A flag of truce having been offered by the Turkish admiral and rejected a short time before, I did not think it necessary or becoming that the summons should be repeated, particularly as hostilities had already commenced, and the ships and steamers had been fired upon as they approached the walls.

I have not been able to ascertain the number of troops in the town of Acre at the commencement of our fire: they have been estimated at 4,500, besides a body of cavalry outside the town of 800. Many lives were lost by the explosion of the magazine. 700 Egyptians and two officers of rank came in this morning with their arms, and surrendered themselves as prisoners.

To colonel sir Charles Smith devolves the task of putting the town and fortifications into a posture of defence, and I am happy to find that his health enables him to perform his duty with his usual intelligence.

A great quantity of arms and ammunition was found at Acre, and the fortifications were fast getting into a state of preparation against attack.

I am much indebted to captain Edward Boxer, of the Pique, and to captain Codrington, of the Talbot, for the excellent surveys which they made of the shoals round Acre, which enabled the ships to go in without risk of getting ashore.

I return a list of the killed and wounded in the allied squadrons, but the damage to the masts and rigging can be made good without the ships being sent off the station.

The success of this enterprise,

• Total killed, 18,-Total wounded, 41.

Off St. Jean d'Acre, Nov. 8, 1840. Since my letter of the 4th another explosion has taken place of a magazine of live shells, from a smouldering fire under the rubbish of the former, which it had been found almost impossible entirely to subdue; one marine of the Benbow was killed, and several others slightly hurt; but I regret to say that gallant officer, captain Collier, of the Castor, who had so distinguished himself in the attack, was severely wounded, having his leg fractured, and several other hurts of a slighter description, which require his removal to Malta; and the Castor, having her bowsprit badly wounded, and other masts and spars shot away. I have ordered her and the Wasp, having her foremast disabled, into Malta to refit, and rejoin me with all despatch.

One thousand prisoners have been sent away in the Turkish flag-ship, 18 officers and a party of soldiers by the Talbot, to Constantinople, and 2,000 to Beyrout, by the Bellerophon, Thunderer, Re

venge, and Edinburgh; and the garrison being placed in a state of order and tolerable security, under sir Charles Smith, is to be left with 3,000 Turkish troops, under Selim pasha, and about 250 marines under lieut.-col. Walker, with the protection of the Pique and Stromboli, and occasional visits of other ships, as circumstances require.

The Hazard resumes her station at Tyre, and commodore Napier proceeds from Beyrout to take charge of the squadron off Alexandria-Benbow, Magicienne, and Daphne-at Scanderoon and the neighbourhood,

The people of the country seem very firm in the cause, and keep the neighbourhood clear of Mehemet Ali's troops. Abundance of ammunition and stores have been found in the place, and arms have been sent in the Benbow and Powerful for distribution to the inhabitants to the northward. Among those who surrendered themselves was the Polish colonel Schultz, the chief engineer, who has been sent as a prisoner to Constantinople; he was wounded, and says it was quite impossible to withstand such an incessant stream of fire as was poured from our guns, which I found, on going round the ramparts with sir Charles Smith, had torn and almost demolished many of the embrasures, and disabled the guns in such a manner that it did appear extraordinary that the garrison should have made so good a defence, for the state of devastation was beyond description.

When I see the effects of our fire upon so formidable a fortress, I cannot help feeling the greatest obligation to every officer and man

engaged in this enterprise. The cool, steady, and beautiful style in which the ships and vessels, through shoals and banks, came into their positions, and the noble spirit that animated the whole, in the destructive fire opened and maintained against avery smart return from the forts and batteries, were most gratifying, and drew forth my admiration, being enabled in the steamer to observe the simultaneous attacks on both faces; but where all were animated with the same spirit, and each did his duty to my heart's content, it cannot be possible for me to single out cases of individual merit. I may be allowed to observe, however, that in confiding to captain Fanshawe, my flag-captain (who had been of great service to me in the previous details and arrangements on this and former occasions during the expedition), the charge of conducting my flag-ship, while it behoved me to survey and direct the whole, he most ably fulfilled his trust.

Lieut. Granville, my flag-lieutenant, besides the duties he had to perform in the signals, was actively employed in the boats communicating with the different ships along the line of the two divisions, as necessity required; I would, therefore, beg to recommend him to their lordships' notice, and I should feel gratified by any mark of approbation their lordships may be pleased to bestow on the senior officers of each class for their gal lant conduct, in common with all, on this important occasion.

I am, &c.,
ROBERT STOPFord,
Admiral.

I have the satisfaction to acquaint your lordship, that the army under my command have succeeded in performing one of the most brilliant acts it has ever been my lot to witness during my service of forty-five years in the four quarters of the globe, in the capture, by storm, of the strong and important fortress and citadel of Ghuzni yesterday.

It is not only that the Affghan nation, and, I understand, Asia generally, have looked upon it as Impregnable; but it is in reality a place of great strength, both by nature and art, far more so than I had reason to suppose from any description that I had received of it, although some are from officers in our own service, who had seen it in their travels. I was surprised to find a high rampart in good repair, built on a scarped mound, about thirty-five feet high, flanked by numerous towers, and surrounded by a fausse braie and a wet ditch, whilst the height of the citadel covered the interior from the commanding fire of the hills from the north, rendering it nugatory. In addition to this, screen walls had been built before the gates, the ditch was filled with water and unfordable, and an outwork built on the right bank of the river, so as to command the bed of it. It is, therefore, the

more honourable to the troops, and must appear to the enemy out of all calculation extraordinary, that a fortress and citadel, to the strength of which, for the last thirty years, they had been adding something each year, and which had a garrison of 3,500 Affghan soldiers, commanded by prince Mahomed Hydor, the son of Dost Mahomed Khan, the ruler of the country, with a commanding number of guns, and abundance of ammunition and other stores, provisions, &c., for a regular siege, should have been taken, by British science and British valour, in less than two hours from the time the attack was made; and the whole, including the governor and garrison, should fall into our hands.

My despatch of the 20th inst., from Nanee, will have made known to your lordship, that the camps of his majesty Shah Shoojaool-Moolk and of major-general Willshire, with the Bombay troops, had there joined me, in accordance with my desire, and the following morning we made our march of twelve miles to Ghuzni, the line of march being over a fine plain. The troops were disposed in a manner that would have enabled me, at any moment, had we been attacked, as was probable from the large bodies of troops

moving on each side of us, to have placed them in position to receive the enemy. They did not, however, appear, but on our coming within range of the guns of the citadel and fortress of Ghuzni, a sharp cannonade was opened on our leading column, together with a heavy fire of musketry from behind garden walls, and temporary field-works thrown up, as well as the strong outwork I have already alluded to, which commanded the bed of the river from all but the outwork. The enemy were driven in under the walls of the forts in a spirited manner by parties thrown forward by major-general sir W. Cotton, of the 16th and 48th Bengal N. I., and H. M.'s 13th light infantry, under brigadier Sale. I or dered forward three troops of horse artillery, the camel battery, and one foot battery to open upon the citadel and fortress, by throwing sharpnel shells, which was done in a masterly style under the direction of brigadier Stevenson. My object in this was to make the enemy show their strength in guns, and in other respects, which completely succeeded, and our shells must have done great execution and occasioned great consternation. Being perfectly satisfied on the point of their strength, in the course of half an hour I ordered the fire to cease, and placed the troops in bivouac. A close reconnoisance of the place all round was then undertaken by captain Thomson, the chief engineer, and captain Peat, of the Bombay engineers, accompanied by major Garden, the deputy quarter-mastergeneral of the Bengal army, supported by a strong party of H. M. 16th lancers, and one from

H. M. 13th light infantry. On this party a steady fire was kept up, and some casualties occurred. Captain Thomson's report was very clear: he found the fortifications equally strong all round; and, as my own opinion coincided with his, I did not hesitate a moment as to the manner in which our approach and attack upon the place should be made. Notwithstanding the march the troops had performed in the morning, and their having been a considerable time engaged with the enemy, I ordered the whole to move across the river (which runs close under the fortwall), in columns to the right and left of the town, and they were placed in position on the north side, on more commanding ground, and securing the Cabul-road. I had information that a night attack upon the camp was intended from without. Mahomed Ubzul Khan, the eldest son of Dost Mahomed Khan, had been sent by his father with a strong body of troops from Cabul to the brother's assistance at Ghuzni, and was encamped outside the walls, but abandoned his position on our approach, keeping, however, at the distance of a few miles from us. The two rebel chiefs of the Ghilzie tribe, men of great influence, viz., Abdool Rhuman and Gool Mahomed Khan, had joined him with 1,500 horse, and also a body of about 3,000 Ghazees from Zeimat, under a mixture of chiefs and mollahs, carrying banners, and who had been assembled on the cry of a religious war. In short, we were in all directions surrounded by enemies. These last actually came down the hills on the 22nd, and attacked the part of the camp occupied by his majesty Shah Shooja and his own troops, but were

driven back with considerable loss, and banners taken.

At daylight, on the 22nd, I reconnoitered Ghuzni, in company with the chief engineer, and the brigadier commanding the artillery, with the adjutant and quartermaster-general of the Bengal army, for the purpose of making all arrangements for carrying the place by storm, and these were completed in the course of the day. Instead of the tedious process of breaching (for which we were illprepared), captain Thomson undertook, with the assistance of captain Peat, of the Bombay engi. neers, and lieutenants Durand and Macleod, of the Bengal engineers, and other officers under him (captain Thomson), to blow in the Cabul gate, the weakest point, with gunpowder, and so much faith did I place on the success of this operation, that my plans for the assault were immediately laid down, and the orders given.

The different troops of horse artillery, the camel and foot batteries, moved off their ground at twelve o'clock that night, without the slightest noise, as had been directed, and in the most correct manner took up the position assigned them, about 250 yards from the walls. In like manner, and with the same silence, the infantry soon after moved from their ground, and all were at their post at the proper time. A few minutes before three o'clock in the morning the explosion took place, and proved completely successful. Captain Peat, of the Bombay engineers, was thrown down and stunned by it, but shortly after recovered his senses and feeling. On hearing the advance sounded by the bugle (being the signal for the gate having been blown in), the

artillery, under the able directions of brigadier Stevenson (consisting of captain Grant's troop of Bengal horse artillery, the camel battery, under captain Abbott, both superintended by captain Pew), captains Martin and Cotgrave's troops of Bombay horse artillery, and captain Lloyd's battery of Bombay foot artillery, all opened a terrific fire upon the citidel and ramparts of the fort, and in a certain degree paralysed the enemy.

Under the guidance of captain Thomson, of the Bengal engineers, the chief of the department, colonel Dennie, of H. M. 13th light infantry, commanding the advance, consisting of the light companies of H. M. 2nd and 17th regiments of foot, and of the Bengal Euroropean regiment, with one company of H. M. 13th light infantry, proceeded to the gate, and with great difficulty, from the rubbish thrown down, and the determined opposition offered by the enemy, effected an entrance, and established themselves within the gateway, closely followed by the main columns, led in a spirit of great gallantry by brigadier Sale, to whom I had entrusted the important post of commanding the storming party, consisting (with the advance abovementioned) of H. M. 2nd foot under major Carruthers, the Bengal European regiment, under lieutenant-colonel Orchard, followed by H.M. 13th light infantry, under major Thomson, and H.M. 17th regiment, under lieutenantcolonel Croker. The struggle within the fort was desperate for a considerable time. In addition to the heavy fire kept up, our troops were assailed by the enemy sword in hand, and with daggers, pistols, &c.; but British courage, perseverance, and fortitude overcame all