434 THE SERVICES OE LIEUT.-COLONEL FRANCIS DOWNMAN, R.A. 
The morning being very thick and hazy prevented onr bearing down 
till eight o'clock^ at which time the clouds began to disperse, the sun 
showed his face, his countenance was clear and promised a fair day. 
I wish the island presented as fair an appearance, but far on the con¬ 
trary it exhibits the most unsociable inhospitable aspect I ever saw, 
mountains piled on mountains in the most irregular and rugged 
manner you can conceive, and clouds perpetually hide their summits. 
When we had passed the north end of the island we were under its lee 
and the sea became smooth and pleasant. As we proceeded along the 
shore we saw many white flags flying on little batteries, many cannon 
were fired, and the Island seemed to have taken a general alarm. We 
continued along shore till we came to a bay called the Grand Cul de 
Sac; here the fleet came to an anchor, and instant orders were given 
for the troops to land. It was not till after the Commodore and 
several of our ships had dropped their anchors that a battery of four 
guns situated on a high rock at the entrance of the Cul de Sac fired a 
single shot. The Frenchmen were slow in their firing motions, but 
in the motions of their heels they were very active, for almost im¬ 
mediately after the Commadore brought his broadside to bear upon 
them and gave them a few shots they precipitately left their battery. 
Before our arrival here the following orders had been given out by 
the Commander-in-Chief on board the Preston, 3rd November, 1778:— 
“ Colonel Prescott, Lieut.-Colonels Sir Henry Calder, Bart, and 
Medows 1 2 are appointed Brigadier Generals on the expedition. Lieut.- 
Colonel Musgrave of the 40th regiment, Deputy Quarter-master-Gen- 
eral; Major Brown, Deputy Adjutant-General. 
The 4th, 15th, 28th, 46th and 35th regiments form the first brigade 
under the command of General Prescott, to which Captain Smith of 
the 5th regiment is major of brigade. The 27th, 49th, 40th, and 55th 
regiments form the second brigade under Colonel Sir Henry Calder, 
Captain Baker of 5th regiment being his Brigade Major. The gren¬ 
adiers and light infantry and 5th regiment compose the reserve under 
General Medows, Lieutenant Boss of the 35th regiment appointed 
his Brigade Major. Major Harris 3 of 5th regiment commanding the 
grenadiers, and Major Sir James Murray of the 4th regiment the 
light infantry. 
When the troops are ordered to disembark they are to take on 
shore one day's provisions cooked and half a pint of rum each man, 
and 36 rounds of ammunition only. 
The detachments will be made in the following order, and the com¬ 
manding officers are to take care that the troops get into the boats 
by companies. The grenadiers, light infantry, and 5th regiment with 
four 3-prs. are the first debarkation. The first brigade with two 
3-prs. is the second, The 2nd brigade with two 3-prs. is the third, 
and the cavalry and artillery stores, etc., etc., constitute the fourth 
1 Afterwards Sir Wm. Medows, Governor of Bombay. 
2 Originally in the Royal Artillery (Kane’s List, No. 376). In 1788, Harris went to Bombay 
as secretary and aide-de-camp to Sir Wm. Medows. In 1799, when in command of the Madras 
army, he besieged and _ took Serirgapfdam. In 1816, he was raised to the peerage as Lord Harris 
of Belmont, Kent, 
