yard wall; and as the night clofed in, they came near enough to pour in an irregular though quick fire of mufquetry on us from the Boulangerie, and of cannon from the Height which overlooks it. We kept them at bay by dilcharges of grape. fhot from time to time, which prevented their coming fo near as to difcover the infufficiency of our force to repel a clofer attack. A gum-boat was itationed to flank the wall on the outside, and two field-pieces were placed within against the wicket ufually frequented by the workmen, of whom we were particularly apprehenfive. About eight o'clock I had the fatisfaction of feeing Lieut. Gore towing in the Vulcan fireship. Captain Hare, her Commander, placed her, agreeably to my directions, in a molt matterly manner, across the tier of men of war, and the additional force of her guns and men diminifhed my apprehenfions of the Galley Slaves rifing on us, as their manner and occafional tumultuous debates cealed entirely on her appearance. The only noife heard among them was the hammer knocking off their fetters, which humanity for bade my oppofing, as they might thereby be more at liberty to fave themselves on the conflagration taking place around them. In this fituation we continued to wait moft anxiously for the hour concerted with the Governor for the inflammation of the Trains. The moment the fignal was made, we had the fatisfaction to fee the flames life in every quarter. Lieu tenant Tupper was charged with the burning of the General Magazine, the Pitch, Tar, Tallow, and Oil Store-houfes, and fucceeded most perfectly; the Hemp Magazine was included in this blaze: Its being nearly calm was unfortunate to the fpreading of the flames, but 250 barrels of tar divided among the deals and other timber, infured the rapid ignition of that whole quarter which Lieutenant Tupper had undertaken, The Maft houfe was equally well fet on fire by Lieutenant Middleton, of the Britannia. Lieutenant Pater, of the Britannia, continued in a moit daring manner to brave the flames, in order to complete the work where the fire feemed to have caught imperfectly. I was obliged to call him off, let his retreat fhould become impracticable: His fituation was the more perilous, as the enemy's fire redoubled as foon as the amazing blaze of light rendered us difti.&t objects of their alin. Lieutenant Ironmonger, of the Royals, remained with the guard at the gate ull the fait, long after the Spanish guard was withdrawn, and was brought fately off by Captain Edge, of the Alert, to whom I had confided the important fervice of clofing our retreat, and bringing off our detached parties, which were faved to a man. I was forry to find myself deprived of the further fervices of Captain Hare He had performed that of placing his Firefhip to admiration, but was blown into the water, and much fcorched, by the explotion of her priming, when in the act of putting the match to it. Lieutenant Gore was also much burnt, and I was confequently deprived of him alfo, which I regretted the more, from the recollection of his bravery and activity in the warm fervice of Fort Mulgrave. Mr. Eales, Midshipman, who was alfo with him on this occafion, deferves my praise for his conduct throughout this fervice. The guns of the firefhip going off on both fides as they heated, in the direction that was given them, towards thofe quarters from whence we were moft apprehenfive of the enemy forcing their way in upon us, checked their career. Their fhouts and Republican fengs, which we could hear diftinctly, continued till they, as well as onrfelves, were in a manner thunderstruck by the explosion of fome thousand barrels of powder on board the Iris frigate, lying in the Inner Road, without us, and which had been injudicioufly fet on fire by the Spanish boats, in going off, inftead of being funk as ordered. The concuffion of air, and the fhower of falling timber on fire, was fuch as nearly to destroy the whole of us. Lieutenant Patey, of the Terrible, with his whole boat's crew, nearly perished, the boat was blown to pieces, but the men were picked up alive. The Union gun-boat, which was nearest to the Iris, fuffered confiderably, Mr. Young being killed, with three men, and the vellel fhaken to pieces. I had given it in charge to the Spanish officers to fire the hips in the bafon before the town, but they returned, and reported that various obitacles had prevented their entering it. We attempted it together as foon as we had compleated the bufinets in the arenal, but were repulfed in our attempt to cut the boom, by repeated vollies of muíquetry- from the flag ihip and the wall of the Battery Royale. The cannon of this battery had been spiked by the judi cious precaution taken by the Governor previously to the evacuation of the town. The failure of our attempt on the ships in the balon before the town, owing to the infufficiency of our force, made me regret that the Spanish gun-boats had been with drawa drawn from me to perform other fervice. The Adjutant Don Pedro Cotiella, Don Francifco Riguielme, and Don Francifco Truxillo remained with me to the laft; and I feel bound to bear teftimony of the zeal and activity with which they performed the moft effential fervices during the whole of this bufinefs, as far as the infufficiency of their force allowed it, being reduced, by the retreat of the gun-boats, to a fingle felucca, and a mortar-boat which had expended its ainmunition, but contained 30 men with cutlaffes. We now proceeded to burn the Hero and Themistocles, two 74 gun fhips, laying in the Inner Road. Our approach to them had hitherto been impracticable in buats, as the French prifoners who had been left in the latter ship were still in poffeflion of her, and had hewn a determination to refift our attempt to come on board. The fcene of configration around them, heightened by the late tremendous explotion, had however awakened their fears for their lives. Thinking this to be the cafe, I addreffed them, expreffing my readinets to land them in a place of fafety, if they would fubmit; and they thankfully accepted the offer, fhewing them felves to be completely intimidated, and very grateful for our humane intentions towards them, in not attempting to burn them with the flip. It was neceffary to proceed with precaution, as they were more numerous than ourselves. We at length completed their disembarkation, and then fet her on fire. On this occafion I had nearly loft my valuable friend and affitant, Lieutenant Miller, of the Windfor Cattie, who had staid so long on board to infare the fire taking, that it gained on him fuddenly, and it was not without being very much fcorched, and the risk of being fuffocated, that we could approach the thip to take him in. The lofs to the fervice would have been very great, had we not fucceeded in our endeavours to fave him. Mr. Knight, Midshipman of the Windfor Cattle, who was in the boat with me, shewed much activity and addrefs on the occafion, as well as firmness throughout Having now fet fire to every thing within our each, exhaufted our combustible pic. parations and our frength to fuch a degree that the men abfolutely dropped on the oars, we directed our courfe to join the fleet, running the gauntlet under a few ill directed fhot from the forts of Balaguier and Aiguillette, now occupied by the enemy; but, fortunately, without lofs of any kind, we proceeded to the place appointed for the embarkation of the troops, and took off as many as we could carry. It would be injuftice to thofe officers whom I have omitted to name, for their not having been fo immediately under my eye, if Ï did not acknowledge myself indebted to them all for their extraordinary exertions in the execution of this great national obje&. The quicknefs with which the inflammation took effect on my fignal, its extent and duration, are the best evidences that every officer and man was ready at his poft, and firm under molt perilous cir-cumstances; I therefore fubjoin a litt of the whole who were employed on this fer vice. We can afcertain that the fire extended to at least ten fail of the line; how much further we cannot fay. The lofs of the General Magazine, and of the quantity of pitch, tar, rolin, hemp, timber, cordage and gunpowder, mult confiderably impede the equipment of the few ships that. remain. I am forry to have been obligedto leave any, but I hope your Lordship will be fatisfied that we did as much as our circumfcribed means enabled us to do in limited time, preffed as we were by a force much faperior to us. I have the honour to be, &c. W. SYDNEY SMITH. Right Hon. Lord Hood, &c. &c. &c. A Lift of the Officers employed under the Orders of Sir Sydney Smith, Comman-der, Grand Cro's of the Royal Military Order of the Sword, in the Service of burning the French Ships and Arsenal of Toulon, in the Night of the 18th of December, 1793. Captain Hare, Vulcan fireship. Don Francisco Riguielme, Lieutenants, Don Franciico Truxilio, commanding a mortar boat. Lieutenants C. Tupper, John Gore, Mr. Eales, Middhipman, Victory's boats. Lieutenants Melhuith and Holloway, Alert floop. Lieutenants Mathew Wrench and Thomas F. Richmond; Mr. Andrews, L 2 Matter: Lieutenant Cox, Jean Bart gun-boat. Mr. Young, Union gun-boat, killed, Enfign Ironmonger, of the Royals. John Skringer, Boatswain's Mate, James Young, Gunner's Mate, Thomas Knight, Quarter. Master, and Thomas Clarke, Carpenter's Mate, of the Swallow tender, and who performed the fervice of preparing combustibles. John Wilfon, Advanced Centinel. An Abstract of the Return of Officers and Seamen belonging to the Ships undermentioned, who were Killed, Wounded, and Milling on the 17.b Day of Decem ber, 1793, at Fort Mulgrave. Victory. Lieutenant, Midthipman, 2 Seamen, wounded; 8 Seamen miffing. Britannia. 8 Seamen killed. Windfor Castle. 2 Scamen killed;' 2 Sea men wounded; 2 Seamen miffing. Princess Royal. Midfhipman, 8 Sea men, miffing. Lieutenant Goddard, of the Victory, wounded. Mr. J. W. Loring, Midshipman of the Victory, wounded. Mr. A. Wilkie, Midshipman of the Princefs Royal, mifling. Lift of Ships of the Line, Frigates and SHIPS of the LINE. Now with the English Fleet. Le Commerce de Marieilies 120 Guns. La Couronne 80 Le Dictateur 74 Remaining at Toulon. Le Languedoc Sent into the French Ports on the At lantic, with French Scamen, &c. Le Patriote Le Centeur 74 Le Guerrier 74 74 Unfit for Service. L'Alcide 74 FRIGATES. Burnt at Toulon. Le Courageux 32 L'Iphigenie 32 16 Having on board the Powder Magazines, L'Iris burnt at Toulon. Le Montreal 32 32 against Fort Mulgrave, on the Heights of Balaguier. From all concurring accounts of deferters, and others, the enemy's army was now between 30,000 and 40,000 men, and an attack upon our pofts was to be daily expected. Thefe, from their effential though detached fituations, had been feverally strengthened, in the proportion their circumftances required, having fuch cen. tral force in the town as was deemed ne Fitted out by the English as a Bomb- ceffary for its immediate guard, and for La Lutine 32 18 affording a degree of fuccour to any point that might be more particularly attacked. For the complete defence of the town and its extensive harbour, we had long In Commiflion before the English Fleet been obliged to occupy a circumference of at least fifteen miles, by eight principal pofts, with their feveral intermediate dependent ones; the greateft part of thefe w.re merely of a temporary nature, fuch as our means allowed us to construct; and of our force, which never exceeded 12,000 men bearing firelocks, and com pofed of five different nations and languages, near 9000 were placed in or fupporting thofe pofts, and about 3000 remained in the town. On the 16th, at half past two o'clock in the morning, the enemy, who had before fired fro.n three batteries on Fort Mulgrave, now opened two new ones, and continued a very heavy cannonade and bombardment on that poft till next morning, The works fuffered much. The number of men killed and difabled was confiderable. The weather was rainy, and the confequent fatigue great. At two o'clock on the morning of the 17th the enemy, who had every advantage in afmbling and fuddenly advancing, attacked the fort in great force. Although no part of this temporary poft was such as could well refit determined troops, yet, for a confiderable time, it was defended; but, on the enemy entering on the Spanish fide, the British quarter, commanded by Captain Conolly of the 18th Regiment, could not be much longer maintained, notwithftanding feveral gallant efforts were made for that purpose. It was therefore at last carried, and the remains of the garrison of 700 men retired towards the thore of Bataguier, under the protection of the other polts established on those heights, and which continued to be faintly attacked by the enemy. As this pofition of Balaguier was a molt effential one for the prefervation of the harbour, and as we had no communiction with it but by water, 2200 men had been placed there for fome time pait. On the night preceding the attack, 300 more more men had been fent over, and on the morning of the 17th 400 were embarked ill farther to fupport it. When the firing at Balaguier ceafed, we remained in anxious fufpence as to the event till a little before day-light, when a new scene opened, by an attack on all our pofts on the mountain of Pharon. The enemy were repulfed on the Eaft fide, where was our principal force of about 700 men commanded by a moft diftinguished officer, the Piedmontefe Colonel de Jermagnan, whole lofs we deeply lament; but on the back of the mountain, near 1800 feet high, steep, rocky, deemed almott inaccelible, and which he had laboured much to make fo, they found means, once more, to penetrate between our pofts, which occupied an extent of above two miles, guarded by 450 men, and, in a very thort pace of time, we faw, that with great numbers of men, they crowded all that fide of the mountain which overlooks Toulon. The particulars of this event I am not yet enabled to ascertain, but I have every reafon to think that they did not enter a British poll. Our line of defence, which, as I have mentioned, occupied a circumference of at least 15 miles, and with points of which we had only a water communication, being thus broken in upon in its two most effential pots, it became neceffary to adopt decitive measures, arifing from the knowledge of the whole of our actual fituation, A Council of the Flag and General Officers affembled. They determined on the impracticability of restoring the pofts we had loft, and on the confequent propriety of the fpecdiet evacuation of the Town, evidently, and by the report of the Engineers and Artillery Officers, declared untenable. Measures of execution were taken from that moment. The troops were withdrawn from the Heights of Balaguier without much interruption from the enemy, and in the evening fuch poits as neceflarily depended on the poffeflion of Pharon were fucceffively evacuated, and the troops drawn in towards Toulon. The Forts D'Artigues and St. Catherine ftill remain. ed, together with the potts of Sablettes, Cape Brun, and Malboufquet, from which laft the Spaniards withdrew in the night, in confequence of the fupporting poft of Neapolitans at Micifley having left the battery there eftablished, and abandoned it without orders. Every attention was alio given to enfure the tranquillity of the Town. In the night the Combined Fleets took a new itation in the Outer Road. Early in the morning of the 18th the Sick and Wounded, and the British Field Artillery were fent off. In the course of the day the poft of Cape Brun was withdrawn into La Malgue, the port of Sablettes was alfo retired, and the men were put on board. Measures were arranged for the final embarkation, during the night, of the British, Piedmontele, and Spaniards, who occupied the Town, and of the troops of the fame Nations who were now at La Malgue, amounting in all to about 7000 men; for the Neapolitans had, by midday, embarked. Having determined with LieutenantGeneral Gravina, commanding the Spanish troops, that, inftead of enbarking at the Quays and in the Arfenal of the Towng our whole force thould affumble near Fort La Maigue, and form on the Penintula which from thence extends into the Harbour, every previous dipotition was made, and every care taken to conceal our intention. The Arfenal and Dock-yard were frictly guarded. The troops were ranged accordingly on the Runparts, and the tranquillity of the Town was much enfured from the time the enemy began to throw fhells and fhot into it; which they did from our late Batteries at Miciffey and Malbouquet. About ten o'clock at night fire was fet to the Ships and Arfenal. We im mediately began our march, and the evacuation of the Town, which it was neceffary fhould be made with fecrecy and expedition. The Fort of St. Catherine having, without orders, been quitted in the course of the day, and poffeifed by the enemy, the confequent early knowledge of cur march, had we taken the common route, through the Gate of Italy, and within mufquet fhot of that Fort, might have produced great inconvenience; we therefore, by a Sally Poft, gained an advanced part of the road, and without accident were enabled to quit the Town, arrive at Fort La Malgue, and form on the rifing ground immediately above the thore. The boats were ready, the weather and the fea in the highest degree favourable: The embarkation began about eleven o'clock, and by, day-break on the 19th the whole, without interrupt on, or the lofs of a man, were on board ship. The great fire in the Arfenal, the blow. ing up of the powder fhips, and other fi milar events which took place in the night, certainly tended to keep the enemy in a itate of fufpenfe and uncertainty. As the fecurity of this operation de pended much on the protection afforded from the happy fituation of Fort La Malgue, |