1808	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	90

went, behaved in the bravest manner, had several of their number wounded, and Captain West himself had his horse shot under him.

On the 15th, at 8 a.m., the French, about 200 strong, with a reserve of 2000, made a most resolute, but unsuccessful assault upon Fort Trinidad, one of the defences of Rosas, and part of the garrison of which consisted of one officer and 25 privates of the Excellent's marines. In a second assault, with increased numbers, two of the outer gates were broken open ; but, by a steady and galling fire of musketry and hand-grenades from the fort, the French were, a second time, obliged to retire, leaving their leader, a chief of brigade, and several other officers and men, dead under the walls. Expecting a third assault, Captain West, by means of a rope ladder, threw in a reinforcement of two officers and 30 marines ; of whom one man only was slightly wounded, although the party had bravely entered during an incessant fire of musketry from the besiegers. On the 20th the French opened a battery of three guns from a height that commanded the fort ; and, although these guns made no sensible impression on the fort, they succeeded in driving away the bomb-ship Lucifer, Captain Robert Hall ; which vessel had recently joined, and during the two preceding days had been throwing her shells, to obstruct the enemy in his works. Another battery, erected nearer to the citadel, shortly afterwards compelled the British 74 also to retire from the shore. The loss sustained by the Excellent and Meteor, in these different attacks, amounted to 21 seamen and marines wounded, but none killed.

On the following day, the 21st, the Excellent was relieved by the 74-gun ship Fame, Captain Richard Henry Alexander Bennett ; a portion of whose marines supplied the place of those of the Excellent which had been thrown into, and since withdrawn from, Fort Trinidad. On the 22d both the latter and the citadel of Rosas were more than half invested, and a breach was nearly effected in Trinidad. The Spanish garrisons were also in a deplorable situation. In this state of things, it was considered necessary, on the 23d, to withdraw the marines of the Fame, and that ship soon afterwards retired from the coast.

On the 24th or 25th the Impérieuse, arrived in the bay, and joined the Lucifer and Meteor bomb-vessels. Lord Cochrane went himself to examine the state of Fort Trinidad ; and, finding that the garrison, composed of 80 Spaniards, was on the point of surrendering, threw himself into the fort, with 50 seamen and 30 marines belonging to the Impérieuse. The resources of Lord Cochrane's active mind must, indeed, have astonished the Spaniards. Among other substitutes which he made use of about 1000 bags, together with barrels and palisadoes, supplied the place of walls and ditches. So that the French, when on

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