The National Register.
London, England, 1811-02-17 00:00:00

TliE NATIONA

teliwiwtere -to be- endenttood as pOsSessing the eontroul of that
litme. Aware of the inconveniencies attending the bringing
on of the question of Exchequer Bills at a more distant period
of the Session, or more suddenly in point of tine, he had g:vt n
early notice of what was proposed; nor did he think,considering
circumstances, that it was impracticable. As to the allusions
that had been made to two Noble Lords (Auckland and Gleii-
bervie), touching that vote being a surprise, the matter rested
not with Government, but with the House. Even this measure
had, however, five staves of proceeding, whereby the House
was afforded compettAt time to judge of it ; so that those votes
were not, as the lion. Gentleman (Creevey), intimated them to
bave been, congealed pieces of paper. What interest could the
Committee be thought to feel, supposing that Committee in-
fluenced by Ministers, as to the case of Lord Glembervie, who
had ceased, at the time of the vote, to. be a Member of Parlia-
ment ?—(Hcor, hear ! j,As to the other Nt.ble Lord (Auck-
land), whose name had been thusbrought up, perhars this was
the most unlucky instance of Ministerial favouritism that could
Well have been adduced--/Hear, hear, hear !it—Unlucky, he
meant, for those by whom it was adduced! The Administration
to which himself succeeded bad intended to grant tie same vote
o the letter of those Noble Lord?. Reipecling Ministers, was
it to he supposed that they would select two of the Outs as
subjects for compensation ?-11e would propose, next week,
aortic reasonable arrangement for conducting the business under
us6i on.
Lord Functs roN4 concurred in the sentiments expressed by
ids Hon, Friend (Mr. Creevey).
Mr. WHITBREAI) admitted the necessity for some regulation
of the business of the House • but in the proposed arrange-
=sent of the Right Honourablel Gentleman lie saw much
of inconvenience. He wished too to guard the House against
allowing any innovation which might ultimately lie prejudicial.
In coining to the arrangement hinied at by-the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman, it might have thesflect of dissolving the House ; be-
pause in fixing the notices on ont.day, and the others on another,
many Members might not come down to the House if they. had
live businesl on any particular day, and consequently there would
be no attendance. When the arrangement should be brought
forward, he must enter his protest against giving the precedence.
to Orders of the Day instead of Motions.
After a few observations. from Mr. C. Wynne, the House
went into a Committee. •

The Speech of tho Compais.iioners was referred to the Com-
vittee, and thto

- The CHA N CELLAR of the EXCIINQUER mewed, " That a Sap-
ply be granted," which was agreed to.—Adjourned.

TUESDAY'S LONDON GAZETTE.

A DMIRALTY-OrFICE, TEL 12.
copy of a Letter from Vice-Admiral Bettie, Commander lo
Chief of his Maegty's ships and Vessels at the Cape of Good
Hope, to John \Vil,on Crober, Esq. dated on board his Ma-
jesly's .ship, the Airicaine, St. Paul's, Isle of Bourbon, the 13th
Oct. 1810.
Sta,--jollowing the intentions communicated by my letter
addressed to you of the mtli of August, I have the honour now
to acquaint you, for the information of their Lordships, that
baying Tnade the necessary dispositions and arrangements pre-
yloua to my departure from the Cape, 1. hoisted my flag on board
the Nisus. and sailed on the iith ult. in that ship for the Isle of
.France. Living made the land en the .:-%1 instant, I proceeded
to reconnoitre Port South Fast, and from thence to Pcrt Louis ;
where, having cruiud 48 hours, and not falling in with any ship
of the blockading squadron, 1 proceeded eft this anchorage for
Information of them; whore I found lying his Majesty's ships
lioadicea, Otter, and *watch gun.brig, together with his Ma-
jesty's ships ..A tricaire and Ceyl ,n, which had been taken and
30-captured ft tun tae enemy, and the Imperial French frigate
Venus, also cap+ urod from the enemy.
The details, copies of which I Dave the honour to transmit
herewith,. will failly.explain to their Lordships the circumstances
saf the occupation of the Isle de la Pacse, as well as the subs',
queot unfortunate.: reseit of a very g Pant. attack on the enemy's
ehips, •in Port S: E.. with the Sirius, Captain Pytti • the Magici.
same, Captain. Curti4; :the Ipitit.!enia, Captain Lambert; and the
Nere&de, Captein.Willoughby; %It:licit ended in the unavoidable
e4.est, ection of the two former of his Majesty's ships, and the
Premier to the enemy of the Iphigenia and Nereide, the latter
• sera glorious resistance almost unparalleled even in the annals
u£ the British tiavy.
rutarucntary superiority thus obtained by the enemy has
beeerpromptly and decisively crushed by the united zeal, judg-
nent, perseverance, skill, and intrepidity of Captain Rowley, in
14;%.:Yojesty's. ship Boadicea ; the value and importance of
whose set stisee, long conspicuous and clistlnguished as they have
1p eeil, have. tuLy justified tliti selection and detention of hint a

REGISTER.

the senior officer conducting the blockade of this station ; and
who, in the present instance, almost alone and unsupported but
by the never-fail'ng energies and resources of his active and in-
telligent mind, under circumstances, as may be easily imagine!,
of extretnest anxiety, mortification, and diseppointmert, in a
few hours not only retook his Majesty's ships Africaine anti
Ceylon, but captured also ihe largest frigate possessed by the
enemy in these seas, and has thus restored the !:ritisti naval pre-
eminence in this quarter, which his talents have long so suc-
cessfully contributed to maintain.
Nor can I omit to offer a tribute so iestle due to the memory
of the gallant Cot bett, of his Majt:sty's ship Arricaitte, whose
meritorious eagerness to check the triumph of an exulting ene-
my, impelled him to an unequal contest, in which he nobly fell,
defending the cause of that country, to whcse service his valu-
able life had been most usefully, most honourably devoted.
Under the pressure of these events, the arrival of the Nisus
was to'be considered as most opportune, as every exertion had
been already employed with a view to the equipment of the
Africaine and Ceylon, which ships, though severely cut up in
the mats and rigging (the lower masts being unfit for further
service) had fortunately, at the time nf their re-capture, part of
their crews on board. Fully concurring in the expediency and
absolute necessity of this measure, the a(loption of which, and
the carrying into effect with the least delay, is of the most se-
rious importance to the ultimate success of the operation, now
ripe for execution, against the Isle of France, and having found
it further practicable to equip the Venus in furtherance of this
object, I have not hesitated to commission her for the time be-
ing, under the name of the Nereide, in commemoration ofthe
gallant defence of his Majesty's ship bearing that name, not-
withstanding the very many local difficulties and disadvantages
with which we have necessarily had to contend in the execution
of these plans.—The squadron, now on the eve of sailing from
these roads, consisting of the ships named in the margin°, ex-
hibits a striking and no less gratifying instance of what may be
effected by British exertion and British perseverance. •
I should at the same time be very deficient, were I net to
avail myself of the opportunity now afforded me of expressing
the obligations of the service-to the Lieutenant-Governor and
Commander of the forces on this island, Lieutenant-Colonel
Keating, to whom it is indebted not only for his co-operation, as
well as that of the whole military force, not only for the appli-
cation of every civil means at his command, but for that spirit
of zealous emulation, wherever the navy is concerned, which
has most anxiously anticipated the appropriation of every. re-
source to its service, and the influence of which has been ex-
tended throughout this division.of the army.
Among other vessels captured by the enemy, I regret to men-
tion the Ceylon and Wyndham, Hon. East India Company's
ships, and the Ranger transport, from the Cape, having on
board provisions and stores for the squadron ; I am happy to
add, that the Wyndham has since been re-taken, and has
arrived here, and the Venus was found to have on board the
greater part of the stores and provisions taken in the Ranger,
both of which circumstances have been particularly advanta-
geous, the lower masts of the Wyndam having been applied to
the Africaine, and the victuallinss of the squadron being, by
means of provisions found in the Venus, completed to 4 months,
It is further of still greater moment that I should apprize you I
for the information of their Lordships, that Major-Gent r.t.
Abercromby, who with his whole Staff was embarked in the
Ceylon, and who is entrusted with the command of the
expedition against the Isle of France, was recaptured in that
frigate.
As the squadron will proceed to sea in a few hours, after the
closing of these dispatches, I trust I shall stand excused to their
Lordships, in deferring to a future opportunity the several
returns and details of the squadron, as well as a statement pre-
paring of work performed in each department, which, in the
short space of three weeks, through the unremitting and unwea-
ried ezertions that has been displayed, has been such as to cern-
plete the equipment of the squadron, and to render the whole
thoroughly effective. •
I should add, that the light brigade of the troops from hence
are embarked, to the number of 600 men, on board the five
frigates, and are doing duty as marines, until their services
shall be required on shore.
I have, Stc. .(Signed) BERTIE.
Here follow three letters from Captain Rowley, of the Boal
dices, detailing the operations performed by that ship asireftvred
to by Admi:al Bertie • and also a letter from Captain Gordon,
of the Ceylon, describing the action in which that vessel was
captured by the enemy.—The killed and wounded on board our
ships in these several affairs, were as follow

-Return of tire. Killed ani Wounded on board the iffrionitet
Cain Corbett, in the Action *with the • 4strea and IpAigenta
French frigates, Sept. 12. 1810.
TOTAL-24 seamen, S marine,, 4 soldiprs, kiL;e4 ; 5 KuvAn.
11 marines, 8 soldiers, Woundcd.

7'1.114k.