Star. — London, England, 1811-04-15 00:00:00

MOND EDITION', CAPTURE OF MAItSIiAL NEY, AND MET THOUSAND OF THE FRENCH ARMY. Government have received the bight,' ray ing 1 ins. • zence of the Capture and Destrucdoo of the who c of the Rear. Guard of the French Army, under the Command of Marshal NW, who is himself among the prisoners. The action which terminated in this glorious achievement took place on the 31st ultimo, and was fought by the British and Portuguese troops under the command of Marshal BiRESFORD. The French rear-guard, under NET, originally consisted of 15,000 men, but by previous captures and skirmishes had been reduced to 8000, being the number taken on the glorious 31st of March. Marshal BERESFORD had co-operated in so masterly a manner with Lord WELLINGTON'S army, that NEY found it impossible any longer to continue his retreat, and was therefore cut off from the main body. The ;,hove intelligence was brought to Guernsey by a merchant vessel, and transmitted from thence to Government by Admiral the Prince de BOUILLON, the British Naval Commander, on the Guernsey sta tion. No doubts whatever as to the correctness of the news is entertained in the Government departments. The v.eini trof Oporto to the scene of action is an additional corroboration of the statement. On Saturday, the Members composing her MA JESTY'S Regency Council arrived in Windsor, when they assembled at the Castle, in order to take into con. sideration the weekly report of the Physicians rela. five to the KING'S health. Previous to the Council breaking up, we understand, the Archbishop of CAN ESBURY and the Lomb CHANCELLOR had the ho. ?lour of an interview with his MAJESTY. The Council afterwards partrok of an elegant repast by the invita. tion of the QUEEN, and returned to London, except the Archbishop of CANTERBURY, who usually remains with the Royal Family on Easter Monday, to admi nister the Sacrament at the Castle. Yesterday his Royal Highaess the PRINCE REGENT, the Dukes of YORK and CAMBRIDGE, arrived at Windsor. The PRINCE REGENT had a long interview with his Royal Father ; and, after paying his respects to her MAJESTY and the PAINCESSES, returned to Kew, to dine with his Royal Brother, the Duke of CUMBERLAND. Inrcon. sequence of the PRINCE REGENT'S audience with his MAJESTY, it was near one o'clock before the KING appeared on the Terrace. He was accompanied by Dr. WILLIS. His MAJESTY appeared to look cheer ful, and to be in continued conversation ; but the or der for the exclusion of strangers on the terrace pre cludes visitors from the indulgence of promenading when his MAJESTY is present. Yesterday the following Bulletin was shewn at St, James's Palace " WINDSOR CASTLE, APRIL 14. " The Kum continues to go on favourably." (Signed by the five Physicians.) The NARCISSUS, Honourable Captain AYLMER, has , Arrived at Portsmouth with ten pipes of wine from Ma deira, for his MAJESTY. Thursday CEca BISHOPP, Esq. son of Sir W. C. Bisnorp, Bart. was elected a Member for the Borough of Newport, Isle of Wight, vice Lord PALMERSTON, elected for Cambridge. The following, from the,East of the Mediterranean, is more recert by two days than our former advices : " SICILY. FIE. !7.—Our army is at present in a state of inac tivity, however, we expect will be shortly interrupted by the :appearance of the Fr..nch en the opposite coast. Our warfare lase is mean curious : there is not a ship or craft of any kind passes through the Straits without receiving the fire of the enemy'el batteries. Many of the shots come en shore, and it is astonish. log, red indeed Miraculous, the little injury that we suffer from them. On Sandal int one of their bails knocked off the cap of a soldier of the slat, without injuring the man. Whenever the weather permits, oar issues frsum Messina and bombards the enemy's miens en the sea coast." Otw accounts from the United States are—from Boston to the 7th, from Philadelphia to the Bth, and from New York to the 10th ult. brought by the Ad- venture packet, Captain TILLEY. They are all of an unpleasant nature. His Majesty's schooner THISTLE, which took out dispatches for America, was lost on the 6th ult. about nine leagues to the Southward of Sandyhook, during a snow-storm. Captain OGDEN, of the 56th regiment, a pameniger on board the This -71.11, carried her mail and' despatches, which were preserved, to New York on the Bth. Six of the crew perished. * . The Won-intercourse Act had been carried into effect, and acted upon most rigidly" againit England. Several vessels that had arrived from this country, had been seized—one of them ,loaded with colonial produce had been condemned and sold. • French ves sels of every description were freely admitted, priva teers were fitting out, and every thing seemed to in dicate the determination of the violent party to force on a war between the two countries. Mexican Gazettes and private letters have also been received to the 24th of January, from which we have given some interesting extracts. The John, Britten, fromiLiverpool to Ball y sh•annon, was stranded at the entrance of the Colta harbour the 29th ultimo. The Mary,'Mathews, from Swansea to Biddeford, foundered the 19th ult. in the Btitish Channel. The Revenge French privateer went into Charlston and lay alongside the Penelope, Williams, (arrived at Liverpool) three days before she sailed. The Col lectors promised to stop her 21 hours after the Pene lope's sailing. The John, Polock, from Belfast to Virginia, was abandoned at sea in January last. Two women who were on board the CHALLENGER when she was captured, arrived at Portsmouth on Friday. They state :hat only one boy, named TREE, was wounded—he died after the action ; and a man named BOYD was drowned, when the main-top-mast went over the side. The rest of the Officers and crew were all well when the women left Brat. . . THE ARKIt. A considerable number of transports have arrived at Portsmouth and Plymouth front Lisbon ; some sick and wounded Officers and men have come in them : among others, Major M'GREGOR, of Marshal BERES* FORD'S regiment, who was badly wounded. Another force will be speedily embarked for Pdt-' tugal, the infantry from Portsmouth, and the cavalry from Plymouth. We approve of active measures being taken at this time to follow up the war, and if possible to expel the French from the Peninsula. General GROSE'S regiment, the 102 d, is fast re cruiting its ssumber4 ; the head-quarters at Horsham, and it will soon again be effective for service. The Ist battalion of the 60th regiment, 1000 strong, has arrived off Cowes, and is immediately to proceed lon service. Last week, the 10th Royal Hussars, and 68th Light Infantry, were reviewed at' Lewes, by Lord CHARLES SOMERSET, previous to their going on service. Very considerable detachments go out for all the regiments in India, the Cape, and the Mauritius, by the Indiamen now under dispatch. They are expected to sail in about a week. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. MAILS. Akarvzo. DUE. ARRIVIID. DOT, 2 Dublin 1 o Malta 2 2 Waterford 1 x Guernsey 0 0 Cadiz 1 1 Jersey 0 O Lisbon .1 2 Auholt 0 O LeewLlslands 0 0 Heligoland 0 , 1 , . ••••• TORBAY, APRIL is. Last evening arrived the Sandwich lugger from off Guernsey, and sailed again this morning. This mor ning arrived his Majesty's ship LIGIITNINO, Captain DOYLE, with a ship and two brigs under convoy from Portsmouth, bound to Rio Janetrp. This afternoon, the wind being more moderate, they sailed again. PLYMOUTH, APRIL ra. A Messenger has arrived here from town, with dis patcbes for Lord NVELLINGToN. The FOXHOUND brig of war sailed with him for Lisbon. Came in the DAPIIXE frigate, with several vessels from Lisbon and Vigo ; the AMELIA frigate, with a fleet C7Gin Portsmouth, bound for Quebec; a French brig privateer, of 14 guns, prize to the DRYAD ; two transports from Cnrunna, with French prisoners and deserters ; and the Adventure packet, with Mails from INew York—one month's passage ; she also brings dispatches from our Charge d'Affaires at Washington. , ---,Wind South. PORTSMOUTH, APRIL 14. Arrived his Majesty's ships TREMENDOUS and HAWKE, from off Cherburgh.—Sailed the ETME LION, ARDENT, MANLY, and SARPEDON, With a Con voy, for the Downs. • DOVER, APRIL 14. Passed by for the Downs upwards of 200 sail of vessels from different places.—The Loccsr gun-brig has sent in a small French brig. DEAL, APRIL 14. Arrived the SAVAGE gun-brig, with a convoy from Plymouth, and are sailed for the river ; MONTAGUE man of war, with 18 sail of vessels under convoy from Gibraltar. Sailed his Majesty's ships COURAGUEX, PLavracEwrr, and la Lontv., for the Baltic. Came down from the River the Scaleby Castle, for Bombay. The Charles, CARTER, and the Sarah, CHAPLIN, men tioned yesterday to be on the Goodwin Sands, are gone to pieces ; and the Chelham Castle, NEALE, also on the Goodwin, is on her broad side, her masts gone and her decks blown up.—Wind S.W . YARMOUTH, APRIL 14. Yesterday arrived kora the Nore the ERNEST, VIXEN, and Ssitra, with convoy ; and the WRANGLER and CRACKER, from the Nore this morning. 'Phis morning sailed the SNIPE, with transports for the Island of Anholt ; the VIXEN for the Humber, to re lieve the ACUTE ; BRUIZER and BRAVDEGEREN, for Heligoland ; and ERNEST and CENSOR gun-brigs, to cruize in the Sleeve; the Ests and PATRIOT armed vessels for Sheerness.— Remain the Roebuck, Par tridge, Briseis, Porti:,, Wrangler, and Cracker gun brigs.—We have had for several days past a smart press on shore and in the Roads, by which a number of good seamen has been obtained for the ships of war. NAVAL. APPoitmtisrs.--Sir Richard King, to be Captain of the Mediterranean Fleet ; Captain Carden, to the Macedonian ; Hon. Captain Dundas, to the Achille ; Hon. Waptain Napier, to the Thames ; Hon. Captain G. Waldegrave, to the Euryalus ; Captain Searle, to the Cossack ; Lieutenant Evans, to the Hero ; Lieutenant Moriarty, to the Volcano ; Lieutenant tower, to the Thais ; Rev. Mr. Sydney, tobe Chaplain of the Ardent. The ship Tigris, which was left at St. Helena by his Majesty's ship AFRICAINE, arrived off the Isle of Wight the 12th inst. and proceeded for the Downs. PASSENGERS PLR Twins—Cornet C. Reed, his Majesty's Bth regiment Light Dragoons; Lieut.-Colonel H. Worsley, Mr. Stevenson, Rev. W. A. Keating, Mr. J. S. Williams, Mr. J. Ni cholson, Mr. J. Hay; Majors D. Macleod and J. Manse/I; Cap tain W. ingleby, his Majesty's 53d Font, Lieutenants Watson and G. Randall, Mr. Warton, Mr. Stroud, and Mrs. E. Mat- thews. The Acteon, Captain CATOR, we understand, will tail in a few days from Portsmouth, with dispatches for the Cape and the East Indies. The ARDENT, 61 guns, Captain Howevmmt, and ETHALION, Capt. E. Havwoon, sailed on Satuiday from Portsmouth for the Baltic. They will be fol lowed in 'a few days by the VICTORY and TIMMER nous. The ROYAL OAK, 74, Lord A. BEAUCLERC, will succeed the TREMENDOUS in the command off Cherbourg, from which station the latter returned on Saturday with the HAWK. Th.! ARETIIUSA frigate, Captain Corm, has made the signal at Portsmouth for convoy to the Cape of Good Hope. It is supposed she will take the 12 East-Indiarnen, which are at the Motherbank, under convoy. They are expected to be dispatched on Sa turday next. The GANGES, 74, Captain THOMAS DUNDAS, is paid off, and laid upin ordinary at Plymouth. The Felicity, bound to Liverpool, laden with wool and cotton, which sailed with the Anoo, sprung a leak on the passage; Captain WARREN took out the pas sengers and crew, and set the vessel on fire, as nothing could be done for her preservation. Her cargo was worth £elo,ooo. A Portuguese lady had very consi derable property in jewels and specie on board, which was all miraculously paved. • • . • • PLOT DISCOVERED AT LISBON . ina to the inittiortal credit of Commissary Avlmr- i I they were conducted from Valad.s, by water, with all By the GROWLER gun-brig, which arrived last the comfort and consolatian that w# and situation *seek from Lisbon, we learn that a dangerous plot could possibly give. A thottsanal more like these, I could recount. No hid been discovered, the Object of which was to burn the British shipping in the Tagus. Th e followingage—no rank—no asylum—Met respect. In one con. vent, I found three unfortunate females, 18 NM year s Cieneral Orders *ere issued in consequence , by A - miral BERKELEY : old. They Were literally naked, as cris entering the " The squadron to row guard with one boat fromeach ship world, striving to Conceal themselves tinder some every night, prepared with fire grapnels, to be in three divisions, rushes and straw. vis.—First Division, Barfieur, Casar, and Ma rs ; Secoud Divi sion, Hannibal, Dreadnaught, and Tannant ; Third Division, lm- 0 glorious happy England! how blest to be free of petueut, Zealous, Audacious, and Abercrombi e. The first divi- this!—Adieu, for the present, &c. &c. sion to take the guard from sun-set till ten o'clock ; second division from ten till two in the morning ; and the third division from two till sun-rise;—to change eery night, and always to keep a-head of the ships, according to the tide; as intelligence has been re ceived of an attempt to be made by the enemy's emissaries, to burn the ships and transports in the Tagus. Beats or vessels adrift after sun -set, to be examined most strictly. (Sighed) '` Gri. CaANTICLO BZIKILLY:' By a later arrival (the Walsingham packet) we .have heard that a party of American sailors had lent themselves to this diabolical plot, and that the Ame. rican shipping in the Tagus had, in coti§equence, been ordered to anchm at a greater distance from ours. The Comet, Captain MUDDLR, arrived at Ports. mouth from GI I; n Friday, with a convoy.— They sailed on the 10th ult. The Bulwark, Con queror. Topaze, Richmond, Devastation, Wizard, and Entreprenante, were lying there. The Maryi. Dick, Wellington, Polly, and Mary, transports ; Os prey and Lord Duncan, merchant ships, arrived with the Comet. The remainder of the convoy ate gone to the River. The Monarch, Co'worth, and Willieiri, transports, arrived at Portsmouth on Saturday, under cr.mvoy Of Lieutenant W. PEE, from Malta, and Gibraltar.-- They parted from the Montague, 74, Captain Mow.: BRAY, off the Isle of Wight, which ship is gone on tti the Downs, with upwards of 60 sail. These mat potts have on board some invalids and discharged. men from the army at Malta and Gibraltar. The convoy sailed. from Malta bit the .sth of March, in charge of l'Aigle ; and from Gibraltar, under the Montague, on the 19th. 'A transport, with French prisoners, is missing, hiving parted in a gale..--Pas. . , sengers by the Montague are, Capts. Nen at, WouPs, and STUART, R. N. ; Mr. TRACY, late Purser of the Bulwark ; DT.CAIRD, besides several other officers. Sir THOMAS Lotns has succeeded Captain Womt in the command of l'Aigle. Passengers in the trans.'. I ports are, Captain CALTI/ORP, 10th regiment ; eapt. SUM, 97th ; Lieut. ROBINSON, 62d; Lietit. Dauay, Artillery ; Drs. Hut; and LAWS ; ATKIN. and JOHNSON, R. N. ; Mr. MAC ILRAITH,Atent. Vic tualler ; Mrs. MACKENZIE and family. . LISBON, MARCH so. Lord Wellington's head-quarters is at Celorico his advance towards Almeida. His divisions have captured above 3000, some arrived, and the rest pro ceeding for this place ; and I must say, I never saw finer men than they are generally. But the rear of a retreating army are always the best troops. General Silveira and company have behaved nobly, and prov ed of infinite assistance in turning Massena's progress from Coimbra, His advance under Colonel Wilson, have been on the alert, and every other body of men. Silveira has taken some advanced baggage, and sent in a peat number of prisoners. Under all these points of success, our hopes mount high, and the ridding of the French from Portugal is confidently looked up to. A great portion of transpOrts, and some men 9f war, are preparing to sail for England under these accumu lated successes, as being no longer wanted here. Our markets have had great supplies, yet we groan under dearness; and poultry becomes like gold, scarce ly procurable. Our troops in general are healthy, our hospitals thinly manned, and were the weather less changeable, we should be more contented. This morning, at five o'clock, we had a smart shock of an earthquake, but I have experienced several more severe. To revert back to the sudden movement of the French. I had been for weeks in view of Santarem, and saw at last with pleasure some indications of their abandoning it. The first was setting tire to one of the principal convents in the upper town and part of the lower town ; the volume of smoke was immense for three days. On the fourth morning, some infor mation to depend on reached us, and the bugle of attack roused us from our pillows. Tue haze of the morning clearing up, we could easily perceive the out-sentinels were men of straw, and proved quite passive. In fact, a better managed retreat was never executed. Not a vestige of a dollar's worth remained. Being at the outposts with the 14th Dragoons and Ist Royals, I entered with them ; and three miserable deserters, who had hid themselves, were, with one too ill to move, the only enemy to be found. Such a scene of horror, misery, and desolation, scarce ever saluted the eye of man. Smoking ruins, t the accumulated filth of months, horses and human bodies putrid to suffocation nearly, caused to many a vomiting.! The houses unburat, with scarcely a ves tige of wood—doors, windows, cielings, roof burnt— and where the sick had expired there left to decay! The number left was great. Every church demolished, the tombs opened for searching after bidden plate : —every alter-piece universally destroyed, and the effluvia so offensive as to defy describing I In some gardens the miserable heads, undecayed, stuck up like scarecrows; in some wells, a body floating. Down a precipice, to which we were invited by prospect to look the human and the animal carcases, mingled in decay, repulsed our senses, and shudderingly vibrated the soul at the savage, hsrrible, diabolical acts of a French army. I must here notice one grand precaution: the hospital was guarded immediately from entrance ; and 1 be lieve no serious illness proceeded from the abominable situation in which the FrenCh left it. From this place, a short rest obtained, we rode on, pressing upon them by the goodness of our cattle, and the animation of our men, who were delighted - to chase the runaways. Greater spirits, better discipline , and more order, never attended an army than this. The ]'tench, to confuse our plans, had marched ih three columns from San tarem. Two were immediately followed; but no mode or means were sufficient to bring them to battle. Skir mishing was continued, and prisoners continually sent to the rear, until we coached Pombal, where Massena seeing himself so closely run, halted ' • and by pos i tion kept us in check, until h i s baggage L ad advanced fur ther in security. We were here all ready for attack, and waited for the morning ; but the French politely withdrew in the night, and we complimented them with our attendance on the following day. Or. the Ceira river, we had another facing, but atter some hard fighting our dragoons got to their rear, and they surrendered, nearly the whole regiment. These I had to escort, and saw little more of figiiting. But to see the country, is to weep for the horrors of war. Such horrid excesses I never saw before.— Every town, village, or cottage destroyed. The grow. ing nursery and the wild grove, each havocked for destruction-sake. The pot that refined the oil broken ; the wine-press burnt, fcr burning's sake ; the grape vines destroyed, as noxious weeds ; the furniture un burnt, thrown from the windows, and, with car. riages, &c. made a bonfire of; the large libraries strewed over the land in remnants of paper ; the no ble convent in ashes, and the poor, unhappy, aged in-' habitants, unable to flee, hung around as ornament ing the walls—ten, twelve in a place. To hear the semblance of a female, was to be tortured ; to be an infant, to be a sacrifice. One circumstance, almost beyond credibility to be committed by human beings in the heart of Europe, and the nineteenth century t —A convent of eleven nuns , wi t h two p riests, were, escaping in a boat ; unhappily they were too late ; \ and overtaken near Villa I ranca, the priests wet e one shot and one drowned. One only of the nuns was 1 young ; —she was instantly violated, as well us the rest; and the old age of 65, was no defence against these savages. These very nuns were thus treated \ ' successively by numbers, and confine d u ntil disease Wade them loathsome to the hell-hounds themselves. I When a flag of truce introduced them to us, the sight was most shocking. Every one tried to comfort their, _ , The ships at Malta, on the 10th tilt. were F.agle,. Victorious, Alceste (goin:y, to Messina, with money for the troops) Trident, Weazle, Pau Crocus, Theodosia, Spartan, Riughty, and four brigs which had been purchased into the service, to be corm:tan- . manded by Lieutenants. The Diadem, Captain /*mutate= ; Leyden, Cap tain CHETHAM ; Melpomene, Hon. Capt.W.WAtng- GRAVE; Latona, Captain SOTHEBY ; and the Brune (armee en flute), Honourable Captain Dociatas, have returned to the Tagus, from Sicily. They went for the purpose of bringing a reinforcement of four rcgi menu tar Lord WiLLINGTON; but Sir JOHN S.TUARi could not think such a reduction of his force consis tent with the safety of the island. It was said, like wise, that Sir Jonw-had made arrangements with tl view to attack Corfu witk a part of his force. The Seahorse, Captain Jo:IN ST!WART, 'MS to sail from Messina for England at the latter end of this last month. The ARGO, arrived at Portsmouth, has brought 16 transports from Lisbon, having 120 army invalids on board. They sailed on the 18th ult. The DAPHNE, Captain PIPON, sailed on the 28th ult. They, conse quently, bring no news. The ST. FIORENZO and VES TAL had sailed for Oporto, to protect the inhabitants, in the event of its being the intention of the enemy to fall upon that city. The 2,000 men of the Ger man Legion (light brigade), under Baron ALTER, and IColonelli ' aucErr, arrived in the Tagus on the 20th ultimo. A letter from Lisbon, dated the 81st last, says :- " The. Jasper, Captain HUNLOKE, waits the official dispatches from Lord- WELLINGTON..--BORKE, this officer who deserted to the enemy, is taken, and lodged el in Belem Castle.-The squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir TuoatasWttaaams leaves the Tagus in a few days for England, consisting ofthe Hannibal,preadnought, Caesar, Mars, and Tonntant.. The latter ship will take dispatches in Portsmouth, the four former go to Ply mouth. We shall then have five sail of the line on this station, viz. Barfleur, Audacious, Abercrombie, Zealous, and Impetneux. A Court-Martial was held on the Lieutenant of the Shamrock, and he was ad monished for the loss of that vessel." The battalions of Royal Marines, under Majors WILLIAMS and ARBUTHNOT, are rendering the most essential services in the forts on the Tepid,. The 87th regiment have given up the duty of Belem and Saint Julian entirely to themi . They have been rendered every way equal to troops of the line; and are ready to take the field at a moment's notice. One.huisdred horn earls of the ships of the line in the Tagus occa. • ' sionally join them in their martial manoeuvres: Lieu. tenant PAN'I ON has been appointed their Adjutant.-- Thirteeii batteries, of considerable strength, are cosn pleting on the South side of the Tagus. CORN MARKET, MARK-LANE, APRIL 15 -The f.eAt arrivals if Wheat today make a considerable supply, and the trade heavy sa4, at a reduction of about 2s. per quarter-Barley in short supply, and again dearer-Malt and White Peas dull sale at little variation-Beans of the two kinds likewise--;the supplies of Oats are very large,- part of last week's arrivals, upwards of 22,000 quarters, and second iwith inferior qualities are /quoted cheaper-Flour at last week's prices. GENERAL CURRENCY Al UNDER. Wheat, an. 754 565. Beans (old), 48*. 545. Fine dine, 88s. ass. 'lick dins (old), 42*. Os. • Rye (new), 355. 40s. . Oats, 111 s. 225. 265. Barley, 30s. 406.0 d. Poland did*, 475. Mb. ed. Malt,' 645. 725. • ' Potato, ditto, 5005. SO.. White Peas (boilers), 421. 481. Rape Seed, 146, X6O. Grey ditto, 361. 425. Foe Flour, 755. to ans.-Seconds. ICI. to 755. FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE, April 13. Average Price of Corn in England and Wales trona the Warne e mr n d h i e n a g t the 6 1 t:s „ cif Oats. Beans. posse. s. d. s. d. Is. d. Is.d.ls.d. 1 s. d. sit o I •sa 10 1 37 2 126 2 143 3 ( 50 0 The average Pvt.: Su g ar, computed from the returns made In the weak Gatlin the 10th -lay M Ain! is 425. 21d. per Mt. CANTERBURY STOCK MARKET, Amu. s. Beef, 'Ss. Od. to 14s. ocl. per scone. Mutton, Ss. Bd. to ee. Od. per atone. ()tree, MARKET, Aram 6.-The second best vital of a bushel of wheat was Ils. 9d, according to which price, and a due allowance made to the baker, the anise and price of bread are. as lollow,vis. the peck loaf household, to weigh 17b. atm 01.104 the half - pest 11d. and , the smaller itt proportion. - ;