APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. 473 



hisbrigade on the 29th in the morn- 

 ing, having marched 12 Spanish 

 leagues in little more than 24 hours. 

 From Sir A. IVeliesley, Talavera, 

 Aug. 1. 

 When I addressed you this morn- 

 ing, I had not received the report 

 from our out-posts. It appears 

 that the enemy withdrew the rear- 

 guard, which was posted on the 

 heights on the left side of the Al- 

 berche, last night at 11 o'clock, 

 and the whole army marched to- 

 wards Santa Olalla ; I conclude, 

 with an intention of taking up a 

 position in the neighbourhood of 

 Guadarama. 



Copy of a Letter from Capt. Lord 

 George Stuart, of his Majesty's 

 ship thz Amiable, addressed to 

 Rear'Admiral Sir R. Strachan, 

 and a duplicate (fivhich has been 

 transmitted to the Hon. W. W. 

 Pole. 



His Majesty s ship L* Amiable, 

 offCuxhaven, July 29, 1809. 

 Sir — The French troops in Han- 

 over, not content with frequent 

 predatory and piratical incursions 

 in the neighbourhood of Cuxhaven, 

 had the audacity to enterthevillage 

 of Riitzhuttle with a body of horse 

 at mid-day, on Wednesday the 26th 

 inst. and very narrowly missed 

 making several officers of the squa- 

 dron prisoners. In consequence I 

 was induced to land a detachment 

 of seamen and marines from the ves- 

 sels composing the squadron uader 

 my orders, for the purposes, if pos- 

 tible, of intercepting them. In the 

 ardour of pursuit we advanced until 

 we got sight of the town of Bre- 

 merleke, into which we learned they 

 had retreated. The information 

 wag incorrect. On entering the 



town we were assured that the 

 enem)', to the number of about 250, 

 occupied the town of Gessendorf, 

 two miles distant, and further, that 

 it contained a depot of confiscated 

 merchandize. It was resolved in- 

 stantly to attack it. 



For this purpose captain Goate 

 of the Mosquito, advanced with a 

 detachment, while I directed capt. 

 Pettet, of the Briseis, to take a cir- 

 cuitous route, and take a well con- 

 structed battery of four twelve 

 pounders, commanding the river 

 Weser in flank, while the remainder, 

 under my own immediate directions, 

 headed by captain Watts, of the 

 Ephira, advanced to attack it ia 

 front. The road we had to pass, 

 subjected us all to a galling fire of 

 round and grape from the battery, 

 the guns of which were all pointed 

 inwards, and which in return we 

 could only answer by discharges of 

 musketry. Gessendorf, though cer- 

 tainly tenable with the numbers the 

 enemy had opposed to ours, was on 

 the approach of captain Goate, 

 precipitately evacuated. The ene- 

 my being previously informed of 

 our approach, had put into requisi- 

 tion a number of light waggons for 

 the transportation of the foot, in 

 rear of which sixty well mounted 

 cavalry drew up. 



The enemy in the battery, seeing 

 us determined, notwithstanding 

 their fire, to carry our point, and 

 that we were making preparations 

 for fording a deep and wide creek 

 in their front, abandoned it, and 

 embarked in boats on the Weser 

 ready for their reception, under a 

 severe fire of musquetry from our 

 detachment, witii the loss on their 

 part of several killed and wounded. 

 From a fore knowledge of our in- 

 tentions on the part of the enemy, 



we 



