Star.
London, England, 1809-04-22 00:00:00

LONDON.

SATURDAY, APRIL 9.'2.

PRICE OF STOCKS I'HI DAY AT ONE. O'CLOCK.
Cnnio!s, for money, 1-; —Ditto for May, 6;11
Exchequer Bills. 10s. to 12.5. prera.—On runt 1 prem.

Soon after our Paper was put to press yesterday,
Sir HARRY BURRARD N 1 LE, Lord GAMBIER'S Car-
tain, arrived at the Admiralty with dispatches from
his Lordship, announc;ng the result of a most success-
ful attack made upon the French ships at Rochefort.
The joyful news was soon after made public 1.. y letters
to the Loan MAyor, and by the Park and Tower guns;
and at eleven o'clock at night the Particulars were
published in a London Gazette Extraordinary, given

in a preceding page.
The Adiniraity, the Horse Guards and Pay Office,
the Public Office in Downing street, the Mansion-
House and Cie Post-Office, were illuminated in honour.
of the Victory.—The following letter from an Offi-
cer in the fleet contains some particulars not detailed
in the Gazette :

" On hoard the

c!1 Rochefort, .4rril 14.

" The convoy of Zre vessAs. end the tratls;orts that cot
the rockets, joiner u 4 ou ?tic :.'ay the 10th, after a very teclious

passage.

" About eight o'clock on the following night (Tuesday), two
explosion vessels, and twenty fire ships, arniA each with fifty
rockets, were sent in to commeace the attack on the enemy. An
explosion vessei Laving run on shore, under the batteries of lie
Isle d'Aix, was blown up. This was a signal for lighting the fire-
ships, and in a few mi.ititts we bellf:Ikl a general blaze, which ex-
posed the enemy's ships disiinctly to eer view. It way evielent
that our fire ships were pursuing the right direction agaiiist the
foe. Now the rook. is began to fly abeat ; some of them grazing
along the surface cf the ocean ;- others rangi:..g through the air ;
and from the spreading and increasing of the light, there was good
reason to hope that some of the French ships had been set fire to.
This, however, was not exactly the case at that period ; but the
result was equal in glory, and much more corresponding with the
feelings of Eritons, than the conflagration of the ships with their

crews on board.
" On Wedncslay morning, we found that the French fleet had
effected its-escape froM immediate destruction, by cutting their
cables, and going ashore; some lying down on one side, and
some on another. As, however, the tide was rising,and as the
springs were coming on, no time was to be lost in the completion
of the business, thus far so auspiciously begun. Our ships were
prepared for action, and rignal made fur going down to engage
but in the mean time, the tide had floated all the enemy's ships
except six, which they had endeavoured to lighten as much as
they possibly could. The former got up the river' Charente;
but the four outermost of the latter -.were soon laid abmgside by
the Revenge, the Indefatigable, and the Valiant, of 74 guns each,
Lord COCIMANE having led in with the imperieuse in the most
gallant s:yle. A heavy cannonade was maintained fnr about two
houra,our ships being under fire of the batteries of the Tee d'Aix.
Four of the French men of war, viz. la Ville de Varsovie,
lon, la Tonnerre, and the Calcutta struck : the other two got still
further up the Charente. In the course of the evening, two cf
the French ships having been sec on fire, blew up with a most
tremendous explosion; the ocher two were fired In the course of
the night, after we had taken onethe crews in our boats. There
was seine of getting off one of these ships; but it was.found,
that her back was broken, as we hope is the case with most of
those that went on shore. At all events, they must have been
so much da.trtagcd, that they must all be docked. They RN dis-
mantled, having thrown over their guns, their shot, and all their
heavy stores.
" Thus, with a loss scarcely exceeding SO men killed and
wounded on our part, we have destroyed five sail o the line, in-
cluding that which first get on shore, and 03:-. three ideate; at
d'Olonne, besides the inraltula• hle. mischief which the others
have sustained. This ixpleit hits been p;:rformed under the bat-
teries of the enemy, and in sight cf a large army crtleeted en the
Isle d'Aix. Thus the 12th of April actrirt.s a doubletlaim to
•
the t-ratitude of Englishmen, frnm the ter :le titan cf the• sp!enclid
achievement of the immmtal ROSINP.7, the West Indies, and
Of the important advantage; now vi d the destruction of the
thief fleet that remained in the hancia ~f the enemy.
" Yesterday, the Etna bomb, and the rocket beat,, kept up a,
constant fire the whole morning upon the enemy's ships; which i
had got up the river Cheraw; but they were not aide to ap-
proach near enough to do any execution. The mortification of
the French must, however, have been complete, to Mid them-
selves thus insulted by the British, even within :he batteries of
the Isle of Aix. We have only to regret, that the spring tidei
which still contirue to increase, enable the fugitives to get further
from us every day. We must, therefore, be comet:, with what
we have done, nor do we eloyht that our frietels fn England 'will
feel that much has been effected, and every thing that
was r.

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