Néréide, when the party which had been driven from 1810. the first battery appeared to have recovered from their April. panic, and, strongly reinforced by the militia and the bourgeois inhabitants of the island, were drawn up in battle array on the left. Knowing that this was the first hostile landing which had ever been effected upon the Isle of France; knowing, also, that its principal defence consisted in its militia, captain Willoughby resolved to run some risk in letting the latter know, what they were to expect if ever the island was attacked by a regular british force. He accordingly moved towards the assembled french militia and regulars; and these, on advancing within musket-shot, opened their fire. As a proof of his good generalship, captain Willoughby resolved to get into the rear of his opponents, in order to cut them off in the retreat, to which, he knew, they would again resort. The captain and his party immediately turned into the interior, in an oblique direction to the islanders, who at first halted and remained upon their ground. But, the moment the British, by moving in quick time, discovered their intention, the french militia, followed by the regulars, took to their heels, as had been conjectured, and, a second time, beat the british seamen and marines in fair running. On their way back to their boats, to reach which they had again to wade across the river Galet, the bold invaders burnt the signal-house and Reflagstaff, situated nearly a mile from the beach: a proof turns to what a distance the fugitives had led them. Hav- prize ing well sounded the harbour, captain Willoughby N took along with him the french schooner, which the ide. midshipman left in charge of the boats had secured just as she was sweeping to sea, and rejoined the Néréide in the offing. The ship, a fine vessel of 400 tons, proved to be an american; and, although she was detainable for a breach of blockade, captain Willoughby did not capture her. with his to the loss in This very gallant, and, as we shall see, far from Slight unimportant enterprise was executed with so compa- curred. 1810. ratively trifling a loss, as one marine killed, lieutenant April. Deacon, (slightly,) four seamen, and two marines wounded. The loss of the enemy could not be ascertained; nor was it exactly known what force the British had defeated. From information, corroborated by what fell from the french officers, a body of 600 troops could reinforce the batteries at the post, by signal, within an hour; and the signal for an enemy was flying during the whole four hours that the British remained on shore. Nor did the seamen or marines, much to the credit of themselves and their officers, commit the slightest injury to the houses or private property of the inhabitants. Good effects prise. As soon as the Néréide joined the squadron off of the Port-Louis, captain Lambert sent in a flag of truce, enter- with the captured militia commandant, lieutenant of infautry, and enseigne de vaisseau, and received in exchange for them 39 british seamen and soldiers. This was an immediate good result of the enterprise at Jacolet. The benefits of a more permanent nature, arising from the exploit of captain Willoughby, were, an instance of the practicability, hitherto doubted, of making a descent upon the Isle of France, and a proof that the principal part of the troops in the island consisted of militia; of whose prowess, also, as defenders of any spot of ground, some very conclusive evidence had been obtained.. Com mo dore Some time in the month of May captain Josias Rowley, late of the 64-gun ship Raisonable, having Rowley by the orders of vice-admiral William O'Brien Drury, Isle of the commander in chief at the Cape of Good Hope, France. superseded captain John Hatley in the command of off the 38-gun frigate Boadicea, arrived, with the latter frigate and the Sirius, off the Isle of France. The Raisonable in the mean time, being nearly worn out in the service, had sailed for England, commanded by captain Hatley; and, the Leopard having also quitted the Isle of France station for the Cape of Good Hope, the british force cruising off Port-Louis consisted of frigates and sloops only, the Boadicea, Sirius, Iphigenia, Magicienne, Néréide, Otter, and 1810. a few others. June. Rodri Serious capt. by. On the 15th of June, while commodore Rowley, Sails with the Boadicea and Néréide, was watering on for Isle Platte, or Flat island, a small island close off guez. the northern extremity of the Isle of France, preparatory to his departure for the isle of Rodriguez, a very serious accident happened to the captain of the Néréide. Captain Willoughby was on shore exer- accicising his men at small-arms, when a musket he was dent to holding burst, and inflicted upon him a dreadful, wiland, as it was thought, mortal wound. His lower loughjaw on the right side was badly fractured, and his neck so lacerated, that the windpipe lay bare; and the surgeon feared, for several days, that it would slough away with the dressings, and of course end the life of the patient. For three weeks, captain Willoughby could not speak. However, by the skilful attention of the surgeon, Mr. George Peter Martyn Young, and a temperate habit of body, but not until a painful exfoliation of the jaw had taken place, the wound healed. We formerly gave the name of captain (then lieutenant) Willoughby among the wounded at the unfortunate business of the island Hispreof Prota, during the still more unfortunate proceed- wounds ings in the neighbourhood of Constantinople. The wound captain Willoughby then received was by two musket or pistol balls: one struck his left cheek, and injured the jaw on that side; the other entered his right nostril, and, from the upward position of his face at the moment, took a slanting direction towards the region of the brain. He lay, for half an hour, insensible on the ground, and was carried to the boats and the ship as one of whom no hopes were entertained. The surgeon introduced his probe several inches into the wound, but the bullet has not, we believe, yet been extracted. Having watered his two ships, and left the squadron off the Isle of France in the temporary charge vious 遞 Com mo 1810. of captain Pym of the Sirius, commodore Rowley June. made sail for the island of Rodriguez, a small uninhabited island situated about 100 leagues to the north-east of the Isle of France; and which had Rowley recently been taken possession of by lieutenantsails colonel Keating, as a sort of barrack for the troops driguez. with which it was in contemplation to attack Isle dore for Ro Re turns with for the Bourbon. On the 24th the Boadicea and Néréidé anchored at Rodriguez; and on the 3d of July, having embarked as many of the european troops as they could stow, the two frigates sailed on their return, accompanied by 14 transports, having on board the remainder of the 3650 european aud troops native troops, including 1850 of the latter, allotted attack for the expedition. On board the Boadicea were also upon as passengers, lieutenant-colonel Keating, the comBour- manding officer of the troops, and Robert Townsend Farquhar, esquire, appointed to the government of the island as soon as it should be captured. The regular force on Bourbon at this time amounted to only 576 rank and file; but there was an organized militia force of 2717 men. Isle bon. Points of dis On the 6th, at 4 P. M., the expedition joined capembar- tain Pym's squadron at the appointed rendezvous, kation. about 50 miles to-windward of Isle Bourbon; and the Sirius, Iphigenia, and Magicienne received on board from the transports all the remaining european and a portion of the native troops, together with as many of their boats as might be required for landing the men. This done, the five frigates and transports, early on the morning of the 7th, bore away for the different points of debarkation. The first brigade, under the command of lieutenant-colonel Fraser, was to land at Grande-Chaloupe, a spot about six miles to the southward and westward of the town of St.-Dénis, the capital of the island; while the second, third, and fourth brigades, under the respective commands of lieutenant-colonel Keating, Campbell, and Drummond, were to land at Rivière des Pluies, about three miles to the eastward 1810. of the town. The first of these points was on the July. lee, the other on the weather, side of the island. to lee While the main force drew the enemy's attention Landing of off Sainte-Marie, about two miles further to the east- first ward than Rivière des Pluies, captain Pym, at 2 P. M., brigade in the short space of about two hours and a half, ward. effected the landing at Grande-Chaloupe, without opposition, of the whole of colonel Fraser's brigade, consisting of 950 men, with some howitzers and the necessary ammunition. Owing to the able dispositions of lieutenant John Wyatt Watling, second of the Sirius, who with a small detachment of seamen had charge of the beach, not an accident occurred to a single soldier, nor was any part of the ammunition injured. Lieutenant Watling, with his men, then kept possession, during the night, of a neighbouring height between the town of St.-Paul and colonel Fraser's rear; thereby preventing_reinforcements being sent from St.-Paul's to St.-Dénis: he also drove in all the enemy's sharp-shooters, and took several cavalry horses. effect landing ward. The Boadicea, Iphigenia, Magicienne, and Néréide, Diffiwhen it was supposed that the first landing had been culty of effected, pushed for an anchorage, and were fol- ing a lowed by the transports as they arrived. The wea- tother, which until now had been favourable, began windto change. The beach on this side of the island, being steep and composed of large shingles, is generally of difficult access; but, captain Willoughby having reported it practicable, a landing was attempted under this officer's direction. Embarking on board the prize-schooner Estafette, captain Willoughby (with the dressings still on his wound, and after a night's exposure in an open boat) succeeded, with a small detachment of seamen and about 150 troops, in effecting a landing; but not without having the schooner, which belonged to the Néréide's ship's company, dashed to pieces in the surf, together with several of the boats. Fortunately |