The regiment remained in India until the end of the year 1758, when it returned to Ireland, on the western coast of which it was wrecked.

After remaining in Ireland some time, and being recruited to its establishment, the regiment was greatly reduced by a large detachment sent to Germany to join the British troops serving under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. No record has been preserved by the regiment of the services of this detachment, and the research made to supply the deficiency has not been attended with success.

The Seven Years’ War, which had commenced in 1756, while the regiment was serving in India, was terminated by the peace concluded at Paris in February 1763.

Colonel Robert Boyd was appointed from the First foot guards to the colonelcy of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 6th of August 1766, in succession to Lieut.-General Adlercron, deceased.

During the years 1766, 1767, and 1768, the regiment continued to be stationed in Ireland.

In the year 1769 the Thirty-ninth again proceeded to Gibraltar; and while serving in that garrison, events transpired which enabled the regiment to acquire additional honor.

The possession of this fortress by the English had been regarded by the Spaniards with great jealousy, but every effort for its recovery had signally failed. The contest between the colonists in North America and Great Britain, seemed to offer the Spanish monarch a favourable opportunity for regaining possession of Gibraltar. The French monarch, in the previous year, had concluded a treaty of defensive alliance with the American colonies, which involved Great Britain in a war with France. The Court of Versailles subsequently engaged that of Madrid to take a part in the contest, and on the 16th of June 1779 the Spanish ambassador presented a manifesto at St. James’s, equivalent to a declaration of war, and immediately departed from London; and shortly afterwards the siege of Gibraltar was commenced by the Spaniards, the anticipated reduction of that important fortress being one of the principal objects which induced Spain to become a party in the contest.

Gibraltar was accordingly beset, by sea and land, by the Spanish fleets and armies. The following return shows the strength of the garrison at the commencement of the blockade on the 21st of June 1779:—

The Thirty-ninth regiment was commanded by Brevet Lieut.-Colonel William Kellett, major of the corps, and the garrison, mustering five thousand three hundred and eighty-two men, was under the orders of General the Right Hon. George Augustus Eliott, afterwards Lord Heathfield. Being thus blockaded by sea and besieged by land, the troops at Gibraltar became cut off from communication with other countries, and the garrison appeared a little world within itself.[16] The arrangements for the defence were devised with judgment, and executed with skill. The soldiers cheerfully conformed to the strict rules which their circumstances rendered necessary, and severe exercise and short diet became habitual to them; at the same time the great importance of the place, and the determined character of General Eliott and his garrison, occasioned this siege to be regarded with universal interest by the several nations of Europe.

The following officers of the Thirty-ninth regiment were appointed to the staff at Gibraltar: Captain James Horsburgh, from town-major, to be adjutant-general; Captain William Wilson and Lieutenant Richard Henry Buckeridge, to be aides-de-camp to Lieut.-General Robert Boyd, Colonel of the Thirty-ninth, and Lieut.-Governor of Gibraltar.

On the 20th of August the marksmen of the garrison were embodied into a company of two non-commissioned officers and sixty-four men, and the command was given to Lieutenant Charles Burleigh of the Thirty-ninth regiment.

As the enemy’s works progressed, the pavement of the streets was taken up, the towers of conspicuous buildings were pulled down, the guard-houses unroofed, the stone sentry-boxes removed, traverses raised, a covered way commenced, and every measure adopted to lessen the effects of a bombardment.

In Colonel Drinkwater’s Work on the siege of Gibraltar, from which the particulars relating to the Thirty-ninth, in connection with that event, have been chiefly collected, is given the following account of an experiment recommended by Captain John Mercier of the regiment; “namely, to fire out of guns 5½ inch shells, with short fuses, which were tried on the 25th of September, and found to answer extremely well. These small shells, according to Captain Mercier’s method, were thrown with such precision, and the fuses cut by calculation with such exactness, that the shell often burst over their heads, and wounded them before they could get under cover. This mode of annoyance was eligible on several other accounts: less powder was used, and the enemy were more seriously molested. The former was an advantage of no small consequence, since it enabled the Governor to reserve, at this period, what might be probably expended to the greater benefit of the service on a future occasion. It will also account for the extraordinary number of shells which were discharged from the garrison.”

Early in 1780 provisions became short, and the soldiers willingly submitted to privation; but soon afterwards the garrison was relieved by a fleet from England: the wants of the troops were, however, not supplied in many important articles.

The Spaniards renewed the blockade by sea, and sent nine fire-ships into the harbour, but failed in their attempt to destroy the shipping. Provisions again became deficient: vegetables were cultivated on the rock with partial success: a precarious supply of several articles was obtained from the Moors, and in April 1781 the garrison was again relieved.

The siege was continued, and a severe bombardment reduced a great portion of the town to a heap of ruins.

The efforts of the enemy were deliberately watched by the Governor, General Eliott, who kept his garrison close within the fortress until a favourable opportunity occurred for a sally, and on the evening of the 26th of November the following garrison order was issued:—

At midnight the soldiers assembled for this enterprise; the moon at first shining brightly on the sands, but between two and three o’clock darkness overspread the place, and the troops silently issued from the fortress. They were challenged and fired upon by the enemy’s sentries, but the British soldiers rushed forward, overpowered the Spanish guards, and captured the batteries in gallant style: the defenders of the works fled in dismay, and communicated the panic to the troops in their rear. The wooden batteries were soon prepared for ignition; the flames spread with astonishing rapidity, and a column of fire and smoke arose from the works, illuminating the surrounding objects and casting a lurid glare upon this unparalleled scene, of which words fail to give an adequate description. In an hour the object of the sortie was effected: the Spaniards, being dismayed, did not venture to interrupt the work; trains were laid to the enemy’s magazines, and the soldiers withdrew. As they entered the fortress, tremendous explosions shook the ground, and rising columns of smoke, flame, and burning timber, proclaimed the destruction of the enemy’s immense stores of gunpowder to be completed. General Eliott declared in orders:—“The bearing and conduct of the whole detachment—officers, seamen, and soldiers—on this glorious occasion, surpass my utmost acknowledgments.”

For some days the Spaniards appeared confounded at their disgrace: the smoke of the burning batteries continued to rise, and no attempt was made to extinguish the flames; but several executions took place in their camp, probably of persons who fled so precipitately from the batteries. In the beginning of December they began to arouse themselves, and a thousand workmen commenced labouring to restore the batteries, in which they were retarded by the fire of the garrison. The gallant defenders of the fortress were equally indefatigable: every serjeant, drummer, musician, officer’s servant, and private soldier was required to use the musket, shovel, and pickaxe, as his services became necessary.

The Spaniards, by their heavy fire on the fortress, had already spoiled three sets of guns; but the Court of Madrid appeared determined to obtain possession of Gibraltar. An immense collection of ordnance of larger calibre was provided, several batteries were prepared, and the Duke of Crillon assumed the command of the besieging army. He was assisted by a celebrated French engineer, Monsieur d’Arcon, and by Admiral Moreno: a French army likewise arrived to take part in the siege. At the same time stupendous preparations were made on a new principle, and floating batteries were constructed with great art and labour, which were reckoned the most perfect contrivance of the kind ever seen.

A crisis was evidently approaching, and in the spring and summer of 1782, the garrison of Gibraltar made preparations with calm determination for the hour of trial: both officers and men were fully impressed with the importance of the fortress confided to their care, and their successful resistance against the efforts of the Spanish army and navy for upwards of two years, inspired them, if possible, to greater exertions. All the damaged works were carefully repaired, new ones were constructed, vast subterraneous works were made, and forges for heating red-hot shot were prepared.[18] The effect of the red-hot shot was proved on some of the enemy’s wooden batteries on the sands, which were speedily destroyed.

Princes of the royal blood of France, the Spanish nobility, and other celebrated characters of Europe, visited the camp of the Duke of Crillon, who naturally anticipated the most signal success from his extensive preparations. The new batteries on shore were unmasked, and fired a volley of sixty shells, which was succeeded by the thunder of one hundred and seventy guns of large calibre. Gibraltar was thus assailed by a storm of iron, which threatened to reduce the place to a heap of ruins; and this was only a prelude to the tremendous fire which was afterwards opened upon the garrison.

The ten battering ships took their station before the fortress on the 13th of September, in the presence of the combined fleets of France and Spain: the enemy’s camp and the neighbouring hills were crowded with spectators from various parts of Europe to witness the effect of these stupendous vessels; and such a storm of war was opened upon the place, as had probably never been equalled since the invention of cannon. The batteries of the fortress answered this tremendous fire with vigour, and the deafening thunder of four hundred pieces of heavy artillery was heard for several miles. For some hours the attack and defence were so equally well supported, as scarcely to admit any appearance of superiority in the cannonade on either side. The wonderful construction of the battering ships appeared to bid defiance to the heaviest ordnance: shells rebounded from their tops, and a thirty-two pound shot scarcely seemed to make any impression on them. The effect of the red-hot shot was doubted; sometimes smoke came from the ships, but the fire-engines within soon occasioned it to cease, and the result was uncertain: the fire was, however, persevered in, and incessant showers of red-hot bullets, shells, and carcases flew through the air. In the afternoon the red-hot shot had performed its work, and volumes of smoke issued from the flagship: the admiral’s second ship was soon perceived to be in the same condition, and confusion prevailed. The Spaniards expected that the firing of red-hot bullets could not be persevered in beyond a few rounds; but the fire was continued with the same precision and vivacity as cold shot; this occasioned the enemy’s cannonade to abate, and about eight o’clock it almost totally ceased. The battering ships made signals to inform the combined fleets of their extreme danger and distress, when several boats were sent to their assistance.

At this period the fire of the garrison produced great carnage, and the most pitiable cries and groans were heard, as the incessant showers of shot and shells were poured into the floating batteries. Soon after midnight one ship was in flames, and by two o’clock it appeared one sheet of fire from head to stern; a second was soon in the same condition, and the light of the conflagration enabled the British artillery to point their guns with precision, when soon after three o’clock six more ships exhibited the effects of the red-hot shot. The burning ships exhibited one of the grandest spectacles of destruction ever beheld; and amidst this exciting scene the British seamen pushed off in boats to rescue the Spaniards from the blazing vessels. They preserved between three and four hundred, and while they were thus engaged, one of the ships blew up with a dreadful explosion; four others met the same fate before seven o’clock, and another shortly afterwards, and the remainder burnt to the water’s edge, their magazines having been inundated. Not one could be preserved as a trophy.

During the hottest period of “the enemy’s cannonade (Colonel Drinkwater relates), the Governor was present on the King’s bastion, whilst Lieut.-General Boyd took his station upon the South bastion, animating the garrison by their presence, and encouraging them to emulation. The exertions and activity of the brave artillery in this well fought contest deserve the highest commendations. To their skill, perseverance, and courage, with the zealous assistance of the line (particularly the corps in town, the Thirty-ninth, and the late Seventy-second regiment), was Gibraltar indebted for its safety against the combined powers, by sea and land, of France and Spain.”

The Colonel also adds the following singular circumstance. When Lieut.-General Boyd laid the foundation stone of the King’s bastion in 1773, upon fixing the stone in its place, he remarked that “this is the first stone of a work which I name the ‘King’s Bastion;’ may it be as gallantly defended, as I know it will be ably executed; and may I live to see it resist the united efforts of France and Spain!” This wish was fully accomplished.

In this manner the mighty efforts of France and Spain ended in defeat and destruction, while the conduct of the garrison of Gibraltar elicited the admiration of the nations of Europe. In England the most enthusiastic applause was universal; illuminations and other modes of testifying the joy of the people followed the receipt of the news of the destruction of the supposed invincible battering ships, and every family which could boast a defender of Gibraltar belonging to it, was proud of the honor. The loss of the garrison on the 13th and 14th of September, was limited to one officer, two serjeants, and thirteen private soldiers killed; five officers and sixty-three rank and file wounded: that of the enemy exceeded two thousand officers and soldiers.

Although the enemy gave up all hopes of reducing Gibraltar by force of arms, yet some expectation was entertained, that, if the blockade was continued, the garrison might be forced to surrender from the want of provisions; the combined fleet therefore remained in the bay, the besieging army continued in the lines, and about a thousand shots were fired every day from the Spanish batteries. The garrison was encouraged to continue resolute in the defence of the fortress by assurances of their Sovereign’s favour and high approbation. The principal Secretary of State, writing to General Eliott, stated,—“I am honored with His Majesty’s commands to assure you, in the strongest terms, that no encouragement shall be wanting to the brave officers and soldiers under your command. His royal approbation of the past will no doubt be a powerful incentive to future exertions; and I have the King’s authority to assure you, that every distinguished act of emulation and gallantry, which shall be performed in the course of the siege by any, even of the lowest rank, will meet with ample reward from his gracious protection and favour.”

In October the combined fleet was much damaged by a storm, and soon afterwards a British naval force arrived, and the garrison was again relieved, when two regiments, the Twenty-fifth and Fifty-ninth, landed to take part in the defence of the fortress.

After the garrison was thus relieved and reinforced a third time, the Court of Madrid relinquished the idea of recovering Gibraltar either by force or stratagem; negotiations ensued, and in February 1783 the Spanish army withdrew, the preliminary articles for a treaty of peace having been signed in the preceding month. Thus terminated the siege of Gibraltar, which is celebrated in the military annals of the eighteenth century; and the successful defence of that fortress ranks amongst the noblest efforts of the British arms: it exceeded in duration the famous siege of Ostend in the beginning of the seventeenth century; and it is a proud circumstance in the services of the Thirty-ninth, that the regiment had twice shared in the defence of Gibraltar, having (as stated at page 9) been present when the place was besieged by the Spaniards in the year 1727.

The Thirty-ninth regiment was rewarded, with the other corps which took part in this long and arduous service, with the thanks of the Sovereign, and of the Houses of Parliament, and with the honor of bearing on the regimental colour and appointments the word “Gibraltar,” with the “Castle and Key,” and the motto “Montis Insignia Calpé,” in commemoration of its services during the siege.[19]

The loss of the regiment during the siege was—

During the period the Thirty-ninth were engaged in the defence of Gibraltar, county titles were given to the several regiments of infantry; and the communication with England having become free, the Thirty-ninth received directions to assume, in addition to the numerical title, the designation of “The East Middlesex” regiment, in order that a connexion between the corps and that part of the county should be cultivated, which might be useful in promoting the success of the recruiting service. The letter conveying His Majesty’s pleasure that county titles should be conferred on the infantry, was dated the 31st of August 1782.

In November 1783 the Thirty-ninth regiment quitted Gibraltar, and on its arrival in England was for some time stationed in South Britain.

The regiment proceeded from Great Britain to Ireland in May 1789.

During the years 1790, 1791, and 1792, the regiment continued to be stationed in Ireland.

While the regiment was stationed in Ireland, the National Convention of France declared war against Great Britain and Holland. This occurred on the 1st of February 1793, and in September following, the Thirty-ninth regiment, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Stephen Fremantle, embarked from Ireland for Barbadoes, in order to take part in an attack on the French West India Islands.

An armament was assembled at Barbadoes in the beginning of 1794, under Lieut.-General Sir Charles, afterwards Earl Grey, K.B., and Vice-Admiral Sir John Jervis, K.B., for the capture of Martinique, and the Thirty-ninth had the honor to share in this enterprise. This island had been captured by the British in 1762, but was restored to France at the Peace of Fontainebleau of the following year. The expedition sailed from Carlisle Bay, Barbadoes, early in February, and landing at three different points on the island of Martinique, on the 5th, 6th, and 8th of that month, drove the enemy from several strong posts. Fort Royal and Fort Bourbon were afterwards besieged; the former was captured on the 20th of March, and the latter surrendered two days afterwards. The loss of the regiment on this service was limited to a few soldiers killed and wounded.

While the brigade of grenadiers under the command of His Royal Highness Prince Edward, afterwards Duke of Kent, the brigade of Light Infantry under Major-General Dundas, and the Sixth, Ninth, and Forty-third regiments under Colonel Sir Charles Gordon, proceeded to St. Lucia, which island was captured on the 4th of April, the Thirty-ninth remained to garrison Martinique.

An expedition subsequently proceeded from Martinique against Guadeloupe: a determined resistance was experienced at this place, but the island was captured by the 20th of April. Sir Charles Grey stated in his public despatch, that he “could not find words to convey an adequate idea, or to express the high sense he entertained of the extraordinary merit evinced by the officers and soldiers in this service.”

France did not view with indifference the loss of these valuable possessions, and in June a French armament arrived at Guadeloupe for the recovery of that island. In the night attack on the French camp at Point Gabbare on the 13th of June 1794, the Thirty-ninth regiment, under the command of Major Henry Magan[20], greatly distinguished itself, and was thanked in general orders by Sir Charles Grey. In this severe conflict the enemy precipitated themselves into the sea in order to swim across the harbour to Point-à-Pitre; but few succeeded in the desperate attempt, many being drowned, and more shot by the British infantry, who followed them closely in their flight. One hundred and seventy-nine of the enemy were left dead on the field, while the loss of the British was limited to seven men killed and twelve wounded. The enemy’s camp, colours, baggage, and ammunition, with one piece of artillery, fell into the hands of the victors.

Major-General Nisbett Balfour was appointed colonel of the Thirty-ninth regiment on the 2nd of July 1794, in succession to General Sir Robert Boyd, K.B., deceased.

During the remainder of the operations the Thirty-ninth regiment remained at Berville. Several skirmishes took place at various poets, but the troops suffered so severely from the climate at Guadeloupe, and the arduous duties they had to perform, that on the 1st of September only three hundred and eighty-nine soldiers could be mustered fit for duty.[21]

Lieut.-Colonel Colin Graham, of the Twenty-first Royal North British Fusiliers, was appointed to the command of the troops in Basse Terre; and he defended Berville camp with the utmost gallantry, until the 6th of October, when he was forced to surrender, his force having become reduced by excessive exertion, and the unhealthiness of the climate, to one hundred and twenty-five rank and file fit for duty.

By the articles of capitulation the British troops were to march out with the honors of war, and it was agreed to send the garrison to England on board French ships, as soon as transports were ready. The latter part of the agreement was not, however, complied with, as they remained prisoners for more than a year afterwards, during which time many of them died. The garrison consisted of the flank companies of the Seventeenth, Thirty-first, and Thirty-fourth regiments; the Thirty-ninth, Forty-third, Fifty-sixth (three companies), and Sixty-fifth regiments. Their loss in the different actions between the 27th of September and the 6th of October amounted to two officers killed and five wounded; twenty-five non-commissioned officers and privates killed, and fifty-one wounded.

The whole island of Guadeloupe, with the exception of Fort Matilda, had been recaptured by the French under General Victor Hughes: this fort was defended by the troops under Lieut.-General Prescott until the 10th of December, when it was evacuated by the British.

During this campaign the Thirty-ninth regiment lost several officers, who died of fever or other disorders, amongst whom was Lieut.-Colonel Stephen Fremantle. Captain George Bell and some few officers escaped with the colours of the regiment, and arrived in open boats at the Islands of the Saints; in the beginning of the forthcoming year, they proceeded to Ireland.

The regiment, having speedily recruited its ranks by large drafts from the One hundred and fourth and other corps, was again destined to proceed to the West Indies, and it embarked for Barbadoes towards the end of the year 1795.

Great Britain now began to see her former allies converted into enemies; and Holland, having become united to France in the early part of the previous year, was styled the Batavian Republic. In April 1796, a secret service having been ordered by Lieut.-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, then Commander-in-chief in the West Indies, the Thirty-ninth, and the late Ninety-third and Ninety-ninth regiments, with a detachment of the Royal Artillery, were embarked at Barbadoes on this expedition, which proved to be against the Dutch colonies of Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice. The troops were under the orders of Major-General John Whyte, and the Thirty-ninth regiment was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Thomas Hislop. The force sailed for its destination on the 15th of April, and arrived on the coast of Demerara on the 21st of that month: on the following day the Governor and Council were summoned to surrender the colony to His Britannic Majesty, and the capitulation was signed on the 23rd of April. The British troops accordingly occupied the fort and colony, and Lieut.-Colonel Hislop was left as Commandant of Demerara and Essequibo; but Major-General Whyte proceeded to take possession of the neighbouring colony of Berbice, which accepted the terms offered to Demerara.[22]

The Thirty-ninth remained at Demerara, upon the capitulation of that colony, and, in September, it received six hundred and ninety-one men, from the Ninety-third and Ninety-ninth having been directed to be drafted into the regiment. This raised the regiment to fifty-two serjeants, twenty-two drummers, and one thousand and ninety-three rank and file.

During the years 1797, 1798, and 1799, the Thirty-ninth regiment continued to be stationed at Demerara. On the 1st of November 1799, the regiment had been reduced by deaths to twenty-five serjeants, ten drummers, and four hundred and sixty-eight rank and file.

In October 1800 the regiment proceeded from Demerara to Surinam.

The regiment remained at Surinam during the year 1801.

On the 27th of March 1802, a definitive treaty of peace was signed at Amiens between the French Republic, Spain, and the Batavian Republic, on the one part, and Great Britain on the other. The principal features of the treaty were, that Great Britain restored all her conquests during the war, excepting Trinidad and Ceylon, which were ceded to her, the former by Spain, and the latter by the Batavian Republic. Portugal was maintained in its integrity, excepting that some of its possessions in Guiana were ceded to France. The territories of the Ottoman Porte were likewise maintained in their integrity. The Ionian Republic was recognised, and Malta was to be restored to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. The French agreed to evacuate the Neapolitan and Roman States, and Great Britain all the ports that she held in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean.

Surinam was evacuated in December 1802, and the Thirty-ninth regiment embarked for Barbadoes, and proceeded thence to Antigua.

In the beginning of March 1803, the Thirty-ninth embarked for England; and the regiment, consisting of thirty-three serjeants, nineteen drummers, and three hundred and fifteen rank and file, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel George Bell, arrived at Spithead on board the “Thalia” transport, on the 22nd of April. During its service on the different stations in South America, upwards of two thousand men had fallen victims to the climate.

The Peace of Amiens was of short duration, and on the 18th of May 1803 war was declared against France. Preparations were accordingly made by the British Government to meet the emergency, and the “Army of Reserve Act” was passed in July following, for raising men for home service by ballot, by which a second battalion was added to the Thirty-ninth regiment.[23] The second battalion was placed on the establishment from the 9th of July 1803, and was composed of men raised in Cheshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. The chief part of the men immediately afterwards volunteered for general service, whereby the first battalion of the regiment became available for foreign service.

At this period, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Chief Consul of France, was making preparations for the invasion of England, for which purpose he collected an immense flotilla at Boulogne. The threat of invasion aroused the patriotism of the British people, and the most strenuous measures were adopted to defeat this design; volunteer and yeomanry corps were formed in every part of the kingdom, and all parties united in one grand effort for the preservation of their native land.

In May 1804 Napoleon was invested with the dignity of Emperor of the French, and on the 26th of May of the following year he was crowned at Milan as King of Italy.

Further measures of defence were adopted by Great Britain, and the “Additional Force Act” was passed on the 29th of June 1804.[24] Under the provisions of this act, the second battalion was augmented with men raised in the county of Shropshire, and its establishment was subsequently fixed at the same strength as the first battalion, namely, forty-four serjeants, twenty-two drummers, and eight hundred rank and file. The second battalion, which, since its formation, had been quartered at Battle, in Sussex, embarked at Plymouth on the 27th of November 1804 for Guernsey, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel George Wilson.

In the year 1804, during the threatened invasion, the first battalion was stationed on the coast of Sussex.

The first battalion, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel the Honorable Robert William O’Callaghan, which was selected to proceed with the expedition under Lieut.-General Sir James Craig to the Mediterranean, embarked at Portsmouth on the 26th of March 1805, and arrived at Malta on the 22nd of July following, where it formed part of the garrison.

In the autumn of 1805, Napoleon led his army into Germany to crush the confederacy forming against his interests. From the commencement of the war with England, Naples was occupied by French troops; but at this period a treaty of neutrality was concluded between France and Naples, the French troops were withdrawn, and the King of Naples was bound not to admit the fleets or armies of any power engaged in hostilities with France into his ports or territories. While the war in Germany was undecided, the flank companies of the first battalion of the Thirty-ninth regiment were, in November 1805, detached to Naples, and landed at that city on the 22nd of that month. A Russian armament also arrived at Naples.

The Emperor Napoleon being triumphant in Germany, seized the moment of victory to denounce vengeance against the King of Naples for permitting a British and Russian armament to enter his ports and land on his shores; and on the morning after signing the Treaty of Presburg, Napoleon issued a proclamation declaring that “the Neapolitan dynasty had ceased to reign.” This was followed by the march of a numerous French army, under Joseph Bonaparte, to take possession of Naples: the Russians withdrew; and the British, under Lieut.-General Sir James Craig, were too few in numbers to think of defending that kingdom against the numerous forces sent to that devoted country.

The flank companies of the first battalion embarked from Naples in January 1806, and proceeded to Sicily, to which island the King and Queen of Naples had resorted, and which was preserved in their interest by the British. The Neapolitans abandoned their royal family to its fate, and submitted to the dictates of Napoleon, who issued a decree conferring the crown of Naples on his brother Joseph. The city of Naples was illuminated, and the nobles were eager to show their attachment to their new sovereign. Insurrections occurred in several places; but the French arms were successful, and the provinces became tranquil.

The flank companies returned to Malta in February 1806.[25]

The second battalion remained at Guernsey until the 26th of February 1806, when it proceeded to Ireland, and arrived at Cork on the 15th of March. Having been a short time stationed in the county of Cork, it proceeded to Dublin, and, after performing garrison duty for some months, received orders to transfer all its limited service men to a garrison battalion, and all its disposable men to the first battalion at Malta.

Being thus reduced to a skeleton, the officers and non-commissioned officers proceeded to England in January 1807, for the purpose of recruiting the ranks of the second battalion, and arrived at Liverpool on the 30th of that month. Having distributed recruiting parties to various stations, the head-quarters marched to Edmonton and Enfield, near London.

On the 29th of October 1807, His Majesty King George III. was pleased to direct that the county title of the Thirty-ninth regiment should be changed from East Middlesex to Dorsetshire.

The flank companies of the first battalion proceeded from Malta to Sicily in May 1808.

The recruiting continued from the militia and in the ordinary mode with such success that the second battalion was soon increased to five hundred strong; and after being some time stationed at Berry-Head, embarked from thence for Guernsey, where it arrived on the 24th of May 1808. Subsequently, a general volunteering from the militia took place, when the battalion was augmented to about seven hundred rank and file, and being organised in the course of a short period, Lieut.-General Sir John Doyle, Bart., then Lieut.-Governor of Guernsey, was so pleased with the general appearance of the corps as to express his entire satisfaction with it, and to report the battalion fit for immediate foreign service.

In June 1809, Lieut.-General Sir John Stuart, commanding in chief in the Mediterranean, resolved to menace the capital and kingdom of Naples, as a diversion in favour of the Austrians, who were contending against numerous difficulties in their war with France. The flank companies of the first battalion were employed on this service; and after menacing a considerable extent of coast, which produced much alarm, the romantic and fruitful island of Ischia, celebrated for the beauty of its scenery, and situated in the Bay of Naples, about six miles from the coast, was attacked. A landing was effected in the face of a formidable line of batteries, from which the enemy was speedily driven. The siege of the castle was undertaken, and in a few days the garrison was forced to surrender. The island of Procida surrendered on being summoned. Two valuable islands were thus rescued from the power of the Grand Duke of Berg, General Murat, upon whom the Emperor Napoleon had, in the preceding year, conferred the sovereignty of Naples, in succession to Joseph Bonaparte, who had been nominated by his brother to be King of Spain; and one thousand five hundred regular troops, with one hundred pieces of ordnance, were captured. An attempt was, at this period, made to reduce the castle of Scylla; but the large force which the enemy possessed in Calabria, rendered this impracticable.

The assumption of the sovereignty of Spain by Joseph Bonaparte, although the strongest places and most commanding positions in the Peninsula were occupied by French troops, had excited the indignation of the Spanish people, who solicited, and readily obtained, the aid of Great Britain; and the latter power had, in April 1809, sent Lieut.-General Sir Arthur Wellesley with reinforcements to Portugal, to save that country from invasion, and also to assist the Spaniards in their struggle for independence.

The second battalion was selected to proceed to join the army in the Peninsula under the command of Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir Arthur Wellesley: it embarked on the 22nd of June 1809 for the Tagus, and arrived at Lisbon on the 2nd of July. The battalion shortly afterwards proceeded with a division, consisting of reinforcements, under the command of Brigadier-General Catlin Crawfurd, who endeavoured, by a forced march, to arrive in time for the battle of Talavera, which was fought on the 27th and 28th of July, and for which victory Lieut.-General the Honorable Sir Arthur Wellesley was raised to the peerage by the title of Viscount Wellington. When the second battalion arrived at Sarza la Mayor, a despatch was received from Sir Arthur Wellesley, ordering the brigade and detachments to halt and bivouac at Niza until his arrival with the head-quarters at Badajoz, after which the battalion was stationed at the village of Torre Mayor: here it suffered severely from sickness, which at that season of the year is prevalent in Estremadura, and particularly on the banks of the Guadiana. On the 3rd of September the head-quarters arrived at Badajoz, and the army was distributed about Elvas, Campo Mayor, and other places adjacent; but when Viscount Wellington broke up from the Guadiana in the month of December, and crossed the Tagus, he left Major-General Rowland Hill (afterwards Viscount Hill), with a force of 10,000 men, British and Portuguese, at Abrantes: among the former was the second battalion of the Thirty-ninth regiment.