The Connecticut courant, and the weekly intelligencer — Hartford [Conn.], 1780-05-23 00:00:00, page 3

BOSTO N, May 18.
The Public have feenthe polite letter of
Admiral,Parker, to the French Admiral,
de la Motte Piquet, but no particular ac
count has yet been publilhcd of the a&ioa
in Port Royal Bay, between' these Admi
rals to which the letter refers, in which the
British Commander fd generously pays an
eulogium to his adversary. The follow
ing is taken from the Gazettte of France,
of the iith of February.
The Sieur de Flotte, commander of the
King's frigate the Aurora, who left Mar
tinico the 28th of December, arrived at
Cadiz the 22d of January last, and imme
diately sent his dilpatches to our court.
The Aurora failed fiom Marseilles in
the month of October last, having under
her cenvoy twenty fix fail of merchant
ships, defined for the windward islands.
As the Sieur de Florte approached Marti
nico on the 18th of December, about, nine
o'clock in the morning, he discovered the
British fleet and counted fourteen fail of
the line : They were however so far dis
tant that he hoped his convoy might have
entered the port of Fort Royal before the
enemy could have come up to intercept
them. Unluckily the wind died away by
degrees, while his enemy had a brisk breeze.
The Elizabeth of 74 guns, and an English
frigate came up near the Aurora, which
fired her stern guns, to protest the convoy,
principally from the frigate which endea
voured to pass the Aurora. Some balls
from the Elizabeth wounded her fails and
rigging but the Sieur de Flotre continued
his course, though the wind was unfavoura
ble for gaining Fort Royal.
About nine o'clock in the morning sig
nals were made along the coasts of Marti
nico, that a convoy of twenty fix fail was
near and that his convoy was pursued by
fourteen Chips of the line, and a frigate of
the enemy. The Marquis de Bouille, Go
vernor General of the Colony, immediate
ly gave the necessary orders that the bat
teries on the coast should make ready for
their reception. At two o'clock part of
the convoy, with the Aurora, appeared in
full view before Fort-Royal, while the
batteries on the coast kept up a fire on the
van of the British squadron, with as much
effect as the distance would allow. Im
mediately the Sieur de la Motte Piquet,
commander in chief of the King's naval
forces at Martinico, made fail with the
Annabal, of 74 guns, and was soon fol
lowed by the Venger, of 64, commanded
by the Chevalier de Relz, and the Refl chi,
by the Sieur Cillart de Saville, the only
ships that were at that time ready to come
to fail and engage. The Sieur de la Motte
Piquet made directly for the convoy, in
hopes of saving part of it. With his fin
gie ship he fought three of the enemy's
ships of the line that had cut off the con
voy : He disengaged the frigate Aurora,
and with her eight merchant flips which
must infallibly have been taken but for
this manoeuvre, as bold as it was executed,
The twoother French ships were not back
ward in coming to the assistance of the
Annabal: They maintained a severe fight
against seven of the enemy's line of battle
ships, in the great Road of Fort Royal,
between the batteries, which kept up a
constant fire, but at a great distance, the
English being afraid to venture too far
into the Road, or to approach too near the
batteries. Night coming on, the Sieur de
la Motte Piquet, finding there was no
possibility of laving the rest of the convoy,
the enemy having already bearded them,
and that the vtff-is he had disengaged Were
fafe in the harbour, he returned to Fort-
Royal, With his three ships, and the English
put out to sea.
Eight ships of the convoy were drove
ashore on the coast ; four of these were
defended by the batteries against the fire
of the English ships, one of which was dif
mafted ; the other four co k refuge in small
creeks were burnt by the nerny, but their
Cargoes were fayed. The English having
landed part of their force to take these
cargoes, were repulsed with lets, f< veral
times, by the troops of the King and the
militia. It is computed the enemy loft a
bout 60' killed in their boats in these at
tempts. Of twenty-fix veffcri which made
up the convoy, twelve were saved, four o
thers were burnt after their cargoes had
been taken out, ten fell into the hands of
the enemy. The Sieur de Sartine, Mini
ster and Secretary of Scare in the marine
department, having given his Mfoty an
account of these frefli pro f; of the brave
ry and abilities of de la Motte Piquet, his
Maj sty was pieafed to name him, A Com
MANDER OF THE ORDER OF ST 1, UIS;
and as he cannot be fottnady invefted'by
his Majesty with this dignity till his return,
he is in the mean time permitted to wear
the decorations proper to it.
The British ministry, by the latest ac
counts, are much distressed by the petiti
ons from the county meetings, as well as
by their apprehensions of what may be the
effects ofthe Committees of Correspondence
established by the oppofiti n in England.
The petition from York was prefenced by
Sir George Saville, arrffigned by ^ooo
members of the county.
Sunday arrived a letter of maque brig,
called the Phenix, Capt. Hallec, from
Grenada, in 18 days, and brought,n with
hima prizefhip of fix carriage guns, from
Pourt au Port, bound to New York, la
den with 200 pipes best red and white
wines, and 300 boxes lemmons, taken a
few days ago. Capt. Hallet informs that
the two grand fleets in the Weft Indies
consist of 21 fail of the line each, and that
just before he failed, an adion took place,
in which the English had near 150 killed
and wounded ; but can give no further
particulars.
NEW-LONDON, May 19.
We learn from New York, that they are under
so much for of a visit from our allies that they
have, laden 20 large flips with Hone, ready to fink
in the channel way at Sandy Hack, cm the ihorteft
no :C3 of ' fl e< appearing to attack them.
Bya gentleman from Bermuda, we learn that an
epidemical fickcr.fr brought there by British invalid
soldiers firm Georgia, has raged io so „eat a degree
in that Hand as that 740 of the inhabitant# have
died wi.b ; n the Utt three months.
The M ffl a, a privae fh : p of war, has taken,
and lad moaday sent into Newport a ship 20 guns
and too men, laden with 500 hogsheads of Rim ;
and the Pilgrim, alfda private ship of war, has tak
en another sh p laden with 480 hogfheadi of rum,
and ordered her for Billon. They failed from Ji
maica in company with four other fhrp*, boutu ;o
N^w Y irk, and wesetaken off Sandy Hoc-.
Y^erday C^pt, Renter arrived here in a fioop in
19 days from Guadeloupe. He informs.^ when
he left the Mqule, which was the 28^ April Ac
counts were. ,that there had been two Actions be
tween the French and Brit sh fleets, each confining
of 21 and 22 fail ; the firfl was off Dominica on fun
dav towards evening. 14 days before he failed ; and
the fecund near Si. Kitts on the Thursday following,
but that no fhp was last on cither fide.
HA RTFORD, Mg 23.
On Friday the 19th infant a very singular
darkness of the viable heavens and a^mfphere
happened in this place, and in the neighbour
ing tewns from which we have heard Our
ingenious and philosophical customers are dfired
to feed an account of the particular ph^nome^a
attending it, in their refpefhve places .parti
cularly an exaEl defcripfion of the time 0/ its
beginning^continuance and end -the appearance
and tincture of the clouds, and other viable
objePs.
As it is reported,hat the disk of the fun
was seen, by jome persons, in the time of the
greatest obfeuration of light, an account of its
'appearance, and the exalt time when, is like
wise desired.
The followinging agreeable intelligence was
brou^heto Nee. London Ilift Sunday, byCap Lad
wick Champlin in 17 dayr f.-om Guada /ope C^pU
Camplain fayntmay bf depended on the F &nc nave
gained much honor and credit in the action thro out
th 4 Weft I d:er.
Ex'r?A of a letter from a Gentleman in S. Eufaia
to hit friend in Caudal p.
"I have to acquaint you that on the i6tr April
the French fl^ c^fi^in, of 21 ships of the line be
fidts fei^a^t. who i>ad 8000 land forces bound on
f&m^ expedition, were met with by Admiral Rod
ivy, R ^Ry, Cimmodest Hotham &c. c nfiring
(f2 4 Ah of the line befider frills. A action
soon commented off Dmnice which lafled a > Lour
and A miuiuei vt y serious on both sides, when
the BiUh g^v^ „ay and put into St. Luc ato re
pair ; the Princefr Royal of the Bitfh (90 guni)
was difmafted. The French landed their fi.k and
wounded at B ckftarr, and about three days after
went out. We have just had intelligence that the
French were discovered near Barbadoes, and in all
pobability it must fall ino pefEffi^ of the French.
Th Feneb have gained much credit in this affair
with us. The End fit have pablifhed their left as
below, but fay the French is much greater ; hey
fay no v ffel loft on either fide. The account of lo<
of the French has not yet been publ fhe<i.
Loss of the British.
G^. K^d. Wound.
Sandwich cf 90 AAt/I Rodney. '8 g§
Prncafß ^l9O Adm'l. Parker. 5 J 4
Ezabeth 90 9 ] 5
Aj.x 74 4 *3
Cornwall, 74 Edwards 21 48
Monta ue, 74 9 £ '
Grafom 74 Com. Collinwood 3 if
C^q.rmr 74 Admiral Rowley 13 36
Nlaguficeat, 74 Elri^fton. r >0
Albon, ,4 33
Terible 74 0 0
V^eance ,4 Com. Hotham. 1 6
Vigilant, 74 0 1
£#lk. 74 0 12
Bbyne 68 2 0
Sfl^Cafll<64 R &rt Cacket, 4 34
Prudent 64 14 26
Litrepd 64 S John 3 0
M^d^ay. 60 Affleck, * 3
Yarmouth, 64 S if
indent, 6 4 I no accounts.
Centurion, 50 Capt. Brefwith, )
Total. 117 311
ZT^REBY 1 would Dutdy all the inhabitants of
the town of Wether.field, that have not yet
paid theirratei of 24 s. on the pound, granted by
the ATtmbly on the Lift of ,773. to meet me at the
times and places following, in order to fettle them,
viz. at Mr. Joseph Selman's on Tuesday the 23d
day of this inflant May ; at Capt. Abfalom Willi
arm's on Wednesday the 24 b; at Mr. Elisha Butlers
on Thurfdzy the 2§th ; at Mr. David Beckley's on
Friday the 26th ; where I mean to attend from one
of the clock in the afternoon till seven on each of
those day^, and at the place of my abode in New
ing'on the three last dfys of the month : and I hope
that every one that wishes well to his country, and
fceh for her difireffes, would exert themselves and
be pun&<al in paying, as the public labours unde,
Great difficulties for want thereof and thereby the;
will render a fp^cial service to their country, fav%
themselves needier co#, and greatly oblige their
humble fetvant,
JOSIAH WILLARD, Colleger:
We%nfirH, Mo 12 1,80.
Lord Chefterfield's Letters to
His Son, to be Sold at the Printing-Office,