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out shaking it. In vain was the charge of powder aug-mented,—so the formation of a practicable breach was des-paired of. It was then resolved, by means of ladders con-nected together, to make a desperate escalade. Some deci-sive step must be taken. The sea was open to the British ,who might, from one minute to another, receive over-whelming reinforcements from Messina. The Neapolitansthemselves were now in fact besieged, and had almostmade up their minds to a visit to the English prisons atDartmoor. But, fortunately for them, they had to dealwith Sir Hudson Lowe , who, on the 18th of October, hoistedthe white flag, and that same day capitulated. The island,forts, magazines, artillery, and every thing else were givenup. The garrison (seven hundred and eighty), togetherwith their doughty commander, were allowed to retire toSicily, under an oath not to bear arms against France orany of her allies, for the space of one year and one day.
It was said, and with some degree of assurance, that SirHudson Lowe was seconded in his anxiety to put an end tothe contest, by the representations of many of his Sicilianand Neapolitan brigand auxiliaries, who dreaded fallinginto the hands of the police of Naples,—where many crimesof arson, murder, and devastation, would have been broughtto their doors. This plea, however, bad in itself, was alsodemolished by the fact of the British ships being alreadythere to receive them, which indeed they did, pending thetwo days which intervened between the capitulation andthe evacuation of Sir Hudson Lowe .
Several hours previous to the sailing of Sir Hudson , withhis yearling prisoners, a squadron arrived from Sicily , withtroops and every thing requisite to turn the tables uponGeneral Lamarque . Great must have been their chagrinand disappointment at the disgraceful coincidence; howsuch feelings were expressed to Sir Hudson Lowe I do not
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