The Sun.
London, England, 1801-07-27 00:00:00

.~~

THE SUN.

QUIS DICERZ. inL.SUM AUDY.AT ?

LONDON,
.7 uLY 27, 'Sol.

\V yesterday received Paris Papers to the 24th
instant. They bring us an account of the Scv;ft-
sure, of 74. guns, Rear-Admiral Sir R. Bic KERTON,
commanded by Capt. B. HA.I.Cow ELL, having been
captured on the z.tth ultimo, between Cantlia and
Egypt.- This Ship, which formed part of Lord
KEITH'S Force in. the, Mediterranean, but which
was, cruizing detached from the Squadron, fell in
with the French Squadron in. the road between
Candiiraiiii—Egypt. According to the Monitcur,
the French Ships in the chace, separated from
one another, and the Snxiftsure attempted to pass
through them, when two only, the indi.v;s;h/.: and
the Dix d'Aeut, the latter, we believe, a oo gun
, Ship, engaged her. Notwithstanding this acknow-
ledged disparity of force, the Srxiftsure maintained
the anion for an hour, but was at length compelled
to strike. While this event furnishes the Moniteur
with an opportunity of boasting that in the month
of Messidor, two British Seventy-fours have fallen
into the bawds of the French, it occasions in us no
other feelirg than that of regret for the Seamen
whose valour deserved better success, and who, un-
der circumstances in any degree more equal, would,
we arc satisfied, have given a very different account
of their Enemies. From the circumstance of no men-
tion being made of the British Admiral being on
board the prize, We are led to hope that he must
have shifted his Flag.

This account of GANTH AUNT 4'5 Squadron, which
inthe Paragraph that follows in the Mcniteur, is
brought down to the 4.th of July, furnishes a suf-
ficient refutation of all the absurdities which the
Paris Papers have lately contained, respeEting the
clisembailz.ation of the Troops on board at Derna, in
the kingdom of Barca. The Leghorn article which
contained that ridiculous story, was dated in the
end of June. It also puts an end to the rumours of an
Engagement off Borletta, circulated in the Letters
from Ancona, of the zest of June. It adds, how-
ever to our hopes, that a meeting will have taken
place between the two Squadrons, as it seems impro-.
• babie that the Swiftsure should have been at any
considerable, distance from the rest -of our Ships.
What must be the result of such a meeting we shall
leave to our Readers to imagine. The month of Mes.
siclor, which terminated on the 20th instant, may
not, 'Ton the balance, turn out quite so profitable to
their Navy as the French Official Journal calculates it.

Citizen DEVEAUX, has sent to Paris a very
meagre and. unsatisfactory account of the engage-
ment off Alseszras, in which he assumes to himself,
no doubt justly, some credit for his management of
the Batteries on the shore, to which the Whole vic-
tory appears to have been owing. The loss of the
French-he adMits to be-great, but that of the Eng-
lish is, he asserts, greater. We learn frcm the Moni-
tear, that the Spanish Admiral MottENo had, with
five of his Ships, come out of Cadiz and arrived
off Algesiras, to assist Admiral ',rigors in tow-
in o- the:Haim/ha/ to Cadiz, in order to its being
repaired. The same Paper tells us,. that it was the
Pent.pee which had struck, but afterwards escaped ;
that_ the Venerable has .'had several holes made in
her, and that all the English Slips were much in-
jured in their masts: .

If the relleaions of the French Official Journals
are to be considered as those of the Government,
we might be tempted to believe, that no great con-
fidence should be reposed in the pacific dispositions
of men, who studiously endeavour to throw upon
England the odium of the War, and who thus
justify. the condua of those who have preceded
them in power. In the article which we have ex-
t taaed in our-subsequent Columns.from theMorriteur,
the Writer is anxious to convince the
.Public, that
the best understanding prevails,between the Cabinet
of Vienna and that of Paris, but that the English
Government is desirous of disturbing if. After
the observations which no longer ago than last
month, appeared in the same Paper, respeaing'His
Majesty's Ministers, we had hoped that accusations
Would have been discontinued, which can have no
-
other tndency than that of raising doubts as-to the
sincerity of those whoadvanec them. His Majes‘-
ty's Ministers, we are satisfied,_ have afforded the
French Government no reason to suspea them of
any disposition-to see the flames of -War again re-
kindled on the Continent, unless a regard to the
honour and to the security of this Country, in 61)-
position to any extravagant pretensions on the part
of the Enemy, are to be so considered. Those who
•diaate Treaties like that of Ltinevillt, need hardly
look to the interference of other' rowers for the
causes of their being ill-observed.