The Pennsylvania packet, or, The general advertiser — Lancaster, Pa.;Philadelphia, Pa., 1781-10-02 00:00:00, page 2

and requefls of his people. On Friday he saw only
twoor three of the principal ministers, and the wea
being hot, he fat in his shirt for (even hours together,
writing and dilating to his secretaries. On Saturd y
he received the public bodies, and yesterday and to
day he has given audience to every one who demand
ed it. It is not merely the rich and the noble who
find admittance to the imperial presence ; the poor of
every denomination, are received with.equal grace and
favour; every claimant has the privilege of veilinghis
own flor, in his own way to the father of his people,
who receives them all unattended by a Single perlon,
and lays aside every form which might awe the model!
and the bumble from making their wants or difireffes
known to him.
“ He rises at four, and sometimes earlier, and em
ploys his time from thence to dinner in a laborious at
tention to business. At twobe partakes of a very fru
gal meal with one of his chamberlains and ' his secre
taries, and then returns to a few more hoars of his for
mer employments. At seven he goes out in a common
remife, attended only by one fervent, pays visits to a few
of the firft people, and returns at a very early I our to
the palace, when he goes to. bed without any supper.
Nothing escapes his attention. He visits the h fpital%
tastes the food of the sick, examines t^eir beds, ques
tions them concerning, their treatment, and threatens
neglect with the highest displeasure. The barracks of
the soldiers are equally the objects of his paternal at
tention ; nor does hs hesitate to enter into the meanel
habitation, or converse with persons of the lowest class,
inorder to acquaint himfrlf with the raean&otdoing
good, and promoting justice In our land of liberty
we are taught to confider a Sovereign as born for t ©
good of his people. The Emperor affortsfuch a spec
tacle to all who behold him: for he is rot only the ser
vant, but the Have of his. fubjefts ! and I will venture
to assert, that there is not a man in all these dominions
whose days are defined to labour, that leads so la
borious a life as the Sovereign of them."
The last letters from Gibraltramention, that a Spa
nish and Algerine frigate have h#an engagement in the
Mediterranean, and after a contest of five glasses yard
arm and yard arm, the sea running very high the Spa
niard funk, and both vessels being grappled, carried
her antagonist with her ; part of their crews were tak
en up by a Portugueze Ship.
We are informed 'hat all the soldiers of the garrison
at the Hague have received 36 rounds of ball cartridg
es each, with orders to be ready at a moment's war
ning.
The French had five fail of the line,, one fifty, one
forty gun Ship, and 6 frigates,, besides /loops and trans
ports in the iflaiad of Mauritius, when the last dis
patches came away ; and fir Edward Hughes - being:
gone to Bombay, there was no fleet to oppose their
lauding troops-on-tbe coast of Coromandel to give as
sistance to Hyder Ally.
The part the emperor of Germany is at present aft#
ing on the continent, affords a true example of prince
ly greatness, which does not cohfift in the indolent
fplendour, butin the active virtues of royalty.
Sir George Rodney's account of monsieur Le Graffe's
fleet, is something like Neptune's qu ^ ego- -,
in his valiantaddrefs to the winds ; Whom I, if I catch
them again E But it is better at present to go and;
finifh my auction.
Yesterday advice was received by -the mail from Ire
land, that a French privateer, of 20 guns, was driven#
on a sand bank in a gale of wind near Galway, and left;
the crew got on shore, and were made prisoners.
Extract of a letter from Cowes, July 1,
“ This day a vessel arrived here from Gibraltar, the
mafler of which fays, that the loss the Spaniards sus
tained when general Elliot sallied out upon them was
very considerable; that the fleet which was before Gib
raltar is returned into Cadiz;.and that part of the troops,
are drawn off, from which it is imagined that the, in
tend to give over any further attemps for the present
upon that garrison ; he also fays, that many' of the
Jew families are obliged to leave Gibraltar, having
ro houses to live in ffnce they, were beat down by
the Spaniards, and are in want of materials to build
new ones."
The king's bench prison, when finished,, will be one
cf the compleatell prisons in Europe. The fooms are
now vaulted over with brick, and flagged, the flairs
of done and the banniflers of iron, so that in case of
fire, the communication of the flames is provided against.
There are several pumps in the yard, and a very large
reservoir of water, an extensive tap room is built, and
a very elegant coffee-houfe is in forwardnefs. should
lord Beauchamp's perpetual insolvent a& take place,
this prison would make a compleat barrack for 2,000
men,
Extract of a letter from Hereford, June 28.
" We bear from Montgomeryshire, that toe late
floods have been attended with the most melancholy cir
cumflances, in the parish of Charon particularly,
where five persons were drowned yesterday fe'nnight in
the evening, by the overflowing of a brook. The case
of two of these people was peculiarly aliening: An
old man and a boy of about eight,years of age, who
lay together in.a house that was waited away, were
carried off on the bed, which floated for some time in
view of their kindred arid-neighbours,, who were una
ble to .afford them the lea ft afliftance."'
The letters received on Monday by the pryfl from
Hereford and Salon, give further melancholy accounts
of the dreadful inundation in South-Wales ; above
200 people and 4000 head of cattle are said to have
been loft in Montgomery, Merioneth,and Monmouth
ihirc.
Extrad of a letter from Edinburgh, June 27.
“ Yesterday afternoon, about a hundred French
prisoners were landed.at Leith, from on board the
(hips of war, being part of the crew of tie Marquis de
la Fayette, and two French sloops of war that were
wrecked in the Weft-Indies, and their people picked
up by the R.milies. They were brought up to the
Cable; the sick, and those unable to walk, bein^ placed
on carts. It is believed that such a complicated
Icene of wretchedness was never exhibited in this or
Q other country. The poor creatures, reduced by
famine and disease to the lafl extremity, were alrnoft
unable to walk, and', from their frequent baitings to
rest, and the flow pace they moved at, the journey
from Le'th took up near two hours. Tuofe upon the
carts had Scarcely the appearance of human beings,
and, from their death like afpeft, it was the general
opinion that they could not hold out the night; tho'
we hear all of them are bill living. Many of them are
almost naked, and the whole of them destitute of fuffi
cient and comfortable eloathing. About 60 of them
were received into the Cable; the remaining 40, being
those upon the carts, were carried to the hofpifcK
Five officers were landed on Monday, and the rest,
with the whole of the common feamec, are expected on
shore to morrow.
“ Some humane gentlemen ' ordered wire, bread, &c.
t^ be distributed among them on their way to the caf
tie
" Yesterday Luke Ryan made- an attempt to effect
his escape by bribing the cenrnel, but without success."
According to letters from Shrewsbury, the floods in
Wales are so very grei; that the roads are not lik ly to
be pcffable for a month to come, even if the waters
Should subside, of which at present there is no appear
ance, tie flood- continuing still to tumble down from the
mountains.
Yesterday an express arrived at the admiralty with
dispatches from fir George Brydges Rodney, by which
we learn, that the French, commanded by count ce
Graffe, had made an attack upon the island of Sc Lu
cia, and had diembarked a large body of troops,
which were repuifed with c&nn Arable loss-, before the
wnole force deft ne4for he service could effect their
landing - foiled in thir firft attempt, they proceeded
to another part of the inland, where they made good
their I.offing, and were proceeding by regular ap
proaches to attack colonel St Leger, who was making
the regular , difyofitions to give them a proper reception.
Colonel St. Leger, it is farther said, h^d received a
message from admiral Rodney, informing him, that he
was coming to his affiflance with the utmost expediti
on, and ftriftly enjoining him to hold out to the last
extremity; so that further intelligence of the last im
portance to the- honor of our arms, both naval and
military, maybe daily expected.-
Intere fiing as these accounts are, they do not meet
that degree of credit and' attention which their impor
tance naturally demands ; yet we receive them from
such authority as to preclude, in our own minds, even
a probability of their being untrue.
If the days of superstition were not past, the pre
sent moment, so big with ominous apprehensions, for
every appendant branch of the empire, from the east
ern to me weßern fun, might well create more prodi
gies in the disturbed imagination, than were feigned to
precede the death of C^far.
A report is current, that as soon as the parliamenta
ry sessions breaks up. fir Joseph Yorke and Mr. Cum>
berland will set off together on a visit to Holland,,
France and Spain, on business of importances
All the Eaft-Indiamen arrived in the last fleet are ta
ken up by he directors, and are now fitting out in the
river ; exclusive of these, there will be four new ships,
and fix store Ihips, besides others that are bought up
to remain in the country, which will make the autumn
Asiatic fleet the most numerous that has failed for ma
ny years.
The losses of the Britiffi' navy this war equal if noP
exceed our captures. According to a very accurate
account, the number of thips taken, loft and destroyed,
are 99 fail, 7 of which were of the line, viz. Ardent,
Augufla, Defiance, Culloden, Thunderer, Somerset,,
and Stirling Caffe-;2 of 50, 3of 44, and 26 stout
frigates, from 28 to 40 guns.
Peace begins to be talked of in the purlieus of the
court, as if it were reduc'd to a certainty, that fuco
a circumhanee would take place shortly; our naval,,
our military, and our financing ministers, work double
tides to being it about ; the firfl feels himfelf in a cri
tical filiation, the second pants for resignation of the
disagreeable business of the American war, and the last
feels experimentally there will be no more Ead India
or Bank charters to be renewed next year ; in fine, the
noble financier has at last found his ne plus ultra.
A gentleman, who is a friend to his country, and
has been long, a resident inGeorgia, concludes his let
ter, to a relation in Edinburgh, with the following,re
mark/ To forefee such a revoluti n was beyond the
ken of human knowledge; but the weakness of the
ministers, the inactivity- of your commanders, and
your diffentions at home, have produc d events that
none could imagine- ;hence many losses to myfelf, and
much disappointments to my friends. Farewell,and
reflect on the folly of- many on your fide the water with
detefta ion and abhorrence.
The following is a pretty accurate account of the
number of ships of war the several powers have in ac
tualcornmiffion at this time :
Great-Britain ± - _ „ 441 c
France -279-
Spain _ neg,
Holland" .... . 60
Russia ------ - 32
Sweden - - r _ _ ^ o
Denmark -.- . - 29
Total 996
Our senators have been busily employed on the <x
pediency of finding warehouses for the great quantity
of sugars expected in England; but should the French
succeed against St. Lucia and another or two of our
Western Islands, the next object of their enquiries wid
be to find fu gars for t-e warehoufs.
Sir George Rodney gained more applauses of the
multitude, for his peaceable debarkation on the de
fencelets inland of Euflatius, than tire greatest com
manders have sometimes reaped from the most despe
rate battles. Should he succeed against monf. le Grade,
the surrounding inlands shall celebrate his triumph with
more solid praises.
The main of cocks fought at the meeting, betwixt
William Dicconfon, esquire, and Ban. Parke-, elquire,
confined of 24 battles, fourteen of wnich were won
by the former, and ten by, t-.e latter
From Kivington's New-York Gazette, da
ted September 24, 1781.
NE W VOR K, September 24.
The following is said to be a pretty accurate account
of the engagement off' the Chefapeak tile sth infant
between the British and French fleets:
Tee firft certain notice our admiral received of
the enemy's fleet being actually upon the coast, was
from the advanced fllips of the % t on re morning of
that day, when the French were seen at an anchor, ex
tending from cape Henry to the centre of the middle
gr&un: (a Ihoai so called which confines the entrance
into the Chefapeak) apparently in three divisions.
As the British fleet advanced, with a fair wind, the
French got their fllips under fail, and extending them
fclves in a line of battle a he.-d, stretched out to sea
ward.
The British ran down upon an east and weft line,
with the wind at N. N. E. form d, and put them
fefves into order and preparation for battle.
As the British advanced towards the shoal of the
middle, they were prepared to veer by Fgnal, the
whole fleet together, to bring them upon the fame
tack with the enemy, who were all this time forming,
the line as they advanced to sea.
The moment it was no longer fafe for the British van
to advance further, on account of the ihoal, the fleet
wore together, and came to the fame tack with the
French, ^ id formed a line a h§ad nearly parallel with
them, with their main-topsails square, to let the e
raemy's van guard advance, until ' the British could 0-
perate to advantage.
The French came forward slowly, and shewed 24
large fllips of their line of battle. The British formed
19 in theirs.
It will be needless to give you a detail of fignafe. A
great number were made, and I believe all that were
necessary to prepare the British line for an united ef
fort.
The French van had extended themselves considera
bly too uiuch from their own centre, and seemed to
present the favourable moment for attack.
The British line had been continually pressed down
to approach the enemy, as nea as possible, and th#
moment the French van betrayed tfeir apprehension
of our design, by bearing away, the Signals for a close
action was made, and the signal for the line taken down,
that nothing might Cross the opportunity.
The action bugan at a quarter after four,- about the
fourth or fifth ship, and in a few minutes extended
from the van to the second ship a flern of the center.
Rear admiral Drake's diufion composed the van cf
the British line, rear-admiral fir Samuel Hood, bart
that of the, rear.
The adion in the van was very close and Sharp fo*
some time, and continued so until the French ships put
before the wind to prevent being cut up.
The French center and rar pushed forward, and
kept much from the wind as they approached the Bri
tish center, and appeared to have little more in view
than to advance far enough to receive their own van,
who were nearly before the wind, and the better to es.
fed this purpose, they con.ftantly declined close adiot
with the center as our fleet.
Every neceffar-y Signal was made to urge a close as
well as general action, which the enemy appeared a
much to decline, and did not permit our rear to close
with them, which prevented that part ofour fleet Iron
having any Share of the action.
All firing ceased on both files soon after fun-feC
About ten o'clock it was made known to the admiral
by two frigates, which had been feat throughout the
line, that several of the ships of the van were not ca
pable of keeping extended with the enemy, having fuf
fered so much in their inafts and rigging, they-must
attend to its security or be difmafteJ. That two of the
Ships which came very leaky iromahe Weft- Indies, had
aggravated their complaints,- and one of them could
only be kept free with all per pumps.
The two fleets remained near each other for five suc—
cessive days, at times very close.- The enemy, it was
vifible,-had received much damage to their van Ships,
and from thence quite on the next ahead of the admi
ral's Ship ; but out mails and yards had Suffered much -
more appirently- this enabled the French to gain the
wind of us, and two changes ®f wind much in their fa
vour, prevented our recovering it; No time or effort
was neglected, which could put the British in proper
order; for the enemy/ with their superiority of num
bers ouzht certainly to have attacked us. On the 10th
the Terrible could no longer pefifiher leaks, and the
fleet was obliged to bring to, as well as- to give time to
Shift some topmafis. This was done at night, and the
next morning we saw no more of the enemy, who cer
tainly. pushed to regain the Chefapeak, having been
driven a great way to the southward.
The d'y- being calm the Terrible was dismantled an<F
set on fire, and several of the Wefi-India fquadro%
ft.at had very little bread on board and but a few days
water were fupplyed from other ships of the fleet, apd<
the whole moved towards cape Henry, which we made
on the 14th, and finding the French fleet had placed
themselves so ad vantapecufly between the sands, as to
give no probability ofour being able to force them, or
get any fuccour up to York river, it became absolute
ly mcehary to Shelter the fleet before the approaching
equinox, as a gale of wind by dismantling our fhips^
might do us more injury than a general action. The
fleet therefore returned to New-Ydrk. .
We loft in the action one lieutenant and 90 men kil
led ; and 246 wounded. One captain having loft hifr
_
A CARD to Melter Jemmy Rivington at New-
Yo k
* N American prefers hit compliments,, and b-g^
Ln bave to notice matter J mmy's res cos forthe r -
turn of the British fl tt to N w York, ufeer they had
met with the fleet of the count de Gatty before the
mouth of Chei-peake B-y, as publiflied b) rafter Jem
my in his royal ycz tie of Sipt. 20th, to wit, '' tneap
proaihing equinox." The American ccn fesree reftraia
hinilell from ,aughmg at the te^Nne adduced by the ly?