Star.
London, England, 1812-08-31 00:00:00

i

~.

14,00:;rn•soilert t the Ittsaians 11,000 kiUed Ind
woun•
ded• We are all on the tiptoe of expectation,
waiting further intelligence."
The above letter was conveyed to Harwich by the
snoia, Captain PAIN, which sailed from Gotten-
burgh on the '2sth, and reached Harwich on Friday,
the ego, after a passage of three days. . The Sophia
off, Harwich after the departure of I
ving arrived
e Post on Friday, the 'letter from Gottenburgh,
;
ors which the above report is founded, was trans-
pitted by one of the coaches, and reached town
AAbout one o'clock on Saturday. ..
We are the more anxious to state all these minute
particulars, because considerable doubt has been
thrums upon the whole story by some of our con-
temporaries, from the arrival of a Gottenburgh Mail
on Saturday, with advices down to the 22d, in which
wo additional battle is mentioned; but this is a cir-
cumstance of little weight with us, for our Harwich
letter, received this morning, announces in the first
place the arrival of the King George packet, which
left Gottenburgh with the Mail above alluded to, on
the 22d instant, and secondly the arrival of the A uck-
' land packet, which left the same place on the 20th,
two days previous. Now when we take into consi-
deration the lapse of time between the sailing of these
two vessels, and their arrival on the same day at
Harwich, see can see no reason whatever to doubt
that the Sophia, which sailed on the 25th, was for-
tunate enough to make her passage in three days,
and outstrip both. Those who are acquainted with
the intricate navigation of the Baltic, and have re-
marked the state of the winds for these few days past,
will bear us out in our reasoning, on this point.
But we have the satisfaction to state, upon autho-
rity, for the accuracy of which we pledge our cha-
racters as Journalists, that on Saturday information
to the following effect was received at the Admiraky,
as communicated in our Third Edition of Saturday:
. . 64 A British Cruizer in the North Seas has picked
. ep a Dutch Fishing Boat, the men on board of
which state, that they left Holland on the 25th inst.l
on which day a report prevailed, that Bowaeaire
had been defeated in a great battle with the Russians,
sad that he had lost between 30 and 40,000 men!"
The Gottenburgh letter states the loss of the
Frenehat 18,000 killed and wounded, and 14,000
prisoners ; and these numbers will be found to cor-
rapend with the account of the Dutch Fishermen.
All these are circumstances which give an air of
probability to the report of the victory,--that it may
ultimately prove to have been unfounded is not impos-
sible, but we shall be slow in withdrawing our belief
entirely from it until the arrival of another Gotten-
burgh Mail, which has been due since yesterday.
With respect to any arguments for the credibility
or improbability of the report which may be derived
Iron the scene of action being laid 160 miles from
Witepsk, where the French Head-quarters were on
the 7th, the date of their last bulletin, we think it by
no •means impossible that the interval between the
7th and the 15th may have been occupied in retro-
grade movements.
The halting of the convoys of provisions, the or-
ders for sending back the immense park of artillery 1
from the Niemen to Dantaic, ir. that Bulletin, are,l
in oar estimation, symptoms of a retreat being in
contemplation ; besides, the importance of Riga in a
military point of view, and the determined spirit of
resistance exhibited by the garrison, may have indu-
ced the French Emperor to abandon the further pur-
suit of the Russians in the direction of Smolensk and
Moscow, and move with his whole army towards
Riga, which is undoubtedly the key to St. Peters. ,
burgh, and the possession of which would furnish
him with farther means of enforcing his favourite
Continental System.
The dispatches from Sir James Saustinez received
at the Admiralty on Saturday, are dated on the 18th
inst. Those received thie morning are dated on
the 22d. We believe we can confidently state
that ALIA, the Messenger, who is alluded to in the
letter of the 24th, from Gottenburgh, was the next
. • in rotation for bringing dispatches to this country—
t this is tolerable evidence of the truth of one part of
fl the letter at lea.st.

Dispatches have been received from Riga of the
llth. They contain an account of General THo-
asessow's victory overcqic Saxon General at Cebryn.
The Saxons lost one General, four standaids, eight'
pieces of cannon, 70 Officers, 3000 prisoners, Asa
aboul 7000 killed or wounded.

The Russian army from Turkey has actually en-
tered Wolllynia irtthe rear of the French, and ii ad-
vancing by rapid :marches to join General THOMAS-
30W. This, connected with the success of the latter,
may account for any retrograde movement of BoNA-.
PART!, particularly as his own Bulletins exhibit a
seeming intention to retire into winter quarters.
MACDONALD is said to have retreated from the vieh.
ility of Riga.
There were no accounts at Riga of General Wtfir-
OINSXSIN having been beaten on the Ist August.
The Armies of General TotLi and Prince BAGRA•
TioN were in front of Smolenski-.--there were frequent
skirmishes with the advanced posts, Which werere-
, nerally in favour of the Russians.
The aocounts from Riga represent the condition
of the Russian army to be most excellent, and the
disposition of the Russian inhabitants to be unsaie
• Pious in favour of the war. ).'