APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



165 



forced the passage of the Gave 

 above Orthes, and seeing the stale 

 of the action, he moved immediate- 

 ly with the second division of in- 

 fantry under Lieutenant-General 

 Sir William Stewart, and Major- 

 General Fane's brigade of cavalry, 

 direct for the great road from Or- 

 thes to St. Sever, thus keeping 

 upon the enemy's left. 



The enemy retired at first in ad- 

 mirable order, taking every advan- 

 tage of the numerous good posi- 

 tions which the country afforded. 

 The losses, however, which they 

 sustained in the continued attacks 

 of our troops, and the danger 

 with which they were threatened 

 by Lieutenant-General Sir Row- 

 land Hill's movements, soon acce- 

 lerated their movements, and the 

 retreat at length became a flight, 

 and their troops were in the utmost 

 confusion. 



Lieutenant-General Sir Stapleton 

 Cotton took advantage of the only 

 opportunity which offered to charge 

 with Major-General Lord Edward 

 Somerset's brigade in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Sault de Navailles, 

 where the enemy had been driven 

 from the high road by Lieut.- 

 General Sir Rowland Hill. The 

 7th hussars distinguished them- 

 selves upon this occasion, and 

 made many prisoners. 



We continued the pursuit till it 

 was dusk, and I halted the army 

 in the neighbourhood of Sault de 

 Navailles. 



I cannot estimate the extent of 

 the enemy's loss : we have taken 

 six pieces of cannon, and a great 

 many prisoners ; the numbers I 

 cannot at present report. The 

 whole country is covered with their 

 dead. Their army was in the ut- 

 most confusion when 1 saw it pass- 



ing the heights near Sault de Na- 

 vailles, and many soldiers had 

 thrown away their arms. The de- 

 sertion has since been immense. 



We followed the enemy the day 

 after to this place ; and we this 

 day passed the Adour ; Marshal Sir 

 W, Beresford, with the light divi- 

 sion, and Colonel Vivian's brigade, 

 upon Mont de Marsan, where he 

 has taken a very large magazine of 

 provisions. 



Lieutenant-General Sir Rowland 

 Hill has moved upon Aire, and the 

 advanced posts of the centre are at 

 Cassares. 



The enemy are apparently re- 

 tiring upon Agen, and have left 

 open the direct road towards Bour- 

 deaux. 



Whilst the operations of which 

 I have above given the report were 

 carrying on on the right of the 

 army, Lieutenant-General Sir John 

 Hope, in concert with Rear Ad- 

 miral Penrose, availed himself of 

 an opportunity which offered on 

 the 23rd of February to cross the 

 Adour below Bayonne, and to take 

 possession of both banks of the ri- 

 ver at its mouth. The vessels des- 

 tined to form the bridge could not 

 get in till the 24th, when the diffi- 

 cult, and at this season of the year 

 dangerous operation of bringing 

 them in was effected with a degree 

 of gallantry and skill seldom equal- 

 led. Lieutenant-General Sir John 

 Hope particularly mentions Cap- 

 tain O'Reilly and Lieutenant Che- 

 shire, Lieutenant Douglas, and 

 Lieutenant Collins, of the royal 

 navy, and also Lieutenant Deben- 

 ham, agent of transports ; and I 

 am infinitely indebted to Rear- 

 Admiral Penrose for the cordial 

 assistance I received from him in 

 preparing for this plan, and for 



