The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-01-17 00:00:00

LOSS OF TIIR CRESCENT.

The following is an extract of a letter, received
from Mr. Thomas Mason, late Clerk of His Mit".
jesty'a ship Crescent, relative to the nielancholy
loss of that ship. We give it puldicity for tl.e
tisfaction of the 'friend* of the survivors, and to
terminate the dreadful state of suspense in which
many must in; on the oceie‘iott:—
On the sill lest. (Dec.) we struck on the coast
of Jutland. near Rob•iiiont, and were completely
wrecked, with the loss of 2eo pimple:The survivors,
60 in number, were saved; the major part on it raft,
the remainder in the jolly-boat. Our situation was
truly dreadful, eves %torte thau at the old ship's
(.moot) loss. We have been removed from gob-
snout, to this place (Aalborg), in waggons, about
31 miles. We have Ith yet been treated very well—
expect soon to be released. F. 11— and 1 are
confined together. We have to console ourselveas
by expeeudion of speedily seeing you again.

LIST OF SURVIVORS.

Neilson Williamson, Muter.
John IVcarcr First Licuternar.t of Marines.
Francis ILiuglidoti, Aliiish.psuan Late of Ma Mtijesti's
Thous. Nlard.w.ilerk ship Anson:
J. It. Lavender, Illid.hipinan.
John :Ileum, ditto.
Matthew Walker' Boatswain
Complement-2;2 Men I Lost-212 Men
Pon....euger I t Peepeager
6 Women t$ Wousen •
Child 1 Cltiul.l
lsu Tonal •
elt• Neils foet•

THE HOUK si:11(1-0NER.

Further particulars of the capture of the Rook
schooner, in the West lonlirit, extracted from Coot-
don's Plymouth and Pork Telegraph :

TO THE EDITOR.
Silt—lf you think the following particulars of
the capture, &e. of If is Majesty's w homier Hook,
is the Wimt Ind es. wilith an insertion in your pa-
per, (Ur addition to what has already appeared in
the public papers) it is muds at your service. You
only rely on Its authenticity, as I have gained the
whole of tiro iriformation from the letter of the
Master, who aneceetled Lieutenant Lawrence in
the command of the ship : and from the mouth of
the only survivor of the unfortunate crew, who has
hitherto readied England, and who himself was
shut through the wrist and shoulder, besides souse
wounds with a cutlass. • I sin, Sir, yours, &c. Ile.
Dock, Jan. to, isoo.
" The Rook, Lieutenant James Lawrence, sailed
from this port, under the orders of Admiral Young,
on the 2.lth of June, ling, with dispatches for the
West lollies. After a hoe passage she arrived at
Jamaica, from whence, after liavitig waited a few
days to relit, and take to sjiecie, she smiled for En-
gland, August 13th. For two days they were fol-
lowed by a French schootier, (cold, is pretty gene-
rally the case when a ship has any money on board,
and. of which intelligence is Nowt gaioed at some of
the French islands), bat show they beat oPt On
the 18th o'f August, at day-light, they fell in with
two French schooners, and immediately cleared for
action ; on the largest v-..ssel coming alongside with
English answering when !mailed, hut
much colours, Lieut. Lan-
...44oam, wort a meat dew.
commenced ; after au hour's hard
nence received his last
, :col the Kook was innue-
tue French Officers
me men to give no quarter.
aster, re.,:etved seven most
cutlass, of s Inch he al:er-
am sorry to add. is since
Mr. Dolielly, the Clerk,
toiled in the groia, but is
worge Reed, au /ffierr in
has served his country on
ar 20 yeari, and who was
Lieutenant Lawrence, was
hoard the Book. with a very
hopes to revisit his native
rirly killed by the enemy
eager were they to get pt-
'pig which he liapriied to
. they nearly cut his hand
irvivors ware stripped naked,
turned adrift; but, by the
were tut woolnlell, they
most hospitality 'weaved
:auk was su nitwit &imaged.
not get her into port, and
,as a native of Hampshire,
illy, and added to the in-
_motility of tile British sea-
m:milers and disposition which
'memos circle of relation, amid
"Jemmy vv.!l be long
chc-
age of 39 years. leaving be-
subust daughter to lament

• SEDUCTION.

-
A most distressing case, of the above nature, his
occurred witisus Berne few <lava. The daughter of
a respectable tridesinan, at a town in Surrey, not
far distant from I. lon, a very pretty and' aceinu-
',balled girl. telly in her fifteenth year, was pc.-
'flitted by her father to spend the Christmas Holi-
days with a friend at Haniptim-Court, alt,. had 4
Mee* about her own age. When, one day, walk-
ing iii the Cloisters of the Palace, she was seen by
au Officer of a regiment quartered its that neigh-
bourhood, more renowned fist his conquests over
feinale innocence, hoth here and in the Sister Kin
door, than military achievement; he unfortunately
saw and nuidtrd her as a victim for iiis !libidinous de-
sires ; to aceiniiplish which, he had recuur,e to the
servant iu the tinnily where the young lady was,
anal, by bribing hers,got sus opportuoity of speaking
to the young lady, whose unsuspecting mind lie so
worked upon, as to induce her to consent to an
elotwineut, which. with the assistance of a suck
'pander of the Captain's, was effected ou Thursday.
night last, between nine and ten o'clock ; and,
notwithstanding the severity of the weather, the
fugitives walked horn lboupton-Coart to Houns-
low, where they procured a post-chaise, and pro-
eiredeil towards town. The yoniig holy being vvry
...on missed, her father was iminedistely sent for,
who soon ascertained the cause of his daughter's
flight, and, almost frantic with grief and ra e, set
off in search of her. At Ilainmersmitli lie learnt,
that the chaise had broken down there, but that
they had procured another, which lead conveyed
them to Leicester-lield-, where all trace was lost,
the driver statingp, that he pot them dos is in the
street. All Friday and Saturday tile unhappy fa-
ther, whose anguish of mind can he I i ;a ntagtoed
than described, was spent in Is uitl.:•,4 ~earcli of his
lost daughter, though assisted by Sayer, one of the
Officers of Bow-street, and thq n,i . if every I
in that part of the town likely for them to retort to.

• OLD HAILP:r, 31k: i 6.
I •

No trial Oany importance oncurred this day.
Sarah Need was convicted of h.tviug sto!eto cer-
tain article* of werzing ap;norel, the property of the
Munager. of the Royalty theatre.
It ap;oeared L, evidence. that iii consequence of
inlorination that those articles were iu pawls, an
°dire: P. :14 sent fur to take the Prianioer into coot°•
by—(.he was ihistress of the wardrobe ut the cons-
tie.) The I/Meer proved, that he friend upon
her person 71diopticates. which he produced. •
Jetties Chapman and :soother pawnbroker stated,
that thaw articled were p-..assed to them at slider..it
period>, by two women. mused Louisa
anti Eliza Hartley.
They Owing broughtinevidence,acknowlesl4ed the
fact, asserting that it was in consequence of tiie
Pri-
aooei order*. Slolhourne stated. that knowing the
iodides to be the property of the Theatre, she at
boot refused to pledge them. but. on being assured
by the Prisoner that she would relea.4e them on the
Saturday fallowing, was at last induced to comply.
Prisoner having nothing to offer iu her derelict.,
the Jury !nought in a verdict paha.

iviaster, who sneered...l Lieutenant Lawrence in
the command of the ship : and from the mouth of
the only survivor of the unfortunate crew, who has
hitherto readied England, and who himself was
shot through the wrist and shoulder, besides souse
wounds with a cutlass. • I am, Sir, yours, &e.
Dant, San. to, isoo.
" The Rook, Lieutenaut James Lawrence, sailed
from this port, under the orders of Admiral Young,
on the 24th of June, dins, with dispatches for the
West Indies. After a line passage she arrived at
Jamaica, from whence, after having waited a few
day• to relit, end take in ajiecie, she sailed for En-
gland. August 13th. For two days they were fol-
lowed by a French schootier, (winch is pretty gene-
rally the case when a ship has any money uu board,
and. of which intelligence is Nom, gained at some of
the French island.), bat whom they beat off. On
the 18th off August, at day-light, they fell in with
two French schooner', and immediately cleared for
action ; on the largest vessel coming alongside with
English colour., and nut answering when hailed, hut
immediately hoisting French colours, Lieut. Lass-
? Thee shot the Freud Is Captain. whim a .nest des-
perate action commenced ; after au hour's hard
fighting, Lieutenant Lawrence received his last
wound by a musket ball. and the Rook was imme-
diately carried by hoarding, the Frerichs Officers
repeatedly calling to the 'ten to give UR lIRMIRr.
" Mr. Seward, the Master, re...saved seven mint
desperate wounds art a cutlass, of a Inch heater-
'
wards reeitvered, Hnn, lam sorry to add. is since
dead of the yti:im fever. Mr. Dimelly, the Clerk.
was also dangerously wounded in the grolu, but is
now recovered. Mr. George Reed, au Officer in
• the Royal Artillery. who haft served his country on
the island of Jamaica for 20 yeari, and who was
related by 'marriage to Lieutenant Lawrence, was
induced to embark on board the Book. with a very
considerable propene, in hopes to revisit his native
country, but was inhumanly killed by the enemy
when boarding ; and so eager were they to get I"w'
session on a valuable ring which ha happened to
have on his finger, that they nearly cut his hand
off to attain it. The survivors ware stripped naked,
put in their boat, and turned adrift; but, by the
exertions of four who were mot wmtn,lyd, they
reached land, and were most hospitality reeeived
by the natives. The iflquk was su laud' damaged,
that the enemy could nut get her into purl, and
therefore set tire to her.
" Lieut. Lawrence was a native of Hampshire,
of a very respectable family, and added to the in-
trepid 'courage and humanity of the British sea-
man, a suavity of inunners and disposition which
eiideared him to a numerous elide of relation, and
friends, by whom his memory wall be long che-
rished. lie fell at the age of 39 years. leaving be-
himd him a widow and Want daughter to lament
his loss."
sisr..-"•.aarser.
A certain Diplomatic Lord and a Naval Knight,
at the Court of the Brazils, are completely at dag-
gers-drawing. The supposed cause of this quarrel
ltaareached us, but it is of toe delicate a nature for
publication.—OF'aliwoutli Paper.)
It is said, that Baron VINLENT• who has been so
frequently employed in a diplomatic capacity at
Pans, was preparing to leave Vienna, on an import-
ant embassy to Fetershurgh.
By a letter from Liverpool, of the 12th instant,
which informs es of the capture of the Lydia and
Lord Cloaoctoitio, we have intelligence that four
French frigates and two corvettes, under a Commis.
dore, had left Cherhourgh on the evening of the
loth November. It was supposed from the latitude
which one of them (the A noph• ) was disco-
; erect, that they *one proceeding in the West Indies.
The Captains of the Nary, finding their allow-
totally inadequate to their rank, are about to
'non tot an increase of pay. The Lii•uteriants
mire numerous, awl not less meritorious, though
e neglected class of officers) have already
Hied a Menserial on the same subject, which
ill in a few ilays br presooted to the Lords of the
jean-atty. The Memorial, we arc told, strongly
rges the hardships which many of the Nlemori-
lists endure, in having boys, who hail sects little
promoted over their heads, whilst they
Yr grown grey in possession of their preeent rank,
ad hare shed their blood in thew eutiatry's cause,
twouct:tl 'tad unrewarded.