Star. — London, England, 1812-12-28 00:00:00

THE EVENING STAR. LONDON. MONDAY, DECEMBER 28. HOLY INNocENTs.—Holiday at the Stock Exchange. Our Port letters received this morning announce two distressing occurrences connected with our naval establishment. We allude to the capture of the MA CEDONIAN frigate, by the American frigate United States, and the reported mutiny of the crew of a Bri tish ship of war on the Downs station. The latter, although sufficiently galling to British feeling, is but a trivial event, when compared with the capture of the MACEDONIAN. We have every reason to believe, however, that the triumph of the American Navy will be but short lived. Our force on the Halifax station is now unquestionably competent to crush these ma lignant usurpers of the empire of the seas. REPORTED ARRIVAL OF A FLAG OF TRUCE FROM FRANCE. The letters from Dover received this morning speak in mysterious terms of an arrival from the coast of France, which has been supposed by some to be a Flag of Truce. We give the letters as we have received them : in the mean time we are not enabled t 9 state, that any official notification of such arrival has been made at the Government Offices. " DOVER, DECEMBER 27. A French fishing-boat was observed this morn ing to go alongside one of our brigs of war cruizing off here, and reports were soon after in circulation that she was a flag of truce, as she did not remain a great while alongside of the brig, but returned again towards the French coast. I have been en. deavouring to learn as many particulars as possible respecting this arrival, and, from our boatmen, I find that a French fishing-boat did go alongside of a brig of war, and afterwards returned to the opposite shore, but that no colours were visible on board the boat, nor did, the brig mak e away afterwards for the Downs, as she would in all probability have done had the boat brought dispatches; and I cannot find that any boat has come from the brig ; the weather has been so very hazy all the day, and so very little wind, that the Commander of the brig might have sent a boat to the Downs if the French boat did bring any thing, and yet such boat might not have been seen from hence, as the brig was full one-third sea over.— A supposition has been mentioned, that the French boat, by the weather being hazy and little wind, had got further over towards this shore last night in fish. ing than is usual,• and that the Commander of the brig seeing her, might have gone to her, and desired the Frenchmen to come alongside to enquire for aewarom them. At present, however, it is all con. jecture.—A report of a very unpleasant nature is cir culating about Mere this day, that the crew of one of the brigs on this station has mutinied, and carried her into Boulogne. I forbear to mention her name, trusting the report is false; if correct, could the boat above alluded to have been dispatched on that ac count? * French fishing-boats are hardly ever seen now from this shore. ANOTHER LETTER, SAME DATE. ▪ 44 Arrived a boat from France—reported to be a flag of truce : after a short conference with one of • our brigs, she immediately returned. The tide not serving, the brig did not stand towards the Doutns, but it is said she landed a boat at Folkstone. • It is in circulation all over this town, that the crew of a sloop of war, having mutined, carried her into a French port. The vessel was on the Dunge ness station." • In the event of another campaign in Russia, which, when we consider the temperament of the baffled in vader, we think not improbable, it will not surprize us to see some of the German confederate troops marshalled under thebanners of his indignant adver sary. We know, and the fact may now be stated without danger, that previous to the recent invasion of Russia, by the French, an offer was made to the Emperor of RUSSIA, of a very large body of Prue .ians (not less, it is believed, than 150,000 men) ; which offer the Emperor declined, and declared, that in order that he might not give BONAPARTE the least pretext for the commencement of hostilities, he would not, before such an event, even make peace with En land.—Now that the event has taken place, and the first campaign has had an issue so glorious for Russia, it is not unreasonable to hope, that it may act as an antidote to that terror which for years has fascinated the Governments of the Continent, and !aid them passively prostrate at the feet o NAPOLEON. One great point for Europe has been gained. The die is cast. The time of temporising, so far as re gards Russia, is now at an end, and a nucleus is thus formed for the aggregation of the disjoined elements of constitutional order and national energy. For many years the continental Powers have been with- out a rallying point : every one was afraid while en gaged in the contest, that the first intelligence they should hear would bey that their ally had submitted to terms dictated by the enemy , ; and this very fear, acting upon them individually, produced the very evil which each of them dreaded, and left them all at the mercy of the usurper. Can any of these Powers now suspect the sincerity, the firmness, the deep-rooted hatred of ALIXANDER to the unprincipled invader of his dominions—the author of so much misery —the cause •f so many sa crifices ! Can it be believed that these Powers will not be greedy to seize the opportunity that is thus afforded them, the only one, perhaps, with which they will ever be furnished, to enable them to recover, assert, and maintain their national independence. Letters from the opposite coast mention that Bo- NAPARTE is seriously indisposed. It would, indeed, be surprising, if a journey of at least 1200 miles, performed in twelve days, did not shake even his iron-bound Constitution. The circumstance of a guard of 600 officers being added to the Imperial Guards, in escorting the " sa cred person" of BONAPARTE to Smorgonie, is not unworthy of remark. It indicates that the Imperial Guards were either not sufficiently numerous, or could not be trusted. It suggests the probability that there must have been some great previous revolt of the rank and file of the French army when the officers separated themselves from the men. Ind: ed, we are told in the 29th Bulletin, that " restoration of discipline" was one of the objects of going into win ter-quarters. The defection of the troops probably took place after the battles in which NEY and D VOUST were worsted, and may account for a circum stance hitherto unexplained, namely, that there were so few officers to such immense numbers of prisoners. Saturday, at half-past twelve o'clock, her MAJESTY, .and Princesses ELIZABETH and MARY, arrived at the Queen's Palace from Windsor, escorted by a party of Light Horse. In a few minutes after, one of the PRINCE REGENT'S carriages arrived at the Palace, and conveyed the QUEEN and PRINCESSES to Carlton-house, where they were received by the PRINCE and the Duke of CUNIBERLAND. After partaking of an early dinner, her MAJESTY and the PRINCESSES left Carlton house for Windsor, about half-past four o'clock, in her travelling carriage, escorted by a party of the 7th Light Dragoons. The Duchess of BRUNSWICK gave a grand dinner on Christmas Day, to the Princess of WALES, and a party, at her Highness's residence in Hanover-square. The Duke of - CamartincE has for some days been on a visit at Cobham Hill, the seat of the E.trl of ROMNEY, near Maidstone. The Earl of LIVERPOOL gave a grand dinner on Saturday last, to his Excellency the RCS IA ANIBAS sADon, and several other distinguished Foreigners, attached to the corps diplomatique—Several of the Cabinet Ministers, and a few select persons, consist ing of, among others, the Earl of MotaA, and the Countess of LOUDON. The LORD MAYOR has ordered to be distributed to the poor Freemen confined ip Ludgate, ten stone weight of meat weekly, during the remainder of his mayoralty, at his own expence. Through the benevolent assistance of the opulent inhabitants of Manchester, the soup shops of that town distribute 10,000 quarts daily to the poor. Subscriptions have been opened at Yarmouth, Ips wich, and many other provincial towns, for supplying the poor with bread, soup, and coals, at this incle ment season. The French General LE BRON, and his Aide-de- Camp, who lately escaped from Welshpool, Mont gomeryshire, and were retaken at Shrewsbury, have been conveyed to Stapleton prison, near Bristol. Last night, according to immemorial custom, sun dry persons of the lower order, who had expended their Christmas presents in refreshing cordials, were seen bivouacking in dark allies and passages, ai desti tute of beds as the French soldiers in Russia. The small pox continues its ravages at Preston. Scarcely a week has lately passed without several persons having fallen victims to it. The Special Commissions will be opened at York on the 28th January next. A French prisoner on Monday made his escape from the Fyen prison ship, in the Medway, and has not been heard of. We have received letters from Halifax to the 12th ult. but they afford us very little news of import ance, execpting, as we before heard, the unfavour- able termination of Sir JOHN WARREN'S overture to the American Government, for a suspension of hos tilities ; the American Government having refused to acknowledge the right of searching their ships for the impressment of English seamen.—Nothing had been heard of Commodore RODGERS, since he had escaped out of Boston. It was conjectured he had gone on a distant cruize, with hopes of intercepting one of our homeward-bound East India convoys. The Tenedoe, Captain HYDE PARKER, had captured the American privateer brig Thorn, of 18 guns, a very fine vessel, off the Banks of Newfoundland. She had made two prizes ; a ship from Cadiz, and two licensed Americans. The Herald, Captain JACKSON, returned to Halifax on the 17th ult. having landed a detachment of troops in the River St. Lawrence ; the Wanderer, Captain NEWCOMBE, with a convoy from Quebec ; and the LAURESTINA, Captain Goa- DON, from Lochryan ( Scotland) with the ship JUBILEE under convoy. Admiral SAWYER sailed for England in the AFRICA, with the LEICESTER, and several mer chant vessels under convoy. Commissioner INGLEFIELD Captains DACRES, HUSKISSON, and MULCASTER, o f the Royal Navy, the Rev. Dr. INGLIS, and Miss SHERBROOKE, are coming passengers in the AFRICA. I The SPARTAN accompanied the convoy. The ships of war at Halifax were busily refitting, viz. SAN DOMINGO, STATIRA, JUNON, ORPHEUS, WANDE RER, LAURESTINA, HERALD, RATLER, and COLIBRE ; NOVA SCOTIA schooner, and CENTURION floating battery. Sir JOHN BERESFORD was off the Chesa peake with a squadron. A violent bilious fever had made its appearance at Bermuda, and many of the inhabitants had fallen victims to it, with some of the crew of the RUBY and SWIFT. When the last ac counts left Bermuda, it was subsiding. On the capture of the American sloop Wasp, the boatswain and boatswain's mate were recognized as deserters from his Majesty's naval service : the latter from the OLEOPATRA, and the former had been Sir J. P. BERESFORD'S coxswain ; when in the CAMBRIAN : they are both in irons. NyfrifL INTELLIGENCE. The Francis Freelink packet sailed on Wednesday evening from Falmouth with a flag of truce for Arne. rica. FALMOUTH, DECEMBER 25. Arrived the Princess Charlotte packet, from the Brazili, in ten weeks, with a mail ; and the Chance ,privateer, from a cruize. The orders for the Pelham packet for the West Indies are come, and she will sail to-morrow morning —Wind E. fresh breezes. ANOTHER LETTER FROM FALMOUTH, SAME DATE. Captain GRIMSTONE, of the brig Samuel, from Port Mahon for Dublin, and Captain Howors, late of the George and Dorothy, from Limerick for Lisbon, with twelve of their crew, were landed here yester day out of the Chance English privateer, who picked them up in an open boat, on the 22d instant, thirty- five miles N.N.E. of Ushant, after being captured on the 20th by the French privateer Miguillonnaise, of 16 g uns and 150 men, and were suffe re d t o procee d l in t heir boat. The privateer had taken nine vessels prior to their capture, and destroyed them all except three, viz. the Regent, from the West Indies ; Coat-I merce, from the Brazils ; and the Alert cutter, of Guernsey. The privateer had been out 14 days, and was about to return to France when Captains GRIM STONE and HOLMES left her, in lat. 47. 30. long. 6. PLYMOUTH, DECEMBER 26. Arrived the brig Three Friends, WIIILEY, from Messina—was captured the 13th inst. by the French privateer la Miguilonnaise, of St. Maloe's, of 16 guns and 150 men—she was picked up the 15th inst. lby his Majesty's ship KENt, without a creature on board except a dog, which was found in an emaciated state ; the crew had been put on board a schooner called the Badajos, into which the enemy had put the crews of several other vessels which they had captured and destroyed.—The Badajos was taken charge of in the Channel by the PICKLE schooner ; and being from the Mediterranean, they were both put under quarantine.—Three of the vessels captured by la' Miguilonnaise are, the Alfred, CHAPMAN ; the! Commerce, !Qom; and the Regent, —. Forced in here by the easterly winds, which have prevailed more or less these three weeks, the William, WING- rox, from St. Thomas's for London ; Belinda, Ro- BEIM, from Dublin to London; Betsy, LEWIS, from Wexford to London ; and the Jarvis, CA ETU( ' from St Übes, with fruit, for London. Arrived also, the Traveller, SWAN, with fruit, from Lisbon ; and the ACII ATES sloop of war, from a cruize to the westward. —Remain under quarantine the KENT, of 71 guns, and the Mediterranean convoy, the wind still blowing strong from the Eastward. They had proceeded as tar as the head-land called the Bolt, on Tuesday evening, but were obliged to put back. The fleet sailed from Gibraltar on the 6:11 inst. crarsisting of 30 sail ; a few that were bound up the Bristol and Irish Channels, hive proceeded to their different ports.— Sailed the Bourat, of 16 guns, on a cruize The AL ISICORE sloop of war sustained considerable loss during her chute of the French frigate that escaped from Havre. The FORTUNE,: frigate, Captain SEY moult, Was spoken the following day, and made all sail after the French, frigate. PORTSMOU tH, DECEMBER 27. Arrived the RisunovE, Captain DOWERS, from Barbadoes—she sailed with a convoy of 50 sail, the whole of which she parted with on her passage in suc cessive adverse gales. Among those foundered is the Sally of Portsmouth, and her crew. Sailed _ _ his Majesty's ship ANTELOPE, for Lisbon; and the PEMBROKE on a cruize, the latter in going round the back of the Isle of Wight, got on shore ; the Ro saNIOND sloop of war has gone to her assistance. The Norm' STAR takes convoy to Guernsey and Jersey. Came in to harbour an American schooner, prize to his Majesty's ship WOLVERENE. Sailed his Majesty's ship NIOBE, for off Cherburgh, and the bold gun brig, on a cruize ; and the NORTH STAR, for Guern sey.—Wind E. The WOLVERINE sloop, Captain KERR, arrived on Friday at Portsmouth. This is the vessel which communicated to the ZEPHYR, previously arrived at Portsmouth, the account of the capture of the MA CEDONIAN frigate, Captain CARDEN. The WOLVE RENE received the account from the brig Benjamin, bound to Bristol, which vessel she spoke on the 10th instant, to the Westward of Ushant : on being hailed, the Master stated he had the Purser of the MACE DONLAN on board, bearing to England this informa tion. To ascertain the truth of his statement Cap tain KERR ordered the Purser, Mr. SPEED, alongside the WOLYERENE, when he communicated that the MACEDONIAN had been taken by the United States, to the Westward of Madeira, after a severe action, in which the former sustained a loss in killed and wounded of one hundred and five men ; that off the coast of America, he had been put into an American merchant ship, bound to Cadiz, and was soon after removed into the Benjamin. This is the whole of the information derived from him, except that Captain CARDEN was well. Under what circum.l stances the United States frigate succeeded in taking the MACEDONIAN, he did not communicate ;—but, we are satisfied that as Captain CARDEN is an offi cer of great estimation and talent, the result of the combat will not be found unworthy of the Brisish Rag., —The United States is commanded by Commodore DECATUR, and we find the American's rate at 44 guns. She sailed from Boston.on the 4th of October, in company with the President, 44, Commodore RODGERS ; Congress, 36, Captain SMITH ; and Argus, 14, Captain SINCLAIR, which ships have been some i time cruizing off the Western Islands. They left the Constitution, Chesapeake, and Hornet, refitting at Boston. The above account has been received at the Admiralty from Portsmouth, and is the whole of the, information on the subject which they acknowledge to.be in their possession. It appears very unsatisfac- 1 tory, for the Benjamin ought to have reached port long since, and yet we have nut heard of her arrival, with the Purser of the MACEDONIAN on board, whose ' testimony, as a man present in the action, would I be decisive.—lt is the opinion of our Naval Officers that we have no frigate in the service that is every way equal to cope with the large American frigates, except the INDEFATIGABLE, 44, Captain FYFFE, now in Portsmouth Harbour. She is the only 44 gun frigate we have at present in commis-1 sion. But, to render her of equal force to either the President or United States, she must have guns on her gangways, and her crew increased from 320 to' 476 men. The MACEDONIAN'S complement was 300, /which includes officers, seamen, marines, and boys ;1 and she carries only 18-pounders, on her main-deck: 'the American 44's have 24-pounders. She sailed on the 29th September last, from Portsmouth, as escort to an East Indiaman, and we understand,, that ac ?cording to her instructions, if something unforeseen had not occurred, she ought to have returned before this time.—:n confirmation of the capture of the ! Macanomaly, the following was this morning entered ^ in Lloyd's Books : " The MACEDONIAN frigate, of 38 guns, was to ken 1 25th October, to the Westward of Madeira, by the United States American frigate, of 44 guns, after an action of two hours, in which the MACEDONIAN had 104 men killed and woonded." YARMOUTH. DECEMBER 17. Arrived the PERSIAN sloop of war from a cruize in 1 , „ tne Baltic. Sailed the NIGHTINGALE and CHANT!. ICLEER sloops of war on a cruize ; and the BRAVE. DAGERIN gun brig for Heligoland. Remain in the 1 Roads the Solebay, Success, Leveret, Vixen, and three cutters.—Calm. COVE OF CORK, DECEMBER 41. The vessels composing the West India and Brazil Fleets made an unsuccessful effort on Friday, to put to sea, but were prevented by the extreme haziness of the weather. Early on Saturday morning arrived the SURPRISE frigate, Captain Sir T. I. COCHRANE. The whole of the vessels immediately bean to get under weigh, as well as their convoy, consisting of his Ma jesty's ship CUMBERLAND, 74 guns, Capt. BAKER ; SußpßisE, 38 guns, Capt. T. I. COCHRANE; CHERUB, 16 guns, Capt. TUCKER i and AMA RA N 1 H E? 16 guns , Capt. PRINGLE. Th ere being a fine breeze from the S. E. they soon got out of the harbour, and there is no doubt as the wind still continued from that point, hut by morning they would have cleared the land.— His Majesty's ship CisEßua, Captain TeCKER, takes charge of the vessels bound to the Brazils. His Ma jesty's ships SYBELLE, Captain UPTON, and 1.) A twr -1 Less, Captain B ARBER , ta k e un d er convoy a l arge fleet for Lisbon, Gib ra l tar , an d C a di z . Th e Ss REia.s I goes no farther th an Li s b on . Th ey w ill sail to-morrow. The following communication was on Saturday posted at Lloyd's: 4 Admiralty Office, Dec. 25. " Gentlemen—l have received the commands of my Lords Cummistioners of the Admiralty to acquaint you, in reference to , your letter of th e l it instant, transmitting an application from several merchants for a convoy to sail front the Nure to Gotten burgh, that the easterly winds having detained the outward bound convoys to Gottenburgh to this very late period of the year, their Lordsl.ips feel themselves obliged to countermand the soil ing of the sante HI the opening of the spring.-1 am, Gentlemen, your obedient htamble servant, (Signed) " J. W. Cisciam," THE ARMY. The ANTELOPE, 50, Captain CHARLES HOBART, sailed on Saturday morning from Portsmouth for Lisbon, with seloo,ooo on board, in gold bars, for the payment of the troops in the Peninsula. Thursday last two troops of the 15th, or King's Own Light Dragoons, marched into Oxf, rd, and on Saturday four troops more were to march in, on their' route for foreign service. CHRISTMAS DAY, 1812. In the last twenty years, so fruitful of signal and melancholy events, in which every variety of condi- ' tion and of suffering has fallen upon most or all the nations and people of Europe, a greater instance and 'example of merit and of suffering than that which the State and people of Russia have exhibited and endured, has not occurred ;—an equal, it is now to be hoped, will never recur again to any pe How often the feeling commiseration, the liberal sympathy, of the people of England have been mani fested on similar occasions for foreigners, as for the brave, the deserving, and the suffering of their own community, need not be enumerated here ; but never before did a case arise, in which interest and humanity, sympathy and exultation, benefit and suffering, exer tion and security, bravery and success, did so conspicu ously and eminently unite, and weep and shine together; never did a case occur more important to Britons, or • more honourable to the acting and suffering nation which has, probably successfully, defended our cause by the blood it has so profusely offered and shed in the defence of its own independence. Let this feeling once more manifest itself by an adequate proof of its seriousness and generality ; we are fairly called 'upon for a generous, efficient; and national demonstration of our admiration of the brave people of Russia. A slight, or small attention, will be at once a disgrace to our nation, and an af front to our brave allies and brothers in arms, against the most unprincipled and atrocious tyranny by which the world was ever vexed and scourged. Let us all, according to our means, contribute our endeavours : we are of various habits and condi tions ; but Christmas comes to all,—the season of charity and of good fellowship. If we do not, as we should, all go to Church, we all go to dinner ; let this, then, be the moment of recollection, and to the other charities and alleviations we dispense at this time, let us add, one and all, round the ta4le, our mite of contribution to the brave and suffering Russians. If every social party, at this season, of all ranks, would, according to their means, both in their pri vate and their public meetings, consecrate the offer ing of one day's recollection to the Chairman of their meeting, or to the female President, where such may be, a great and honourable addition would be made to the present subscription. To the benevolent and the humane, as to the good, a ward suffices. If this humble hint deserve attention, it will meet it; And that it may, all round the wrekin, is the earnest wish of many, and of B. CORN-MARKET, MARK-LANE, DEC. 2s. We have large supplies of Essex and Suffolk Corn in general at Market this morning; the Mealing trade has again declined 2s. per Quarter ; Rye is also as much lower; Barley is Es. per Quarter higher; Oats full as much, the supply being extremely short to-day. Beans and Peas of all sorts remain nearly without variation, fine samples still fully maintain their late terms; in other grain no material alteration ; Canary Seed is rather lower, and White and Brown Mustard Seeds are each 2s. per bushel cheaper. For further information we refer to the currency annexed: English Wheat, SO.. 105 s. 130 a Foreign do. liOs. 102 s. 1245. Rye 72i. 745. Barley, 625. 655. Us. Tile. Malt, 102 s. 114 s. Oats 41s. 545. 621. 641. Horse Beans, 765. SU. Tick Ditto, 68s. 745. Hog roils les. 55.. Boilers 105 s. lea. 1265. Canary Seed 955. 106 s. 111 s. Caraway, per cwt. na. 914. Coriander, de. 40.. 445. Tares, per bushel, Gos. 00s. White Mustard, de. e6s. 30n Brown do. Us. S6s. Rape Seed £5B, £62 per last FINE 1054. in 110 s, per ark