220 
ricane season (already. begun) 
might permit. 
The Ist division from Bar- 
badoes anchored in the bay of St. 
Louis, Mariegalante, on the 2d 
August, and from thence were 
ordered to threaten a landing to 
windward off Point-a-Pitre and 
‘Fort Fleur d’Epée, where the 
enemy was in force. 
The 2d or leeward division as- 
sembling (but were not yet col- 
lected) at the Saintes, threatened 
the whole coast from St. Marie 
‘to Basseterre and Baillif. 
It was deemed advisable to ac- 
company the demonstration of a 
landing in force from Gosier, bya 
summons to surrender the forts 
‘Point-a-Pitre and Grande-Terre. 
It was the Rear Admiral’s inten- 
tion and mine to have met the Ist 
division in the Venerable, which 
sailed from the Saintes for that 
urpose; calms and currents, 
owever,prevented the Venerable 
from reaching the coast, and ob- 
liged the 1st division to anchor. 
The appearance of the atmo- 
sphere denoted the approach of 
ahurricane; it became therefore 
necessary to give up secondary 
objects and to embrace the first 
favourable moment for getting 
the fleet into the Saintes, for 
which the commander in chief 
made the necessary dispositions. 
It was not until the night of the 
7th that the whole force was 
assembled at the Saintes. 
I had previously: reconnoitred 
the coast, in the Barbadoes brig 
of war, which Rear admiral Sir 
Charles Durham had sent with 
me for that purpose. 
The internal state of Guada- 
loupe and the season were both 
so critical that not a moment was 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
to be lost ; I determined therefore 
to attackthe enemy. on the morn- 
ing of the 8th instant. 
Having made the necessary ar- 
rangements with the naval com- 
mander in chief, the whole fleet 
got under weigh at break of day, 
and stood towards the Ance St. 
Sauveur, where the landing most 
to windward was to be effected. 
I had received information that 
the troops of the line and militia 
under arms, altogether amounted 
to 6,000. I determined, therefore 
to throw my principal force 
between that of the enemy in 
Grande-terre and Basse-terre, 
where it was his intention to 
have assembled nearly the whole 
of his force, immediately after 
our demonstration to windward 
had of necessity terminated. My 
plan was to attack in three co- 
Jumns ; the scarcity of boats and 
the surf, required that the whole 
should assist in each disembark- 
ation, which was therefore. ef- 
fected successively. The first was 
made at the’ Ance St. Sauveur, 
where a detachment of the enemy 
about 500 strong, moving from 
Grande-Terre to join Admiral Li- 
nois and General Boyer, shew- 
ed a disposition to oppose the 
landing. 
The brigs of war and gun 
boats, however, soon scoured 
that point, and eight hundred and 
fifty of the Royal York Rangers, 
under Lieutenant- Colonel Starck, 
disembarked (notwithstanding a 
heavy surf) without the loss of a 
man. 
Lieutenant Colonel Starck had 
instructions to make a rapid 
movement to drive and disperse 
the enemy occupying the strong 
country and rayines of Trou-au- 
