The National Register. — London, England, 1813-04-25 00:00:00

:160 THE NATIONAL REGISTER. 'from Alcoy, and to occupy that place with a strong division of the Ore.' army. consequeacc• of ti,i4 movement, AJarshal Suchet quitted alai has assinned the command in person, of the troops on -the right bank of the Num.. He appears to have drawn to this division of his army nearly all the disposable force which he has iu :Or nei-hbourhood of Valencia. Aing that the enemy was concentrating his force, I assemble:l the allied army in Castalla on the '2oth. In consequence of tins concentration of the allied army, Marshal Suchet has reinforced Ws.; right, and has now a strong tbrce at Outenieute, Mogentc, and Fuente del Higuera. Since 1 hall last the' honour of addressing your Lordship, there hir.c been el al trilling affairs whit the !licitly. General whiitio::Jiarn has tort c l bi:a to retire beyond the Puerto tie Aloayda, a very consiiii rab!c loss. In this affair, whir!' Gc;ieral IVliittin-h;ita conducted with great judgment, and in ‘rhich the Spanish troop.: behaved with great gal lantry and order, the General was sligutly wounded, as were an officer and seven men. Iu a reconnoitring party on the same day, conducted by Major• Oeneral Ponkin, Captain Jacks, and the threign troop of light cavalry, Captain Waldron, and the grenadiers of the '2(.1, and 4Lieutcnant APDongall, of the Ailjutant-General's department, ha.) an opportunity of making a spirited attack on an enemy's pest, which was carried in the pretienee of a battalion drawn up as spec tators. We suffered no loiti on this occasion, hut killed some of the enemy, and took a few prisoners. 11JOre 1. contliple this letter, I be to ad:l, that shire T have been in co-operation %%WI General Elio, I have forint' Lis Excel lency in , :st anxious forward every object I Inol in view :it is impossible too to extol his zeal, the reauingis with_ whiLli We meets my wik,liet;. •ADMICAT,TV OFFICE, APRIT, ',M. 1813. • Letters, of winch the following are epic's and extract, have been transmitted to this.Odiee by Rear Admiral Dixon, addreseti to 30111) Croker, Lieateriatit Ciads, tate first Lieu -tenant of his i?lajest)'; Java :-- Uuited States Frigate Constitution, off St. Salvador, Due. ;it, lt;13, _ _ _ Stn---It is with deep regret that %%Tin , you, for the inf -umat ion a the Lords Commissioners of the Admitalty. that his Majesty's ship Java. is. no more, after sustaining an action on the 9.9 th instant, for several hours, with the Arnericao frit;:ate Constitution, which resulted in the capture and ultimate destruction of his Ma jesty's ship. Captain Lambert being dangerously • onniled in the beight of the action, the maknelioiy tzul of uniting the detail de volves on me. On the morning of the 29th instant, at eight a. tn. off St. Salva- I nor (coast of Brazil), the wi.:d at N. E. we perceived a strange li Sail; made all sail in chase. and soon made her ant to Ike a large i Irrigate ; at noon prepared for action, the chase- not answering our vrivate signak mm and tacking towards mimic'. easy sail ; when about Four miles distant, she made a signal, and iminciiiately tacked, and made all sail away upon the wind. We soon fomd Aye had the-ad• I 1 .vatitage of her in sailing, and came up with her fast, when she Itoisteit American colours ; she then bore ahont three points on our ~ tee-bow. . At fifty minutes past one p. tn. the enemy shortened sail. Itpon which we bete down upon her ; at ten minute.; pact two, when *bout half a mile distant. she opened her fire, giving us her larboard Jhroadeille, which was not returned till we were close on her weather i tow. Both ships now mamenvred to obtain advantageous post- ! /ions, Our epponeut evidently avoiding close action, and tiring high i t o disable our masts, in which he succeeded too wtli, ltaving shot sway the head of our bowsprit with the jib-boorn. and our running **ging so much cut as to orevent our preserving the weather gage. i . At live minutes past three, finding the enemy's r,tking fire ex- i S. - sanely heavy, Captain Lambert ordered the chip to be laid on I hoard, in which we should have succueiled, had not our fore-mast liven shot away at this moment, the remains of our bowsprit passing 1 Over his tatirail ;shortly atter this, the maintop-mast went, leaving the chip totally unmanageable, with most of our starboard guns rendered wsele,is from the wreck lying over them. 4,4L1 i a 14:- pis L tlirea 4 Atir . gal'itat Captain received a dangerous lemma in the brefist, aria was carried 'below ; from 41ii: time' ivse could not fire more than two or three guns until a quarter pact four, when our tnizeu-mast was slim away ; the ship then fell off a little, and brought many of our starboard gnus to bear : the enemy's rig ging was so mach cot, that he could not now avoid shooting a-head which brouglgt us fairly broad•He and broad.:ide. Our main-yard iipby went in the sliugs i both ship , s continued etty,aged ili tai soak. APRIL 25'. tier till 35 minutes past Finn., we frequently on fire in cousequenee of the wreck lying on the side engaged. Our opponent now made sail a-head out of gun shot, where he remained an hour repairing his danraes. leaving 114 au unmanageable wreck, with only the. ' main mast left, and that tottering. Every exertion was mad e by I ris ditties! this interval to place the ship in a state to renew the lion. We succeeded in cloaring the wreck of our masts froin our guns, a sail was set on the stumps of the fore-mast and bowsprit, the weather half of the main-yard remaining aloft, the main-t ac k was got lotwurd in the hope tit getting the ship before the wind, otie helm being still perfect; the effort unfortunately proved ineffeetnal, from the main-mast falling over the sits; from Inc heavy rolliog the ship, which nearly covered the whole of our starboard We still waited tht attack of the enemy, lie now standing to Ward s n. for that purpose ; on his coming nearly within hail of us, and from his inameuvre, perceiving lie inlended a position a-heal, lie could r ike us, without a possibility- of our returning a shot, then emisulted the Aim rs, who agreed with myself, that our havieg a great part of Oar crew kil:eti and wounded, our bowsprit awl three masts gone, several guns useless, we should not be justified in ' wasting the lives of more of those remaining, who I hope their ' Lordships and the country will think have bra et ly defended I:is :11ajesty's ship. Under these eircinastaiweo, however it - luctently, at fifty minutes past five, our colours were lowered from the stump of the mizen-mast, and we were tepee possession of, a little after six, by the America!) frigate Corstitotion, commanded by Commo dore Bainbridge, who, immediately after aset•rtaining the state of tie' ship, resolved on burning her, which we lead the satisfiction seeing, done as soon us the wounded were removed. nrexcd I send you a return of the killed mid wortiolc(l, and it is with pain I per ceive it so numerous ; also a statement of the•romparative finee the two ships, when I hope their Lordships will not think the Bri tish flag tarnished, although snccess has not attended us. It would he presumptuons in me to speak of Captain Lambert's merits, who, th oug h s till in danger from his wound, we still entertain the gicatesS hopes of Ids being restored to the service and his country. It is most gratifying to my 6-clings to notice the gallantry of every officer, seaman, and marble on board; in ice to the °lli cers, I beg leave to mention them individually. i can never speak too highly of the able exertions of Lieutenants lit vringloun anti Itneleinan. and also of Mr. Robinson. master, who was severely woinided, and Lieutenants Mercer and Davi... of thy ro3ht the latter of whom also was severely wounded. To Captain „Tenn Marshall. R. N. who was a passenger, I am particularly oblitd, for his exertions and advice throughout the aete:n. To Licata:nails Aplin, who was . on the main deck, and Lieutenant &miters, who eommanded on the forecastle, I also retina my thanks. I cannot ! but notiee the good conduct of the mates and morshipmen, many ornhom are killed, anti the greater part wounded. To Mr. T. C. Jones, surgeon, anti his assistants, every praise is due, for their mi -1 wearied assiduity in the care of the wounded. of llislop, Major Walker, and Captain Wood, ot .stati, the latter of whom was severely wounded, were solicitous to assist and remain on the quarter-deck. I cannot collate t' this letter,. without ex pressing my grateful acknowledgments, thus publicly, for the gener ous treatment Captain Lambert and his °lacers have experienced 'row our gallant enemy, Commodore Bainbridge and Ins officers. I have tlae honour to be, &c. H. 1). CHADS, First Lientennut of his Mbjesty's late ship Java. P. S. The Constitution has also stitli:red severely both in her rig gins and men, having her lore and inizen-imists, ulain-top-mat, both innin-top-sail yards, ipanker-hoom, gaff, and trysail-ina,,t badly plot, and the greate“ part of the st4nding rigging very math damaged, with ten men kille , l, the Commodore, filth Lieutenant, and 40 men woudgd, lour of whom are since dead. Force of the two Shyo. CONSTITUTION, /8 long eilitt.rn-poundcrtt. 34 long twunt:•-fotir-pounclers. I earrouncles. ai-poutultrs. carrouncles, Si-pututcic long Anat. poondtrs. 1 earrouctde, I<<-pounder. 46 ntts. 15. , , guns. Weight of metal, Vitilh, Weight of metal, 1400. Ship's conipxny and stipernume- Crew . , 4t>3. • raries o 377. of Officers killed and wounded. KILLFIL—C. Jones, mate ; T. Hammond, citto ; .W. Gascoigne, ditto ; W. Salmond, midAipinan, ditto ; T. J. Mat►laias, supermisne rary clerk ; and lti seamen and landsmen. Wou'iorip.—H. Lambert, captain, dangerously (since dead) ; EI. , e4sjatly z BE lii.MUSOUr luasief, stvervly