NAP 
But, glorious and fuccefsful as this expedition had been, 
it foon appeared how far it was from having opened to 
the king of Sicily any profpeft of regaining his kingdom 
of Naples. So fenfible was fir John Stuart of his inability 
to maintain the ground he had won in Calabria, that 
from the plain of Maida he announced his intention 
of returning without lofs of time to Sicily. On the 18th 
of July his head-quarters were at Bagnara near Reggio; 
and on the 23d, the fort of Scylla, oppofite to Medina, 
a place of great importance for the fecure navigation of 
the ftraits, l’urrendered to one of his officers. The whole 
of the Britiffi army was now withdrawn from Calabria, 
except the garrifon of Scylla, and a detachment of the 
78th regiment, under Col. M £ Leod; which had been 
lent in the Amphion frigate to the coaft near Catanzaro, 
in order to countenance and affift the infurgents in that 
quarter. This fervice was effectually performed by Col. 
M‘Leod and Capt. Hofte of the Amphion. The French 
under Regnier were feverely harrafled in their retreat 
along the ffiore from Catanzaro to Cotrone; and the latter 
place, with all its magazines and itores, fell into the 
hands of the Engliffi. 
General Acland was alfo difpatched to the bay of Na¬ 
ples with the 58th and 8ill regiments, to make demon- 
ftrations in that direction, which might alarm the enemy, 
and deter him from fending reinforcements to Calabria. 
General Acland was not abiolutely prohibited from land¬ 
ing his troops; but he was directed not to expofe his 
foldiers to that danger, unlefs he had a profpeCt of effect¬ 
ing fome objeCt of real and permanent utility. Sir Sidney 
Smith was in the mean time actively, if not judicioufly, 
employed along the coaft, affifting the infurgents with 
arms and ammunition, fupplying them with provilions, 
and conveying them from one place to another in the 
veflels under his command. By thefe exertions he con¬ 
tributed materially to extend the infurreCtion along the 
coaft, and to expel the enemy from the watch-towers and 
caftles which they occupied upon the ffiore. Thefe ope¬ 
rations were, in fome inftances, of ufe, by fecuring a fafer 
and better anchorage for his (hips; but, in others, the 
blood and treafure which they coft exceeded the value 
of his acquifitions. No Britiffi troops were ftationed any¬ 
where to maintain his conquefts, except in the ifle of 
Capri, which was kept as a place of refrefhment for the 
navy: but a number of ports were occupied and garri- 
foned by the infurgents; fuch as Amantea, Scalea, and 
the ifle of Dino, on the coaft of Upper Calabria, and Ma- 
ratea, Sapei, Camerota, Palinuro, and other places, in the 
bay of Policaftro. The chief, or rather foie, ufe of thefe 
ports confifted in the protection which they afforded to 
the anchorage upon the coaft, and facilities thereby given 
to the Britiffi and Neapolitan fmall craft of intercepting 
the coafting-communications of the enemy, fo as to pre¬ 
vent the fupply of his army in Calabria with cannon, 
which, from the badnefs of the roads, it was importable for 
hint to convey by land. 
The lofs of Gaeta, which furrendered to the French 
foon after the battle of Maida, more than counterbalanced 
thefe trifling fuccefles in other parts of the coaft. While 
the prince of Hefl'e continued to have the command of 
Gaeta, that place was gallantly defended ; and fallies 
were repeatedly made with the greateft fuccefs, by which 
the operations of the enemy were impeded, their cannon 
fpikcd, and their batteries taken and deftroyed. But the 
prince of Hefle having been wounded by a fplinter, and 
removed for his recovery to Palermo, and the French 
having at length brought their artillery to aft upon the 
place, the lieutenant-governor, Col. Hotz, faw himfelf 
forced to capitulate on the 18th of July. The garrifon 
obtained very honourable terms. The following is the 
principal article of the capitulation : “ In confideration 
of the brave defence made by the garrifon, they are per¬ 
mitted to embark with their arms and provifions ; it be¬ 
ing underftood that the troops which compofe it flrall 
not carry arms nor ferve againft France and her allies, 
Vol. XVI. No. 1134. 
L E S. 519 
nor againft thofe of his majefty Jofeph Napoleon, during 
one year and a day, either upon the continent or in the 
illands. Eight pieces of cannon are granted to the gar¬ 
rifon ; the reft of the artillery, that of the fortrefs, and all 
the magazines, as well as the ammunition, victuals, and 
other military effeCts, flrall be faithfully delivered up to 
the French army, without dilapidation. At the fame time, 
provifions for ten days (hall be granted to the garrifon.” 
The furrender of Gaeta cut oft' the communication with 
the northern parts of the kingdom of Naples, where the 
fpirit of difafteCtion was as ltrong as in the fouth; and 
let at liberty a force of i(5,ooo men, previoully employed 
in that fiege, to act againft the Calabrians. A decree 
was iflued at Naples on the 31ft of July, declaring the 
two Calabrias in a date of war, and fubjeCting them to 
all the rigours of military law. Mafiena, inverted with 
defpotic authority, was placed at the head of a powerful 
army, and lent to reduce them to obedience. The in¬ 
furgents were not in fufficjent force to meet him in the 
field ; and were too much divided among themfelves to 
attempt any enterprife of importance, even againft his 
outpofts. The difficulty of tranfporting artillery over 
the mountains retarded his operations; but his progrefs, 
though flow, was uninterrupted, and his fuccefles, though 
often dearly bought, w'ere not checked by any reverie. 
On the 16th of Auguft, the advanced guard of the French 
army entered Cofenza, the capital of Upper Calabria; and 
before the beginning of September they had recovered 
pofleffion of the whole of that province, excepting Aman¬ 
tea, Scalea, and fome other places upon the coaft. But 
it was fome time before they penetrated in force into the 
Lower Calabria. Their head-quarters, in December, 
w'ere (till at Cofenza and Fiume Freddo, in Upper Cala¬ 
bria, though their advanced ports had long before been 
at Monteleone and Mileto, about thirty miles diftant 
from Scylla. Cotrone did not fall into their hands till 
the end of the year; nor Amantea, the laft place held by 
the infurgents upon the coaft, till the beginning of the 
enfuing fpring. 
The Calabrian infurgents, or majj't as they were called, 
W'ere compofed of the loweft, worft, and moll miferable, 
of the country-people and villagers. Attracted by pay 
or the hope of plunder to the llandard under which they 
fought, no confidence could be repofed on their fidelity; 
and, though individually brave, when aflembled in bodies 
no dependence could be placed on their fteadinefs. While 
the French w’ere ltill at a diftance, a report was brought 
to the mafft in Lower Calabria, that the enemy was ad*- 
vancing to attack them, on which the capi, or chiefs of 
the majje, fled in the molt lhameful manner; and the mafic, 
abandoned by their leaders, after recovering from their 
firft panic, broke out in fuch adds of murder, cruelty, and 
rapine, that it became neceflary for fir John Stuart to crols 
over to Scylla, and fend detachments of Britiffi troops 
into the interior of the country, to put a flop to their ex- 
cefles. Many of the capi, or chiefs of the infurgents, 
were men of infamous character, w'ho had juftly forfeited 
their lives to the laws of their country. Galley-flaves, 
polluted with every crime and prepared for every atro¬ 
city, were collected by order of the court of Palermo, and 
landed among its former fubjeCts, in order to keep alive 
the infurreCtion, and render defperate the hope of accom¬ 
modation with the enemy. The confequences of employ¬ 
ing fuch agents to conduCt the war may be eafily imagined. 
Murder and rapine lpread univerfally over the country. 
The lawlefs and vicious combined againft the orderly 
and well-difpoled. Thofe who had property were op- 
prefled and plundered by thofe who had none; and many 
victims were lacrificed to private refentment, under the 
malk and pretence of public duty. The French, irri¬ 
tated by cruelties which the humanity of fir John Stuart 
interpofed ineffectually to prevent, retaliated on the in¬ 
furgents with a barbarity equal to their owm. Priloners 
taken with arms in their hands were (hot inftantly, on 
the falfe and monftrous pretext, that they were rebels 
7 A againft 
