The Sun.
London, England, 1804-02-07 00:00:00

N4Y4 L NE ws.

POItTSMOUTH, FEB. 6.—Sailed the West India
Fleer, under convoy of His Majesty's Ships Thisbe
and Hound, among which are, the Maria, WlLsolg,
Smirk', Eagle, CRITCHELL, Nancy,
MURRAY, and Latona, MACGRAIi.
Sailed also, the Mediterranean Fleer, under con-
voy of His Majesty's Ship Hindoitan.
Arrived from Waterford, the Nang' , rtvo-r.

DEAL, FEB. 6.—His Majesty's Ship:Cheviot,
and Bloodhound Gun-brig, came in froth a crutze
cff the Coast of France; the Snip Gun.brig from
the Northward, and the Leopard from Dungeness.
Sailed the Abundance Store-ship, for Ireland ;
the If/Palmer Castle, Winchehea, Walton, Ciren-
cester, and Sir William Beasley, East India Ships, for Portsmouth. ,

In the Downs—Monarch, Utrecht, Leopard, Brilliant,
Champion, Leda, Squirrel, Arab, Vulture, Curlew Lark.
Bloodhound, Snipe, Perseus, Fury, Dart, Basilisk, cackall,
Speedwell.

The following is a Copy of a Letter from Admi.
ral DACRES, of the .Couragellx Man of War, in
Cawsand Bay, dated February 4, to the Masters of
LL tyo's

teXTCTLENIZN,
" A most unfounded report having been propagated by
some malicious person at Plymouth, or at Plymouth-Dock,
that the ship Frank/in had been run down by His Majesty's
ship C%rerageux on her return to this Port, and having eer-
taM information that the said report has been forward..
ed to Lloyd's, I have to desire you will contraditi the same
in the fullest manner. I inclose, for the information of the
Merchants and Ship-owners, a List of the Ships forming part
of the West India Convoy, which are returned to this Port
witll the Courageux ; 91 Sail were in company on Friday the
a:7th of- iaiivarv, and 5 i are supposed to have parted company
with His Majesty's Ship Renard, in the gale of that night
they appeared in good order, and 1. presume will persist in
making a passage.
" I am, Sir, your most humble Servant,
(Signed) " I. P. DACRES."

Admiral Sir T. DUCKWORTH, at Jamaica, has
promoted Lieut. BAKER to the rank of Commander,
and to the command of the Shark Sloop, in the room
of the late Capt• HERRING. •
Capt. REYNOLDS is appointed to the Cull; dem, of
74 guns, at Plymouth.
The Lords of the Admiralty have appointed
Lieutenant JAMES (Mix LUCAS, to superintend
Signals on the Coast of Sussex.

The Orpheus Frigate at Portsmouth, is ordered
tL, be fitted for foreign service immediately.

A letter from Edinburgh, of, date of Saturday,
gives the following account of the alarm spread
along the Northern Coast :

At half past nine o'clock on Tuesday evening,
the Signal for an Enemy being upon the. Coast was
made from the Stations in the upper part of Ber.
wickshire, and being taken up from thence, Was
repeated through the County of Roxburgh. The
Volunteers of the latter County turned out with
the utmost alacrity, and though dispersed over a
most ektensive country, were all in the course of
the night at their alarm posts, and ready to march.
But the whole having originated in a mistake of
the Serjeant at some of the signal posts, 'the Volun.
teers were dismissed, the following Order having
been previously communicated to them.

Head-quarters, y,../Z.urgh, F 63. 2, 1804.
Lieutenant-Cc/I°nel RUT HER FORD requests that the Let-
ter, which he has had the honour to receive from General the
Earl of MOIRA, may he communicated to the Volunteers.
He has only to regret with his Lordship, which he does most
sincerely, that their zeal upon this occasion has been dis-
appointed.
Had they been opposed to the Enemy, the event would
have shewn them worthy of their ancestors, and though the
opportunity has not been atibrded them, they have the satis-
faction of knowing, that they have acted the part of men de-
serving well of their Country.
In dismissing them to their homes and families, he begs
leave to after them his sincerest thanks, and to assure them,
that their conduct has, it possible, added to the high opinion
he has always entertained of their loyalty, their gallantry,
and spirit.

It now begins to be a general topic of conversa.
tion and subject of apprehension, that LINO'S with
his Squadron, upon the first intimation of a re-
newal.of the War, pushed for the Cape of Good
Hope, of which he could easily possess himself. In
this case our Trade to India will probably meet
with the most serious interruption. It was early in
the War debated in the Cabinet whether we should
not re-take the Cape. Several of the • Ministers
were strongly for the measure, but we have heard
that their opinion was over. ruled by the First Lord of
the Admiralty, who asserted that it was better in any
other hands than ours. It will soon be seen how fatal
Was this opinion, for if the French Possess them-
selves of the Cape, it may easily be conceived how
impregnable they will soon render it. •
A letter in the American Papers, dated from.
Washington, says : " There has been a Serious op_
puguation' to the President's drawing-room arrange-
ments. It sterns that, to slim his aversion to Mo-
narchy, he has determined to give precedence to the
Ladies of the Secretaries of State, of War, Navy, and
of the Treasury, over Mrs. MERRY, the lady of the
English Ambassador ; a point of etiquette in which
Mr. MERRY refuses to acquiesce, as under the Ad-
ministration of WASHINGTON and ADAMS, the
Ladies of Foreign Ministers were always considered
as entitled to the precedence : what may be the re-
sult we know not it is said Mr. JEFFERSON and
his Ministers have been closeted nine hours, with-
out intermission."

The prosecution against Capt. D'EiTERRE, of
the Royal Marines, closed on Saturday morning ;
and the Court adjourned till Monday, 12 o'clock,
when he was to enter on his defence.
On the
,r lth of January, his Royal Highness
Prince WILLIAM, brother to His PIttIiSIAN MA.
Issry, was married to her Serene Highness the
Princess of Hlssii-HomaußG.—The nuptials were
celebrated at Berlir. with great splendour.
On Friday, a number of respectable inhabitants
of Dumfries and the country part of the parish,
enrollel themselves as Spearmen, for the purpose of
preserving the peace, in case the Volunteers are
called from thence to repel an invading enemy,