sides was at its height.  The noise was fearful, and the whole scene the grandest and, at the same time, the most awful I ever witnessed.  I caught myself, once or twice, trying to make myself as small as I could.  As we got nearer the gate it grew worse, and the enemy, from their loop-holes, began to pepper us with matchlocks and arrows.  The scene now was splendid.  The enemy, at the commencement of the firing, threw out blue lights in several places, which looked beautiful, and the flames of their and our artillery, together with the smaller flashes from the matchlock men, added to the roar of their big guns, the sharp cracking of the matchlocks, the whizzing of their cannon balls and ours, (the latter of which, by-the-bye, went much nearer our heads than the enemy’s, as our artillery fired beautifully, and sent their shot close over our heads, on the ramparts,) the singing of the bullets, and the whizzing of their arrows, all combined, made up as pretty a little row as one would wish to hear.  Add to this, that it was as dark as pitch, and you may judge of the effect.  We made a rush over the bridge, which the enemy had not destroyed, and continuing it up a slight ascent, we found ourselves of a sudden close to the gate.  Here there was a check.  Although the gate was blown down, still the remains of it, and the barricade on the inside, rendered it a difficult place to get over, particularly as it wanted at least half an hour of daylight, and was perfectly dark.  The two first sections were therefore a long time getting through, during which the two last, to which I belonged, were standing still outside, exposed to a cross fire from two round towers, which flanked the entrance.  Our men, however, kept up such a smart fire upon every hole and opening that no man dared shew his nose, and their fire was therefore rendered harmless.  At length we moved in, and found that, besides what I have mentioned above, there was a large hole in the roof of the portico over the gate, through which the enemy were pitching earth, beams of wood, stones, &c.; one of these beams knocked over my European servant, who was next to me, and dislocated his arm, and, taking me in the flank, made me bite the dust also; however, I had no further hurt than a slight bruise, and was up again immediately, as I heard one of the soldiers say, “Oh! there is poor Mr. Holdsworth:  he’s down!”

On getting within the gate a few volleys cleared the opening of the street.  Robinson, (our captain,) Col.  Sale, with Kershaw and Wood of the 13th, Sale’s staff, (the latter the man who knew Arthur at Canterbury,) were the first in.  Poor Col.  Sale got a cut in the mouth, and fell upon Kershaw, who went down with him; on rising, an Afghan was lifting his sword to cut down Sale when Kershaw seized the hilt of his sword, and ran his own into him.  Robinson also got a terrible cut on the side of his head, which would have done his business for him if he had not had on a cap padded with cotton, which