some loss. The French troops now appeared in great force, and the ships and boats kept up a constant fire on them till sun-set, while the Simotines resisted their advances. We had the misfortune to have two men wounded by musketry in the boats. On the 9th, the enemy still retained Badalona and Mongat, but the greatest part of the troops had marched up the mountains, and they shewed no guns, notwithstanding the boats kept up a continual fire. The Simotines acted with great spirit. On the 10th, General Duhesme had not advanced his head-quarters from Badalona, but we were informed that he had moved his guns near Mongat. Yet the firing of the boats on his various scattered parties did not draw them out until late in the evening, when the enemy brought them down, and opened a fire of shot and shells behind some houses at the foot of Mongat, just at the moment four Spanish gun-boats arrived from Tarragona, which I immediately pushed in-shore, and with their assistance the fire of the enemy was silenced by eight o’clock, and they thought it advisable to re-enter Barcelona at midnight, with the loss of near 300 killed and wounded, among whom are a large proportion of officers. I have to regret that one of the launch’s crew received a severe wound this evening from a musket-ball; and I beg leave to observe, that the spirit of enterprise and intrepidity of the officers and men employed in the boats during the period detailed, has been most creditable to the service, and that the gun-boats performed their part much to my satisfaction.”
To this letter Lord Collingwood returned the following answer:
“The activity and skill which you opposed to the enemy’s progress, when he attempted to open a communication to the eastward, renders to the Spaniards the greatest benefit, and must reduce the enemy’s force in Barcelona very much; and were the army of Tarragona to take an active part on the other side, would soon bring their case to extremity.”
The Hydra continued on this harrassing service till the month of October, when she was ordered off Toulon for the purpose of watching the enemy’s fleet in that harbour. In Feb. 1810, being surveyed and found very defective, she proceeded to Gibraltar, where Captain Mundy acted as senior officer until Aug. following, when he sailed for England with several transports under his protection, on board of which were embarked 1400 French prisoners, whom the humanity of the British government had redeemed from the truly pitiable situation in which they had been long held by the Spaniards. They were the remnant of General Dupont’s army, the greater part of which had perished on the barren island of Cabrera[1].
- ↑ General Dupont having crossed the mountains of the Sierra Morena, with an army of 15,000 men, entered Cordova on the 7th June, 1808, and surrendered that city for three days to the unlicensed pillage of the soldiery. Oo the 20th July, with 8,000 men, he attacked 25,000 Spaniards com-
