> the latter is General Count Wartenfleben, who received a grape fhot in the arm, whilft leading his column to the at, tack on the 19th. There is, however, reafon to hope that the wound will not prove dangerous.

The lofs of the enemy has been very confiderable. Several pieces of artillery, and upwards of 2000 prifoners, have fallen into the hands of the Auftrians. The number of killed and wounded is certainly not smaller. I have the honour to be, &c.

fand men killed and wounded. 'Amongst on the right of the rivulet, (which are fteep, and covered with vineyards) turn fuddenly to the northward, and running in that direction towards Mulheim, form the eaftern boundary of the plain; but those on the left bank of the rivulet, which are very high and commanding, continue quite to the Rhine, when they terminate abruptly. Not far from the fource of the above mentioned rivulet, there rifes another, which, taking an oppofite, that is, fouth-easterly direc tion, passes through Sitzenkirchen, and, at the village of Gandern, falls into the ri vulet of that name; which, running south and fouth-weft through a very deep, and, for a confiderable distance, almoft impaffable ravine, discharges itself into the Rhine fix or feven English miles a bove Steinftadt. A third rivulet, rifing about an English mile to the weftward of Cantern, runs io a nearly parallel direction to the latter, through Feuerbach, Riedlingen, and Badenmuhle, and falls into the Rhine a little below the mouth of Cantern. Between the heads of the above mentioned ravines is a chain of high rugged lills, covered with extenfive and very thick woods.

ROB. ANSTRUTHER. Head-quarters, Schlingen, Oct. 25. My Lord, I have the honour to inform your Lordship, that his Royal Highness the Archduke yesterday attacked General Moreau's army, in the formidable pofition of Schlingen, with fo much fuccefs, that the enemy quitted it last night, and is now in full retreat towards his Tete-de-Pont, near Huningen. Notwithstanding the victory obtained by the Archduke on the 19th, and the confequent operations of the 20th and 21, General Moreau, contrary to what was expected, determined to make another effort to maintain himself on the right bank of the Rhine, or at least to defer, as long as poffible, the paffage of the river; and for this purpose he took up a pofition near Schlingen, the uncommon ftrength of which could alone have enabled him to adopt fuch a refoIution without exposing his army to deAruction.

This pofition, which General Moreau had chofen, is fo uncommonly ftrong, that I will attempt to describe it to your Lordship, in hope of conveying fome faint idea of the difficulties of the operation which has been performed.

The flat country, which, extending from the Maine to within two German miles of Baile, feparates the mountains of Franconia and Suabia from the Rhine, becomes, to the fouthward of Mulheim, almolt a regular oblong, about an Englifh mile and a half in breadth, at the fouth-ft angle of which is the village of Schlingen. This plain is bounded on the fouth by a rivulet, which, rifing at the foot of the high mountain called the Hoher Blauen, near the village of Sitzen Kirchen, runs to Ober Eckenheim, and from thence, in a western direction, through Nieder Eckenheim, Liel, and Schlingen, to Steinftadt, where it falls into the Rhine. At Schlingen the hills

In this almoft inattackable fituation was placed the right wing of the enemy's army. The corps which covered the extremity of it occupied Cantern, Sitzenkirchen, and the furrounding heights, from whence the line proceed ed along the hills above Ober and Nieder Eckenheim, Liel, Schlingen, and Steinftadt, all of which places were ftrongly occupied; and the left flank of the line came quite to the Rhine, which runs clofe under the heights of Steinftadt. Advanced before the centre of his army the enemy had a very strong corps of infantry on the heights and in the vineyards between Schlingen and Feidberg.

About an English mile in the rear of the centre of the position, that is, to the fouthward of Liel, is the village of Tannenkirch; between it and Liel is the highest hill of the whole polition; and from Tannenkirch the ground falls towards the ravine in which Riedlingen is fituated; so that, in case of the right wing being driven from the extremely strong ground on which it was pofted, it had (by falling back to the

eights of Tannenkirch) another good pofition, rather en potence, indeed, to that of the left wing between Schlingen and

Steinftant, but the falient part is fecured by the high and almoft inattackable hill between Tannenkirch and Liel.

H

An attempt to oblige Moreau to quit his pofition, by marching a very ftrong column through the mountains on the left bank of the Cander, and through the Wifenthal, fo as to threaten his communication with his tete-de-pont at Huningen, would have been too tedious an operation, in the prefent fituation of affairs, and attended with the utmoft difficulty, now that the rains have render ed the roads fo bad. The Archduke therefore determined to attack the right wing of the enemy's army, and, if pof fible, to diflodge it from the hills above Candern, Fenerbach, Sitzenkirchen, and Ober, and Nieder Eckenheim; after gaining poffeffion of which ground, his Royal Highness, if the enemy had perfevered in maintaining his pofition, could the next day have proceeded to the attack of the heights behind the Ravine of Redlingen. The attempt was arduous; but every thing was to be expected from the exertions of the army; for the gal. lant examples invariably fhewn the troops, in the most trying fituations, by the brother of their Emperor, and the great a bility with which he has commanded them, has infpired the whole army with a degree of confidence in, and attachment to his Royal Highness, which is carried to enthutiafm.

"

The attack was performed in the following manner-The army was divided into four principal columns: the firft, or right column, confifted of the Prince of Conde's corps, commanded by his Serene Highnefs, its advanced guard being led by the Duke d'Enghien: the fecond column confifted of mine battalions and twenty fix fquadrons, com manded by the Prince of Furftenberg: third column, of battalions and a brigade of cavalry, under General La Tour; and the fourth column confifted of the whole advanced guard of the army, under Major-General Nauendorf. to 198 1912

dain were dettmed

2111.2

right wing, and to endeavour to get round his flank.

The Prince of Conde's column affembled at Neuburg, and advanced to Steinftadt, which village they attacked and carried, and maintained with great firmnefs during the whole day, though entirely commanded by the left of the enemy's pofition.

The Prince of Furstenberg's column affembled at Mulheim, and advanced towards Schlingen. It took poffeffion of the heights oppofite the enemy's pofition, behind Schlingen, and maintained them under a fevere cannonade.

General La Tour's column marched from Vegefheim through Fieldberg. The right wing of it attacked the enemy in the vineyards, between Fieldberg and Schlingen, whilft the reft drove them out of Eckenheim, then paffed the Ravine, and attacked the woody hills behind it. The nature of the ground was fuch, that both these attacks met with the most obftinate refiftance; the right, however, at length fucceeded in forcing the enemy to quit the vineyards, and retire behind Liel, and the left, after driving them out of a great part of the wood, took a pofition with its right flank to Nieder Eckenheim, and its left towards Fenerbach.

General Nauendorf's column had preceded General La Tour's as far as Fieldberg, from whence it took to the left along the foot of the mountain, on which stands the caftle of Burgleim. It then divided into feveral columns; one of thefe attacked the village of Sitzenkirchen, and after carrying it, defcended by the Ravine, I have described, towards Candern. Another column, of much more confiderable force, to the left of the former, was commanded by General Nauendorf himself. He attacked the ftrong height fituated between the Ravine of Sitzenkirchen, and that of the Candern, and having gained poffeffion of them, after much oppofition, he arrived immediately above the town of Candern. A third column of light in

The two firft and commanded by Mato employ the enemy, fo as to prevent for General Merfeld, his detaching confiderably from his left wing, but not to attempt any real attack on the main pofition of that wing, the ground from Schlingen to the Rhine being too ftrong to admit of it.

The third and fourth columns were to make the real attack on the enemy's VOL. LVIII.

drove the enemy from the ftrong woody heights to the right of Sitzenkirchen, and got possesfion of all the high ground between Candern and Feuerbach, which forms a part of the chain that runs between the heads of the Ravines, and is connected with the high hill between Dannekirk and 5 &

Liel.

"

1

Liel. By this means General Merfeld war, deftined for the purpose of retaking
was enabled to eftablish a communica- this fettlement.
tion near Fenerbach with General La
Tour's left. The enemy was now alfo
driven from the village of Candern.

the poffibility of the Admiral being prevented from doubling the Cape by the north-westerly winds which ufually prevail at this feason, and which would carry the enemy in fix hours from Saldanha to Table Bay. It was therefore with particular fatisfaction that I found myfelf poffeffed of a force adequate to both thefe objects.

of the bay, to fee him, with all his fails crowded, advancing with a fair wind directly to the mouth of the harbour, though ftill at fome diftance. One of the enemy's frigates, which lay near the fhore to cover their watering, cannonaded us very brifkly as we defcended the heights, though without effect, and we returned their fire with as little, having at that time only three pounders with us; but a howitzer being brought, fhells were thrown with great effect and precifion by Captain Robertfon, who would probably foon have destroyed her; but perceiving that our fleet was then entering the bay, and that there was no poffibility of her escaping, I defifted from firing, thinking it more for

No time was loft in making the neceffary arrangements in a country totally unused to a movement of this nature. The troops began their march on Sunday morning, neceffarily by divifions, on account of fubfiftence. The Burgher Senate was affembled, to whom I communicated my intentions, to which they expreffed the most ready compliance. Waggons were every where demanded his Majefty's intereft that she should by them, and furnished with chearfulnefs. Cavalry was neceffary, but the appointments of the 28th were on board a fhip which had failed in queft of the Admiral. Those of the 25th were alfo on board a fhip in Simon's Bay, and we had not above fifty horses. The appointments were bought up, and I did not fcruple, on fuch an occafion, to require all faddle-horfes, without exemtion, to be brought in, which were valued by two members of the court of juftice, and two officers of the 28th dragoons, and paid for on the spot, to the entire fatisfaction of the owners.

By thefe means, Sir, leaving Major. General Doyle in the command of the troops at and about Cape Town, amounting to near 4000 men, and Brigadier-General Campbell in the immediate command of the town, I, on the morning of the 16th instant, reached Saldanha Bay, at the head of the advanced guard, confifting of the light infantry, a body of Hottentots, and fifty of the 25th light dragoons, affifted by Brigadier-General M'Kenzie. The remainder of whofe corps, confifting of the grenadiers, the 78th and Ɛoth battalions, fifty more of the 25th, and one hundred of the 28th light dragoons, in all about 2500 men, with two howitzers and nine field pieces, arrived there alfo in an hour after.

In the mean time the Admiral had returned to Falfe Bay, and on there receiving the firt accounts of the enemy being in Saldanha Bay, had put to fea again with the utmost expedition; and we had the fatisfaction, from the heights from whence we defcended to the fhores

fhare the fate of the remainder of the fquadron, the capture of which appeared to me to be inevitable, than that we should risk the deftroying her, from a vain punctilio of obliging her to strike to us. We then employed ourselves in making the neceffary difpofitions for affording fuch affiftace as might be in our power, in the event of the obtinacy of the enemy obliging the Admiral to attack them, as well as fuch as would be expedient, in case they should run their fhips on fhore, neither of which, however, I thought probable. I was accordingly informed, by a letter from Sir George the following morning, that the whole had furrendered themselves to him.

The means by which this event has been accomplified, Sir, has not afforded any opportunity to his Majefty's troops of difplaying that bravery in his fervice, which I am confident they would have fhewn, had the occafion prefented itself: But if the utmost alacrity and cheerfulness, under almost every privation, except that of meat, during a march of ninety miles, through fo barren a country that there were but five houses in the whole line, have any merit, I can with truth prefent them to his Majesty's notice.

This march, Sir, has never yet, I be lieve, been attempted by any body of troops, however finall, and permit me to affure you, has been attended with fuch uncommon difficulties, that it never could have been accomplished but by the difplay of the qualities I have mentioned in the troops, and an union of extraordinary exertions in all the departments concerned. In these all have 3 & 2

cqua!

equal claim to my acknowledgments; nying detail of the proceedings of the but I cannot difpenfe with particulariz. fquadron * from the 4th to the 18th inft. ing the intelligence and activity with and I hope the Lords Commissioners of which, regardless of the uncommon fa- the Admiralty will approve the measures tigue which attended it, Lieut. M'Nab I have taken, so effential to the British of the 98th regiment, with about twenty commercial interests in the Eaft. of his mounted men, performed the fervice allotted to him, of watching the enemy, and preventing any communication with them, from the first moment "of their coming into the bay, till our arrival.