. From the first attack Made uo the enemy's
ships, to the final cessation of hostilities against
them, was every thing done that could be done to
effect their destruction ? A. Every thing was
done that could be done to cifect the destruction
of the enemy's ships.
Captain Btram called in and sworn.

Q. Do you recollect the situation of the ene-
my's fleet, on the morning of the 12th of April,
at daylight I A. I de; I think it was
.repre-
sented in the chart of Mr. Stokes, now before
the Court.
Q. Do you recollect the telegraph signal being
m:tde fro:a the Impericuse, on the morning of
that day t A. I do.

Q. What was that signal ? A.. 1114 k that half
thc tleet could destroy the enemy's saps.,
Q. At what distance was Wa Imperiense from
the elieley, and from the Caledonia, when they
made that signal ? A. The Caledonia was about
six miles from Isle d'Ais, and the Imperieuse
about half way, about three miles.
Q. Had I sent in line-of.battle ships that day to
Aix Roads, early in the morning, or soon after,
were any of the enemy's ships in a situation to
have enabled them to rake or annoy our ship: as
trey advanced? A. Two of them were lying
with their broadFides towards the entrance, and
wool I havc considerably annoyed any ships sent
against them.
Q. Were any of the enemy's ships that were
aground capab:e of annoying our ships ?—A.
ICarly in the morning they lay with their broad.
sides towards the entrance, and I think they were
capable of annoying On: ships.
Q. What nureh,r of gusts were there on the
batteries of Ait Island ? A. When at anchor in
Aix Reads, I counted 50; there might hate been
more; but I am certain there were not less.
Q. Did the enemy throw shelis from the Island
A. They (lid.
Q. Can you speak it o'f the number of mor.
tars they had ? A. No, t cannot.
Q. II any of our line-of-bitile ships, advancing
under the Circumstances jest liated, hail become
crippled, could they have Mut* that day before
night ; or *hat would have Keen the consequences?
A. I do nut think, under all the circumstances,
that if the line-of-battle ships had been sent in,
they ever would have returned ; I thiok it would
have been sending them to irretrievable &tette.
. -
bun.
Q. When I sent you into Aix Roads, whit we're
the orders, in the afternoon of the ltth, I gave
you ? were they discretionary or not A. To use
ley utmost endeavours to destroy the enemy', Wise ;
I considered them discretionary, in the same Inca.
sure, as the sole responsibility rested on the Cat).
'rain, the Pilot having refused to take the ship in.
Q. Do you recollect what time I gave you
the orders The Brat under I received from
the Commander in Chief, was at eight o'clotk in
the morning, to an -bar near the Buoyart Shoal,
and within the range of shell of the Me d'Ais.
The second order I ree.rivial et* at two o'clock in
the afternhon, to proceed Ai.
Q. Relate to the Court y orr proceeding in Aia
11,031, until your return/ to lii.que
A. About holf.past twul. weighed anchor I went