321 
GREAT BRITAIN. 
which was fcarcely performed when the enemy opened 
their field-pieces on us, at firft well pointed, but as we 
advanced at a very quick rate, in fpite of the boggy 
ground that very foon obliged us to leave all our guns 
behind',"his fire did us but little injury. The 7id regi¬ 
ment, reaching the bottom of the lieights in a pretty 
good line, feconded by the marine battalion, the enemy 
would not wait their nearer approach, but retired from 
the brow of tlie hill, which our troops gaining, and 
commencing a fire of fmall arms, he fled with precipi¬ 
tation, leaving to us four field-pieces and one tumbril; 
and we faw nothing more of him that day. 
“ As foon as it was light I fent captain Kennet, of 
the engineers, to reconnoitre the fides of the river, and 
found that on our fide we had little or no cover to pio- 
tedl us, vvhilft the enemy were drawn up behind hedges, 
houfes, and in the (hipping on the oppofite bank, the 
river not thirty yards wide. As our guns approached, 
the enemy opened a very ill-diredfed fire from great' 
guns and mufquetry ; the former foon ceafed after our 
fire opened ; the latter was kept up for more than half 
an hour, but, though clofe to us, did us but little or no 
injury, fo ill w'as it diredted. We then found means, by 
boats and rafts, to crofs a few men over the Rio Chuelo ; 
and on ordering all fire to ceafe, the little of them that 
remained ceafed alio. 
“By eleven o’clock, A.M. I had got fome guns and 
the greateft part of the troops acrofs tlie river; and, 
feeing no fymptoms of further oppofition, and learning 
that the troops in general had delerted the city, motives 
of humanity induced me to fend, by tlie hon. eniign 
Gordon, a fummons to the governor to deliver to me 
the city and fortrefs, that the excefifes and calamities 
which wouTd mod: probably occur if the troops entered 
in a hodile manner, might be avoided, informing him 
that the Britilh charadler would infure to them the exer- 
cife of their religion, and protection to their perfons 
and all private property. He returned to me an officer 
to afk fome hours to draw up conditions ; but 1 could 
not confent to delay my march, which I commenced as 
foon as the whole had crod'ed the Rio Chuelo; and on 
arriving near the city, an officer from the governor again 
met me with a number of conditions, to which I had 
not then time to attend ; but (aid I would confirm by 
writing what I had promifed, when in polfedion of the 
city ; and the terms, granted and figned by fir Home 
Popham and myfelf, I have the honour to annex.” 
The terms of capitulation were :—The troops to be 
prifoners of war ; but officers, natives, or domiciliated, 
to be at liberty to remain in the country, or proceed to 
Great Britain on their parole, not: to ferve till ex¬ 
changed. All property belonging to individuals, or to 
public infiitutions, to be unmolefted ; the inhabitants 
to preferve tlieir rights, liberties, and religion, with the 
excrcile of their legal functions ; but all public pro¬ 
perty to be delivered up to the captors.—In this whole 
i'ervice, only one man was killed, twelve wounded, and 
one milfing. 
Unfortunately, in no great time after the event of this 
fucceisful expedition, the military and inhabitants of 
Buenos Ayres, amounting to about 12,000 men, having 
organized themfelves into a military body, attacked tlie 
force under major-general Beresford, confiding of about 
1450 men, on the loth, nth, and 12th, days of Aiigud. 
The adlions fought on thefe days were bravely and ob- 
ftinately conteded ; the Spaniards fought approaching 
to a date of fury ; many of our brave men were killed 
and beat down' by fuperior numbers at the muzzle of 
their guns. This glorious defence was attended with 
the lofs on our part of 144 men and officers killed and 
wounded, and of 1300 men taken prifoners and detained, 
general Beresford was detained ; captain Kennet of the 
engineers, and lieutenants Mitchell and Lucas of the 
7id regiment, were killed. The Spaniards lod about 
lix hundred men. The inhabitants of Buenos Ayres 
VOL.VJIl. No.547. 
are computed at feventy thoufand perfons; many of 
thefe fired from the tops of their houfes upon our troops 
as they were marching out of the town. The didio- 
nourable conduft of the governor of Buenos Ayres, in 
detaining our troops, and maiching them into the inte¬ 
rior of the country, after he had figned the articles of 
capitulation, by which they were to embark on-board 
of tranfports for Europe or the Cape, is a new dilgrace 
to their nation. 
Articles of Capitulation. 
Fort Buenos Ayres, 12th Augud, 1806. 
The Britifli general, having no further objedt for re¬ 
maining in Buenos Ayres, and to avoid an unnecelfary 
effufion of blood, as alfo the dedrudlion of the p«o-^ 
perty of the inhabitants of this city, confents to deliver 
up the fort of Buenos Ayres to the commander of his 
catholic majedy’s forces, on the following conditions : 
1. The Britidi troops to march out with all the ho¬ 
nours of war, to be confidered as prifoners of war; but 
to be embarked as foon as poflible on-board the Britiih 
tranfports novv in the river, to be conveyed to England, 
or the dation whence they came. 
2. The Britifli, on their entrance into this place, 
made many Spaniffi prifoners of war, wliich remained 
on their parole ; and, as the number of officers is much 
greater on one (Idc, and of men on the other, it is agreed 
that the whole fliall be exchanged for the whole ; the 
Englidi tranfports returning to the place of their dedi¬ 
nation as cartels, and to be guaranteed as fuch by the 
Spanifli government from capture on the voyage. 
3. Provi'fions, &cc. will be furnilhed for the paflage 
of the Englidi troops, according to the ulual cullom in 
like cafes. 
4. Such wounded of the Britifli troops as cannot be 
removed on-board of fliips, (hall remain in the hofpitals 
at Buenos Ayres, either under charge of Spanifli or Bri- 
tifh furgeons, at the option of the Britifli general, and 
fliall be furniflied with every thing necefl'ary, and on 
their recovery fent to Great Britain. 
5. The property of all Engliffi fubjefls in Buenos 
Ayres to be refpeefed. 
W. C. Beresford, 
Santiago Considido Liniers. 
The Britiffi (hips now dropped down the river, except 
the Judinia, bound to Botany-bay, which liaving failed 
from St. Helena under the protection of fir Home Pop- 
ham’s fquadron, had come to anchor fo high up the 
river Plata, that die was taken. On the 2d of October, 
a reinforcement of between two and three thoufand men 
arrived from the Cape of Good Hope, confiding of the 
38th and 47th regiments, and three hundred and fifty of 
tlie 2id dragoons. On the 28th of that month, an at¬ 
tack was made on Monte Video. It however fyon ap¬ 
peared, that the men of war could not enter near enough 
to bombard the town, with fufficieiit efi'eiSt to cover the 
landing of the troops, although they (ucceeded in (ilenc- 
ing the batteries ; therefore the attack was given up. 
The troops were taken to Maldonado, a drong pod near 
the mouth of La Plata, rendered impregnable by na¬ 
ture ; the ifland of Gotiti,'w'hich is (hongly fortified by 
art, protedts it. On this peninlula our troops were (e- 
curely and comfortably (ituated ; the men of war flank¬ 
ing them on«ach fide. The Spaniards, foon after they 
landed there, meditated an attack on them ; but they 
were fo convinced of their feciire fituation, that the 
Spaniffi troops refilled to marcli againd them. The 
enemy fuffered a lo(s of about fixty perfons killed and 
wounded at the bombardment of Monte Video ; but 
we had none either killed or wounded. 
On the 5th of January 1807, a furtJier fupply of 
troops, under brigadier-general Auchmuty, arrived at 
Maldonado from England, with the Ardent man-of-war 
and tranfports, under rear-admiral Stirling ; fir Home 
Popham having been re-called, to take his trial for hav- 
/ 
