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who was anchored parallel to it: so stopping to take breath before I opened the vessel, I jumped from among the rocks and ran for it. As I expected, she fired instantly ; but I had not far to go, so only received her first fire before I got to the path that led up the cliff. Here the looseness of the ground, with the sand and dirt that the shot threw up, bothered me very much. Having at length gained the top, which, though not high, was exceedingly steep, I hid myself in the bushes and fig-trees, till I again recovered my strength and breath : all which time the frigate kept up a constant fire, which, to be sure, made a confounded noise among the trees, but did me no harm. At length, quitting my post, I pushed forward for the city, and arrived about 10 o'clock, amidst the acclamations of the greatest multitude I ever beheld." On the 26th, in the evening, Lieutenant Cooke returned, accompanied by Captain Imbert, of the French 74 Apollon, as a special commissioner from the committee-general, for the purpose of ratifying the treaty; and who assured Lord Hood, that Louis XVII had been proclaimed by the sections, and that the latter had sworn to acknowledge him. On this, the vice-admiral resolved to land troops, and take possession of the forts that commanded the ships in the road. The unfortunate Marseillese had, on the preceding day, the 25th, been compelled to open their gates to General Carteau and his army. The French Rear-admiral St. Julien, to whom the seamen had intrusted the command of the fleet, in the room of Rear-admiral Trogoff, had, in the mean time, manned the forts on the left of the harbour, in order to oppose the British in their entry. Seeing this, Lord Hood, at noon on the 27th, ordered about 1500 troops, consisting of the greater portions of two regiments that had been embarked in the fleet, and about 200 marines and seamen, to be landed near Fort Lamalgue. The service was promptly executed under the direction of Captain Elphinstone, of the Robust, and immediate possession taken of the fort ; of which Captain Elphinstone was appointed governor. This fort, which was on the right of the harbour, commanded that occupied by St. Julien; who, on being informed by a flag of truce, that such of the ships as did not immediately proceed into the inner harbour and land their powder, would be treated as enemies, abandoned his position, and, with the crews of seven line-of-battle ships, amounting to 5000 officers and men, escaped into the interior. In the course of the morning, the remaining French ships removed into the inner harbour, in compliance with Captain Elphinstone's order; and, in the afternoon, the British and Spanish fleets (the latter, composed of 17 sail of the line, having hove in sight just as the troops had effected a landing) anchored together in the outer harbour of Toulon. On the same day, the 27th, Lord Hood issued a second proclamation, confirmatory of the assurances contained in his first; ^ back to top ^ |