fleet during its continuance in the Mediterranean, who should have the same rations, treatment, and the same monthly wages, as the British. The Grand Master, in the most handsome manner, furnished the desired reinforcement.

CHAPTER V.

Some account of the situation of the British and Allied forces holding Toulon-The attacks of the French- Misconduct of the Allies-General O'Hara made prisoner-Bonaparte's account of the transaction-It is resolved to evacuate Toulon.

On the evening of the 11th of November, the French, with a large force, vigorously attacked our post upon the heights de Grasse, called Fort Mulgrave, and one of the most essential positions that covered the shipping in the harbour of Toulon. The attack was principally directed on that part of the place which was occupied by the Spaniards on the right. General O'Hara, who was dining on board the Victory, hastened on shore. When he reached the height, he found that the French were close the works, and the Spaniards in full retreat, firing their muskets in the air. The general instantly directed a company of Royals to advance, who immediately leaped upon the works

to

and put the enemy to flight, after leaving six hundred men dead and wounded upon the field. The loss of the English amounted to sixty-one only.

The British admiral, in addition to what he had already experienced since his taking possession of Toulon, had to undergo a fresh vexation at the end of November, and one, too, of the most serious and alarming nature, considering the augmented force of the surrounding enemy, and the critical situation of the posts to be defended. After having been flattered with the most positive hopes of receiving, towards the middle of this month, five thousand Austrian troops, and when he had actually despatched Vice-Admiral Cosby with a squadron of ships and transports to Vado Bay to convey them, as previously concerted between Mr. Trevor, his Majesty's minister at Tunis, and himself, by letters received from Mr. Trevor on the 18th of November, his lordship's hopes were at once destroyed, and with them all expectation of the arrival of a single Austrian soldier at Toulon.

The enemy, at the close of November, having opened a battery against the fort of Malbosquet near the arsenal, and from which battery shot and shells could reach the town, it was resolved to destroy it, and to bring off the enemy's guns.

For this purpose, General O'Hara digested a distinct and masterly plan of attack, which he communicated, on the evening of the 29th of November, to the commanding officers of the troops of each nation. Accordingly, on the morning of the 30th, this plan was so far executed as to surprise the enemy's redoubt most effectually. The British troops having obtained full possession of the height and battery, their ardour and impetuosity were not to be restrained in this moment of success; but continuing to pursue the flying enemy, in a scattered manner, a full mile beyond the works, the consequence was, that the latter, collecting in great force, in their turn obliged our troops to retreat, and to relinquish the advantages they had at first obtained.

General O'Hara arrived at the battery at the moment it was retaken, and, perceiving the disorder of the troops thus driven back, was hastening to rally them, when, most unfortunately, he received a wound in the arm, which bled so much as to render him incapable of avoiding the enemy, by whom he was made prisoner as he sat down under the shelter of a wall.

Let us see the account that, in his own words, Bonaparte gave of this transaction. "I made General O'Hara prisoner, I may say,

with my

own hand. I had constructed a masked battery of eight twenty-four-pounders and four mortars, in order to open upon the Fort Malbosquet, which was in possession of the English. It was finished in the evening, and it was my intention to have opened upon the English in the morning. While I was giving directions to another part of the army, some of the deputies from the Convention came down. In those days they sometimes took upon themselves to direct the operations of the armies, and those imbeciles ordered the batteries to commence, which order was obeyed.

"As soon as I saw this premature fire, I immediately conceived that the English general would attack this battery, and most probably carry it, as another had not yet been arranged to support it. In fact, O'Hara, seeing the shot from that battery would dislodge his troops from Malbosquet, from which last I would have taken the fort that commanded the harbour, determined upon attacking it. Accordingly, early in the morning, he put himself at the head of his troops, and actually carried the battery and the lines which I had formed-(Napoleon here drew upon a piece of paper a plan of the situation of the batteries)—to the left, and those to the right were taken by the Neapolitans. While O'Hara was busy in spiking the guns, I advanced with