The National Register. — London, England, 1808-04-18 00:00:00

pint is. THE" NATIONAL REGITER. • may 7.Johnßirkett Wienholt, Old Swan, merchant, at twelve, at Guildhall. May 11. John Godfrey, Stnke-Lneey. Iferefordsblre, hop merchant, at eleven, at the Crown Inn, Worcester. CERTIFICATES, May 7. J. Cole, Fore-street, stationer. W. Disting, Plymouth, tallow-chandler. TIIE NATIONAL REGISTER. Lonbon, MONDAY, APRIL IR, 1808, 4 POLITICAL EVENTS OP THE H•EI:lf. SIR R. STRACIIAN AND TIIF HOSTILF. FLEETS. :fhe Princess Elizabeth packet, with mails from Sicily and Malta, has brought intelligence of Sir R. ST R %CHAN and his fleet. He joined Admiral THORN DOROUO or Pa lermo, and their combined squadrons amount to sixteen sail of the line. They had seen no enemy's fleet; but it was ascertained at Gibraltar, that the Carthagena squa dron was at Port Mahon by the latest accounts. The Tou lon fleet had sailed oL the 10th of February : and as the Rochefort squadron was said. by the crew of a ship under convoy of the Sirius, to have passed the Bay of Pallas, near Carthagena, On the Ist of March, 'some persons have conjectured, that the Rochefort and the Toulon fleets may have effected a junction. Perhaps there Dow is reason to believe that the Rochefort squadron, concerning which so many reports have been cir culated, has not entered the Mediterranean, but proceeded towards the West Indies or America. In the beginning of this Week, the following information was posted at 'Lloyd's : " The Abram, Watson, arrived at Lancaster from Hayti, was hoarded on - the 14th of March, in lat.:AL long. 61 41. by the Detnarara brig of war, which had been dispatched to Bermuda b‘. sir J. T. DUCKWORTH off Martinique, and wits oil his re turn to the West . Indies.' Capt. CaorroN, of the Demarara, in,Orted iii•thc Abram's log-book as follows :-- • • .• " Monday, March 14. " On Mominy, the ith inct. the Mullet schooner fell in With a " French squadron, consisting of six fad of the line (one of " them a three decker), in hat. 3V. N. Long. 69. W. steering " W. N. W." The Mullett kept company three hours. There can be little doubt but this is the Rochefort Squadron. The Floridas. which we believe have been ceded to France, were in all probability ttheita imint : and it they touch at the Chesapeak, ise think it must he merely as a matter of convenience. But whatever be their destina tion, we have every reason to hope that some of our squadrons will overtake them. Should St. notuingo or :Martinique be their object &and in that case it is difficult to conceive why they have gone so far to the Northward), they will 'be fortunate if they escape both Sir J. Duca v.oivra and Sir A. COCHRANE. That the enemy are going against Nova Scotia o r Can a da, w e c a n not believe: their niece is too small. if, indeed, the Americans were deter. mined upon war with us. and have made preparations to invade our American possessions, we should not he disin clined to believe that this squadron meant to co-operate v‘ith them—hut we have not heard of any military prepa ratiiins. Are the enemy ;going to make au attack upon Newfoundland P--. This is barely probable. • Upon the whole then the Floridan appear to be the only probabl e pl ace o f t h e i r de st i nat i on. Circumstances wh i ch took place some time ago, but which did not excite • much itteUtion at the, time, are now recollected and brought in aid of this conjecture. ATORSAU'S journey in Such haste to the soother', frontiers of the United States, is now supposed to have had tome relation to the. views of the Freuch upon the Floridaq. Jt is said a!so, that the last a r (Frice4 from haw York brought au account of sixty French Officers hay ing landed there, and proceeded to the Florida'. It is cer tain that the wife of General Mon eau, several months ago, left America fur France, for the alleged purpose of arraug ing some family concerns, but with the real object, as *as supposed, of mak lug her husband's peace with her hushanifi persecutor. We know it was said in the American Papers, sonic time ago, that BONAPARTE was 1144.10.41 determined to let the Americans take possessiou of Louisiana, though they had bought it ; and that as to the Floridas, he v as re solved to secure them for himself—he may think that the possession of them would enable him the better to awe the American Government ; and certainly, the latter would find him a most vexatious and troublesome neighbour. Two thousand troopii, the most that. the Rochefort Squadron can carry, would indeed be alone sufficient to secure the Floridas ; but where we have nothing but conjecture be fore us, the best we can do is to select the least impro-; bable. A letter was on Friday received from Liverpool, by *re spectable house in the city, which stated, that a ship had arrived there from Boston after a short passage. It was understood that the vessel brought important intelligence, but there had not been time to ascertain what. In all pro , if there really be aavy intelligence, it is something relative to the arrival of the French Squadron in some part of America. The coincidence of dates confirm this opinion. It was on the 7th of. March that the Mullet schooner fell in With the squadron ; four days were sufficient to bring Bitt intelligence to the Chesapeak, and three days molt would convey it to Boston. Hence we have a3nonth and a day for the voyage to England, with continued westerly winds. Since writing the above, we have learnt that the Admi ralty have received the following information : we do mit, !limner, pledge ourselves fur the accuracy of the state ment : . " Capt. 'Deems, an American, arrived this day from Mala. • ult.; which place Ire left on the 25th of February, lie.reports, b that on the 21st of February, seven sail of French line-of-battle ships Here seen oil Naluga : . that forty-set en hours after, tea sail of British '4nips of tar mAde signal oil . ' the same place. Both fleets were standing up the Alediterranean.• What is very extraordinary, the Captain, on his passage to England, never saw a British man of mar until he arrived in the Bonus." - f-- Late last night we received thexontents of five Gottc-n -burgh Mails, which arrived in the course of the day. The intelligence brought is onntinsti altogether to the concerns of Sweden. The Russian army has been augmented. to ,00 4 000 men, anti the Swedes have found it necessary to re treat. But this appears to have produced no impression upon the mind of the .King. De has called otrt all the force•of his dominions. by. a conscription, and it is calcu= lated that 150,0n0 men will be raised. . ' We are happy to peri,eive that , a part of our EngilA snp :plies are arrived„ Sit,SAmuct..l-foon reached the coast of ;Sweden on the 7th instants „Several. mete:of war and-fri !gates, with arms, -were already. there: This seasonable aid appears to have.relie.ved, the minds of the people frontal' ,apprehension on the side of Zealand.. To the 26th ult.: the trench had not crossed the Belts. . • • The answer of the King of Sweden to the Danish Decla 'ration of War was alsn brought by the same mails. • The .answer unfolds in manly and energetic language the policy !observed by the several Courts. The idle pretence urged ;by Denmark that Sweden was untrue to the cause of the 'Northern Powers, and that she Aim bound to make corn !mon cause with them, is answered by a reference to the: conduct of Denmark hers:Af,. who, when Russia, Prussia, ;Ireften, were at war with .vrance in 1ti436, sheltered herself in her neutrality, and withdrew from ail sympathy And participation with her neighbours. And surely • they. :who think that Denmark had.a to do thio, admit that Sweden might follow her example ss ithout meriting a rat 'en of war. The K it bout. re4erve, riat he did not think hiumlf int , .!rysted in. the preservation • I 1 ~.~ ~~ 4 ~- I