The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-06-08 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

YARMOUTH, JUNE 6.
The lifrrealor armed ship passed this morning in
the Offing. with a fleet under convoy for the Baltic.

HARWICH, lUNF 6.

The Lad,/ Nefrean packet, Captain George Deane,
arrived this clay frcm Husum, after lanling the
mails and passengers to the Northward of this port.
The Earl et' Garcon- picket, Captain 'Fhomson ;
and the LIIIM F•aares, Captain Flyn, are detained
here with the mails of the 4th, for Husum and
Gottenburgh. They will rail in the morning, wind
and weather permitting.
DEAL, JUNE 6.

Sailed yesterday evening, the Archer gun-brig,
with fresh beef for the squadron off Boulogne; aim
this day the Grifis cutter, with dispatches for the
cruisers off Calms, Ostend, and Dunkirk.

Arrived the Cjigart sloop of war ; De...utatidn
bomb; Acu'e, :Ind several other gun-brigs, from
off the Frcitch coast, and remain in the Downs,
with the rest of His Majesty's ships us per last.

PORTSMOUTH, !UN F. 6.

Sailed the P4diu, Wheatly, late from Mem-I, for
Yarmouth ; the krtiol, Osbourn ; Hope, and three
other transports are ordered for Leith; and tLe Flax-
dirt, ditto, fur Guernsey. Wind S. W.

Pt .Y MOUTH DOCK, JUNE 5.
Sailed His Majesty's ship Montague, Captain Ot—
way, to join the Channel fleet, and the Rambler
sloop. Alert the Alantput frigate, and La kYehe sloop
of war.

Arrived the N'emeris frigate, and Vitre cutter.
Also the Liberty brig, Lii-utenant Codd, with dis-
patches from Gibraltar, which were immediately
forwarded to the Admiralty. By her we learn,
that Lord Nelson passed through the Gut, 28 days
after the •Foulon squadron, watered at Gibraltar in
the night, and the next morning sailed in pursuit of
the enenay. Of Cape Finisterre, Lieutenant Codd
spoke a Dane, 'a ho passed the French fleet off the
Cape de Verde Islands, consisting of 14 sail of the
line, with frigates, &c. full of troops, steering South-
west. The Master of this neutral says, he was
hailed by one of the French frigates in bad English,
who told him they were bound to the Cape of Good
The expedition was arrived at Gibraltar,and there
detained until further orders; one ship with artil-
lery horses was missing, supposed to have foundered,
or been taken by the enemy. Considerable alarm
prevails at Gibtaltar, from the apprehension of ar.o.
ther contagion, which, from the great preparations
the Spaniards are making, they would gladly take
the advantage of.

TALMOLTiI, JeSt 4.

Arrived the Good Son, Blackmoore, from Swan-
sea ; Bei?, Slade, from Liverpool ; Fiore, Ste-
phens, from Penzance for Petersburgh ; Auchland
packet, Parsons, with Mail from Lisbon, thirteen
days passage; Mr/petarne frigate, from Lisbon with
ditpatches, sixteen days passage, and proceeded on
for the Eastward; kndcavosr armed brig, from
Wales, with dirt of coasters under convoy.
Appeared off the harbour this evening, the home-
ward bound Lisbon fieet,:under convoy of His Ma-
jesty's ship Urplusa, Su guns, which they left on the
21st ult.
By the Ackland packet, we learn that Lord Nel-
son, with his squadron, have proceeded for the West
Indies, having received information that the com-
bined fleets from Cadiz have sailed for thence ;
prior to which he had been joined by the Queen and
Dtegen, 74 guns each.

FIRST RF.PORT
1/1011 THE COMMITTEE kELATIN4. 10 fl 6 HOME
POPIIA A, &C.

The Select Committee to shorn tlt several Pltlfri
ttl this Hone, relating to the repairs of lit+ s ships.
the Romney and Sensible, while under the command of Sir
llome Popham, are referred, to examine into the several
neuters contained therein relative to the said repairs; and to
the proceedings of the Arlinira!ty and Navy Boards, and of
the Commissioners of Nasal Enquiry• thereupon ; and also
to enquire into the oiretainsranze. attending the piihlicatru,
of the Report of the Navy Rood, dated the fOth February
1804, and into the loos of certain vouchers and documents on
which that Report was founded ; and also into the circum-
stance attending the impressing of Mr. David Ewen &Litho.
loniew and to •eport the same, together with their proceed-
ings and cfp.ervationt thereupon, from time to time to the
Douse; and who were empowered to examine into the ex-
penditure arid purchase of all storm for the use of the said
ship:; have, loir,uant to the said Order of the House, 41%.
amined accordiagly ; and have. agreed to the following
Report,

Your Committee, having 'alien into con4ideration that part
of the reference, which ',dates to the. repairs and at ,•e, of the
Romney and Sensible, find, from the referred to them,
and the evidence they have received, ti it there does not appear
any ground whatever to impute to Su llaine Popham any fraud
or connivance at ally fraudulent or corrupt pial ice whatsoever.
With rripen to the Sesit.ble, your C mittee observe, that
Si Rome Popham appears to have order d that ship to pro-
ceed to Cali At., fro it the Red Sea (instead of sending her to
be repaired a* Hlubly) for the purpose of furnis..ing a convoy
to several tranopiatir and merchantmen bound to Re ,gil; that
he gave to her Commanding Officer, Cattain Sam , at Cal-
cotti, orders dated the IRh of Oaoher, 1801, " to use his
ritmo-a exertion* to repair the sal., *10," and " to co nplete
her with six months stores ;^ and that Captain Saii*e having
never reioined aiut after Ow execution of thou orders, Sir
Hone Popham cannot be considered answerable for the manner
in which titer were executed. Your Committee do not mean,
'ay this remark, ta impute any blame to Captain Same; not
having considered any transaction relating to the Sensible, as
the subject of the reference made to them, further than as
au, h tiniisan ion could be connetted with the conduct of Sir
Home Popham.

Your Committee observe, that Sir Home Popham appears
to have gone un shore, from the Romney, a few days after her
arrival in the ris%r Ilue,lily, in August 1801, and before her ar-
rival at kta)aoour ; and to have proceed& up the country, in
compliance with the desires of Marquis Wellesley (with whom
he was .pecially directed by his inAructions to communicate)
fur the purpose of conferring with his Lordship concerning
certain great objects then l,t contemplation, in w hie h Marquis
Welle.ley required his advice and assistant.; that he left that
ship under the collimated of the first Lieutenattb Mr. Davies,
art OffiCt'f in whose integrity and knowledge of the cervices he
states himself to have had the utmost conhdence ; and that he
(LA not return on board the Romney till after that ship hsd
sailed from Mayapour.; it appears, theretbre, to Your Commit-
tee, that if the silk and stores of the Romney, sent on shore
at Calcetti, were not regularly surveyed before they were am-
eleinned la point whirl, !nue Committ,e' owing to the cireum-
stances of the ship having no Master, and the Boatswain being
sick at the time,.! Mr. Davies, die first Lieutenant, being now
absent f England, are not able correctly to ascertain), the
blame .1.th:11 irregularity is not to be imputed to Sir Home
Popham ; and is .upport of observation, your Committee
beg leave particida,ly to refer tutheevidence of Captain Bowen.

Your Committee find, that the quantity of stores demanded
he Sir Home Popham, while the Romney was under repair,
awl supplied fly Mr. lairtis, whip had been previously appointed,
by Admiral Rainier, Hi Mateety'a Deputy Naval Officer at Cal
eutta, exceeded the quantity allowed fur a twelvemonth's ex-
penditure, estimating that quantity according to the calculatioa
made in His Majesty's floe Yatds, and mentioned in the Re-
port of the Navy Beard the 20th of February 11104 ; but
that Sir Hnme Popham has aecosint-d for this circernstance,
by stating that he Aid net confine his demand to a provi.tori
stores for anti particular period, but took an board as large i
supply as the ship could cares Bendy carry, having a view in •
demanding such stares to the probable exigencies of the service
upon which lie expected to be employed.
Your Committee find, that Sir linme Popham, in addition
to the sails which were allowed by the establishment of the
navy, ordinal several to be made and supplied fur the use tat
the 'Romney, which were nut authorised by the stria rubn
of the serviee ; but it appears to yaw Committee, front the
erincurron hAtimony of several persons examii.e.l tan the sols•
jet, and particularly from that of Captain Ma-M 4, hilipeaks
horn experiments made wider his nets observation, that dicta
extra sail, were highly advantageoes in the India Sear.
Your Committee have not thought proper to rtate in this
Report some other instances in which Sir Hume Paphain
peafi to have deviated from the drift roles or tl.c service, by
direfling the Naval Officei to supply blot with articles, fur the
use of the Romney, which are deaaibsci in the evidence, and
were mint confininable to the usages of the Navy; such irregu-
larities appearing to your Committee to be wholly airworthy of
Parliamentary attention, or of any other '..rite but that which
of course they ought to have received, :iecording to the cur-
watt of the service, in the conaaderauon of Si. Home Rrphani
accounts, when airy extra charge would be disallowed, warn
deemed to have been expedient udder the circumstances of
each particular
Your Committee however think themeelver called upon, in
stria justice to Sir Home Popham, distinctly to state, that ttiey
have not met with any instance, in eflacting the repair., or iii
the supply or expenditure of stores, which ha; been attend.
with any personal advantage or emolument to himself; nor
have your Committee the least reason to suspect, final the es i-
dance before them, that his conduct, upon any occasiun, in
which the ruler, of the N..vy have nut Lean tigelly observed,
was ittflueneed by stir private cOlifideration; but, on the cot-
ham. your Committee feel it to be their duty to rib,erve. that
S.r !ionic Paplians appears to have been actuat.al by no other
motive, but that of an ardent zeal fur the puha.: service.

Your Committee do not think it necessary to state their ob•
stisations, in detail, upon all thu poiiva comitiolied in the Re•
port of the Navy Board of the tOtli February 1114; conceiving,
that Al far as relates to Sir Home Pii;diam, that document ap.
pears to them to b materially Siwiccirate.
Your Committee observe, that Sir Ilaine Popham -ippeanti
has* used his utapot endeasoins to olitim money, for &gilt:III
England, upon the most Mariana. terms for the expences of
the squadron under his command.
Your Committee have thought it their duty, in itirtice to the
charactei 01 a meritorious Officer echo, se far from etscoutaxing
or conniving at any politic caste, appears, in evidenee before
your Committee. to have effected very coilseterablo 53•111pe...
to make a Special Report on the circumstances of his Cu:,
being the Ant head of their inquiry; thong% the evidence, on
which their Report is founded, is on blend.d with that ehieh
relates to the othzr particulars referred to them, that they most
postpone reporting that evidence, until the ethos heads of in-
qairy are also brought to a conclusion.