New-Hampshire gazette, or, State journal and general advertiser — Portsmouth, N.H., 1781-02-19 00:00:00, page 1

Extract of a Letter from St. Piers,
Martinique, January 18. 1781.
“ The British /made a very ferrous attack
on St. Viocints about three Weeks ago ;
Admiral Rodney, with 14 Sail of the Line,
covered their Landing 3000 Troops, & ha
ving made an Assault upon the Garrison,
were defeated, & obliged to retreat on Board
their Fleet ; they loft, as 'tis laid, 700 kill d,
and upwards of 500 wounded ; the Garrison
confided of about 700, besides Militia.
'' We have Accounts from St. Lucia,that
Commodore Hood has arrived there with 4
Sail of the Line, and several Transports, be
ing Part of a Fleet of ten Sail of the Line,
and zoo Transports, with Troops, &c. and
having fallen in with the Count d Eftaing,
were all taken, except those arrived at St.
Lucia. They have now 18 Sail of theLine
there,under the Command of Admiral Rod
ney. The French have five Sail of theLine
to Windward, which are at Port Royal
“We have Intelligence from St.Euftatia,
that the Dutch have declared the States in
dependent ; the French believe it here, and
a Day or two ago a French Frigate was sent
down with Dispatches from the Comman-
K^M^ N the severe snow fiorm on
^ Saturday laft,the brigDrake,Capt.
^ 1 ^ Newman, from Martinico, ran
k^^^' afliore at Plum Island near New
bury, and was Branded. Her cargo, tis
Hid, will be saved.--- 0 We learn, that a
Martineco paper was brought in this vcffel,
which contain'd an account, that Count d'
Edaing, with the combin'd fleets, fell in
with Commodore Hood, with 16 fail of the
line, and too transports with troops, provi
fions,&c. bound to St. Lucia---that after a
short engagement, the Count made capture
of 6 fail of the line, and 95 transports ; the
Commodore,with the remaining partofthe
fleet, made off,and arrived fa!e at their def
tin'd port. We hope in our next to give
our readers a particular account of so imjor
tant a BLOW given to the haughty 'power
of Britain. Captain Newman had but
11 days passage.
We learn,that a Frigate and Cutter, be
longing to the Enemy, were drove on Shore
at Long Ifland,in the late Storm,& entirely
Yesterday arrived a light Bark, captur d
by the Amsterdam, Capt. M'Gee. She was
from New-York, bound to White-Haven.
A fourth Prize to the Ship Pilgrim, is fafe
arrived at an Eallern Port.
A Letter from a Gentleman of Character
in Virginia, gives us the following Sarcasm
upon the Traitor Arnold, which he must be
callous indeed not to have felt.
When this Judas landed at Virginia with
a Body of Troops with which the British
General has been so mean as to entrust hira,
he tent an Officer to General Nelson, who
commanded the Forces of that State, with a
Demand instantly to surrender bimlelf and
the men under him. General Nelson, in
Reply to his Summons, told the Officer who
brought it, to go back to Arnold with his
Compliments, and to assure him, he would
fend him 400 Hogsheads of Tobacco. I
do nut understand you, said the Officer-
Not understand me, cried General Nelson :
Arnold will understand me perfectly well ;
my Meaning is, with 400 Hogsheads of To
bacco, to purchase him & his whole Party.
[ Pol. XXV. ]
BOSTON, February 15.
THE
New - Hampshire Gazette ;
O R,
State Journal, and General Advertiser.
MONDAY, February 19, 17g(
Capt. Robinson likewise brings an Ac
count of 50 Sail of Victuallers and Trans
ports, with 1500 Troops on Board, undar
Convoy of a 64 Gun Ship and one Frigate,
lying at Cork, ready to fail for New-York.
By Capt. Cox,who arrived here laflWeek
from Gaudaloupe, we have the following
Extract of a Letter from a Gentleman at
that Place, to his Friend in this Town, da°
ted Jan. 13. 1781.
" Sir George Rodney, with a Fleet con
sisting of 10 Sail of the Line, 7 Frigates and
two Sloops of War, with 4COO Troops, in
clusive of Grenadiers and Marines, on board,
made an Attack upon St. Vincent, when af
ter being beat off, with the Loss of 100 kil
led, and 200 wounded, of his best and most
experienced Men, he was obliged to retire,
after taking with him a large Number of
Negroes and 70 or 80 Head of Cattle."
S AL E M, February 11.
Friday last arrived here the privater Ship
Pilgrim, Capt Robinson, from a Civile, in
which he has captured nine valuable Prizes,
two of which were sent into France ; they
were Brigs from the Weft-Indies bound to
London ; their Cargoes confined of Sugar,
Cocoa, Cotton,Oil, &c. the other seven were
ordered for this Port, three of which have
arrived ; their Cargo confits of a largeQjan
tity of Provisions, dry Goods, Cordage, &c.
One of the above Prizes was a large Cop
per Bottom Ship ( fafe arrived ) mounting
22 Guns, 8 eighteen's, the rest nine's & fix's,
and 84 Men. Capt. Robinson engaged the
aforefaid Ship upwards of 3 Glasses before
flie flruck ; the had 5 Men killed on board,
one of which was the Captain, & 18 woun
ded. The Pilgrim had only one Man kil
led,, and two wounded.
der here, to the Governor of Statia. We
have Intelligence likewise here, that the
Spaniards have taken the Floridas.
The ship Golumbia, Capt. Newell, has
taken a rich Prize, and both arrived atGua
daloup ; the Prize is laid to be worth 30,010
flerling."
A gentleman frew Jie Westward in
forms, that last week General Parfons,with
a detachment from the army, matched to
Morrifania,where he surprised Gen Delan
cey, killed a number of the enemy, and
took about 60 prisoners ; he also released
50 of our people that were prisoners with
the enemy, among them a Captain, who
was under condemnation as a spy. Gen.
Parsons, it is said, had three men killed,
and a few wounded ; among the latter is
Capt David Dorrance, of Voluntown,who
received a ball through his thigh.
A vessel is arrived at Newbury Port in 11
days from Martinico, the matter of which
has brought a news paper from that place,
a paragraph in which mentions, as a report
that Admiral Hood was arrived at Barba
does with 4 fail of the line ; that on his
passage he fell in with the combined fleet
commanded by Count d'Estaing, who cap
tured 6 fail of the line, and 95 transports
of his fleet.
CHATHAM, January 31.
Last Friday General Robertson, with be-
dirty Productions,to poison the Minds of the
Soldiery, were found last Sunday Morning
at this Place. We would recommend it
Extract of a Letter from Annapolis,
Jan. 22.
"Capt. Forbes,in the Nefbet, arrived here
about two o'Clock. He left I'Orient the last
of November, with a Fleet of 150 Sail of
Merchant-men, and a few Frigates, and
went with them off Brest Harbour, where
there lay aFleet,waiting for theVeffels front
I'Orient and other Ports, bound to the Weft
Indies and America. Capt. Forbes under
lfood, that a Squadron of 14 or 1 5 Ships of
the Line lay at Brest, and that 8 or goco
Troops were to fail with the Squadron, but
he did not learn theii Destination. The grand
Fleet of Great-Britain,and the united grand
Fleet of France & Spain were at Sea. Capt.
Forbes was five Days<ffour Capes in w hick
he came close byCapeHenry : Last Thurs
day Atternoon, about an Hour before Sun,
he looked from the Topmast-head, with &
Spy-giafs, into Hampton-road, but saw no
Veffcls there. He was on Board Capt. B
uchanan, at the Mouth of Patuxent, Yester
day Morning, who failed with the whole
Fleet, about 10 o'Clock, with Intention ta
put to Sea. Captain Forbes tock a Prize
from Charleftown, with Rice and Indigo,
and ordered her to Philadelphia." , ~
On Tuesday Intelligence was received by
Council that in Oaober last, the Ontario, a.
new Ship of 20 Guns,bound to Canada,was
loft on the Lake, with Col. Bolton, and 350
Men of the 34th Regiment on board, who
all perished.
Jan. 20.
"The Enemy marched by Land toPortf
mou h, where it is probable they will en
trench."
to Sir Harry, to silence the clamorous Hire
lings ot Helle, to whom he is fitteenMonths
in arrear, before he makes Overtures to our
Soldiery..
During the Holy Days, an Attempt was
made by tome People in New-York,& feme
from Long Island, to seize the Person of Sir
Henry Clinton, and bring him off a Prisoner
to us, but it unfortunately mifearried, and
Head Quarters are now secured by twcField
Pieces. Several are confined on Suspicion,
io order to invefVgate this Matter. We
give it as a Fad to our Readers.
Virginia, dated January 22, 1781.
" Our bli Account was, that the Enemy
h^d tent their Men in Boats up PaganCteck,
and landed at Smithfield, on the Sou h Ide
of Jones River. Baron Steuben was at Cabin
Point, about 30 Miles abovetLm. General
Nelson at Williamsburg, and General
Weeden at Fredericksburg.—— Ge ...cl
Muhlenburg is gone down with a fineß dj
of Riflemen to reinforce theßaron &Nelson.
I luppofe you have heard that Arnold Blued
a Proclamation, inviting the Inhabitants to
enHft with him, offering a B unty of three
Guineas, and a Commiffon to any Man ac
cording to theNumber oiMen he shall bring
with him."
tween two & three thousand Troops, came
from New-York to Staten Island. It is lup
pofed he has it in Contemplaii n to make
an Incursion into this State, as tome of their
Extras of a Letter from Williamsburg,
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 31.
Extract of a Letter from a Gentleman in
; No. 1268 ,]