The Sun.
London, England, 1811-01-28 00:00:00

ARMY OF ARRACON.

On the tit J:innary,,• after thirteen days ,of open
trenches, Tprtosa atiti, its fortsstartendered it disc:ro•

The garrison,. eneisistitig.,of ()boo wen? in-
c!uditig 4DO officers, i!Z" staid of onlouts, 1.92 pieces.
„f,tr►►ltery,of cartri!_lges,. 10,000
muskets,- 200000 ‘veight of powder, 600,000'.'
weiglii of fead, mind a great quantity of inovisious
it/ti) ilatlliS. ,The lldk. of Taromito

•
initiediately rriarelleo upon l'artv,Ona, ttlct only

strong place ternahung to the insurgents hi ail this
part ot.Spain.
(ritty:vt

Tbe fiMpwing letter has bern addressed
Cap-tail) to the Eliza1)011 indiantan, to his Excellt:l7
.ey the•l‘linisief. of: Marine and,Culnuies..

,
" Punkirk, lank 8. •
," MowstiGNEOtt The merchant vessel; the
Elizatieth, of which I had the command, was of 650
tons burthen, and sailed from Loridon the. 25th of
O'L;tober, 1810. Though- not belonging to the
East India Canyon'', she was bound to Madras and
Bengal. • , - •
" anchored* at Cork; in Ireland, from which
place we -sailed on the 19th of December. After
havitqcsustained much damage froin a gale of wind,
we got on ground amidst the sand banks in the road.
of Doloortis and our vessel went to pieces in view
'of that coy, on the 28th of last December. There
' were on board 380 stetsons, of whom 30 were pas-
'sengeri, 250 lascars (Indian sailors), and 100 sea-
men; out -of this number there were
,but 22 saved,
including myself. We were Made prisoners of war.
" Although having suffered shipwreck, and hav-
ing been saved from its perils by our own unaided
etfo.ts, (it not being possible for the praiseworthy
efforts of the marine to afford us any assistance from.
the shore), we are satisfied to consider.ourselvelras
prisoners of war, but our unhappysituatioit,
,and
the circumstances which ,have led to it, induce. a
hope that your `Excellency will permit of our being
exchangcd, fat an equal number of French prisoners'
at the disposal of the British Government. *

Deeply 'impressed with gratitude. towards the
-brave inhabitants of Dunkirk and the IVembers of
its Naval Administration,
,who most generously sup-
plied us with every comfort after our ,suffering, we,
particularly reiriust that in case pt compliance, we,
may be :exchanged for seanien iff that place, ir
there be any such in England. I should consider
myself eminently fortunate in being the instrument
of their. liberation'. It is the only tivay by, which I
may be able to rectify my: warm gratitude to the I
people of .Dunkirk, without whose prompt and,ge-
ne..ollS assistlime we should all have perished.
‘‘ Your Excellency will pi-n. 1114 no. to submit to'',
your native stich•means as apreiir to me bt.st caleu-.
kited to forward the exchange. Standing rather high
in the e•ititliattOn cut the Admiralty, I have no doubt
Of success in a pn ceeding dictated by sentiments of
gratiiude. I require, lit the-tifst place, pen toissioil
o proceed,to London, in order to negociate the ex
change. tpledge my word of honour for my re-
turn, and.otir moreover a personal or pecuniary se.
curity.—Secondly, to bring to Dunkirk, or:any other
place your Exceheney may please to appoint, twenty-
two French prisoners of war, born at Dunkirk,'and
of equal rank with such of my crew as have been
saved:Thirdly; to condul, these latter to England.
A detail of the generous tissistanCe afforded t,xs by,the
people'of Dunkirk, will, I have no dpular, make a
dOe impression on the Admiralty„, and on that I
ground my sangitil;e hopes of the success of my uti-
dertaking.

(Signed)

R. W. tASTW4CK.

PARIS, ha. decree, signed by his Ma-
jesty the Emperor ou the gth inst. probihits the itn-