the entrance, he ascended without hesitation, looked through the key-hole of the door, and descried the garrison carelessly carousing. Not a moment was lost by him in bringing forward his whole force; and after placing the men in ambush within a few yards of the tower, he re-ascended the ladder, taking with him an Italian whom he had purposely brought on shore to act as an interpreter. The enemy were then summoned to surrender, and at the same time given to understand that a large quantity of gun-powder had been so placed as to ensure their destruction if they did not immediately comply with his demand. A great bustle now took place among the French soldiers, and Captain Staines, suspecting that they were about to make resistance, instantly discharged a musket through the key-hole, which was sufficiently large to admit the muzzle of the piece. This completely frightened them, although no one was hurt thereby; the door soon flew open, and the whole were taken prisoners without any opposition.
Leaving a small party in charge of this tower. Captain Staines pushed on for the other, and directed the French officer whom he had already surprised and taken, to acquaint his countrymen that unless they quietly surrendered, their little fortress would certainly be blown to atoms, and themselves involved in its destruction. This menace also had the desired effect, and both towers were demolished without a single casualty. Captain Staines subsequently blew up another fortification of the same description[1], and we need scarcely add, that his able and resolute conduct was duly reported by Captain Murray Maxwell, the officer under whom he was then serving.
At this period, Lieutenant-General Sir John Stuart, Commander-in-chief of the British forces in Sicily, and Rear Admiral (now Sir George) Martin, the senior naval officer on that station, were making a diversion in favor of Austria, by threatening Naples with an invasion, and thereby causing Murat, the usurper, to recall a considerable body of troops that had been sent by him as a reinforcement to the French
- ↑ Each of the towers mounted two heavy guns.
