822 
GREAT 
ing failed upon the expedition againll Buenos Ayres, 
without the exprefs orders of the government : he was 
brouglit to trial on Friday, March 6, 1807, on-board 
the Gladiator, at Portfinouth. The following is the 
fubftance of the charge made againlt him by the lords 
of the admiralty.—“ Whereas, by our order, dated 
29th July 1805, fir Flome Popham, then captain of his 
majefty’s (hip Diadem, v^as diredted to take under his 
command' his majefty’s ftiips Belliqueux, Raifonable, 
Diomede, Narcili'us, and Leda, the Efpoir (loop, and 
Encounter gun-brig, for the purpofe of capturing the 
enemy’s fettlements at the Cape of Good Flope, in con- 
jundtion with the troops under the command of major- 
general lir David Baird, which fettlement was furren- 
dered to the (hips and troops afore-mentioned, in the 
month of January 1806 ; and whereas, it appears by 
letters from the faid (ir Flome Popham to our fecretary, 
dated the 13th and 30th April following, tliat, wdth the 
view to attack the Spaniih fettlements in the Rio de la 
Plata, for which attack he had no direElion or authority what¬ 
ever, lie did withdraw from the Cape the whole of the 
naval force, which had been placed under his command 
for the Idle purpofe of protedling it, thereby leaving the 
Cape, which it was his duty to guard, not only expofed 
to attack and inlult, but even without the means of af¬ 
fording protedfion to the trade of his majefty’s fubjedls, 
or of taking polfeftion of any (hips of the enemy which 
might have put into any of the bays or harbours of the 
Cape, or parts adjacent; all which he, the faid lir Flome 
Fopham, did, notwithftanding that lie had received 
jjicvious information of detachments of the enemy’s 
(hips being at lea, and in the neighbourhood of the 
Cape ; and notw ithftanding he had been apprized that 
a F'rench fquadron was expedfed at the Mauritius, of 
■which he informed us by his letter to our fecretary, 
dated tlie 9th of April, 1S06, only four days prior to 
his departure from the Cape for the Rio de la Plata.”— 
The trial did not excite much intereft. Many people 
thought it ill-judged to bring a man to trial who had 
done lome good to his country. Sir Flome’s defence 
was very long, btit moftly irrelevant, conffting of poli¬ 
tical reflections and declamation, more likely to recom¬ 
mend him to the I'avour of the minillry which has fince 
been formed than to tliat then exifting, or to the court 
affembled. But the fadt of having acted without au¬ 
thority could not be got over; he was therefore found 
guilty, but his only punilhment was a fevere reprimand. 
General Auchmuty and admiral Stirling renewed the 
attack upon Monte Video. They landed the troops on 
the i8tli of January, from a imall bay about nine miles 
from the city ; and on the 19th they were oppofed on 
their march by four . thouland of the enemy’s horfe, 
which were driven back and dilperled. But on the 
20th the Spaniards niarclted out with nearly their whole 
force, amounting to about (ix tlioufand men, when an 
aClion commenced in which a great number fell on both 
ftdes. At length the Spaniards gave way, when they 
were impetuouily attacked in (l.ink by tlie riile corps 
and light infantry, and the fuburbs were feized by tlie 
Finglilh. (Fn the 25th batteries were opened againll the 
citadel, and all tlie frigates and fiiialler vell'els were 
anchored as dole as could be done with lafety, to can¬ 
nonade the town. On the 2d of F'ebruary a practicable 
breach was made near the fouth gate, wliich joins the 
works to the lea. Orders were ilfued to begin the ai- 
fuult an hour before day-break the next morning, and 
ftorm the 'city. 
The troops deftined for the afTault confiftcd of the rifle 
corps under major Gardner, the light infantry under 
lieuienani-cclonei Brownrigg and major Trotter, the 
grenadi..rs under majors Campbell and I'ucker, and the 
3flih leginieut under lieutenant-colonel Valfal and major 
Nugent, 'i hey were ftipported by the 4otlt regiment 
under major Dalrymple, and the 87th under lieutenant- 
colonel Butler and major Miller. The whole were 
a 
BRITAIN. 
commanded by colonel Browne, The remainder of the 
troops, confifting of the 17th light dragoons, detach¬ 
ments of the 20th and ztft light dragoons, the 47th re¬ 
giment, a company of the 71ft, and a corps of feven 
hundred marines and feamen, were encamped under 
brigadier-general Lumley, to proteCl our rear. At the 
appointed hour the troops marched to thealfault. They 
approached near the breach before they were difeo- 
vered, when a deftruftive fire from every gun that could 
bear upon it, and from the mulketry of the garrifoii, 
opened upon them. Heavy as it was, our lofs would 
have been comparatively trifling, if the breach had 
been open ; but during the night the enemy had barri- 
cadoed it with hides, fo as to render it nearly impracti¬ 
cable. The night was extremely dark. The head of 
the column milfed the breach, and when it was ap¬ 
proached it was fo Hint up, that it was miftaken for the 
untouched wall. In this fituation the troops remained 
under a heavy fire for a quarter of an hour, wlien tlie 
breach was difeerned by captain Renny of the 40th 
light infantry, who pointed it out, and glorioully fell 
as he mounted it. Our gallant foldiers rullied tp it, 
and, diflicLilt as it was of accefs, forced their way into 
the town. Cannon were placed at the head of the prin¬ 
cipal ftreets, and their fire, fora lliort time, wasdellruc- 
tive ; but the troops advanced in all direCtions, clear¬ 
ing the ftreet and batteries with their bayonets, and 
overturning their cannon. The 4oih regiment, with 
colonel Browne, followed. They alfo milfed the breach, 
and twice palled through the lire of tlie batteries, be¬ 
fore they found it. The 87th regiment was polled near 
the North gate, which the troops wdio entered at the 
breach were to open for them, but their ardour w'as fo 
great that they could not wait. They fcaled the walls 
and entered the town as the troops within approached 
it. At day-light every thing W'as in our polfelTion ex¬ 
cept the citadel, which made a fliow of reliftance, but 
foon furrendered, and early in the morning the town 
was quiet, aiid the women were peaceably walking the 
ftreets. 
During the liege the lofs of the Englilli was trifling ; 
but it was dreadful at the alfault. Many moft valua¬ 
ble officers were .among the killed and wounded. The 
enemy’s lofs was very great, about eight hundred kill¬ 
ed, five hundred w'ounded, and the governor Don Paf- 
quil Ruis Huidobro, with upwards of two thoufand of. 
fleers and men, were made priloners. About fifteen 
hundred contrived to cfcape in boats.—The following is 
the total of our killed and wounded in this fervice : i 
major, 4 captains, 8 lieutenants, 2 ferjeants, 6 drummers, 
126 rank and file, killed; 2 lieutenant-colonels, 2 ma¬ 
jors, 6 captains, 10 lieutenants, 5 enligns, 4 Itatt, 20 fer- 
jeants, 6 drummers, 366 rank and file, wounded ; 8 rank 
and file milling. 
Fifty-feven velfelsof different deferiptions w ere taken 
in the hat hour of Monte Video, among whicii were leve- 
ral Irigatcs, and a number of vell'els laden with the pro¬ 
duce of the country ; alio 15 lloop-riggcd gun boats and 
6 row boats v\ith guns. 
'1 he luccels with which the Britilh forces were employ¬ 
ed, both by lea and land, during the year 1806, is high¬ 
ly delerving of our admiration ; and the new year 1807 
was ulhered in with the complete conquel't of the rich 
ar.d valuable illand of Cuiacoa, a fettlement belonging 
to the Dutch, in the Weft Indies.—See the article Cu- 
RA^OA, vol. V. p. 477.—This brilliant atchievement 
was performed by captain Brilbane, with a fquadron of 
only four frigates, viz. the Arethulir, Latona, Anfon, 
and F'ilguard. I'he harbour was defended by regular 
fortifications of two tier of guns ; Fort Amfterdam 
alone conlilting of lixty-lix pieces of cannon ; the en¬ 
trance only fifty yards wide, athwart which was the 
Dutch frigate Flatflar of thirty-lix guns, and Surinam 
of twenty-two, with two large Ithooners of war, one 
commanded by a Dutch commander; a chain of forts 
was 
