BRITAIN. 



735 



redit. 



Britain, tiering the sheriffs and magistrates to disperse them 

 -* in terms of the convention act. 



No sooner was this proclamation issued, than an 

 j T ' extraordinary meeting of the Catholic commitu 



held in Dublin, at which they determined to conti- 

 nue their meetings for the purpose of electing <1. 1 - 

 gates to the committee. These meetings, which 

 were held in several of the parishes of Dublin, expe- 

 rienced no interruption till the Sth of August, when 

 several Catholic gentlemen were arrested under a war- 

 rant from the Lord Chief-Justice Dowries. The Ca- 

 tholics, however, continued to hold their meetings, 

 and some of the delegates were arrested. On the 

 Sth of November, new bills were found against seve- 

 ral of the delegates by the grand jury of Dublin ; 

 and, on the 21st of November, Dr Sheridan was 

 tried before the Court of King's Bench. The trial 

 lasted two days, and the jury brought in a verdict of 

 not guilty. The issue of this trial being decitive 

 with respect to the other delegates who had been ar- 

 rested for the same offence, the attorney-general mo- 

 ved for leave to send up new bills of indictment to 

 the grand jury on the ground of informality. Infor- 

 mations ex rfficio were also filed against Lord Fingal, 

 and several other gentlemen, for attending the Ca- 

 tholic meetings, and for publishing an account of 

 their proceedings. 



tate of The attention of parliament was called, during the 



ommcrcial present session, to the state of commercial credit, and 

 a select committee was appointed to report upon this 

 subject. The great embarrassments which prevailed 

 in the commercial world appear to have first arisen 

 out of extensive speculations, which commenced on 

 the opening of the South American markets. The 

 immense cargoes which were sent to the ports of 

 South America, overstocked the markets, and the mer- 

 chants were obliged to bring back their cargoes to 

 England. On their return, they found the country 

 glutted ; and as no market remained for them on the 

 continent of Europe, the exporters were unable to 

 pay the manufacturers when their bills became due, 

 and, of course, the manufacturers were involved in 

 the same distress. This embarrassment seemed to 

 prevail principally among the cotton manufacturers. 

 In order to relieve this distress as much as possible, 

 six millions of Exchequer bills were issued, on con- 

 dition that the merchants who obtained aid should 

 give security for repayment at a limited time. 

 ,ubsidy to In consequence of a message from the Prince Re- 

 ortuga!. gent, the attention of both houses of parliament was 

 called to the subject of a subsidy to Portugal. The 

 sum of one million had been granted in the year 1810, 

 for the purpose of taking Portuguese troops into 

 British pay, and having them disciplined and com- 

 manded by British officers. The success with which 

 this plan was attended, and the courage and perseve- 

 rance which had been displayed by the Portuguese 

 in the" last campaign, were held out by ministers as a 

 reason for increasing the subsidy to two millions. 

 The opposition represented this system of policy as 

 an enormous drain on the resources of the country ; 

 and they expressed their belief, that whatever tem- 

 porary success nvglit attend the allied arms, Portu- 

 gal must ultimately fall under the overwhelming 



power of France. The gra, however, was carried Briuin. 

 without a division. 



'J'li' year IK! 1 was distinguished by the fall of the 

 last colony of France. About the middle of summer, 

 an expedition sailed from India, for the purpo.v 

 reducing the settlement of Batavia. Lord Minto, f 'P'"." of 

 the governor general of India, attended it in person, **** 

 while the army was commanded by Sir Samutl Auch- 

 muty, and the naval part of the expedition by Rear- 

 Admiral Stopford. The troups landed on the 4th 

 of August at the village of Chillmgching, about 

 twelve miles to the east of the city of Batavia, and 

 advanced to the capital by the road along the coast. 

 The bridge over the Anjol having been broken 

 down by the enemy, the army passed the river in 

 boats on the 7th, and lodged themselves in the sub- 

 urbs of the city. A temporary bridge, capable of 

 supporting light artillery, wv. . ( n trnctcd on the 

 8th ; and, on the same day, tho town of Batavia sur- 

 rendered without opposition, and the garru-on re- 

 treated to Wellevreede. Early on the morning of 

 the 10th, Colonel Gillespie moved with his corps to- 

 wards the enemy's cantonments at Weltevrecde, sup- 

 ported by two brigades of infantry that followed his 

 route. The cantonment was abandoned, but the 

 enemy held a strong position about two milrs in ad- 

 vance of their works at Cornelis, and defended by 

 an abbatis, occupied by 3000 of their best troops 

 and four guns of horse artillery. After an obstinate 

 resistance, this position was carried at the poiut of 

 the bayonet, the enemy were completely routed, and 

 their guns taken. A strong column advanced to 

 their support from Fort Cornelis ; but the British 

 line having arrived, it was instantly driven under the 

 shelter of their batteries. In this affair, the enemy 

 lost about 500 men, with Brigadier- General Alberti 

 dangerously wounded. The enemy, who greatly- 

 outnumbered the British troops, were now strongly 

 entrenched between the great River Jacatra and an 

 artificial watercourse, called the Sloken, neither of 

 which were fordable. A deep trench, strongly pal- 

 lisadoed, enclosed this position ; and the most com- 

 manding grounds within the lines were occupied with 

 seven redoubts, and numerous batteries mounted 

 with heavy cannon. The fort of Cornelis was in the 

 centre, and all the works were defended by a nume- 

 rous and well organised artillery. For the purpose 

 of carrying the works by assault, several batteries 

 were erected, and a heavy fire kept up for two days 

 from twenty eighteen pounders, and eight mortars 

 and howitzers, silenced their nearest batteries, and 

 disturbed every part of their position. 



On the 26th of August, at break of day, the Bri- 

 tish troops marched to the assault. Colonel Gilles- 

 pie commanded the infantry of the advance, and the 

 grenadiers of the line, and was supported by Colo.iel 

 Gibbs, with the 59th regiment, and the 4th batta- 

 lion of Bengal volunteers. The object of this co- 

 lumn was to surprise the redoubt constructed by the 

 enemy beyond the Sloken, to endeavour to cross the 

 bridge over that stream with the fugitive*, and then 

 to assault the redoubts within the li es. Lieutenant 

 Colonel M'Leod, at the head of six companies of the 

 69th, was directed to follow a path on the banks of 



