1807.) 
adapted’ to allow the covering veffels, ‘under 
the dire€tion of Captain Hardyman, to ap- 
proach fo clofe as to command the beach, and 
not witoftanding the weather threatened, and 
was unfavourable, the foldiers got all on shore 
without a fingle accident of any kind, and 
were in poffeilion of the heights before fix 
oclock, with fuch things as the general 
wanted. 
On the 19th the army moved forwards, and 
as an attempt to harafs the rear was expected. 
i direéted boats to proceed clofe along thore to 
look out for am bring off any wounded men, 
whilft the covering veflels were placed to pre- 
vent the enemy from giving annoyance, and I 
had the happinefs to hear that all the fuffere's 
were brought off in -defpite of well directed 
eftorts to deftroy them. In the evening 1] 
dropped, with the fleet, off Chico Bay, near 
which the army encamped, within two miles 
of the city. 
I had landed about eight hundred feamen 
and royal matines, under the orders of Capt. 
Donnelly, to a& with the troops; and, as 1 
faw no advantage could refult trom any effort 
of thips against a ftreng fortrefs, well defended 
at all points, and. which, from the thallownefs 
of the water, could not be-approached within 
a diftance ‘to allow fhot to be of any ufe, I 
difpofed the fquadron fo as to prevent any ef- 
cape from the harbour, as well as to impede a 
communication between Colonna and Buenos 
Ayres, and confined my wholeattention to give 
every poflible affiftance in forwarding the 
fiege, by landing guns from the line or battle 
fhips, with ammunition, ftores, provifigns, and 
every thiag required by the commander of the 
forces. 
‘The diftance which the fhips lay from the 
fhore, with the almoft conftant high winds 
and {well we had, and the great way every 
thing was to be dragged by the feamen, up a 
heavy fandy road, made the duty excedively 
laborious. ‘The faassen had almoit daily 
fourteen hundred men on fhore, and this fhip 
was oliten left with only bhinty, men on 
- board. 
ake defence made by the enemy protracted 
the fieze. longer than was expected, and re- 
duced our ftock of vowder fo low that the 
king’s flips, with all the tranfports, and what 
a fleet of mérchantmen had for fale could not 
have jurrifhed a further confumption tor more 
than two days, when a praéticable breach was 
fortunately made, and on the 3d initant, 
early in the morning, the town and citadel 
were moft gallantly carried by ftorm. 
In a converfation with the general on the 
preceding day, I had made fuch difpofition of 
the fmaller veficis and armed boats, as ap- 
peared mott likely to anfwer a defired purpoic, 
and fo foon as Fort Saint Philip was in 
poffefiion of the Britith troops, lieutenant Wil- 
liam Milne, with the armed Jaunches,took pot- 
teflion gi the Ifland of Rattones, mounting 
State of Public Affairsin April, 1807. 
S87 
ten guns and garrifoned by feventy men, 
which furrendered without any refit {tance 
although it is well. adapted for defence, and 
might have given confiderable annoyance. 
Avery fine frigate mounting twenty-eight 
guns was fet are to by her crew, and Gee up 
with an awful explofion; as alfo three gun 
boats, but the other velfels in the barons 
were faved by the exertion of our peeple. 
It has been much the cuftom to {peak 
flizhtly of the refittance to be expected trom 
the Spaniards in this country 5 and with con- 
fidence of the facility which has been given 
to naval operations, by a prior knowledge of 
the river, but the battles lately fought prove 
the former opinion to be erroneous, and ex- 
perience evinces that all the informatien 
hithsrto acquired has not prevented the moft 
formidable difficulties. 
The conduct of the captains, officers, fea 
men,-and royai marines of the thips and vei- 
fels, which I kept with me for this fervice, 
has met with my entire approbation; and & 
feel perfuaded that I fhould have had occa- 
fion to exprefs my fatisfaétion with the exer - 
tions of the officers and crews of the Diomede 
and Prote&tour, if 1 had not been obliged to 
detach them on other fervice. 
_ CHARLES STIRLING. 
Totaim6 feamen killed, 28 wounded, 4 
mifiing. 
The fhips taken in the harbour were 57, be- 
fides\15 floop-rigged gun boats; 6 row beats 
with guns. 
Nothing but fome affairs of outpo tts 
have occurred between the Rutlian ard 
French arinies fince the bloody battle of 
Eylau. ‘The fiege of Straliund has been 
railed, and the Swedes have gained con- 
fiderable advantages over the retreating 
French. 
Adiniral Duckworth having paffed the 
Dardanelles with an © Englith flect, an- 
chored before Contlantinople, with) a 
view to give weight to the negociations 
with the Porte. The foreign journals i m 
te French intereft have given jiome de- 
tails of this bufinefs, not worth repeat- 
ing ; but otheial difpatches from the Eng- 
lith Admiral are daily expected. 
Variousinfurrections, which have broken 
out in India, feem to call for the exer- 
tion of more wifdom in the Englifh go- 
vernment than it is feared apper tain to 
the prefent adminiitration. 
At home we have to record another 
event, which has excited preat alarm 
among the friends of their country and 
the principles of its conttitution—we 
mean the SUDDEN J)issOLUTION OF THE 
PARLIAMENT AFTER ITHAD SAT BUT A 
FEW Monts ! 
MARRIAGES, 
