The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-09-05 00:00:00

TH io, BtArfE§iiiNt.

THE EXPEDMON.

PRIVATE CORRESPONDE7CCE.

•
" Tri virER, Aun. O.

" The objects of the Expedition up the Scheldt are abar.-
&Hied as unattainable. It was found that the French had
availed themseltes of the time which our procrastination af-
forded, to collect a very c.nbiderable force in the vicinity of
Antwerp. Thi, force has been set down by many well-in-
formed persons at 60,00,1 men. But inderodently of this
force, and the obstacles to our progress created by the inun-
dation, we had to apprehend an increased accometation of
resistatice from an army of reserve which has been asserublirg
at Lisle, while KaLLEnsis N has been employed in collect-
ing a large force on the banks of the IVeser.

" The troops which we have had in South Ileveland are
to continence embarkation to-morrow at the Rompot ; and
it is understood that in a few days Beveland will be evt.-
(cued altogether. Two division of the transports which
took some of oar troops up the Scheldt after the surrender of
Flushing, arrived at that port this morning, and the remain-
der are looked for. The troops on board these transports
have suffered int», severely from want of provi,ioas of every
description; as it was calculated u; their embarkation at
this islrnd, that they would remain hut a very short time on
board before their disembarkation, they were very scantily
supplied. This improvidence, combined with the disease
which so universally presails among our army, has converted
these transport: into so many hospitals. 'file ravage of dis-
ea e is daily aggravating, and in some quarters is truly shock-
ing. Not a regiment is to hr found, either by land or sea,
which has not suffered, and is not daily suffering, by ib cala-
mitous progress. In this Island every hour extends its visi-
tation. According to the medical reports of this day, it is
Said that nearly 9UO of the artillery, IJO ill the Stith regi-
ment, 300 of the 26th, 258 of the 71st, 20.3 of the 84th. are
afflicted; but the whole of the Zd, with the exception of
about 40 men, are in the hospitals. In consequence, indeed,
of the sitnation of this regiment, it was yesterday exempted
from duty by order of General BaowisE. Several instances
hair occurred within the last Ave days, of guards having
been relieved twice in the *course of the day, in consequence
of the men falling soddenly ill. I have myself, seen men car-
ried away front the parade. The attack is generally very
sudden. The diseases which prevail are dysentery, cholera
morbis, and intennittents; these are considered as endemic.
The typhus fever is also prevalent, uribm to the cold which
en many, both officers and men, have caught during the siege
of Flushing. But the variable character of this climate ren-
ders cold :Linton unavoidable. At one peribd of the day the
heat is extreme, and at another, a cold damp, accompanied
sometimes with violent rain. We bare not had indeed, since
mir arrival in the island, one entirely fair day.—But how-
ever we may suffer from the mire, it is fortunate fur as that
they happen to have been frequent, because they serve to
precipitate the noxious exhalations of the marshes, which
contribute so much to propagate diseases, and also because
they furnish us with water; for there is no water to be bad
here but that which the rain affords, with the exceptive of a
very few springs; so that had the weather been dry, we
sbnuld have been distressed for this very essential article.—
'file French were obliged to procure a supply of water from
the other side of the Scheldt, in the summers of 1807 and
1808, in euswequence of the dryness of these summers. Thus
it appears, that if it were not for the weather, which we at
first deemed exceedingly unfavourable, our troops would have
been without water, for the supply of which we are indebted
entirely to the rain.—So much for the provident Minister that
superintended the titling mat of the Expedition.
" That this i. an •arowiliaggly swim-talky pace, particularly
io the months of September and October, is quite notorious.
Indeed if the solicitude of our Minister of War, with regard
to the lives of men, bad disposed him to make any inquiry
upon such a subject, he might have learned that fact from any
, medical man at all acquainted w:tii the island. The French
suffered most severely from it. This will be sufficiently il-
lustrated by one authentic fact. Out of 800 men, alto were
encamped at We staapel in May 1808, only 9ti survived at the
close of October. Generally speaking, French had one-
third of their garrison lying in the hospitals, and they annu-
ally lost in that proportion, sitatetimes indeed much more, al-
though they hal the meats of checking the progress of red.-
mic disease which we donut possess, through the contiguity
of their other territories.

" An order has, I aoderstancl, been lowed, that no burial
shall take place until after dusk, probably owing to the fre-
quency of death,. This is a judicious arrangement; for as
depressioo of <pink is calculated to promote the prevailing
disease, funerals, which mast have* depressing effect, should
he as little apparent as possible. Some officers, however,
base been publicly buried. I saw ye:terlay that a funeral
processing accompanied t• the grave the remains of 31r.
II A nov, Paymaster of the 11th Regiment of Foot.
" It is intended to sink some of our hulks of men of war
neat B:tthz, iu order to choak the passage of the Schcidt.—
Certainly the river may by this expedient he rendered im-
passable for men of war, or any ve,:sel, I understand, above
40 tom, until the enemy curs contrive to raise or destroy those
hulks. That it is practicable for the enemy to do so cannot he
denied, unless we could maintain batteries, or keep vessels nn
the watch to prevent it and how is that to be contrived at
such a distance top the Scheldt, at such a distance from any pn•
sition in our power to retain t We cannot, in fact, for any
long period, impede the navigation of the Sebeldt,or disconcert
the views of Boas,ftc with regard to Antwerp, unless we
continue to retain possession of this island, which I think to-
tally impracticable. This opinion I shall endeavour to jus-
tify by a communication of the grounds apes which I have
bees induced to entertain it.

"I have just heard that the troops in South Beveland, al-
though they have Never been in any action, and although that
is regarded as the most healthy Wand to Zealand, have suf-
fered very considerably by disease.
" It is reported that rather a warm controversy has ariseo
among some of our Chief Commanders. The principals en-
gar,ed in this controversy are Lord Cu 4TIIA x and the Mar-
quis of HVJTLY, who are said to he directly oppoied to each
other. Our troops are understood to be destined for Spain.'•

TLAVEri, SEPT. I.

" Fifteen thousand troops on to remain here for the de-
fence of this island. which it seems the resolution of our Go-
wsnmsent to retain. But how far that resolution is justifiable,
I shall endeavour to shew in my nett letter. From all that I
have beard and seen. I haven° hesitation in stating my opi-
nion. that (be channel which separates this island from South
Betelaad is not to be calculated upon as any material obsta-
cle tithe progress of 13071APARTIR, if be seriously determines
to retake Walcheren. South lievelaad, It Is on all bands
agreed, mist be abandoned a; unbeaable; and the communi-
cation of that island with the CO/lineD4 is at low water per-
fectly easy. ludeedaey somber of troops may march across
the smuts.

" The prowess of disease at Flu-hint is, 1 understand,
my considerably promoted, by the necessity imposed upon
the soldiery to appear quite clean at panute, ootwithstandiwg
the number employed at working pieties, tic. In vase-,
(peace of Ibis nectssity, and their previous eraploysneat, the
men are very frequently obliced to wash their trainers, lbc.
aid pet them on net. to pruteti themselves from censure, or
maiethiag worse. Their doing so is a notorious fact ; and it
must be paiofol to any haasatte baud to reflect upon it. Rfly