success of the expedition, a secure or; thongh, when our troops took and permanent footing on La possession of Buenos Ayres, the Plata that was his object, not per- commodore was at a very consisonal gain, and plunder. The mili- derable distance. An incident hap. tary eye of the general pointed to pened, of a kind somewhat ludia Monte Video, as the first object of crous, that marked how much sir attack, not Buenos Ayres; but, Home, in this expedition to Buenos with too much facility, he gave way Ayres, was bent upon plunder. At to the earnest desire of the naval a time when general Beresford was commander of the armament, who involved in a conflict with the Spawas 'seconded by all the captains niards, a black boy arrived with a of ships to advance immediately letter from sir Home Popham to the against Buenos Ayres, the depot general, informing him that in a of so much public and private trea. certain church he would and a very sure. It, unfortunately happened considerable treasure. When mat. that the commodore, with equal in. ters had grown worse and worse humanity, it must be owned, and with the British at Buenos Ayres, impolicy, had sent on shore 200 and the general wished to concert Spaniards, the crews of some vessels with the naval commander some that bad fallen into his hands, on measures for extrication, sir Home the island of Lobos, in La Plata, was in a great haste to break up several leagues distant from Maldo- the conference, and get on board a bado, that he might not be incum. frigate that carried him to his squad. bered with so many prisoners, lean ron, at anchor a great way down ving them to the danger of perishing the river, as far as Monte Video, from famine. The men subsisted This abrupt retreat had greatly the some time, on the flesh of seals, and appearance of forsaking the army, shell-fish. At length, a number of and running away ;' and every one them, with the assistance of the skins said that the commodore had shewn of seals, formed into somewhat that more anxiety ahout securing the assisted them in swimming, as blad. plunder, than co-operating with the ders do, made their way to the army, by taking such positions with shore; when a vessel was sent to the ships under his command, as the desert isle, consisting of little might have tended to intercept the else than a ledge of rocks, to fetch passage of Spanish troops from their companions. A number of Monte Video to Colonia de San those men came to Buenos Ayres, cramento, and from thence to the and, by relating what had happened right bank of the Rio de la Plata, to them, inspired the inhabitants on which Buenos Ayres is situated, with sentimeuts of indignation, to the haven of Las Conchas. This aversion, and horror. The deport. unauthorized expedition, instigated ment of the commodore, at a meet. and undertaken by sir Home Poping with the Cabildo, was not of a ham, was not more dishonourable nature to do away the prejudice and disadvantageous to the British that was contracted against him. government, than it was detrimental It was haughty and insolent, and to a very great number of individu. altogether that of a proud conquer. ais. Sir Home Popham, as already P 2 noticed, noticed,* wrote home to the society at Lloyd's coffee-house, and to the principal manufacturing towns in Britain, setting forth how great a market had been opened to a great variety of English goods. And the ministry, as soon as they heard of the conquest of Buenos Ayres, sent thither a ship of war with a convoy of merchant-nen. The market was overstocked; many adventurers suffered great loss, and some were ruined. The conduct of sir Home Popham was generally attributed to rapacity; his success, as far as his own interest was concerned, in his projects, to a very plausible eloquence, and address in operating on the particular characters, preju. dices, interests, and passions of men, and bodies of men. It had not been fully ascertained, that sir Home, though there was no reason to doubt his courage, had ever been placed in a situation to have a single shot fired at him; yet by a dextrous management of newspapers, he came to be called, by his numerous partisans, the gallant captain, the gal lant commodore, the gallant sir Home Popham. His conduct was. declared by a court-martial, held in March 1807, to be highly reprehensible in a British officer, and leading to a subversion of all military discipline, as well as subordination to government: and he was reprimanded accordingly.+ But the character and conduct of men are judged of very much according to their fortune: sir Home might not, perhaps, have escaped with a, mere rebuke, if his trial had been de. layed till the final result was known of his expedition to the Rio de la Plata.. It was not greatly to be wondered at, that the British ministry did not shew great promptitude in support. ing an expedition unauthorized by government, and originating in such views as that of sir Home Popham's enterprise against Buenos Ayres. Besides, the views and hopes of Mr. Fox were wholly pacific. He was not disposed, it may be presumed, to send out an armament to the Riode-la-Plata, so long as there was any hope that all differences with France might be settled by negoti ation. But when the prospect of such a settlement became fainter and fainter every day, and at last vanished away, a reinforcement to the British troops was sent to La Plata, in October 1806, from England, under the command of sir Samuel Auchmuty, and convoy of sir Charles Stirling, in the Ardent ship of war, who was appointed to supersede sir Home Popham in the naval department on that station. The transports were such bad sail. ers, that they were obliged, in their voyage, to go into Janeiro for water. He there received intelligence of the recapture of Buenos Ayres; but of our having possession of Maldona do, near the mouth of the river. The general, on his arrival at Mal donado, found our troops were without artillery, without stores of any kind, with only a few days' provision, and without any prospect See note on lord Castlereagh's speech, in the house of commons, December 19, 1806. In his own defence, he assumed a lofty tone, and said that the sum of his offence was no more than that it had been his fate to have reduced the capitals of two of the four great divisions of the world: meaning Buenos Ayres and the Cape of Good Hope. of of procuring more, without detach. ment was characterized by a cheer. ing a large force many miles into ful patience and alacrity, cool selfthe country, exposed to the insults command, and persevering courage of a corps of 400 horse, that ho. ' and intrepidity, under difficulties vered round the English to inter. and dangers uncommonly great, and cept supplies..“ The enemy," says some of them unexpected. A bat. sir Samuel, "are armed with swords tery as near as possible to the de. and muskets. They ride up, dis. fence of Monte Video, though ex. mount, fire over the back of their posed to the superior fire of the Lorses, mount, and gallop off. All enemy, which had been incessant the inhabitants of this country are during the whole of the siege, ef. accustomed to this mode of war. fected a breach that was reported to fare, and every inhabitant is an be practicable, February 2. Orders enemy.' "* Maldonado was an open were issued for the attack, an hour town, and so situated, that with a before daybreak on the ensuing small force it could not be rendered morning; and a summons was sent tenable. The only point that ap- to the governor in the evening, to . peared assailable with propriety, as surrender the town: to which mes. it had also done to general Beres. sage no answer was returned. At ford, was Monte Video. He con. the appointed hour, our troops ceived his resources equal to the marched to the assault: they apenterprise, but he found it a most proached near the breach before arduous undertaking. He had not they were discovered; when a de. entrenching-tools sufficient to make structive fire opened upon them from approaches; and, after a few days' every gun that could bear upon firing, the whole powder in the fleet them, as well as from the 'musketry was reduced to 500 barrels, about of the garrison. Ileavy as this fire four days' consumption : to add to was, our loss would have been com. his difficulties, 4000 picked troops, paratively trifling, if the breach had with 24 pieces of cannon, were ra. been open ; but during the night, pidly approaching him. Ile there. and under our fire, the enemy had fore determined, if possible, to take barricadoed it with hides, so as to the place by assault : in which de. render it nearly impracticable. The sign, though with a heavy loss, he night was extremely dark. The head happiy succeeded. For a detailed of the column missed the breach; account of the capture of Monte and when it was approached, it was Video, it is unnecessary for us to so shut up that it was mistaken for do more, nor could we do any thing the untouched wall. In this situ. so well, as to refer our readers to ation, our men remained under a the London Gazette Extraordinary, heavy fire for a quarter of an hour; April 12, 1807 +. This achieve. when the breach was discerned by * Letter froin sir S. Auchmoty to the right honourable William Windham, Monte Video, February 7, 1806. + Containing a dispatch from sir S. Auchmuty to the right honourable William Windham, Monte Video, February 6, 1807. The reports of our commanders, hitherto uncontaminated by the base artifices of the foreign bulletins, abridge the toil of the aupalist; which, in attempts to extricate the truth out of French and other gazettes, is excessive. P 3 captain captain Renny, of the 40th light against Monte Video. The utmost infantry, who gloriously fell, as he cordiality subsisted between the gemouted it. Our gallant soldiers neral and rear-admiral Stirling, from rushed to it, and, difficult as it was whom the general received the most of access, forced their way into the friendly attention, and every thing town. Cannon had been placed at in his power to grant. The merit the head of the principal streets, of our soldiers was greatly en. and their fire, for a short time, was hanced by the bravery of their opdestructive: but our troops ad. ponents. Sir Charles Stirling, in vanced in all directions, clearing the his letter to Mr. Windham, Monte streets and batteries with their bay- Video, February &, says, 66 It has onets, and overturning their can. been much the custom to speak non. The 40th regiment, with co. slightly of the resistance to be ex. lonel Browne, followed: they also pected from the Spaniards in this missed the breach, and twice passed country, and with confidence of the through the fire of the batteries be- facility which has been given to fore they found it. The 87th regi- naval operations, by a prior know. ment was posted near the north ledge of the river : but the battles gate, which the troops who entered lately fought prove the former opi. at the breach were to open for nion to be erroneous; and experi. them; but their ardour was ence proves that all the information great, that they scaled the walls, hitherto acquired had not prevented and, as the troops within approach- the most formidable difficulties.!! *. ed the gate, entered the town. At, Before intelligence was received dayligit every thing was in our pos- of the recapture of Buenos Ayres, sessin, except the citadel, which in August, by the Spaniards, it was made a shew of resistance, but hoped by the British ministry, that soon surrendered ; and early in the an expedition to the west might morning, the women were seen peace. meet with the same success which, ably walking the streets. The num. it was yet believed, had attended ber of British troops employed in his majesty's arms on the east coast the reduction of Monte Video, of South America. With a view to amounted to upwards of 4000, of this object, and to the opening and · which 1200 were engaged in the facilitation of a commercial inter. storm; that of the Spaniards to course with the interior of the coun. 6000. The loss of the British, try, a force of 4200 men was sent which fell chiefly on the storming out, under the command of briga. column, was 600. The loss of the dier-general Craufurd, at the end enemy was very great; about 800 of October 1806, accompanied with killed, 500 wounded, and upwards a competent naval force under that of 2000 officers and men, including of admiral Murray. The choice of the governor, prisoners. There was the course to be steered, whether to no discordancy of sentiments or the eastward, by the way of New views between the commanders of South Wales, or to the westward, the army and ficet in the expedition round Cape Horn, was left to ad. As had been experienced, in the course of the preceding year, by sir Home, who had credited and spread those reports. miral It was miral -Murray, who, it appears, pro- country under his majesty's pro. , even in the territories adjacent would admit, to be extended to all thereto, where the general was by the other posses ions which his ma. no means to encourage any acts of jesty might acquire in South Ame. insurrection or revolt, or any mea rica. But the part of the general's sures tending likely to any other conduct, in the event of the recluc. change than that of placing the tion of Chili, or any portion o it, P4 requiring |