Star. — London, England, 1807-02-09 00:00:00

THE EVENING :',TA R. LONDON. MONDAY, FF.BR CARY 9. O' F;eth 1.5 S 1141', DAY A - 1 r.):51;7. irit.ooK ;It:CCU:It 6'i—OmniumG l pt cm. laltr')Lcu-4. par. !•3 is Cif. PR; C.T. ir.,F :JOCKS ON SAILTRDAY. 'r .r Cent. R. An ( Stock tB4; 3 pee C l'cof Al,6* India Bonds, 35. 43 prem. 4 r Cent. soh Imp. 3 per Cent. Mt 5 per Cent. Navy 9:ii I Fxchtq Bilk, is dif par Loge A. i; 13-16ths Coach for acc. 6z ii In our lall we announced the arrival of difpatches to Loid IioWICK and the Ruffian Ambatrador, con- taining OFFICIAL ACCOUNTS OF THE BATTLE OF THE 26Tit DECENITY:R. fullitance of thole received by Lord HOWICK, and which are underfloed to hare come from Mr. Srut.ar at Peteriburgh, General MANSTI.I)I and Mr. PIERRE TOINT, was circulated in a demi-official Bulletin on Saturday afternoon, of which the follow ing is a COPY. 44 Colonel Krufer arrived at Koni“giberg on the 3 d of January, with difpatches from General Kalkreuth, and a Rutlian Meffenger followed the day after, with difpatches from General Kaminikoy. Excepting a trifling affair on the 28th December, in which a detachment of French cavalry made an un fuccefsful attempt to cut off a corps of Coffack4, which was polled in advance of Rozaw, it does not appear that any engagement had taken place fubfe• quent to the 26th. " The vislory of the Ruffians on the 26th was de cifive ; its confequences would probably have been more important, had not General Benigfen been re ftrained in his purfuit of the enemy, by intelligence that the divifions of Ney and Augereau had formed a junaion near Grodzifk, and were advancing in his rear—the approach of night likewife cont. ibuted to the efcape of the enemy. 4 ‘ Upwards of 70 pieces of cannon, taken from the enemy on the 26th, had OR the rth arrived at Ofirallenka, feveral others were buried in the roads. The peafantry oheer fully affifted in their c Inveyance. " I:refit troops are daily joining the Ruffian army, which, by the middle of February, will comprife three hundred thoufand men, between the Ni.men and the Villula. " Get eral Tolfloy commands a corps of 16,000 men at Sicice ; General Bagonaut is polled at the little village of Martioky, on the Onvticin, actor, which river he has eflablifhed a bridge ;—General Toll) commands the advance of the left wing of the army at Siclun ; the rear, with General (Merman, has fallen back upon the ftrong pofition of Kole() ; and the other corps of the army under the orders of Prince Dolgorouncy, General Somcloff, Br.c. occupy .Vizna, Bannock, Mazow, &c. General Buxhovden's aiviiion occupies Nowygrod, Clinki, 140/11Z3, &c. 4. The whole of the army is thus concentrated within the circuit of a few miles, notwithtlancling the difficulty to provide provifions and forage ; and it is hence obvious that General Kamittkoy is deter mined to refurr.e offenfive operations the moment he is in the condition to do fo. The Ruffian army is impatient to meet the enemy—nothing can furpafs their enthufiafm and confidence. General Sitoff, previous to the affair at Fraingnrkaw, read, at the head of his detachment, one of the French bulletins, containing fcurrilous reficetions on the Ruffian army, on which the foldiers, in tumultuous indignation, ex claimed, Lead us on, and we will punifh our ca lumniators." 44 A ftrong Pruffian corps has taken poffelli - m of the defiles of Nikolar ken. 44 The French divitiqn, under Ney, has fallen back behind the Driberaz ; and a corps of about 300 men, which had purhed beyond 011eror'e, was furronaded by a Pru(iian regiment at Deutflifi E)lau, and cut to pieces." The following Extrasts from the Official Reports of General Beniglco, as tranfmitted from the Cabinct of Sr. Peterfburgh, to the Ruffian Miniaer in London, and by his Excellency communicated to our Government, were circulated yeflerday ST. PETERSBURGH, JAN. 6. On the 4.111 and sth of January, Meflingers ar rived from the Army, bringing the following Intel• libtuce to his Imperial Majesty • Skirmithes of the ont-p- 'ls have taken place al rrott daily, hnce the 23d of December, in which the French were repulfed in every infience. At the mo ment General Baron Benigfen, with the troops under his command, had taken a pofition near Pultufk, he was attacked by the divilion of the enemy under Ge neral Suchet, which attack lalled three hours ; but the enemy wcre repulfed with confiderable lois. • On the 26th of December, the greater part of the fourth divition, under Prince Gallitzin, had join ed General Benigfen. The enemy made an attack at eleven o'clock, with a numerous force, under the immediate command of Bonaparte, led on by his Field-Nlarlhals Davoutt and Lafnes, with a detached corps under General Suchet. • The battle was molt bloody, and continued even chair?: part of the night. At the commencement of it, General Davoull, with a corps of 15,000 men, fell upon our left wing, in order so polrefs hiadclf of Pultulk, in our rear. General Baggavont, who defended this place with 4oco man, was ohli2ed to give way to the fuperior forces of the enemy; but as 1;)or as this was perceived by General Benigfen,- he ordered that this detachment fhould be reinforced from his Tight wing, by a force under General Count .011erman, which joined and checked the progrefs of the enemy. " The attack upon the right wing was impetuous. Martha! Lafnes' numerous corps of infantry, under the command of Bonaparte in perfon, moved through an underwood upon our advanced guard, which had been polled there to cover our wing, and fell upon it in fo defperate a manner, that General Barklay de Toffy, commanding there, found himfelf unable to maintain his pofition. His retreat having given an opportunity for a mafked battery to play upon the enemy, the difcharges of grape flint (mitrailles) foon lopped their career. They attempted again to out flank this battery, and obliged General de 'roily to fall back once more. General Beniglen upon t`tis ordered his whole tight wing to change front, and fent a reinforcement for the lupport of General de 'roily. He thus checked the impetuofity r.f the enc. my ; but the fire of artillery and mufketry fill con. tinning, General Brnigfen determined to attack the enemy himielf ; for which purpofe he ordered General 011erman to advance with the ref of his infantry to wards the right wing, and fupported him with a Prong train of artillery, and twenty fquadrons of cavalry. To the ref of the cavalry he gave direc tions to fi rm their front in hi 3 centre, in order to keep that of the enemy in its pofitinn. The French defended thenifelves with delpera i-n, but were oblig• ed to yield to the valour of his Imperial Majelly's troopt, and being entirely defeated, were driven in confufion from the Icene of anion. The priforiers we have taken, declare that they have loft in killed alone, above 6zoo men. Our lots does not exceed zoo° men. " General Benigfen extols the courage of our gal lant &Idlers, and mentions that Major General Ko fen, with the Cuirailier regiment of the Imperial Body-guard, and two fquadrons of Cargopol dra goons, charged a detachment of the enemy, confifl. ing cf 3coo infantry, which were upon the point of cutting off Major-General Baggavour, and, not withftanding the galling fire of the enemy's artillery, they were cut to pieces to a mai. " Thus BONAPARTE'S attempt at the dellruelion of t to corps under General EENNING:EN, was defeated, and a complete victory gained over him." The molt enthufialtic jry prevails here in conic quence of the late vietory of the Ruffians. They have in Poland abundant fu; plies of every kind. The only thing wanting is mon:y. A liberal fubfcriptir,o has been fet on foot by the Ruffian Nobility, and two millions of rubles have been already railed. The war is univerfally and corlially approved of. The Britifh Merchants here have fubfcribed r5,0c01. The Emperor was much affeeted by this mark of liberality, and expreffed his fatisfaelion in the moll flattering terms. PRIVATE LETTER FROM 6 VERY RESP'eCTABLE MER• CHANT •T ST. ?ETERS/MS.OH, TO HIS BVITHER IN LONDON, DATED 25TH DECEMBER 0. S. OR 6TH JANUARY. " Long live our brave Emperor and his gallant Army ! is the univerfal exclamation at St. Peter( burgh. Vaflilzikoff, the Courier, arrived from the army in Poland yeflerday at eleven o'clock, and brought the aufpicious sidings that our brave fuldiers had defeated the French in a malterly Rile, with the lots on the fide of the enemy of 4030 men killed, and 6000 prifoners. The particulars I have this in- Rant learned from a highly refpeaable quarter. They are as follows,: ‘, The fcarcity of provitions in the French army, and the hope of ending the campaign by a decifive blow, concurred to induce Bonaparte to pars the Vif. tuba at the head of 60,000 men. On the 23d of December he advanced to the ourpoits of General Benigfen's army, where General Oflerman com manded. Although Benigfen's force was formida ble (55,100 men), he preferred at firft the prudent alternative of retreating during the 23d, 241 h, and 25th init. On each of thefe days fkirmilhes took place, but on the 26th the two armies made a Rand in fight of each other, at a village called Selim, which lay between them. This village, Bonaparte, who commanded in perfon, fit on fire, to cover his attack on the Ruffians, whom he thus thought to envelope in frnoke. This artifice, however, was loon turned againft himfelf, for Benigfen, difcovcring hi: intention, inftantly formed his referve into a hollow fquare, which advanced, unperceived, under the fmtAe of the village. This gallant corps marched with fixed bayonets ; the Ruffian line opened their files to let them pats through, and they never flop ped until they reached the centre of the French. Here an obßinate conflia took place ; but the Ruf fians fucceeded not only in routing the centre of the enemy, but alfo in turning both their wings. The left wing of the French being fhaken by the Ruffian infantry, was entirely borne down and difperfed by General Chaplitz, at the head of the cavalry, who killed zOOO men. Their right wing shared a fimilar fate from General Knfen, at the head of his Yager'. The rout of the French was complete. Davouft, Lafnes, Bonaparte himfelf, all fled in confufion to Pultufk i which is eleven voiles front the fgene of ae• tion, and had been Benigfen's head quarters until the 23d inft: " It is inconceivable what exultation this vitlory has canted throu t hoot St. Petedburgh. Benigfen is by birth an Hanoverian ; but fuch is the enthufialin for Britain in Rutlia, that the people perfill in calling him an Englifhman. His viElory is very generally compared to the battle of Maida. Bath of there me morable events have proved that the only way of fight. ing the French, is to charge them with the bayonet. " The Coffacks particularly fignalized themfelves in this glorious affair. The general orders from Ka minfkoy are, to rufh venire a terre, into the very heart of the French artillery. It was this artillery which annoyed the Ruffians In dreadfully at Aufterlitz ; but we truft our brave irregulars, the C, Ticks and Bathkers, will prcvc an overmatch for it : in which cafe Kaminfkiy has declared he will anfaier for the fuccefi of the war, !ince our infantry is decidedly fu. perior. " Bonaparte's fpies appear to have been as 'lnfix cefsful as his foldiers. When Kaminlkoy was at Grodno, one of thefe, pretending to be a Proflian General, brought a letter, figned apparently by his Prudian Majeßy, and reqne:ling a confidential com munication of the inten.'ed route of the Ruffian forces., The fagacious veteran ittflantly penetrated the fraud. Two Colh:cks (tripped the wretch, and, after adminiflering to him tome falutary correction, Kaminikoy ordered him to return to Bonaparte, and to thew him on his back the route of the Ruffian army. "• The aCC'itlnt I have given yon has been pc:ton ally confirmed I.y VaffilzikofF, the Courier, who was an eye-w itnefs of the aftion ; and I fend it you by a Mellinger who is on the paint of departure for Eng land." ANOTHER LETTER, DATE!) PETERSBURGH, JAN. g. a It is confidently lima that Bonaparte, finding the means of lupporting his army extremely fcanty, determined to make a bold pufh and poffefs himfelf, if poffible, of the Ruffian magazines. On the 26th ult. for this purpofe, when in fight of the Ruffians, he fired a wo:41 to windward of them, in the hope of confuting their operations by the fmoke. The Ruf fians in consequence made a feint, as if to change their pofition and retreat, upon which the French ra pidly advanced. The Ruffians continued to retreat, but it was with the drlign of giving room for a maf. ked battery in the rear tri play upon the enemy. The plan fucceeded, and the fitc of the battery (wept away 3coo of the French troops. The cavali y and Cof facks then charged and cut 3000 men to pieces, and took 4oco.prifoners. Bonaparte's Adjutant General was taken prifoner. A report is now current here that a fecond battle was fought on the aßth, in which the RON tr.s took go pieces of cannon and 30,000 'prifnners. Benigfen alfo commanded in this battle, as Karninfkoy was ill with the corps de referve, at a. dinance from the fcene of aeion." The report of Karainfkoy being fick at Grodno, we are happy to contradiel upon the authority of General Benigfen, who mentions his welfare on the 26th of December, which was Come time after Ka minikoy left Grodno. The above accounts decide nothing pofrivtly, re fpeting the reported battles fubfequent to Dec. 26, but, on the whole, they render it highly improbable that any took place from the 26th to the 3oth ; the Ruffians were retreating on the 27th, and we have before been informed by the French Bulle tins, that they were alto retreating, and of courfe both were increafing the diftance between them. That the Ruffians, who, in the firft intlance, coming as auxiliaries rather than as princip.ds, found them felves oppofed to the whole French army, have made even a fuccefsful retreat, laying vittoty out of view, is, we think, no (mall confolation. We hardly ex peeled it, after the rapid advance of the French into Poland, and confidering that the French calculated that a meeting with the Ruffians and their defeat would be the fame thing. Now the Ruffians, though at firft unprepared for this contra, have made their retreat without any confiderable lofs ; certainly with an army unbroken—with a viCtory by their own ac counts. B: the details what they may, this is the great fad. The Ruffians are on their own frontier unbro ken. Will the French open the campaign againft them in the fpring, or will Bowartars try to patch up a peace, knowing hcw little he has to gain, and how much to lore, by combating at once againft man and nature ? We have feen accounts from Hamburgh, which fpeak of batiks for three fucceflive days, without mentioning the date, but which, from fome of the particulars, appear evidently to allude principally to the battle of the 26th, and to nothing later. They afcribe the vktory to the Ruffians. The only new fait they mention is, that NAPOLEON was fo ill as not to be able to mount his horfe, and was then on his way from Wallaw to Berlin, travelling on a litter by eafy Rages, his troops having gone into winter quarters at the former place, before he fet out. Accounts have been received in Town from Ph:. ladelphia, dated IA month,. which Rate that a (hip had arrived there which failed from Bengal the Isth Augu(l, when a number of Country (hips loaded with rice, had failed for China, where a famine culled. Rice was at nine dollars per big. Above two mil. lions and a half of dollars were expelled in Bengal from America. THE ARMY. We (hall barely mention two reports which hav e reached us, that a large army will certainly be fe't from this country to the Continew very early in the fpring, and that an expedition will loon be fent to oue fpot of the enemy's craft. Minitiry, it is laid, have for the prefent relinquiFeed the plan of having a large draft from tie Militia, t o fill up the zd battalion: of the line. The meafure of an interchange of the Militia ter. vices is again revived. That fine regiment, the tQ Somerfetthire, has taken the lead in vnlunteeting its fervices to Ireland, as we announced in Wcclaefday'; Sven. Out Readers will recollect that long fince, Parliament gave their landion to a proportion of the lrilh Militia coming over to this country; this fanflion it is fuppofed will now be rifled on. The great 1.-. vice which the Englifit Militia and Scotch Feticiirl, did, during the Rebellion in Ireland, and their cc ,,. rat demeanour, ate 11111 gralclully remember e d i„ that country. In addition to the regiments of the line which te men ioned laa week were coming from Ireland, to now hear that feveral others are expefled in dos country to be ready f.r any fervice that may require a body of troops. The zd battalion of the Old Buff , , commanded L T Lieutenant Colonel Buttaustv, which Lately arrived from Guernfey, are now on the march to Worcener. (hire. We are lorry that the Buffs have not been fo foccefsful in recruiting their zd !mullion as fore other corps. That fine regiment the North Yolk Militia, mended by Lord Duttnas, is now quarte.,d in Bic tehington Barracks. A seport has reached us, that a refpeflable furce it to be immediately embarked for Buenos Ayres, and to he commanded by that popular officer, Major Gt. n:ral Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY. We have likewice hard another command mentioned for this offiLer. The gallant hero of Maida, we hove, will not long remain unemployed. Along with the large India fleet now under dif: patch, large (hafts of recruits are going out to a ll the regiments at the Cape, particularly to the 93d, or Sutherland Highlanders. Brigadier Genrial COCK ELL, and Major BIRD, go out on the Staff of the Hon. General GRFY. Major LysTett, and Cap►. WILLIAMSON, of the Cape rcgiment, and Captain: M'lloucsr. and SUTHERLAND, of the 93d, go cut at the fame time. A confiderable detachment, confining of Vol n n• teers of both Officers and men, for the New South Wales corps, is going out by the Indian Rect. Lord MOIRA has not yet taken poffe(lion of tl.e Barrack department ; but it 1) expeCed that he will very fpeedily. 84t urday night's Gazette contains a notice of Li• cences to be granted by certain Commiffioners, for importing Provifions from the United :States to'New. follndl,n4—as Al) an apportionment of 200,000 met otlt of v:ho I:..'!e to he called out under th Tr:!ioing i; 61 'l';:cfday the 3d tt:wrrierit, Colanel LANSUR Y, difembarked at A" fey ; and yefferday they marched ior in Worceflerlbire. Wednefday the 2d battalion of the 26111, or C.rme. ronian Regiment, marched into Ayr Barracks from Ireland. They are very much reduced by volunteer. ing into the fira battalion. Yelterday morning the Earl of CALEDON and CoL ALEXANDER left t ,, wn for Portfmouth, on their way to the Cape of Good Hype. Lord Mtisr., eves un avoidably delayed in town until this mooing. Lord O'Nr rt. is to have the poffeffmn of the Earl of CALL. DON'S honk until his Lordfhip's return. It is Rated, that the French fquadrnn, in the outer harbour of Breft, confining of ten fail of the line, four frigates, and feveral crrvettes, is apparently ready for a Rart. The Veteran, .16a01 , 46 BONA• PARrl's fhip, has been repaired in a little river near L'Orient, and has been waiting for fcur months for an opportunity to efcape into that port. Saturday letters were received from Calcutta ria Philadelphia, of the 9th of Auguß, by which it appears, that the Northumberland Indiaman, for whole Way ferions arprchenfions were entertained, had arrived there from Penaag. Sator&ay accounts were received refpeeting the ex pedition which failed from Falmouth on the loth sf taftober for the River Plata. The fhip China Packet, which arrived at Philadelphia on the rit ult. from Calcutta, on the 25th of November, in lat. t. N. long. 30. W. fell in with the ARDENT, of 64 Tim, Mucous frigate, DAPHNE, CHARINELL, and Pars satr floops of war, with twenty-one tranfports, having on board eight troops of the 17th dragoons, the 4oth and 87th regiments, and a company of artillery, under the command of Sir S. ACHMLITi, all well. The fleet was then (landing to the north- ward, and had performed about thrre-fifths of in paffage. It is fuppofed to have reached Maldonado before Chrittmas. The Ofricer who brought home the difpatches from Sir HOM E POPHAM, has written a letter to a Gentle- man in Birmingham, informing him his fon (an Officer in the Royal Marines) was among the captured at Buenos Ayres. From this refpeetable authority we learn, that all the Btitills Officers at Buenos Ayres, fo far from being removed to the interior, occupy the fame lodgings they did before its re capture ; they are even well treated and proteeted by the better ot der of the people ; and provided they do net go out at night, of which they are of courfe cautious, there is no apprehenfion of ill treatment. The 'oldies have, it lb !rue, been fent into the country, as the Spaniards are afraid to keep a body of men in one place. The letter concludes with the following pal Page I never heard that the Officers were piaa dered ; and 1 fhould fuppofe they will not want for any thing. Perhaps they are as well or better off' than pritoners of war is other dißant commies."