The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-08-20 00:00:00

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•• • Observations upon India, to morrow.

THE BRITISH PRESS,

LONDON,
TUESDAY, AVOUST 20.

Lord Nacsote arrived on Sunday at Portsmouth in
his own ship, the Victory, of 100 guns. accompanied
by the SetnerA, of 74 guns, Capt. Ke•Ts, and last
evening, at eight o'clock, he reached town. Rear-
Admiral ST iattN o, in the Glory, of 98 guns, aecom-
panied by the Worrier, of 74 guns, arrived on Sa-
turday. at Plymouth, from off Brest, having left
the remainder of his squadron, consisting of seven
sail of the line. with the Channel Fleet, under Ad-
miral CORNWALLIS. Lord Netsores Fleet had
also joined the Channel Fleet on the 15th.
The return of these gallant Officers was the
result of the escape of the Combined Fleet
into port ; an event now ascertained, although
there is some difference in the accounts of their
aßual place of refuge. Some letters from Ply-
mouth, received yesterday, state, that the Com-
bined Fleet and Rodtfort squadron, to the amount
of twenty-five sail of the line, have got into Ferrol
and Cotunna. This account agrees with the pre-
vious reports, and has also, we believe, the prevail-
ing opinion entertained at the Admiralty, in its
favour. Another report stated, that the Combined
Fleet had escared into Vigo. It was founded, we
believe, upon the authority of a letter received at
Ls.° n's, of which the following is a copy:—
Ex It CT OF A Lt TTER FRO/4 ♦ PORTUGUESE MEW.
CSIAhT, TO 1115 PARTNIII AT VIENNA, DATED
YROSI VIGO, JULY 29, *No RIECEIVISII AT OPURTO
ON THE 31ST JULY, 180.
" The Co Onset! Fleets got into Vl° on the 27th July, in
the evening, consisting of 19 ships of the line, four frigates,
two brigs, and a re-captured galleon, from Lima, leas,,g two
ships at the entrance of the harbour to look out.
" On the 22d, in the morning, 40 ingots West of Cape
Ortega', they fell in with the British squadron, consisting of
16 -ad of the line, three of them three-deckers, who imme-
diately envitei them in a thick fog
The action la-t.. 1, it is said, %IN 11111111. Nine of the
French sh p, were to leewa,,l, and :1,4 tmgegeJ. One of the
Briton' three deckers was totally dwmasted, and otherwise
much dam • gel. Upon the Combine! Fleet joining ne.tt day,
they my, they chased the British, satin lefited to renew the
action, and in this manner, they hash ra.sod the W.r.lcatle of
Ferrol, as they soy.

" Teo ands ships are missing, supposed to be taken;
six of the Ircuch ships am very much damaged ; they reckon
e+dy r 0 men killed, and JJO wouude I ; though quarters are
o.dered for 1030 into, as they say, they had many suit before
the a •tio.i.

" A Nfessenger was di,patche.l from Vigo to Ferrol on the
16,11 of July, and it was expected they would be jo.nid by
the Fero squadron, consisting of 17 sail of the line, with
1 1,000 troops no board, in the I.:4AITNe of a few days; though
they express great appreh, usinn that Lord Nelson wool,' pay
them a mit b fire this r.sinforccinent

An attempt might be made to reconcile these two
enntrachttory accounts, by suppo,ing chat th. Com-
bined Fleet touched at Vigo, and, having procured a
reinforcement, steered again to the Ninth, and en-
tered Coruana, as being a better and more secure
harbour than Vigo. Thir, sort of teasoning, we
fear, however, is more specious than solid. Whe-
ther the anion of the 12,1 were glorious or ingloii-
out for England, certain it is that the Combined
Fleet was a beaten fleet upon that Jay, and proved
itself such by running away on the thith, instead of
renewing the aCtinn after it had repaired its da-
mages. Cut up then, as it must have been in that
altion, in which it lost two ships of the line ; haunted
as it lilt itself by the spirit of Lord NELSON ; and
dreading, as it must have done, the momentary ar-
rival of succours to Sir Roster CALDIR, we cannot
conceive that the enemy would be hard to please
in the choice of a retreat, and were not too happy. on
finding themselves snug in port, to think of changing
it, and running the risk of putting to sea again in
search of better quarters. AS, however, the whole
case must be known with accuracy in the course of
this day, vie ate the less disposed to indulge in spe-
culations upon it, either in relation to the waft
amount nt the enemy's force, whether it was or was
not joined at sea by the Rochefort squadron, or
whether the whole or only part of it may not have
sought shelter in Vigo. The presence of Lord
NELSON and Rear Admiral STIRLING will explain
every part of a subject hitherto so itnperfeilly known
in proportion to its importance. It has been
reported that his Lordship's presence was not
desired so much for information upon the sub-
left of the Combined Fleet, as with a view to
the benefit of his Lordship's counsel and advice in
some meditated enterprise against the enemy, in
'neje lurking holes upon the coast. Indeed, the
very circumstance of the escape of the game, which
his Lordship has so long and gallantly chased,
would soffi:iently account for his return, particu-
lady wh. rs it is considLred, that lie has not been
two t 1,471 on shore f•ir two years past. His Lord-
s'ii,,'s rerriri., and that of Rear-Admiral Sriecistu,
it,. I.OM •r, he conneeted with the case of the
escape of the Combined Fleet, in relation to the

merits or demerit!. of Sir Roam Watt, and the
tone assumed by a Ministerial Paper of last night.
in its observations upon that subjed, is in favour of
this opinion. We were among the first and the
loudest in extolling the viaory of she July,
considering it, as every account taught u' to exile. t,

only the previous business to a Jecisive and glorious
triumph ; but, when a different result was ascer-
tained, we did not vent any spleen, nor in-
dulge in despondency. We gave gre o credit. to
the print to which we allude, for its candour
and moderation, in stenuning the tide of popu-
lar clamour, and deprecating the injustice and
ingratitude of condemning an old and merito-
rious officer in his absence, and without first hear-
t.
mg his defence. We now find that, in the conduft
of the Print in question, we mistook cant fir can-
dour, and hypocrisy for a genuine sense of justice.
I, The more we consider," says the Print in ewes-
titan, " the circumstances accompanying the
enemy's escape into port, the more arc we con-
firmed in our opinion that the country ceght nut,
and will not be satisfied, without a thorough inves-
tigation. None of the events that have occurred
since the enemy returned to Europe, have cor-
responded with those cam //rot dispositions made by
the Admiralty, which afforded the whole country
the most rational expenations of adding another
liant viaory to the many that have already blessed
our arms. The atlion of the 22J, the coldness of
the dispatch in which it was announced, the ob-
scurity of some parts of chit dispatch, short as it
is ; the contradilcry nature of other parts ; the
want of all subsequent explanation ; the inadivity
that prevailed after the aftion ; the circumstance of
the two fleets remaining in sight of each other for
four days, without any attempt being made to
bring the enemy to a second ad;on ; the sailing off
of the enemy on the I.6th, without our squadron
pursuing them ; the determination of Sir R. CALDER.
to resume the blockade of Ferrol ; and the detaching
Rear Adm. Set moue tohis former station off Roche-
fort—a measure which kft him with no more than
nine or ten sail of the line, at a time when, though
it was generally supposed that the enemy were gone
to the Southward to attempt to get into Cadiz, it
was by no means improbable that they might again
endeavour to get into Ferrol : the prevalent be-
lief, that the weakening of his squadron did ena-
ble the enemy to accomplish their objet ; all these
are circumstances of sufficient importance to jus-
tify the Admiralty in ordering the conduct of the
Admiral to be investigate/ by a Court Martial.—
Indeed Sir. R. Caaosee himself should demand it."
The annals of revolutionary France do not record
a strorger illustration of Jacobin principles and
Jacobin justice, than these observations. 'I-hey be-
gin with advising a trial as absolutely necessary
to satisfy the country. They then proceed to
pass sentercc of condemnation upon the party to
be t;ic..l, and conclude with stating the crime in
the enumeration of about twenty distils& sub-
stantive charges, of which we have copied eight in
the above extra& Every charge in the range of
possibility, that fancy could invent, or hostility
devise, is assumed as matter of feet against Sir
Ro Baal- CA' nee; and, with the same happy
candour, es-cry thing that he might be able
to plead in his defence is presumed against him.
Blame, we arc told, attaches somewhere, either to
the Admiralty, or to the Admiral ; bet, says this
candid advocate," the dispositions of the Admiralty
were excellent, and afforded the whole country the
most rational erpeelations of adding another
bril-
liant victory to the many that have already blessed
our arms." Of course, Sir R. Causer, who
did not execute those " excellent dispositions," is
guilty of disappointing the public expedtation.—
We disclaim all idea of extolling the conduit
of Sir RoIIERT CALDER, or condemning the
dispositions of the Admiralty. We only de-
sire to be informed, by what right or autho-
rity the Ex-Jacobin Print anticipates the result of
that fair and impartial trial which it implores, and
I pronounces those dispositions of the Admiralty ex-
cellent, of which it must, from the very nature of
the case, be ignorant ? In the whole condua of Sir
Roster CALDER, the Print in question neither
does know, nor can know what part of it to attri-
bute to the Admiralty or to the Admiral, what part
resulted from Om excellent dispositions of his superi-
on, and what from his owe judgment ; how far he
was bound by instructions, and how far he was left
to his own discretion. These are points to be as •
certained only npon a trial, and upon which no
man is at present competent to decide. Until then,
judgment is only conjcaure. The very circum-
stance alleged as blame to Sir Rueter CALDta,
may be the result of positive instrudions, and some
of those excellent dispositions attributed to the Ad-
miralty may be those only which the gallant Ad-
miral can claim as his own. Bet if Sir ItOleliT
CAI DKR isto be thuscondemned, let us see upon what
ground our usher Admirals can claim an acquittal.
If any journal can "same that the dispositions. of
the Admiralty were excellent in the case of Sir R.