The Sun.
London, England, 1806-08-01 00:00:00

sey.

SHEERNESS, JULY 31.--Yesterday a Court Mar-
tial was held on board the .1111Zgnanime, hi the Har-
bour, on a Lieutenant of the zlstrea, for incompe•
tence and negleta. of his duty,- when the charges
being -,in part proved, he was dismissed his Ship
with a reprimand. - •
Sailed for Chatham the Guerriere French Frigate,
prize to the Blanche; also. the ititrea, of 32 guns,
Capt. DUNBAR, for the Downs.'

DEAL, JULY 31.- Arrived in the Downs the
Chapman Armed Ahip, with 400 of the Rifle Corps
on board from the River ; also a Fleet of Transports
from ,Ramsgate, having on board 2800 of the, First,
Regiment .of Guards ; Argo Sloop of War from
Sheerness.; Meteor Bomb, Arrow Schooner; and the
Monkey Gun:brig, from a Cruize.

The Devastation Bomb has a Signal flying for a
Convoy to the. Westward.

Arrived and sailed for the River the Galen, SZED-
.
M AR, from Boston ; Success, ---, from Liverpool;
and the Diligence, -, from Chester. '

YARMOUTH, JULY 31 .—Sailed the-Emerald and
Flora Frigates, and Ferreter Sloop of War.
Arrived the Crescent Frigate, Imogine -Sloop, and
Snipe Gun-brig, from a Crulae.

STATEMENT OF THE DISTRI

TISH NAVAL-FORCE

Line
In Port and fitting - as
In the English and Irish
25
Ca-nnels - S
The Downs and North Sel 7
Portugal.abca GiOr4ltar iz
Niaiiterrane.in and 1' it4J age 5
Coat of A.rica
Wet I and P.os,ige 4
jamaik:a Station , 2
Arricrican: Newfoundland o.
Cape or ~;ios.l Ho :e 3
East lii oes.and P.isage - 8
In pursuit of a Freazli Squad. 2
Guard-Ships - - 5

Hospital and Prison Ships 'o

Total in Commission 132
Receiving Ships - 7
.ervicealtle awl repairing IS
In ordinary - - 25.
Building - - • 21

Total 2 i 1
&TAT& 07 THE ORDINAR
, • Line.
Portsmouth - - 12
Clytnouth • • - - 20
Chatham • - • - 12
Sheerness - - 2
River - - 3
Extraneous - - I
• I, _ .

50'$
3

Al
50'S

1 41
I 0 I

Tot.
too

)6.1 511
I 166
2 4_

S
21
24
Z 2

1341 g 6
3 8i
I 2762 I Tto
ok T.

134
'ACH
Fri.

Sps. Tot.
9 38
6 44

I 91
137
21
I o; 2

Total so 16 1 46 I 36 1 148

Extra& of a Letter from Lieutenant DAVIES, of
the Blanche Frigate, to his Aunt, resident in. Bath,
dated La Guemere, July 25.—" In the beginning
of this month we were dispatched from the Downs,
in a great hurry, to join two Frigates off Shetland,„
and to cruize with them after three Frenchmen, said
.to be in those seas. Our own ships we luckily (for
us) never saw ; but we had nor been more than
three days on the appointed station before we re,
ceived information of a large French Frigate cruizing
alone,. that had done much mischief to our Greenland
,trade,. having burnt nine or ten of the homeward-
"bound Ships, besides making other captures. We
did not- hesitate to follow the track pointed out as
;:most likely to fall in with her, and on the t Bth got
sight-of our prey standing towards us. As soon as
be discovered what we were, he turned tail and
would thin have made off with all the ,sail he could
set,;, but that would not do. The Blanche's su-
periority in sailing soon assured us, that in the course
of a few hours 1)e would be our own. Owing to
the wind being light and variable,. the chace was
tediously lengthened to 14 hours, the. Frenchman ,
trying• all sorts 'of matruvres to get off. However,
about half an hour after midnight we got up within
pistpl-shot of him 5 and by that titnt; our patience

am; so eomple!el7 exhaustei that we could not wait
to get nearer, but opened upon'him with a thunder-
ing broadside double' shotted, though still nearing
him till within half pistol-shot.—How long the ac-
tion lasted I really cannot tell, but if it exceeded
half an hour, the time certainly passed very quick.-
Our fellows fought nobly, and with such determin-
ed courage, that had she been double our force, I am
sure we must have taken- her.' Immediately on '
their striking, was sent `to 'take:possession, and
found her to be the. Ship we *ere in search of,
La Guerriere, mounting 50 guns. As First Lieu-7
tenant, she, of course, has been, in my charge ever
since,. and we are now in
,coMpany with our own
Ship, ..just going into Yarmouth. Throughout the
Whole of the business we have been most fortu-
.nate : we have been satisfied in our Most sanguine
wishes. The winds.lhoth before and since the ac•
tion appear to .have blown .on purpose for us, and
.the Weather,has been..finerthan we had any right to
expe& for a continuance so far North. In faCt, every
thinkseems to have conspired in our favour ; and
'one cannot :help being possessed with the idea that
Providence-had' pre-ordered us this: piece of good
fortune: We had oot,a titan killed; and only four
wounded, one of whom..was the Second Lieutenant.
The Guerriere 'spffered considerably. When 1 first
came on board she *as- in a wretched state ; seve-.
ral of, the guns dismounted, and mangled carcases
lying in all directions. ~ Our 'men 'have fourteen bo-
dieS.overboard, besides what :they had thrown over
themselves' in' the action. Thirty remained-on board
after the exchange badly wounded, some of whom
.have been, dying. every day. In short, she has got
most complete mauling ;. and ,it is almost incredi-
ble that. so much mischief could be done in so short
a time on our side, and so little on their's. It'is not
yet six months since the Blanche first began to fit,
and the ShiO's'coMpany have not been four months
together. These things considered, I do say, though
I ought not, that it is as meritorious an aetion as has
been tought by any single Ship this war."

A Gentleman, just:arrived from Vienna, states,
that an' account had been received in that city of
the defeat of the French Army before Gaeta. Mar-
shal .MASsNA-,l•he stys,- -despairing of carrying the
place by force; tried to corrupt the Prince of HESSE,
by offering him„ in the. name of -BONAPARTE, a
Principality in Germany, as a reward for his sur-
render of the fortress to the French arms.. The
insulting proposition -was reje6ted 'with becoming
indignation; by -that brave and loyal Commander,
whO returoed.for answer, that in the event of a
repetition 'of such a proposal, he should instantly
hang the, messenger. 'Fincling fraud and corrup-
tion of no avail; MASSENA prepared to carry the
place by storm ; but, we. are happy to say, he failed
in the attempt. The assault was made on the 3d
ult. and was cornmenced by several thousand -Nea.,
politans, whom M'AssEisri'. had honoured with this
dangerous -precedence; but 'finding thein not over
zealous in the -service; several French Battalions
were placed in the rear, to stimulate their cou-
rage .With the point of the bayonet at their back.---
At-- this critical . moment, the garrison made a
sortie, with the Prince of HESSE, in person, at
its head, and aided by our brave tountryinan, Sir
SIDNEY SMITH. The Neapolitans seeing- them-
selves placed
,between two fires, and indignant at
the condrief of MASSSICTA, in forcing them on the
attack, inlinexliately joined in theThirtie from the
Garrison. The •French, thus deserted, were, to-
tally routed, .with • great slaughter, and MASSENA
was obliged to raise the siege, and fly to Capua,
leaving the loyal and gallant Pri:ice of FILssE
crowned with complete success. The Gentleman
whO has brought this adtount is of the. first. respec-
tability. • • '• .

Extra& of a Letter, *dated Camp at Malazzo,
Sicily, May 29.-7-=‘ We Bove at ,present.nine Regi7
ments of infantry and four troops of dragoons; so
that Monsieur is in 'a--fair way of getting a worth re-
ception should they
.attempt.to visit this Island. We
yeterday heard that 81117i# has taken the
Island of Caprae„ -which lieq at the.ttiouth'of 'the
harbour of Naples, so that the trade of that unforth-
nate city will'be entirely ruined. One of our`-14i-
gates likewise took six gun-boots, .going with •suP-
plies to the army on the opposite side, who are in:a
terrible state of s:arvation ; they get little or nothing
but what they plunder; and consequently the Cala,
briars shoot them whenever they find them in small
parties." " •

ELOPEMENT.—A Lady of some distinetion in the
fashionable circles, of beautiful person, and hitherto
of unimpeached chara&er, a few.dvs since, accord-
in g to report, quitted the house of an atie-tionate
husband, and eloped, with an Officer in the Army.
The family seat is in Sussex. The Lady, was also
distinguished for amiable manners; as well as for
other endearing qualities; yet, as "womankind in
ills are ever bold," she went off with her lover
in the new family chariot. The fugitives were
traced to an, inn, and from thence to an hotel in town,
wherein, it is said, they now.reside. The injured
husband .has, we hear, already taken the necessary
preliminary steps to procure legal redress. The par-
ties have
.been ;harried about six years, but .have
had no children. The seducer is a young man,
nearly allied to the first rank and fortune in the
kingdom, and. is not without
,great expeaations.
He has long been considered an•Adofii:s; is the p
fished friend of the ,Duke of -A—, the. Earl of
J-----;•y, and the Hom A—v-;•x, and has been ho-
noured with the confidence of the.Pritice of WALES.
We do not pretend, to vouch- for truth of this
tratisaEtion, apd, shall ..be glad to find that' it has
more of romance in the Story- than of dishonourable
truth.

The Trustees of the -British Museum have been
unjustly censured for, not prosecuking iheperson who
lately stole some, very valrlabie 'prints frotu..that
place. The truth, we.un,icrstatid, is, th it it would
be. difficult to ioentify the propertj in such a man,.
ner as to produce satistat.tbry' evidence in a Court of
Justice. But as several persons have be'..ll suspe6ted
of having been,-guilty of this- despicable theft, it.
would be proper to expose thename of the real cul-
prit to the world at large, particularly as hi: abuse of,
the confidence of friendship haS brought a severe in-
jury, on the family of a-Gentleman -of well-known
talents and literature.

It is'rum.oured that five CandidateS intend to start
for the County of Middlesex at Liu next General.
Election, namely, Sir FRANCIS BURDETT, GEORGE
Br/G, Esq. Colonel WOOD, Mr. MAINWAIIING the
elder, and the eldest son of Sir WM. CURTIS.