WHILE the armament for Java was in preparation, | unmanageable, with her fore and mizen-topmasts some fighting took place at sea in the summer of 1811.

1811.]

THE FLEET IN BATAVIA BAY.

Reporting this circumstance to Captain Schomberg, that officer came off the port on the 24th of May, and found the enemy prepared for resistance. The shoals with which the port is surrounded being numerous and intricate, and having no one on board who could act as pilot, he prudently summoned the ship and garrison to surrender, and by granting them liberal terms, the demand was complied with.

He also received over a detachment of H.M. 22nd Regiment, which had garrisoned the place previous to its sudden capture. Captain Schomberg, having thus captured two out of the three frigates with which his little squadron had been engaged, and retaken a British settlement, returned to his station at the Isle of France.

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two divisions suffered only from the skirts of the tempest, and on the 18th of May reached the harbour of Pulo-Penang, in Prince of Wales's Island.

Lieutenant-General Achmuty had arrived in the Akbar frigate on the 13th, and sailed for Molucca, to which place Lord Minto was conveyed in the Modeste frigate, commanded by his son, the Hon. Captain Elliot (afterwards Rear-Admiral, and General of the Scottish Mint), and on the 24th the whole fleet sailed for Molucca, where they found the Bengal troops already encamped on the shore.

One of the first acts of Lord Minto, after his arrival, was to cause the instruments of torture which had been used by the Dutch to be publicly burned. Among them were the rack, the wheel, and many other instruments of torture, but too well known to the unhappy people whom they governed.

The possession of Molucca has ever been found of the first importance to our Indian and China trade, the straits being only sixteen miles wide, and the best channel of intercourse between the Bay of Bengal, the Chinese seas, and the Eastern Archipelago.

By this time the Java expedition was ready, and at sea; for Lord Minto, having resolved to superintend the operations in person, caused delay. The naval commanders found several difficulties to be overcome, and a considerable want of alertness was shown by them at Mauritius, Amboyna, Ternate, and elsewhere; thus it seemed not improbable that, but for the intelligence of Mr. (afterwards Sir Stamford) Raffles, and the determination of Lord Minto not to be impeded by the doubts of The lateness of the period at which the expedithe admirals, the undertaking might have been tion reached Molucca was the source of some deferred till the following year-perhaps for ever-anxiety, as the favourable monsoon was nearly as the French and Dutch would make the greatest efforts to pour in reinforcements and supplies for the garrisons already there.

In pursuance of his great object, Lord Minto had proceeded to Madras on the 9th of March, 1811.

The military forces destined for this service were placed under the command of Sir Samuel Achmuty; and the fleet, under Rear-Admiral the Hon. R. Stopford, assembled in Madras Roads. It consisted of four line-of-battle ships, fourteen frigates, seven sloops of war, eight Company's cruisers, with fifty-seven transports and some gunboats, making one hundred sail in all.

The first division of troops destined for this conquest (of which an elaborate account was written by Major William Thorn, the Deputy Quartermaster-General), under Colonel Rollo Gillespie, sailed on the 18th of April, with the convoy of Captain Cole, in the Caroline, thirty-six guns. The second division followed in a week after, under the command of Major-General Wetherall, conducted by the Hon. Captain Pellew, in the Phaeton, thirty-eight guns.

On the day after their departure, a hurricane drove on shore the Dover, and every other vessel that remained with her in Madras Roads. These

over; and a question arose as to which of two passages should be followed in the voyage towards Java. Immediate determination was necessary. The choice lay between the northern course, round Borneo, which, from the little known of the navigation of those seas, was deemed the only practicable one for a fleet; but how the dangers of the Bartalore passage-where only one ship could pass at a time-were to be avoided, no one could suggest. Mr. Raffles strongly recommended the south-west passage, between Caramata and Borneo, staking his reputation on the success that must attend it.

To this the naval authorities were opposed; but Lord Minto had such perfect faith in the local knowledge and good judgment of Mr. Raffles, that he embarked again in his son's ship, the Modeste, and led the way on Raffles' sole responsibility, and the result was entirely successful, though once the fleet was in imminent danger, from a sudden squall of wind and rain, which drove many of the ships into shoal water, where some of them struck the ground in a heavy sea; but the bottom being soft and muddy, they escaped without damage, and at two p.m., on Sunday, the 4th of August, the expedition came to anchor in the Bay of Batavia. When at Molucca the military force was reported thus :

The total strength was 11,960.* Of these 1,200 were left behind sick, and 1,500 more became ill on landing at Java, where the troops went ashore, on the evening of their arrival, at the village of Chillingching, a spot which the enemy had left unguarded, and which lies ten miles eastward of the city of Batavia.

The European troops were H.M. 14th, 59th, 69th, 78th (Highland), 89th Regiments, and the Madras Engineers.

Colonel Gillespie, with the advanced brigade, moved forward towards the enemy's cantonments at Weltevredin, from which they retired to a strong position two miles in front of Cornelis. Every hour the men were falling sick; the cause of this was not the climate of Java, but the disgusting quarters afforded to them on board the hired transports; and yet Java has been called "the storehouse of disease," and justly so, for Sir Stamford Raffles tells us that in twenty-two years the mortality was more than a million of souls. Yet, as they marched on, our soldiers were struck by the wonderful luxuriance of nature in the land they had come to conquer. There innumerable flowers bloom in perpetual succession throughout the year, filling the air with delicious fragrance. The myrtle and the rose, and a great variety of flowering trees and shrubs, then unknown to botanists, were growing wild; and in the mountainous tracts the raspberry, peaches, and Chinese pears, were seen growing wild also. And in the groves were also observed clusters of the great bat of Java, hanging from the branches head downwards, or taking wing at times, with their young ones clinging to their breasts.

From where the troops halted, the eye could roam over an uninterrupted range of lofty mountains, varying in their elevation above the level of the sea, from five thousand to twelve thousand feet, and all more or less of volcanic origin, and in many places covered with magnificent forests of teak, and groves of cocoa palm.

On the 7th of August the advanced guard crossed the Augale river by a bridge of boats and halted. The pipes which supplied the city of Batavia with fresh water were cut, the bridge over the river was destroyed, and the store-houses, full of spices had been set on fire by the retreating • Thorn's "Conquest of Java," "History of Java."

enemy.
Batavia was then summoned, and as such
of the inhabitants as the French had not driven
away were eager to surrender, there was no diffi-
culty in taking quiet possession of the city.

As it was fully expected that the French and Dutch, under General Jansens-to whom Napoleon had specially entrusted the defence of Java-would make a resolute stand at Weltevredin, the army began its march against that place on the 10th, and from thence towards Cornelis, their second position, which was one of great strength, and covered by two villages. It was also defended by an abatis of felled trees, and manned by 3,000 of their best troops, with four horse artillery guns, under General Jumelle.

He received Gillespie's advance with showers of grape and musketry, and set the villages in flames when he found himself compelled to fall back, on our brigadier turning his left flank, a movement in which a detachment of the 89th, and the grenadiers of the Ross-shire Highlanders, greatly distinguished themselves. Charging with the bayonet through smoke and flame, they drove out the Dutch infantry and captured the cannon. The whole brigade then pushed on, and the enemy were compelled to fly for shelter under the cannon of Cornelis. Our loss was trifling; but that of the enemy was 500 men, including Brigadier Alberti, who was dangerously wounded.

In the arsenal at Weltevredin were found 300 pieces of cannon, and a vast amount of the munition of war.

The time between the 10th and 20th of August was occupied in the preparation of batteries against Cornelis. This work was a level parallelogram, of 1,600 yards in length and 900 in breadth, having a broad and deep river running on one side, with ditches dug round the other three. The older fort of Cornelis stood also on the bank of the river, and to it General Daendels, the predecessor of Jansens, had added six strong redoubts (mounted with guns), which commanded and supported each other. The space within was defended by traverses and parapets, intended as a cover for the musketry while the great guns fired over them. The whole was defended by 5,000 men. Besides the outward ditches, small canals had been cut in different directions, within this fortified position, which General Jansens confidently supposed would defy the whole strength of Lord Minto, till the rainy season would render it impossible to occupy either camps or trenches, and cause such sickness as to compel a retreat.

Jansens also held an entrenched camp, the flanks of which were protected by the Sloken and Batavia

rivers. The former was fordable, but with difficulty, and was defended by powerful batteries and redoubts; and there was a strong work on the British side of that river to protect the only bridge left standing. Between the two rivers, the trenches were protected by strong redoubts, and the inequalities of the ground concealed their actual strength. In front and rear this camp was protected both by art and nature. The circumference of the lines was nearly five miles, and they were armed with 280 pieces of cannon. Seldom in the annals of their wars had the British found a more troublesome place to attack; and the season did not permit of regular approaches.

"To carry the works by assault was the alternative, and on that I decided," says Sir Samuel Achmuty, in his despatch to Lord Minto. "In aid of this measure, I erected some batteries to disable the principal redoubts, and for two days kept up a heavy fire from twenty eighteen-pounders, and eight mortars and howitzers. Their execution was great; and I had the pleasure to find that though answered at the commencement of each day by a far more numerous artillery, we daily silenced their nearest batteries, considerably disturbed every part of their position, and were evidently superior in our fire.” *

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General Jansens was every way prepared, and was among the redoubts when it commenced. The promptitude and celerity of our troops gave full effect to their valour. Led by their colonel, William Campbell, who fell mortally wounded, the 78th Highlanders, without entering the redoubt, carried the bridge over the Sloken by their bayonets; Gillespie crossed with them, and without firing a shot to lose time, "with a rapidity never surpassed, under a heavy fire of grape and musketry, possessed himself of redoubt No. 3." It stood within the lines, and commanded the passage of the bridge. These works were all armed with eighteen, twenty-four, and thirty-two-pounders.

Gibbs followed closely, and while Gillespie was storming to the right, led the 59th and other troops against the works to the left, and carried them by the bayonet. It was barely taken when a tremendous explosion took place within it.

In rage and fury, a Dutch officer fired the magazine, causing terrible havoc and loss of life. He perished, with many gallant officers and men, chiefly of the 14th Regiment. Many of the enemy were also blown up, as the event occurred before they were quite out of the redoubt.

Another was successfully carried by Colonel Macleod, who fell in the moment of victory. A passage was thus fought into the entrenched camp, and our troops poured along the bridge with wild impetuosity, and, spreading in every direction, Cornelis was entered and the foe hurled out. "The whole of this work was performed in the dim grey light of early dawn; but by the time it was accomplished the sun was above the horizon, and both armies were presented to one another in full view.”

The enemy were dispersed, broken, or bayoneted in the trenches; the British mustering in order, and undisputed victors of the position. The enemy had strong reserves in rear of it. These were drawn

At dawn, on the 26th, the assault was to be made, under the guidance of the gallant Rollo Gillespie. Late on the preceding night, he mustered the column of attack in silence. He had with him the infantry of the advance, the grenadier companies of all the line regiments, and was supported by Colonel Gibbs, with the 59th, and the 4th Battalion of Bengal Volunteers. With these troops he was to surprise the redoubt beyond the Sloken, to cross the bridge over the stream with the fugitives, and then assault the redoubts within the lines; Gillespie attacking those on the right and Colonel Gibbs those on the left, while Lieutenant-Colonel Mac-up on a plain in front of the barracks and lesser leod, with six companies of the 69th, was to possess himself of a redoubt on the enemy's extreme left, and Major Tule, with the flank corps of the reserve, four horse artillery guns, two companies of the 69th, and the grenadiers of the reserve, was to attack the enemy at Camporg Maylays. The remainder of the army, under Major-General Wetherall, was at the batteries, where a column, under Colonel Wood, consisting of the 78th Highlanders (then 1,000 strong), and the 5th Volunteer battalion, was to advance against the enemy in front, force a passage in, and, if practicable, "open the position for the line."

fort, the guns of which protected them. They consisted of several battalions of infantry and a considerable body of cavalry, with heavy guns in position and twenty horse artillery guns in line. Thus there was every prospect of another engagement; but on the approach of our 59th Regiment alone, the masses broke shamefully and fled.

The 59th thus possessed themselves of the fort and barracks, while Rollo Gillespie, with the cavalry and flying artillery, pursued the fugitives for ten miles.

Passing between the different corps with the Such was Achmuty's plan of the attack, for which former, he cut them down on every hand, unless when their wild cries for quarter stayed the uplifted

Despatches.