The Havannah, from its great importance, had been carefully fortified; the entrance to the harbour, which is one of the finest in the world, was secured on one side by the _Moro_ fort, built of solid masonry on a projecting point of land, and having an immense ditch cut out of the rock. The west side of the harbour was defended by the Puntal fort, and the town was surrounded by a rampart, flanked with bastions, and strengthened by a ditch. The reduction of the Moro fort was the first object which engaged the attention of the troops, and this service was intrusted to Major-General the Honorable William Keppel (colonel of the FIFTY-SIXTH), his own regiment forming part of the force placed under his orders, and having repeated opportunities of evincing its spirit and perseverance in this arduous undertaking, rendered particularly difficult by the oppressive heat, a scarcity of water, the necessity of dragging the artillery along a rocky coast, and from the thinness of the soil; so great was the labour in carrying on the approaches, that several men were daily lost by diseases produced by their extraordinary exertions. The destruction of the grand battery by fire augmented the labours of the besieging troops; but they resumed their work, repulsed a sortie of the Spaniards, and erected new batteries. On the 30th of July, a storming party was formed under the orders of Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart, of the late Ninetieth Regiment (disbanded on 18th March, 1763): two mines were sprung, a small practicable breach made, and the British soldiers rushed in at the aperture with so much impetuosity, that the Spaniards were instantly overpowered. Nearly one hundred and fifty of the enemy were killed; four hundred threw down their arms and were made prisoners; upwards of two hundred endeavoured to escape in boats, but lost their lives in the attempt. The spirited capture of the Moro fort was followed by the erection of a line of batteries on Cavannos Hill, commanding the eastern side of the city, and the guns of the captured fort were also turned against the Spaniards. On the 11th of August the batteries opened a well-directed fire on the Puntal fort and the town; and so severe was the cannonade, that in less than six hours the enemy’s guns were silenced, and the white flag hoisted. A capitulation was concluded on the 13th, and possession was taken of the town and Puntal fort on the following day. This valuable conquest was achieved by a division of the royal navy, and a land force of fourteen thousand men; and it cost upwards of a thousand officers and soldiers in killed and deaths from extraordinary exertions. The FIFTY-SIXTH Regiment had twelve rank and file killed; one officer and twenty-three rank and file wounded: the regiment also sustained the loss of many brave men from diseases.