The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-03-15 00:00:00

TFIV, eSTATF,,SM—A34I..

works upon the 'shod of Waleheren, Kern those
at Phehinc? Ms oaten that re‘pent waipreheadi d the
ten defences, and escry thing that relat4.4l tw a Gavot depot,
or naval +mead.
Did ant those instructions order yoa to destroy the de-
fences towards the laud, as %sell as those towards the sea

Na.
Thee is the Committee to uuderrand, that. the defences t,O-
welds theland were meant Its hay: beeh n preserved ? Tlert• 1
was no lastructiost to preserve theta, tey were all earthen
works.
Allowing that they were all earthen works.. would it not
have taken the evenly a considerable tinie.• Intl they been
thrown into the ditch, to have reinstated these earthen works;
and under this cunsideratioo, as it not considered. by rotor
consequence. to render Flushing of as Fide importance to tbit
enemy ni ? it certainly would have taken the euemy•
a considerntslistime as have reinstated those works.; but with
regard to Flushing, -the great übicci was to destroy the works
to warjs the river thatl coinpreheaded 'was the spirit of say
Istructlims relative to the. works.
• Would yos have thought lt cumistent with the safety of
your army, and tine seeuritt of sour positino.. to have de-
stroyed the land works of klushia:;,prevfously to-the evacua-
thsa ? Certainly not. I had prep *red every meats in my
power for the defence of those .works to the Mat mateent;
al!bough I disniantled all the woglor, yet L kept thp works
in the state they were In, to'eitable ',sae to aria them with.
geld liaht artilkry.
• •

•
E. W. C. R. OWEN, EN. Captain ri( hii'Majetty% ?at'
• r the Clyde, calletkin.
llad the hatterirs tor,eadratiti bera. &Wowed 'upon the
SOth, would you have had the means ..afterWird4 of ratting
nit' tutu% I v the rmontinication het VVCP/I CalFiot.l and Flash.
jar, and of bitercitptiv the great military reinforcements
which .lariat; the large got into FluAiwz fiy the rnioure of
Cadiand, we should Other have l'erused or driven away the
vessels which conveyed those rehtforeemeitts•
1)11 the Aisle of the weather, daring the WPM 11111
admit of toed Oartltter's uluadrowloinin; and co-operating
in the IV alio Pa7:nge with ynu in the operations aea4tht
Cadsard ? ite did not arrive till after da:k on the -2Mh ;
there wws /1011hing to my kitowledge on the • Vlti to prevent
I.ord Gardner's taking a position in readiae.s to co-operate
with as; sill the 29th be was too for to leeward.
' On the 30th is the tnor ii ill Lt Were the wind and weather
aneli as to admit Lord Cardner's.approaching nearer to you ?
Lordtiartiner did approach nearer, he took a station of

the Duerloo. by
Had the Wain Passage been -secured upon the Itith,
the destruction of the enemy's batteries en Cadsand,
might
not the whole of our transports and vessels have passeit into
the We-t Scheldt without running for shelter into tlr• Room-
pot ? I do not at all know what girders the transports were
under g if they were ordered to the Stone Deep, they would
be to the leett
Supposing the original destination of the transpOrtg and-
yessels to have been the West Scheldt, and taking it for
granted that the Widen Passage had hem secured, would
net those tran.Qports and t e.sels have had a clear passage up
as far as Smith Rolland nithoot going into the Itoompot
rertaiirly they would. •
During the fffilliOUlllire of raw.' ly winds, and ,blots ire
weather, supposing that we had a large fket of twenty,sail
of the line in the Dourest; and as many atthe Nore, wonal it
pratdicable for such fleets to sail to the north eastward for
yy
thaourposeof protecting the Essex and Not theta coasts of
Eaklandagainzt any meditated attack from an enemy ?—Cer-
tuiWy not..
Upoit such occasions, therefore, would not sort' fleetsly:-
come almost totally useless nod inefficient towards giving
protection no the Northern coast ? They could um get therc,
except under eircomstances of very tine weather.
. Front your great expetience and knowledge of the enemy's
coast, as well as from your deserved high naval character,
no Officer's opinion appears to me more to he respected than
your's, respectiag the importance of Elushiog its a naval and
military station, torraids the safety and protection of the
coast of England, oht•re a fleet of English men of war
might have been kept in constant re.aliness to have acted, and
to have attacked the enemy the instant he quitted his non
coast. State to the (7ommittee of what importance son cone
alder Flushiag, re;;arding it iu this point of view, and having
"reference to the immense exertioia making bre Booaparte• to
set up a naval force of from 11l to ir)ratif of the line at An-
twerp alone? keonsider the -port of Flushing the most don-
gerous to thil comer" of any the enemy. has; doubt
hee,er a force there Can he well watched without hliviag
ships io the Downs, and skips'ett Yarmouth alsts.
• Da you out, from that very consideration, consider the p is-
session of Flashing to have been of infinite importance to •
A its eruatiy, ~JWJ we have preserved it ? tlilak so.
Did you ti:,:erve tlw sea. line of Flushiug ? I stalked once
alcing it. . .
Was it of such a construction that you imagine that with.
slitps of the line, gun-burn:4. and bombs. without: mak
sea attack by land, it would have been vracticanle-for n +la-
val arattinent alone to hate taken Flushing without, tundiug
any military force ? Not it' it was propsrly defended. • '
You have staled, that in order to watc e a naval. fitree sta-
tiooed in the Scheldt, it would rt quire a force Sat the !Mali,
and also one at Yarmouth ; dm you mean that it would re-
quire an equal or nearly equAl fleet to that of the enemy to
be stationed at.each of those points? I think to, to watch it

ed. ctually.
If we had been able to retain effectual possession of the
Nand of Wall-here's and the Port of Flushim:, do you think
that any naval force the enemy could have assembled at An-
twerp, and the higher parts of the Scheldt, could have ore-
sated effectually front the Scheidt agaiust the naval interests
•f this country ? 1 think not.
Would mit the possession of Flushing alone, without hav-
ing pas-ession of the Island of Walcheren, have been ofequal
. importauco to England, and probably more, by requiring a
smaller garrison, and all the purposes of having a harbour to
windward thereby answered I I think not ; the Wielin chan-
nel is commanded by the batteries at Cadsand, and the in-
ward parlor the Duerloo by the batteries of Wyeheter and
Nolte.
Supposing that the inundation had extended as far xis those;
situations mentioned by you, so a- to hae preventeilrlie etie;.
• my having any batteries in those situations, would not that
have effectually obviated the objections which you have
ated to the posse..sirin of Flushing atone ? The Wychetee
b it wry is on a high sand.hill, part a long ridge, and therefore
. could not have been inundated.
If it had been practicable between the 27th of'July and the
Bth of AnAust to have passed a division of the fleet above
. flushing, in your opinion might it not have thrown a great'
impediment in the any of the enemy passing reinforceamoti
• . to Flushing ? I think it was desirable to have a force Hone,
end l only waited fit Lord Gardner entering the Duerlou to
take that station myself.
Do you think that Lord Gardner was able to enter the Du-
erlon did the o ind permit him ? The wind was fair.
Do you recollect that in the conversation you held tsith Sir
Richard Strachaii, %%Iwo you state Sir Homo Popham to
have been present; on the subject of the boats,' Sir Richard
Strachan told you he hail directed Lord Gardner to assist you
'with his boats ? Ile did so; it was then I was informed
• Lord Gardner was to co-operate with me.
After Sir Richard Strachan told you that Lord Gardner';
boats were to assist you, did you niT:ltTr Kicaarif Strachao to
supply you with any noire boats? Certainly not.
Had you any opportunity of examining the basin of Flush-
ing after the demolition had taken place? 1 had nut.
Supposing the demolition to be complete, what do you ap-
prehend would be the effect of Pie demolition on the nasal
interest of the eamny in the Scheldt? ,At present the enemy
has no other place to careim his hips; for the preseid it wars
enderstard that be had taken theos into a Mirk above AM.,
• warp, to be sheltered from the ice duriaA the winter; [WY
therefore cannot be kept nearly so ready for sea.
Do you think, in consequence of the destuditiors of the basin
at Flushing, as stated, it would he safe or eipedieat for this
country to neglect the enemy's force in tine Scheldt altogether
for the present? Nut to neglect it altogethert• but lthink
you most have more .entice before they ran be Maly for sea.
How much more time ? Ido not feel myseit nidequat-• to
• give an opinionmpon that: a great deal tuna depend Upon the
means of tittinz out; at Flushing they lie with ,any of tam
stores on hoard ; to the. Seheldt they must have osery.thing .
brought from Ailtwerp in lighters.
W hat diminution of the. naval force of this country do you
Alia would he justifiable in consequence of cubit' has taken
place at Flushing ? fife advantage of•what has taken place
.4 but consider as arising from the ;;renter waroin*you will
have betide the enemy is'ready fur sea.
Is the Committee to understand from vnu, that that would
justify the by. tag up any. number of line-of-mit:le snips or ft
gates'? I think not, but it might prevent their being kept in
stns e'po'ed anchorage.
Have you beard trod good information that any of the
French ships up the Selieldt had suffered from the situation
in which tiiev were obliged to lie? lieueral Don had ;:for-
'entitle that two of them suffered materially.
You speak theii from' the ioforination of General Don?
Yes.
. •Were they supposed to have been rendered unserviceable?
I judged not, from toe nature °Utile informative.

PETER PUGET, Esq. Captain in his Majesty's Navy.
Were you employed io the Eipetlitiou to the Scheldt?

777 i

;Yes. I wa Resident Commissioner nf the Nnvy at Flushinz.
' Hart yous an. leiter or Letters from General Picton upon the
stthjort of the sick t Yes., ou the 31.. t of Attgo:t; 'tuts an of-

&int letter.
(The Witness delivered in the letter which was read:l
• "-istir nrAft. SIR. " Flushing, Aug. 1809.
64 From the Very rradv di;positioa which you have always
!instir to tnr:et the wants and Wiese the rlr-tresses of the
ir°"l" in this .s.'"lrrillon, by every means and exertion io your
power, I am induced to lav before .sou our present situation.
%%e have nearly Nil) men of the different reppenenb conyosiiv,
this garrison now in hospital ; too of whom arc bins upon
the boards, without beds or paliasses.
" If you could, by a. repre.semation to the Admiral, pro-
cure us a supply for the preseot, the obligations of the ser-
vice, and mow in particular, would be besond all acknow-
ledgment. With many apologies for the trouble i give you,
" I have the honour to be,
‘‘ Your very obliged and affectionate humble servant,
" It. PIGTON,
• M. G. -Commanding at Flushing."

" Captain Ptiget, R. N.
Commiaioner at Flushing, &c."
Did you take any steps in consequence of that representa-
tion of General l'icton, to provide the necessaries for the
sick? yens. I did ; I wrote iimedir.tely to Admiral Otway,
who elks Commanding Othcer at F:ushiug, and procured
some beds from the men of war.
Were those beds immediately furnished from the men of
'war ? Twenty-four were furnished. -
1' ...Did you visit the sick at that time at Flushing? Yes, I

did.
In what state did you find them? Many of them sleeping
on the hoards, with their great coats on, mut knapsacks under
• their heads.
Where were they 'wised? In a great store-house in the
arsenal, miti in the large church opposite the Commissioner's
house, which I trecupted.
Was there any want of medicine at that time among the
ick was informed by Colonel Coehrane„ who com-
manded a regiment of detachments, that they had been with-
out medicine, to the best of my recollectioc, four days.
What was stated to be the reason of their being without
medicine? The want of medicine at Flashing, I apprehend.
Is it consistent with your knowledge, that at the time at
which the troops were without medicine for four doss, there
was a quantity of medicine-on board vessels in the Itoompot,
or in smite other part near to tValeacren ? Shortly after the
31st of August, General Bland was taken ill, and during Ora
• time l frequently saw him on the subject of Ate sick ; and in
consequence of those conversations, I conceived it my duty
to go over to Ter Veer, where transports were, and there to
rumbler thee; in my official situation as Commissioner of the
Navy; on the 25th of September followins, I called ter the
agent of transports, Litiatenaut Thomas, to state to me what
description of transports he had under his charge; lie made a
return-of transports with medicine at 'Ter Veer, a':d their or-
' rivals are, in the margin.
Is the Committee to understand that those transports having
• medicines on board, contintted !Whitten from the time of their
at rival to the 25th of September, st hem you went to visit
them 1 The nee I think arrived on- the 31st of August, the
other two on the 2d of September, they were ceetainly un-
touched as to medicines oa the '2sth of September ; it appears
.o by the Agent's report.
(7au you state the circumstances to which that was owing?
I cannot certainly.
Yon have stated that et beds were issued Irma the Nave
for the use of the sick ; how bine did the deficiency of bed-
ding for the tack continue ? 1 have sects Inca iu the large
storehouse lying on the doors apparently ill, With their great
coats au, and knapsacks under their heads in lieu of beds,
after the 25th of September.
And before that period? Before that period certainly.
Over how Itrog a time do soli mean to extend that descrip-
tion of men, lying more or less is their great coats with their
kmipsacks fur pillows, and a ;Mout any bedding? 1 cannot
speak from recollection, and I have no note of it ; but I think
to the best of my recollection, to the middle of October front
the list o Ansust.
There are mentioned in the lading of the transports
so nails hales of bedding; can you inform the Committee
how malty lards a bale of bedding contains ? No, I can-
flat.
Was theret a great mortality among the. sick who lay .to
the exposed situation stated by sou 1 1 do not know, the
mortality was very great; hut l cannot say whether,, of
those that were taken care of, or those sleeping in their great
coots. •
Did you communicate (Lowed Pieties Letter, and the re-
port front the Ageet of Tramports, to the Navy Board at
home ? I did not commulicate totem to the Navy Boatd, be-
.can-e I did not emit:ease it was part of my duty.
Dot you know what leerm of time those transports
Lich had medicines on board were detained ? No, I do
nut; IL had my sufficient duty afterwards is the payment of
monies ; and in three oak s I performed, • commissioner,
store-keeper, and clerk of the Chccque, which confined me
completely at Fleshiest.
How soon after, observittg the sick in the distressed si-
teation you have just mentioned, did you hear of there
being those transports at Ter Veer ? 1 cannot speak as to
dates, it was between the 31st of August ;aid 25th of Septem-
her ; but I should suppose about tifteeti days after I had seen
(general Picion.
IVere immediate measures taken by you, or by any other
person at your desire, for bringing bedding mid Medicines
from Ter Veer to Flushing fur Or supply of the sick ? I
considered the transports with medial" to he under the
Misdical Board, and reported to the General of the garrison
where I was resident; I, of course, conceived .1 had dis-
charged my duty.
Did Colonel Ceehrane report his waht of medicines to you,
officially, or in the course of conversatioa ? l think it was
at titmerol .Pictun's house, mace speaking of the want of
medicines.
Did you take any steps to get the medicines that were re-
quired ? I think it was merely a subject of eouversation
with Admiral °tally afterwards.
Cans ou jut ran the Committee, upon the average, what
were the number of sick during the period vou have men-
tioned that were lying without beds ? No, I certainly CMS-
not.
('an you state the smallest number? No I have been
tlVough the. large storehouse and the large church ; almost
t.ry day through the large storehouse, but I cannot even
guess at the number; there were a great 'man) people lying
:Mont in their great coats throughout the day ; and it is im-
possible to distinguish the sick bat by their countenances.
You do not recolleo t the name of the-medic-al man-who so-
periniended the department of the sick Ring its their great-
coats ? No, Ido not.
Did you report to him that there was medicine and bedding
in thrse trausports after yott taut found them there? I re-
ported it to General Ntontreiqr•
Did you acquaint the Medical person there, that there
was that in store? I slid not hstow him, not even his per-
son: there was a continual change there of the Medical De-
partment routing to look at the sick, I apprehend froth other
places ; they were continually :Mont the streets ; but l Can-
not say who waisat the head of the Medical Department at
Flushing.
From the time you observed the sickness, was it not very
rapid among the troops ?. &pad any thatg I have before
-. _ _

isMereettr • _ _ _
CHARLES WILLIAM PASLEY, FOq. Captain in the
ragiarers, again called in. Examine Iby the C ))))) mittee.
• How long have you served in the corps of Engineers I I
served eleven years and six months in thi corps of Engineers,
and six months in the Royal Artillery on toy first getting my
commission.
During- that tine, have you been notch employed ; and, if
you feet no•olrieet ion, state to the Committee in what services
you Imve been employed during that ti e ? I served
ht o
month', in Gaeta under the l'rinee of Ilesse as a volunteer ;
afterwirds I s,-ried in the campaign in Calabria under Sir
Jahn Stuart • 1 was a forth ight in Stralsund at the time it aas
besieged by the French ; I serve.; at Copenhagen; in Spain;
anifl need not add, on the Lace Experli.i.m.
Wee, yon employed to rect.:maitre Cadsand previously, to
thesaili.lquf the late txpe4iiimi ? I was ; I uniwered that
question,. I Relieve, on a former night.
State generally the substance of your report. I have a
copy of that upon with inc.
[The Witness delivered in the Report, and it was read.)
• " His Majesty's Ship Raven, off Walcheren,
" SIR ; July LI, ISJ9.
" I have to report to you, that in execution of your orders,
I sailed on the Sth inst. from Deal in this sloop, commanded by
Captain linorliett.
'i.e: weather was so very'unfavourable, that we could
do nothing till yesterday, when we had a good opportunity
of reconaottring the coast of Cadsand. ,Tie whirie of the
beach of that island from Breslon, towards Cassandria
pears fit for landing troops, but the best part is near the
Wulpen signal post. Near a beat-oil, about two miles to the
"westward of this signal post, we observed a battery of four
glow: on the other side of the signal post is a second battery,
in which we counted five gun., th a can bear in a direct line
perpendicular to the coast, bait it i, probable that there may
be more guns in this battery, as it ser•ins.constracted 50 09 to
be able also to flank the These two batteries are
about three miles distant from ei.ch : the whale of the
heuch Isomers) them is good, awl *helmet-AO bebbld it arc
low and easy of access.

I .