sickness that the number capable of service was occasionally reduced to little more than one-half.
The expedition, which was accompanied by the Governor-General himself, sailed from Malacca, and arrived in the Batavia roads on the 4th of August, 1811. The landing of the troops took place without resistance, and on the 5th of August the position of the army was advanced towards Batavia, which was surrendered two days after by the burghers, the garrison having retreated to Weltevreden. General Jansens being summoned to surrender the island, replied that he would defend his charge to the last extremity; but as many circumstances combined to excite a suspicion that the enemy meditated an attack during the night, the troops were silently got under arms, and ordered to bivouac in the great square in front of the town-house. This had scarcely been effected when the head of the enemy's column appeared and opened a fire of musketry; but Colonel Gillespie having sallied out at the head of a party, with the intention of charging the assailants in flank, the firing immediately ceased, and no more was seen or heard of the enemy during the night.
Early on the morning of the 10th of August, the troops, as well as the inhabitants, had a narrow escape: a Malay being fortunately discovered, with a firebrand in his hand, in the act of igniting some wooden magazines, containing a considerable quantity of gunpowder. He was taken and hanged. Nor was this the only instance of treachery the troops had to contend with. The commanding officer's quarters were kept by a Frenchman, who had the baseness to poison the coffee prepared for the breakfast of Colonel Gillespie and his staff; but the atrocious attempt was unsuccessful, the effects of the poison having manifested themselves before sufficient had been taken to produce the intended murder. In the confusion of the moment the villain escaped.
On the same day Colonel Gillespie advanced with his corps towards the enemy's cantonment at Weltevreden,
