68 
direfted to proceed immediately to 
camp, and the boats of the fleet 
were unremittingly employed in 
forwarding stores and provisions to 
us: a work in which, from the pe- 
euliar difficulty of our situation, 
and the insuficiency of our means, 
our progress was very slow, and 
frequently so much interrupted by 
nfavourable weather, that we 
could hardly get a-head of our 
cousumption. While this neces- 
sary business was going on, our 
future operations became the ob- 
ject of my mostearnest consideration. 
On the one hand, as the enemy 
appearcd numerous, and disposed 
to an obstinate defence, for the 
which they had had ample time 
to make the best preparations, I 
could not but be sensible that the 
force under my command was, in 
point of numbers, inadequate to 
ihe attempt of reducing them; 
and I had little to rely on to coun- 
terbalance the disparity, but the 
spirit of the individuals belonging 
to it. I possessed no cattle or car- 
riages for the transport of ammu- 
nition or provisions, and a com- 
munication of twelve miles was to 
be kept up to be furnished with 
either, at least till I could open a 
shorter one with the ships that the 
admiral might send to Table Bay, 
for which the season was still very 
unfavourable. On the other hand, 
though these difficulties were suf- 
ficiently discouraging, yet the 
arrival of general Clarke was 
uncertain, and the state of our 
provisions was such as to render 
the possibility of our stay, till it 
should happen, very doubtful. Un- 
der these circumstances, I deter- 
mired on an attempt by night on 
the most considerable of the ene- 
my’s out-posts, in the hopes that a 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. 
severe execution among the burgher 
militia might intimidate them, and 
produce circumstances to our ad. 
vantage. It took place on the 27th 
of last month; but unfortunately, 
notwithstanding every attention on 
the part of lieutenant-colonel 
M‘Kenzie, who commanded, it 
failed, from the intricacy of the 
roads and the timidity and ignorance 
cf the guides; while it served only 
to produce among the enemy a de. 
gree of vigilance, which soon con- 
vinced me of the impratticability of 
any further attempt by way of sur. 
prize. 
On the morning of the 1st ot 
September, the enemy, having lined 
the mountains above us with Hot. 
tentots and burgher militia, com. 
menced a fire of musquetry upon 
our camp, which, from the total 
want of effect that had attended a 
former attempt of the same nature, 
was little atrended to, till unfor- 
tunately the piquet of the reserve, 
being too much occupied, with 
covering themselves from it, neg. 
le€&ted their front, from whence 
the enemy poured in considerable 
numbers, and forced them with 
some loss. Captain Brown, with 
the 78th grenadiers, advancing 
however to their support, the ene- 
my were immediately driven down 
the hill again, and the ground of 
the piquets re-occupied. In this 
affair major Moneypenny, of the 
78th, was severely wounded ; and 
we suffered a great loss in being 
deprived of the assistance of an ot. 
ficer of distinguished zeal and ac- 
tivity in the command of the re- 
serve, with which he had been 
charged since our march from Si- 
mon’s Town. Captain Dentatie, 
of the St. Helena troops, was also 
wounded, 
In 
