SURRENDER OF GAETA.

271

of the French army, wasted by fatigues and sickness, that itwas actually debated by the king in council, whether itwould not be more prudent to abandon the greater portionof the country, and collecting the French forces in somegood positions of the Abruzzi, await the arrival of succourfrom France. This was the opinion of the king. Saliceti opposed it, and gained his point. From this we may form ajudgment of how different a state of things might have re-sulted had king Ferdinand attempted a defence in Calabria ,and if the Angdo-Russian army, of seventeen thousandexcellent troops, had remained to assist him, that is, forthe purpose for which they landed.

Gaeta at last surrendered on the 18th of July. The in-vestment had begun in February, by way of blockade, theFrench battering train not being yet arrived. As I havebefore remarked, the French approaches went on but slowly.On the 6th of June the batteries in breach were armed witheighty twenty-four, and some thirty-two pounder guns.Ever since the French began the labour of their approaches,the cannon of the fortress had fired day and night. Duringone day and night in May, two thousand shot and shellswere counted proceeding from the place without doingany injury to the besiegers. The guns being placed in theFrench batteries, on tbe crest of the enemy’s glacis, at day-break of the 7t,h of July the signal being given, the firecommenced from every gun, and was responded to by fargreater numbers from the place, wh'cli had more guns tobear in that direction. The walls being all constructed ofthe hardest lava, and great part of marble, it took elevendays and nights to form two breaches.*

The breaches were not expected to be quite ready untilthe 20th. But Massena, having heard of Philipsthal beingdangerously wounded in the head on the morning of the

I was an eye witness to a great part of these operations.