adjacent heights, and accordingly, the moment that
there was light enough to sight the guns, the cannonade commenced. It
lasted for several hours, the fort replying with the utmost vigour to
the fire of our batteries, and doing a great deal of execution. By-and-
by some genius on our side proposed paying-off the French in their own
coin by trying the effect of a few red-hot shot upon them. A make-shift
furnace for heating the shot was accordingly hastily constructed, and
the shot were heated before being discharged at the fort. This sun had
the desired effect. The parapet of the tower was lined with mantlets
constructed of bass junk for the purpose of protecting the gunners from
splinters, and the red-hot shot striking these mantlets set them on
fire, whereupon the French flag was hauled down, and the garrison
surrendered.

We of the fleet witnessed this only from a distance, as it was thought
possible it might be necessary for some of the ships to approach and
engage the battery from the sea, thus distracting the enemy's attention,
and placing him between two fires. Everybody therefore remained at his
post on board ship in case of his services being required. Luckily,
however, for our reputation interference on the part of the fleet was
unnecessary, the land forces proving sufficient for the subjugation of
the battery, which mounted three guns only--two eighteens and one six-
pounder,--and was garrisoned by no more than thirty-three men.

So far, so good. But though we had taken the Mortella Tower, we were
still nearly as far off having San Fiorenzo as ever. The town was
commanded and completely defended by a formidable redoubt, which mounted
twenty-one heavy guns, and was moreover perched upon an eminence which
commanded every other accessible height in the neighbourhood, and the
possession of this redoubt really meant the possession of San Fiorenzo.
So the question of the hour became, how to find a way of getting into
this Convention Redoubt, as the place was called.

The first proposal was to storm the place. But on making a careful
reconnaissance it became evident that, from its strength and the
steepness of the acclivity leading up to it, a storming-party would be
annihilated before it could possibly reach the top. Its great elevation
above the sea-level rendered it equally hopeless to think of achieving
any good result by an attack on the part of the fleet. And so strict a
watch was maintained by it