The Sun.
London, England, 1823-07-08 00:00:00

ERCANTILE SHIPPING.

DP:ALI JULY 7.—Wind S.W.4—Cartie &ail from the Rivet
the Mars, Bishop, for the Cape of Good Hope; Mary, Lath,
for the South Seas, and several more are working down—par,
ticulars unknown. Arrived and sailed for the River tin. London, .
Turner, and St. Anna, Sughone, both from Jamaica ; Cottons
Plant, from Savannah ; Anlaby, Overton, Oporto; Edgar,
Boyde, and Prince George, Parker, from Jatnaita. The
Antal)), was boarded by a French frigate off Cape Finister.
POnTaMOUTIi, JULY 7.--Wind W.--Arrived his Ma.
jesty's ship-Termagant, from Madras : sailed the 28th of Feb.,
and from the Cape the 13th of April. Sailed the Charlotte,
Stephenson, for Ilartmnah.
FALMOUTH, JITLY ff.—Wind W.,-,-Sailed the Duke pr .
Kent packet (2), for Lisbon. Arrived the Hope, Herbert,
from London.

LA VELOZ MARIANA.

Authentic Account of the capture of the Spanish merchant-
' ship La Vela:: Maritima, by the Jean. Bart French ship of
the line, given by four passengers of the Spanish ehip, who
• were conveyed a Meennique, whence they sailed for Europe'
on the 26th of Aptil: • '
" The Spanish-merchantman La Nueva Velez Mariana sailed
from Vera Cruz on the 24th Dec. last, and from the. Haven nah en
the `27th Jan. following, bound for Cadiz. On the 224 Feb.'before
day-break, while steering to the south of the islend ofSan ta Al aria,
one of the Azores, at 31i deg. 9 min. N. Ist., in the direction of the,
poet for which he was destined, she observed, between half
past four and five in the morning, to the leeward, another
vessel, steering in the opposite direction, though without being
able to discern what she was. The officer of the Watch of the
Veloe imthediately gave orders fin a tack to be made for the'ptte-
pose of passing the ship which was observed tube approaching,
but the Nue% imitead of pursuing her course, altered it and stood
towards the Velez. The Spanish Captain hen concluded that
this vessel, which appeared determined to chase him, went be' •
one of the numerous corsairs which pursue the Spanish hag in
all direetione, and chiefly in that ishove described. He acccede
ink ly ordered the deck to be cleared, and made pr !matins Tor
defence, in case he should be attacked by the-Vessel making head
against him, at-the saute time hoistinglierrec, additional sail with • ,
the view of escaping. Thirty-five minntei had elapsed eitic.l
the Velez Mariana had descried the ship, from which she con-
tinued to fly, when the captain ordered a gun to be fired, not
hostilely, but to ascertain what dee pursuers were ; meaning to
intimate, that if they were Spaniards they might
.pursue their
course, but that if they were encodes, the Velez Mariana was suf
ficiently strong to defend herself. Shortly after the morning be-
gan to dawn, and at daylight the chasing vessel was discevered to
be a large ship of war, carrying a peess.of sail. She fired a gun to
make the Marietta show her colours, which the latter answered
by firing another gun, and hoisting her flag. Neverthekeis, , the
ship of war made more sail, threw out her upper and lower etude
ding-sails, and gained on us in the chase aitit the most deter-
mined perseverance. The Caprein of the Veioa continued his
flight, in obedience to his instructions, which were that he should
avoid an engagement with any vessel, more particularly with
one chasing in ibis wake, and whose colours could not be made
out in consequence of their flying fore and aft. The Veloz being
under the guns of the chasing ship on the weather side, the litter
fired one gun without shot, and three with shot. The two ships
being now near enough; spoke; in consequence of which the Cap-
tain of the Velez went on board the ship by which he had been
pursued, carrying along with him the register, the certificate of
ownership, the royal license for carrying guns, Le. He found
that the vessel was the Jean Bert, a French ship of war, corn_
mantled by Rear-Admiral Meynard de la Fargei who, notwith-
standing that, all the documents lie could demand were pre- t
stinted to him, declared his determination to earryethe,Velee into
Martinique. On being informed of this; the 51.1 passengers who
were on board the Velez Mariana deputed three of their number.
to go on board the Jean Bart, and in the name of all, to entreat
that the Rear-Admiral would land them at the Azores, so that
they might continue their voyage to Cadiz ; but this request was
refused.

" TheVeloz was manned with rrench soldiers and sailors,
and upwards of 100 men of her crew, including twenty dis 4
eltarged soldiers, who were prodding from the Ilavannah
to the Peninsula, and some passengers, were transferred from
the Velez to the Jane Bart, There remained on board the
former Olaf about 30 passengers, and a few of the craw, who
were retained to assist in working the ship.
" The passage from the Azores to Martinique lasted from
the 23d of February to the night of the 11th of March. Der..
ing the 12th and 13th, the Veloz lay in Martinique-roads, but
Without being suffered to communicate with the shore, by order
of Admiral Alward de la Pup. On cite 14th, the passengers,
after their luggage had been registered, also by the Admiral's
orders, were permitted to go ashore.
" At Martinique the Captain and Supercargo of the V&A
made various applications to the Governor, praying for the libe-
ration of the vessel. They made it manifest that the Spanish
Government had not the slightest property or interest in the
vessel, and represented that the greater part of her cargo be.
longed to private individuals who had fled from the revolutioni
in America ; Wit to these implications no written' answer was
rettrraid for the space of 43 days, namely, from the I lilt or
Itlarch till the llith of April.
" Th<, p..e iogors aloe* separata representation, stating that
they were iii u threimi cottnu,y, mirk, and without rowurecs, and
praying that they. might be supplied by the,theferemeet with
the means of proceeding on their voyage to Cadiz; but :inrl;:ig
thtit this prayer. wit inetnetual, they solicited a small portio4
of their property registered on' hoard the Velo:t, in order to de-
fray their necessary expenees; and though a promise was given
that they should he furnished with what was reroisitc, they re-
saved nothing until the 2iith of April, when the individuals by
whom title narrative is Supplied were permhted to proceed to
the lisvannah and they deputed, as they despaired of obtain
I -
ing any relief n Martinique.
" On the 25th of April the cargo of the 'Welter still fernaino
on board that vessel, ender the usual seals. The Governor of
Illartinique had not disposed of any property belonging to the
ship, for even at that:date it was nor posttivoly'_known whether
or not the war would take plac, though-the Veloz had been
previously seized on the presumption that the war had actually'
broken out. This illegal capture Was in feet matte tti weeks
before the commencement of hostilities in the Pyrenees."

FROM 'SATURDAY'S GAZETTE,.