BRITAIN. 



707 



Britain. 



Bernadotte had arrived at Aiilv 1 as French 



and Dutcli troops continued to pour into that town 

 and Bergen-op-Zooro, it became doubtful whether 

 (setting aside the question of a sir;.',-) we liai! 

 hcicnt disposable force, after the fall of Flushing, to 

 cope with the enemy in the field. While yet the ex- 

 tent of the difficulties must have been foixv.ecn, the 

 movements of our forces, for a time, strongly indica- 

 ted a determined view upon Antwerp. Soon after 

 the British troops had entered Flushing, a division of 

 line of battle ships proceeded up the West Scheldt 

 towards Bathz. Corps of troops were passed from 

 Walcheren, and divisions were re-embarked on board 

 transports, and ordered to rendezvous, with the rest 

 of the army, at Bathz. Horse transports, store- 

 ships, gun boats, fire-ships, all were concentrated to 

 this point. Eight days and a half after the sur- 

 render of Flushing, head-quarters were established 

 at Bathz. On the 25th, the Earl of Chatham 

 held conferences with several of the general offi- 

 cers of the army. On the 26th and 27th, councils 

 of war were held ; and it was soon understood that 

 the ships of war and transports would immediately 

 retire, and that south Beveland would be evacuated 

 without any farther attempt or demonstration. Sir 

 John Hope was entrusted with the final evacuation 

 of South Beveland. The islands of Schouwen and 

 North Beveland were also evacuated ; and, on the 

 4th of September, the rear guard of the reserve was 

 embarked on board a squadron of frigates, under the 

 command of Lord William Stuart, which sailed at 

 once for the lower part of the West Scheldt. The 

 line of battle ships, and other armed vessels, with 

 all the transports, had taken their departure, so that, 

 after the 4th of September, Walcheren was the only 

 island in the province of Zealand which remained in 

 our possession. It is much to be regretted, that the 

 evacuation of South Beveland was not decided upon, 

 as it might have been, immediately after the fall of 

 Flushing. It was evident the enemy's fleet in the 

 Scheldt could not then be attacked with any hope of 

 success; and if that part of the army which was not 

 necessary for the defence of Walcheren had been 

 sent to England, we should not only have been spared 

 the mortification of an inglorious retreat, but we 

 should have saved the lives of a number of gallant 

 soldiers. 



About the middle of August, the disease inciden- 

 tal to the climate began to spread, and many of our 

 men were sacrificed, in Beveland, to its effects. Not 

 less dreadful were the ravagt-s of the disease in Wal- 

 cheren. In the course of tvo rr.o.iths we lost 1700 

 men ; and towards the middle of September, the ave- 

 rage number of deaths was from 200 to 300 men a 

 week. 



After the evacuation of South Beveland, no mili- 

 tary went of importance occurred. On the 14th of 

 September, the Earl of Chatham embarked and set 

 tail for England, leaving Sir Eyre Coote, with 15,000 

 men, for the defence of Walcheren. Lieutenant Ge- 

 neral Don was afterwards appointed to succeed Sir 

 Eyre Coote. and he arrived at Walcheren on the 

 24th of October. During the whole of this time, it 

 was ur.ccrtmii whether our troops were to form a 

 permanent establishment on the island or not. A 



month was wasted in hesitation and delay ; and, rx- Britain. 



traori'i t may appear, the greatest activity 



to be displayed at the time when it bccan 

 doubtful whether we iiit'-ud.d to maintain or aban- 

 don our conqin 



About the middle of November arrived the order 

 to evacuate the inland, and demolish the works and 

 naval basin of Flushing. On the 2ljd, the island of 

 Walcheren was completely evacuated by the British 

 army. The land fortifications of Flushing, the de- 

 fences of Veere, and the fort of Rammikins, all of 

 which had been improved at considerable expense, 

 were left in a much better state than when they first 

 came into our possession. 



While the tremendous and concentrated power of 

 France was overwhelming the centre of Europe, it 

 may be questioned, if all the disposable force of Bri- 

 tain could have availed in co-operating against her, 

 had it been even pointed to one quarter ; but, if so- 

 lid and undivided co-operation was insufficient, much 

 more was a desultory system of diversion likely to 

 be fruitless. Besides the expedition to Walcheren, Attack 

 an attempt was made, during the summer, to invade U P"" Na- 

 Naples. Sir John Stuart embarked from Messina *" | t * r 

 in June, from the island of Sicily, with 15,000 Bri- art . 

 tish troops, and a small force of Sicilians. A bri- 

 gade, which was detached to the Calabrian coast, 

 took possession of a line of posts which the French 

 had erected opposite to Messina. The island of Is- 

 chia was the first point of attack of the main army : 

 its fortified and rugged shores were possessed by the 

 gallantry of the troops ; and, in a short time, two 

 garrisons and a flotilla of gun boats surrendered, 1500 

 regular troops were made prisoners, and 100 pieces 

 of ordinance were taken. So far our arms were suc- 

 cessful ; and it appears that the diversion occasioned 

 the recal of some of the French troops who were to 

 have joined the army of Italy, as well as of a portion 

 who were to have marched into the papal territories. 

 But the attempt on the continent and city of Naples 

 was abandoned ; for, besides a regular force which 

 King Joachim kad assembled, a large body of na- 

 tional guards had been embodied. Of the natives, 

 there was now sufficient time for many to be person- 

 ally interested in the new dynasty, by sharing in the 

 powers and rewards of office ; and there was a still 

 greater number paralysed by fear of the usurper, or 

 neutralised by distrust of the real value of their an- 

 cient government. But, though disappointed in his 

 views upon Naples, the British commander determi- 

 ned to occupy Ischia, and to take possession of Scil- 

 la Castle. While operations were rigorously pro- 

 ceeding against the latter place, the enemy suddenly- 

 appeared in superior force, and obliged the besiegers 

 to sail for Messina. They disappeared in a short 

 time, and the British renewed the attack ; but the 

 French again presented themselves as suddenly as be- 

 fore, and the British, after four days possession of 

 the fortress, were forced to abandon it, with all their 

 other conquests. 



The failure of the expedition to Walcheren was 

 followed by no scrutiny that could satisfy the public 

 mind ; but it brought to light a personal dispute in 

 the cabinet. On the 22d of September, a duel took 

 place between Lord Castlereagh, secretary for the 



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