thirteen miles south of Bushire, without any serious opposition a body of 300 or 400 men, who appeared, being scattered by the fire of the gunboats. There being no carriage cattle, the troops were landed without tents or baggage of any deseription-three days' rations being carried in the haversacks. The hardships which the men have been called upon to undergo have been endured most cheerfully, and I cannot say too much in their praise. Being still without our baggage, I have been unable as yet to obtain the reports called for from the several officers commanding brigades, regiments, and detachments; but I shall do my self the honor to inclose them for the information of his Excellency the Commander-in-chief.

I ought to have mentioned that, on approaching Bushire, the enemy were observed to occupy in some force an entrenched position, with a strong redoubt about a mile and a half from the walls, and commanding the wells from which the main supply of water for the town is derived. This position was precipitately abandoned on my line being formed. It also had sustained a bombardment from the fleet.

I would beg especially to mention the unwearied exertions and valuable aid rendered to me, from the landing at Hallila Bay to the taking of Bushire, by my Assistant Adjutant-General, Lieutenant-Colonel Younghusband; Captain Wray, the Assistant Quartermaster-General; Major Hill, commanding Engineers; Captain Dunsterville, Assistant Commissary-General; and Dr. Mackenzie, the Superintending Surgeon.

Brigadier Stopford and Lieutenant-Colonel Malet died leading on their men in the most gallant style. Brigadier Honner, commanding 2nd Infantry Brigade; Lieutenant-Colonel Shepheard, who succeeded to the command of the 1st Infantry Brigade;

Lieutenant-Colonel Trevelyan, commanding the Artillery Brigade; and Lieutenant-Colonel Tapp, commanding the Cavalry Brigade, have earned my warmest thanks for the manner in which their arduous duties have been carried on; as also Captain Pottinger, Brigade Major of Artillery, whose exertions were conspicuous; and my best thanks are equally due to Major Sterling, commanding Her Majesty's 64th Regiment; to Captain Macleod, who succeeded to the command of the 20th Regiment; to Lieutenant-Colonel Ramsay, commanding 2nd European Light Infantry; to Major Manson, commanding 4th Rifles; to Captain Hough, commanding 2nd Belooch Battalion; to Captain Forbes, who succeeded to the command of the 3rd Light. Cavalry; to Major Blake, commanding 4th Troop Horse Artillery; to Captain Hatch, commanding No. 3 Light Field Battery; to Captain Gibbard, commanding No. 5 Light Field Battery; and to Captain Dickinson, commanding the Sappers and Miners.

I have also derived every possible assistance from my Aide-de-Camp, Captain Hunter; Major Ballard. head of the Intelligence Department; Major Boyé, the Deputy Judge Advocate-General; Captain Rigby, who has acted as my Persian Interpreter; Captain Finnimore, Commissary of Ordnance; Captain Collier, Deputy Assistant AdjutantGeneral; Captain Shewell, and Lieutenant Holland, Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General; Major Barr, Paymaster; and Lieutenant Willoughby, Sub-Assistant Commissary-General.

Lord Dunkellin, of the Coldstream Guards; Major Taylor, of the Persian Embassy; and Mr. Johnstone, of the Indian navy, also rendered most efficient service (having attached themselves to my personal Staff); and to Mr. Johnstone's knowledge of the country and its inhabitants, with

the unwearied zeal he has exhibited, I am much indebted.

In fine, nothing could have surpassed the admirable spirit exhibited by the officers and men of all ranks, and the utmost praise is due for their zeal, devotion, and gallantry.

I have, &c.

F. STALKER, Major-General, Commanding Expeditionary Field Force.

Rear-Admiral Sir Henry J. Leeke, K.H., R.N., Commanding the Naval Force of the Persian Gulf Expedition, to the Right Hon. Lord Elphinstone, G.C.H., Governor of Bombay. East India Company's steam-frigate

Assaye," at anchor off Bushire, December 10, 1856.

MY LORD, It becomes my pleasing duty to report. to your Lordship in Council, that after a bombardment, which commenced this morning at 8 o'clock between the Persian batteries and the men-of-war of the Indian navy, and lasted on both sides until nearly an hour after noon, the town of Bushire has been taken, and the flag of our Sovereign is now flying on the citadel.

It was determined that the disembarkation of the troops should take place in Hallila Bay, about ten miles south of the town. All was ready on the morning of the 7th instant, and the gun-boats in advance to cover the landing, when a number of the enemy were discovered in a date grove about 200 yards to the left of the beach; the boats opened fire, and, after the exchange of a few shots, the enemy retired. Here the famous Chief, the son of Baucher Khan, was killed by a shell from one of the advanced boats, which, I trust, gave a check to, and prevented the approach of, a large

number of Persian troops, who would have very much harassed the army while landing.

On the following day, I paid a visit to General Stalker at the camp, and, on parting, I promised him that I would keep close to the shore in this ship, and support the left of the army on its approach to the Fort of Reshire (about four miles from this place), where it was supposed, from the information we had received, the enemy, in number from 1,500 to 2,000, would receive our troops, and make a powerful resistance. On my nearing the fort this information was confirmed. and we saw it perfectly full of Persian soldiers, who were drawn up ready for the attack. At this moment I was about 1,700 yards from them, when we commenced firing shell; many dropping within the trenches, and committing much slaughter, obliged the Persian troops to fly, with the exception of about 800, who made a resolute stand, and were driven out by the troops in one of the most brilliant and gallant charges I ever witnessed. Here the troops halted for the night.

I then pushed on for this roadstead, and at daylight this morning, seeing the Persian army drawn up near the wells (their centre supported by a high fortified tower and redoubt), it was my duty to dislodge them; and for this service I ordered the vessels, named in the margin,* under the command of Lieutenants Tronson, Worsley, Chitty, and Giles, and eight heavy-armed gun-boats under Lieutenant Stradling, to place their ships in position to attack it. This was done in a most gallant way, and, in the course of an hour, I had the satisfaction to see the whole of the Persian troops in full retreat to the town, but in perfect order, and with great coolness, supported by their Artillery.

"Falkland," sloop; "Ajdaha," steam-frigate; "Berenice;" 66 Victoria," steam-sloop.

A boat with a white flag was now seen approaching the ship, and, on one of the chiefs arriving on board, a request was made by the Governor of the town for a delay of operations for twenty-four hours, to offer terms. This I instantly refused, in consequence of his having fired on one of our small steamers, bearing a flag of truce, the day before. Half-an-hour was given him to get out of the way of our shot; and, the ships having been placed in line of battle, my flag-ship in the centre, the action commenced, and continued on both sides for two hours, when, observing two batteries outside the town, one a kind of miniature Malakhoff, harassing the "Semiramis" and "Feroze." I directed our fire towards them, and in three hours they were perfectly silenced, and the guns dismounted. A tower on the north-west angle of the fort, and a masked battery below the residency flag-staff outside the walls, kept up a constant and steady fire upon the "Semiramis" and "Feroze." It was

necessary to silence them also; and seeing that both ships were much damaged by their steady aim, the foremost guns of this ship were ordered to be directed towards them, and in the course of an hour both batteries ceased firing.

I was now anxious to make an opening in the wall of the town, that the troops might have nothing in their way, if General Stalker, on his arrival, determined upon carrying the place by assault. Our fire was, therefore, directed to the south-west angle, and the breach commenced by knocking down a part of the tower and the embrasure, in which a gun was mounted, as well as the lower part of the wall. The fire from their batteries at this time gradually slackened, and at this moment the flagstaff in the town was hauled down in token of submission, and the place surrendered.