HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



"9 



^d on the 15th of August, where- 

 by the reduction of tlie island of 

 Walcheren was completed; and 

 that on the 27th of August all at- 

 tempt upon the fleet and arsenals 

 of the enemy at Antwerp was, by 

 the unanimous opinion of the lieu- 

 tenant-generals, declared to be 

 impracticable, and was aban- 

 doned. 



3rd. *' That the destruction of 

 the basin, dock-yard, arsen;il, ma- 

 gazines, and nival store-houses, 

 of the town of Flushing, and of 

 such part of the sea defences as it 

 was found proper to destroy, hav- 

 ing been effected on the 11th of 

 December, she island of Walche- 

 ren was, on the 23rd of December, 

 e%'acuated by his majesty's forces, 

 and the expedition ended. 



4th. «« That it does not appear 

 to this House, that the failure of 

 the expedition is imputable to the 

 conduct of the army or the navy 

 in the execution of their instruc- 

 tions, relative to the military and 

 naval operations in the Scheldt. 



5th. " That on the 19th of Au- 

 gust a malignant disorder showed 

 itself amongst his majesty's troops; 

 and that on the 8th of September 

 the number of sick amounted to 

 upwards of 10,948 men. 



6th. "That it appears by the 

 report of the physician appointed 

 to investigate the nature and causes 

 of the malady to which his majes- 

 ty's troops were thus exposed, that 

 the disease is one which prevails 

 periodically in the islands of Zea- 

 land, and is of peculiar malignity 

 there, and which constantly fol- 

 lows a law of season appearing to- 

 wards the end of summer, becom- 

 ing more severe in the autumnal 

 months, decliningin October, and 

 nearlyceasing in November. That 



perfect recoveries are rare, con- 

 valescence never secure, and that 

 the recurrence of fever quickly 

 lays the foundation of complaints 

 which render a large proportion 

 of the sufterers inefficient for fu- 

 ture military purposes. 



7th. " That of the army which 

 embarked for service in the 

 Scheldt, 60 officers and 3,900 

 men, exclusive of those killed by 

 the enemy, had died before the 

 1st of February last, and on that 

 day 217 officers and 11,296 men 

 were reported sick. 



8th. " That the expedition to 

 the Scheldt was undertaken under 

 circumstances which afforded no 

 rational hope of adequate success, 

 and at the precise season of the 

 year when the malignant disease, 

 which has proved so fatal to his 

 majesty's brave troops, was known 

 to be most prevalent ; and that the 

 advisers of this ill-judged enter- 

 prize are, in the opinion of this 

 house, deeply responsible for the 

 heavy calamities with which its 

 failure has been attended. 



No. II. — 1st. "That lieutenant- 

 general sir Eyre Coote, having on 

 the 9th of September been left in 

 the command of Walcheren with 

 an army of about 15,000 men, did 

 on that day make an official re- 

 port on the state of the island, the 

 extent of forceretiuired effectually 

 to guard it, the nature and con- 

 dition of its defences, and the 

 number of men then sick and' 

 unfit for duty ; representing thatj 

 after such his exposition, his ma- 

 jesty's ministers would be the best 

 judges of the propriety or possi-" 

 bility of keeping the island ; and 

 adding, that the advantages must 

 be great indeed which could com- 

 pensate the loss of Jives and trea- 



