'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎226] (245/622)

226
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
working the guns when the accident happened. The enemy,
observing the mischance, kept up a very heavy fire on the spot,'
and several casualties occurred." The accident was due to the
fascines, of which the lower part of the battery was composed,
catching fire by the explosion of a shell.
Commander Powell says in his despatch of the 11th
of January, 1842, addressed to Commodore Hawkins:—
" Every exertion was made by Lieutenant Berthon, and the
officers and men under his command, to extinguish the fire, but
without avail, and it became necessary to move the guns out of
the battery into the trench, when the enemy opened a very
heavy fire of all arms on them, and, I regret to state, three men
were severely wounded, and Mr. Elder, Acting-Master, had his
foot crushed by one of the guns ; but he is not seriously hurt.
It is also my painful duty to report the death of Alexander
Johnstone, Quartermaster, who died yesterday a little after
noon, of the wounds he received in the morning. This is the
same man who was slightly wounded on the 31st ultimo, aod
had gallantly returned to duty. The rest of the wounded, I
am glad to say, are doing well."
The Indian Naval Brigade, on being burnt out of their bat
tery, speedily found themselves a new sphere of usefulness in
two breaching batteries constructed in the city, which they
worked under Lieutenant Berthon and Mr. Davies. These
consisted of a battery for two 18-poiinders, which was brought
to play on the south-west cavalier bastion of the citadel on
the 10th of January, and "succeeded perfectly in keeping down
the fire of the enemy's artilleryand a second battery for four
18-pounders, which opened fire on the 16th of January on the
same point. Soon after, the artillery opened two 8-inch, and
two 10-inch, mortars, to assist in the breaching. In the mean
time other batteries were constructed on the right attack, and
saps were pushed on from both the right and city attacks, the
garrison only making one sortie on the trenches, when they
were repulsed by a party of the 10th Regiment, on which
occasion Major Napier, the engineer on duty, was wounded.
All the arrangements were made for storming both breaches
on. the morning of the 22nd of January, and the troops had
taken up their positions, when, at seven a.m.,Moolraj intimated
his wish to surrender, and the batteries ceased firing. Within
two hours the arch-rebel and murderer of Anderson and Vans
Agnew, had surrendered himself, together with his garrison of
between three and four thousand men, into the hands of the
British General. The British loss during the siege of Mooltan
was nine officers and two hundred and one men killed, and fifty-
five officers (of whom six died) and nine hundred and twenty-
seven men wounded. According to returns in Major Siddons
work ; no less than thirteen thousand eight hundred and fifty-