ment by the whole of the corps of rear of its left, and the road leading Ney and Regnier (the 6th and 2d) but from Mortagoa to Oporto, through it was conducted by Brigadier-Gen. the mountainous tract which connects Crawfurd with great regularity, and the Sierra de Busaco with the Sierra the troops took their position without de Caramula. sustaining any loss of importance. The eighth corps joined the enemy The h Portuguese Cacadores, in our front on the 25th, but he did which had retired on the right of the not make any serious attack on that other troops, and the picquets of the day. The light troops on both sides 34 division of infantry, which was were engaged throughout the line. posted at St. Antonio de Cantaro, At six in the morning of the 27th, under Major Smith of the 45th, were the enemy made two desperate attacks engaged with the advance of Regnier's upon our position, the one on our corps in the afternoon, and the former right, the other on our left, of the shewed that steadiness and gallantry highest point of the Sierra. The atwhich others of the Portuguese troops tack upon the right was made by two have since manifested. divisions of the second corps, on that part of the Sierra occupied by the 3d division of infantry. One division of French infantry arrived at the top of the ridge, when it was attacked in the most gallant manner by the 88th regiment, under the command of the Hon. Lieut-Colonel Wallace; and the 45th regiment under the command of the Hon. Lieut.-Colonel Meade, and by the command of Lieut.-Col. Douglas, directed by Major-General Pictou. The Sierra de Busaco is a high ridge which extends from the Mondego in a northerly direction about eight miles. At the highest point of the ridge, about two miles from its termination, is the convent and garden of Busaco. The Sierra of Busaco is connected by a mountainous tract of country, with the Sierra de Caramula, which extends in a north- the 8th Portuguese regiment under easterly direction beyond Vizeu, and separates the valley of the Mondego from the valley of the Douro, on the These three corps advanced withleft of the Mondego. Nearly in a line the bayonet, and drove the enemy's with the Sierra de Busaco, is another division from the advantageous ground ridge of the same description, which which they had obtained. The other is called the Sierra de Murcella, co- division of the 2d corps attacked furvered by the river Alva, and cou- ther on the right, by the road leading nected by other mountainous traces by St. Antonio de Cantaro, also in with the Sierra Estrella. All the front of Major-General Picton's diviroads to Coimbra from the eastward, sion. This division was repulsed belead over one or other of these Sierras. They are very difficult for the passage of an army, the approach to the top of the ridge on both sides being mountainous. As the enemy's whole army was on the ridge of the Mondego, and as it was evident that he intended to force our position, Lieut.Gen. Hill crossed that river, by a short movement to his left, on the morning of the 26th, leaving Colonel le Cor with his brigade on the Sierra de Marcella to cover the right of the army; and Major-General Fane, with In these attacks Major-Generals his division of Portuguese cavalry, Leith and Picton, Colonels Mackinnon and the 13th light dragoons, in front and Champlemond of the Portuguese of the Alva, to observe and check the service, who was wounded, Lieut. Col. movements of the enemy's cavalry on Wallace, the Hon. Lieut.-Colonel the Mondego. With this exception, Meade, Lieut. Col. Sutton of the 9th the whole army was collected upon Portuguese regiment, Major Smith of the Sierra de Busaco. with the British the 45th regiment, who was unforcavalry observing the plain in the tunately killed, Lieut. Col. Doughs, fore it could reach the top of the ridge, by the 74th regiment, under the command of the Hon. Lieut.-Colonel French, and the brigade of Portuguese infantry, under the command of Col. Champlemond, directed by Colonel Mackinnon. Major General Leich also moved to his left, to the support of Major General Picton, and aided in the defeat of the enemy on this post, by the 3d battalion Royals, and the 1st battalion, and the gd battalion of the 38th regiment. The enemy left 2000 killed upon the field of battle, and I understand from the prisoners and deserters, that the loss in wounded is immense. The enemy did not renew his attack, excepting by the fire of his light troops on the 28th, but he moved a large body of infantry and cavalry from the left of his centre to his rear, from whence I saw his cavalry in march on the road which leads from Mortagea over the mountains towards Oporto. Having thought it probable, that he would endeavour to turn our left by that road, I had directed Col. Trant, with his division of militia, to march to Sardao, with the intention that he would occupy those mountains, but, unfortunately, he was sent round by Oporto by the General Officer commanding in the North, in consequence of a small detachment of the enemy being in possession of St. Pedro de Sul; and, notwithstanding the efforts which he made to arrive in time, he did not reach Sardan till the 28th at night, after the enemy was in possession of the ground. and Major Birmingham, of the 8th The loss sustained by the enemy in Portuguese regiment, distinguished his attack on the 27th has been enor themselves. Major-General Picton mous. I understand that the General reports of the 9th and 21st Portuguese of Division, Merle, and General Mauregiments, commanded by Lieut. Col. cum are wounded, and General Simon Sutton, and Lieut.-Col. de Arouje was taken prisoner by the 52d regiBacellar, and of the Portuguese artil- ment, and three Colonels, 33 officers, Jery, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel and 250 men. Arentchild. I have also to mention, in a particular manner, the conduct of Captain sey, of the 88th regiment. Major-General Leith reports, the good conduct of the Royals, rst battalion 9th, and 2d battalion 38th regiment; and I beg to assure your lordship, that never witnessed a more gallant attack than that made by the 38th, 45th, and 8th Portuguese regiments, on the enemy's division which had reached the ridge of the Sierra. On the left the enemy attacked with three divisions of infantry of the 6th corps, that part of the Sierra occupied by the left division, commanded by the Brigadier-General Crawfurd, and by the brigade of Portuguese infantry, commanded by Brigadier Gen. Pack. One division of infantry only made any progress towards the top of the hill, and they were immediately charged with the bayonet by Brigadier-General Crawfurd with the 48th, 526, and 95th regiments, and the 3d Portuguese Cacadores, and driven down with immense loss. BrigadierGeneral Cleman's brigade of Portuguese infantry, which was in reserve, was moved up to support the right of Brigadier Gen. Crawfurd's division, and a battalion of the 19th Portuguese regiment, under the command of Licut.-Colonel Macbean, made a gallant and successful charge upon a body of another division of the enemy, which was endeavouring to penetrate in that quarter. In this attack Brigadier-General Crawfurd, LieutenantColonels Beckwith of the 95th, and Barclay of the 52d, and the commanding officers of the regiments engaged, distinguished themselves. As it was probable that in the course of the night of the 28th the enemy would throw his whole army upon that road by which he could avoid the Sierra de Busaco, and reach Co. imbra by the high road to Oporto, and thus the army would have been exposed to be cut off from that town, or to a general action on less favour able ground; and as I had reinforcements in my rear, I was induced to withdraw from the Sierra de Busaco. The enemy did break upon the mountains at eleven at night of the 28th, and he made the march expected. Besides these attacks, the light His advanced guard was at Avelans, troops of the two armies were engaged in the road, from Oporto to Coimbra, throughout the 27th, and the 4th Por- yesterday; and the whole army was tuguese Cacadores, and the 1st and seen in march through the mountains; 16th regiments, directed by Brigadier- that under my command, however, General Pack, and commanded by was already in the Low Country, be Lieut-Col. de Rego Bonito, Lieut.- tween the Sierra de Busaco and the Colonel Hill, and Major Armstrong, sea; and the whole of it, with the shewed great steadiness and gallantry, exception of the advanced guard, is this day on the left of the Mondego.Although from the unfortunate circumstance of the delay of Colonel Trant's arrival at Sardao, I am apprehensive that I shall not succeed in effecting the object I had in view in passing the Mondego, and in occupying the Sierra de Busaco, I do not regret my having done so. This movement has afforded me a favourable opportunity of shewing the enemy the description of troops of which this army is composed; it has brought the Portuguese levies into action with the enemy for the first time in an advantageous situation: and they have proved that the trouble which has been taken with them has not been thrown away, and that they are worthy of contending in the same ranks with British troops, in this interesting cause, which they afford the best hopes of saving. Portugese army, which has now shewn itself capable of engaging and defeating the enemy. I have besides received from him, upon ali occasions, all the assistance which his experience and abilities, and knowledge of this country, have qualified him to afford me. The enemy has made no movement in Estremadura, or in the northern provinces, since I addressed your lordship last. My last accounts from Cadiz are of the 9th inst. I inclose a return of the killed and wounded of the allied armies in the course of the 25th, 26th, 27th, and 28th inst. I send this dispatch by my aid-du-camp, Capt. Burgh, to whom I beg to refer your lordship for any further details, and to recommend him to your lordship's notice. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) WELLINGTON. Total return of killed and wounded on the 25th and 26th of September:--5 horses killed; 1 captain, 1 cornet, 2 serjeants, 5 rank and file, 12 horses, wounded; 7 rank and file, 10 horses, missing. Throughout the contest upon the Sierra, and in all the previous marches, and in those which we have since made, the whole army have conducted themselves in the most regular manner.Accordingly, all the operations have been carried on with ease, the soldiers Total return of killed, wounded, and have suffered no privations, have un- missing on the 27th of Sept.:-1 madergone no unnecessary fatigue, there jor, I captain, 2 lieutenants, I ensign, has been no loss of stores, and the army 5 serjeants. 97 rank and file, killed; 8 is in the highest spirits. I have relieutenant-colonels, 5 majors, 10 capceived, throughout the service, the tains, 16 lieutenants, I ensign, 21 sergreatest assistance from the General jeants, 8 drummers, 434 rank and file, and Staff Officers. Lieut.-Gen. Sir wounded; 1 captain, 1 serjeant, 29 Brent Spencer has given me the assist- rank and file, missing.-The officer ance which his experience enables him and men returned missing are supto afford me; and I am particularly posed prisoners of war. indebted to the Adjutant and QuarterReturn of the total killed, wounded, Master-General, and officers of their and missing of the Portuguess army, departments, and to Lieut. Col. Ba- in the action of the 27th September: thurst, and the officers of my personal 4 captains, 2 subalterns, 1 serjeant, staff; to Brig.-Gen. Howarth, and the 1 drummer, 82 rank and file, killed; 1 artillery, and particularly to Lieut-colonel, i major, 5 captains, 18 subalCol. Fletcher, Captain Chapman, and terns, 9 serjeants, 478 rank and file, the officers of the Royal Engineers. I wounded; 2 serjeants, 18 rank and file, must likewise mention Mr. Kennedy missing. and the officers of the Commissariat, which department has been carried on SURRENDER OF THE ISLE OF most successfully. I should not do justice to the service, or to my own feelings, if I did not take this opportunity of drawing your BOURBON. GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY, OCT. 26. This Gazette contains an account lordship's attention to the merits of of the capture of the Island of BonaMarshal Beresford. To him exclu- parte (late Bourbon) by the Boadicea, sively, under the Portuguese govern. Neriade, Sirius, and Iphigenia, under ment, is due the merit of having raised, the command of Cominodore Rowley, formed, disciplined, and equipped the and a force of 3650 European aud N.B. Captain Lambert, of the Madras Establishment, slightly wounded. Two rank and file, of his Majesty's 86th regiment, died of their wounds since the 8th instant, included in the wounded.. One private of bis Majesty's 59th regiment, since died of his wounds. Of the navy, there was one of the marines killed and two scamen wounded. MOUNT VESUVIUS. Naples, Sept. 24.-The recent erup. tion will make the year 1810 an epoch in the annals of Vesuvius, on account of the manner in which it began, and the disasters it has produced are thus related: Indian troops, under Lieut.-Colonel Keating. On the 7th of July a partial landing was effected, but, owing to the violence of the surf, the remainder of the force was not put on shore till the next day, when Colonel Keating pushed on to the attack of the capital (St. Denis). Every thing was in readiness, and the grand attack would have taken place in less than half an hour, when a suspension of armis was demanded by a brave though vanquished enemy," and "thus," says the Colonel," in a few hours has this rich, extensive, and valuable colony, been added to his Gracious Majesty's dominions, with a population of up. wards of 100,000 souls, and with a loss on our part comparatively trilling."The gallant Colonel then proceeds to. give his "unqualified thanks" to the officers and men; and to speak of the "well-earned fame" of Commodore Rowley. A Mr. Farquhar, who was taken out for the purpose, was sworn in governor of the island on the 9th of June; on the 16th St. Paul's was occupied, and the enemy there (1500-long and difficult. About half-way strong) surrendered their arms; the island was then divided into two districts; and part of the troops were in readiness to move, at the shortest notice, on the ulterior object of the expedition, which is supposed to be the capture of the Isle of France. By the capitulation, the French troops were allowed the honours of war; they were to be sent to the Cape of Good Hope; and the laws, customs, and religion of the inhabitants, as well as their private property, was to be insured to them. The total loss sustained by the Brish consisted of-1 subaltern, 1 serjeant, 16 rank and filc, killed; 1 major, 7 subalterns, 2 serjeants, 2 drummers, 66 rank and file, I seaman, wounded. List of officers killed and wounded.— Flank corps-Lieutenants Spinks and Whannell, slightly wounded. His Majesty's 86th regiment.--Lieut. J. G. Munro, killed. Major W. T. Edwards, slightly wounded; Lieut. M. Creagh, Brigade Major, dangerously wounded; Lieutenants Arch, M'Lean, and A. K. Blackall, severely wounded; Lieut. J. Webb, slightly wounded; Lieut. W. R. White, severely wounded. "Curious to witness as near as pos sible one of the most astonishing phe nomena of nature, and forgetting the misfortune of Pliny, I set out fres Naples, and at eight in the evening! reached Portici. From thence to the summit of the mountain, the road is there is an hermitage, which has long "The fire of the volcano served es for a torch; the noise had totally ceased for two hours; the flame hai also considerably decreased; these cir cumstances augmented our security, and supplied us with the necessary confidence in traversing such danger ous ground. We approached as ue? as the heat would permit, and we set fire to the sticks of our guides in the lava, which slowly ran through the bollows of the crata. The surface of Vesuvius was on fire, and the lava has caused the greatest losses; houses and whole estates have been overwhelmed, and at this day, families in tears are reduced to despair, search in vain for the inheritance of their ancestors, buried under the destroying lava. this inflamed matter nearly resembles all the sides of the mountain, with a metal in a state of fusion; but as it force hitherto unprecedented; all flows it carries a kind of a scum,which hardens as it cools, and then forms masses of scoria, which dash against each other, and roll all on fire, with noise, to the foot of the mountain.Strong fumes of sulphuric acid gas arise in abundance from these scoria, and by their caustic and penetrating "At ten at night, the hermitage qualities, render respiration difficult. "We seemed to be pretty secure in this situation, and were far from thinking of retiring, when a frightful explosion, which launched into the air fragments of burning rocks, to the distance of more than 100 toises, reminded us of the danger to which we were exposed. None of us hesitated a moment in embracing a retreat, and in five minutes we cleared in our descent a space of ground, which we had taken two hours to climb. was no longer accessible; a river of fire had obstructed the road. The districts situated on the south-east quarter of the mountain had still more to suffer. Mount Vesuvius was no longer any thing but one vast flame; and the seaman at a great distance might contemplate, at his leisure, this terrific illumination of nature." DOMESTIC OCCURRENCES. London. "We had not reached the bermitage before a noise more frightful than ever was heard; and the volcano, in all its fury, began to launch a mass equal to some thousand cart-loads of A gentleman of Kentishstones, and fragments of burning full of blossom; another at Highgate Town bas a peach-tree in his garden rocks, with a projectile force which it would be difficult to calculate. As the projection was vertical, almost the whole of this burning mass fell back again into the mouth of the volcano, The following extraordinary in-. stances of vegetation have taken place during the present unusual mild Au which vomited it forth anew to re ceive it again, with the exception of some fragments which flew off, to fall at a distance, and alarm the inquisitive spectator, who avoided them, as, on public fetes, we avoid the handle of the rockets in our fire-works. "The 13th commenced with nearly the same appearances as those of the preceding day. The volcano was tranquil, and the lava ran slowly in the channels which it had formed during the night; but at four in the afternoon, a frightful and continued noise, accompanied with frequent explosions, announced a new eruption; the shocks of the volcano were so violent, that at Fort de L'Euf, built upon a rock, where I then was, at the distance of four leagues, feit oscilla tions similar to those produced by an earthquake. has an an early summer apple-tree, which has its second crop of fruit for the year set, and advancing in growth; and several lilac and laburnum trees have put forth new blossoms. The monument erected in Guildhall to the memory of Lord Nelson is to be opened on Lord Mayor's day. The group consists of three figuresBritannia weeping over a bust of Nelson-the City recording his brilliant victories-and Neptune leaning on a dolphin. The base contains the battle of Trafalgar, with Lord Collingwood's ship in the state it remained after the action. A seaman is placed at full length on each side the base, holding the implements of war and navigation. Some years back the late Duke of Richmond received a large sum by way of compensation for duties received on coals imported into London. Lord Ormond, it seems, gets now 200,000l. in a similar way for his claims of his butlerage on wine imported into the sister island. Some members of "About five o'clock the eruption "the Corinthian capital of polished commenced, and continued during society" are thus not a little indebted the greater part of the night. This for their ornaments and dignity to time the burning matter flowed down English kitchens and Irish cellars. |