. The British in Capri, 1806-1808 . not slow to turn it to theirown advantage. Church had been longing for an attack, but now hehad lost hope of a scrimmage. There is no chance ofour being attacked, he wrote, as at present we havetwo regiments here : I kept the place for two years withone ! Only a week after this confident assertion, alarge flotilla sailed from Naples with 3,000 men underLa Marque. The French attacked the island on allsides, but were vigorously repulsed by Hudson Lowefrom the lower town. Anacapri was less fortunate, andless well defended. Church, with three companies ofCorsica
. The British in Capri, 1806-1808 . not slow to turn it to theirown advantage. Church had been longing for an attack, but now hehad lost hope of a scrimmage. There is no chance ofour being attacked, he wrote, as at present we havetwo regiments here : I kept the place for two years withone ! Only a week after this confident assertion, alarge flotilla sailed from Naples with 3,000 men underLa Marque. The French attacked the island on allsides, but were vigorously repulsed by Hudson Lowefrom the lower town. Anacapri was less fortunate, andless well defended. Church, with three companies ofCorsicans, was ordered up from Capri to support theMaltese, but these had already allowed the enemy to land,under cover of the guns of a considerable flotilla, includ-ing a frigate, sloop-of-war, mortar-boat, and twenty-fourgun-boats, which kept up a perpetual cannonade againstthe heights, under which their men ascended to thesummit. The story of how Anacapri was lost is told in thefollowing dispatch which was subsequently published :—. SIR RICHARD CHURCH 111 REPORT of the proceedings of a detachment of the Britishregiment, the Royal Corsicans, in the action of the4th October, 1808, in the island of Capri, commandedby Captain Richard Church. Capri, 5th October, , In pursuance to your directions on the morning of the4th October ultimo, I proceeded with a detachment ofthree companies of the Royal Corsican Rangers toAnacapri, and placed myself under the orders of MajorHamUl of the Royal Regiment of Malta. On my arrival at the heights of Damacouta, I foundthe enemy had already effected his debarkation undercover of the fire of a frigate, sloop-of-war, one mortar-boat, and about 30 gun-boats, besides various armedboats. The position occupied by the Royal Regiment ofMalta formed a crescent along the heights extendingfrom those over Orico (where the enemy landed) to thelime-kiln on the road leading to the town. Farther onto the left, and considerably advanced towards theenemy, I de
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