The British minister at Palermo, writing to the Secretary of State, observed,--“The battle of Maida, upon the 4th of July, will long be remembered in this part of Europe, as a remarkable proof of the superiority of British courage and discipline over an arrogant and cruel enemy. Of the nine thousand men whom General Regnier commanded in the province of Calabria ulterior, not more than three thousand are left to attempt their retreat towards Apulia; the remainder are all either killed, wounded, or made prisoners. Every fort along the coast,--all the stores, ammunition, and artillery prepared for the attack upon Sicily, are become the prey of the victors; and what, perhaps, may be considered of still more consequence than these advantages, an indelible impression is made in this country of the superior bravery and discipline of the British troops.” In forwarding a vote of thanks to Major-General Stuart, and the troops under his orders, from the House of Lords, the Lord Chancellor stated,--“Reflecting upon the disasters which have fallen upon powerful princes, and populous territories, under the pressure of the vast armies of France, I recollect, at the same time, that they were not defended by British soldiers, and that, when the triumphal monuments of Paris shall record the victories of Austerlitz and Jena, it shall appear upon the less ostentatious journals of a British Parliament, that upon the plains of Maida her choicest battalions fell beneath the bayonets of half the number of our brave countrymen, under your direction and that of the officers who were your glorious companions.” Major-General Stuart was rewarded with the dignity of a Knight of the Bath; and was created Count of Maida by the King of the Two Sicilies. Medals were given to commanding officers,--the first instance in the British army. The word “MAIDA,” on the appointments of the grenadiers and light infantry of the SIXTY-FIRST, commemorates the gallant conduct of the flank companies on this occasion. Shortly after the victory at Maida, the battalion companies of the SIXTY-FIRST quitted Messina, and proceeded to Scylla and Calabria. [Sidenote: 1807] The second battalion, after remaining in Ireland ten months, received orders to return to England; it embarked from Dublin on the 4th of February, 1807, and landed at Liverpool two days afterwards. [Sidenote: 1808]