In the beginning of June, General Sir John Stuart, Count of Maida, commanding the British troops in Sicily, embarked fifteen thousand men for the south of Italy, and for the capture of Naples, as a diversion in favour of the Austrians, who were once more at war with France. The TENTH regiment embarked on this enterprise, leaving two companies in garrison at Melazzo. The first attack made by the main body of the expedition was on Ischia, a small island in the gulf of Naples, situate about six miles from the coast. The batteries for the defence of the shores of the island being turned by the British troops, were successively deserted by the enemy, and after a short resistance, the garrison of Ischia surrendered. The garrison of Procida, another island on the same coast, was also forced to surrender; and forty gun-boats were captured. An attack was likewise made on the castle of _Scylla_, situate in a promontory in the straits of Messina, which separate Sicily from the Neapolitan territory. The TENTH regiment was selected to take part in this enterprise: having landed on the coast, it crossed the heights of Jovanni on the 14th of June, and proceeding through the mountains to the heights of Mela, immediately above the castle, bivouacked on the high grounds; at the same time the works were commenced for the attack. On the 29th of June a strong reinforcement of the enemy appeared, and the British troops were concentrated; but the French had so great an excess of numbers, that it was deemed necessary to withdraw. The stores were destroyed, the retreat effected, and the TENTH regiment was conveyed across the straits to the Messina side; having only sustained a loss of two men. The diversion so far succeeded as to prevent Murat taking part in the war with Austria, and the troops returned to Sicily: the TENTH were stationed in the citadel of Messina until the 8th of July, when they were encamped along the coast near the Faro. [Sidenote: 1810] During the summer of this year an expedition sailed from England against the coast of Holland, and Flushing, on the island of _Walcheren_, was captured. The second battalion of the TENTH embarked from Portsmouth on the 9th of November, and landed on the island of Walcheren on the 22nd of that month; but the climate proved very injurious to the health of the British soldiers, and the island was evacuated. The second battalion of the TENTH embarked from Flushing on the 10th of December, and on arriving in England it was ordered to Jersey, where it landed on the 17th of January, 1810. From Jersey the second battalion embarked on the 10th of April, 1810, for Gibraltar, and arrived at that important fortress in eighteen days. The battalion remained at Gibraltar three months, then embarked for the island of Malta, and landed there on the 12th of August. The first battalion remained on the coast of Sicily until November, when it marched into the citadel of Messina. [Sidenote: 1811]