The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1781-05-08 00:00:00, page 2

Sr.PIERRE, (Martinique) Feb. 15.
The privateer Holker, of Philadelphia, of 16
fix-pounders failed last week on a cruize, and re
turned in this port on the 12th iuft.with an Eng
lish cutter, the Hypocrite, of 12 nine and 4
twelve- pounders, which the took the day before
between' Grand Terre and Antigua, after an ac
tion of three quarters of an hour. The cutter
chafed the Holker, who affected to run from her
till the cutter came up within close shot. The
cutter had failed from St. Kitts on the Bth, had
seven men wounded and four killed, among the
latter is the Captain : The Holker had 3 killed
and one wounded.
A cutter lately arrived from- England at St.
Lucia, and failed immediately to join Admiral
Rodney, and brought an account that a Cork
fleet defined for the islands, under convoy of
three ihips of war, fell in with a French fleet, a
bout 400 leagues from the islands, from which
the cutter escaped with difficulty
Two American frigates, one of 26 guns, from
New-London, and another of 36 guns, from
Boston, have just arrived at this port. The Cap
tain of a vessel from Holland, which they retook
off this island, and sent to New-England, inform
ed them, that 43 days ago he met a large French
fleet, and two days after an English fleet of trans
ports, convoyed by one ship of the line and three
frigates. The Captain thinks they mult have
met with each other.
Feb. 22. By a Holland vessel lately arrived at
Amsterdam from the East-Indies, we are inform
ed, that some French men of war have taken and
carried into the Cape of Good-Hope three of the
English India ships.
The privateer Holker of Philadelphia, left this
harbour on Sunday last, and has taken an Eng
lish brig, which left St. Lucia that day, and sent
her in here By persons on board the brig we
learn, that there were 13 ships of the line at St.
Lucia ready for sea, and three others laid up.
Rodney left 600 men at St. Euftatia.
March 1. The noted privateer Holker, com
manded by Captain Kean, came in here on
Monday last, with a ship of 16 guns, the cargo
of which is valued at between two and three
hundred thousand livres. This rich prize having
failed from Glasgow, touched at Cork, and has
been about fix weeks from the last mentioned
port. Kean met her to windward of Antigua,
and took her after a single difeharge of his muf
quetry, without the loss of a single man. Ac
cording to the report of the Captain of this prize,
a large fleet had failed from the Thames 3 weeks
before he left Europe : and a report prevailed in
Ireland that it had fallen in with the fleet com
manded by our Vice-Admiral, Count D'Eftaing,
who had fuffered very few of them to elcape.
A small force was lately sent to furprize Defi
drada, but their fbatagem failed and they were
taken prisoners and sent to Gaudaloupe.
We are informed that 25 fail of merchantmen
and transports are arrived at St. Lucia, which
left Europe under convoy of two frigates. We
know not whether they were part of the great
feet which failed from the Thames ; but it is ta
ken forgranted in the English islands, that Count
D'Eftaiag has made a rich capture. It is averted
that he took the fhipsof war which convoyed the
fleet. Passengers lately arrived in a flag of truce
from Montferat confirm this account.
By a vessel which left Bayonne, January 7, and
arrived here yesterday, we hear, that 011 the 26th
of December, the Prince of Nassau had executed
his project of a defeent on the islands of Jersey
and Guernsey with 12,000 men.
BALTIMORE, April 17.
Report fays, that a few days after the arrival of
Major-General Philips, at Portsmouth, who hath
now the command 01 that British post, Brigadier
General Arnold was detached into North-Caro
lina, with a body of troops, in order to make a
diversion in favour of and perhaps finally to join
Ea'rl Cornwallis. This detachment, it is said,
embarked in boats at a place called North Land
ing, about nine miles from Portsmouth, and
proceeded by way of Currituck, Albermarle
Sound, &c....
The following intelligence was received,,! its
present form, just as this paper was going to
p re ' s:
Alexandria, (in Virginia) Aprils
'' Enemy's vessels 12 miles below Alexandria.
Ship Savage, Capt. Graves; ship Hope, Capt.
Thomas, and ship Gen. Monk, Capt. Douglass,
of 16 guns and 125 men each ; two brigs of 12
guns and 60 men each ; schooner Jack in the
Box, carrying one 18 pounder, three 2 pounderi,
three four pounders, and 6$ men ; ' one schooner
of ten guns and 40 men, with three tenders.
" On Thursday last a flag was sent from the
above squadron, to Major Lyler, for a fr.pply of
Vegetables and frefh provisions, and advising the
militia to lay down their arms, offering pay for
every thing that should be supplied them ; but
if that their boats were tired upon, and their ap
plication flighted, they would Durn and destroy.
On being affiired by the Major, that no part of
their requisition could be granted, and that the
militia were armed and would defend themselves,
nine barges were sent from the squadron with
200 men, who landed under a heavy cannonade,
and burnt all the Major's houses, killed and car
ried off hogs, (heep, poultry, &c. The militia
fired on the barges, and killed two men. On Sa
turday last eleven men landed from one of the
enemy's barges to cut wood. They were attack
ed at forty yards distance from the shore, and all
made prisoners, by Capt. Williams's party of
Bladensburg volunteers."
PHIL ADELPHI A, April 24.
Since ourlad arrived in the Delaware ,he Mar
tinico and Havannah fleets, confiding of about 20
fail of armed trading veflels, the greatest part of
which have entered our harbour.
Saturday last arrived here the Fair American
privateer from a fuccefsful cruize.
A fleet of between twenty and thirty fail ofmen
of war, was seen to windwardof Martinico, when
our vessels left that island. These ships are sup
posed to be from Old France, and are laid to have
on board between ten and fifteen thousand men,
which will make the force of our allies equal, if
not superior, to that of the English in thole parts.
Extract of a letter from St. Piefe, Martinico,
March 28, 1781.
" Arrived here the jth inst. from Brest, in 44
days, a lugger with diipatches from the minister
to the Marquis de Bouillie, advising him of an
approaching arrival of a large fleet, confuting of
400 fail, or thereabouts, among which he expels
36 fail of the line. I hope soon to be able to give
you a more particular account of this piece of
news."
Extract of a letter from Martinico, March 4.
" The States-General are making the greatest
preparations to fit out a formidable fleet: It is
expected they will have 50 fail of the line ready
by the beginning of the campaign. They have
sent great reinforcements to their East-India pos
sessions.
" Portugal has acceded to the armed neutra
lity ; has eight fail of the line already fit for fez
in the Tagus, and it is expected will have io by
the beginning of April.
“ Ihe death of the Empress Queen 'rill not
at all derange the political fyftemof the northern
powers.
" It is confidently reported and believed, that
Count D'Eftaing, in his passage from Cadiz to
Brest, where he arrived the Bth of January, cap
tured forty fail of English transports, and some
ships of the line that escorted them, destined for
the windward islands and Jamaica, on board of
which was a considerable number of troops. The
longpaffageof this fleet will preventthe reinforce
ment failing for America as soon as was expected."
The last veil els from the Havannah bring the
following interesting intelligence : On the 4th of
January the important fort of St. Juan de Nica
ragua, on the Spanish Main, was retaken by his
Catholic Majesty's forces; part of the garrison
were taken, and the rest escaped inboats the pre
ceeding night, or else they would have fharedthe
fame fate.—On the 18th ult. Gen. Galvez forced
the post on Rofe's island, at the entrance of Pen
sacola-Bay : The igthhe enteredthe harbourwith
the convoy from the Havannah : The 23darrived
another convoy from New-Orleans ; and on the
26th both divisions, and the army, with another
body of troops from Mobille, commanded by Col.
Don Joseph Ezpeleta, were joined at Pensacola
camp, preparing to begin the attack of thatplace.
A fleet of 8 fail of British ships of the line, hav
ing been, as it was said, dispatched to the fuccour
of Pensacola, the Spanish fleet, under Admiral
Salona, having a body of troops on board, and
some French ships under M. Montieull, making
together ißfhipsof the line, were immediately or
dered to sea with a design to intercept theenemy.
Yesterday arrived here the brig Virginia, Capt.
All, after a passage of 9 weeks, from L'Orient in
France, who confirms the accounts we have al
ready had, refyeding the spirited preparations of
the States of Holland, to retaliate the injuries sus
tained by them, from the court of Great-Britain;
but that nothing very material had happened, ex
All merchants at present fefiding in this place,
,vho are inhabitants of Amsterdam, are do pre
pare to leave this island forthwith, and return to
Holland. They are to give their names to M.
Brookes, Secretary to the island, at Mr. Henricus
Godets, between the hours of nine and twelve
o'clock to-morrow morning.
C H A TH A M, April 25.
Last Saturday night a party of about 70 of the
enemy from Staten-Island, came over to Eliza
bethtown. They landed at Halftead's point, and
were difeovered between that and the town, by
Captain Hendricks, who was patroling with a
small party of about ten or twelve ; and though
so much inferior in numbers, he kept up a galling
fire upon them, and prevented their penetrating
the town farther than Dr. Wynans's, where, af
ter plundering some houses, &c. firing through
the windows where Mrs. Wynans was fitting, by
which they wounded a boy trough the arm, and
then burning the house of Mr. Ephrain Marlhp
they began their retreat, in which, it is said,
they had one killed and some wounded.
Last Wednesday night Capt. Hendricks made
an excursion to Staten-Island, and biought oF
ten prisoners.
B O ST O N, May §.
Yesterday the prize ship Polly, of twenty 9-
pounders bound from South-Carolina to Jamai
ca, laden with rice, flour, &c. taken by the Pro
tector and Dean, vessels of force from this port,
arrived and was fafe moor'd in this harbour.
A letter from the southward cautions us to be
ware of a set ofz^o/CT changers, who are on their
way from the South with large quantities of the
old emission of Continental currency in bulk, in
order to exchange it for hard money. It is to be
hoped that every friend to the welfare of the U--
nited States will be upon their guard, and that
those pests to the general cause may meet with
the contempt they justly merit.
A letter from F rance mentions, " That the ve
ry capital print cfDr. FRANKLIN, which was
painted by order of his Mod Christian Majesty,
is now placed in the pi&ure gallery, at Fontain
beau ; and that at the bottom is the following
fkort, but exprcHivf inscription : HOMO"
cept an action in tfe charnel 0: lu grand between"
2 ships of 50 guns each,belonging to the refpe&ive
nations, w hich, however, was not decisive, both
having at the fame time left the feene of a&ion.
We could vifh to Rive the public all the intel
ligence received by this vessel, but the lettersand
other papers brought by her, having been landed
a considerable distance down our river, are not
yet received in town, but expelled every hour.
From theNEW-YORK MERCUR Y,
of April 16.
St. EUSTATIUS.
Head-Quarters, February 6, 1781.
HIS Excellency the Commander in Chief
orders, that every inhabitant of the island, with
out exception, do forthwith render a full and just
account to the Quarter-Master- General, of allhis
effects of every description whatever, viz. Plan
tations, houses, furniture, plate, merchandize,
slaves, horses, horned cattle, and all other four
footed beasts.
This order to be complied with in its fulleft
sense, on pain of confiscation and banishment.
JAMES COCKBURN, Q. M. G.
N. B. All inventories to be in English.
February 22.
All inhabitants ofthis island (foreigners and
native Dutch excepted) are to deliver to the
M. G. by 12 o'clock to-morrow, signed certifi
cates of the time they have resided in the island.
All merchants and traders on this island, are
forthwith to give up their books of correfyohdence,
letters, &c. to the QM. G. His Excellency
the commander in Chief, orders that all Ameri
cans do leave this island, and that they be on the
beach this afternoon, by five o'clock, when boats
will be ready to carry them off.
March ift.
Whereas, itappears by the inventories of effe&s
given in by the merchants and inhabitants of this
place, that moll of them have neglected 4o make
a return of calh and plate they flood possessed of
at the surrender of this island. It is hereby order
ed that they do forthwith giv& in to the Quarter-
M^fter-Generahan tca& account of all monies
and plate,; now in'meir possession, as wellbelong
ing tc themfelvcj at other people, for which they
are to be responsible when required. And if any
further difeoverie, fliall be made of monies or
plate, concealed after this return is given in, it
will be deemed the property of no particular in
dividual. March 2.