DESTRUCTION OF LAGOS BY A BRITISH SQUADRON. (From the "Spectator")

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 669, 11 September 1852, Page 4

DESTRUCTION OF LAGOS BY A BRITISH SQUADRON. (From the "Spectator ")

The Afiucan Slaw. Coast. — The West Indian mail-steamer brought homo at the beginning of i the week news of a " little war," but a vavy lataK one, which the Queen's troops have lovie.il against ' a Negro king named Kosoko, who contests with his hrother Alcito}'e the throne of the late King of Lngos. Lngos is a cons'uleiahlo Negro town on the river You, which ilow.s into the bight of Benin, and connects lagos with tlie town of Ahookuta, another populous place in the interior, under another king. The late King of Lni>oH had two sons, Akiloye the younger, and Kosoko the older: Kosoko wns. rebellious in his lathers Hiethne, and was banished to IJadagry ; Akituyo was made the heir of the King by his will. Whou Akiioye ascended iJic throne, ho invited his brother home; Kosoko went homo ; and befoie long lie made a parly, by whose aid he deposed Alcitoye, drove him out of Lagos to Badagiy, Mid made himself king of Lagos. Jt is stated that certain missionaries of Abcokutu have besought the British authorities to put down the slavetrade in Lagos — which is supplied mainly by captives taken in aggressive wars with Abioknta — and op'-n the river You to the " legitimate tiade"' which would How between Abeokuta and the coast, if it wcie not suppressed by Kosoko : it ia furthermore stated that Akltoyu has been asking our assistance to replace him on his " rightful throne." The accounts of all these things are vague, and not officially authorized ; but these are the plausible statements made In

the next place— and this point is officially declared — the Foreign Secictary [Lord Palinerston] ordered, and the admiralty arranged the execution of a hostile expedition. Accordingly, Commodore Bruce ordered "every vessel in the Bights" to he off Lagos on the 24 th December ; hut only the Penelope, Sampson, Jjloodhonnd, Philomel, and Teazer, had arrived on' that day. Kin" Akitoje was at hand Avith (iOO men, " ready to take advantage of a clean .sweep when we should make it." Commodore Bruce, in his despatch to the Admiralty, states — "'That Kosoko very recently rejected the pi offered friendship of I'lii",laud and that lie dppos 1 d_ with fiie and sv ord the approach oi a f!,i,; of tinee pioccoding (o hi* seat of government will) Mr. Consul Beecioft, who offcicd to negotiate au<l to advise with him, and w ho Avas merely attended by an escort of armed hoats, scarcclyor problematically sufficient lor hi.s peison.il safety among swages" Therefore, he informs the Lords of the Adniiialty, "their Lordship-,' instructions of the J-ftli October, and the wishes of her Maj"sty's Secretary of State for I'Wign Affairs, as I'.ir as respects 'Lag os, have been most faithfully fulfilled l>y (he expulsion of the slave-dealing chief Kosoko, and his people, the utter destruction of his town, and the establishment of the fiicndly chief Akitoye, with his followers, in the beat ot power at Lagos." Commodore Bruce officially states the results of the expedition ; which entered the Logos river on the 2'.kd instant, rested on Christmas- Day, attacked the town on the 20th and 27th, mid occupied ifc on the 28th. The details of the affair have been <le .cribed in a letter "written on boaid one of the ships engaged in it," "C. P. II.," whose communication appeared in the Daily News. Two boats entered tbe river and took soundings on the 24Lh, and were fired on from the beach Akitoye's force was sent up in boats ; The Bloodhound entered the river, and anchored ; being fired at by the enemy's batteries with " very good precision" and returning the fire. The other ships followed. The 25th, Christinas- Day, was spent, in "reviewing and feeding Akitoye's troops , and placing round each of their necks ;i white 'rag,' so that we might know friends from foes." At half-past four on the morning- of the 20th, the attack beg.m. <• The Bloodhound with Captain Jones, led in ; then the port division of boats, consisting of two paddle and pinnace of Sampson under command of Lieutenant Saumare/, followed ; then the Teaxer weighed, with Captain Lystcr ; and then the starboml division, under command of Commander ILillyar, of I'enelope, which consisted of her two paddle-box boats, pinnace, and the rocket-boats, each boat commanded ]>y ibe Lieutenants of Penelope, and the rocket party by Lieutenant Corbett, Gunnery Lieutenant. As the B'oodhouud steamed up, a tonific fiie was* opened on her by all the batteiics and thousand of musketry ; which was returned by her with shot and shell. She goL up to her destination, (with little damage,) and then got aground at musket-shot lromthe platform battery Then followed the port division of boats under a complete stoi-m of musketry, grape, round and canister ; which was returned in good style from the boats, who pulled up gallantly, and look up their position opposite a two-gun battery, and which they soon silenced. Then came the Teazer with the starboard division; and, in trying to keep a". ay to bring her guns to bear to cover the port division of boats, unfortunately took (he ground, and could not get off. She was there exposed to the fire of twenty guns. C.iptaiu Lyster instantly, finding all attempts to get her off of no avail, took the command of the starbo'ird division of boats, and made for the shore for the purpose oi spiking the guns. After firing several rockets they dashed in, and effected a landing, and took one battery by storm, spiking its guns. The enemy charged them on each flank, and a retreat was necesssary. The enemy got possession of her paddle-box boat, the cowovdly Kroomen having jumped overboard. A charge was then made to' recapture ; but finding so many wounded and two killed, they retreated to the other boats, and embarked; not, however, without the gunner's mate, who was left in the bout, having received two wounds, igniting^ the magazine, and jumping overboard, 1 when he was picked up in Captain L)\ster\s gig. Tbib left the Tezar quiet : as also the enemy, who took off the he.ids off the beads of the two dead men, and which we have since found in the King's house. During this time the Bloodhound had silenced the batteries ; but remained still aground ; and the boats proceeded round the Noith point and silenced one or two more batteries by the ti7no ifc was eleven o'clock ; when they were all recalled and went to dinner, being annoyed occasionally by the musketry opposite. At one the Teazer signalli/ed her killed and wounded, and was signalized to close when the tide turned nnd she could get off. At two p. vi., the boats of the Sampson with a spiking party under command of Lieutenant Saunuuez, with Lieutenant M'Arthur, with all his Majesty's artillery, were ordered to land and spike the guns in the batteries under cover of the Sampson's boat, in charge of Mr. Bayley (mate). When they left the ship, the place opposite looked quite deserted. The boats pushed for the shore ; but the)'' had to cut and break through a stockade, in the water, the caipcnters with axes, the men with tomahawks ; when the enemy, who were lying in ambush, opened a terrific fiie, and in less than ten minutes, finding they could not cut and force this stockade they had to return to the Bloodhound, having Lieutenant Saumarez severely wounded in three places, Mr. Ltiehards, midshipman, mortally, (since dead,) and eleven men severely wounded. " The stockades consisted of green cocoa-nut trees, then sand, and then cocoa-nut trees; hence they had no splinters. In each stockade was a trench ; so that, when a shell was fired at them they jumped in the trench, and hence escaped danger. Kach stockade had a ditch to communicate, so that they could reinforce or retreat at leisure. About fifteen feet from the shore, in nine feet water, were a quantity of bamboo spikes so firmly driven in and so secure, that 190 pounds j of gunpowder could not effect a breach, and hence I prevented any one from landing. At 4.80 the Teazer got off, and anchored in deep water ; and sent her wounded out of the river. Thus ended the 20th. "At daylight on the 27th, the Teazer weighed under a terrific fire; which was returned by the Bloodhound and herself, and anchored astern of Bloodhound ; having had her gunner, Mr. Howard, as also some men, severely wounded. The rocket-boat then commenced an opening fire, i and the two steamers and boat commenced i shelling, as also the Volcano's and Waterwitch's boats, which had then anived. The rocket-boat succeeded in .setting fire to Tappi, tbe second chiel 's house, and the place was in a blaze. Commander Coote then took the boat, with the rocket-boat still in command of Lieutenant Marshall, (first of Penelope,) and attacked the batteries towards the King's house. This, and a little more skirmishing, lasted till biuiset ; when the rest of the wounded were Kent out. You may imagine their sufferings, when they 1 left at Hi.H i. M., and were obliged to anchor all ' night off the bar, and did not reach their ships till next morning at 1),.'30. "On the 2Hth,'at dajbae.ik, tbe town was found descited, the enemy having left on the other side of the inland in their canoes. The forces then r landed and took possession ; fifty-seven guns were [taken and destroyed; the paddle-box boat rctiil.en with gun ; and all belonging i,o tbe present King, Akitoye, placed on 1,1 io tin one, and all bis , men with him. Thus finishes the capture ol i Lagos, and with it, we hope, the .suppression of the slavc-tifide." The official return of the, killed and wounded is a most serious document — • Kiled, I/>; wounded, 73. Of the kiled, I*l were otlteersand nnriius and Kioomen belonging to flic ship Penelope, who endeavoured to spike the guns which were firing on the Tcazer when

.she lay ground. Mr. b\ 11. Fletcher, midshipman of the Penelope, Mr. Thomas Richaids, midshipman of tlic S'niip^on, and M". 11. i^> Gillliam, inasler\ assistant of the Penelope, wero tho o/ficois Iriled; Cii])inin ]h«iiry Lyster, Cominundcr C. F. llillyar, Lieutenant -J. Coi'hett, and lurbt-Li'iutenant ol" jMarines J. \V. C. Williams, all of the Penelope, with Lieutenant Thomas Siiunmroz of the Sampson, were wounded " severely."