458 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



their posts along the shore, when 

 those upon the hue opposite Messi- 

 na were seized and disarmed by a 

 corps under heutenant-col. Smith, 

 who had been detached from the 

 fleet immediately after our sailing 

 from Milazzo, with provisionary 

 orders for that purpose. 



Major-general Mackenzie, who 

 had sailed with me, as designed to 

 bear a part in this expedition, re- 

 turned also at my request about this 

 period, for the general superintend- 

 ance of these services, as well as to 

 hold the general command in Sici- 

 ly, which becomes a charge so im- 

 portant during the term of our pre- 

 sent operations. 



On the 24'th ult. the advanced 

 division of the British and Sicilian 

 fleet, namely, that which contained 

 the British troops, anchored off 

 CapeMiseno,in the vicinity of Baia, 

 when our preparations were imme- 

 diately made for a debarkation up- 

 on the island of Ischia ; and the ne- 

 cessary arrangements and disposi- 

 tions of boats being intrusted by 

 the admiral to sir Francis Laforey, 

 a descent was forced on the follow- 

 ing morning by the troops named 

 in the margin,* commanded by 

 major-general M'Farlane, under the 

 immediate fire of his majesty's ships 

 Warrior and Success, aided by the 

 British and Sicilian gun-boats, in 

 the face of a formidable chain of 

 batteries, with which every accessi- 



ble part of the shore was perfectly 

 fortified. These were turned and 

 successively abandoned, as our 

 troops gained their footing. About 

 250 or 300 men, of the first Legere, 

 in the first instance fell into our 

 hands. General Colonna, who 

 commanded, retired with his prin- 

 cipal force into the castle, where he 

 rejected a summons from major ge- 

 neral M'Farlane, and held out until 

 the 30th ult. when a breaching bat- 

 tery having been erected against his 

 works, he surrendered upon terms 

 of capitulation. 



As it was conjectured by the ad- 

 miral and myself that the success 

 and promptitude with which the 

 landing upon Ischia was effected, 

 might probably operate an influ- 

 ence upon the adjacent garrison of 

 Procida, a summons was immedi- 

 ately sent to the commandant there- 

 of, who in the course of the day, 

 submitted to our proposed terms ; 

 an event which contributed most 

 fortunately to the almost entire cap- 

 ture or destruction of a large flotilla 

 of about 40 heavy gun-boats, which 

 attempted their passage during the 

 night and following morning to Na- 

 ples from Gaeta, and expected to 

 find protection, as well as co-oper- 

 ation, under the artillery of the for- 

 tress, in their passage through the 

 narrow straight that separates the 

 island from the Main. 



This important service was exe- 

 cuted 



• Troops that landeci under the command of major-general M'Farlane, assisted 

 by the hon. brigadier-general Lunilej. 



First Battalion Infantry 850 



Second Battalion Light Infantry (foreign) 330 



Eighty -first Regiment 600 



Corsican Rangers 400 



Detachment Calabrian Free Corps 150 



Artillery, Staff Corps, &c 50 



Four Six-pounders. Two Howitzers. 



