rived in Balasore Roads, and proceeded to Mayapore, where his ship was refitted.

In consequence of an invitation from the Governor-General, (the Marquis Wellesley,) he immediately visited him at Calcutta ; at his special request he afterwards accompanied his Lordship to Oude, and, in the course of the journey, pointed out, both in conversation and by memorials, the advantages that would accrue from a commercial intercourse between India and Arabia; which, among other benefits, would ensure such a connexion with the coffee country, as promised an absolute monopoly of that article.

On the other hand, his Excellency had planned an expedition in the nature of a coup de main, which was to be undertaken by the troops about to be embarked in the Red Sea. Of this, as well as the arrangement of every thing relative to the transports and supplies for the army in Egypt, the whole direction was to have been conferred on Sir Home; but in consequence of the intervention of some unexpected occurrences, the orders for this purpose were countermanded. This was announced to him in a very handsome letter, dated Burhampore, September 1, 1801; in which the Governor-General stated his reason for abandoning the enterprise.

On the 14th of November, 1801, Sir Home accordingly repaired on board the Romney, with an intention of proceeding to the Red Sea immediately; but he was called back by an express from the Vice-President in Council, in consequence of a dispatch from England, intimating a strong suspicion that the French had sent an expedition against the Portuguese settlement of Macao, with a view of intercepting the ships employed in the China trade.

The Commodore immediately suggested the necessity of sending an engineer thither. The works were supposed to be out of repair; and as some difficulty existed respecting the convoy of the transports, with a body of troops for its defence, he offered his services on this occasion, and also insisted on the propriety of attempting to gain possession of the Mauritius.

The necessary dispositions for the former measures were accordingly made; but having arrived at Prince of Wales' Island on the 20th December, 1802, he there found Admiral Rainier, who directed the Arrogant and the Orpheus to proceed to Macao with the Indiamen; and, as his squadron was scantily supplied at that moment, part of the Romney's provisions and stores were taken out, to enable the ships to perform this service.

On the 7th of January, 1803, we find the Commodore in the Madras Roads, whence he sailed once more for the Red Sea, and in the month of March anchored in the harbour of Suez.

Having been nominated Ambassador to the States of Arabia by the Governor-General, the Commodore now entered into a regular correspondence with Houszer Mehmet Pacha, Vizier of three tails, Viceroy of Egitto, then residing at Grand Cairo, respecting an interchange of commodities with the Company's settlements in Asia, across the desert, on paying certain stipulated duties; but when he addressed himself to the Sheriffe, who had just poisoned the Turkish Pacha at Mecca, on his second visit to him, he was informed by his Vizier that an interview could not take place; and that if he had any thing to communicate, he might write to him at Taaf, a district famous for its gardens, "as his Holiness was there eating fruit, and it was too much trouble to come to Juddah."

Soon after this Sir Home dispatched Mr. Elliot, secretary to the embassy, together with Dr. Pringle and Lieutenont Lamb, on a mission to the Imaun at Sunna, with a proper escort; while the Sultan of Aden deputed his son to wait on the Commodore at Mocha, and press an establishment in his dominions.

About this time also he himself accepted the invitation of the Pacha of Egypt to visit Cairo, on which occasion his Highness sent an officer of his household, with a troop of dromedaries and many led horses, to Suez; and they agreed to terms highly favourable to the British nation, respecting the tariff of customs to be paid in the dominions of the

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Sublime Porte on the coasts of the Red Sea, so as, among other advantages, to secure a complete monopoly of the coffee trade. He also, with the same views, made a journey to Tais, in the course of which he appears to have experienced many indignities, and was exposed to considerable danger, in consequence of the perfidy of the natives, particularly of the Dola of Mocha, who afterwards attempted to apologize for his conduct.

In the mean time preparations were made for re-embarking the Company's troops; which being at length happily effected, Commodore Popham sailed for England, with the full approbation of the Governor-General of Bengal, one instance only excepted, relative to the political mission to the Arab States.

On Sir Home Popham's arrival early in 1803, he found a new ministry and a new Board of Admiralty; while, in consequence of the prospect of a new war, the Romney was detained some time in the Downs on the impress service, after which she proceeded to Sheerness, where the crew was employed in fitting out ships newly commissioned.

Soon after this her captain received a note from Commissioner Hope, desiring him to call at his house, where he found Sir William Rule, Surveyor of the navy, who appeared to have travelled to Chatham during the preceding night. These gentlemen immediately showed him a warrant under Admiralty orders, commanding them to proceed on board the Romney, and, after examining into her state, as well as into the repairs done, to make a variety of other inquiries.

The result of these inquiries, which necessarily occupied a considerable portion of time, was, that a report was laid before the Admiralty Board, from the Commissioners of the Navy Board, relative to what were considered as the enormous charges made by Sir Home Popham, for the repairs of those ships (particularly of the Romney), which had been under his command in the Indian Seas.

In the interim, Sir Home Popham, who had been absent from England during the general election of 1802, became

desirous of a seat in parliament, and was at length returned for the borough of Yarmouth, in the Isle of Wight.

On the Commissioners' report respecting Sir Home Popham, the public opinion was considerably raised as to the innocence or culpability of the parties concerned.

In 1804 a sudden change of administration brought Sir Home into employment. Through the patronage of the late Viscount Melville, he was appointed to the command of the Antelope of 50 guns. He was afterwards appointed to the superintendence of a scheme for destroying a fleet, by means never before heard of. The experiment was ludicrously termed the Catamaran Expedition; and two vessels were very effectually destroyed by it, off Boulogne, in 1804. An attack on a larger scale was afterwards attempted at Fort Rouge, which disappointed public expectation.

In 1805 Sir Home Popham commanded the naval part of an expedition against the Cape of Good Hope; which capitulated January 8th, 1806.

Sir Home Popham having prevailed on Sir David Baird to grant him a small body of troops under General Beresford, steered for the Rio Plata, and arrived at the mouth of that river in the beginning of June. Having got to Buenos Ayres by the help of rafts and boats, (for the bridge had been burnt by the enemy,) General Beresford entered that city on the 27th, which had been previously abandoned by the viceroy, who fled to Cordova.

When intelligence reached government of Sir Home's unauthorised departure from the Cape, and meditated invasion of South America, orders were instantly dispatched to recall him, and put a stop to his expedition. These orders were too late to prevent his enterprise; and when the news of his success arrived, the strong objections to his plan were drowned in the universal joy at the fortunate result of his operations.

The settlement, however, was soon again in the hands of the enemy. The Spaniards had been taken by surprise, and beaten by a handful of men, because attacked where they were

unprepared for resistance; but no sooner had they recovered from their panic, and discovered the smallness of the number of their opponents, than, ashamed of their defeat, they began to concert measures to expel their invaders. Emissaries from Buenos Ayres excited the country people to arms, and an insurrection was organised in the heart of the city, under the eye of the English commander-in-chief, which seems to have escaped his vigilance, till it had arrived at maturity, and was ripe for action. Liniers, a French colonel in the Spanish service, and on his parole, crossed the river from Colonia, in a fog, August 4th, unobserved by the English cruisers, and landed at Couchas, above Buenos Ayres, bringing with him about 1000 men from Monte Video and Sacramento. Encouraged by this reinforcement, the armed levies from the country, which had been defeated by General Beresford in a sally, advanced again to the city and summoned the castle to surrender. The whole inhabitants of the town were now in arms, and the danger appeared so imminent, that the English had determined to evacuate the place and retire to their ships; but they were prevented by the state of the weather; and after a desperate action on the 12th, in the streets and great square of the town, in which they were attacked with incredible fury, and severely annoyed by a destructive fire from the windows and balconies of the houses, they were compelled to capitulate.

The loss of the British army in the action of the 12th, amounted to 48 killed, 107 wounded, and 9 missing; making a total of 165. The enemy confessed to have lost about 700 men killed and wounded.

Buenos Ayres is the capital of one of the richest and most extensive provinces of South America. The climate is very healthy.

The force employed on shore consisted of the detachment of his Majesty's troops from the Cape, and one obtained from St. Helena, with the marine battalion, under the orders of Captain William King of the Diadem, which was composed of the marines of the squadron, augmented by the incorpor