1810	Captain Willoughby at Pointe du Diable	277

although, as in most of his other cases, Mr. Marshall appears to have had a direct communication with his officer.

On the 14th, in the morning, the Néréide and Staunch joined company ; and on the 15th Captain Pym gave charge of Isle de la Passe to Captain Willoughby, and made sail to rejoin the Iphigenia off Port-Louis. On the 16th, which appears to have been as soon as Captain Pym's order reached him, Captain Willoughby, having got back his pilot, entered the channel and anchored the Néréide and Staunch in a small bight of deep water just at the back of the island. He then placed, as a garrison upon Isle de la Passe, 50 of his grenadiers, with Captain Todd as the commandant, and immediately proceeded, in company with Lieutenant Davis of the Madras engineers, to reconnoitre the enemy's coast ; where, like a second Lord Cochrane, Captain Willoughby soon began his bold and annoying attacks.

On the 17th, at 1 a.m., having embarked in the boats Lieutenants Morlett and Needhall, and 50 men of the 33d and 69th regiments, Lieutenant Aldwinkle and 12 artillerymen from the Staunch, Lieutenant Davis of the Madras engineers, Lieutenants of marines Thomas Robert Pye and Thomas S. Cox and 50 of their corps, Lieutenant Henry Collins Deacon, and acting Lieutenant William Weiss, and 50 seamen, total 170 officers and men, Captain Willoughby proceeded to attack the fort on Pointe du Diable, commanding the small, or north-eastern passage into Grand-Port. Before daylight the captain and his party landed at Canaille du Bois, and after a march of six miles reached the fort ; which they immediately stormed and carried without the loss of a man, although, in defending their post, the French commanding officer and three men were killed, and three gunners taken prisoners.

Having, during a three hours' halt, spiked eight 24-pounders and two 13-inch mortars, burnt the carriages, blown up the magazine, and embarked a 13-inch brass mortar in a new prame well calculated for carrying troops or guns over flats, Captain Willoughby moved on to the old town of Grand-Port, a distance of 12 miles, leaving in the houses and villages through which he and his men passed, the proclamations with which he had been intrusted. On the whole of their way along the coast, the party were attended by three boats, two belonging to the Néréide and one to the Staunch, fitted as gun -boats and commanded by Lieutenant Deacon ; who so completely covered the road of march, that, except on one occasion, no enemy could show himself. On that occasion a strong party, under General Vandermaesen, the second in command on the island, attacked the British detachment, but were soon put to the rout with the loss of six men killed and wounded. Having, by sunset, succeeded in every object for which the landing had been undertaken, and gained from some of the most respectable inhabitants and well

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