The National Register. — London, England, 1811-02-17 00:00:00

TliE NATIONA teliwiwtere - to be - endenttood as pOsSessing the eontroul of that litme. Aware of the inconveniencies attending the bringing on of the question of Exchequer Bills at a more distant period of the Session, or more suddenly in point of tine, he had g:vt n early notice of what was proposed; nor did he think,considering circumstances, that it was impracticable. As to the allusions that had been made to two Noble Lords (Auckland and Gleii bervie), touching that vote being a surprise, the matter rested not with Government, but with the House. Even this measure had, however, five staves of proceeding, whereby the House was afforded compettAt time to judge of it ; so that those votes were not, as the lion. Gentleman (Creevey), intimated them to bave been, congealed pieces of paper. What interest could the Committee be thought to feel, supposing that Committee in fluenced by Ministers, as to the case of Lord Glembervie, who had ceased, at the time of the vote, to. be a Member of Parlia ment ?—(Hcor, hear ! j,As to the other Nt.ble Lord (Auck land), whose name had been thusbrought up, perhars this was the most unlucky instance of Ministerial favouritism that could Well have been adduced--/Hear, hear, hear ! i t—Unlucky, he meant, for those by whom it was adduced! The Administration to which himself succeeded bad intended to grant tie same vote o the letter of those Noble Lord?. Reipecling Ministers, was it to he supposed that they would select two of the Outs as subjects for compensation ?-11e would propose, next week, aortic reasonable arrangement for conducting the business under us6i on. Lord Functs roN4 concurred in the sentiments expressed by ids Hon, Friend (Mr. Creevey). Mr. WHITBREAI) admitted the necessity for some regulation of the business of the House • but in the proposed arrange =sent of the Right Honoura blel Gentleman lie saw much of inconvenience. He wished too to guard the House against allowing any innovation which might ultimately lie prejudicial. In coining to the arrangement hinied at by - the Right Hon. Gen tleman, it might have thesflect of dissolving the House ; be pause in fixing the notices on ont.day, and the others on another, many Members might not come down to the House if they. had live businesl on any particular day, and consequently there would be no attendance. When the arrangement should be brought forward, he must enter his protest against giving the precedence. to Orders of the Day instead of Motions. After a few observations. from Mr. C. Wynne, the House went into a Committee. • The Speech of tho Compais.iioners was referred to the Com vittee, and thto - The CHA N CELLAR of the EXCIINQUER mewed, " That a Sap ply be granted," which was agreed to.—Adjourned. TUESDAY'S LONDON GAZETTE. A DMIRALTY-OrFICE, TEL 12. copy of a Letter from Vice-Admiral Bettie, Commander lo Chief of his Maegty's ships and Vessels at the Cap e o f G oo d Hope, to John \Vil,on Crober, Esq. dated on board his Ma jesly's .ship, the Airicaine, St. Paul's, Isle of Bourbon, the 13th Oct. 1810. Sta,--jollowing the intentions communicated by my letter addressed to you of the mtli of August, I have the honour now to acquaint you, for the information of their Lordships, that baying Tnade the necessary dispositions and arrangements pre yloua to my departure from the Cape, 1. hoisted my flag on board the Nisus. and sailed on the iith ult. in that ship for the Isle of .France. Living made the land en the .:-%1 instant, I proceeded to reconnoitre Port South Fast, and from thence to Pcrt Louis ; where, having cruiud 48 hours, and not falling in with any ship of the blockading squadron, 1 proceeded eft this anchorage for Information of them ; whore I found lying his Majesty's ships lioadicea, Otter, and *watch gun.brig, together with his Ma jesty's ships ..A tricaire and Ceyl ,n, which had been taken and 30-captured ft tun tae enemy, and the Imp er i a l F renc h f r i gate Venus, also cap+ urod from the enemy. The details, copies of which I Dave the honour to transmit herewith,. will failly.explain to their Lordships the circumstances saf the occupation of the Isle de la Pacse, as well as the subs', queot unfortunate.: reseit of a very g Pant . attack on the enemy's ehips, •in Port S: E.. with the Sirius, Captain Pytti • the Magici. same, Captain. Curti4; :the Ipitit.!enia, Captain Lambert; and the Nere&de, Captein.Willoughby; %It:licit ended in the unavoidable e 4 .est, ection of the two former of his Majesty's ships, and the Premier to the enemy of the Iphigenia and Nereide, the latter • sera glorious resistance almost unparalleled even in the annals u£ the British tiavy. rutarucntary superiority thus obtained by the enemy has beeerpromptly and decisively crushed by the united zeal, judg nent, perseverance, skill, and intrepidity o f C a p ta i n R ow l ey , i n 14;%. : Yojesty's. ship Boadicea ; the value and importance of whose set stisee, long conspicuous and clistlnguished as they have 1p eeil, have. tuLy justified tliti selection and detention of hint a REGISTER. the senior officer conducting the blockade of this station ; and who, in the present instance, almost alone and unsupported but by the never-fail'ng energies and resources of his active and in telligent mind, under circumstances, as may be easily imagine!, of extretnest anxiety, mortification, and diseppointmert, in a few hours not only retook his Majesty's ships Africaine anti Ceylon, but captured also ihe largest frigate possessed by the enemy in these seas, and has thus restored the !:ritisti naval pre eminence in this quarter, which his talents have long so suc cessfully contributed to maintain. Nor can I omit to offer a tribute so iestle due to the memory of the gallant Cot bett, of his Majt:sty's ship Arricaitte, whose meritorious eagerness to check the triumph of an exulting ene my, impelled him to an unequal contest, in which he nobly fell, defending the cause of that country, to whcse service his valu able life had been most usefully, most honourably devoted. Under the pressure of these events, the arrival of the Nisus was to'be considered as most opportune, as every exertion had been already employed with a view to the equipment of the Africaine and Ceylon, which ships, though severely cut up in the mats and rigging (the lower masts being unfit for further service) had fortunately, at the time nf their re-capture, part of their crews on board. Fully concurring in the expediency and absolute necessity of this measure, the a(loption of which, and the carrying into effect with the least delay, is of the most se rious importance to the ultimate success of the operation, now ripe for execution, against the Isle of France, and having found it further practicable to equip the Venus in furtherance of this object, I have not hesitated to commission her for the time be ing, under the name of the Nereide, in commemoration ofthe gallant defence of his Majesty's ship bearing that name, not withstanding the very many local difficulties and disadvantages with which we have necessarily had to contend in the execution of these plans.—The squadron, now on the eve of sailing from these roads, consisting of the ships named in the margin°, ex hibits a striking and no less gratifying instance of what may be effected by British exertion and British perseverance. • I should at the same time be very deficient, were I net to avail myself of the opportunity now afforded me of expressing the obligations of the service-to the Lieutenant-Governor and Commander of the forces on this island, Lieutenant-Colonel Keating, to whom it is indebted not only for his co-operation, as well as that of the whole military force, not only for the appli cation of every civil means at his command, but for that spirit of zealous emulation, wherever the navy is concerned, which has most anxiously anticipated the appropriation of every. re source to its service, and the influence of which has been ex tended throughout this division.of the army. Among other vessels captured by the enemy, I regret to men tion the Ceylon and Wyndham, Hon. East India Company's ships, and the Ranger transport, from the Cape, having on board provisions and stores for the squadron ; I am happy to add, that the Wyndham has since been re-taken, and has arrived here, and the Venus was found to have on board the greater part of the stores and provisions taken in the Ranger, both of which circumstances have been particularly advanta geous, the lower masts of the Wyndam having been applied to the Africaine, and the victuallinss of the squadron being, by means of provisions found in the Venus, completed to 4 months, It is further of still greater moment that I should apprize you I for the information of their Lordships, that Major-Gent r.t. Abercromby, who with his whole Staff was embarked in the Ceylon, and who is entrusted with the command of the expedition against the Isle of France, was recaptured in that frigate. As the squadron will proceed to sea in a few hours, after the closing of these dispatches, I trust I shall stand excused to their Lordships, in deferring to a future opportunity the several returns and details of the squadron, as well as a statement pre paring of work performed in each department, which, in the short space of three weeks, through the unremitting and unwea ried ezertions that has been displayed, has been such as to cern plete the equipment of the squadron, and to render the whole thoroughly effective. • I should add, that the light brigade of the troops from hence are embarked, to the number of 600 men, on board the five frigates, and are doing duty as marines, until their services shall be required on shore. I have, Stc. .(Signed) BERTIE. Here follow three letters from Captain Rowley, of the Boal dices, detailing the operations performed by that ship asireftvred to by Admi:al Bertie • and also a letter from Captain Gordon, of the Ceylon, describing the action in which that vessel was captured by the enemy.—The killed and wounded on board our ships in these several affairs, were as follow -Return of tire. Killed ani Wounded on board the iffrionitet Cain Corbett, in the Action *with the • 4strea and IpAigenta French frigates, Sept. 12. 1810. TOTAL-24 seamen, S marine,, 4 soldiprs, kiL;e4 ; 5 KuvAn. 11 marines, 8 soldiers, Woundcd. 02