The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-08-31 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

LANDON,
SATURDAY, Avousr 31.

~~

The Pomona frigate, from Oporto, is arrived at
Portsmouth. She has brought letters from several
Captains of the Antigua convoy, captured by the
Combined Fleet, stating, that they were all at
Oporto, on their parole, and were to come to Eng-
land in the fleet ; they also state, that the Com-
bined Fleet were very much shattered in the battle
of the 211 July, and landed upwards of a thousand
wounded men at Ferrol.
The Prince of Inks Packet is supposed to have
sailed from Lisbon on the Bth inst.
The Town:end Packet was to sail from Lisbon on
the 17th or 18th ult.

Two expresses, as will lee seen under the proper
head, arrived in the course of yesterday, from Wey-
mouth ; and the Royal Mail from th.st place did not
reach town until two hou-s after the usual time.
These circumstances excited considerable uneasiness
in the public mind We can state, however, with
confidence, that His MAJESTY, and the rest of the
ROYAL FAMILY, were, on Thursday, as well as
usual, with the exception only, of their grief for the
Royal Relative, whose place of bnrial, and the in-
structions respeCting it, were the stehjed matter of
the expresses.

The American Captains have been charged with
misleading Lord hlei.sos in his late pursuit of the
French fleet in the West Indies. If the inaccuracy
of their reports has sometimes operated to our disad-
vantage, so may it sometimes prove in our favour.

The capture of the Dam) furnishes a case of the
latter class. It is said that the Phenix of 36 guns,
Capt. BAKER, was cruising to the S. of Cape Finis-
terre, and spoke an Ametican, and then stood on his
course. The American Captain afterwards, when
the Phenix was hull dawn, fell in with La Didax,
ed guns, and 370 men; he informed the Captain
of her, that he had just parted company with an
English corvette of 20 guns, and that she was
then in sight ; La Dun spread all her canvas,
and the Phenix standing on under an easy sail,
was soon along-side; the Daen soon found her mis-
take : the anion commenced within pistol shot, and
lasted for two hours and 52 minutes by the log,
yardarm and yard-arm ;by this time, the main and
mizen-mast of La Dnisa were gone over the side;
and, as a last effort, the French Captain ran his
bow-sprit over the taffarel of the with an in-
tent to board, but no efforts could avail to bring
the French sailors on for that purpose, though gal-.
lantly headed and encouraged by their Officers:
the French Captain, afraid of being boarded in his
turn, struck his colours, and called for quarter, his
fore-mast then falling over the star-board side ; she
was a mere wreck. The number of dead upon the
deck, gave the ship the appearance of a charnel-
house. The Phenix and her prize were in com-
pany with the Dears, when the latter saw the
French fleet to windward, on the afternoon of the
14th. On the morning of that day, the Dragon had
spoke a Dane, whom she told, that 25 sail of the
, line were cruising near her. As the Dane was after-
wards hailed by the enemy, she probably commu-
nicated that intelligence to them. The Dragon also

made a number of signals, when in sight of the
French fleet, and fired guns, which made the enemy
believe our fleet was at hand ; they accordingly im-
mediately hauled their wiud. The Dragon kept
comp.sny with the Phe•nir and Didurt, till day-light,
on the 15th, when seeing another of the enemy's
fleet, the Phenix was desired to proceed, if possible,
to Lard NrlsoH, with the intelligence, whilst the
Orates made sail for the Channel fleet. to inform
Admiral Co It NWA L Lis of his having seen the French
fleet.

The Phones, we are happy to hear, is said to hare
joined Admiral CortswaLzis off Brest, after having
seen her prize safe into Lisbon.
On the 15th, after parting with the Phenix, the
Dragon spoke an American, who informed her, that
he had been boarded by one of five French sail of
the line and three frigates, on the preceding day, in
tat. 46. 18 long. 9. 0. W. and that they had burned
a Dane and a Swede the same day. Can this
quadron have been detached from the Combined
1. leer, or is it the squadron from Rochefort ?
When the Combined Fleets were first seen on the
13th, they had 27 sail of the line. When they were
last seen, they had hat 20 or 21 ; they must, there-
, fore, have detached a squadron. The enemy are,