With Abercrombie and
Moore in Egypt

Why The British Did Not Take Cadiz

ON Wednesday the first of October we anchored in Cadiz bay alongside our blockading fleet. On the 3rd the fleet and troops under command of Sir James Pulteney arrived. They had sailed from home in July and had attempted in August to cut out the Spanish fleet at Ferrol but did not accomplish it. They then put in at Vigo Bay where they lost the Stng frigate. They had just kept the enemy's coast in alarm, as we hadbeen doing.

The London, 98, arrived and anchored close to us. Four days' provisions were served out on the 6th and we got sixty rounds of ammunition and everything was made ready for the landing which was to be near the town of St Mary's. The war vessels had taken up their position and the rst division of the troops were in the boats and were moving off for the shore, when a flag of truce was sent out from Cadiz to the Admiral's ship. Some of our gunbrigs were fired on by the batteries and we could see the Spanish troops running along the beach to oppose our landing.

Meanwhile the flat-bottomed boats continued to move towards the shore when a gull was fired from the Admiral's ship and a signal hoisted for the -boats to return and put the troops on board their respective ships. We were struck with the suddenness of the change, which was received with discontent by the whole army.

A report was spread that the place had been ransomed by money. Be that as it may some agreement was come to the terms of which will probably never be known to us. There was one thing however, and perhaps it was the only reason, that prevented our landing; Yellow fever was raging in Cadiz at the time. The troops were very anxious to lan as they had been a long time afloat, and we thought that with an army of 30,000 and a large navy, we could easily have taken the place, especially as we had come unexpectedly upon them and they had few troops to make resistance. But doubtless our chiefs knew their orders and they also knew that it is a Briton's right to grumble.

Cadiz has a fine appearance from the sea studded with fine white houses round the bay to St Mary's. VC'e left the bay of Cadiz on the 7th returning to Tetuan Bay and part of the fleet put into Gibraltar. We anchored in a semicircle, the war vessels outside the transports to prevent the Spanish gunboats from molesting them. One of them had tried to surprise one of our storeships in the night time but was chased under their own fortifications by our guard boats.

On the 15th the north-east wind rose to so great a height that our boats which had gone with empty casks to get water, were obliged to return to the ship and leave the casks, after being filled on shore, and the storm kept increasing as the night came on. There was much rain, lightning and thunder. All was bustle among the shipping. Our cable slipped and we began to drift; we then let go our best bower cable and anchor; the vessel caught fire by the cable running over the bitts and was only extinguished after great exertions by the seamen. We still kept dragging, so we were obliged to slip and put to sea. This was done at great risk, for we were in the midst of a large fleet, and were in danger of running foul of one or other of the ships. Although the night was very dark and the vessels were crashing against each other, yet by the goodness of God we steered clear and got up our staysails. All our boats were on board except a large flat-bottomed one which was dragging at our stern; in the morning nothing of it remained but the keel and the ring bolts by which it was fastened.

On the 16th we were close on the coast of Spain and out of our large fleet saw only a storeship. We took her in tow with a hawser but were nearly pulling her under water so she had to throw off. In the afternoon we put right before the wind and made for Gibraltar; got round Europe Point and went down the bay under shelter of the Rock, thinking we were safe out of storm but, as we passed the Foudroyant, the Admiral ordered our Captain to lay about his ship and pass through the Straits round Cape Spartel to No. 7 on the west coast of Barbary, the rendezvous for all vessels leaving Tetuan. Our captain said that he had lost his anchors, was in want of provisions, etc. To this the Admiral replied, 'I don't care a d-; you must go where you are ordered.' At this we were not at all pleased, as it had the appearance of being a dismal night and I recollected the fate of the Courageux which was dashed to Pieces while getting out of the bay.

We put about accordingly and passed through the Straits before the wind, going about eight miles an hour under bare poles. On the 17th it still blew very hard; we set the foretopsail and tried to bear up to No. 7 but it would not do. A gun got loose on the lower deck and cleared all before it and some men were hurt before it could be secured. Shortly after this the foretopmast yard broke and came down, the sails flying like ribbons; two seamen were hurt, one had his thighbone broken. We ran along the coast of Africa, keeping the land in sight and the weather becoming moderate we came to anchor about four miles from the shore off the town of Sallee. A boat was sent ashore with one of the lieutenants to inform the Governor, who sent us a bullock which was very acceptable as our rations of late had been flour and salt pork; the Governor got some gunpowder in exchange for his bullock.

On the 20th the wind changed and we steered back again andjoined the fleet at the appointed place, got our damages repaired, and received an anchor from the Ajnx; we then set sail and anchored in Tetuan Bay for the third time, on the 26th. The ships No. 7 arrived and our regiment sent a picquet ashore to the watering place which is situated very conveniently; deep water with a fine sandy bottom and plenty of good fresh water near the shore. The Moors claim a big-gun cartridge from every ship getting water. We formed a chain of sentries to keep them back, which was not easily done, for they crowded around us selling figs and grapes and other fruits. These natives were of a stout make but were poor and miserably clad. One of them ran off with a bayonet which he took from the muzzle of one of the sentries' muskets. Complaint was made to one of their sultauns or officers. The man was pursued and brought back, laid on his back and bastinadoed on the soles of his feet with a pole about six feet long ; he was afterwards carried away.

This cleared the crowd and we had no more trouble with them. We got a supply of provisions, bullocks etc. from Tangier. This town I am told looks best at a distance. Their soldiers wear a long robe of coarse cloth of a dirty white colour, turbans on the head and sandals on the feet. They carry large clumsy firelocks and a cartouch box strapped round the waist. The country so far as I saw it had a wild uncultivated appearance.

On the 8th of November the fleet sailed in three divisions; the first two for Malta direct and the third, in which was the 92nd for Minorca, to get our provisions and stores completed. We reached that island on the 21st and found everything in a bustle with ships preparing for a long voyage. We now learned that we were bound for Egypt, to drive the French out of that country. Egypt was the word on every tongue; it had a novelty for us and we were all on the qui vive. Our ship was repainted, our rigging overhauled, and all our stores got in, which kept all hands at work. We escaped some very squally weather while lying here. Two Danish frigates came in from the Gulf of Venice sounding brass trumpets; these were the first armed vessels I saw of that nation.

We set sail again on the 27th, passed some high land belonging to Sardinia; came close to the Isle of Sicily at a place where the beach was gravelly. In passing the small isle of Gozo to the west of Malta, one of the ship's boys while getting in a foretop studdingsail, fell into the sea and was drowned. As Malta was a place of note on various accounts and amongst others as being the place where the apostle Paul suffered shipwreck, I did not quit the deck from the time we came in sight of it till we anchored in the harbour. The day was very fine with a steady breeze as we passed St Paul's Bay. We anchored on the 6th of December.

The entrance to the harbour is narrow; the water so deep that vessels can ride within a few feet of the shore; it opens out to the left towards the town of Cottaneo. On the Valetta side are storehouses for the shipping. Round this place batteries and cannon are placed in all directions, tier above tier, with forts etc., fit, if manned with stout hearts and willing hands to blow all the navies of Europe out of the water. In the middle of the harbour is the Grand Mason Lodge, a fort mounting four tiers of guns. The troops landed in brigades by turns, for air and exercise. Our regiment landed and marched to the glacis and formed there and had a full view of the defences of the town on the land side -- very strong, with walls, towers and trenches.

We marched into the country about five miles and piled arms in some stubble fields, then walked about till evening when we returned by another road. We passed some fields of cotton; the bushes were about 3 feet high and some women were gathering what was ripe. The ground is rocky with very little soil to be seen and we were surprised to see gardens and vineyards where one would think scarcely anything could come to maturity, the ground being so dry and stony. The market is well supplied with fruits and garden stuffs from Sicily. We had to wait some time at the naval yard for boats to take us on board; the Maltese came among us selling wine, which is very cheap.

On the 20th a fleet arrived from home and brought our regiment about 200 volunteers, chiefly from the Caithness and Inverness Fencibles, with Lieutenant Brodie Grant and Ensign Baillie. They came in the Resource, 32, frigate. Some very strong regiments were left in Malta as they had been filled up from the militias, and their agreement was not to serve out of Europe, but the 9th regiment, 35th, 2nd battalion 36th, 2nd battalion 40th, 52nd, and battalion 82nd, and the 40th flank companies, volunteered to serve anywhere.

We left Malta on the 21st and sailed for Marmorice Bay in Asia. We passed many of the Greek islands on our left about the Dardanelles entrance, on the way to Constantinople. Coasted along the south side of Candia the ancient Crete; the land lies low but rises high in the interior; it is inhabited chiefly by Greeks, who are subject to Turkey as are most of the islands in the Levant. Off the island of Rhodes we came up to Sir Sydney Smith's squadron which had come to meet us to be our guide on this coast.

Our fleet lay to off the east end of Rhodes. The hospital ships were here with some of the medical staff to form a general hospital for the army. Rhodes has a fine fertile appearance from the sea with gardens and white houses but some of our men who were ashore told me that the walls and town were ruinous. Over the harbour which is now much choked up, once stood the famous Colossus, being a lighthouse in the figure of a man with a leg on each side of the entrance. This figure was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the world. The island was the residence of the Christian knights after their retreat from the Holy Land, and many sieges they stood and battles they fought before they were expelled from it. I felt a more than usual interest in looking at those places, from what I had read of them in history and Scripture ; I stopped aloft on the foremast crosstrees until I could discern the objects no longer.

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