Star.
London, England, 1808-04-07 00:00:00

Dublin
Waterford

EAST INDIA .AFFAIRS:

'Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the East
India House, when Captain ECEFORD, of the Lady
Jane Dunda;, took leave previous to departing for
Madras and Bengal. Captain G. FLEMING Was sworn
into the command of the Earl Spencer, destined to
Madras and Bengal. The Court adjourned, at five
o'clock, till this clay. •
Accounts from Bengal state, that Monshee Moula-
vee Meer Abdool Alee, is proceeding to England for
the purpose of instructing the Students at Hertford
College, in the Persian and Hindoostanee languages.
He goes in the extra ship Union.
By letters from Madras we learn, that the ships from.
Bengal destined to call at Madras, proceeded 'direct
from Calcutta to the Island of Ceylon; in consequence
of which, many persons who were waiting at Madras
to embark for England in these ships, and who had
actually secured accommodations, were disappointed
of their passage.
A system of reform has been adopted and pursued,
under the Government of Mr. PorrniF, by which the
expences of the Company have already been dimini,hed
by the annual sum of six lacks of Pagodas, or '240,0001.
and it is likely, with the concurrence of the Com-
mander in Chief, Geneva MACDOCALL, that a further
reduction may yet be effected.
Extract of a letter from Captain GEORGE BELL,
commanding his Majesty's sloop Victor, to Rear
Admiral Sir EDWARD Pu.t.xw, Bart. Commander-in-
Chief of his Majesty's squadron in the East Indies,
dated Port Cornwallis, Prince of Wales Island, 2'2d
May, 1807 .1--
" Your Excellency has undoubtedly ere now received one of
my letters, respecting the capture of four bng4 out of Batavia
Roads.
" Off Cheriboa (a little to the eastward of Batavia) on the 15th
of April, we chased and brought to three prows under Dutch co-
lours ; at five P. M. on its falling calm, anchored, out boats and
sent them armed to bring the prows alongside ; two were brought
to the larboard side, the other hung on the quarter ; got the pri-
soners out of the two alongside (amounting to near 120) and placed
a strong guard over them, under the direction of lieutenant
Wemyss, as I intended sending them away after overhauling their
cargoes.
" Lieutenant Parsons had been on board the prow on the quar-
ter, but returned with his people, on finding it Impracticable to get
the crew from below. I instantly ordered her to be hauled close
up under the quarter, fired a earronade into her and musquetry,
which they returned by throwing spears, and firing pistols, &c.;
got a vie out of the stern ports and fired into her, the sparks of
which titost unfortunately reached some powder (which filust have
been catelessly handed out of some of the prows) abaft, and blew
the after-part of the ship up; at this alarnuug moment, the guard
over the prisoners dropped their arms and ran to extinguish the

fire. .
" Tie prisoners instantly seized their arms, and picked up se-
veral
spears and knives which had been thrown on board, and
attacked the ship; by this time (B'P. M.) the fire, most providen-
tially, by great exertion of officers and men, was got under, prows
cut adrift, and the attention of all bands directed to the defence of
the ship, which was admirably performed ; fur, in little more than
half an hour, eighty of them lay dead in a most mangled state, the
rest driven overboard : but sorry am I to add not without severe
loss on our side, including those blown overboard, and those who
have since died of their wounds, a list of which I herewith Inclose
for your Excellency's satisfaction. Amongst the killed is 100ente-
nant Blaxton, who had a spear Tu.:. through him, accompaitying
me in the w;ist--He died most gallantly."
A List of the Killed and Wounded on the 15th of Aprß, 1807.
i KILLID—Mr. H.lll.axton, Lieutenant, and five seamen.
Woirtsocti—Captain 0: Bell; Thorne' Coultherd, gunner, 1
Setjeant of Marines, 1 Private ditto, 22 Seamen.
Sesjeant of Marines, and 8 seamen since dead of their wounds.
(A True Extract.)
EDWARD Mores LOCKIII., See. LO his Excellency.
MADRAS COURIER, OCTOBER 21, 1907.
We learn that his Majesty's frigate Greyhound,
Capt. TROWBRIEGE4 had arrived at ihe Isle of France,
under a flag of truce, to inquire after she fate of the
Blenheim and Java; that his flag had been respected
by General DE CAE, who, unable to afford 'n:m any
other intelligence of these ships, save that gcr,eral re.
port stated them to have foun•lered off Madagascar,
gave him an order addressed to ;II persons under the
domination of the French Gc,vernment, directing them
to impart to Captain TROWBR:DCE all they might know
concerning the vesselq, and to afford him every facility
during the continuance of his oruize in search of his
father.

FROM THE ASIATIC MIRROR, OCTOBER 7.
The late stormy weather on the 28th and '29th ult.
which marked the close of the South-west Monsoon,
has occaLioned some mischief to the shipping in the
head of the Bay; and, from all the accounts that
have yet come to hand, appears to have been severely
felt every where within its extent
The Honourable Company's ships Walpole and
Ceylon sated in company from Madras on the 16th
ult. They encountered the gale, and were sepa-
rated in consequence near the roads. The Ceylon
reached the river, and got up to Diamond harbour
on Saturday last. The IValpole lost her mizen-mastl
in the gale, but sustained no other damage. She was
spoke with the middle of last week in the roads, and
is now probably anchored safely in the river.
The Lady Barlow was seen in Balasore roads on
the Ist. inst. with the loss of all her masts, and her
rudder. As the weather for many days has conti-
nued moderate, we have no apprehension that any of
the shipping which were crippled in the gale Will be
unable to gain the river.
The Honourable Company's ship Lord Duncan,
with a large detachment of native troops on board,
from Penang, met the gale in going down the South
channel, and returned to Sangor, where she at pre-
sent remains.
We are sorry to hear, that during the gale on the
29th ult. two large Arab ships, bound for this port,
foundered a few leagues off Point Palmiras : both
ships were totally lost ; and, painful to relate, of the
number of people on board, not a single soul was saved.
One or two English ships were in sight of but
Arabs, and saw them go down on the •Wth ult p— but
from the violence of the gale, it was' impossible to
render the smallest assistance to the unhappy sufferers.
His Majesty's sloop of war Victor, Captain BELL,
saw an English ship, off Point Palmiras, with a signal
of distress flying for several hours, and-until Captain
BELL lost sight of her. The state of the weather ren-
dered it impracticable to afford assistance to this ship.
No particularsrespectingher fatehavebeenascertained.
That active and successful depredator on English
commerce, SURCOUFF, has announced his return to
the Bay of Bengal, by the capture of two large valu-
able ships, both belonging to the port of Calcutta.—
The Mangles and 'Trafalgar were on their passage
from Bengal to Madras, with cargoes of rice, an ar-
ticle of the utmost value to the captors, as the latest
accounts from the Mauritius give a dismal piiture of
the sufferings atilt island-from the eiretts of &Mittel'