The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-07-17
FROM OUR ENGLISH PAPERS.

| Inc defence made by the late miuihcrs for
their conduct with reipett to the expedition 10
CopitaDtlnope, is mott miferaole one. They
lay troops would have been of no uie whatever.
Tor though they might have taken the Caitles
VI '''e Dafoaneiies, they could not have kept
'"em' oecahie " the Turks had very large
humber or FORCES IN the ncighborhood, not to
mention the people who took arms in a mo.
ment of enthuliafm, and in all Srob,,b;Gt, f,,cb
I.7gerH0lsi dsfsHecieJ PLACES would eaEIS have
been taken by aiiault." Here then is a confsC.
non that the caltles were zach miferable de.
ienceieis places, that they could earily have
oeen taken by our troeps-But they could not
nave neen Kept. Who iad any thing about
keeping them We commended that had we had
troops and 4 large naval force, the troops
might nave been landed and efraed the def
trnction OF the batteries, and that one or two
hIPs fatoned Oft the points from which our
'eteis could nave been moIefed, and parti.
QUARRY III the STRAITS OF the Dardanellcs,
wou!d nave efteelnally prevented the Turks.
after our folders had deRroyed the b,,t.,iss
and the caitles OF Seitos and Abydos, from an.
preaching near enough to erect new ones. Tbe
ob]eet bould have been, not to have tbouyht
OF placipg me cAhles in rate to fuitain 6epe
or an aiiauit, but TO have deitroyed them alto.
gether.
Upon the conduit Of the negotiation it is
lmpoiiible to form any accurate opinion before
the whole correspondence is pubiihed. II were
abiurd, however, TO impute any blame to adj.
miral Duckworth, becaufc he acted under the
direction OF MIR. Arbuthnot, by whole opinion
he was to be governed.
upon The plarning and fitting out however
OF the expedition, we have fuficient evi iepce
10 e'iaoie US 10 lay that greater incapacity never
was ihewn oy any mniitry. They fend out an
eHPedition 10 eject no leis an object than the
destruction of the French influence over The
Porte, and the debating the terms of peace and
lubmlilion oihe Turkiih Empire. OF the re.
ionrces and preparations of the Turks, thew
mum iurely have had correct information from
the Ambaiiadof. Yet TO effect Objects fo very
important with the conviction too, that if thew
d'd not effect them, the oonfequenee could
not but be mott dhahrous,) they fend only Te
ven iail of the line, without Jingle Gre-ihip,
ana with no more than a hDsle bomb, and
without Que company of folders; though, in
paitng traits known 20 be defended by cafles.
and long line of coat upon which batteries
might be fuppoied to be placed, troops would
oovlouily have been 10 fervceable in forming
ane detroying fuch batteries. Why too did
no hre-ihipS accompany the fquadron TO be fent
into the Turkiih feet if neceffary
AN expedition 70 wretchedly planned. an ar.
tempt made with fuch inadequate means, is not
to be found in the hiaory of any other Admi-
niaration May it remain forever without
parallel Yet the men who planned this expe-
diiion were thofe who had the preiumption 10
abuie MIR. Addington's Administration, under
which Copenhagen was bombarded, as imbeciIe
and Incapable, and to call Lord Barham fuper-
ANIMATED, under Whole Administration was gain
ed the Victory of Trafalgar.
The account Of the capture Of Alexandria by
the troops from Sicily, WAS brought to Ply
mouth by the Delight Aoop Of war, which had
a very quick p1iiage from Alexandria.
The troops were under the command of
Gen. Mackenzie Fra6r, not General Moore.
They e0DiHed Of the 3lR regiment, the SSH,
the 18th, De RolPs four de,acbmeuts from the
goth light Dragons, three companies of the
royal artillery, aud two other corps.
The naval force coniRcd of the Tigre, can,
tioliiwel', with the Apollo, and Weazle. The
troops iai<d from SyrScufc on the Goth of Fe-
brnary, and were off the port of Alexandria on
the ! 9th of March. Some reliance was made
to our troops. it was neceg5ry TO take fome