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ACCOUNT OF THE ENGAGEMENT.
Sir—In all the vicissitudes of a long life of public service, no circumstance has ever produced on my mind such impressions of gratitude and joy as the event of yesterday. To have been one of the humble instruments, in the hands of Divine Providence, for bringing to reason a ferocious Government, and destroying for ever the insufferable and horrid system of Christian slavery, can never cease to be a source of delight and heartfelt comfort to every individual happy enough to be employed in it. I may, I hope, be permitted, under such impressions, to offer my sincere congratulations to their Lordships on the complete success which attended the gallant efforts of his Majesty’s fleet in their attack upon Algiers of yesterday; and the happy result produced from it on this day by the signature of peace.
Thus has a provoked war of two days existence been attended by a complete victory, and closed by a renewed peace for England and her ally, the King of the Netherlands, on conditions dictated by the firmness and wisdom of his Majesty’s Government, and commanded by the vigour of their measures.
The fleet, complete in all its points, with the addition of of five gun-boats fitted at Gibraltar, departed in the highest spirits, and with the most favourable prospect of reaching the port of their destination in three days; but an adverse wind destroyed the expectation of an early arrival, which was more anxiously looked for by myself, in consequence of hearing, the day I sailed from Gibraltar, that a large army had been assembled, and that very considerable additional works were thrown up, not only on both flanks of the city, but also immediately above the entrance of the mole; from this I was apprehensive that my intention of making that point my principal object of attack had
