The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-03-12 00:00:00

ward; sometimes, and generally about kit '
in the afternoon, the bre,te is 411 wit: the Bay, from
South East ; while, in the offing, I mean outside
Green Point, there is a light hr..eze from W. S. W.
Q. Were you at the Cape wilco the Volencarre
came in ?—A. I was.
Q. If there had not been any ships of war at
anchor in the Bay, or cruising without, might she,
by cutting her cable, have got to sea and e•caped ?
—A. She could not, when .he anchored, as there
was We or no whirl wren she let go her audio,,
sad she was within musket-shut, between the Am-
sterdam tilttery and the Clieveaux. and all the bat-
teries ware moused, and red-hot shot in the fur-
naces ; and I think she would have been either
sunk or blown up, before she coi.li get nut of the
reach of the guns. The wind was then from this
westward, a light air.
By the COURT.
Q. Did she strike before anchoring, or after she
had anclu'red ?—A. I cann't say ; but believe it was
about that time the men were furling the sails ; I
believe the anchor was just in the at of letting
down when she struck her colours.

Q. Did she mike any private signals, before she
anchored at the Cape?—A. I c.n i't say whether
she did or not.

Q. Did you see the Officer of the Canonnaire.
who was taken ?—A. Yes, 1 hare seen him many
times. _ _

Q. Did he know or suspeel that the Cape was in
the possession of the Loglish ?—A. I believe he did
not. _ _ .

Q. Do you know whether the General or the
Commodore had the priv.ite signals of the Cape ?
A. I am certain they both had them.
Q. Then. if a ship going into Simon's Bay had
made a private signal to any of His Majesty's ships
lying there, that signal would have been answered ?
—A. Certainly.
Q. You have said that a ship lying in Simon's
Bay might be clearly perceived at tour leagues dis-
tance; is the land under which they lie in that Bay
high or low ?—A. High.
Q. And do you mean to say, that ships lying
nr.d.r high lard caa be distinguished by 4 ship tour
le igues of ?—A. I do.
Q. Do they lie near the land ?—A. Yes, they
lie near the land ; and on the North-west side of the
Bay, where there are great high white sand-hills,
any ships lying there must be discovered by ships
coming in, keeping North side of False Bay.
Q. If the Canaan/sire bad gone into Simon's Bay
as incautiously as the Vacatarre did into Table Bay,
could she have anchored out of the reach of the
guns p—A. She could not; there is no ship can
enter into Simon's Bar, nut of
Q. If she had anchored within reach of the
batteries, could she, by cutting her cables, have
gone to sea and escaped I—A. She could not that
day, as it fell calm in Stutou's Bay almost immedi-
ately after she anchored in False Bay.
Q. I mean now generally to ask, whether achy
ship anchoring in Sinion's Bay, trs.der reach of the
batteries, as you say they must be, could, by cut-
ting her cables, escape, if it was not calm I—A. I
do not think they could escape; she must either be
sunk or blown up, as the batteries are so strong,
and they always keep the shot in the furnaces,
whenever any vessel is seen standing in.
Q. How wear to the battery is it necessary to an-
chor 1 A. You may anchor within haft gun-shat.
to have a pod birth, to avoid the South-east; you
cannot go too close in, it is so fine a bay.
Q. It at the time the Canctswii,e anchored, ships
had been ci uising without Simon'. Bay, and other
King's ships had been at anchor within, is it proba-
ble that she would have escaped I—A. I do not
think she would have come in then at all, hecalse
she would have seen them beture, and made a pri-
vate signal.
Q. You have already said that the private signal
might have been answered.---A. Yes.
Q. Were there any ships under sail off the Care
when the Voloiteire went into Table Bay 1---A.
There were two.

Q. Why then do you suppose the Caeoneeire
would not have gone into Simon's Bay, if ships were
cruising off, as the Velontaire did go into Table Bay,
although ships were cruising off ?--A. Because, 1
suppose, she had the private signal. I don't well
know how to answer that question. I would suppose

the one would take more precaution than the other ;
because the one came from the Isle of France with
dispatches to Governor Jansen ; and the other came
from Europe, and might nut have had the signals.
I know she came from Europe, because she was
boarded three degrees N. of the Line.
Q. Did you see the Captain or Officers of the
Ywoataire ?—A. I did, the whole of them; I dined
oith them frequently.
Q. Did you know then that they were bound to
the Cape ?—A. I spoke bu: to one, he uncl.;ntood
English; all the others spoke nothing but French.
I never heard him mention particularly that they
were coming to the Cape ; but understood that the
French Admiral was cruising off the Bank of
Laguilla, and they came in there for the put nose of
getting rid of their prisoners, as they were very
sickly ; and she also came in to get water.
Q. Were any additional bat:erica raited On that
part of the coast where Sir D. Baird and the Eng-
lish army landed ?—A. I do not know.
V. If an enemy had attempted to land in the
same place, would not the presence of chips of war
have rendered their landing more d fEcult ?—A.
should think so.
Q. When Sir H. Popham sailed from the Cape
with his squadron, what vessels of war were left ?
A. I was not at the Cape when Sir Home sailed ;
I was away with dispatches, but arrived the next day.
Q Alter your return to the Cape, how long was
it left without any ships of war ?—A. Only a brig
which I had the command of, the Rolla, of 1 a guns,
was there for a foitnight or three weeks. Captain
Bligh, with the Porpa • &e. came on her way to
Botany Bay, with the Woolwich store ship, and the
Siwtlarr lndiaman ; after that came in the
Adamant and the Liss, of 64, about a fortnight be-
fore I left the Cape, is July. The Adamant arrived
two or three days alter Captain Bligh ; also the Me-
dina, with a convoy. The Lis, and Medusa were
bound for India. Captain Bligh staid a tew days
at the Cape.
' V. State the period of your.return to the Cape?
—A. I believe it was the 15th of Apt il, the day after
the Commodore saih d.

Q. time long oil you amain there altettrarli2--
A. 'DI August, Ido6.
Q. lietween the time of pm return tn the Care
and your 'wing it, did any reinforcemfnts at trout,
arrive?—A. Yes.

Q How pan,. P—A. One regiment, and
about 2uo Imo, prisoners on board
besides a Hottetitnt regiment. of 3 or boo Rica,
raped un:ter the c'onmind M Colonel Gre,!ii.

Q. Where did die regiment c.rare troth ?-.A.
Ei,k;lend, I believe.
- - - -

Within the same perind, did any nernher of
merchant newts donee !—A. Two or three Enz.
lish may, besides neutrals and the convoy..
Q. Did the Cenewsuire rnlke any privates;,,enat
when she entered the Iliy !—A. I do rest recuiret
that she did.

Q. Did you hear when the tO3 soldiers we,a
made ptisoners?—N. I under,oad in r transport,
Ushaot, going to England.
Re-e::am:ned by Sir Home Porn", a.

Q. You have said that Sir D. Baird and nsyseif
of the Much private r
were in possession
suppose you mean the L•olo.iial signals. or the signais
Irons the signal stations ? —A. I certainly da titan
the colon-sal-signals. Tile same man who I,l4lliiga.k
man to the Dutch, is new so to the English. fl,
an old Dutchman, has beta there these torte'',
years.
Q. Da ysu mean to .ay that I had any of Ift.
Dutch ship's signals e—A. I do not ; I mesa tilt
signals made at the Cape.
Q. Could the merchants' ships have lava either in
Simon's bay or in Table bay. completely pruo.a.4
from any insult of the enemy, by berg propetle
moc red in either of those bays ?—A. Certaiuly they
could, with perfect safety.
Q. As you have said it is generally calm is tyt
day time in Simon's Bay, while there is a strew
breeze in the of do you think that any eft:
enemy's cruisers, standing in fur Simon's Bity,w.i
not have dearly made out, from the rigging,
whether the ships lying in that bay were 1.u6,f.
men of war, and consequently have takes the adve..
tage of the breeze they were in, to make their mar,
while the ships at anchor were becaim.d?—A. I
cettaiely do.
Q. Was TA, Gazette of Lord Nelson's anise
a :th the combined fleets of France and Spin, pcb.
lished at the Cape in the course of three weeks nr a
month after it was captured by use—A. I per.
fedly runember its being published there, hut cannot
speak to the day. 1 know a salute was filed from
the Castle.

Q. Is it not in your recolleaion and knowledge,
that Sir D. Baird had equipped and exercised Avery
strong corns of flying artillery, to send to any part
:of the Coast where as enemy might appear, urn
el e smallest suspicion of his meaning to land !—A.
Yes, I have seen them exercised every day, under
he direCtions of Major Spicer. I don't know
their number s, but the line used to reach the whole
length of the street.
Q. If the enemy had been in rogsession of such
a corps of flying artillery, would they not have most
severely annoyed us in landing, in consequence 1
the very heavy surf there was in Gosfort's Bay,
and in general on that part of the coast, provided,
I mean, the enemy had sent it, to be used against
the dismbaskation.—A. Most certainly they would.
Q Do you remember having captured the Foment
brig, under national c.,lonrs, in Table Bay. by ore
of the boats of your department, and the person
who boarded her brought on shore the nephew it
Schimmeipenninek, PresideiA of the Batavian Go-
vernment, with all his dispatches ?—A. I do, per-
fee ly well ; they were secreted in the drawer of a
,trunk, and opened in the Castle by Colonel Yana%
and 1 heard them read at the Government House,
before Sir D. Baird, some time after Sir Home's
sailing. The!' direeted the command to be deliver.
ed up to any rench Officer, even of inferior rank;
and I heard Sir D. Baird say, he would send the
dispatches home to Government.
By the Ps OSECU T 0 It.

Q. Do you know when the dispatches bore date?
—A. I do net know the date; they came from
A msterdam.
Q. Was t►re FOIIMOIII taken after Sir Home sailed
for South America It might have been a
nienth or two.
Q. Was the purport of these dispatches to inform
Governor Jansen that a French force might be et-
paled at the Cape?—A. All that I can recoiled of
it was, that if a French Officer. even of inferior
rank, arrived, he was to give up the command;
I do not recolled the mention of any trooops, only,
to avoid any dipute, the men were directed to go
hand in hand with the French, whom they were to
consider as their brothers.
Captain K;iig sworn and examined.
By Sir HOMII Porn•w.
Q. How long have you been an Officer of the
Royal Navy?—A. Near twenty years, three et
which I was Ading Lieutenant.
Q. Where did you chiefly serve?—A. In the
East Indies, Cape of Good Hope, and on the Home
Service.

Q. Were you twice at the capture of the Caps
of Good Hope?—A. I was.
Q. What time were you appointed to the coal-
mend of the 'lidding P—A. In January, 1806.
Q. Do you remember the circumstance of the
bores of the squashs n capturing the Rolla brio, Lg
which the letters from Admiral Linois to Gavemor
Jansen were inte-cepted, stating his extreme di -
tress for provisions, and expressing a desire that e
would procure some for him. against his arrival,
which be hoped would be by the Ist of March ?
A. Dispatches ware brought to me as Captain of
the Hag Ship., and forwarded by me to Sir Home
Popham.
Q. Do you remember my examining the Officer
who commanded the Rolla, about the state of the
Mai-errga's provisions, and his expressing a strong
belief, that she could not remain so long as the la
of March, withour coming into port, unless she
could procure some provisions!--A. Certainly, as
he male no secret of being destined for the Cape,
knowing that we had read the letters.
Q. Do you remember hailing the FeJealaire
French frigate to strike her colours, when she passed
the Marlon, coming into Table Bay ?—A. Yes.
R. A report hying maJe to me, that she had
!cutely any water on board, do you recollea
desired some supply should he sant immediately lot
pretest ave. either from the DrJrnede or Leda