more than one officer, six rank and file killed; one officer, one sergeant, eight rank and file wounded. The Apollo, with the 19 missing transports, came to anchor in Aboukir bay, on the morning of the 20th ; and sir John Duckworth's squadron arrived there on the 22d. for the reduction of this important place, under the command of the honourable brigadier-general Stewart, and colonel Oswald. This force took post opposite the Alexandrian gate of Rosetta, on the 9th of April, and after a summons to the town to surrender, was treated In consequence of a strong re. with defiance, began to form their presentation, by major Misset, our batteries. Great stress had been resident at Alexandria, as just men - laid by the British commander, ontioned, that the inhabitants of assistance promised by the MaAlexandria ran a risk of being star. malukes, and their appearance was ved, unless Rosetta and Rhiamanie now daily, or even hourly, expected. were not occupied by British troops, Lieutenant-colonel Macleod, with general Fraser, with the con- a detachment from the main body of currence of admiral sir John our little army, was sent to seize an Duckworth, March 27th, detached important post, at the village of El the 31st regiment, and the chasseurs Hammed, for the purpose of facili Britanniques*, amounting together, tating a junction with the expected to about 1,500, under major succour. No succour, after an general Wauchope, and brigadier- anxious expectation of many days, general Meade, for that purpose. nor intelligence of any succour was Our troops took possession of the received. Early on the morning of heights of Abermandour, which com- - the 22d of April, 60 or 70 vessels mand the town of Rosetta, without were seen sailing down the Nile, any loss. But the general, instead of and there could not be a doubt that Iceping his post there, penetrated, this was a re-inforcement sent to with his whole force into the town, the enemy, from Cairo. Orders without any previous examination were immediately dispatched to coof it, when our men were so briskly lonel Macleod to retreat from his fired on, and otherwise annoyed, position to the main body; but from the windows and tops of hou. these orders were unfortunately inses, without ever seeing their cuemy, tercepted. The detachment at Elthat after a loss bf about 300 men, hammed was completely cut off. in killed and wounded, they rcGeneral Stewart, overpowered by tired, in good order to Aboukir, so large a force, retreated, fighting without molestation, from whence all the way, to Alexandria. Our they were directed to return to loss in this unfortunate enterprise, Alexandria. Apprehensions of fa- was not less than 1,000 men, in mine being still strongly declared killed, wounded, and missing. This both by our resident, major Misset, rash enterprise was deeply regretand the sorbagi, or chief magistrate, ted, when it was afterwards found in the name of the people, without the that the apprehensions of famine occupation of Rosetta, another were altogether groundless. There corps, about 2,500 strong, was sent was no scarcity of provisions at Or British hunters, officered almost wholly by French emigrants. Alexandria, Alexandria. rice, so great was the plenty, had been lately exported; while, at the same time, a quantity equal to a year's consumption of rice, and six months of wheat for the inhabitants, six months for the army, and four for the navy, remained on hand. Indeed, while the British garrison remained in Alexandria, provisions of all kinds became every day, more and more plentiful. Great quantities of was more generally censured, as Had this expedition against Egypt been planned by the new ministry, they would, no doubt, have support ed it, by re-inforcements from Messina, or Malta. But they did not approve of it: and their disapprobation of it was not, it may be presumed, kept a secret from generals Mackenzie and Fraser, who, threatened with expulsion, by the disaffection of the inhabitants, and a formidable force of infantry and cavalry, on its march from Cairo, against Alexandria, abandoned the idea of making any defence. On the approach of the enemy, he sent out a flag of truce, announcing that, on the condition of the delivery of British prisoners, the army under his command should immediately evacuate Egypt: which condition was accepted without hesitation. The British troops, setting sail from Alexandria, on the 23d of September, returned to Sicily: where they set free a part of our troops stationed there for the protection of that island. The troops thus libe. rated, were brought to Gibraltar, with a view to co-operate in securing the retreat of the royal family of Portugal, from Lisbon: an object, however, which, as will by-and-by be related, was happily effected with out the necessity of employing them. The expedition to Alexandria, norance During theyears 1806, and 1807, and perhaps for some time before, there was an obvious want of system, connection, and dependency among some of the measures of the British government: an air of improvidence, unsteadiness, and vacillation. It sufficiently appears from documents published in an edition of sir Home Popham's trial, authenticated by himself, that his design on Buenos Ayres was countenanced by Mr. Pitt and lord Melville. pre norance of general Fraser, respecting the state of provisions; the madness of general Wauchope in rushing into Rosetta, even without artillery; the smallness of the force sent from Messina, by Mr. Fox's ministry; and the neg ect to reinforce it by succours, on the part of that which succeeded it, suffi. ciently explained, but did not diminish, the effects of our disasters on the public mind, throughout the British empire, nor, it may be sumed, in other countries. Another expedition, still more unfortunate than those against Constantinople and Alexandria, had been undertaken, no by orders of government, but by individual commanders on their own responsibility, against a nation bearing no small resemblance in their political state and relations to the subjects of the Otto. man Porte: a nation in its decline, prone to peace, and above all, though the government had been brought under the influence and power of Buonaparte, peace with England. A combined military and naval force under the command of general Be. resford, and commodore sir Home Popham, proceeding from the Cape of Good Hope to the great river of La Plata, took the town of Buenos Ayres, the capital of a great province or government, without much resist. ance. It was soon retaken. But a re-inforcement of British troops from the Cape, towards the close of 1806, took post at Maldonado. Farther reinforcements were ex. pected; and farther operations on the Rio de La Plata projected *. Yet the same ministers had very nearly at the same time, encouraged the design of general Miranda, as we have had occasion to notice above †, conceived in quite a different spirit; a spirit of conciliation, concord, and consociation.-Works that tread so hard, as Annual Registers, on the heels of time, are liable to many errors in the statement of facts and circumstances, as well as the secret springs of action. But, it is no small advantage in a continuous work of this kind, that the errors which creep into one, may be cor. rected in a subsequent volume. The account given of general Miranda's expedition to Caraccas, in our last volume ‡, is in some respects de fective, in others erroneous. The following, after more recent, am. ple, and accurate information, is given as the true account. General Miranda, with the knowledge and a good understanding between him and the British government, set out from England for the purpose of carrying into execution, if possible, his long-cherished project of eman, cipating Spanish America. He pro * Vol. XLVIII, 1806. HISTORY of EUROPE, p. 239. ✦ See page 45. HISTORY of EUROPE, p. 239-40. ceeded ceeded to the United States of America, for the purpose of procuring that assistance which, from the assurances he had received while in this country, he had every reason to expect, particularly at a period when there was every prospect of a war between the United States and Spain, on account of a dispute about Louisiana. But, on his arri. val, he had the mortification to find that the dispute about Louisiana was compromised; and that, although the wishes of the American, like those of the British government, were for him, he could not expect their avowed assistance. The general, however, animated by that persevering ardour which is inspired into great minds by great designs, induced, on terms agreed on, Mr. Ogden, a merchant, of New York. to fit out a ship, the Leander, cap. tain Lewis, with two hundred young men of great respectability, who volunteered their services; and to proceed with her to St. Domingo, for the purpose of being joined by a second vessel, the Emperour, commanded by another captain Lewis, brother to the master of the Leander. Unfortunately, soon after the departure of the Leander from New York, the American go. vernment, giving way to the urgent solicitations of the French and Spa. nish ambassadors, brought an action against Mr. Ogden, and a colonel Smith, a zealous friend to the cause of general Miranda, on the plea, that the equipment of the Leander was unauthorized and illegal. The parties prosecuted were honour. ably acquitted. But the first consequences of the trial were of incalculable detriment to general Miranda's expedition; for the master of the Emperour having heard, while at St. Domingo, that an action had been brought against the parties just mentioned, absolutely refused to proceed on its destination. It now became necessary to engage, instead of the Emperour, two small schooners. The general, however, though thus cruelly disappointed in his expectation of being joined by the armed ship Emperour, of about thirty guns, proceeded with his little squadron for the coast of Caraccas; where, as he supposed that the Spanish government still continued ignorant of his movements, he hoped to effect a landing without opposition. The Spanish ambassador, however, having obtained information of this enterprise, sent advice thereof to the governor of Caraccas; where general-Miranda, instead of meeting, as he expected, with none but friends, apprised of his approach, had the mortification to learn that the government of Ca. raccas had given the necessary orders for taking measures of defence, and where his two schooners unfortunately fell into the hands of the Spanish guarda-costas. In these circumstances, general Miranda sailed directly for Trinidad, for the purpose of procuring a British auxiliary force. Admiral Co. chrane, then commanding on the windward station, assured the gene. ral of support, in both ships and men, and immediately ordered some sloops of war and gun-boats to proceed with him on the expedition. Thus reinforced at Trinidad, the general set sail from thence on the. 24th of July, 1806, again for the coast of Caraccas, with his little fleet, now consisting of about fifteen vessels in all, and having on board about five hundred officers and men, all volunteers. On the morning of the 2d of August, his little army effected its landing at a place called Vela-de-Coro. army, issued a proclamation to the inhabitants of Columbian America, 66 But, the disem. in which he says, Brave country. men and friends! In obedience to your wishes, and the repeated requests and calls of the country to whose service we have cheerfully consecrated the greater part of our lives, we have disembarked in this province of Caraccas. The opportunity, and the time, appear to us highly favourable for the completion of our designs; and all persons composing the army are your friends and countrymen-all resolved to sacrifice their lives, if necessary, for your liberty and independence, under the auspices of the British navy. The innocent Indians, and other men, will consider us all as brother citizens, and that prece. dence belongs only to merit and virtue; in which belief, they will primarily obtain, most certainly, military and civil recompenses, the reward of merit alone." An arrangement was announced for carrying the plan of emancipation into execution, with due security and efficacy. The principles and views with which the little Columbian ar. my had landed on the shores of South America, were also unfolded in other proclamations, and in let. ters to the city council of Coro, and the bishop of Merida. "Their principal object was the independence of the whole Columbian continent, for the benefit of all its inhabitants, and the inhabitants of the human race." The members of this council, who, on the approach of general Miranda to Coro, had retired to Buena Vista, a few miles from town, kept up a secret correspondence with the general for. several days; during which time, the most friendly civilities were interchanged barkation having been delayed by a gale of wind, and the ignorance, perhaps the treachery, of the pilot, for thirty-six hours, the agents of the Spanish government had time for spreading the alarm along the coast, and preparing for defence. The boats, with the troops on board, however, rowed boldly, in the dark, for the shore; where upwards of 500 Spanish soldiers, and about 700 Indians, were drawn up to oppose the landing. The Spaniards kept up a heavy but ineffectual fire on the boats, as they approached; but, without returning the fire, they quickly gained the shore when, on general Miranda and his troops advancing on the enemy, and exchanging a couple of vollies, which wounded a few on both sides, the Spaniards fled in every direction, and the Indians, released from the presence of their late masters, flocked in crowds around their new visitors, and, learning the object of their arrival, cried out, "Success to general Miranda!" Two forts, and upwards of twenty guns, in tended to protect the port of La Vela, immediately surrendered, with their stores and ammunition. And general Miranda, assured of the friendly disposition of the inhabitants of Vela de Coro, who amounted to upwards of 3,000, set out, a few hours afterwards, on his march for the city of Coro, situated about fifteen English miles up the country, and containing a population of about 12,000 persons. He entered Coro before day-break next morning. From Vela de Coro, general Miranda, under the title of commander in chief of the Columbian |
