356 
evening of the 23d, and in a short time blew 
up. 
Lam happy to say our loss has been small. 
Tt is trifling indeed when compared with the 
enemy, where the slaughter was great, he 
haying fifty-five killed and _ eighty-eight 
wounded. We have, however, received 
considerable damage in our masts and rigging. 
The Prince C Shristian Frederick was a very 
fine ship, copper-bolted, commanded by 
Captain Jayson, with a complement of six 
hundred ard twenty men, and had five hun- 
dred and seventy-six on board. 
_I feel much indebted to Captain Campbell 
for his zeal and ability in the commencement 
and during the action, and to the officers, 
ship’s company, and royal marines of his ship. 
My warmest gratitude and praise is due to the 
officers and seamen, and the officers and pri- 
vates of royal marines of this ship, for their 
brave and gallant conduct during this action, 
displaying throughout the cool intrepidity of 
British seamen. The same spirit animated 
both ships. 
‘I beg leave to recommend in the strongest > 
manner to the patronage of my Lords Gom- 
missioners of the Admiralty, Mr. David 
Sloan, my first lieutenant, to whom I am 
greatly indebted, not only for his brave and 
spirited conduct in the action, but also for his 
unwearied exertion in removing the prisoners 
and wounded from the Danish ship, and set- 
ting her on fire. He possesses, in an eminent 
degree, every quality requisite to form the 
officer and seaman. 
I have the honour so be, &c. 
(Signed) G. O. Parker. 
To Vice-Admiral Russell, &c. &c. 
List of the Killed and Wounded. 
Stately—2z seamen, 2 marines, killed ; 26 
seamen, 2 marines, wounded.—Total 32. 
Nassau—-1 seaman killed 11 seamen, 5 
marines, wounded; 4 seamen, missing.— 
Total 17. 
Dispatches have been received from 
Major General Sherbrooke, commander 
of the British Forces in Sicily, containing 
information of his having evacuated the 
Castle of Scyllaon the 17th of February 
last, and retwed with his army to Mes- 
sina. 
In another dispatch he describes the 
surrender of Reggio to the French on the 
3d of February and states that the De- 
light sloop, in endeavourlmg to recover 
_ some Sicilian gun-boats, got on shore on 
the Calabrian coast, and was next day 
burnt, to prevent her failing into the 
hands of the enemy.—Capt. Handifield 
with several of his ship’s company, were 
killed: and Capt. Seccombe, of the Glat- 
ton, who was on board of the Delight, 
was very dangerously wounded, and, with 
the remainder, made prisoners. Capt. 
Seccombe was permitted, the next day, 
‘State of Public Affairs in April. 
[May f, 
to go to Messina, en his parole, but on 
the Sd inat. he died of his wounds: 
The following letter contains a detail- 
ed account of the events at Seylla, ag 
they occurred, from the $ist December 
last, (the day on which the enemy came 
before the place), until its evacuation. 
Messina, iebruary 18, 1808. 
Sir—In obedience to your orders, I have 
the honour to report the particulars of what 
occurred since the first eds van of the 
enemy before Scylla. : 
After being invested by Gen. Regnier’s 
army during seven weeks, and battered for 
six days by 14 pieces of heavy ordnance, the 
little castle of Scylla, has fallen inte his 
hands; but I have the heartfelt satisfaction 
to add, that not one ef the gallant garrison 
placed under my orders has Betome his pri- 
Soner. 
In the latter end of December, the arrival 
of troops and ordnance stores at Seminara left 
me no rgom to doubt the enemy’s intention 
of besieging Scylla, and parties of the pea- 
Santry were accordingly sent out to render 
the passes of Solano impracticable, and to 
create obstacles to his advance, by cuts across 
the various paths which lead from the heights 
of Milla down to Scylla. 
as the levelling o* fences, &c. peeceeticd uae 
pidly and effectually under the direction of 
Capt. Nicholas; assistant quarter-master ge- 
neral ; when upon the 31st of December, the 
This work, as well- 
advanced workmen, and tne out-posts ef the ~ 
masse, were driven in by three French bat- 
talions and a detachment of cavalry, under 
Gen. Millet, which took post on the heights 
above us; and on the following day Regnier 
brought up two more battalions, and spread- 
ing his out-posts to Favezzina, Bagnara, &&c. 
completed the investment of thetown. At 
this time the garrison of the castle consisted 
of 200 British, and from four to five hundred 
masse occupied the town. The enemy’s 
troops were now incessantly employed in 
forming the roads necessary for bringing his 
heavy ordnance from Seminara, while we la- 
boured to render the approach to Scylla dif= 
ficuit, and harrassed the French by constant 
attacks on his out-posts with parties of the 
nasse, and occasionally with boats. In some 
of these actions the enemy suffered severely 5 
particularly in a night attack at Bagmara, 
where the Voltigeurs of the 23d Light In- 
fantry wére cut to pieces. Owing to these 
cheeks the French were retarded until the 
6th of February, when they descended the 
heights in force, ‘and came within a distant 
range of our guns; and from this day they ho- 
noured our little castle with all the detailed j 
precautions of a regular siege, in covering his 
approaches and communications. The skir- 
mishes between the enemy and the masse be- 
came very serious: the latter displayed great 
gallantry ; and enjoying the support of the 
Castle guns, obliged the Freach to purchase 
* their 
