of the subordinate gallant participators overlooked. Lieutenants John Parish, first of the Arethusa, and Thomas Ball Sullivan, first of the Anson, both of whom assisted at the storming of Fort Amsterdam, were made commanders.

As soon as war was declared by Denmark for the attack upon her capital and the seizure of her fleet, her powerful enemy proceeded to gain possession of the Danish colonies. Accordingly, on the 16th of December, an expedition, the naval force under the command of Rear-admiral the Honourable Sir Alexander Cochrane, and the military under that of General Bowyer, sailed from Carlisle bay, Barbadoes, and on the 21st anchored off the island of St.-Thomas. A summons was then sent in to the Danish governor, Colonel Van-Scholten ; who after a short parley acceded to the terms, and the island and its dependencies were on the same day formally surrendered to Great Britain. On the 25th the island of Santa-Croix followed the example of its neighbour. No ships of war were found in the harbours of either island, but a great many merchant vessels, nearly the whole of them under the Danish flag.

South America

In our last year's account of the proceedings in the Rio de la Plata, we left Commodore Sir Home Popham and Brigadier-general Backhouse in the possession of Maldonado harbour, and of the small island of Gorreti near its entrance. * On the 5th of January Rear-admiral Stirling, in the Ardent 64, with a small convoy, arrived at Maldonado, to supersede Commodore Sir Home Popham. The rear-admiral also brought out Brigadier-general Sir Samuel Auchmuty to take the command of the troops. On the 13th Maldonado was evacuated without opposition, and a small garrison only was left in Gorreti. It was now determined to invest Monte-Video, a strong town, mounting on its different batteries 160 pieces of cannon, and respectably garrisoned ; and the following was the British naval force ready to co-operate in the attack:

Accordingly on the 16th, in the morning, the ships having assembled off the island of Flores, a landing was effected in a small bay a little to the westward of the Caretas rocks, and about eight miles to the eastward of the town. The strength of

*  See p. 214.

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