1806.] Slate of Public Jffairs in Auguft y ISOG. 



153 



land oppo'iis to the idsnd, where the guard 

 had h;iu';cd the whole upon the beach, I de- 

 tache.l t!ie' two mortar- boats, im 1 .i Gaeta 

 privi^ecr, under the order: of J^ieutcnants 

 Bali. r.rne and Rii'tra, to Ijring them oft', 

 feniinc- only M.-. WiUunis, midjhipman of 

 the ronipce, from the fquadron, on purpofe 

 to let the Neaoolitans have the credit of the 

 action., whicli they fairly b'jt lined ; for, af- 

 ter diflodging the enemy from aftrong tower, 

 they not only brought oft' the boats and two 

 thirty-five pounders, but the powder (twenty 

 barrels,) from the magazine of the tower, be- 

 fore t'le enemy alTembled in force. 



'< The proj»c>ed forties took place on the 

 13th and l.ith, in the morning, in a manner 

 to refleS the highcft credit on the part of the 

 gjnifon and naval force employed The co- 

 vering "ire from the fleet was judicioufly direft- 

 ed by Captains Richardfon and Vicuna, whofe 

 conduft on this whole fervice merits my 

 vvarmefl approbation. 



" On the 19th ult. the boats of the Pom- 

 pee, vinder Lieutenant Beancroft, brought out 

 a mercl'.ant velTel from Scalvitra, near Saler- 

 no, although protefted by a heavy nre of 

 muftelry. That oJficer and Mr. Sterling dif- 

 tinguiihed themfelves much. The enemy 

 are endeavouring to e.lablilh a land-carriage 

 there to Naples. 



" On the ^od, obtaining intelligence that 

 the enemy had two 36-pounders in a fnnall 

 vcfl'el on the beach at Sealea,! fent thqPom- 

 pee's boats in for them ; but the French 

 troops were too well pofted in the houfes of 

 the town for them to fuccecd without the co- 

 ver of the ihip. I accorjinglv ftood in with 

 the Pompce ; fent a meffage to the inhabi- 

 tants to withdraw ; which being done, a few 

 of the Pompee's lower-deck guns cleared the 

 town and neighbouring hills, v/hile the 

 launch, commanded by Lieutenant Mouray- 

 lian, with Lieutenant Oats, of the marines, 

 and Mr. Williams, drove the French, with 

 their armed adherents, from the guns, and 

 took pofl'cirion of the Caftle and of them. 

 Finding, on my landing, that the town was 

 tenable againft any force the enemy could 

 bring againlt me from the neareft garrifon in 

 a given time, I took poft with the marines^ 

 and' under cuver of theii pohtion, by the ex- 

 treme exertions of Lieutenant Carroll, Mr. 

 Ives, mailer, and the petty officers and boats' 

 crews, the guns were conveyed to the Pom- 

 pee, with twenty-tv.o barrels of powder. 

 " I have the honour to be, &c., 



(Sit;ned) " W. Sidney Smith." 



Gac'ta, after a gallant aud qlouous de- 

 fence by the Priuce of H.eli'e i'liiliplta!. 



his been forced to furrender, after it.? 

 Commander had beeit feverely woundeii, 

 and after two practicable breaches had 

 been made in the walls. Marflial Maf- 

 fena commanded the befic^mj; army; 

 and on their arrival from Goeta at Na- 

 ples, the new King illutd the followirig 

 proclamation. 



" Soldiers ! 

 *' Gaeta has capitulatid after the trenches 

 had been opened for thrt-e moi.ths, and twelve . 

 days after the commencement of a vigorous 

 bombardment. Tb.at fortrefs, defended pa 

 three fides by the fea, and only connefled 

 with the land by an ifthmus of 300 toifes in 

 breadth, was di^fended i)y a garrifoo of 9000 

 men, fupportcd by an Engliih fleet, and th^' 

 cannoneers, as well as the artillery, were fre;- 

 quently renewed upon the ramparts. "tv/Q 

 breaches were eft'efted by our brave troops j 

 all awaited with irap-atience tlie fignal for af- 

 faiilt ; but the enemy, calling to mind the 

 impetuous valour of the French, furrendered 

 the place. The artillery and numerous gar- 

 rifon of Gaeta, its rtrong ppfition, the un- 

 whoicfome air which the beficgers breathed, 

 could not fluke their courage. The Empe- 

 ror will lear.i with pleasure your efi'brts and 

 your courage. Marflial M-ifTena has belieged 

 Gaeta with the fame courage that he lovnierr 

 ly riefeadcd Genoa. The boldnefs with 

 which the v.orks of the fiege were urged on, 

 does no lefs honour to ' ';.e corps of engineers, 

 than to the fjldieis who executed thofe 

 works under the fcverefl: fire, to which our 

 artillery made no return but when it was in a 

 condition to deftroy the rainpaits of the ene- 

 fiiy, and to make a breach. 



•• Joseph." 



SPAIJ.-. 



Inafmucl), as to project and effedt the 

 overthrow of empires is at the prefent 

 era the bulinefs «f a limple arrangement, 

 the deftinics of tiiis ancient kia^dom'^ 

 and of its neighbour Portugal, is mider- 

 ftood to be about to undergo a change. 

 Some provinces are to be united to the 

 territory of France, oihers are to be 

 .erected into a feparate govei-nraent, anrf 

 what remains of Spain is to be united 

 .\\itli Portugal, and to fonn tlie future 

 Spanilh monarcliy. To add to tlicfe poc 

 ■litical wonders, it is faid that the ajurt 

 of Portugal wiil remo\e its feat of pj- 

 vcrnnienf to the JBraaiis, andtreCt a ne\i- 

 einpire in SoatK America! 



■J>ftJriiE>^T*, 



