222 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1815. 
open his communication with the 
columns moving to the attack of 
Morne Palmiste, and to menace 
his retreat from thence to Morne 
Houel. 
Major-General Douglass was, 
if necessary, also to detach from 
his rear, for the purpose of tak- 
ing the passes of Zougeres, Pont 
de Noziere and Constantine, com- 
manding the approaches to the 
strong heights of Matouba, in re- 
verse ; so that the enemy might 
not have the means of equivocat- 
ing between those positions, but 
be compelled to choose at once 
his dernier resource. 
The enemy, who had been 
driven by the vessels covering the 
landing, collected on the heights, 
and attacked the light company 
of the 63rd regiment, who were 
advanced ; they gallantly main- 
tained their ground against up- 
wards of three hundred of the 
enemy, who came down to attack 
them, Captain Lynch and Lieut. 
Wigley were wounded on that 
occasion. 
Major-General Douglass, in 
person, supported them by part 
of the York Chasseurs, under 
Lieutenant-Colonel Ewart, and 
he was immediately driven with 
loss. 
While this operation was going 
on, the columns of the Ist and 
2nd brigades gained the heights of 
Morne Palmiste, from whence the 
enemy was driven at all points 
and was now retiring to Morne 
Houel, which he had fortified with 
eight pieces of artillery. This 
was the position where Comte 
Linois and General Boyer had 
professed their determination of 
ultimately disputing the superio- 
rity in the field. 
I received information that the 
Commandant of Grande-Terre, 
with the whole armed force, was, 
as I expected, moving in my rear 
to form a junction with the main 
body at Morne Houel. Taccord- 
ingly reinforced my rear-guard 
to protect our communications, 
and occupied in force all the pas- 
ses of the Gallion, a river run- 
ning through a formidable ravine 
at the foot of Morne Palmiste. 
Thus the troops from Grande- 
Terre were completely cut off 
from forming their junction, 
which they attempted without 
success by paths through the 
wood, late in the afternoon, but 
with light sufficient to point out 
to Comte Linois and General 
Boyer that all their plans of con- 
centration were defeated. 
After these laborious move- 
ments, which the troops executed 
in the most creditable manner, 
there was only time before night 
to place the columns in readiness 
to attack the formidable position 
of Morne Houel at day-break in 
the morning. 
The troops accordingly took up 
their bivouacs. It rainedfheavily. 
At 11 o’clock p. m. in the night 
of the 9th, the commanding 
French engineer came to me on 
the top of Morne Palmiste ver- 
bally to propose a capitulation in 
the name of Le Comte de Linois, 
to which I replied, that the only 
terms I ever would accede to were 
already published in the procla- 
mation issued on landing, and 
that I would not delay the attack 
on Morne Houel to wait for any 
further communications, It was 
so dark, and the rain fell in such 
torrents, that the officer from the 
enemy and Captain Moody, my 
