The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-10-29 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

LONDON,
TUESDAY, OCTOIIII 29.

A heavy firing was heard upon the French coast on
Saturday morning. It was supposed to he a grand
salute at Boulogne, in honour of a new victory.—
Various reports prevailed last night, tending to
confirm this supposition. It was confidently asserted
that the French Commandant at Boulogne had, in
his extreme courtesy, sent a letter to Sir Stoner
SMITH, stating, that the Austrian army had sustain-
ed a complete defeat; that Gen. MACE was taken pri-
soner, and that the Archduke Feantwatio had,with
difficulty, effected his escape. We did not know that
Sir Sinbitv SAI CH was uff Boulogne; and shall
only observe, that this report, however extraordi-
nary it may seem, generally prevailed in the Mi-
nisterial Circle.

We gave yesterday the 4th and the sth Bulletins
of the Grand ArMy, as published in the Moniteurs of
the 17th and 18th inst. We have since received
Paris Papers to the 23d, and Dutch to the Chi ;
but they do not present a continuation of those offi-
cial accounts of the military operations from the
seat of war. We stated, yesterday, a report which
prevailed at Motlaic, early on the morning of the
23d, that a telegraphic dispatch had been received
there from Paris, stating, that the Austrian army
had been defeated, in a pitched battle, between the
Danube and the I.ech, with the loss of 10,000
men; and that private letters, received at Rotter-
dam, on the 21st, annnu iced the capture of Ulm,
and its whole garrison, consisting of 5,000 Austrians.
In addition to this, the Monitevrs of the 21st and 22d
contain two unofficial paragraphs, which mention the
capture of Ulm, but upon no better authority than
that cf private letters; and some of the minor Jour-
nals of the same date, state that the Ltd had been
announced by the telegraph. The Pethc,sis adds,
that 30,00,-) Austrians had been killed, wounded, or
taken prisoners ; and the Gaseile rL France swells the
amount to 40,000 prisoners. Of the five Bulletins of
the Grand Army that have male their appearance,
the four last are slated the 9th, loth, Ilth, and 12th,

Ind were given in the Alohiteurs of the 14th, 16th,
7th, and 18th, leaving an interval of about six &Is
i-tween the time of dispatching these Bulletins from
're Theatre of War, and their publication in the
,'.iris Papers. How seasonably these reports of sic-
ies arrived at Paris to encourage the Conscripts,
old restore the credit of the insolvent Dank of
trance, we have already noticed. Tie fifth Bulk.
i.t left off wish exciting a strong expeEt ition of an
immediate general battle. According to tile system
pursued by BONA? a art., he must Isaac attetapted
it, and from the position of the respetive armies,
battle appeared to be inevitable. We are confident
Milt a general battle did tol,e plate immediately or shortly
eier Me 1214. It the result were favourable to France,
why has it not appeased, like the previous successes,
although only affairs of v.sts, in a lith or ith Bulletin
of the grand army ? The Monirm, allti,:ipating this
objection, accounts for the interruption in the series
of the reports from the grand army, and state,
that some corps of :4e hare gained the I-ft
Bank of the Danube; which we are to 1111,1 n-
- that the cornuntairaiinn between
PAR s e and France has been cut off by the Aus-
trians. •TI:;s w,'Llid imply. that the Austrians
had gained some advadtdge on that side; a suppo-
sition totally inconsistent with the report of the
capture of lira, an.l the suvren&r of the whole of
the Garrison. But asintitting the usual route ct
the Couriers to have been inter, sired by the
triads', the argument is incm:lti ive ; I.;, in
that event, how have the Private Letters, cep-
taiMng an account of this brilliant success, found
their way into Holland and France ? These consti-
tute only a small part of the particular circum-
stances of doubt and suspicion that attach to the re.
part of the entire defeat of the Austrians, in a gene-
ral engagement near Ulm ; independent of the gene.
ral objection, that we have no account of the Aus-
trian operations and positions, but from the French
Papers. On the other hand, it• is to be observed,
that several of the minor Paris Papers, of the 22d.
concur in stating the receipt oa that day of a teies
graphic dispatch, announcing the capture of Ulm,
with the total defeat of the Austrians, and dit-
fering only in the d t sill. Hem, then! •we
have better authority alleged, than the private
letters. The /writ/ire, indeed, of the 21d, which
might be supposed to have • the best infor-
mation upon the subjea, states only the ree •ipt
of unofficial letters, but then it considers them as
confirming the account of that event, which had
been previously received through private channels.
If the accounts in the official Bulletin of-the posi-
tions of the respeEtive armies upon the Danube,
even approach the truth, the Austrians were 41 a
most perilous situation. It did not entitle us to
expeet any other result, than defeat, in case of a ge-
neral battle before the arrival of the Ru.siaris, and
that such took place, is almost ungeest;oaable. If
then the Paris Papers be not totally unworthy of
credit, we must be disposed to fear that Ulm, which
was not in a complete state of defence, has been
taken, and that the Austrians have snstained a
signal defeat in its vicinity. Such a defeat, and
under such circumstances, we tear, would be
fatal. The French having secured, as they assert,
all the passes of the Tyrol, the Army of the Arch-
duke CHARLES, in Italy, would be placed between
the Grand Army and the Army of hiassets• ; and
the road to Vienna would remain open, unless inter-
cepted by the Russians. Of the latter, the Paris
Papers afford no certain account. They were on
the frontiers of Moravia and Lower Austria, upon
the 3d, and might be expeCted to reach the Inn
about the 12th.

The Expedition is detained in the Downs by a
contrary wind.

The Iris frigate has captured a Spanish privateer
of la guns.
Tha Minerva and another vessel of the Leeward
Island fleet have been re-captured by the Dart.
The 21st Regiment of Foot will march this day
from IVinchester to Lewes, preparatory to their
embarkation for foreign service.
The Hon. Gen. note, Lieutenant-flovernor of
Portsmouth garrison, is arrived in town. in conse-
quence of a special Messenger sent to him. He is, it
is said, to be employed on the expedition.
The Felix schoon:r, Lieut. RIC 3A RD Belle Ng,
Commander. arrived, on Saturday, at Plymouth,
from a cruise off the coast of Spain, where she was
run foul of, some days since, by the Cerpay, r hired
armed brig ; the later arrived at Plymouth, on
Wednesday last, much damaged : the F fir has also
received coasiderable damage in her hull, and i►
gone into harbour to refit, having thrown all her
gums overboard to prevent her sinking. Lieutenant
800 as e fell overboard, and rema'ned in the water, In
a most tempestuous sea, for several minutes ; and
when taken on board was totally in ensilsle, and re-
mained in that state for several hours ; hut, by an
intense application of the means recommended by
the Humane Society, ♦e was, at length, happily
restored.
A prison, on a very extensive scale, is ro he built
immediately. near Torr-Royal. no Dartmoor, about
six miles from Tavistock. The prison a:ld its
courtlages, within the boundary wall, will accept'
fifteen acres of ground, and coat:tin ;,,030 prisoner:
of war. This will be the future grand depo/ ut pri-
soners from all the ports of Cornwall and D.von.