The National Register. — London, England, 1811-10-27 00:00:00

- •N' crces were or were not still in farce, it was incompetent for him, in his judicial cApaci:y, to enquire into that question ; the President of the United' States, to whom the decision thereof belonged, baying, on his responsibility, already, by proclamation, settled that point." We learn from Washington, that the British-sloop of war Tar tarus, having entered Hampton-Roads, and not complied with the conditions )f• our Nun-Intercourse Law, the Collector of Norfolk, on Friday, the 20th ult. required from Commodore Potter, commanding on the Norfolk station, the aid of the naval force subject to his order, to compel her to leave our waters. The Commodore accordingly forthwith proceeded to Hamp ton-Roads with an intention of driving her from that place with gun-boats. No. 68 and 69, manned from the crew of the Essex; the brig Nautilus, Lieutenant Sinclair, and the boats of the fri gate Essex, armed, and under the command of Lieuts. Downes, Wilmore, Wilson, and Finch. On the arrival of these boats at the place of her anchorage, Commodore Porter was informed by a pilot (employed for the purpose of saving her anchor) that the Tartarus had, in consequence of a letter received by the Commander from Norfolk, cut her cable, and gone to sea in the night. There is no doubt from the activity and zeal displayed by the Officers and seamen, that had she remained, she would have severely suffered for her hardihood and imprudence in set ting the laws at defiance. We need not remind our readers that this is the vessel which the other day captured the American ships Dryad and Betiey, on our coast, in utter disregard and disgraceful violation of our neutrality, and of national law. I 'OR l UG .4 L. PRIVATE LETTER FROM AN OFFICER OF TIIE 77TH REGIM ENT. " Cazo de Moyendo, Portugal, Sept. 30. " On joining my regiment on the evening of the 24th, I found it not far fron• Ciudad Rodrigo, blockading that place, and I just joined in time, for the next morning we took up a position on the hills above the village at three o'clock, expecting the enemy, and about eight we saw them make their appearance in very great force, principally cavalry. Our brigade, with the exception of the sth regiment, were posted on a hill in advance. The enemy took a direction to our lot, where the sth regiment had been all night, and were then with a couple of guns of the Portuguese artillery. As we were in this position, Lord el lington came riding up, and immediately saw the point the ene my meant to attack, where the sth regiment and guns were posted, and directly ordered us off to its support. Shortly after we got there, the enemy charged our guns ; they had at the same time five field-pieces and a howitzer playing from an op posite hill on us. The greater part of our regiment had never seen a shot fired: they behaved most nobly. We remained till the enemy came within about twenty yards of us—the front rank kneeling—their bayonets pointed towards the cavalry; we and the sth in two squares; when the rear ranks gave them such a volley, that they tumbled down the hill in great style. Two squadrons of the 11th dragoons, and one of the German hussars, charged after them, and cut them up terribly. The Germans gave no quarter The enemy Charged us several times. They had 20 regiments of cavalry, amounting to about 4000 men ; we bad not more than 500 cavalry and 600 infantry to oppose them. As the enemy advanced, their numbers looked terrific, and we expected the two regiments would have been cut to atoms, but their bravery overcame every peril. The enemy's artillery kept constantly playing, and every shot fell amongst us; and so many narrow escapes of our Officers are almost incredible. Colonel Bromhead was very near being shot twice. A shell fell under Colonel Dunkin's horse, and covered him with dirt, without hurting him or his horse. Our Major had a portmanteau knock ed frim the rear of his saddle by one of the enemy's nine-pound ers, within half a foot of his back; he coolly turned round, and said, "there was nearly an end of poor Jack." Our Adjutant and his horse were knocked down by a shell, but neither were hurt, though a number of our cavalry galloped over them. We had not one Officer killed or wounded, which to me was asto nishing; we had 26 men killed and wounded, and the sth regi ment I believe about as many. I don't exactly know how many the dragoons lost, but the whole behaved most gallantly ; the dragoons we could see fighting two and three at a time of the enemy. 46 To describe Lord Wellington is impossible : his coolness, his decision, in the midst of a hot fire from the enemy, were eminently -conspicuous : he has the eye of a hawk;—he was close in our rear, and exclaimed, " well done the 77th,"when he saw our men behave so well. After the action, we were very complimented by our General of Division (Picton). regiment did behave uncommonly well. We aU the next day, and marched all the. night of THE NATIONAL REGISTER. handsomely comi Certainly the re 14:11i 1 - "••••••" wire under arms O r•Jes ' eg i j. " 4 64116. )11, , 1%. 414. • i q . f_ t s e i : ) , ls #S ‘ ......R. I , ~,--,.. ---- ~ •;-N . : , -... \ 6t: tt , ''.h .. •OP .... y _ ......,-• _ ..s. .... `0 _....-"•-. ._ 4 4,r " ' ....5..r., 4-11 . * VT. ably • the 26th, and all the 27th. On the 27th, we made a stand, and another part of the army was engaged with the enemy, when they must hay , . suffered severely. I have beard they lost about a thousand men. Last night was the first night of rest we have had for four : we wee a good • leal harassed ; several of our men, after they came to halt on the evening of he 27th, fainted away ; we had then been on our legs from nine o'clock of the evening of the 26th, till about six in the evening of the 27th, without having scarcely tasted any thing. I ate nothing during that time but a little biscuit. Lord. Wellington exposed himself a goad deal on the 26 , h, and was nearly taken; but he was we mounted. Marmont, who commands the enemy. said he would rather take his Lordship than ten thousand men. You will see from his Lordship's dispatches, which went off last night, a much better account of the general business than I can possibly give. The enemy retired to Salamanca and Placentia, and we are going to Castello Franco. as the rainy season will soon set in, and we must go intoiwinter quarters. Lord Wellineon's ma nceuvres in this last affair have been most masterly. as he wished to draw the enemy to follow him to the Coa, which if they had done, their army would have been even to-day annihilated. Our army is, I am sorry to say, very sickly; they say 19,000 sick ; but the sickly season is now over, and they will recover quite ' fast; and in the • spring we shall have a powerful army to meet the enemy. In the late affair we went into action only about 300 men, out of 800 we brought into the country. We have few Officers sick.—We all of eeurse s:.ffer much here, but cheer fully, from the conviction that we are fighting in a just cause, and to rescue a country from the iron grasp of a daring Usurper. whose troops have felt, and have still more severely to feel, the decided superiority of British prowess. In the late affair, their numbers were full ten to one; they came on with a tremendous hums, but British troops were not to be intimidated ; and so I believe the enemy found to their cost. Our army wish fur no thing but to meet the enemy daily. The Offic rs and soldiers of both nations almost idolize Lord Wellington : so fine a fellow certainly never existed; from six in the morning till dark, he is constantly on horseback reconnoitring; not an inch of the country but he is most accurately acquainted with ; and he most richly deserves every honour the country has or may be stow on him. " This country is a melancholy place ; the villages either de stroyed or deserted, and scarcely any thing to he got. We sleep in places the most wretched you can conceive, when we can get a place to sleep- in, but generally on the ground, in the open air, and the nights now are very cold. We had s ome rain the day before yesterday ; I was completely soaked,.ac it conti nued during the whole of our march. We are as comfortable now as we can be in a village nearly deserted ; six of us mess together in one room ; we help to cook our own dinners, and eat heartily. Our meat is generally in the pot an hour after it killed ; notwithstanding which, we manage to live well, but very like a .set of pigs, but variety is charming : we shall enjoy England the more whin we return; and as I have my health famously, I enjoy this kind of life. " To describe the wretched state of this country is completely out of my power. The miserable and truly deplorable state of the unfortunate inhabitants is painful to behold; their villages all in ruins, themselves nearly in a state of starvation, and con stantly obliged to fiy to the mountains and abandon their now ruinous and miserable dwellings at the approach of the French. Could our good people in England, who are constantly grum bling, and endeavouring to create disturbance, but view this wretched country, they would certainly be t hankful to the Ruler of the World, and be happy at being situated as they are; for happy indeed are the inhabitants of a country not the acme of a destructive war, and tenfold blessed ought the Bri tish people to think themselves, their island being so happily fortified against the encroachments of a stubborn and ambitiou s foe." INDIAN INFANTICIDE. A writer raricularly conversant with India, has given the following facts, in a recent essay on this subject : "The island of Saugor is situate in the Bay of Bengal. ISO miles below Calcutta. It was n t frequented by Europeans un til made a naval station a few years ago. In 1801, Marquis Wellesley was informed that women in that island, in conse quence of vows, sacrifi,Td infants, by drowning or exi)osing them to be devoured by sharks or crocodiles. His Lordship consulted the liramins and Pundits, by whom he was as-aired, that so hor rible a w acrifice, on any plea was not sanctioned by the tenets of the Ifia , loo i, n Thus fortified, Marquis Wellesley issued a Proclamation &dal it g infanticide to he murder, and punichahla with death. Not a murmur was heard, and as far as we know, so foul a crime has not been committed in that island :duce tit( year 1801. " During the administration of Marquis Cornwallis, when the Representative of the British Government at Benares, Mr. f. %