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pernumerary aide-de-camp in the gallant and successful sortie, under the command of the late General Charles Ross, against the lines of the besieging army.

On the glorious 13th of September, 1782, when the Spanish floating batteries were destroyed, he was entrusted with a post of the greatest consequence and danger, and throughout the siege (in the course of which he received a wound in the breast from a splinter of the rock) he gave proofs of those qualities, which afterwards, in higher stations, adorned his military career.

Upon the peace in 1783, he came to Britain, along with his commanding officer, the late Lieut-Col. George Mackenzie (Lord Macleod's brother), an elegant and accomplished gentleman, with whom he had formed a friendship which never suffered any interruption. The two battalions of the 73d (now become the 71st regiment) were consolidated, and sent to serve in the East Indies. Captain Mackenzie remained at home on the recruiting service, and formed an intimacy, which soon ripened into the warmest friendship, with the present Lord Seaforth, the chief of his clan.

His familiar intercourse with Lord Seaforth naturally produced an acquaintance with his lovely and amiable sister, Miss Helen Anne Mackenzie, and a mutual affection, which sprung up between them, was in the year 1785 crowned by their marriage. In the pure enjoyment of domestic comfort, Captain Mackenzie spent eight years at home, employing his time chiefly in the cultivation and improvement of a small estate which he purchased near the place of his birth, till the breaking out of the war with France in 1793 called him to the performance of active and professional duties.

With a view to that enlargement of the military force of this country, which the nature of the war required, it was resolved by Government to levy some new regiments, and the earliest proposal to that effect was made to Lord Seaforth, whose extensive estates in the Highlands were inhabited by a numerous and hardy tenantry. His Lordship, with the readiest zeal, embraced the offer. He received a commission as LieutenantColonel-Commandant, and his brother-in-law, Captain Mackenzie, was, by his recommendation, appointed Major of the new corps.

The Highlanders, whose traditionary tales are full of the warlike exploits of their ancestors in feudal times, were instantly animated by the appeal of their chief, and so readily did they gather round his standard, that in less than four months the 78th regiment was completed, and in a fortnight after embarked at Fort George, full of impatience for an opportunity of signalizing their valour. They were not, however, immediately gratified, for on their arrival at Deal, in Sept. 1793, they were sent under the command of Major Mackenzie, who had recently been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, to Guernsey, to replace the 27th regiment, which it was intended to be employed on the Continent.

In September 1794, the 78th regiment, along with the 80th, embarked for Holland, to join the grand army under his Royal Highness the Duke of York, and disembarking at Bommel, upon the river Waal, marched to Rossum, where they found a corps, commanded by the late Sir Ralph Abercromby.

In a successfull enterprise, undertaken against Fort St. Andre, which had been taken possession of by the French, upon its evacuation by the Dutch troops, Colonel

Mackenzie

Mackenzie and his regiment assisted, and when Sir Ralph, in an attempt to take the place by assault, was wounded by a musket ball, the Colonel was near enough to receive and support him in his arms. It was fortunately a spent ball, and the wound produced no serious consequence. In mentioning the name of this celebrated and lamented officer, it would be improper to omit, that he never spoke of Colonel Mackenzie but in terms of the highest friendship and regard. An opportunity soon presented itself to the Colonel, to lead his brave Highlanders against the enemy. The French, having prepared to besiege Nimeguen, a sortie was, on the 4th of November, made under the command of General De Burgh. The 78th regiment particularly distinguished itself in this memorable affair, by gallantly advancing under a most destructive fire to the attack of the batteries. General De Burgh was himself wounded and disabled, and the command devolved on Co. lonel Mackenzie, whose regiment suffered severely. Every one of his officers bore the mark of a bullet. He himself had his feather shot away, and at the same instant a promising and spirited officer, Captain Munro, of the grenadier company, who was at his side, received a wound, of which the effect was dreadful, for the ball passed through both his eyes, and entirely destroyed them. These losses, however, were severely avenged. The lines were forced at the point of the bayonet, and it was with difficulty that the exasperated Highlanders could be induced to give any quarter to the vanquished enemy.

This brilliant achievement was unfortunately of little avail; for although it retarded the operations of the besiegers, it was soon found March 1812.

absolutely necessary to evacuate the place. The British troops retired from the Waal, but in the following month, the French, having crossed that river, which was frozen, so as even to permit the passage of their artillery, it was determined to attack them. The force employed was commanded by Major General David Dun-. das, and one of the three brigades was placed under the orders of Colonel Mackenzie. The enterprise was completely successful, in spite of every defence, aud the enemy were driven across the river at Bommel with considerable loss.

Having accomplished this object, the troops again fell back, a small force being left under the orders of Colonel Mackenzie, consisting of his own regiment, stationed at Geldermalsen, and the 33d in front at Metteren, commanded by LieutColonel Wellesley, now Lord Viscount Wellington, along with a detachment of the 11th light dragoons.

These positions were briskly at tacked by the enemy in considerable force, with a view to gain the flank of the British Army. The 33d and the dragoons were forced to fall back, upon which the 78th opened its files, to suffer their passing through, and, closing again, presented an impenetrable front, which the French troops vainly endeavoured to break by repeated efforts, continued during the greater. part of the day. They were finally repulsed, with severe loss, and in the close of the action, General Dundas, at the head of the regiment, returned his thanks, adding these gratifying expressions, "Colonel Mackenzie, you and your regiment have this day saved the British army." But by this time. all hope of saving Holland was lost. The intoxication of French fraternity prevailed, and consigned

the

the deluded people of this unfortu nate country to subjugation and ruin. The British army, in the depth of winter, began a rapid retreat, of which the hardships will never be forgotton. Colonel Mackenzie and his regiment formed part of the division which covered the retreat. The line of their march was by Wyk-Duerstedt, Amersfort, Loo and Hattem, Ommen, Hardenberg, Nienhaus, and Meppen. From this last mention ed place, Colonel Mackenzie was sent on a particular command to Leer, where an attempt from the enemy was expected, but the precautions which were used rendered it abortive. He then proceeded to Embden, where he embarked for England in March, 1795, and the whole army followed in the succeeding month.

Lord Seaforth had, in the year 1794, raised a second battalion of the 78th regiment, and soon after the return of his brother-in-law from the Continent, his Lordship, with the consent and approbation of the Commander-in-chief, resigned the 2d battalion in his favour, and he thereupon received a commission as Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant. In the end of the year 1795, however, the two battalions were consolidated, and Lord Seaforth, in the alternative which presented itself, very handsomely preferred that of going himself on half pay, and leaving Colonel Mackenzie Commandant of the regiment.

The consolidation was directed to be made at the Cape of Good Hope, where the second battalion was then serving, and it was notified that the regiment was then to proceed to the East Indies. The hrst battalion embarked accordingly in 1796. Colonel Mackenzie, with a view to his private affairs, had obtained leave to remain at home; but finding that some distrust had been infused into the

minds of the soldiers, which he was confident would be at once dispelled by his embarking along with them, he waved availing him self of the permission, and, to the inexpressible joy and perfect contentment of the men, he sailed with the regiment to the Cape, where, upon the consolidation tak ing place, it was found to comprise about 1300 men, in high condition.

At this period he was promoted to the rank of Colonel, and, during his stay at the Cape, assisted as second in command, under Sir James Craig, in Lord Keith's capture of the Dutch fleet, in Saldanha bay. The Dutch admiral intended to land his men, and burn his ships, so as to disappoint the captors; but the appearance of the troops, and a message from their commanders, pointing out the consequences of such a proceeding, led to an immediate surrender to the British fleet.

In September, 1796, Colonel Mackenzie and his regiment embarked at the Cape; and, after an uncommonly tedious voyage, landed at Calcutta in January 1797. He proceeded to Berhampore, and thence to Benares.

When Sir John Shore went to Lucknow, to enforce the deposition of the Nabob of Oude, his escort consisted of the 78th regiment, and two battalions of Sepoys, under Colonel Mackenzie's command.

He afterwards proceeded to Allahabad, to take possession of the Duab, ceded to the East India Company by the new Nabob. In 1798, he went to Cawnpoor, and there joined Sir James Craig, who was preparing an army to march into the Mahratta country, in order to preserve tranquillity during the operations against Seringapa tam. Of that army, one wing was commanded by the late General Macdowall; the other by Colonel Mackenzie.

The

The troops proceeded as far as Anapseer, on the banks of the Ganges, and their formidable appearance produced the intended effect. In the following year, in consequence of the murder of Mr Cherry, at Benares, and the apprehension thereby excited, of an insurrection to support the deposed Nabob of Oude, the army return ed, through the Rohilla country, to Lucknow; but all remained quiet, and Colonel Mackenzie, after about three years spent in India, left the regiment, and, on the first of January 1800, embarked at Calcutta, along with Major Duncan Munro, his old friend and brigade major, on their return to England, where they arrived, after a very tempestuous and perilous Voyage.

They had very nearly been lost off the Cape of Good Hope, and were there detained a very considerable time, in order to refit. A short period of domestic enjoyment and repose now succeeded, and endured till January 1802, when the sudden death of his wife dissolved an union which had subsisted for nearly seventeen years, with the most cordial harmony, and purest conjugal love. She left him two sons and two daughters, who have all survived him; and in their highly promising dispositions, he found some consolation under the weight of his inexpressible affiction. His eldest son, now a lieutenant in the Coldstream Foot Guards, he lived to see employed in active service (finally as his own ade-du-camp), in a way that filled him with the most pleasing presen

timents.

On the dissolution of Parliament, in 1802, he offered himself as a candidate to represent the county of Cromarty, and was unanimously elected. In the same year he was

promoted to the rank of majorgeneral.

Soon after the renewal of the war with France, in 1803, General Fraser (for he had now assumed that name after the death of his mother) was placed on the staff in England, and commanded successively at Winchelsea, and several other towns, till December 1805, when he was sent, in company with Lieutenant-General Francis Dundas, and under the orders of Lord Cathcart, to the Electorate of Hanover, where, however, they did not long remain; for, early in 1806, it was judged expedient to recal the troops, and leave Hanover in the occupation of the Prussian army.

In summer 1806, the General was dispatched to Sicily, and served there for several months, under General Fox. In this year, and while absent in Sicily, he was chosen, by a very great majority of votes, to represent the county of Ross in Parliament, and he continued, till the day of his death, with the approbation of his constituents, to hold that distinguished and honourable situation.

In March 1807, with a force of about 5000 men, he embarked at Messina, by directions from General Fox, and sailed for Egypt, with orders to take possession of the port of Alexandria. On the 16th of that month he anchored before it, but with less than half the troops which had set sail with him, the remainder having parted company on the voyage. Learn. ing, however, that reinforcements to the garrison were speedily expected, the General did not hesitate. On the 16th and 17th a landing was effected; on the 19th the troops occupied the position on which the British army, under Sir Ralph Abercromby, had, six

years

years before, fought the memorable battle of Aboukir; and on the 21st, a day never to be forgotten as the anniversary of that celebrated victory, and of the fall of the immortal Abercromby, the place was surrendered by capitulation.

The unfortunate events, which subsequently occurred, are too recent to require being stated in minute detail. The apprehension of famine rendered indispensible an attack upon Rosetta. The officer, to whom a detachment was entrusted for this purpose, unfortunately ventured to march into the town, without any previous examination; and the result was, that the troops, after a severe loss, including that of their commander himself, were obliged to retreat to Alexandria. A second attempt was equally unsuccessful, and its consequences still more distressing; for, owing to the treachery, of the Mamelukes, on whose assistance General Fraser had been instructed to rely, one detachment, led by a very gallant officer, Lieutenant Colonel Macleod, of the 7th, was entirely cut off.

No degree of blame, on account of these disasters, was imputed, or imputable, to General Fraser; but the plan of the expedition itself has been often censured, particularly with a view to the inadequacy of the force employed, and the inac curacy of the information under which it was undertaken. In about six months after the capture of Alexandria, it was evacuated, in consequence of directions from government, after a short negocia tion with the Government of Egypt; and the British troops returned to Sicily, and thence to England.

In spring 1808, the General accompanied Sir John Moore, who was sent with an army of 14,000 men, to the assistance of the King of Sweden. This army, however,

never landed in the Baltic, propòsitions having been made by his Majesty for its employment on services which were not consistent with the directions of the British government. The particulars of the extraordinary conference between the Swedish government and the British general, on this occasion, have never fully transpired; but it is well known that the king, enraged at Sir John's refusal to comply with his wishes, put him under arrest; and it was with some difficulty he reached the fleet, and immediately set sail, on his return to England, with the army under his command.

This army was immediately employed in a different quarter. General Fraser, along with Sir John Moore, embarked with it for Portugal, where they arrived in August 1808, "after the battle of Vimeira, and the signature of the armistice, which terminated in the convention of Cintra.

In the Spanish campaign which ensued, and of which the particu lars must be in the remembrance of every reader, General Fraser commanded a division of the army; and, in the glorious action at Corunna, he was stationed in a position where a just reliance on his firmness gave security to the right of the British line. It is worthy of mention, that before the engagement, Sir John Moore acquainted General Fraser that he had been strongly advised to make a proposal to the enemy, offering to embark quietly, and quit Spain, if not molested. General Fraser expressed a decided opinion against such a measure; on which Sir John earnestly grasped his hand, saying, that he rejoiced to find that his sentiments so exactly coincided with his own firm determination. By the lamented, but glorious death, of that gallant ge neral, he sustained the loss of a friend whom he loved and admired

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