Star. — London, England, 1805-04-01 00:00:00

NAUTICAL INTELLIGENNIL MAILS THIS L W. AIM DEM. All. DM Dublin • s t Hunburglt o Waterford a i Gotteobargla t Lam o t PENZANCE. Malmo 27.—Since my laft the galliot Lubecfice Burger, Humes-ram, failed for Port a- Port ; the Nancy, Hayti, for London ; the Dol phin, Casty, and the Trevor, isettannas, for ditto ; the Chriflian, CLAI aeand the Starry, Fan, for Portf mouth ; the Mariner, Banks, for Plymouth ; and the Goodfon, BLACKIIOOI. for Southampton. The Nor way brig Venus, BLOOM, of and from Longfound, is jot arrived at this port with timber, and the 'oda. try, (Ivor, from Liverpool fur Plymouth. FALMOUTH, MARCO 29.—Arrived on Wcdnefday Tall the Leicefter packet, Capt.BeLL, with mails from New York, after a paffage of 3o days : prior to her failing the Eliza packet, which carried out the mails from England, was condemned at New York, as not being fea-worthy. Arrived alfo yefterday and this day, feveral coafters from Wales. This day arrived the 4.mafted (hip Tranfit. Capt. LisTots, from Lon don, to wait convoy for Smyrna; his Majefty's brig GANN sr, of *8 guns, Capt. Bass, from a cruise, and the American fhip Magiftrate. Capt. kfiCosa`, from New York, 39 (fps paffage, with flour fora marker. Sailed his Majelly's brig Catottna, of 14 guns, en a cruise, and the Britannia, Finny, for Sunderland. Pallid this port yefterday for Plymouth, the Swedilk brig Sophia Beata, /talisman, with wine and fruit, from Barcelona for Plymouth. The Packet with the mail from Jamaica is daily expeded.—Wind S.S.W. PLYMOUTH, MaacH 30.—Came in the Perfeve ranee, of and for Cork, from Brinell, laden with various merchandise ; the 'was captured on the 23d init. near Milford, by the Confiance fchooner French privateer; of fourteen 36-pounder carronades, and 65 pen, and was retaken the asth following by the Ds cam, of 36 guns; the Deus Freres French lugger, from the Isle de Rhe, in ballaft, taken by the Ni La lugger, of 14 guns ; the Swedifh galliafs Themitio cles, Capt. MORIN, from Terravichia, laden with fait, for Stockholm ; the Swedifh brig Sophia Beata, Capt. Asuman, from Barcelona, with brandy and fruit; the Roans, of and for London, Capt. Placa, from Surinam : the parted company from the IMO. caws, of 18 guns, and the fleet, tke 12th of March, in lat. 41. as. ; the French gun-boat No. 450, of two guns, and is men, taken by the Status, of 36 guns, ATALANTA, of 18, and GaowLea, of 14; they have captured another, which is not yet arrived— they were taken off the Penmarks, and formed part of a fleet of eight fail—the others were driven Aare; the Framling, Captain Lanolin*, from Terragona and Malaga. with wine for aottenbur g ; the Nay risers, of 18 guns, from a cruise—the has captur ed the Spani(h fhip Camilla, from Montevideo, laden with hides—not yet arrived ; a large Spaniel ship from Montevideo, laden with hides, captured by the Young Rofcius privateer, of London, Cap• tam M'Nsat.a. The Morrillon, of to guns ; and the Endeavour, of to guns, from the Wellward, with a fleet of 35 fail under convoy. The Ram bler, of sa guns, from the Channel fleet, with &patches from Admiral COTTON it appears that the French fleet are in Cainaret Bay, and are 33 fail of the line. It is laid that Admiral Corrom has fent in for a reinforcement, and that the HISARNIA, of Tao guns, will fail this evening. Admiral GAILMIsa's flat was hoified this morning. PORTSMOUTH, MARCH 31.—Arrived his hfajefty's Ihip VIGILANT, and the RANOIR, from Gnernfey.— The DRAGON; grits, and PLANTAGINST men of war, are all getting unmoored to go to lea, as there is a report of the French fleet being out. Wind S.E. with rain. DIAL; MARCH 3 t .—Arrived the Prevoyante fore fhip, with a convoy, from Plymouth, which are failed for the River, with the Thames, Brno's, from New Providence. The Pa avor•or I,with the CHICHIRTIR man of war, have failed for Sheernefs.—Came down from the River the Metcalf, bound to India. Arrived the RAILLIOR sloop of war, Bursa and Klotz gun brigs, from off the French Coat, and remain its .the Downs with the ref of the !hips as per lat. GRISHOCIC, MARCH 29.—The Ardent, CAOSTO - arrived here on Wednefday Taft from New. York, after a paffage of thirty days. Captain CROSTHWAITR reports that the Cecilia, Baoww, of this port, was (poke by a veil that arrived at New York before the Ardent failed. The Perfeverance, Gtwit, from hence for Liverpool; Hopewell. BAIN, ditto ; Glafgow, , MACGREGOR, ditto, for Dublin ; and the Trio, MiTacoAar, were in Belfaf Loch, aid infant. Goresoauaa, MARCH 22.—A convoy of twelve nr fourteen fail appeared off this port on Wednefday Lk but as the Cauegat is full of drift ice, and molt of the harbour clogged with it, theft Tetras are fup poled to have gone into Norway. A French priva teer from Dunkirk, of 15 guns, arrived at Stavengin the end of lad month. TO MARINERS. Orders have been iffued from the Admiralty of Copenhagen to place, as Coon as the weather permits, the folkwing beacons in the Cattegat • 1. Two beacons, each ao fat high, with brooms at the top, are to be 0410 one on each fade the Triadic. north of Loam, In about 3o fat water. a. Four ditto arc to be placed along the edge of the Reef, S. S.R. from the eat! point of La foe, the two ncareft the Triadic, tome. what lower than the other two; the one mama the land in ag Sect water, and the other three in 30 feet, and diktat half a Da nib mile, or about two Englidt, from each other. 3. One ditto, of ao feet high, riU be placed on the poiet of the Reef of the Knobbcn, eat! of Anhalt ; and 11 . alps kcopioi c.aft of the bacons arc cicar.rat the :cats. DISTRIEUTION el P3U2I-MONEY. Wage fee the following 'effete : Excellent. realigureire 21. 0104 Providence, recaptured July 6, 1114 • Mary of ell calve retalibared July 7, dna; and Albion. ree:ptured July sj. tilos, will be paid to the hired armed cutter Nile on Wetinefday the 3.1 inft. at N.. 9, New Broad-itrect, and every Wedoefday and 'llsufday for three years. The hired armed cutter Mtive, far the capture of la Jeans February an, atm, will be paid at the fame time and I>ift• The Phaeton. Carnekon, and la Mudne. for the capture of the following ?ads in ['Anguilla Bay, May 3. thoo. viz. la Stella dd None. Santa Maria and Nottra Senhera del Gann. Netts Setihara de Soviara, Noith Senhon del Affunta. Fiat Voluntaa Dd. and St. Guikppe and St. Nicola, will be paid at the fame time and place. A diftribution for the French gun-pinnace No. 380, for the pin naces N 0.343. 330, and 371. by *halloo, Difpateh and gunboat Contra, Othohd' ae. 5804, will be made on bond the -hid Clips on their arrival at Plymouth after the ink loft. and afterwards for three years at the Agaves Mee. The George hired armed cutter. for the capture of the Maria Alturtina, Attgoft co. tgot, wfil be paid on the 34 init. at Great Yarmouth, and recalled every Monday and TUdday for three years. The Darysfort, for the capture of the French veffcl la Dun kerque, (in company with the armed cutter Fot,) Auguft vet 1801, will be paid on Friday, the stk init. at Nu to, John — drat, Adelphi, sad every Tuefday and Thurfday fur three years. Saturday letters were received in town from the fquadron off Ferrol, by the . MALTA, of 84 guns, ar. rived at Plymouth. The French and Spani(h (hips there are reported to be in.readinefs for fea. The MALTA WAS lately engaged with the batteries of the harbour, and fo much damaged as to be obliged to return to refit. Saturday mails arrived from Guernfey and Jerfey, dated on Wednefday and Thurfday loft ; a letter from the former ifland communicates a - report that Admiral Ciocoaans, with fis foil of the line ' had been fpoken with on the 9th init. to the weßward of Madeira, lianding to the ;both weft, having, as it is Rated, received advice that the Rochefort fquadron was deftined to reinforce the French forces in St. Do mingo. There teems no troth in this report. Accor ding to all accounts Admiral COCHRAIII was off Lif bon on the 9th of March. Monday morning, the firn convoy for the Baltic. confining of 'upwards of too veffels, failed from Leith Roads, under convoy. A fleet for the Well Indies is to fail from Patti . - mouth with the (hips of war and trart, torts, to be em ployed in the lecret expedition, and to c mainue under ' their prote6ion as far as their courfe may lie toge ther ; it af►erwards proceeds under convoy of the Naactssus, of 36 guns. • The Imst 011TALIT I, which failed on Thurfday from Portfmouth with Pealed order., has already captured and fent in a Spanint privateer, called the Maria, of 14 guns and 6o men. It as reported that the bassos, Tatars is ordered to cruize off the Azores, as being the molt advantageous nation, and intended as an honourable recompence for the aaive and pliant Cervices of the crew. The Young Rofcius privateer, Capt. Poems MALI, arrived at Scilly on the :4th inftanr, with the Spanilh brig Tigre, from Montevideo for Co runna, laden with hides, tallow, cocoa, &c. which the captured off Cape Ortegal ; the Tigre was firfi captured by a Liverpool privateer, and afterwards re-captured on the 6th inflant, in the Irlib Channel. by a Spanilh galliot privateer. Capt. Naomi reports, that he learned from the Spanilh prifoners, that there were four Spanilh privateers (fitted for two months) cruifing in the mouth of the Irith Channel ; two fitted out as brigs of fourteen guns each, and two as gal lists, of ten guns eacb.T--q-MISORTATITII frigate has captured a Spanilh privateer, and fent her into Scilly.—The Eurydice, Com prow, the Aurora, MATTNINVII and the Q ueen Charlotte, CLAM from Surinam, b ound to London, have alto put into Scilly; they parted from the Lord Forbes, and fizteen fail of the fleet, on the 21ft law. off Scilly. The Nile lugger has captured • French lugger pri vateer, and fent her into Plymouth. Captain BRADLIY it appointed to command the GOLIAII b of 74 guns, at Portfmouth. Captain IN/amt., Commander of the WOLT (loop, is promoted to the rank of Polt Captain. The Anna Margaretta Dorothea, —, from Stettin for Cadis, is detained by the Greyhound revenue cotter, and tent into Wey mouth. The Hasard.Waliamfon, from Jerfey for Cork; and the Peek. verance. Donovan, from Britiol for Cork, have been captured by a French privateer of the Smalls ; the former has time been Nod at km plundered, without any perfon on board, and towed into Kinfaie the Venus, —, from London for Cork, was attacked by the fame privateer, about fifty nide, S.& of Cork, which the beat of The Woodland Cafile.....—,freen Smyrna for Landes, one of the Arrow's convoy. is pot back to Palermo. Th e Pallas, ,hem Surinam for !wooden, parted from the BM foon after falling. being very leaky. The William and Jane, Cole. from New York for &Walk is totally loft near the Rotes; part of the cargo is expedted to be The Oberon, Roelof's, front Liverpool for Dantaie, put into Dub lin on the aid loft. baring flirting a leak. The Good Dap, A dila, from Liverpool foe Rip, is totally loft °Vibe Me of Mao. The Sari Si. Vincent, from Cork far Gibrakar, is captured and carried leto MOW& The nimbus, Anderfon, from London and Newcalkk for Gre nada, has put into Gitirsita ' st difinaited. .• _ The lord Forbes,—• the Fricallhip, Thomas ; the Colour bine Stewart; the Brot h ers , Moore ; the Ellen, Waren ; the Friendibip, Beale; the Liberty, Teak ; the Asa, Waller; the trii. za b et h Abderfon, Watfun ; the Falmouth, Stewart ; and the Pa lau, James, from Surinam, bound to London, ase arrived at Cork. Asa ivse.--At Clyde, the Hop-, Gikhrib, from Boßon—At Liverpool, Dryade, Grant, from Maffschefetts—At Dublin, Re nown, —, and the Ann e Hudfoo, from I.ondon. The following information was received at Madras, ce the a6th September, 1 4)4 : On the totb Julie, a (mall vateer brig, commanded by Cap tain Qtymet,arraved at the ce of Pegue River, and remained 1 (Luria. The brig Trlal.from Madras, arriving about the gab June,fent in a boat foe a pilot, when the privateer, then in the River cap tured the boat, and manning ha proceeded to the Trial an d shade prise of her. About the tgth of July arrived the Harriett, Ca pta in Mafque- Der, a new myriad Ihip, pierced for ill guns, laden with picee goods and 000 dullars. The private, allowed her boat to pars up the River fa s pilot till the ebb-tide made, when he ran his veffeL en board her, and in this afft carried away his own forma t. and bowfprit : the Harriett furraidered and became his fecondj= Having Melded his brit capture , hc now Sued out the • as a privateer, facing a number of Laken into his krviee ; the remainder he feat to Rangoon, with the whole of the lumping taken in both Tads; and, about the Nub July, having brit plun dered fame country vat& of their hale pada. he pomaded to Cm. One of Captain Item* mew le an kihman, of hrsciatte man. sem and calls hind& Drown. The Rip) having arrived en the 4th of Avgaitommarmed Vie coat being dcar, wilco the bgft hip &petal, COMMISSIONERS OF NAVAL ENV/IRn THE ELEVENTH WORT. . ' Having undhood that, during the late war, bills to a very confiderable amount had been iffued by the Navy Board, for the purpofe of railing money ; and this tranfaaion appearing to us irregular, we deemed it a fit obey for our enquiry.' Weat the fame time made an inveßigation, in Come degree conneaed with the fubjea, into a pratice which had prevailed with the Navy and Tranfport Boards, of making the bills iffued by them at ninety days date, payable on the eighty-ninth day from the date of the Bills, atthough intereft for ninety days was allowed to the parties. In the coutfe of our enquiries on thefe fubjeat, we difcovered that finns had been advanced by the Navy Board, by way of imprett, in purfuauce of di. regions from the Lords Commillioners of the Trea• fury, for the performance of Secret Na•al Serviies. The prefent Report we 'hall confine to the cords. &ration of there matters, in the order in which they have been mentioned. ISSUI or NAVY BILLS FOR THR PGRFOSI OF RAISING 140II&Y. Previoufly to the adoption of this meafure, the Lords Commit oners of the Treafury direked the Navy Board to caufe it to he notified to the perfons having ninety day Navy Bills then due, " and with in& to have a. renewal of the fame inftead of receiv ing the amount in call', that they might be accom modated with new bills bearing the fame interefi," which accommodation was directed to be continued till further notice ; but this mode not fully anfwer ing the purpofe intended, the expedient of railing money by the Mire of Navy Bills was reforted to. This tranfailion appears to have arifen from a con verfation between the Comptroller of the Navy and Mr. George Glenny, a merchant, having large con cerns with the Viaualling Department, upon the dif ficulties which were occafionally experienced by de lays in the ilfues of money from the Exchequer for the fervice of the Navy. In that converfauon Mr. Glenny communicated the manner in which he had procured money on the Vidualling Bills, made out to him in payment under his contrals, through , the agency of Melfrs. Goldfmids. This produced an in terview the next day betwien the Comptroller of the Navy, Meffrs. Goldfmids, and Mr. Glenny, and the plan of drawing Navy Bills for the p.urpofe of railing money was thereupon concerted. The &filet of thefe Bills for too,oool. was drawn on the 13d of Oftober, 1800, payable . to Mr. Corn. wall Smaller; but ha difapproving of his name being made ufe of, there bills were deltroyed, and others for the fame amount were made out in the name of Mr. George Glenny. It was afterwards thought right to make fuch bills payable to Meals. Donald fon and Glenny, the firm of the houfe to which Mr. Glenny belonged. The total amount of there Bills, ailed between the a4th of Odober doo, and the sth of May when the pra6ice of drawing fuch bills was difcon tinued, was 4.30p,0p01. betides ninety days interell, which was added to give them the femblance of re gular There was, however, this efrential difference be tween them : the regular bills Rated the particular kind of Rams er fervices for which they were given in payment ; there bilk expreffed only, that they , were for " Sundry Naval Services." Not being aware of any power in the Navy Board to draw bills of this defcription, for the purpofe above. mentioned, we fought information from the Comp troller of the Navy on the lubjed, but he declined to itifwer the qoellion put to him, under the claufe of the Ad of Parliament by which we are appointed, which provides, that no perfon (hall be obliged to tanfwer any queltion which may tend to crimioate Aim, or expofe him to pains or penalties, referring us for the authority under which he and the Navy board had aced, to his Majetty's Order in Council, in June t 796, for regulating the duties cf the fevers] mem bers of the Navy Board, and to the patent by which they are appointed. From there documents no loch authority is derived, nor do we conceive the Navy Board can, without the exprers authority of Parliament, iffue bills to raife money to be applied to the fervice of the Navy, or any other fervice. It is not meant, by there obfervations, which our duty requires its to make on this tranfadion, to inti mate, that it was undertaken with any indired view, or to charge any abide in the execution of the plan, after it was refolved upon; it is the meafure which we have to notice. ',him. It is proper likewifc to Rate, that there bills were iffued under the direaions of the Lords Commiffion ers of the Treafury, fignified at the time of each iflue by letters irom their Secretary to the Navy Boards, which were inclofed confidentially to the ComptroUer, and the produce of the bills was paid to the Treafurer of the Navy ; the letters entered in the 'Appendix, fhcw how this bufinefs was con duaed. We enquired whether the difficulties in obtaining medey for the fervice of the Navy, flitted to have cr ated in the years tfloo, 18ot, and 11302, arofe from any. untilual deficiencies in the Navy Mutates for thole years; the Comptroller could not fpeak io the of itnau s, but informed us, that the difficulties which led to the adoption of this plan, were owing Come times to a deficiency of money in the Treafury, and &me; inies to the Naval Supplies being exhaufted, which he believed to have been the cafe an Ottober. ilk°. The Paymafier of the Navy flitted the general occurrence of official difficulties in applications for money, and that fuch difficulties might have occur red at thcperiod when thefe bills were ailed; although he did not recollea any correfpondence of the Trea furer of the Navy with the Treafury or Navy Board, which led or related to the iffue of thefe bills. It was certainly proper that the public credit fbould be fupported, but we cannot admit that this meafure was indifpenfably neceffary for that purpofe; nor can we allow the validity of the reafon given for it by the Comptroller, namely, that no funds were mitt fively lbt apart for the payment of ninety-day bills, the amount being uncertain ; it is in the nature of the thing that an eliimate fhould be uncertain. All the fupplies for the Navy are annually voted by Parlia. meat on eftimate, and the amount paid by ninety. day bills, forming no inconfiderable part of the Navy expenditure, mutt of conrfe be included in the gene rarprectfion for Navy fervices. We were led by the examina t tioa of the Comptrol., ler and ChierVlerk in the Office for bills and account , to imagine thaithe advantage which might accr by the intereft en the bills, from the time of their date to the time of their being negotiated, was to the remuneration to the Brokers for their trouble : but by an account afterwards laid before US, we fool: 1 that they had made the ufual charge of one-eig'i:ll per cent. commiffion, and had given credit to G 0 vernment for the interelt on the days elapfed beim e the bills were negotiated. The amount of Mar , Goldfmids commitlion on the negotiation of tittle bille, was 53751. On examining Mein s. Goldfrvids account, it pp peared in the fira entry, that they had not given cre dit to the public for the full amultot of the produce of the bills at the tune of negotiating them. But this is (fated by Meru. Goldfmads to have arifen from their having advanced the money before the bills were aftually negotiated. This circumaance could not be difcovered from any thing on the face of the account. We are of ~p;. nion, that all accounts rendered to the Public Board, Ihould be made out with Inch particularities, as may be neceffary to a clear exhibit of each item,• which will greatly facilitate the examination of the accounts. LOSS AIMING FROM THB MOOS OF PAYING The INTS- REST ON NAVY AND TRANSPORT BILLS. By an Aft of the 34th of his prefent Majelly, cap. 2t, it is enafted, that after the sth day of April, t 794, all Navy and Vieualling Bills than be made payable on a certain day, not later than fifteen months from the date of each bill ; and that the in terell on Poch bills as (hall carry intere9, (hall com mence from the day on which the Paid bills (ball be regiltered. And by a fubfequent AEI of the 37th year of his prefent Majelly, cap. z 6, it is direeed, that all Navy, Vienalling, and Trail :poi t Bills, (hall be payable on a certain day, to be expreffed in each Bill, which day (hall not be later than three calendar months from the day of the date thereof ; and that every fuck bill (hall carry an interell after the rate of threepence half penny per mons per deny, to commence from the day of the date of each bill. Upon the paffing of the laft Aft, the Cornmiflion ens of the Vietualling tranfmitted to the Navy Board an account of Vieualling Bills payable in murk. which had been regiftered in the month of January, 1797, noting them to become due in ninety days from the day of the date, which day was not included. The Navy Board, on receipt of the account, Elated their objeftions to this method of computation, in a letter to the Victualling Board, in which they (Merv ed. that all bills made out under the fame aft, fhould be uniform in all their terms ; that on all occafions dependant on time, it was cuftomary to include both the firft and lalt day ; that this mode of computing intereft on the navy bills had prevailed during the late act, was followed in the Tranfport Offide. and was in conformity with the preterit aft. The Commiflioners of the Vieualling, in reply. forcibly controvert thefe potitions. They flats, that it had always been the cuftcm of their office not to include the firft and laft days in the calculation of in tereft, until that rule had been departed from in rec koning the intereft on the bills iffued under the 34th of his prefent Majefly, and which was done at the fnggeftion of the officers of the Navy Board ; that the rule now again adopted in the Vi.ftualling Of fice was confiftent with that univerfally obferved in refpea to bills of exchange ; to which, except in the inftance of the three days grace ufually taken, they underftood thefe bills were, as nearly as poffible, to be rendered fimilar : that they conceived their mode to beconformable to the ad of Parliament, and that it had not occafioned the flightelt remonftrance frrna any perfons receiving or holding their bills. To this letter no anlwer appears to have been returned. In purfuing different lines of condud on the fame occafion, both the Boards could not be right ; and. as the intereft of the public was committed in the queflion, it might have been expected that a reference would have been made to the fuperior Board for a decifion, particularly by that Board whole condue, if erroneous, fubjeeed the public to a lots. It does not, however, appear, that this difference produced either reference or enquiry ; and the rule adopted by the Navy Board, of making the 90 day bills payable on the 89th day from the date, conti nued in pradlice in that and the Tranfport Office an til the month of December, tBor. On the nth of that month a minute from the Committee of Accounts (one of the Committees in to which the Navy Board is divided) Rating, that doubts had been fuggefied of the propriety of the mode in which ninety day Bills ilTued from that Office had been made out, was referred to the Board at large. In this minute the Committee fet forth the pro priety of their prefent mode of proceeding, grounded on the eftablifhed praEtice of their office, and the ne ceffity of keeping faith with the merchants, who had been ufed to this mode of computing the intereft en their bills. They alto exprefs their doubts -.whether any faring would accrue to the public from the day's intereft in quellion, on a prefumption that the Con traaors reckon upon it in the terms of their con traas ; yet notwithltanding thefe reafons offered in favour of the alining praaiee, the Committee refer to the confideration of the Board, whether it might be proper at that time to depart from the ancient ofage of the office, and make an alteration in the computation of the time the go day bills are made out to run, in conformity with the Viaualling Office s and the cullom of merchants in difcounting bills." In confequence of this minute the Navy Board, upon !he 18th of the fame month, came to a refolu tion, that the Navy Bills iffued in future fhould not bear littered for the day on which they are dated, agreeably to the pra&ice with regard to Exchequer Bills, and Bills made out at the Victualling Office, and direfted thts change to commence on the follow ing day. Previoufly to our having any knowledge of the above minute and refolution, we bad defired infor mation of the Navy Board as to the caufes of the re jeaion, and fubfequent adoption, of the mode in ufe at the Viaualling Office, of excluding the day of the date in reckoning the intereft on the.ninety day bills. The rejeaion of that mode is no otherwife accounted for, than by obferving, that they did not fee reafon, on receiving the letter from the Commiffioners of the Vieualling, to change the conduit ptaaice of their office fine the Lift efiablifltment of Navy Interett Bills, and which extended to all paymen.s of falary, penfions, full er half pay, and all other a.lowances