436 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1810. 



as was held out in the firstinstance, 

 a naval blockade, except on the 

 side of Veer and Ranamekins. Un- 

 fortunately, however, this did not 

 take place ; and for several nights 

 after the army was before Flushing, 

 the enemy succeeded in throwing 

 from the opposite coast, probably 

 from the canal of Ghent, consider- 

 able reinforcements into the place, 

 which enabled him constantly to 

 annoy our out-posts and working 

 parties, and finally to attempt a 

 sally in force, though happily, from 

 the valour of your majesty's troops, 

 without success. I have already 

 stated that Rammekins surrender- 

 ed on the evening of the 3rd of 

 August. Immediately upon this 

 event, feeling, as I did, great un- 

 easiness at the delay which had al- 

 ready taken place, and the depar- 

 ture from the original plan, I 

 wrote a letter to the admiral, then 

 at Ter Veer, expressing my hope 

 that the ships would now be able 

 to enter the West Scheldt by the 

 Sloe passage, and that no time 

 should be lost in pressing forward 

 as speedily as possible our further 

 operations ; and I requested at the 

 same time that he would commu- 

 nicate to me the extent of naval 

 co-operation he could afford, as 

 well for the future blockade of 

 Flushing, as with a view to pro- 

 tecting the coast of South Beve- 

 land, and v.'atching the passages 

 from the MeusetotheEast Scheldt, 

 as this consideration would govern 

 very much the extent of force I 

 must leave in South Beveland, 

 when the army advanced. To 

 this letter he did not reply fully 

 till the 8th of August ; but I had a 

 note from him on the 5th, assur- 

 ing me the transports should be 

 brought forward without delay ; 

 and I had also a very long conver- 



sation with him on the morning of 

 the 6th, on the arrangements to 

 be taken for our further opera- 

 tions; when I urged, in the strong- 

 est manner, the necessity of not 

 losing a moment in bringing up 

 the cavalry and ordnance ships, 

 transports, store ships, victuallers, 

 &c. in order that the armament 

 might proceed without delay to its 

 destination ; and I added my 

 hopes, that they would receive the 

 protection of the ships of war, 

 none of which had yet entered the 

 West Scheldt. The frigates, how- 

 ever, did not pass Flushing till 

 the evening of the lltli, and the 

 line of battle ships only passed to 

 the anchorage above Flushing on 

 the 14th, the second day of the 

 bombardment. These ships be- 

 gan to proceed up the river on 

 the ISth, and arrived on the 19th ; 

 one division as high as the bay 

 below Waerden, the other off the 

 Hanswent, where they remained : 

 the Courageux passed above Baiz; 

 the cavalry ships only got through 

 the Sloe passage into the West 

 Scheldt from the 20th to the 23rd, 

 and arrived off Batz on the 22nd 

 and 24'th ; the ordnance ships and 

 store ships passed through from 

 the 22nd to the 23rd, and arrived 

 at their destination off Batz on the 

 24'th and 25th ; the transports 

 for lieutenant-general Grosvenor's 

 division only came up to receive 

 them on the 19th, on which day 

 they embarked ; and those for 

 major-general Graham's division, 

 on the 20th and 2Jst ; and they 

 arrived off Batz on the 24'tli. 

 The corps of brigadier-general 

 Rottenburgh, and the light bat- 

 talions of the German legion, pro- 

 ceeded to join the earl of Ross- 

 lyn's division in South Beveland. 

 From this statement your majesty 



