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Cleland letter

Reference code
HOYFM.ACL2023.2/1/16
Level of description
Item
Title
Cleland letter
Scope and content
Letter to John's brother, Hugh. John writes they are under sailing orders for Plymouth and are due to sail the next day. He states the French are pushing hard on Cadiz, meaning British ships are in a state of constant action. Moreover, yellow fever has hit Cadiz and Gibraltar, with a death rate of forty per day. The lastt word from Portugal says the two armies will keep the same position, but the French are in such a state of starvation that they have been forced to eat their horses, and so many have deserted that their army only consists of 50,000 men, with Lord Wellington commanding double that number. John hopes that their ship will go there soon to engage their batteries and destroy their flotilla. Sent from the HMS St. George to Hugh Cleland at Downpatrick
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