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APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE.

Proceedings of the Association for promoting the Defence of the Frith of Forth, and Scotland in general. The Right Honourable the Lord Chief Baron in the Chair.

HE committee having, at a for

Campbell of Clathick, Mr. Mackenzie of the exchequer, and Mr. Porter of Troquhain, a sub-committee, to draw up an account of the proceedings of the association; a report was prepared accordingly, and read by Mr. Porter, this 19th Dec. which, being approved of by the general committee, was ordered to be printed; and a copy, as follows, to be sent or delivered to each of the subscribers.

REPORT OF THE SUB-COMMITTEE. When the association for promoting the defence of the Frith of Forth, and of the country in general, was originally formed in the month of July last, the resolutions then published by the constituent members informed the public of the motives that had given rise to it, and pointed out the leading objects that were meant to occupy their attention, and to which the money that should be subscribed was intended to be applied.

part of the coast, and the unaccountable and alarming apathy at that time much too prevalent, and to which the present spirit and ardour of all ranks present a pleasing contrast, justified the apprehensions entertained at the time, by those who seriously considered the situa

racter, of the foe by whom it was menaced with invasion, and all its attendant calamities.

To awaken the people to a sense of their danger-to rouse their sleeping energies-to prepare them to expect without dismay, and to combat without apprehension of the issue, an enemy their ancestors had always vanquished, seemed objects of primary importance; and to promote these, their best endeavours were employed. they began

With this view

1st. By printing and dispersing throughout the country numerous popular and patriotic publications and placards, calculated to attract the notice of the middle and lower classes of society, and designed to warm their breasts with the honest zeal and dignified sense of superiority which become a free and loyal people.

The committee, in the mean time, was bestowing its attention in findThe then defenceless state of this ing out, and fixing upon certain

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specific objects within the limited compass of the funds of the association, which, in their opinion, were best adapted to the purposes of excitement and preparation, consequently most likely effectually to promote the defence of the Frith, as well as of the country in general. What these objects were, the subscribers will naturally expect to know. They have certainly a right to be fully informed of it; and to convey this information to them, in the shortest and most satisfactory manner, is the chief design of the present report.

2nd. After the publications abovementioned, the next thing to which the attention of the committee was called, was the means of rendering more speedily useful a branch of the service in itself most important, but in danger of being, for a time at least, less efficient than could have been wished, from want of skill in the use of the weapons that were to be employed in it. The sea fencibles were to be armed with pikes; but the pike exercise was little known in Scotland, and no person had been then sent down to instruct those in it who had volunteered their services in that line. To supply the want of this appointment, the committee appropriated a certain sum, to be given to any person duly qualified who should come forward and teach the sea fencibles the pike exercise, to the satisfaction of captain Clements, who has the command of that body, within the district to which the association had particularly directed their attention; and a premium was added for each of the first 12 men who should acquire such a degree of skill as to be able to undertake the instruction or drill of others. Such a drill-master was,

after some enquiry, found; and the pike exercise is now understood, and practised in a style of expertness, superior to what might otherwise have been the case for months to come.

3rd. By general Lloyd's calculation, only one shot out of 400, from troops not accustomed to take aim, takes effect in battle. This admitted as a fact, shews the vast importance of a soldier's being trained to ball practice; but the provision made for such practice in the service is so limited, that little progress towards proficiency in this point can be expećted.--To promote a spirit of emulation among the volunteers in this useful acquirement, the committee ordered a considerable number of honorary silver medals, of different sizes and value, to be struck off, with appropriate inscriptions, and to be lodged with the commanding officers of each battalion of the volunteers in the six counties adjacent, or approaching towards the coast from Berwick to Fifeness. to be distributed by them, in a gradation of three medals in each company receiving pay, to the best shots of those competitors whose regularity of conduct, and punctuality of attendance at drill, were approved of by the commanding officer.

The committee, in suggesting this idea, was far from ascribing to itself any particular merit beyond that of contributing in a certain degree to animate and increase the acknowledged zeal and honourable emulation of our volunteer forces; in consequence of which, many of the companies in this district have by practice acquired so great a degree of proficiency, that in their exercise every 5th or 6th shot is

made

made to take place in a target of 3 feet diameter, at the distance of about 100 yards. This, with the common battalion firelock, is a high degree of precision; and if accuracy on a proportional scale may be expected from them in battle, the efficiency of the military defence of the country will thereby, it is evident, be greatly augmented.

4th. It being impossible, on so extensive a line of coast, to have a stationary force at every place where a landing may be attempted, the commodious and expeditious conveyance of troops from a distance to the point of attack becomes of great importance. With this view, colonel Crichton, one of the committee, contrived a machine, of simple construction, to be made at a small expence, and easily fixed, on either coach or chaise-wheels, and which, when so fixed, should be equal to the conveyance of ten or twelve men, with their arms and accoutrements, to be drawn by two horses only, and to go at the rate of from five to seven miles an hour. Of those machines (after a full and satisfactory experiment, as published in the newspapers) the committee caused upwards of a hundred to be made, at the expence of the association, and have delivered them over to the lord-lieutenant of the city, with the necessary complement of rope, &c. for fixing them on the carriages that have been volunteered for their reception. A certain number of these, of nearly a similar construction, have also been made and sent down to Dunbar, for the use of the artillery. The utility of these general Don acknowledges in the handsomest terms in his letter to the secretary of the associa jon; and his royal highness the commander in

chief has also honoured the plan with his approbation, and given reason to expect that the adoption and use of it will soon become general in England and elsewhere.

5th. To render this plan more effective: when the emergency calls for putting it in practice shall arrive, the committee set apart a sum, to be proportioned out in premiums of 1st, 2d, and 3d classes, to be given to the coach and chaise hirers who shall have the greatest number of wheel-carriages mounted with frames, and ready on the shortest notice for the conveyance of troops : and to the conductors of carts who shall first reach the place to which they may be called, by signal or otherwise, by divisions of not less than ten each, due regard being had to the distance from whence they started.

Premiums also were ap

pointed, in similar classes, to the farmers or others, who shall first appear with their own carts at the place of rendezvous.

6th. The equipment of a naval force of any magnitude appeared to the association (how much soever it was to be wished for) so far beyond the compass of their funds, that they refrained, for a time, from any attempt of this sort. But when lord Hobart's letter of the 15th August, transmitting The plan of a Voluntary Naval Armament for the protection of the coast," and recommending it to the attention of the lord-lieutenants of the maritime counties, was received, the associa tion immediately allotted 10001. of their funds, to be applied in aid of the plan. And, conceiving that the money might be more economically employed, and the plan more expe ditiously carried into full effect, by an unity of direction, the committee

offered

offered to deliver over this part of their funds to the lieutenancy of the county; to be added to whatever sums they (the lieutenancy) might otherwise raise for that purpose. The proposal was received by the lieutenancy with expressions of acknowledgement, but declined for reasons unnecessary to be mentioned in this report. The lord advocate, however, having afterwards given the committee to understand, that his majesty's ministers anxiously wished the equipment to be proceeded in, a plan that had been previously presented to, and approved of by the navy board in London, was adopted as a model by the committee; and, conformably thereto, a contract was immediately entered into with respectable ship-builders at Leith, for the equipment of a certain number of decked vessels, from 70 to 50 tons burden, to receive on board carronades of various cali. bres, and to serve as an auxiliary force when called for. Of these there are now prepared 10 vessels, completely fitted with slides, chocks, iron-bolts, sweeps, powder-chests, &c. ready for the reception of carronades, the largest to carry two 24 and two 18-pounders; the rest two 18 and one or two 12-pounders each. Beside these, there is a deck ed vessel of 40 tons burden, fitted up on a different plan, as an experiment, and the slides, chocks, &c. all accurately marked and numbered with the names of the vessels to which they respectively belong, are delivered over to his majesty's off cers, and deposited in the naval yard at Leith, ready for the services to which they were destined. Authority was given, at the same time, for preparing twelve herring,

boats, on a plan recommended by his grace the duke of Buccleugh, and sir James St. Clair Erskine, of which the committee undertook to defray the expence.

7th. Lieut.-gen. Vyse, whose attention to the concerns of the association, and to whatever promises any addition to the means of national defence, has been uniform and unremitting, having recommended to the committee's notice the description of a newly-invented or improved gun, which, of the same calibre as a 6-pound carronade, and possessing, with half the charge of powder, nearly an equal projectile power, should weigh one-half less, and cost three-fourths less, than the guns or carronades of like power hitherto in use; the committee, to enable Mr. Roebuck the inventor to establish by experiment the reality of a fact which (if well ascertained) promised to become of so much importance to the service, caused a gun to be made at Glasgow, under his direction, and had it brought to the fort at Leith for trial. A comparative trial of this piece of ord. nance has been made in the presence of competent judges; and it ap pears, from their report, that there is every reason to conclude that, with a few small improvements, suggested at the time of the experiment, and approved of by our distinguished commander-in-chief for Scotland, it will fully answer the expectations of the inventor.

8th. The committee, finding that the above objects had not yet wholly exhausted the funds of the association, were of opinion, that nothing could more effectually contribute to the defence of the Frith of Forth, and of the country in general, than providing

providing for the health and comfort of its defenders; and a subscription having been opened, to raise a fund for furnishing great coats, &c. to the volunteers receiving pay, the committee transferred 3001. of the cash remaining at the credit of the association, to that fund.

From the money expended in those and sundry other incidental disbursements, as stated in the books of the association, it appears that of 2,7551. 10s. 6d the total amount of the money subscribed, there remains only a balance of 3091. 14s. 3d.; against which it is possible, notwithstanding all the care that has been taken, some unsettled items may still be brought forward.

When the importance of the above-recited objects, and the consequences resulting from them, are fairly considered, and compared with the limited amount of the funds the association were enabled to ein ploy, it is hoped that the subscrib. ers will not be of opinion that their contributions have been idly wasted,

or

unprofitably applied :- And should it be thought expedient to proceed in attending to, and promoting measures of a similar ten. dency for the general safety, their past conduct, it is to be presumed, will be deemed the surest pledge of their future care, to œconomise, and prudently to direct the appropriation of whatever sums shall be raised by the voluntary contributions of those who approve of what has been already done.

Ar. Campbell.
Henry Mackenzie.
Wm. Porter.
Alex. Dick, Sec. to the Associ-
ation.

No. 9, St. James's-squ. Jan. 1, 1804.

Dispatch from Col. Frazer, Commandant of the Settlement at Goree, on the Coast of Africa, containing an Account of the Capture of that Settlement by a French Force. To the Right Honour able Lord Hobart, one of the principal Secretaries of State, &c.

Goree, Africa, Feb. 5, 1804. My Lord,

On the 17th of January, about noon, a negro arrived from Yoff, and reported that a fleet had been seen from thence that morning at day light, and appeared to be standing for Goree; before two o'clock vessels were seen from the hill behind cape Emanuel; near four they came round the cape. The squadron consisted of one ship carrying a commodore's pendant, and five armed schooners, with pendants, all shewing French colours, and with large boats towing after them. The commodore fired a gun, and hoisted a red flag at his foremast head, which we have since learnt was meant as a signal to us, that in case of attack during night, no quarter would be given. About sun set the squadron tacked, and before dark was near the anchorage, standing-in. The inhabitants having agreed to assist in defending the island against any attempt that should be made from Senegal, and being of opinion that the present force was of that nature, such measures were taken as appeared most likely to prevent the enemy from landing during the night: all the arms that could be procured were accordingly issued to the inhabitants, who, with the garrison, were stationed at the different posts round the island. The moon set at eleven, and affairs remained in the situation described, until about 3 o'clock on

the

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