STATE PAPERS. 



435 



the one under lieutenant-general 

 lord Huntley and commodore 

 Owen, and the other under lieu- 

 tenant-general sir John Hope and 

 rear-admiral sir Richard Keats ; 

 but both directed to assist and en- 

 sure a rapid progress up the 

 Scheldt, had the admiral found it 

 practicable in other respects. With 

 respect to the former, which was 

 destined to destroy the Cadsand 

 batteries, and particularly that of 

 Breskens, had it been carried at 

 once into effect, and that the ad- 

 miral could have availed himself 

 of it, to take the ships up the 

 West Scheldt by the Weeling pas- 

 sage, it would have been ot the 

 utmost advantage : but it was cer- 

 tainly rather fortunate it did not 

 take place at a later period, as 

 afterall the transports, store-ships, 

 &c. were ordered into the Veere 

 Gat, and the plan of running at 

 once up the West Scheldt by the 

 Weeling Channel seemed aban- 

 doned, the object of destroying 

 the Cadsand batteries ceased, and 

 a landing there would only have 

 been an unnecessary risk, and the 

 very inconvenient separation of 

 our force, and, of course, occasion 

 great delay in collecting it for ul- 

 terior operations. It must not, 

 however, be forgotten, that the 

 difficulties here turned out to be 

 much greater than had been at all 

 foreseen before we sailed. — When 

 it was found that lord Huntley's 

 division could neither land nor 

 proceed by the W^eeling passage 

 up the Scheldt, as I had intended 

 they should, it was determined to 

 withdraw them ; but from the 

 boisterous state of the weather, it 

 was some days before this could 

 be effected. As soon as it was ac- 

 complished, they were passed 



over to South Beveland. — With 

 respect to sir John Hope's opera- 

 tion, it was more prosperous. It 

 was conceived that, by landing 

 on the north side of South Beve- 

 land, the island mightbepossessed, 

 and all the batteries taken in re- 

 verse, and thereby the position of 

 the French fleet, if they ventured 

 to remain near Flushing, would 

 be, as if it were, turned, and their 

 retreat rendered more difficult, 

 while the attack on them by our 

 ships would have been much fa- 

 cilitated ; and for this object the 

 division of sir John Hope rather 

 preceded, in sailing from the 

 Downs, the rest of the fleet. This 

 division was landed near Ter-Goes, 

 from whence they swept all the 

 batteries in the island that could 

 impede the progress of our ships 

 up the West Scheldt, and possess- 

 ed themselves, on the 2nd of Au- 

 gust, of the important post of 

 Batz, to which it had been pro- 

 mised thearmyshouldatoncehave 

 been brought up. — Sir John Hope 

 remained in possession of this post, 

 though not without being twice at- 

 tacked by the enemy's flotilla, for 

 nine days before any of the gun- 

 boats under captain sir Home Pop- 

 ham were moved up the Scheldt 

 to his support. — Your majesty will 

 be pleased to recollect, that the 

 troops which sailed from Ports- 

 mouth, under lieutenant-general 

 sir Eyre Coote, were destined for 

 the service of Walcheren, and had 

 been considered as sufficient for 

 that object, according to the intel- 

 ligence received, audthe supposed 

 strength of the enemy; though at 

 the same time certainly relying for 

 the first efforts against Flushing 

 on the promised co-operation of 

 the nrwy, and on their establishing, 

 2F2 



