Coast Of Guinea.
The Times, 1824-10-02T00:00:00

CAPE COAST CASTLE. 3une 23. Thte eeterny having advanced so cloae as to have driven In our piqucte, Captain Scott, his First Lieutenant, AIr. Rosenberg (a young officer no ke- deserving of our highest commendations), se- veral of the other officers. with part of the crew, landed to assist in defe-ding the Castle. At half past twAo o'clock p. m., the sigcial being made fron the tower flanking the castle that the enemy were on the advance, Colonel Sutherland immediately ordered the town to be net on fire, which was, we are happy to state, pr. enptly executed, considering tins to be one of the most salutary measures this active office? Cotld bave taken, thus ridding us of an abominable tow'n, ctsistin5g of the nmoat wretched, filthy hovels possible to be describ- ed, and which would have atTorded cover to any enemy within 20 yards of *be Castle. We are happy to state there were no accidents, the women and children having taken refuige in the castle some hours Drevious the only regret is, that the unfortunate inhabitants are left hoaseless at rather an unseasonable time of the year, end that the enemy should have been too wary to come within reach of our can- non. Our sole object is to entice them to attack the Castle: until we can gt them rn that humour, I fear we shaU never give them a proper lesson. JULY 22. Ort;Sunda ; July the Ilth, Acting Engign G{ordon, commanding the alavancexpiquet to the N.N.E. of the Castle, observed an ene- my's piquet advancing, which he immediately attacked, and no sooner had they commencetl firing than t'e whole Ashantee force mnov'ed forward. Ensign Gordon was in a critical situation, wlen Lieutenant Swanzev brought his party up to their support, and with that deternined bravery which has. at all tiymes marked hIs conduct. dashed imto the thickest of the fight, whien a ball passing through hil he-d, we have to lament, ended his mortal career. Immediately he fell, a body of the enemy, with that brutal ferocity wvhich so pe- culiarly distinguishes this svaste tribe, made arTisb, In the hope of obtaining his head, but were direfully *lisappointed by the gallantry or Ensign Gordon and his party, who, though thev had to contend with infinite odds, maintained the fight most manfully and undis- mayed, atd ultimately h5d the satisfaction of seeing the body of his friend borneoff by some of his own followers. The action had now becore general with all our posts to the eastward , but expecting the enemy would attack in three points, it w*as not deemed prudent to call thc attention of the whole of our force in that dlirectioa, more especially as the.fight was so well maintained. The action, which commenced at three in the afternoon;, was not finished until they could no lornger see each other. when the Ashanitees were glad to re- tIre under the cover of a dark night. Every praise is due to Sir John Phillimore, wrho immediately landed with the greater Part of the ahip's company, who were ac- tively employed getting field pieces into positions most likely to bear on the enemy, .aving one already on a height from which one or two vell directsd shot. fired bv Lieutenant Scott, commander of his Mla- jesty's brig Swinger, had an excellent efFect on the foe.* We re- gret the 103s of Colonel Surherland, who has embarked in the 7'ltis for England, being; suceeded in the government byLient..Colonel Ci ommodore Bullen arrived here on the 21st from a cruise, aRd /z regret to state, lost f!r. -, Assistant Surgeon, and eight men, having been upset in one of the boats on the bar of Bonny.River. It dwas with the greatest difticulty Lieutenant Clarkson and the remain- der , the boat's cTew weresavedlby the other boats that were in com- pany. * Since the action the enerny have aelnowledged that they lost be- tweentfive and six hundred on that day. A great number of their wounde have been earred into Eliina. Our loss was comparatively small. Ih ave not yet learnt hew many werekdilled, but I belleve not above fifty. COAST OP GUIABd.