96 Biography of the late Captain Dugald Carm'ichnd. 



Of this brave action which terminated so favourably for the 

 British arms, we shall give the description in Captain Car- 

 michael's own words. 



" The expedition under the command of Sir David Baird, 

 which was destined to act against the Cape of Good Hope, con- 

 sisted of the 5^4th, 38th, and 83d regiments, commanded by 

 Brigadier-General Beresford ; and the 71st, 72d, and 93d, com- 

 manded by Brigadier-General Ferguson ; three companies of 

 the Royal Artillery under General Yorke ; and two squadrons 

 of the 20th Light Dragoons. To this force must be added the 

 59th regiment, embarked for the East Indies, which was or- 

 dered to co-operate with us in the reduction of the Cape. The 

 naval force, commanded by Sir Home Popham, consisted of two 

 64 gun-ships, and one of 50 guns ; two frigates, a sloop of war, 

 and two gun-brigs. 



" The expedition sailed from the Cove of Cork on the 2d 

 day of September 1805, and, on the 4th of October, the fleet, 

 amounting to about seventy sail, came to anchor in Funchal 

 Roads, off the Island of Madeira. We weighed anchor again, 

 and directed our course for St Salvador, on the coast of Brazil, 

 where we arrived on the 12th of November, with the loss of the 

 Britannia Indiaman, and the King George transport, with Ge- 

 neral Yorke on board, which were wrecked on the shoal called 

 the Racers, off Cape St Augustine. Leaving St Salvador on 

 the 26th of November, we made the Cape of Good Hope on 

 the 3d of January 1806 ; and, on the evening of the 4th, the 

 whole fleet came to an anchor in the channel, between Robin 

 Island and the Blueberg. 



" Early on the morning of the 5th of January, General Be- 

 resford's brigade made an attempt to land ; but, on approaching 

 the shore, the sea was found to break with such violence, that 

 it was thought prudent to desist. As that part of the coast was 

 known to be subject to a heavy surge, and the situation of the 

 fleet was such as forbade any unnecessary delays, the Diomede, 

 with the transports carrying the 38th regiment and General 

 Beresford, was dispatched to Saldanha Bay, and the whole fleet 

 would have followed next day, had not the Highland brigade 

 been fortunate enough to effect a landing about six miles far- 

 ther to the southward, in Sospiras Bay. The enemy's riflemen 

 3 



