when, a heavy fire from the south-west angle of the Massareene battery obliged them to retire with precipitation to the beach, and soon afterwards to abandon a one-gun battery they had gained, and on which they had hoisted their colours. The Danes then took possession of two houses, and, on being driven from them by the fire of the Yorke and Massareene batteries, sheltered themselves behind the neighbouring sand-hills. Meanwhile the brigade of howitzers, and the British marines that covered them, had regained the works in good order, and without any loss.

As the day opened, the Danish flotilla was observed to have taken a position within point-blank shot of the works. A signal that the enemy had landed, and that the gun-boats had begun the cannonade, was immediately made to the British l8-pounder 32-gun frigate Tartar, Captain Joseph Baker, and 16-gun brig-sloop Sheldrake, Captain James Pattison Stewart, on the north side of the island, where they had only arrived the day before from England ; and who, the instant they heard the firing, had got underway to attack the Danish gun-boats. Captain Maurice having signified, by telegraph, that the Sheldrake would be serviceable on the north side, the Tartar made the signal for the brig to remain behind, and stood on alone. The wind being from the westward, the Tartar had either to run 10 or 11 miles to leeward, to get round the reef extending from the east end of the island, or to beat up a still greater distance, in order to weather that branching off from its north-west part. Rightly considering that the knowledge of the frigate's being near the island, a circumstance of which the Danes were then ignorant, would make a considerable impression, Captain Baker resolved on going to leeward, round the shoal of Knoben, that being a course which would the sooner bring the Tartar in sight of the invaders.

Meanwhile the main division of the Danish army, under the orders of the commander-in-chief, Major Melstedt, had crossed the island and taken up a position on the northern shore, covered by hillocks of sand and inequality of ground. A detachment from this division, consisting, says the Danish official account, of 150 men, under Captain Reydez, advanced with uncommon bravery to the assault : but the discharges of grape and musketry from Forts Yorke and Massareene, which swept the plain and beach, obliged them to approach by degrees from sand-hill to sand-hill. The Danes rallied often and courageously, but were at length beaten back. Lieutenant Holstein's division, on the south side had by this time succeeded in bringing up a field piece, which enfiladed the Massareene battery. The apparent success of this induced Major Melstedt to order a general assault. The Danish troops pushed boldly forward, and the Danish gun boats opened their fire ; but the discharges of grape and musketry from the British batteries were irresistible. Major Melstedt was killed by a musket-ball when gallantly leading on his men ; the next in command, Captain Reydez, had both his legs shot away

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