The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-07-23 00:00:00

THE QUEEN CHARLOTTE PACKET.

We have, in a former Paper, noticed the French
account of the contest which preceded the loss of
the Q,/rre CAl:date packet, Captain kludge, on the
16th of May last, on her passage from Halifax to
Falmouth. We have now an opportunity of laying
before our readers a more circumstantial detail of
that aelif.n, so honou. able to Captain Mudge, his
(Aims and men, with which we have been favoured
by an officer of that ship, as follows :

At seven in the morning, of the I6th of May, !SON, in
lat. 48. 00_ N. lon. 11. 20. W. we discovered a sail on the
lee-how, standing tr. the N. %V. She fetched so near us, that
we could plainly perceive her tribe a brig cruiser, and that of
an enemy. At nine she tacked, and stood after us ; at nom
she got so near that it was thought best to shorten and
bring her to action ; with a view of cutting away her masts, or
rieging, previous prramtements for that pur;ose, having bee i
mule. A few minutes after, we gat very near to each other;
when an exceedingly hot fire commenced on both sides with
round, grape, and musketry, and was continued fur one hour
arid 55 minutes, the whole lime not out of the range
of pistol shot The Queen Charlotte being now a perfect
wsv.-k, and quite unvvernable, we were under the painful
ivscositty nf6isking the mail, and shikine our COIOLIS, to the
private of war L'Hirondelle, of Dunkirk, mounting six-
teen lung carriage guns and a crew of one hundred and ten
sen, Captain Allemas. The damage sustained before we sur-
rendered was u follows: three guns on the side engaged disa
bk.!, one from shot, and the other two, which were carrossites,
and very bad guns in action, recoiling, they being very badly
constructed; jitastae, halyards, and out-hauler; ititetopinau-
staysail, stay and halyards; fere and foretop bowlines, fore
tacks and sheet, foot of the foresail in two lilaces„ foretop
gallant and foretopsail ties, one fore and one foretopsail brace,
and one sheet, one main brace, loth topsail braces and bow•
braes, tnp gallant is e, croft-jack braces and bowlines, peck Ital.
yards and both topping-lifts, all the bebstays, three fere shrouds
on the engaging tide, a:1 the topmikluifiouds, backstay,
nee topmast shroud and erne-beclotsmon the ergellidele, Iwo
ma'am shrouds and orient' the tnpinast shroads, and all the back-
ways on the engaging sin:, and on the other, one lower shroud
and two topmast 'broods the miser rigging much cut; the
foremast had fire round shots quite through it, and sucking in
; the rain mast much danisc.al, and the arisen mast touch
more so, with several shots whir In struck the hull. The priva-
teer lead several shoes in leer hull, acid the foremast badly
wounded, sails and rigging very much cut, 'me none of her
heed sails came down; she had mire principal oiscers on board
and twenty-five eaperienced soldiers at small arms. The Cap-
tain of her, and the crew, for the most parr, err Flemings, who,
understand, have been employed in the smegelling trade The
Queen Charlotte had on board twenty-four of her men Cf.W.
one distressed subj.% and fourteen inealids from Halifax, do.
hilibated from paralisis, age, and long service, but their hearts
were good, and they behaved with true English courage. thir
Captain was well napported by his offices, and the men be
hared eery well. The Queen C' ',lotto has eine Man killed,
and four slightly wounded, L . sindelle bad the pilot and
IWO Othett killed, end two very v and four others slightly
worihded. Ifer damage Is reach, 111, it will occasion her sonic
thee to r.7main in port to neat. The French Captain treated
Captain Mudge, his offs,ers, and crew, very honoerably while
on board."

There is reason to believe that the Qurse Charlotte
was lost for want of being better armed. l'he car-
rnnades now used in the packet. are unfit for a long
Alaion. When they get warm, they recoil so ♦ io-
len*. as to break their breaching', tackles, titc. and
much time is consequently lost in repairing the
mischief. Fled the packet been armed with pro-
per guns, she would doubtless have been preserved,
and might probably have captured the enemy.

, .
H.l mule 10ET 77TRATRR,
S %VIRDA 7, JOLT 21

to The Eorron. •
SlR—Some extraordinary misrepresentation having appear
eel, with respect to an occurrence at this Theatre, last night,
in which I happened to be a party, I owe it in Justice to myself
to request that the facts inav I.i..correcily towel. ..
Ir is tnie that a momentary altercation did arise between Mr.
Mathews and mrelf, imme.hatele after the timpping of
the curtain last night, which was attended with some
warisith on both sisks; but it was not tote, as it has been sue, t-
eat, that I was "knocked down twice," nor indeed that I was
kpockeil down at all; nor IS it true that I was placed Mans situ-
ation humiliating to my feolings as a man, nor in the slightest
degree, I trust, derogatory to my character as • gentleman
W.:shoot using any idle profes.insis as to my own means of
self defence, I may he pardoned when I say, that those who
know me hest, must be sen,ible, that I am not likely to be
seen in any such state of deip-adatinii.
Neither is it true that this disagreement grew out of any as.
serain mad: he me, them Mr. Mathews, or that ally Gentle-
man of t:O4.flieatte, had done less than his duty in suppiiiting
the pie:e, which hail not met with the public approbation.
What the circumstances were, it would be usele.s, and perhaps
imus.rtinent in nie, I. obtrude on the public attention It is
enough to say, that Mr. Mathes.' and myself have every
of being good friends; and that, were we not so, it
would be difficult to hod any man more ready than myself to
subscribe to the professional excellence of Mr. Mathews, and
to acknowledge the fidelity and seal, with which he at all times
exerts his tal oils for the benefit of the Theatre, and for the
amusement of the Public.

It has been also allevd, that I was officious on this occasion
in addressing the audience. Those who blame ate fur address-
ing the :iudiewe, cannot be aware, that, in m doing, I agn
only discharging one t, the duties I owe to the Theatre. It is
obvious, that, on many occasions, in point of respeet, an audi-
ence mu,t be addressed ; that office, in this Theatre, happens
iust now to fit on me. to the present instance, I had to cite.
cute my duty under circumstances of peculiar difficulty and
embarrissinent. I stated, hastily, but ingenuoitily, that an
oeemreoco within the Theatre had put me under considerable
agitation; I felt anxious at once to convey to the audience, that
I had pot withheld any feeble assistance which it bad been pos.
'Rile for me to have lent to the author; and, at the other han I,
that I had nor at all wished to be accessary to forcing the piece
improperly on the public. At such a moment, and under
such circumstances, nu liberal mind would expect minute ex-
actness

am ,orry to have trespassed so long on your attention. It
must be plain, however, that my welfare and happiness de-
Pend, in a great measure, nit public estimation ; and I hope it
will nit seem surprimie, that I should be anxious to shew, that
I have not only aimed at obtain:rig public favour, hut that I
have •,truggl..d hard to deserve it. . _

I •m, rewectfully.Sar, your most obedient Servant,
R. W. ELLIS rum.

July 21, 11105.
Having been bv.staoders during the accidental difference
which °relined between Mr. Ellktoit and Mr. Manliest. at the
Haymarket Theatre. on Friday night last, we feel it incumbent
on us to declare, that the statement of Mr Ellithoe. haeing
been knocked down on that occasion, is totally void of founda-
tion ; an 1 that no circumatancet took nl.iet. s Inch were in coy
resnect dishunou able to that gentleman, or, indeed, to either
part,'.
It i. also our dial, to declare, that the Author of the Comedy
of 4 The V.llage" is under considerable obligations to Mr.
Elliston, for the. interest .aken by him in the succes. of that
piece; and that, without his exert, urn, we tr&iese the Comedy
would not have been brought fully before the Public.
REHIERT PALMER, CHARLIE TAYLOR,
JOHN PALMER, \VM. T. N. itveintr,
F. G. W A LoaoN, Prompt.