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2 gave battle to the enemy, and though the Belooches fought bravely,
3 succeeded in achieving a signal victory—a result greatly aided by
4 the superiority of the arms of the British forces over those of their
5 ing ber guns and directing her flanking fire. Our ammunition being limited
6 to forty rounds per man, the officers directed their whole attention to reserving
7 their fire, and keeping their men close under cover, never shewing themselves
8 or returning a shot, except when the enemy attempted to rush, or shewed
9 themselves in great numbers, consequently great execution was done with
10 trifling expenditure of ammunition and with little loss. Our hope of receiving
11 a reinforcement and a supply of ammunition by the Satellite steamer (hourly
12 expected) being disappointed, on the arrival of that vessel without either
13 shortly after the commencement of the attack, it was decided at 12 a.as., after
14 being three hours under fire, to retire to the steamer while still we hod suffi-
15 cient ammunition to fight the vessel up the river; accordingly I requested
16 Captain Conway to keep the enemy at bay for ene hour, while the property
17 was removed, for which that time was ample, could the camp followers be
18 induced to exert themselves. After delivering their first loads on board,
19 however, they were so terrified at the enemy’s cross-fire on the clear space
20 between the compound and the vessel, that none could be persuaded to
21 return, except a few of the officers’ servants, with whose assistance but little
22 could be removed during the limited time we could afford ; consequently much
23 had to be abandoned, and I am sorry to find that the loss chiefly fell upon the
24 officers and men, who were too much occupied in keeping off the enemy to
25 be able to attend to their own interests. Accordingly, after the expiration of
26 another hour (during which the enemy, despairing of otherwise effecting their
27 object, had brought up six guns to bear upon us), we took measures to
28 evacuate the Agency. Captain Conway called in his posts, and all being
29 united, retired in a body, covered by a few skirmishers, as deliberately os on
30 parade (carrying off our slain and wounded), which, and the fire from the
31 steam-bonts, deterred the enemy from pressing on us as they might have
32 done. All being embarked, I then directed Mr. Acting Commander Miller,
33 commanding the Saéellite steamer, to proceed with his vessel to the wood
34 station, three miles up the river, on the opposite bank, to secure a sufficiency
35 of fuel for our purposes ere it should be destroyed by the enemy, while I
36 remained with the Plane? to take off the barge that was moored to the shore.
37 This being a work of some time, during which a hot fire was opened on the
38 vessel from three guns which the enemy brought to bear on her, besides small
39 arms, and requiring much personal exposure of the crew (especially of Mr.
40 Cole, the commander of the vessel), I deem it my duty to bring to your
41 favourable notice their zealous exertions on the occasion, and also to express
42 my obligations to Messrs. Miller and Cole for the flanking fire they main-
43 tained on the enemy during their attack on the Agency, and for their support
44 during the retirement and embarkation of the troops. The Satellite was
45 also exposed to three guns in her progress up to the wood station, one of
46 which she dismounted by her fire. The vessels were followed by large
47 bodies for about three miles, occasionally opening their guns upon us to no
48 purpose; since then we have pursued our voyage up the Indus, about fifteen