inches and
two of ten. The fire was very heavy and continued all day and night, and
by it all the guns on the Gallion bastion were dismounted, and the
bastion itself a heap of ruins. Every day after this grew worse until
the 9th, on the evening of which day I went into the ditch accompanied
by the engineer, when we were both but too well convinced of the
tottering state of the works from the Gallion along the curtain, and
indeed the whole, from the east to the north-east. I could not hesitate
a moment about the necessity of evacuating the fort. I therefore sent
off immediately to Rear-Admiral Thompson, who commanded the detachment
of the squadron left for our protection, to acquaint him with the
necessity of evacuating the fort next evening, and to request that he
would have the boats ready to take off the garrison at seven o'clock. I
kept this my design a profound secret until half-past six o'clock of the
evening of the 10th, when I arranged the march of the garrison.... The
embarkation continued with little or no interruption, and was happily
completed about ten o'clock at night, without its being discovered by
the enemy, who continued firing as usual on the fort till two or three
o'clock on the morning of the 11th, as we could plainly perceive from
the ships. My satisfaction was great at having thus preserved my brave
garrison to their king and country."

During the siege of Fort Matilda, the Carolina Corps lost 1 killed and 3
wounded, 2 of whom afterwards died of their wounds. In the "State of the
Garrison of Fort Matilda, as embarked on the 10th of December, 1794,"
the strength of the company of the Carolina Corps is shown as 1 captain,
1 lieutenant, 4 sergeants, and 30 rank and file. After the evacuation,
this company was stationed at Martinique; so that at the close of the
year 1794, two companies were in that island, and one in St. Lucia.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 10: See map.]

[Footnote 11: Major-General Bruce's despatch.]

[Footnote 12: See map.]

CHAPTER V.

MALCOLM'S ROYAL RANGERS--THE EVACUATION OF ST. LUCIA, 1795.

In the commencement of the year 1795, a new corps was raised in the West
Indies, which was sometimes called Malcolm's Corps, sometimes Malcolm's
Rangers, and at others the Royal Rangers. It first appears in the
"Monthly Return of His Majesty's Forces in the Windward, Leeward, and
Caribee Islands," dated the 1st of May, 1795, as follows:

ROYAL RANGERS, COMMANDED BY CAPTAIN M