490 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



ing is a cop}', was this day received 

 at the office of visct. Castlereagh, 

 one of his majesty's principal se- 

 cretaries of state, from lieut.-gen. 

 the earl of Chatiiam, K. G. dated 

 head quarters, Middleburgh, Aug. 

 16, 1809. 



Head Qumiers, Middleburgh, 

 Aug. 16. 



My lord,^I have the honour of 

 acquainting your lordship, tliat on 

 the IStli inst. the batteries before 

 Flushing being completed (and the 

 frigates, bombs, and gun-vessels, 

 having at the same time taken their 

 stations), afire was opened at about 

 half past one p. m. from fifty-two 

 pieces of heavy ordnance, which 

 was vigorously returned by the ene- 

 my. An additional battery of six 

 twenty-four pounders was complet- 

 ed the same night, and the whole 

 continued to play upon the town 

 with little or no intermission till 

 late on the following day. 



On the morning of the l-ith in- 

 stant, about ten o'clock, the line of 

 battle ships at anchor in the Dur- 

 loo Passage, led by rear-admiral 

 sir Richard Strachan, got under 

 weigh, and ranging up along the 

 sea line of defence, kept up as they 

 passed, a tremendous cannonade on 

 the town for several hours, with the 

 greatest gallantry and effect. About 

 four in the afternoon, perceiving 

 that the fire of the enemy had en- 

 tirely ceased, and the town pre- 

 senting a most awful scene of de- 

 struction, being on fire in almost 

 every quarter, I directed lieute- 

 nant-general sir Eyre Coote to send 

 in to summons the place ; general 

 Monnet returned for answer, that 

 he would reply to the summons as 

 soon as he had consulted a council 

 of war; an hour had been allowed 

 him for the purpose, but a consi- 



derable time beyond it having elap- 

 sed without any answer being re- 

 ceived, hostilities were ordered to 

 recommence with the utmost vi- 

 gour, and about eleven o'clock at 

 night, one of the enemy's batteries, 

 advanced upon the Sea Dyke in 

 front of lieutenant-general Fraser's 

 position, was most gallantly carri- 

 ed at the point of the bayonet, by 

 detachments from the 36th, 71st, 

 and light battalions of the king's 

 German legion, under lieutenant- 

 colonel Pack, opposed to great su- 

 periority of numbers; they took 

 forty prisoners, and killed and 

 wounded a great many of the 

 enemy. 



1 must not omit to mention, that 

 on the preceding evening an in- 

 trenchment in front of major-gen. 

 Graham's position was also forced 

 in a manner equally undaunted, by 

 the 14th regiment, and detachments 

 of the King's German Legion under 

 lieut.-colonel Nicolls, who drove 

 the enemy from it, and made a 

 lodsnient within musket-shot of 

 the walls of the town, takmg one 

 gun and thirty prisoners. About 

 two in the morning, the enemy 

 demanded a suspension of arms for 

 forty-eight hours, which was refus- 

 ed, and only two hours granted, 

 when he agreed to surrender ac- 

 cording to the summons sentin, on 

 the basis of the garrison becoming 

 prisoners of war. 



I have now the satisfaction of ac- 

 quainting your lordship, that these 

 preliminaries being acceded to ; as 

 soon as the admiral landed in the 

 morning, colonel Long, adjutant- 

 general, and captain Cockburn, of 

 the royal navy, were appointed to 

 ne^ociate the further articles of ca- 

 pitulation, which I have now the 

 honour to inclose. They were ra- 

 tified 



