against Java, he performed a very gallant exploit, of which the following are the official details:–
“Sir,– I have the honor to inform you, that, in obedience to your orders, I proceeded in shore, and, at day-light this morning, discovered six gun-boats, with a convoy of forty or fifty proas, close in with the mouth of Indramayo river, upon which we immediately weighed, and ran into a quarter-less-three fathoms water, and were then scarcely within gun-shot of the enemy: finding our fire made very little impression on them, and conceiving the destruction of this force to bo an object of considerable importance, I proceeded to the attack of them with the boats of H.M. sloop under my command, together with two flat boats, an officer, and 20 men of H.M. 14th regiment, and an officer and the same number of men from H.M. 89th regiment, and succeeded in boarding and carrying five of them successively, under a heavy fire of grape and musketry, their crews jumping overboard, after having thrown their spears into the boats; the sixth blew up before we got alongside of her. The whole of the convoy, on their first seeing us, hauled through the mud up the river, or they must also have fallen into our hands. The gun-boats carry each of them one brass 32-pounder carronade forward, and one 18-pounder aft, with (as appears by the papers found on board) upwards of 60 men each; they are excellent vessels, and, in my opinion, might be found of considerable service to the expedition.
“In performing this service, I am happy to observe, that our loss has been comparatively small, when it is considered that the boats, during the whole time of their advancing, were exposed, in the open day, to the fire of 12 guns of the calibre I have mentioned, and a constant fire of musketry; the gun-boat which blew up being of equal force with the rest[1].
“I cannot conclude without performing the pleasing duty of noticing the very steady and determined bravery of every officer and man employed on this service. From Mr. George Majoribanks, my first lieutenant, I received that able support I had reason to expect, from his general good conduct whilst under my command; and I cannot too strongly mark the high sense I entertain of the gallantry of Lieutenants H. J. Heyland and Oliver Brush, of H.M. 14th and 89th regiments; their keeping up a steady well-directed fire of musketry from the men under their respective commands, must have proved considerably destructive to the enemy. I have also to express the satisfaction I felt in the steady behaviour of Messrs. George Cunningham, William Randall, and Charles Davies, masters-mates, super-numeraries on board the Procris, for a passage to join the commander-in-chief, and the other petty officers, non-commissioned officers, seamen, and- ↑ The enemy’s guns were mounted in such a way as to enable them to fire in every direction.
