918 
¢ 
faction ; for ourselves, we shall still 
continue to think, that under the 
guidance of such men, Britain must 
ever remain great, prosperous, and 
invincible. 
Some Account of Lieut. Col. M‘Leod, 
of the 7 8th Regiment, with a Nar- 
_ rative of the Battle of Maida. 
‘fier. colonel Patrick M‘Leod, 
was third son of Donald M‘Leod, 
of Geanies, esquire ; sheriff depute 
of the shires of Ross and Cromarty, 
in Scotland; and was born at 
Geanies in Rossshire on the 18th 
April, 1776. Being destined for the 
army, an ensign’s commission in the 
42nd regiment was procured for him 
immediately after his leaving college, 
and Great Britain being then at 
peace, he obtained leave of absence 
from his regiment, to repair to a 
military academy at Brunswick, to 
study there the principles of his 
profession. After two years’ resi- 
dence at Brunswick, he returned 
home on the breaking out of the 
war with France, in 1793, and soon 
after accompanied his regiment, with 
the rank of lieutenant, to the con- 
tinent, where he served his first 
campaign. Having afterwards ob- 
tained a captain’s commission in the 
2d battalion of the 78th, he em- 
barked with it in the expedition 
against the Cape of Good Hope, 
assisted at the capture of that im- 
portant settlement, and, though still 
a very young man, such was the 
opinion entertained of him by sir 
Alured Clarke and sir James Craig, 
that he was appointed by them fort 
major of Cape Town. This situa- 
tiom he retained, till the 2d battalion 
of the 78th was ordered to India, 
to be incorporated with the first. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
Captain M‘Leod accompanied the 
battalion to- India, and remained © 
there till 1802, when bad health — 
compelled him to return to Europe. | 
Soon after his arrival in England, he 
became major of the 78th by pur- 
chase, and was then appointed to | 
the command of a battalion of | 
recruits, for different regiments, in 
India, collecied in the Isle of Wight, 
with whom he was dispatched soon 
afterwards to the isle of Guernsey, 
then threatened with invasion from 
the coast of France. While sta- 
tioned in Guernsey, major M‘Leod 
prepared a plan of defence for the 
island, in case it should be inyaded, 
which was highly approved of by 
the general officer, commanding in 
the island, to whom it was sub- 
mitted. ‘ 
Major general Fraser having, in 
the mean time, obtained an order 
from government for raising again a 
Qnd battalion of the 78th, major 
M‘Leod was recalled from Guernsey 
and sent to Scotland to assistin super- 
intending the levy, and when the 
battalion was completed, he was 
appointed to the immediate com- 
mand of it, with the rank of lieut. 
colonel.. The care and attention he 
bestowed in forming and disciplining 
this young corps were unremitted, 
and the steadiness they displayed at 
the battle of Maida, is a proof that 
his labour was not thrown away 
upon them. We have subjoined the 
orders which he issued to his bat. 
talion, before their disembarking, 
and the letter which he wrote to 
general Fraser, giving an account 
of the battle. No one can read with- 
out a wixed sensation of pleasure 
and regret, the natural and animated 
description of his feelings, as he 
looked along the line, and observed 
the coolness and steadiness af the 
~ young 
