The Sun. — London, England, 1807-01-26 00:00:00

.• S~ he Eilemy PAlaciethea feria! tO place, and were also entrenching themselves at Magdeburglt" The following Bulletin was also published at Dantzic, by Gen. MANSTEIN, who commands there. • " OFFICIAL BULLETIN. account has been ieceived at Stettin of the Defeat of the French Army, with the loss of Forty Thousand Men and Eighty Pieces of Cannon. BONAPARTE commanded in per son, ami escaped with great dia.:ulty to Warsaw, accompa hied by only three attendants. The French Army is retreat ing in every diredion. The battle took place on the 27111, 18th, and z9th of December, and was fought at Ostrolenka, abo'it 70 miles from Warsaw." WE are not yet in possession of the details of the glorious viaory ; but we understand that BONA tARTE, finding that his Army was suffering severely by a Contagious Disorder, and by want of Pro visions, resolved to make a desperate effort to force the Russians to a Battle; accordingly the Whole of the French Army was put in motion, and BONAPARTE manoeuvred with great, skill and rapidity, considering the state of the coun try, to turn the flank of General BENN/NG-' SEX'S Division ; and there is reason to believe that he iii some degree succeeded in his plan, for it tip, pears that in the first anion, on the 27th, the right of the Russians suffered considerable loss. General XmartstsKy, however, having advanced to the support of Gen. BENNINGSEN, the action was renewed on the 28th and the 2gth, and the result was, that the French were completely defeated, with the loss of above 40,000 men, in killed, wounded, and prisoners. Such is the substance of the accounts which have reached Government, and to which, as we have already stated, they give full credit. We have now to add, that yesterday several foreign J I Journals were received to the 21st inst. which con tain the 45th, 46th, 47th, and 48. th Bulletins - of the French Army. Our Readers will perceive, by a perusal of those Bulletins, that the French claim a Vi6tory on the 26th Dec. ; but though the last of the Bulletins is dated the 3d of January, they do hot contain a word of any Battle subsequent to the With December; on the contrary, they state, that the Campaign may be considered as at an end, and that the Army was to be placed in Cantonments for the winter. This circumstance alone would be sufficient to convince us that the French had been de feated, because if it were true that the Russians were completely slefeated,and were flying in every direetio a and in great confusion, it is not to be believed that the French Army would retreat for the purpose of going into cantonments. The lesson which is given for the French Army going into cantonments, viz. the severity of the weather, operated as strong ly before the 26th of Dec. as it did a few days after; and it cannot be supposed that BONAPARTE .N!iould, unless from necessity, risk an aflion, in which ' f he were defeated, the consequences might be ruinous to his army, and from which, if he were viaorious, he could derive no advantage. The jus tice of this observation is proved by the French Bulletins ; they claim a decisive vi&ory, and the Itt utediate consequence is, thi.t instead of following the flying Russians, they retreat with all possible * l)edition. The Battle was fought in the' neigh bourhood of Ostrolenka, and the first French Bulle tin is dated from Pultusk, which is "censiderably Dearer the Vistula ; and the last is dated at 'Warsaw, Which, it is hardly necessary to state, is onthis side of that River. We are therefore fully satisfied that the French Army has sustained a most completedefeat,and that it is in a most ciangetuu-s situation ; for it is not probable that the Russians will, after such a vietory, Huffer the French quietly to retire into cantonments, 4 nd to wait for the reinforcements which are ex- Pekled from France. The news of the defeat Of the French h a d reac h e d t h ose countries ,which tile Fetich had conquered with so much facility, and had Produced very strong sensations. We find the, F rench Commandants in different places issuing Ir ociamations, commanding the inhabitants, un tier pain of military punishment, not to circulate 44 7 unfavourable reports respe&ing the French Ar linies• The most effeanal way, however, of sup- P r essing these reports would be, to publish an ac count of the viEtories of the French, and it is for this Purpose, and to quiet the apprehensions in France, that the Bulletins have been fabricated. What the result of this .Vi&ory of the Rus sians may be, it is impossible to anticipate . ; ,b•nt . there is every reason to hope that it will lead 1 0 the most favourable consequences. If it be true that Austria was inclined to tate, a p s rt in the tear 2 gainst France (and we have strong reason to believe that she had), this vi&ory affords her a favour able opportunity of doing so, of recovering all her , c ' s sea, and of crus hi ng t h e Enemy by whom she has been so much oppressed and insulted. The efr eets which it will produce throughout Germany dl also, we have no doubt, be extensive ; the Inhabitants of Hesse have set an example which will probably be very generally followed, particularly as BONAPARTE, in order to strengthen his Army, had withdrawn almost all his -.troops to t t einf orce his Army ; and we shall not be surprised' hear of an almost general insurrection against TenclL train notrly exiettailt of receiving Dispatches from Lord, FlurcHlNsotc, which will, we trust, enable us to lay before our Readers the official details of this glorious vi&ory, which again opens to us the prospect of seeing Eu rope rescued from the tyranny of the French, and its independence restored. , WE have received private letters from Holland which state, that ail Neutral Vessels which had been detained previous to the late Decree have been suf fered to leave that Country. WE are extremely concerned to state, that the reports which have lately reached this Country frOm so many quarters of the Re-capture of Buenos Ayres are at length confirmed by the receipt of Dispatches from. Sir HOME POPHAM. The Dispatches were brought home by Capt. EDMONDS, of His Majesty's Ship Diomede, who came a passenger in the ilmington Transport, and arrived at Spithead on Saturday evening, and about twelve o'clock at night the Dispatches reached the A-lmiralty, and the fol lowing Note was immediately transmitted to the LORD MAYOR : " MY LORD, " Admiralty-Office, lan. 25, One o'Clock, a. m. " I have the honour to inform your Lordship, that Dis patches are received from Sir Home Popham, dated from Rio de la Plata, the 3ath of Odobet, by which it appears, that the Town of Buenos Ayres had been re-captured on the tath of August. —I t further appears that, on the arrival of the Reinforcements from the Cape, His Majesty's Proops had taken possession of the Town and Batteries of Maldonado. " I have the honour to be, &c. " THOMAS GRENVILLE." " To the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor." (A True Copy.) (signed) WM. LEIGHTON. It appears that a considerable Spanish force had been collected, consisting of near 12,000 Men of various descriptions, which arrived in the neighbour hood of Buenos Ayres on the gth of August. Some skirmishes took place; but the troops under the com mand of General BERESFORD• were too few in num ber to face the Enemy in the field, therefore Gen. &RESFORD retired into the fort ; but the Inhabitants having joined the 'Besiegers, he was compelled to ca pitulate on the 12th of August. The terms of the Capitulation were, that the Garrison should be ex changed for Spanish Troops, upon their parole, and that they should be embarked for England. We are sorry, however, to add, that the Capitulation. was violated by the Spaniards, and that the British Troops and Officers were marched into the interior. The following is astatement of the number of Officers killed and wounded : Killed Wounded - 8 one of which is Lieut.-Col. PACK, of the 71st keg. Total - to Privates— Killed - - Wounded - - 9z Missing - 9 Total - 144. At the time of the surrender, Sir H. Poru with the Vessels under his command, had been forced • by violent gales down the river, and could afford no as sistance. He, however, continued cruizing until the arrival of the reinforcements from the Cape, on the 3d of oa. consisting of the 38th and 47th Regiments, the Flank Companies of the 54th, and part of the 2oth Dragoons, commanded by Brigadier-General BACKHOTY sc. Upon the arrival of these reinforte ments, it was determined to make an attempt upon Monte Video; which accordingly took place on the 28th oa., but the Ships of the Line not being able to get near enough to batter the Fortifications with effea, the attempt was given up. It was then resolved to attack Maldonado, which is situated at the mouth of the Plata, and which has a fine Flar hour ; it was taken with very little loss; and at the time the Dispatches were sent away, the whole of our Force was congaed there, waiting for the rein forcements from England. It will be recolle&ed that Admiral STIRLING sailed on the 30th August, with the Sampson, of 64 guns, and several Transports.— On the Bth of September capt. DONNELLY sailed in the Ardent, of 64 guns, with a Frigate, and two Sloops; and in °clic:her Sir S.AcutthPry. sailed with a very considerable force; there is therefore strong reason to hope that by this time both Buenos Ayres and Monte Video are in our possession. Maldonado being at the mouth of the Plata, the Merchant Ves sels which have sailed for Bt , :.nos Ayres will be prevented from falling into the hands of .the• Sp aniards. The following is an Extra& of a private Letter which we have received from an Officer on board the Diadem, off Monte Video, dated October 7, 1806:- " The forttne of War has ceased to be favoura ble to us ; Buenos Ayres, with our little army and immense treasure, is in the possession of the Enemy. We are reinforced, apd in three or four days will give them a drubbing." The objeL•tions urged at great length on Wednes day evening against a perseverance in the Military Plans which were introduced last Session, afforded Ministers an opportunity of representing, with in creased confidence, the benefits which may be justly - 1 t h expeeled to ensue from the adoption of is nem. I System, and of stating the a&ual advantages- which have already attended its operation. The increase allowance to the Army was alledged to be un neces saryand impolitic. In reply it was fairly contended that the augmentation of an allowance, which had continued unaltered since the Eighth of Charles 11. was essential to the ease and comfort of the soldier. Justice required that some suitable provision should be made for them who sacrificed their' health and • passed their lives in the service of their Country. The measure was recommended by expediency, be cause every thing which the soldier was entitled to exped at the end of. his service would be a pledge for his good condu&. The same consideration would procure a better description of them, and would have a natural tendency to lower the bounty. With re ' sped to the numbers arising from the recruiting system under the present arrangements, it appeared, from the Office of the Inspector-General of Re cruits, that, by a comparison of the accounts with. those of correspondent periods of former years, there was a growing increase, small at first, but at length amounting to an excess in the proportion of two to one. The present Administration had fornierly ob jeeled to the schemes which were adopted for the increase of the Army, because the means were op pressive, and the effect was not permanent. The means which had been formerly used to augment the Military Establishment of the Country might produce a temporary effe&, but by their sudden and violent operation exhausted the military resources of the Nation, and prevented a future supply for the Army. The present System is calculated to effect a progressive amendment and increase of our Force and to procure a regular, copious, and permanent supply. The progress of this important measure could not be expeded to be rapid ; but the experi ence .of its effects, in the short period which has elapsed, has exceeded the hopes of its proposers, and confirmed the policy of adopting it. The very ' great reduelion in the expence of the Volunteer , Establishment seems td have occasioned a very in considerable diminution in the numbers. The Se cretary at War justly observed, that the present Mi nisters had never been accused of uttering any charge so disrespe&ful as the opinion pertinaciously upheld by Opposition, that the Volunteers would disband in the event of any reduction of their allowance. • Ministers have been accused of not resorting to pro per means fOr the prote&ion of Buenos Ayres ; but no supplies could have arrived in time to prevent the recapture of that Settlement,. Lord CASTLE REAGH stated that the intelligence of the destination of the Expedition to Buenos Ayres had arrived from St. Helena in the early part of June ; but the ac count was no received till June 24, and was the first intimation which Ministers re , .:evyri of the Expedi tion, for which they were entirely unprepared. The Transports left by the former Government were not adapted to an Expeditio n acros4 the' Atlantic, nor could the necessary supplies have been pro_ vided with greater dispatch than had been used in preparing them. The capture of Buenos Ayres took place in the early part of July, end the Narcissus, one of the fastest sailing Vessels in the service, had been eight weeks on her passage. These fats expose the fallacy of the reasoning which has been used by the opponents of Governtnent, and prove the impossibility of sending reinforcements in sufficient time to prevent the unfortunate event I which we know to have occurred. It has been urged, in condemnation of the conduit of Ministers in recalling Sir HOME POPH AM and Sir DAVID BAIRD, that the jurisdiCtion of the Cape extends to ' all the Coast of South America, and that the Go vernor, being at the same time Commander in Chief, is authorised to adopt such measures as appear likely to annoy and distress the Enemy at all points within the circle of his command : withoftt adverting to the consequences of stripping a Settlement of its means of resistance and defence, and the measure of di verting from the intended purpose the supplies and stores of a Vessel dispatched on a different service, it is obvious that a Commander cannot be justified in undertaking remote and extensive schemes of con quest without the permission or knowledge of the Government at home, even within the geographical limits of his command. If such a principle should be admitted,; and such a practice tolerated, the con stant uncertainty and perplexity of the Government at home, the want of concurrence in design, and o f co-operation in Military Projets, and the extrava gant ardour for new acquisitions, which would re- ' sult from the unrestrained influence of ambition and interest, would quickly evince the necessity of check- ing such a dangerous stretch of power, and of pro hibiting Commanders from engaging in distant and hazardous Expeditions, incompatible with the pri mary ohjeas of their duty, and not combining ade purposes o f th e En (pate means to complete the terprisc and to maintain the honour of the. Country. Yesterday His MAJESTY and the PRINCESSES at tended- Divine Service at St. George's giap2l, and beard a Perron by Dr MARVIAN. NI PAL N EWS. From tbe LONDON GAZETTE, 71#. .34, i 307, Admiralty Office, Jan. 24. Copy of an Enclosure from Rear-Admiral the [loll, Sir Alexander Cochrane, K. B. Commander irk. Chief of His Majesty's Ships and P;:ssels at the Leeward Islands, to William Marsden, Esq. doted on board His Majesty's Ship Northumberlanl, irs Carlisle Bay,- Barladoes, 10th December, 1 806. His Majesty's Brig Grenada, St. George's, Sufi, Grenada, Nov. 27, 1806. I have the satisfaaion to acquaint you, that at, day-light this morning,. London Bridge Rock bear ing East three leagues, I discovered a suspic'ovs Vessel to the southward ; and, after a chase of four hours, came up with and captured the French Sloop Privateer Le Tigre, mounting two six-pounders and 26 men, out from Guadaloupe 15 days, and had taken a Mail boat. I have much satisfaelion in this capture, as the Vessel sails very fast, and has :lime considerable damage to the coasting trade of St. .Lucia and St. Vincent's. I have the honour to he, Rte. JOHN BARKER. The Hon. Sir A. Cochrane, K. B. &c. PLYMOUTH, JAN.24.---Arrived two French Clia93a Marees, laden with wine, &c. from Bourdeaux, can. tured by the Growler Gun-brig; and the Arnexican Schooner Anita Margaretta, WATERMAN, laden with fish, from Poole, bound to Leghorn. Sailed the Brig Commerce, of Plymouth, FOOT. laden with spirits, for London, under convoy of th; Greyhound Revenue Cutter. Arrived the Mars, of 74 guns, from Torbay ; she will sail hence to-morrow on a cruize off Brest. The Royal Sovereign, of 1 !0 guns, went out of harbour yesterday and anchored in Cawsand B after having her poop cut off and undergoing a thorough refitment. The Pallas Frigate is come into Barn Pool to be refitted. Sailed the Cesar Privateer on a cruize. Arrived the Brisk Sloop of War from the Downs. SHEERNESS, JAN. 25.—The Quebec Frigate, Lieu tenant FALKLAND, did not sail on Thursday with the remains of the Russian Subsidy, as gxpeCted, but which is supposed will sail to day ; as the ster for the Court of Stockholm embarked yesterday, and was saluted on his gong on board. Sailed the Weymouth Store-ship, \Vim's, for Portsmouth. PORTSMOUTH, JAN. 2.5.-Yesterday morning ar rived the Wilmington Transport, Capt. HARRisoN, charged with dispatches from Sir HOME Pormi wherein is stated the Re-capture of Buenos Ayres by the Spaniards. The Enemy came with a force of 12,000 men, and, after fighting obstinately three days, the British (only 1450 strong) capitulated on the 12th of August. Our loss is stated to be nearly 150 killed and wounded, and that of the Enemy 600. Contrary to the express Articles of aipitulation',. the British were all made prisoners and marched into the interior part of the country, among whom is Gen. BERESFORD. The Wilmington sailed front Buenos Ayres the 4th November. Arrived yesterday the crocodile Frigate from a Cruize ; and to-day the A'rgns Frigate from Cork. Sailed yesterday the St. George, of 93 guns, Capt. lIERTIE; to join the Channel Fleet; Lavinia Fri gate, for Plymouth ; Jamaica Frigate, for Guern sey ; Skylark Sloop, Capt. STUART, for the Downs, with Convoy ; and the Sprightly Cutter on a Cruize. On Saturday we received the New-York Papers to the , Bth ult. They announce that the Bill for Sus pending the Operation of the Non-Importation A6t received the sanction of the President on the 23d, and that .the Secr e ta r y t o th e T reasury notified that ail goods whose entry had been suspended might be entered. Intelligence was received on Saturday at the Ae.. miralty, that two Dutch Indiamen and a Dutch Fri gate have been captured on their return from Batavia. They are richly laden. The Emperor ALEXANDER signed a Decree on the 15th of last month for the formation of a Volun teer Militia in Russia. For this purpose, the whole Empire, with the exception of some of the Northern European and Asiatic Governments, is divided into seven districts. Each dismal is to raise one army, and to form a separate command of this descriptiun of force, which will amount altogether to 2,000 men. The Governments which do not raise men, are to contribute to the expence of arming this Militia, and furnishing accoutrements, stores, &c. It is said that a very extensive and furious Instil - e raation has broken out in the Island of Grenida. King Louts has issued a decree, from his resi dence at Cie Hague, pr o hibiti ng t h e exportat i on of brandy and Dutch gin from Flushing. With the Dutch JoUrnals which came to band yesterday to the 21st instant, we received a separate slip of printed paper, by which we are informed of a - most dreadful calamity that has befallen the city of Leyden, by an accidental explosion which took place thereon the iQth instant! A great part of the town was destroyed, and upwards of 2,000 persons are stated to have been buried in the ruins, of whom, however, 500 were shortly after dug out alive.— The Paper to which we allude, is dated the 17th, and contains several notes upon the subje& from the distressed survivors, - which we shall give the first opportunity. At the top is an engraving represent• nig the dreadful fate of the numerous victims. BIRTH.-011 Sunday morning, in Upper Sey mour-street, the Lady of .Tax Es CORNWALLIS, Esq. P,. of a Daughter.