ps to decide the
question as to whether the island was for the future to belong to the
French or English. But the two following days there was some hard
fighting, and our troops, although they advanced, had a severe loss.
The French retired from the advanced posts to Fort Dessaix, and we
obtained possession of the fort on Point Salamon.

The next point to be attacked was Pigeon Island, and there the navy were
called into action; we had to get the carronades and mortars up a hill
almost inaccessible; we did it, much to the surprise of the troops, who
could hardly believe it when the battery opened fire. After a brisk
cannonading of ten hours, Pigeon Island surrendered, and then the
admiral stood into, and anchored the fleet in Fort Royal Bay; not,
however, in time to prevent the French from setting fire to the frigates
which were in the harbour. A few days after, the town of St. Pierre and
the town of Fort Royal surrendered, and Fort Dessaix only held out. For
more than a week we were very busy constructing batteries and landing
cannon and mortars; and when all was ready, the bombardment of Fort
Dessaix commenced, and five days afterwards the French capitulated, and
the island was formally surrendered to the English.

I have hurried over the capture, as it has oftentimes been described in
detail. All I can say is, that it was very hard work for the seamen,
and that they had their full share of the fatigue; but, from the
peculiar nature of the service, an affair took place which was of much
importance to me. I said before that the sailors were employed in the
hard duty of getting the guns, etcetera, on shore, and up to where the
batteries were to be erected--in short, working like slaves in the heat
of the sun, while the troops remained quiet investing the fort. There
was no objection raised to this, and the seamen worked very willingly;
but the staff and mounted officers of the army, who rode to and fro
giving orders, were not quite as civil as they might be--that is, some
of them; and a certain feeling of dissension and ill-will was created in
consequence.

The junior officers of the navy, and the lieutenants who could be spared
to direct the labour of the seamen on shore, received occasionally very
harsh language from some of the military officers, and did not fail to
give very prompt replies to those who they did not consider had any
right to control them. Complaints were made to the captains of the
men-of-