Star. — London, England, 1801-03-07 00:00:00

i . r 7 .7 E. A:LN.::•;::1( c. MAkINE. t.; D7!IF,;!. COONSFLLOR OF YrATF, TO Cli :lINISTLIt O THE lii:Ni. C tpc de o.it:a, the or grain, r".". Ci-ri- t'N MI% ts.me,—.A we have been met on on: way by a great number of neutral veißls ; as ,: were obliged, by circumliances, to enter the and to pals the port of Gibraltar in the day-t:m.; and as our preience in there fens can thas no longer be kept a, keret, I think it right to tranfmit you intcliii,:;ence concerning the looadron, and to give you an account . cf our voyage to the precent date. Having ioed from Brea on the evening of the 3d, with a bard !..ale at North, vc e were daring the night in the \"roife, the wind blowing a hur-" ricane. To fpite of the precautions I had taken to rrvei:t f l azatirm, ;t was quite imptdhiblc for us to keep n-Tether. I had made the lquadron ! in (:1 der of battle, a head. The thips were to remaia very near each other, for the purpoile of fighting with advantage it' we should meet the enemy. The night, however, was ex tremely dark, and fqualls -fucceeded each other without interruption, arid with fuels violence that the (hips having been almoft all damaged, no one was in a condition to follow me, or to preferve or der. The Formidably. who was behind had her three top-malls carried away by the violence of the Wind nearly oppollte Point St. Matthew. The Dix:Abut/ was obliged to veer about and carry affillanee to the, lugger the Ba tour, who having been (truck by an inimerife wave was upon the point of going down. The Conftitution lii;ewife, after doubling Point St. Matthew, had loft her main.top-maft. In tine, all.thefe chips fcparated, anal dropped after'. Af ter having waited for them upwards of two hours without making any fail, and not one of them heaving in fight, I purfued my intended courfe. At clay-break I found myfelf in company only of the frigate the Creole : the weather continued boifterous ; the Indivifible loft her main top-matt at ten in the morning. Dining the night we ob. ferved the lights of the enemy's division, which we knew was Rationed to the South of the Saints ; in the courfe of the day we were not dill - covered by any veal whatfoever. Hoping to fall in with the fhips which had part ed company at the place of rendezvous, I was eager to get thither, and made all the fail I poi: fibly could. Till we reached this - point our voy age offers nothing at all interelling :—we had fried fome neutrals who gave us no information, and we had not feen the fhadaw of an enemy's fhip, either a fhip of war or a merchant fhip. On the 9th we were exactly at the rendezvous I had fixed upon for the fouadron. A corvette was defcricd to windward of us ; fhe made fignals to us which led me to believe her an enemy ; we chafed her the whole day, and it was not without the utmoft Jifficulty.that we fucceeded in coming up with her about nine at night. We immediately took pot ieffion of her, and found her to be the King of England's fhip, the INCENDIARY, of 28 guns, of different descriptions, dilpatched lions Gibraltar by Admiral WARREN to watch our mo tions. We confidered this prize as a rood omen. • The day after we came up with the Formidable, who, like ourfelves, had met with nothing interefting on her paffage, and on the r tth, all the reit of the squadron joined company with ur. Capt. MAN. ceLou, of the Indomptable, had colle4ted them 211 on the 4th and gth. I was then informed of the damage the (hips had fuftaincd, and which, with the dreadful weather we met with the night we failed, was the Cole cattle of our feparation. The Commander informed me that had been obferved various times by the enemy's frigates, that he bad not ventured to give chase. not wilh ing to delay an inftant in repairing to the place of rendezvous which I had pointed out to hint, brit that being oppofite Cape Finifterre, during the night, and having Pent out the frigate the Bra. voure to reconnoitre fame veffels which were par ting his divifion, this frigate having engaged at too great a diftance from the Cquadron, had fought an ireion with an Englira frigate. The Bravoure had attacked the Engblh frigate within piftol (hot, who had lain to to receive her. It appeared that our frigate was inferior in arength, and that the guns of the enemy were tB. pounders. Neverthe lefs, after a clufe ::jiion for half an hour, the Log lifhman, after having avoided boarding, which Capt. DORN. Llt4 had attempted, firmed off, and made away with crouded fails. Capt. Doer:must being already at too great a diftance from his divi- Bon, could nut purfuc her, and he manccusered to rejoin his Commander. If the hoarding which the Bravoure attempted had fuceecCed, it ifli.cars almott certain that the enemy's frigate would have been taken, for, ac cording to the reports which have been made to nrc, oar rad broacifide did her a great deal of da mage. Xothiag was heard on board her but cries and wnans, but unfortunate !y in trying to board, the Bravourz had all her fails ;:haft pit wit of or der, the rigging . being aril Coe malcr, and =after's mate, silted at t fame inftan!. Thus a tcrapirary confuriou pref.:n:3:d to the enemy a favourable oceafion to {Aar. The Bravoure loft . ?•t tii;s en:zagement Irzn men, among whom was Cit:zen Ko?o4, a ni:,:Aitipinia. Twenty-four were wounded, el whom C•ipt.lloa- EFE iv, who had the half of his right band cartird away by a f t •linter, mikes one. Ci titen Minifi.ir t this Antir does the Captain too much honour for Mr! :1,1: to recommend hi m to v,,11: nur ; lon of a mall extremely de lei tug in 4;107 1 Ivy, n.fp:;:ted and db.:clued by all feafaing of a General Officer, who during !.• coarfe of the war, has never cealed to 1 .; t. ..hat as much dittindion as modelly, Citizen 3.:oxi seta has evens claim to your patrol-Iga : ronferrin,-; upon biro t;:e rank itf Nit (7aptain, 'loch I demand f at once re ,- - • S a.:e o•• e -11 reward :;:!" v ... , .;,... It is with infinite fatisfaCtion, Citizeti Minifter, that I conclude by informing you of the fpirit whiLlt in the fquadron. Emulation, zeal, ardour, without hounds, ate common to all the Captains, and there isinot one of them upon whore talents the General cannot rely with the moll en• tire contidencz. Health and refpe&, (Signed) GANTH EAIII4E. On the zift General GANT l EAUM E captured the SPRIG :111.1i, of 14 guns, difpatched by Admiral 1 , ,:r IT H. _ _ On the 24th, at day-break, an Engin frigate fecmed to eye us with great confidence• The Rear-Admiral ordered a gcncral chafe; the was come up with and taken. She turned out to be the SUCCESS, Of 40 guns. MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. [The: two men, which we now infert, (hon!d have been puhlifhcd with thole inferted in No. 156. They come in be• tweua the htterA of Cititen Otto, of the 3oth January, and that of the Miiiittcr for Foreign Ati.airs, which cranfrnica the order of recall THE COMMISSIONER OF TUE FRENCH REPUBLIC IN ENGLAND TO CITIZEN TALLETRAND, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS. London, February 3. Citizen Minifter—The violent determin ation taken by the Britilh Government againll the French . fishermen may be attributed to feveral caufes ; the apprehenfions with which the preparations of our fquadron at Erea intpire it, the anger which it feels at the Northern Confederacy, • and the repugnance. with which it finds itfelf obliged to clothe the French prifoners. While waiting for the orders of my Government, I thought 7t my duty to proteft againll a meafure, fo much the more unjuft, as it is not founded upon any known fart, and as it ap pears to have been put in execution before our fifh ermen had been apprifed of the new perfecution ordered againfl them. I join to this a copy of my letter to the Commillioners charged with the ex change of prifoners. I have ohierved particularly upon the flownefs with which thefe new orders have been communicated to me, as if it were.wifh ed to afford the Englifh cruizers time to take our.] fifhennen before they were informed of the danger that threatened them. This gratuitous holiday ag.iina peaceful men will not fail to be appeetiat ed, even in England, when the public fhall.he in formed of it. In France it mull produce the effed which is feared here—it mull really give Bailors to the national mai ine. The neutrality of the fifher men was reciprocal—the French Government had, therefore, a , : much right as the Britifh Miniary to complain of the preffing and employing of the 01- ing boats for the provifioning of the military pmts. Not only it has not done fo, hut, upon a mere re prefentation relative to the arming of fome French Hang boats at Flufhirg, it gave immediate orders that they fhould be employed only for their origi. nal deflination. It thence refults, that, far from complaining of the hoftile ufe made of Englifh fifh ermen, we have, on our fide, pufhed our fcrupulouf. nefs fo far as not even to arm the veils built for fifliing. The contrail mull be remarked • it cha raclerifes the fpirit and the difpo fi tions o f two Governments. (Signed) OTTO. COPY OF THE LETTER OF CITIZESI OTTO, TO THY TRANSPORT OFFICE, DATED SONDONIi FEIS. 2. Sirs—l have received the letter which you have done me the honour to addrefs to me, of the 21ft of this month, to communicate to me that of the Right Hon. Mr. Dow DAS, by which the Secretary of State announces to the Lords of the Admiralty the refolntion of Government to authorife anew the practice of privateering and cruizing againft French &Mermen, and its intention to recall thoti: who bad been fent home on their parole. Con. • formably with your defire, I hate not loft a mo ment to communicate this information to my Go vernment. In waiting for its orders, I confine myfeif to a few obfervations which naturally pro fent themfelves upon reading the paper which you have addreffed to me. After having declared that, from various reports,the bats of which is abfolute ly unknown, the French Government had;" abufed the indulgence &ranted to fifhermen ' Mr. DUNDAS adds that there is every reafon to fear that the French fithermen and their voile's are now put in requitition to arm the Breft fleet, and that even the fithermen fent back on their parole, are alfo , put in requilition."-t—l mull be equally furprifed and pained to fee a mere apprehenfion placed in- Itead of a proof. It is, however, upon this appre henfion, that is founded a sneafure holt& to the peaceable clafs of fithermen, molt of them old men, invalids, orchildren, and confequently incapable of hurting the enemies of their country. I (hould thick that, to jullify an aggreflion contrary to a formal convention and the ordinary ufages of war, fomething more would be ncceffary than con jeaurcs. But even admitting that the apprehen. limo of the Britifk Miniftry were founded, and that they could authorife muicipated reprifals, the rigorous treatment with which all fifhermen are menaced, will not reach fuch of them as could have been hotlile to England ; for the fifhermen who may he taken in crmfequence of the new or• ders given by the Admiralty, are not certainly thole who are fuppofed in requifition—they are men echo, from the limplicity of their manners and incluftrious habits, cannot give any umbrage, but the unjud perfecution 'of whom will excite upon the whole coati the livelieft fenfation. It is upon there unfortunate men that will fall anew all the weight of a war in which they have taken no part. W.:re it °them ife, and were thefe men really ditpoled and capable of beating arms, the iatililities ordained againil them would be precife ly the mean. of inert.' fing the number of the fail ors of the Drell fleet, farce, being unable to con ti,me their tithing, they would be obliged to re turn to pm, where they Weald End employment and bread. The rigorous determination of the itifh Goverunient would be lets fdrpriting, if it were founded upon politive liciailtties on the part of the fithermen, or upon a refufal of juftice on the part of the French Government. But it is ronfolatriry to me to remark, that, &ace the ar rangement r..-ttle in May fat:, you have communi cated to me but one foiitary complaint, Rating, thrt fame fithing ve,ich had born fitted out as fire :hips at }loti.ntz. l i.o. compl lint (indirafiy conneited with this dircuilion, as the quell; on did, not relate to fishermen,_ but only to their veffels) was immediately redrefred. I had the honour to write to you on the 7th Vendenaiaire (29th Sept.) t* that without ftanding upon the inconteftible right which a Power has to difpore of its velfels at pleafure, the Firft Conful yielding, upon that oc cation, to the defire of avoiding every thing that might prove injurious to an arrangement which he withed religtoufly to obfcrve, had given orders to rtflore thea flitting veffels to their original dclii nation." The convention relating to the neutrali ty of the fiihcrmen bein ,, reciprocal, would be equally juftified in exprefling its apprchenfions with refpe& to the employment of the Englifh fifhermen. Itmight fear,witlifome foundation,that tilde men are liable to be prelled, that they have been fent to Portfmouth or Plymouth, where their velrels have fervcd for the purpofe of carrying mili tary ftorcs and provifions into there ports, and for the fame ,reafon it might have ordered the feizure of their perfhns and property. The dcklrine of treating as enemies thofe who might become fuch would be as new as it would be dangerous. It would fo confound the public code of nations that all *confidence would be banifhed for ever from their inntual relations. More natural equity op ,pofes itfelf to the punithment of a man for what he might do. Thole who have fubmitted to your Government the reports on which its late deter tnination is founded cannot therefore have any other view but to add to the numerous filbjeCts of irritation which a protralted war has produced be tween two Nations, and to multiply the obftacles which oppofe themfelves to a reconciliation in ex-' afperating a poor but numerous daft of inhabi tants of the coaft. I mull further obfcrve, Gen tlemen, that the letter of Mr. Dumas, of the 2 t of January, was not tranfmitted to me until the Both, and that the communications which you have prayed me to make in confequence of that letter, will be very much fubfequent to the orders which appear to have been given to feize the Hi ermen. If the delay has had for its °Bic& to al low the Britilh cruizers time to eiectite the mea- Cures of Government, before they who are the ob jed of them could be apprized, I proteit,folemn ly, againft a violation fo manifeft, of the arrange ment made between us touching the neutrality of Mermen, and reciprocally obferved up to the pre fent day ; and, I fhall earneflly claim the :vibra tion of all thole who (hall have been taken before the refolution of the Britifh Government for ezer citing hoflilities againft Mermen !hall have been known on the coafts of France. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) OTTO. PARIS, FEBRUARY 37. The following Letter was addreffed to the hfi nifter of Finance by the Firft Conful Paris, February kg. I am deeply (enable, Citizen Mbrifter, of the lofs which we have juit futtained in the Cuutifcllor of State Derchic, Direc tor of the,Public Treafury of the precifion, regularity, and (brie. probity which fo eminently diftinguillsed his condiuft we frill flood in tome need,—The public &cern is the reward of tried, upright men. I feel tome confolation in obftvving that, even from the diftance of another life, he is not infenfible to the forrowful regrets with which we are imprrifed. It is my wiOs that his Bull should be placed in the Hall of tbeTreaftuy. I falute you molt kindly, (Signed) lIONAPAR:I4. MAI.CI4 2. A report from General FAANCPUII to the Mi nifter of War, confirms the news of the entry of the French iato Mantua, where they found im menfe ftores a all kinds. They confill of the following :-260 pieces of cannon; 669,000 weight of powder ; 11,671 magnets, carbines, Bce. ; 2,210,000 cartridges, - together "with greet quantities of bombs, bullets, &c. The chief command of Mantua:has been con ferred upon General Mott is. General - of Bri gade Mat►ui. has the command of tilt fort and citadel under him. Orders were received at Strabargh on the 24th ult. to demolifh the fortrefs of Kehl, and the de molition was aaually commenced on the a6rh. M. az Touz♦ has been difpatched from 1.4(b0n by the Portuguefe Government, as Ambaffador to the Confulate. They write from Naples, that the King of Sar dinia had embarked ill that port for Paleimo. , Accounts h4ve beenreceived from St. Domingo, that the river Artibonite had overflowed and in undated the Plain of St. Mc. About i4OO per tons perifhed in this dreadful inundation, which had totally deftroyed feveral plantations. The Moniteur of the tit February has publifhed a letter from Conitantinople of the.zoth of Janua ry, of which the following abftraft may give room to intercfting conjeftures. After alluding to the accounts of the arrival of Lord Keith at Rhodes, and to the reports of three French fri ', ts ates having entered Alexandria with provifions and military Flores, the writer proceeds to make the following remarks:—." If - the French have fucceeded in throwing fuccours into Egypt, it will be impolfible for the Englifh to fucceed in their at tempt, whatever may be the force which they are employing againft Egypt. And indeed unlefs a fpirit of difunion and difcontent gets among the French, the Eparilli muff meet with a rude recep tion, nor thall they able to difentangle themtclves from their fitunion ; and even fhoul& there Cue cours not have reached the French army in Egypt, they fill, however, (if they are apprifed of th e point of difembarkation, of which there is little doubt) make it very doubtful whether the Englifli can maintain their pofition. in that country, and- that doubt muff turn on the more or lets diftant point from the centre of the French army atwhich the Englith may effea a difembarkation. For their first foccefres upon the waft will not be fuffi cient to diflodge the French from ' that country. This'bufincfs, if (itch be the difpofition of the French, and if they do not concert among them-. (elves an attempt at a fpeedy return to France, may be long and fanguinary. 1 , Such is the broken and difpirited Rate of the Grand Vizier's army, that he cannot afemble so,coc, and thefe would fcarcely make a Randal the very Gift aftion. The French have a campat Cairo of ten thoufand chofen men ; at a (nail dif tance fi , in •thence is eftablithed a camp of the Gr.eks aial Copths nearly to the fame amount, and ready to repair to the point that May be at tacked. There are adequate garrifons at Alexan dria, Aboukir, Rofetta, Damietta, and SA lahich. Every point is guarded by a fele& corps of three thoufand French and three thoufand Greeks. And the French Generals are ultimately perfuadcd that thefe corps arc fuflicient to make head againft the Grand Vizier,. !boald he attempt to interfere in die pafrage of the Delayt,--Befides, new corps of the inhabitants arc daily forming, Who fhud der at the idea of falling again under the domi niotr of tie Turks, and who are ready to make every exertion to rercue themfelvcs from it. The Soldier in Egypt is well clothed and well fed. Of thefe details there c.tn be no doubt. It is fuppofed that the Englith cannot Orem. ble more th.tn t s,oca men on their difembarka. Lion ; and it is generally believed that to,oce; French are more than fuflicient to repulfe them. efpecially thould they fucceed in effeSing a landing. " This refult muff naturally be expetleci by thole who ate acquainted with the unwillingncts or inertnefs of the Turks to co-operate in then at tempts. There attempts at Conflantinople are looked upon as regarding more the interefts of China than thole of the Ottoman Empire. The preparations of the Turkilh fquadron arc confe qtiently languid, and the Captain Pacha pretend.% indifpofition, in order to excufe his inaSivity. In this he does no more than execute the wilhes of his Court. But, while the Ottoman Porte abftains from furnifhing offenlive means, they, however furniffi the Englifit with visuals and wine. A. Mr. B has (et out to join Sir Sumer Swim ; but he entertains no hopes whatever of the fucecfs of the Englifit ; on all thefe proceed ings we do not pretend to deliver a pofitive opi. nion. There is room, however, to fufpeet that Ruilia is endeavouring to fruftrate the attemptsof the Englifh, by infinuating to the Turks that the Cabinet of Peterlbitrgh will intercede with the French in their favour ; and in thus doing, th . z.. Ruffians would only do what the French have done refpating the occupation of the Crimea. So ItPange indeed is the polturc of affairs, that we fhould not be furprized at feeing RuLlla decidedly reprobate the meafurcs of England with repel to Turkey, and require of her faithful Ally, the Grand Seignior, to declare himfelf againft Eng land." PARLIAMENTARY. PROCeEDIN GS. HOPSE OF LORDS, FRIDAY, MARCH 6. The Marquis of Doan; soma took the oaths and his feat. Lord Mows prefented feveral Petitions from In. folvent Debtors at Edinburgh and other places. Lord AUCKLAND raid, there was a Petition be fore the HouteTrom a Mrs. Addifon, praying for a Bill of Divorce againft her hulband. It was a molt aggravated cafe. He wilhed the Bill might be brought in; and he would call the attention of the Houle to the fubjea on that day fe'nnight, for which day be moved that the Lords be fummoned. Ordered. Lord WALSINGHAN mov ed, that the Honfe do adjourn till Monday next. Lord DAitaLsy fain, he conceived that in the prefentßate of the Country, it was highly necef fary for the Houfe to fit tvery day ; it was alto confiftent with decorum, which was the duty of every man to obferve at this time. Lord FITZWILLI Am - declared hindelf of the Lurie opinion, and feconded the motion. t . The LORD CHANCELLOR Paid, that for his own part he had no fort a objelltion to come down to that Houfe to-morrow ; but he mutt obferve, that there was no bufinefs before the Houfe ; that it was very unnfual for the Honfe to meet on a Sa turday, nnlefs there was tome urgent bufinefs to be gone through—it could, therefore, anfwer no purpofc whatever for the Houfe to fit ; but, ca the contrary, it n'ot;ld have the cited of creat ing an improper and unnec;:fary degree ofagitatioa in the public mind. Lcrd MOIRA thought it would not create more agitation than was likely to take place in conic quence of the prefent difeullion. During the pre fent Milan= of affairs on the Continent, and while the Benches of that Honfe remained without one rcfponfible Minifter, it was the Duty of Parlia ment to exert the utmost vigilance, and to attend every day in the week, wbe*T there was bufinefs to be done or not. It was not for him or a 4 other Lord why that there vizi no bufinefs to be done on any particular day; perhaps, if the Houle fhould meet to-morrow, tome Noble Lord would have a motion to make ; perhaps befoit that time fornething might occur which would render mo tion need:try, or at lean make it necefary *the Houfe to be fitting.—For thefe reafons, he woul4 fupport the motion of his Noble Friend. LOrd Minolta y E replied, that no perfon could funpofb the poffibility of any motion being add to-morrow; for it was well known that there wee harePy ever an initanee' of an important motio n g being made without a previous notice knot g ive n . I Lord CA IIIIARVOW and Lord Romney tapportcd the monad for adjourning till, to-morrow. " Lord Aocit La en did not fee the leaf} necelfitT for fuch an unprecedented proceeding. Nothing that occurred on the Continent, nor even the do metric fituation -of the Country, required it.. But what would be the cOnfequence of their Lorelfhipe coming , down there to.morrow, without haviac any buli ' nell to do The Rare and gaze of our ofity would be ezercifed, mid it would be afkeel, whether namethins extraordinary had not iancar red, to bring their Lordships down when no haft" nets was to be done ? • - • • Lord DARNLEY (aid, that as he perceived the fenfe of the Houk was againa' his motion, he - would not prefs h.—Adjourned to Monday 7 • HOUSE 07 COMMON. • Leave of *Vence Iva: granted, for a limited time. to Lord Grer, Mr. Bcrlley, and Mr. Brook. Mr. Breit raid, %/At a Noble Friend of his, who had accepted the office of Secretary affitate, cow ceived it would be difrelpeafia to the Houk to re fume his (cat, it.havaig been to Red that, hr his accertancu of that lunation, bead, =MPS%