Star.
London, England, 1812-04-16 00:00:00

THE EVENING STAR.

LONDON.
THURSDAY, APRIL 16.
PRICE OF SOCKS cHli DAY Al* ONE. O'CLOCA:
Bank Stock 223—India Stock 187 188
rtr Ct. Reduced 58f-4 per Cents 73i 74 •
prr Ct. Cous. for money 604-1/0. for ate... 14
SS
per
t.lso.ll—scrlp if pre —Lang Ann,. Ist
Etch. Bak par Its. pre.—Bonds 6s. 7s. pre....011111. 41 diu
CA'

.11:URE OF A FRENCH FRIGATE, IN
THE WEST—INDIES.
The Souritariterox frigate, of '32 gnus, Captain
Sir J. L. Yto, has ciptured and carried in Morant's
Bay, Jamaica, a large French frigate, of '44 guns,
with a crew on board of 400 stamen and 300 sol.
dit-rs, mostly Blacks 4 They formed part of an expe-
dition fitted out by CHRISTOPHE against PETION. Our
Readers already know that St. Domingo has been
long the scene of bloodshed, in cc nsequence of the
feuds between the two rival Chieftains, and that hi-
therto the British Governmerit has kept aloof from
all interference. It is probable, however, that this
senconue will be followed up by some measures
which will detach one of the parties at least, if not

both, from the line of policy which the great insti-
gator of mischief, NAPOLEON, has dictated to them,
by means of his emissaries.

The slaughter on board the enemy's frigate was
immense. The loss of the SOUTHAMPTON was only
twelve in killed and wounded.

The following is our Falmouth Correspondent's let-
ter on this subject

" FALMOUTH, APLIL 13.
Arrrived this day the ship Flora, Captain STOD.
DART, from Jamaica, in 55 days : she brings an ac-
count of the Capture of the Ameythyst, of 40 guns,
belonging to CHRISTOPHE, having on board 400 men
(her crew) and 300 troops, going against PETION.
by his Majesty's ship SOUTHAMPTON, of 32 guns,
Captain Sir J. L. YEO. She was commanded by a
Frenchman. It appears that Captain Ygo hailed to
know to what nation she belonged, but could get no
satisfactory reply ; on firing a shot it was immediately
returned, and an action commenced, which lasted two
hours, when she struck, having carried away her
masts. The Amethyst had 350 (principally Blacks)
killed and wounded ; among the former is the French
Captain. The SOUTHAMPTON had 12 killed and
wounded. After the capture ;:aptaid YEo landed all
the crew and troops at St. Domingo, and arrived at
Morant Bay, in Jamaica, with the frigate. A corvette
and brig were in sight at the commencement of the
acticn, but made off."'

In front of Picurina, where Earl WELLINGTON has
now advanced his batteries, is a strong position, in-
tersected by the roads to Seville, Merida, and Oli-
venza ; and it is there Earl Wellington will meet the
French army, should any of their Generals endeavour
seriously to relieve the place. It is evident that Earl
WELLINGTON would not have placed his whole army
on the south bank of the Guadiana, at this season
much swollen by the rains, had he not been aware of
the difficulty the French would have of concentrating
their forces from the north and south in the time
Earl WELLINGTON calculated upon the reduction
of Badajoz.
Letter from a British Officer, dated Camp before
Badajoz, March 26, 1812:

" Unrropitious as the elements were, and badly as we com-
menced, we have had brilliant success hi the siege—the result of
their sortie rather damped our French friends; the business of
last night will be a con plefe damper to them. Last night, abou,
nine o'clock, Marshal Beresford's own regiment, the Connaught
Rangers, and the 21st Portuguese, attacked and escaladed Fort
Picurina, a most important out-work in front of the centre of the
town. The garrison immediately fired their rockets, it was an-
swered from the town by a constant tinging of bells and alarm
beats of the drum. Nothing, however, stopped our brave Hiber-
nians and Portuguese; they got over the walls, killed and took
prisoners the garrison of 300, not a man escaping. The French
Commandant, a Lieutenant-Colonel, fell alive into our hands.—
Our loss, as was to have been expected, was severe, about 200
killed and wounded, in the-number 8 officers.

The conduct of this fine affair was given to General Kempt,
and no man could have conducted it more ably. His Aid-de-camp
was killed, and the life of this invaluable officer was more than
once in imminent dang er.
" Fortunate it is that Lord Wellington decided in making the
attack last night, mines were preparing every where, which in
another night would have been completed ; and if sprung would
have occasioned the loss of perhaps all our little force, and de-
feated our purpose. The garrison appeared as if panic-struck,
and hardly fired a shut from the town—they have since resumed
courage. We are busy in erecting a breaching battery in front of
the fort we have taken, with 7 large guns. We shall batter the
walls from it, and attempt a breach; but it is said that Phillip-
pon, who is one of the ablest French engineers, is building a wall
half way in the town, and that if we make a bieach and storm'
we shall have another town and wall to storm and take.

" A. any rate, under the most fortunate circumstat,ces, with
Lord Wellington's unrivalled abilities, and even if Messrs. Su-
cher, Marmont, Sonic and Co. should not advance, it will be a
fortnight before we can be iu possession of the place.
" General Leith invests the rlace on the Elves side of the Gau-
diana, with the Stb division, 11th and 45th regiments, and two
Portuguese regiments.

1, I have just seen a letter of the t3d, from an Officer of Sir
Thomas Graham's Staff—be, with Sir Rowland Hill and Sir
Stapleton Cotton, has been scouring the country with the army
of observations they made a few prisoners, but the French fled
in every direction.-1 he French head-quarters were by this ac-
count at Zalamer, a centrical positiGn on the road to Cordova,
where troops may be collected from the North or South, and
where Ma It KO wr,SucuLT, and .Fou LT will most probably unite
their forces to endeavour to drive us again across the Guadiana.
But I Lope, that Lord WILLI NOTO N, as at Ciudad, will be before
band with them, and take Badajoz before they can come up.—
The army is in the most healthy state and in the highest spirits,
It is impossible to describe the joy which all classes of people in
this country (Spain) evince at the prospect of being freed from
French oppression, or bow kindly they welcome us as their deli-
verers. At Santa Martha the women laughed and wept by turns
as they related their past misfortunes, or bailed the moment of
being relieved by them. They ran out of their houses to meet
and strove who should be foremost to induce us to enter, bring-
ing straw for our horses, and producing their little stock of pro-
visions, which they invited us to partake of in the kindest man-
ner, assuring us of the pleasure it gave them to share with the
English the little which they had been taking so much pains to
save from French rapine. We have received the same kind
treatment in all the other villages, and on the whole I never wit-
nessed so general a feeling of real sasisfaction.—Poor people, I
hope we shall be able to protect them."

ANOTHER LETTER, DATED MARCH 27.
" While the siege. of Badajos is carried on by the 3d, 4th, and
sth divisions of infantry, coder Lord Wellington's immeel:e
command, Sir Thomas Graham has advanced with the lit, 6.h,
and 7th divisions, to Fuentas del Macula, communicating with
Sir Rowland Hill, undtr whom the remainder of the army coatr
the operations of the besiegers. Here the British are much bet-
ter received than formerly by the Spaniards, who have had a 3, e-
cimen of French amity, and can now form a just estimate of
their generous and powerful ally.
The British and Portuguese force in the field, are fully
40,000, exclusive of the besieging army. The French cavalry
k done up, while those of the allies is in the highest condition,
and the Earl of Wzmaxtrron is now stronger in that arm, than
at any former period."