DESTRUCTION OF LAGOS BY THE BRITISH SQUADRON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 82, 31 July 1852, Page 10

DESTRUCTION OF LAGOS BY THE BRITISH SQUADRON.

We alluded in our last to a fight which had taken place at Lagos, on the western coast of Africa, in which the crew of the "Niger" suffered a repulse, and of the steps taken in consequence by the Commodore on the Station to avenge the disaster, by collecting a suflicient force for that purpose. " We now learn that on the 26th and 27th December, the Commodore, in the " Penelope," with the " Bloodhound," "Sampson," and other war-vessels, attacked Lagos and desMoyed it, after a bloody encounter which resulted in a loss to the Squadron of 3 officers and 27 men killed, and 68 officers and men wounded. The following are the particulars :—

" Hostilities were undertaken in consequence of the refusal of the king or chief of that place to sign a treaty for the effectual suppression of the slave 'trade in his dominions. It was accordingly determined to attack Lagos, and" after two days' fighting, the object was accomplished, and the place nearly destroyed, an immense number of the natives being killed. The chief, or king, has also been deposed, and another one substituted. " On the 16th of December the " Penelope1' arrived in the Bights from Sierra Leone and the "Sampson" from Ascension, and arrived off Lagos on the 18th, and found there only the " Bloodhound" and " Philomel," to the no small surprise of the Commodore, who had ordered every vessel in the Bights to be there for the purpose of attacking Lagos on the 24th but, by some excellent management, they were' all dispersed. On the 23rd, the " Teazer" arriving, as also a party consisting of some 600 of King Atakoi's people, who had marched down from Badagang, it then became necessary to protect these people, and the Commodore, not knowing when he would get his vessels, it was judged expedient to attack Lagos with the present force. Accordingly Captain Jones, in the " Bloodhound/ and the boats of the " Sampson," left at 4 p.m., and having safely crossed the bar, anchored off the entrance for the night. The " Sampson" had previously been moored as close opposite the supposed position of the enemy as could be. On the morning of the 24th, two boats in command of Lieut. Saumarez, Ist of " Sampson," proceeded up and sounded and were fired into by musketry on» the • right beach, which was taken little or no notice of, and having ascertained the required information they returned to the anchorage at 2 p.m. Several large canoes being seen on the right beach the " Bloodhound" weighed, and the boats under her cover, landed and brought off six large canoes capable of bearing the whole of Atakoi's force ; having given them to these people at 5 p.m., being flood tide, she proceeded up the river to try the depth of water, the " Sampson's" boats a-head, and when off the first batteries the enemy began to fire round and canister with very good precision, which was returned by the boats and " Bloodhound." At this time the " Teazer," with the boats belonging to the " Penelope," were seen to enter the river, and a signal was made to anchor, and it being dusk, the " Bloodhound" weighed and anchored alongside of her, out of the reach of the enemy's fire. The 25th being Christmas day, the men remained in their boats, and nothing was done with the exception of reviewing and feeding Atakoi's troops, and placing round each of their necks a white " rag," so that we might know friends from foes. Thus we stood on the evening of the 25th, certainly a miserable Christmas. At 4.30 a.m. of the 26th, the following attack was then made. The " Bloodhound," Captain Jones, led in ; then the port division of boats, consisting of two paddle and pinnace of" Sampson," under command of Lieut. Saumarez, followed ; then the " Teazer" weighed, with Capt. Lyster; then the starboard division, under command of Captain Hillyar, of " Penelope," which consisted of her two paddle-box boats, pinnace, and the rocket-boats, each boat commanded by the Lieutenants of " Penelope," and the rocket party by Lieutenant Corbett, gunnery-lieutenant. As the "Bloodhound" steamed up, a terrific fire was opened on her by all the batteries, and thousands of musketry, which was returned by her with shot and shell. She got up to her destination (with little damage), and then got aground at musket shot from the platform battery. Then followed the port division of boats under a complete storm of musketry, grape, round, and canister, which was returned in good style from the boats, who pulled up gallantly, and took up their position opposite a two-gun battery, and which they soon silenced. Then came the " Teazer" with the starboard division, and in trying to keep away to bring her guns to bear to cover the port division o'' boats, unfortunately took the ground and could.not get off. She was there exposed to the fire of 20 guns. Captain Lyster instantly, finding all attempts to get her off of no avail, took the command of the starboard division of boats, and made for the shore, for the purpose of spiking the guns. After firing several rockets they clashed in, and effected a landing, and took one battery by storm, spiking its guns. The enemy charged them on each flank, and a retreat was necessary. The enemy got possession of her paddlebox boat, the cowardly Kroomen having jumped

overboard. A charge was then made to recapture, but finding so many wounded and two killed, they retreated to the other boats and embarked ; not, however, without the gunner's mate, who was left in the boat, having received two wounds, igniting the magazine, and jumping overboard, when he was picked up in Captain Lyster's gig. In this and the next day's attack, no less than 72 were killed and wounded. The feats of daring and bravery on the part of officers and men, with the exception of the rascally Kroomen, is beyond belief. Capt. Lyster received two wounds, Commander Hillyar one, Lieutenant Corbett (gallant fellow) seven, Lieutenant Williams, R.M.,*three, Mr. Fletcher (midshipman) killed, Mr. Gillman (master's assistant) mortally wounded, and since dead —besides several other officers slightly. This left the " Teazer" quiet, as also the enemy, who took off the heads of the two men dead, and which we have since found in the King's house. During this time the " Bloodhound" had silenced the batteries, but remained still aground, and the boats proceeded round the north point, and silenced one or two more batteries by the time it was 11 o'clock, when they were all recalled and went to dinner, being annoyed occasionally by the musketry opposite. At 1, the "Teazer" signalized her killed and wounded, and was signalized to close when the tide turned, and she could get off. At 2 p.m., the boats of the "Sampson" with a spiking party, under command of Lieut. Saumarez, with Lieutenant M'Arthur, of the Marine artillery, were ordered to land and spike the guns in the batteries, under cover of the " Sampson's" boat, in chai'ge of Mr. Bayley (mate). When they left the ship, the place opposite looked quite deserted. The boats pushed for the shore, but they had to break and cut through a stockade in the water, the carpenters with axes, the men with tomahawks, when the enemy, who were laying in ambush, opened a terrific fire, and in less than 10 minutes, finding they could not cut and force this stockade, they had to return to the " Bloodhound," having Lieut. Saumarez severely wounded in three places, Mr. Richards (midshipman) mortally (since dead), and 11 men severely wounded. At 4.30 the " Teazer" got off and anchored in deep water, buried her dead, and sent her wounded out of the river: thus ended the 26th. At daylight on the 27th, the " Teazer" weighed under a terrific fire, which was returned by the " Bloodhound" and herself, and anchored astern of the " Bloodhound," having had her gunner, Mr. Howard, as also some men, severely wounded. The rocket boat then commenced an opening fire, and the two steamers and boat commenced shelling, as also the " Volcano's" and " Waterwitch's" boats, which had then arrived. The rocket boat succeeded in setting fire to Tappi, the second chief's house, and the place was in a blaze. Commander Coote then took the boat, with the rocket boat still in command of Lieut. Marshall (Ist of " Penelope") and attacked the batteries towards the King's house. This and a little more skirmishing, lasted till sunset, when the rest of the wounded were sent out. You may imagine their sufferings, when they left at 8 p.m., and were obliged to anchor all night off the bar, and did not reach their ships till next morning at 9.30. On the 28th, at daybreak, the town was found deserted, the enemy having left on the other side of the island in their canoes. The forces then landed and took possession; 57 guns were taken and destroyed ; the paddle-box boat retaken with gun ; and all belonging to the present Ring ; Atakoi placed on the throne, and all his men with him; and thus finishes the capture of Lagos, and with it, we hope, the suppression of the slave trade. A few deaths have since taken place from fever; and may those who fought and bled there with their brother officers and men, at last receive that reward for which some of them have served some four years on the coast, and looked in vain, i. c. promotion. " The stockades consisted of green cocoa-nut trees, then sand, and then cocoa-nut trees; hence they had no splinters. In each stockade was a trench, so that when a shell was fired at them they jumped into the trench, and hence escaped danger. Each stockade had a ditch to communicate, so that they could reinforce or retreat at leisure. About 15 feet from the shore, in 9 feet water, were a quantity of bamboo stakes, so firmly driven in and so secure, that 130 lbs. of gunpowder could not effect a breach, and hence prevented any one from landing. Our total force was about 400: the enemy from 10,000 to 20,000."