The Sun.
London, England, 1810-12-04 00:00:00

131iITISH REVIEW

THE LATE LORD VISCOUNT NELSON 01s1 THE INTER•
CuURSE ELTWEEN THE BRITISH WEST INDIA
ISLANDS AND THE UNITED STATES IN AMERICAN
VESSELS._ FROM THE LIFE OF THAT NOBLE AD-

WAAL, RECENTLY PUBLISHED BY TIIE J. S.
CLARKE'AND-MR,. M`ARTIWR.

RACT, No, 111.

" Aboated by the strong impreision mach on

him by these considerations, he adopted very etfec-
T tive means. for 'preVenting evils of so much otagosi-
tude ; taking upon himself•thereby a severeand ex-
_ tensive responsibility,- and •cerrainly without'sufh-
• cient light to pave guided almost any_ other man in
"the sate situation. • With the .public interest al-
ways in „viiew, never thought of personal conk-.
quences ; arid with an intelligende, spirit, and
energy, almos_t peculiar to himself, he checked the
mischie-vous practices Which Pave heen alluded to by
repeated seizures, at the risk of damages and ex,
pellets that might have involved bin in.ruin.
judgment,.however, proved to be equal to his zeal. .
" In the mean time,,the Americans, who had so
considerably profited by-this intercourse,.encouraod
by their friends_on shore, as Well as by the CulleC-
tors and CoMptrolleit of ' the different CuStOms. 'of
the lOands resisted the threats
,and orders Of Capt.
Nelson, presuming Ilgi only on their right to trade
from the reasons which have beenmentioned, but
also froth an opinion-that the officers of the King's
ships had no legal power to seize ~ny vessels withswt
having deputations from the Customs, which they
were well. assured would not be granted in those
seas. Capt. Nelson, couseLous of the reetitude of
his conduct,, continued to enforce the orders he had
already given, and added, " that he knew no other
reason for sending the King's ships abroad in time
of peace, but for supporting the trade and protect•
ing the commerce of his country." In the zealous
di-charge of his, duty at Barbadoes, Antigua, St.
Kitt's, Nevis, &c. he was more particularly sup,
ported at the Islands of Grenada and St.. Vincent's,
by Capt. collingwOod, in , the NletliNator, and his
brother :cant.Winefred collingwood, in the Rat-
tler in consequence of which great numbers of the
American vessels were proceeded against in the Ad-
miralty .taurts, and were regularly condemned.
" The innumerable difficulties,. however, under
which he had long laboured, now continually in-
creased, The planters,were, to a man, decidedly
hostile to his conduct. , The Governors and Presi-
dents of the Islands gave _him no support ;. and The
Admiral, wavering between.both parties, and-hav-
ing no decided loptnion, merely addressed a memo-
randum to Capt.. Nelsbn, .advising him " to 'be
guided by the wilhes of the Presidents of the Coon-

cil," which not being an order, the intrepid: Com-
mander.o the Boreas still pursued his-course.: On
the
,arrival of the 1.1:41-eas at Nevis, 1785, he found

four American vessels t►,ere, deeply laden, and with
What-are, termed the blanct.Colours L 1 lug, .w►►tch
are white with -a
.red cross. ,Tirese vessels were

immediately visited, and the masters ut, them di-
redted, as they knew they were. American yessels,
and had American cargoes on
,board, to hoist their
proper colours, and leave the Island in forty-eight
hours : they denied being Americans, • and refused
to obey the Orders of Capt. Nelson. -14(1 which
an examination pt their crew s took place on board
the:Boreas, in the Captain's cabin, and beforp,tlie

• , .
Judge of Ott Admiralty, who happened to be 'on
b.iard ; when they all colifesed that ,they were
Americans, and that their vt-ssrls and cargoes ,were
wholly American property. I.'ney were accordingly
proceeded asaiyst in the Court of Adinirally..at Ne-
vis ; and notwithstanding the opinions and plead-
ings of the greater part of the learned,Couusel of the
different lilands, whO had a.;(4...nibled to defend Ole

-A • :
rnericans, in din pope. of proving that captain
Nelson,. without a deputation from the Custonas;,
was .not'authoritzed to seize the, traders, ,that great
Officer,'pleddyd his own cause tid ably, and relied
their specious arguments sd completely, that the
(6ur velsels• with their cargoes Wpre coudemnLd as
priies ib the Dureiis.

`l-The—American. Masters on going a,fiore with
their I:espFptive ,tollqwers, were trierrogat-d by an
Aitorley who had been pOrp,sely prepared by the
Cabal, :as
..to the place,, and the manner in 'which the
descriptions had, been taken ; .and in!‘v a, flew scene
dt.clUplicity ensued. The Masters, 'l.4iA on bythe
Attorney, Were induced to declare, ttnrt: wneti kthy
gave their dep)siiions they had been put into bodily
fear ; for a man with a drawn sword (the sentry as
is usual at the cabin-door) had stood over them dnr-
ing the whole proceeding. Other sitnihir falsities.
equally ricliculotis were added ; and in -consequence,
an'aaton of damages to a considerable amount was
immediately commenced against Captain Ni.lson,
owing to which, he was. confined to his cabin for
many weeks, Sundays excepted. The Marshal tre--
queotly cattle on board to arrest him, but,by
.fair
words, the first Lieutenant, Mr. Wallis, was alwais
able to elude his vigilance."
10 some letters addre4sed-during this period,.to
Captain Locker, these events are torther illustrated.

"Boreal, English Harbour, SO:. 4. ii;3s‘
"Our friend,. Kingsmill will have told you ,of tvy
captivity, and of all the disasters I have sirifer-al;by
having acted with a proper spurt, agaiust the yil—
lainies of a certain see of men, %you are settled in these
I•larids from America, and have biimght :the prin.--
ciples of rebels with them: If Allustersdu itut,,
support me, may they find the watit of ufliceis tosnp-
t theta. My head has been.to nitiCh talftrn up wui ,
law, that I have sadly negleacti my hest fliends,
.who I am sure have great teas:air to_complain of mt;
but I throw,mysellupon their generosity, and hop*
'they sorry for the employment which has
*op-pertained lb t'ne for sOnie time past."

•' Bor'eas, oil Martinique, March 5, 1786.

" You accus6 me too justly of not writing, but
really for the last year I have been plagued to death?
hsl it not been 'for Collingwood this station would
have-been. the mq.st disagreeable I ever ,saw.---Sir
Richlrd.Hughes you know probably better than my,
self. I donut li-kc to say-mm:li against my Cont..,
(winder in Chief, there has been too much of that
the late war ; but from soine-rcticumstanCes Lb:le-have
lately hapened, I shall produce my orders,
ever I come horn. ' It was near the- hurrizana
months when I arrived in this country, consequent-
ly nothing-,could bey done until they were over in
November, when. the squadzon art t ved ba -
does, uid. the ships_were to
„be sent tpL the ditf,:ro,it
Islands; with only order 4 cdexamin; the anchorages,
and wiiether thole as wood and water. rids' did
not appear to me the intent of placing men rat war
on this station, in peaceable litnes,..theretore I asked
Collingwood to go with me to the Admiral, tor Ins
sentirnentS-and 'mine were. Out-0y similar. I then
asked him if we were not to attend to the, 'corn,
perce of our country, and to take- cars; th'at the
British trade was kept in ttiOscchanneli tAll:ciis , tne
Navigation Laws pointed out.' He answered lie
had no Orders, nor had the Admiralty sent him any
A&s of Parliament. I told him it was very odd, as
every Captain of a man of war was furnished with
the StatUtes of the Admiralty, in which was the N i-
vigation Act, which Apt' was directed to'
Captains,.:&c. to see it carried into execution. He
said tie had never seen the book, but having -pro-
duced and read the laws to lila], he seemed convinced
that men of war were sent' abroad for some other
purpose than to be made a shew of. He -then gave
orders to all the squadron to see the Navigation ACt
Carried into execution.

• :" When'l went to my station at St. Kitt's I turned
away all the rebels, not choosing to seize them at
that time, as i,t would have appealed like a trap laid
for them. In December, to my astonishment, an
order came from the Admiral, telling us he had re-
ceived good advice, and requiring us not to hinder
the Americans
,from coming. in, and hiving free
egress and
.regress,, if the Governor chose to allow
theiti ; and a copy was enclosed of the orders he
had sent to -the' GOireitiors and Piesidents of the
Islands. .Gentral Shirl4r•and.others began by send-
ing. letters not far different from orders, that they
itiould admit them in such situations, and tellilig-
me,the Admiral had left it to them ; but they
thoUght it right to let me know it. -Mr. ---
I
soon trimmed up and silenced. Sir, Richard
Hughes was a more delicate businessi- I must either
dis Obey my orders, or disobey Atts of Parliametii.
I determined :upon the former, trusting to the up.
rightness of my intentions, and belie.4ed that my
country would not allow me to be ruined by pro-
teeting {ter commerce.

I.7:first. sent to Sir Richard, expatiated on the.
Navigation Laws to the best of my ability, .told hith
I was certain some person hld beengi% ing him ad-
N;ice 'Which he would be Sorry for laving
_taken,.
against, the positive directions at Acts of Parlia'
meat, and that I,was certain he had too much regard
for thecomtnerce ofG.rcat suticr our worst
thieinies to tae it-rioni us. At a, time when Great
Britain was straining every nerve to suppress illcgai
trade at borne, which: only affeeted the ,Revenue,
hoped ye should not besinguhir in -allowing a much.
more ruinous traffic to be-carried on tinder the King's
flag.; end, in short, that I should deolite Obeying
fits orders,. until .1 hod ail oppoi tunhy at seeing and
talking with trim ;
,atitiesatne time making lion an
apology. At first, I hear, he was going to send an
Otiker to surrSede Inc ; but having rnentiond the
Uusinessio. his Captain,• the latter said, " he belfeyed
all the squadron thought he grad sent orders;
therefore; did riot know how tar they were obliged
to. obey them." This being their set-nil-Ire:1:S, :ne
could not try me, here; and nov.‘ he finds I dm
right, 04;1 thanks me for having put him se."

(To be Continued )

, P.x.",-..4403A,-4,thArif..

S. ,
:ot tenbti rgit, Waterford. Dez-4'i
t Lisbon, 't t Waterford,

i'lLiC ()i STOCKS
Hjs ohy AT TWELVE OICVOCK
()mniurn

- - 5

; .1

7. 1 -N.

R.E I, A :.SUM A:,I)E.AT ?

. . .
'rues 14,y,• DECEMBER 4.! :1810.

11). event which we have' tong expected ha's
at length come .4) irss. BUON A:PARTE I.la.fOreed

• . Swoirn into a war with this country. We received
‘...
this:intrligence this morning, in Letters and Paperi
from Anholt. We learn also, from the same 9uar.
ter, that the Tyrant is making the greatest"exet.;-

thins to procure seamen IQ mau his • fleet ;
em-
bar;;oes have been laid in Zealand and inNor.
'Lie addition of the

way for that purpose.

Swedish fleet to that uhich is in the Scheldt

will .certainly give BUONAP RTC a formidable

naval force in the North; but let it be re-

membered, that if the advice of the Opposition

bad been followed, that, force would have, been

stronger- by nearly £0 sail of the line, because they
wouli have suffered him quietly to take possession

of the Danish fleet. The report of the conclusion

of an -armistice between Russia and the Porte is re-

peated with so much confidence, that we are inclin-
f4

ed to give credit to it.

" Windsor Castle, Dec. 3,,NineWelock, P. M

" The'state of Atuend►uent which bas I),.en (,b.
served in His MAJESTY for the last three days, 501

c:)n t i

'

" H: R. REYNOLDS".
"H. HALT o.
“ W. HEDERDEN.

" M. IfAuttg,.
" R. liriLLt."

‘, Windsor Castle, Dec. 4.
His Ma.tesry has pased another good tight,
and is fully as well as he was yesterday."
'Signed as above.

The important intelligeoce reipeEting the'retreat
of MASSENA, which we yesterday communicated to
our readers, lips been publiAlied in a Gazette, which
will be found in a sulaFequern. columu. •

Those who are uiwhtiug to give credit to any
acron .ti o; the soccesi of British arms, have
already begun tO atilt AlAsaNA's re-
it cat is a feint, for the ,purpose of dray ing Lord
WI LLINGTON from his strong positioa ; or else that
he is' merely fallitig heck to 01,-er his supplies, and
consequently that we ought not to feel any thing
like exultation. To this reasoning we cannot give
our assent. The retreat of MASSENA appears to us
to aff'ord a rational and solid ground of triumph.—
Let the circurnances under Which MASSENA en-
tered Portugal bi recollected. BUONAPAETE, in his
Official Paper, pompously announced his intention
to conquer Portugal ; or, to use his words,_ to drive
the English out of that kiligdom ; and that for the ac-
complishment of this objea he had scle&ed one of
his most able Generals, and had given him an army
of 100,000 men. Let it be tecolleaed, that when
'AIAssENA appeatediall the frontiers of Portugal, Lord
WELLINGTON had not more than 20,000 effeaive
British troops under !,is ccmmincl, that :the Por-
tuguese army was in its infancy, and that.it had riot
then displayed that discipline and courage which
have since done it so much houour. Let it be re-
collected also that as long ago as September, BUONA.-
PARTE sent positikc orders to MA SSENA to attack the
Allies. It tnay be said,' indeed, that that Letter
was intereepted, but there can be little doubt that
duplicates of it were sent; -Under these circum-
stances, MasszaA r'ernuii,s from the beginning of
O&ober to the 14th of November, in sight of (he
Al'ied Camp, without venturing to attack it, and
at last he, the _hinder, retreats before the
Army which he proudly boasted he would drive
into the sea." This retreat, therefore, we con-
tend, affords us rational ground of triumph, became
it proves that MASSENA'S great objed-has becr.t de-
feated.

Our Readers will do us the justice to recolleet,
that as soon as we received intelligence that Lord
WELLINGTON had occupied the position of Torres;
Vedras, ventured to give our opinion, that MAS=.'
SEIIA would not attack him, that no battle would
take.plaCe, and that- the French. General, notwith-
ittanding .his-- viunting, would retreat ;and our
opinion 'has been confirmed in every point.. With'
4-espea to the cottrse that MaSsENA will now pur- 1

51, iis ull'lo TCfi'm 7i; j''~c,re&GPC. y itb

•
%he ielhfcrceTitts 'that are -on march to join
hipi, Otobaub Will, Attempt to win-
"ter itiPortukal:; 'but whatev6r may be his plans, we
have the-satiifaetion knovrrlz that they will be
opposed y a Gdrieral who has hitherto baffled all
the Inatittetvres &this '‘‘ Spoird Child ,of Vitiory."

fotlowing Bulletin appeared only in a part
of onr, impression, we think it necessary to re-insert

" tAkTA-ko, Nov.'-'t i.--The ei;erriY 'retreated
from his pOsition on the night of the 14th, their
right marching 'or/ Akoentre, their left on Villa
. .
NOva. They 'continued 'their retreat the follow-
Ing day. The ,alliea latoke Op in pursuit on the
'morning of the .the advance reaching Alen-
quer that day, Ainimbera and AlcOenter on the
13i11,. and Ca-rtaxo ova thYr-leith. On those days
Vve,enade, 400-prisotrers; Sir B. .St'Ets:,c'tt and 'Gen.
• .
LRITA's divisions Intloir. On-the 'l4tith Lord
LINGTONT learbed iliac the erienV had constructed
another bridge over the Zezere, his first having been
carried away; and a large corps marched that day
from -Santarem to Gallegos. Lord IiVELLIN4Tort
immediately sent C‘meral s division access
the Tagus at-Vallada, with a view of aiding Abran-•
tes, if it should be attacked, or of annoying the
enemy if'fie cotitinued his retreat tlirou' gh Lower
Beria.

" On the 18th the enemy's rT--guard was found
so strongly posted in front of Santarem, that it Could
not b'e.attacked with hopes of success. Though 'he
French Continue to send troops and baggage t,owlirds
the Zeiere, t-hey,keep a sufficiently large -corps at
Santarem and in its front to repulse. any attack from
this side; and the heaVy rains ltive so completely
destroyed the toads; that Lard WEI,LINCtON has-
f.4nditimpossible todisiodge the• enemy by mov,
ing'ihrough the htfls against his right. Possibly
the same cause keeps the enemy so long at San-
taretn.

If Lord WELLINGTON is uncertain whetherit she
the intention of MASSENA to retire Out of Portugal,
In the strong position betWe6n the Zezere and San—
ta-em, he may try-to maintain himself till he can be
joined, by the reinforcements which Lord WELLING..
TON knows to be on the frontiers. On this account,.
and that of the inclement weather, Lord WELLING.
TON has brought foritard•but part of. his:army, leav-
ing a portion in cantonments in reserve. General,
HILL is to halt at Carumuo, until the intention of ii
the French is deci'del.- I

" SI I.VIERA writes OM the Dili, and letters of the
13th, from Salamanca, confiin that corps, supposed
about 20,D0ttmen,are moving in and prepar-
ing to ent.er.Portugal. Bestows a warm culogium on
the Corps of Engineers, and -Lieutenant-Colonel
FLgTCHER, by whose exertions'.hN positions covig.r-
iug Lisbon have been rendered imprvgnable.

" Returns his thanks to Admiral BERKELEY and the:
Navy,- Nlarquis ROMANA, Sir B. SrENCER, &c.
flisarmy is very healthy, and hayoondueed it-
self much to his satiiladion."

We understand that the,Board- of Trade has re-
fused to grant any further licences, for the introduc-
tion, by neutral ships, into British ports, of any
articles from the Baltic, excepting grain.
Our latest letters froM St. Petersburg!) represent
the whole Russian Government, as welt as its,com-
toerce, to be in a deplorable state. The fortifica-
tions of Cronstadt are falling into great decay, with-
out a single workman being employed for the last
two years in their reparation ; and their arsenals are
b, come so defective, that one Russian ship of
the tine was put to ‘sea throughout the whole of last
summer. The little commerce lett, them is restrict-
ed to their barter trade with America. The Empe-
ror seldom shews himself to the people, by whom,_it
seems, he 'is generally hated or despised. .
Letters frorii New York, oldie 4th ult., state, that
Mr. R. SMITH -has resigned the ot-M-..e of Secretary of.
State, and that the American Government have re-
ceived dispatche=s troM West Florida, soliciting the
admission of the Country into the American,Union
as an Independent State.

The Americen Papers contain the following ar-
ticle

" New York, Oa.
Captain MARINER, wtto arrived this morning
fronf Port-ad-Prince, ib forms us that a terrible Hattie
took place thew on the 2-4th of Most, last,—
Cams-I'ol,lle had, colic-Etc& all his troops from the
out-posts; with the detertninguinn to take the town of
Port-au-Prince by coup-de main. cotwtlenctid
the attack :41 12 o'clock on the night of the 24th of •
August, anti the battle lasted until three o'cli.k
next morning. His ibrce:conslsted of about 2500
of his bast troops. PeTzoN met hini with only 1500,
but notwithstanding the supei iority of Rlsn?Plia
in numbers, be was completely deteated (Soo of his
men were killed, among whom ware two Alirshals,
(BAzt and MANNR) ; two other Marshals wire
wounded and taken prisoners, anti .00 muskets
were pieked'up after the battle. PETtores loss was
only about 60 men. Five o CIIRIiT6E/rE'S b:11g03,
in attempting to.go into the harbour of the Mole,
were at, acked by four of PETION'S, cominandeu by
a lad of about 1.8 years, ut age', who . took' four of
them ; the other escaped."

A--Royal..Mint is completed ,by. Messrs: WATTS
and BOLTON,. at Soho, for a new coinage slur the
Prince Regent of Portugal; at the Brazils, to, be
shipped