the arms and
ammunition which we landed from the ships for their use.

The troops were at once cantoned among the inhabitants, who gladly
supplied them with everything they required. The French officers and
soldiers we put on shore were in high spirits, laughing and joking, and
seemed confident of success, and the people who came down to help to
unload the boats were equally merry, declaring that they had only to
attack the Republicans to compel them to lay down their arms.

Some days passed by, daring which the Royalists on shore were drilling
and preparing for action. At length an expedition was planned to attack
the Peninsula of Quiberon. Two thousand Royalists, and five hundred
emigrants, supported by three hundred British marines, were disembarked.
They at once marched towards the Port of Penthievre, situated on a
commanding eminence on the northern extremity of the peninsula, which
was invested at the same time on the other side by the Comte d'Hervilly.

Without much fighting, its garrison of six hundred men soon surrendered.
We immediately set to work to land stores and provisions for the supply
of the royalist troops.

A day or two after this, the Comte led a body of five thousand men,
including two hundred British marines, against the right flank of the
army of General Hoche, which was strongly posted on the heights of Saint
Barbe. At the same time, for their support, five launches, each armed
with a twenty-four pounder carronade, manned from the ships of war, were
sent in and stationed close to the beach. I was in one of them, and
could see what was going forward.

We watched the small body of red-coats and the motley dressed Royalists
marching on to the attack. At first they advanced with considerable
firmness, but being met by a withering fire from the heights, and being
ill-disciplined, they began to beat a hasty retreat. The marines were
compelled, of course, to retire too, but they did so with their faces to
the foe, defending the fugitives as well as they could.

On this, Captain Keats, who commanded the boats, ordered us to open
fire, and we began to blaze away at the Republicans in a fashion which
considerably retarded them in their pursuit of the retreating force. So
well-directed were our shot on their flanks, that beyond a certain line
they were unable to advance.

Both the marines and Royalists got back to the beach, though not without
considerable loss. Among the badly wounded was