Some Account of the Public Life of the Late Lieutenant-General Sir George Prevost, Bart Part 10

"Yours sincerely,

"FREDERICK."

"_To the Earl of Camden, K. G.

&c. &c. &c._"

No. XII.

_Letter from the Speaker of the House of a.s.sembly of Dominica to General Prevost, p. 10._

"_Dominica, 17th May, 1805_.

"SIR,

"I have the honor of transmitting to your Excellency, by desire of the House of a.s.sembly, a copy of their Resolutions of the 2d instant, expressive of their thanks of your late gallant defence of the colony against a French force so very superior, and appropriating the sum of 1,000 guineas for the purchase of a Sword, and a service of Plate to be presented to you in testimony of their grat.i.tude and approbation.

It affords me a peculiar gratification to be the organ of the House on the present occasion, because I am thus furnished with an opportunity of expressing the high esteem I entertain for your Excellency's character, not only as a brave, judicious, and experienced officer, in which capacity your merit has long stood conspicuous, but as a man of strict probity, and as a Governor whose public measures have uniformly been directed by views of general utility. When I say that it is with the deepest regret I contemplate the departure of your Excellency from this colony, I speak the language of every respectable member of the community--but you go to reap in the approbation of your Sovereign, and the applauses of your country, the well-earned reward of your unremitting vigilance and indefatigable exertions, and I am persuaded that you carry with you from hence the earnest wishes of all good men for the happiness and prosperity of yourself and your family.

"I have the honor to be,

"With the highest respect, &c. &c.

(Signed) "J. LUCAS,

"Speaker."

_The Governor's Reply._

"_Prince Ruperts, 3d June._

"Sir,

"You have conveyed to me, in terms most flattering, the thanks of the House of a.s.sembly for my endeavours to save this colony from the misery of a foreign and oppressive yoke. As the organ of that body you have expressed its partial sentiments with a friendly zeal, that has made on my mind an impression not to be effaced.

Allow me, Sir, through you, to offer to the House of a.s.sembly my unfeigned thanks for the token I have received of its partial consideration of my services. That unanimity which has been our strength, uninterrupted, may render Dominica, even in the present perilous moment,[104] almost invulnerable. Whilst danger exists, I will never abandon my post; nor shall I ever cease to entertain a grateful recollection of the sentiments the occasion has called forth.

So much of the resolutions of the House as we not personal to myself, I have caused to be given out in General Orders, to the Regular and Militia Forces.

"I have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed) "G. PREVOST."

No. XIII.

_His Honor the President and Council, and the Speaker and Gentlemen of the a.s.sembly, to His Excellency the Governor in Chief, p. 10._

The Board and House having come to the following Resolution of voting the sum of 1,000_l._ sterling, for the purpose of purchasing a Sword and Service of Plate to be presented to his Excellency Governor Prevost, in the name of the Colony, as a token of its grat.i.tude for the gallant defence thereof by his Excellency on the memorable 22d February last,

Also a sum not exceeding 300_l._ sterling, for defraying the expense of a Monument to the memory of the late Major Nunn who gallantly fell on the same memorable occasion,

Also the sum of 100 guineas for the purchase of a Sword to be presented to Major O'Connell, And 300_l._ sterling to be presented to Captain James, commanding the 46th regiment, to be laid out in the purchase of a Service of Plate for the use of the officers' Mess of that regiment--request your Excellency's' a.s.sent thereto, and that you will issue your warrants to the Treasurer accordingly.

T. METCALF, President.

J. LUCAS, Speaker.

_Council Chamber, 12th May, 1805.

House of a.s.sembly, 15th May, 1805._

No. XIV.

_Resolutions of the Patriotic Club, and Letter of the Chairman to General Prevost, p. 10._

_Patriotic Fund, Lloyd's, May 14, 1805._

At a Special General Meeting of the Committee held this day,

JOSEPH MARRYAT, Esq. in the Chair, Read, from the London Gazette of the 7th of May, a letter from Lieut.-General Sir William Myers, Bart.

commanding His Majesty's troops in the Windward and Leeward Islands, to Earl Camden, one of his Majesty's princ.i.p.al Secretaries of State, inclosing a letter from Brigadier-General Prevost, Governor of Dominica, relating to the vigorous and gallant resistance made by the troops and militia under his command, against the very superior force with which the French landed at Roseau, on the 22d of February last; his retreat to the fort at Prince Ruperts; and the resolution he expressed, in answer to the summons of General Lagrange, of defending it to the last extremity; in consequence of which the enemy abandoned the enterprise, and evacuated the Island.

Resolved,

That a Sword of the value of 100_l._, and a Piece of Plate, of the value of 200_l._, with appropriate inscriptions, be presented to Brigadier-General Prevost, for the distinguished gallantry and military talents he displayed on that occasion, by which the sovereignty of the Island was preserved to His Majesty's arms.

That a Sword of Fifty Pounds value, and a Piece of Plate, of the value of 100_l._, with appropriate inscriptions, or that sum in money, at his option, be presented to Major Nunn, wounded while faithfully executing the orders of General Prevost, "Not to yield to the enemy one inch of ground."

That a Sword of 50_l._ value, and a Piece of Plate, of the value of 100_l._, with appropriate inscriptions, or that sum in money, at his option, be presented to Captain O'Connell, whose wound did not induce him to forego the honour of the command to which he succeeded on Major Nunn being disabled; and in which he resisted the repeated charges of the enemy, notwithstanding their great superiority in numbers, till he obliged them to retire with great slaughter.

That the sum of 100_l._ be presented to Captain Colin Campbell, wounded.

That the sum of 40_l._ each be given to the men whose wounds have been attended with disability or loss of limb.

That the sum of 20_l._ each be given to the other men severely wounded.

And the sum of 10_l._ each, to the men slightly wounded, including the Militia of the Island.

That Brigadier-General Prevost be requested to advise the Committee of the mode in which the Resolutions respecting himself, Major Nunn, and Captain O'Connell, can be most acceptably carried into effect--to distribute the sums voted to the men wounded, and draw for the amount--furnis.h.i.+ng the Committee with the names of the parties, and the sums respectively paid them--and to forward to the Committee the best information he can procure respecting the families of the men killed, including the Militia of the Island, that relief may be afforded to such widows, orphans, and aged parents, as depended upon them for support.

JOSEPH MARRYAT, Chairman.

(Copy.)