98

LIFE OF COLONEL MACERONI.

continuous occurrence, it scarcely appeared that the siege hadbegun in earnest. Amongst the fortifications of Toulon areseveral detached forts,— Malbousquette, Mount Faraone,and particularly Le Caire. This latter had been so improvedand armed by the English garrison as to be held worthy ofthe name they gave it, of the “ Little Gibraltar.” On thel?th of December, numerous heavy batteries of the French were opened, especially against this fort, Le Caire. Napo-leon Buonaparte,thenlieutenant -eolonel, and commanding theartillery of the besiegers, directed thirty twenty-four pounderguns against the latter fort, and in the course of thirtyhours threw eight thousand bomb-shells into its narrowprecincts. Become a heap of ruins, the “ Little Gibraltar”was abandoned by the English on the night of the 18 th ofDecember, and instantly occupied by Napoleon , who turnedits heavy guns against the allies.

The point of land occupied by this fort commands theentire of the inner road, and a great extent of the great orouter roads of the Toulon anchorage, so that it instantlybecame imperative on the allies to retire. Lord Hooddirected the evacuation. The garrisons of the forts LaVallette, La Malgue, and of the one above alluded to, werehasty in their flight. All being occupied by the French ,their guns and mortars were played upon the city and thevessels of the allies, which greatly tended to increase thepanic and disorder. At this moment (midnight) Fort Ponewas blown up by the English , who had not, however, thetime, as they had the inclination, to do the like by theothers, or by the City. The arsenal, dockyards, andthirteen ships of the line of the Republic , were set fire to bythe English , and burning with melancholy splendour, torrentsof rain, peals of thunder, and a raging tempest, added tothe confusion of the scene. In the midst of this mixture ofhuman and elementary turmoil and fury, the troops em-