sued and sabred, till the French, on the opposite side, seeing their distress. opened a fire of artillery and carbines, that obliged the British to discontinue the attack. Forty killed, above 100 wounded, and eighty prisoners, were the fruits of this brilliant action of Gen. Lumley's.'

No comment is needed upon this affair; the rashness and disorder of the French cavalry and their leaders were as conspicuous as the cool and steady manner in which they were received and discomfited by Gen. Lumley and his cavalry. A remark was made at the time by those who were engaged, which it may be well to notice. Only about one third of the French who were struck down by the sabre, were killed outright; while, on the part of the English, the proportion of killed was much greater than that of the wounded, a circumstance from which it was reasonably inferred that the French sabre was a more destructive weapon than that of our cavalry. The swords of the latter were bad enough for cutting with the edge, but for giving point they were almost quite useless, while those of the French were admirably adapted for pointing, and altogether a far superior weapon. A much better pattern than the old one has been lately approved, it is said, for the British cavalry, and there can be little doubt that although the Englishman is more inclined to strike or cut than to point at his adversary, yet there are many occasions when the soldier, if properly instructed in the advantages of so doing, as well as in the method, would use the point with as destructive effect as the soldier of any other nation.

This affair at Usagre is the last which Colonel Napier has noticed in his third volume, and we now take leave of him as an evidence, having, as it is hoped, redeemed our pledge of proving, by his own statements, the injustice of his comparative condemnation of the British cavalry, in the sweeping sentence of which they have such reason to complain. We shall next proceed to detail from the most authentic sources within our reach, farther actions reflecting credit upon their conduct and courage in the field during the remainder of the war.

(To be continued.)

THE SERVICES OF THE LATE ADMIRAL

SIR JOHN KNIGHT, K.C.B.

MR. KNIGHT first commenced his career in the navy, on board the Tartar, frigate, under the command of his father, who was made a Captain, May 8th, 1756, and died a Rear-Admiral. On the 1st of June 1758, the Tartar left Portsmouth for the French coast, with an expedition under the orders of Commodore Howe, against Caucalle, Cherbourg, St. Maloes, &c. which destroyed several of the enemy's ships. Mr. Knight afterwards was in the squadron under the orders of Lord Anson, which convoyed Her Majesty Queen Charlotte to Harwich, in Sept. 1761. After the peace took place, Mr. Knight was employed in surveying the North American coast, and on the 25th of May 1770, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant; and in 1775, was second of the Falcon sloop, Capt. John Linzee. The Falcon was one of the vessels that covered the attack on Bunker's Hill, after which Lieut. Knight was made prisoner of war in endeavouring to bring off an American vessel that had been driven on shore. An exchange of prisoners taking place the following year, Lieut. Knight joined Lord Howe, who, in February 1777, appointed him to command the Haer

lem of 12 guns, in which he captured several of the enemy's small vessels. In 1778 the Haerlem narrowly escaped capture by the French fleet, under the command of Count d'Estaing. Lieut. Knight was soon after removed into the Eagle, the flag-ship of Lord. Howe, in which he returned home in October.

Lieut. Knight's next appointment was to the Barfleur, the flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, (afterwards Viscount Hood,) on the Leeward Island station, by whom he was on the 21st Sept. 1781, promoted to Post-Captain, and to command the Shrewsbury, in the room of Capt. Mark Robinson. Capt. Knight continued under Sir Samuel Hood's orders, by whom he was appointed to command his flag-ship the Barfleur; and after the defeat of Count de Grasse, presented the sword of that commander to Sir Samuel Hood. A few months previous to the peace of 1783, His Royal Highness Prince William Henry (his present Majesty) did duty as Midshipman on board the Barfleur.

The Barfieur being paid off in consequence of the peace, Capt. Knight remained upon half-pay until his appointment to the Victory, fitting for the flag of Lord Hood, in consequence of the expected war with Spain in 1790.

Soon after the commencement of the war with France, Lord Hood was appointed Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean, and Capt. Knight was again appointed to the Victory, and was present at the several affairs of Toulon and at Corsica, and returned home in December 1794; when in May the following year, Lord Hood was ordered to strike his flag, which was the last time his Lordship held a command. Capt. Knight continued in the Victory, and in the action with the French fleet, 13th July 1795, Rear-Admiral Robert Mann had his flag on board. In December the same year, Admiral Sir John Jervis, (afterwards Earl St. Vincent,) hoisted his flag in the Victory, on which occasion Capt. Knight returned from the Mediterranean, and was soon after appointed to the Montague, attached to the North Sea fleet, under the orders of Admiral Duncan, which ship bore a conspicuous part in the disgraceful mutiny that subsequently took place. Happily for the country this mutiny was suppressed, and proper examples made of the ringleaders. The misguided men fully retrieved their character in the action which afterwards took place off Camperdown, 11th Oct. under the orders of Admiral Duncan, against the Dutch fleet under De Winter.

After this brilliant action, Capt. Knight had a command on the Irish coast; served in the Channel fleet, and in the Mediterranean ; and in August 1779, commanded the advanced squadron before Brest, during which time several successful captures were made by the Montague's boats of the enemy's small vessels.

A promotion of Captains taking place 1st Jan. 1801, Capt. Knight became Rear-Admiral of the Blue. In April 1805, Admiral Knight hoisted his flag on board the Lucca for the Mediterranean, and succeeded Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton, in the command at Gibraltar, where his flag was hoisted on board the Guerrier guard-ship, which was the last command he held.

In the promotion that took place 9th Nov. 1805, after the action off Trafalgar, Admiral Knight was promoted to Vice-Admiral; and on the 4th Dec. 1813, to that of Admiral.

For his services in the action off Camperdown, Admiral Knight was honoured with a gold medal, and on the 2nd Jan. 1815, was created a Knight Commander of the Bath.

On the 16th June last, Sir John Knight expired, after a very short illness, at Woodend, Hampshire, aged 83 years.

THE SERVICES OF THE LATE VICE-ADMIRAL

VISCOUNT TORRINGTON.

THIS nobleman was the eldest son of John, the fifth Viscount Torrington, brother to Admiral Byng who was shot in pursuance of the sentence of a Court-Martial, 14th March 1757, on board the Monarque, 74, at Portsmouth.

Mr. George Byng was born in London, 5th January 1768, and entered the Naval service when scarcely more than ten years of age, as Midshipman on board the Thunderer, 74, Capt. the Hon. B. Walsingham, and was in the action between Admiral Keppel and the Count D'Orvilliers on the 27th July 1778. Mr. Byng subsequently served in the Alarm, with Capt. Sir Richard Pearson; and in the Active, Capt. T. Mackenzie. In the latter ship, Mr. Byng sailed for the East Indies, where he joined the Superb, the flag-ship of Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, and was in the actions with M. Soufferin. After the Superb, Mr. Byng served in the Defence, with Commodore Andrew Mitchell; and on arriving at Portsmouth in the end of 1785, passed his examination for a Lieutenant. He next joined the Jupiter of 50 guns, Commodore W. Parker, at the Leeward Islands, from whom he subsequently received a commission as Acting Lieutenant; and afterwards served in the Trusty with Rear-Admiral Sir John Lafory, who had assumed the command on that station, in the room of Commodore Parker. In September 1790, a commission was sent out, promoting Mr. Byng to the rank of Lieutenant, and he returned home in the Shark sloop-of-war.

In 1791, Lieut. Byng was appointed to the Illustrious, Capt. C. M. Pole, and afterwards removed into the Druid frigate. He was afterwards appointed to the Impregnable, but from ill health, was not in the action of the 1st of June, under the orders of Lord Howe.

In October 1794, Lieut. Byng was promoted to Master and Commander, and to the Ferret sloop-of-war; and during the absence of Sir Edmund Nagle, acted as Captain of the Artois frigate; and in June 1795, was further promoted to Post-Captain, and to the Redoubt of 20 guns. His next appointment was to the Mercury frigate, under the orders of Vice-Admiral Sir James Walmer, at Newfoundland; and was there when the French Admiral Richery appeared before the settlement with seven sail-of-the-line, and three frigates, having 2000 troops on board, who from the resistance they experienced by a force considerably inferior, abandoned their project. In 1797, Capt. Byng was appointed to the Galatea frigate, in which he captured a French corvette of 14 guns, and several armed vessels. In May 1802, Capt. Byng resigned, through ill health, the command of the Galatea; and on the renewal of the war with France was appointed to the Texel, and became commanding officer of the block ships stationed on the Kentish coast.

In August 1804, Capt. Byng was appointed to the Malabar of 50

guns; and in the following year to the Belliqueux, in which he was present at the surrender of the Cape of Good Hope to the forces under Capt. Sir Home Popham and Major-Gen. Sir David Baird; after which Capt. Byng convoyed the East India ships to Madras, and formed one of the squadron under the orders of Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, and was at the destruction of several vessels of war and merchant ships in Batavia Roads.

In 1809, an armament was fitted out at Bombay, for the purpose of taking possession of Roderiguez Island, on which occasion Capt. Byng hoisted a broad pendant. In this affair the military were commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Keating, and the object was eminently successful, and owing to this enterprise, the capture of the Mauritius and Bourbon took place.

The Belliqueux sailed from Macao Roads the 14th of February 1811, having seven of the East India Company's ships under convoy, and after experiencing very tempestuous weather, reached St. Helena the 15th of May, and on being joined by the Chiffone and Menelaus frigates, and several Indiamen and other ships, sailed for England, and safely arrived in the Downs the 8th of August. The Belliqueux being found unfit for service was paid off at Chatham, and Capt. Byng was soon after appointed to the Warrior, 74, and was subsequently employed in the North Sea. In December 1812, died Capt. Byng's uncle, George, the fourth Viscount Torrington, upon which the gallant Captain's father succeeded to the title, but who enjoyed it only fourteen days, when he also died, and Capt. Byng became Viscount Torrington. The Dutch soon after threw off the yoke which had been imposed upon them by Buonaparte, and declared for the Prince of Orange, when, on the 25th of November 1813, his Serene Highness embarked in the Downs, on board the Warrior, accompanied by the Earl of Clancarty, and landed at Schweling the 30th following.

After this service, Lord Torrington convoyed a fleet of merchant vessels to the West Indies, during which time a promotion took place, and his Lordship in consequence became, June 4th 1814, a RearAdmiral of the Blue, and relinquished the command of the Warrior, and 19th of July 1821, was made a Vice-Admiral.

The command of the Leeward Island station becoming vacant in 1819, was offered to Lord Torrington, but which his Lordship did not accept. His Lordship had been for a long time in an alarming state of health at his residence, Yotes Court, Kent, and after enduring very great and acute suffering, died there the 18th of June 1831.

The late Viscount Torrington succeeded his father 8th of January 1813. His Lordship married, first, February 8th 1793, Elizabeth, daughter of Philip Langmede, of Howgate House, Plymouth, Esq. and by her (who died August 21st 1810,) had issue, Lucy Elizabeth, born July 11th, 1794; and a son born May the 23rd, 1796, who died December 1st the same year. His Lordship married, secondly, October 1811, Frances Harriet, second daughter of Rear-Admiral Sir Robert Barlow, Knt. then Commissioner of His Majesty's Dock Yard at Chatham, and niece to Sir George Hillaro Barlow, Bart. and G.C.B. and had issue, George, the present Viscount, born September 9th 1812, and other children.

THE NIGER.

THE announcement of the arrival of the enterprising travellers in the interior of North Africa, the brothers, Lander, after a successful termination of their arduous task, must be highly gratifying to all the admirers of geographical discovery, and to the friends of humanity, after the sacrifice of so many valuable lives in the attainment of the truth respecting the outlet of the mysterious stream. From the brief account already transpired, it appears that the great river hitherto known to Europeans by the name of the Niger, debouches into the Bight of Benin, in the vicinity of Cape Formosa, thereby verifying the opinions of Mr. Reichard, the German, and the writer of an interesting letter from British Accrah, dated 7th Jan. 1824, from on board the brig Castor; the latter stating his belief that the Niger empties itself by a great Delta, of which, the Rio Formosa or Benin is the western, and the Rio del Rey, the eastern branch, with several rivers between them from the same source.

But I am inclined to believe that the Joliba, Quolla, Gulbi, (as it is severally called in its course,) or river which passes Jenné, Boussa, Nyfée, and Fundah, is not the ancient Niger mentioned by Leo; but that the Quolla, Quorra, Yeou, or river passing Sakatoo and Kano, and falling into the lake Tsad of Bornu, is the ancient stream of the African writer.

The lake Tsad, under a different name, has long been known; the historical dictionary* of France states Borno as "a city and kingdom in the Nigritia, with a desert and lake of the same name, the country of the ancient Garamantes. It is said these people live in common, and bring up as their own such children as resemble them. The Lake Bornu (Tsad) is celebrated because it is crossed by the Niger;" this Niger is not that of Park, but that of Denham and Clapperton, i. e. the Yeou.

The statement of the Shary river flowing out of the lake Tsad, and falling into the Niger (of Park) at Fundah, appears to be incorrect, as Major Denham embarked on that river, and distinctly states that it falls into the lake (flowing from the south) by two branches, and ran at the rate of five miles an hour. Some other river must be meant, and is confounded with the Shary (of Denham) which name may probably in the Fellata language mean merely a river; if so, it is probable to be the stream mentioned by the Major as issuing from the south-east side of the lake and supposed to flow to the Nile, but which perhaps is a continuation of the Yeou, running first to the south-east, and then turning to the west, discharges into the Niger (of Park) at or near Fundah; the range of high land whence the Shary is said to take its rise, south, or west of the Tsad in the vicinity of Musfia, about the 9th or 10th degree of north latitude, may be no obstruction to the stream finding its way at the basis of those mountains to the westward; this is the only way we can reconcile the account obtained by Lander in his former and present travels, of the supposed Shary running from the lake of Bornu and falling into the Niger.

* Moreri Dict. Historique.