Star.
London, England, 1807-05-13 00:00:00

P.l mbs oir ifts 13rtkiiA'~LL S.

. ,
EXTRACT 0* 1 tarrite 'PROW AM torricsit ow *outs
HIE 111.111eSTT*11 SHIT THE caleorus, AT THE MOUTH
Or THI DARDANEY.tes, DATED MARCH 7.
ig The public papers, no doubt, have given you
information of the fervice the Canopus has been lately
'employed on—a fervice not only difagreeable from
the ravage and inhuman conduit and manners of the
Turks, our enemies, but attended with the utmoit
peril and danger in the execution. I will avoid en-
tering into the particulars of our proceedings, which
I (hall be happy to recount to you on my arrival at
Stonehoufe, and confine myfelf foie!, to the events
Which happened a neon time previous to the melan-
choly cataftrophe which is the fubjeet of this letter.—
On the loth of February the fquadron, under the
ordersof Vice Admiral Sir John ThomasDuckworth,
and Rear Admirals Sir Thomas Louis, and Sir Sid.
ney Sutith, led by the Canopus, forced the Wiles of
Abydos:and Sellos, and the batteries on the coatis of
Europe and Arta, and paired the pelage of the Dar-
danelles : an action thought impracticable, and never
before atchieved. In the performance of this fervice
we experienced the warmen fire of (hot and (hells
poilible ; but nothing could refill the undaunted
courage of our crews, dire6ed by fuch officers. Our
lob in the conteft was not very great, and my lamen-
ted friend, Captain Kent, here efcaped with fafety.—
From thence we repaired to Connantinnple, and
anchored off that capital with (even fail of the- line,
two frigates, and two bombs, (the Ajax having on. I
fortunately been burnt, by accident, a (hors time be•
tore our arrival there.) We immediately began to
treat with the Turkifh Minifters, who, by their lan-
page, induced us to fuppofe our demands would be
granted ; this at length we found to be all deceit ;
and alto that our force was moll inadequate to at-
tack Conllantinople, having no troops, and who, fince
the arrival of the Canopus, had augmented her forces
and fortifications in a molt wonderful degree :—the
army rotted and in Conflantinople confining of
200,000 MIMIC troops, and trfail of'the line, effec•
five chips, betides ah immenfe population in the city,
who altogether, bade defiance to our !mall force in
comparifon with theirs. At this time we were lying
with the fquadron between Conftantinople and the
Princes Iflands ' • and the Turks, anxious to drive us
from this anchorage, fent a number of troops to
ere batteries. To oppofe Them and drive them off,
the marines of the fquadron were landed ; they met
with the molt revere refiltance from the Turks, who
were in poffenion of a moll ilrong fituation, and I
am moil forrowful to inform you that my worthy and
lamented friend, Captain Kent of the Marines, after
a long continuance of the moll gallant conduit, ion
his tile at the head of his men, being (hot through the
head, and departed from this troublefnme world
without uttering even a ugh ! On the In inftant we
left Conflantinople, and paired back through the
Dardanelles, by which we have faltered in the fqua-
dron in killed and wounded—and I believe that their
nrength is now to much increafed, that a fleet could
not again attempt it."

lIXTRACT 07 A WITTE". FROM AN OFfICIR 0111110ARD
HIS MAJIISTY'II SHIP THB CANOPUS, AT,THRIOUTH

OF THE DASDAIISLLIS, DATID MATCH 7, 1807.
IS You will have heard before this reaches you of
the lots of the Ajax, which happened on the night of
the 14th February. About nine, or a few minutes
before, a gun was fired from her, and (portly after
another : this gave the alarm, and we foon perceived
the was on fire is the after part. Before our boats
could reach her, the flames burft out above the decks
and through the ports, in fuch a dreadful manner,
that the boats could not get alongfide. Numbers
jumped overboard at firll, and moil of thofe who
(laid to endeavour to extinguifla the fire, or who were
too late to get up the hatchways, perithed. It was,
my dear Mary, the molt awful and melancholy fpec-
taele I ever beheld : GOD grant I may never again
behold fuch another. We were very near her, and the
conflagration canted fuch a light, that we could per-
ceive the pour wretches flying before the devouring
flames, as it broke out abaft : they were forced to run
forward, and in a Nutt time the bowfprir, jib boom,
fpritfail yard, and all the ropes that were about them
were loaded with men ; but they were foon obliged
to quit their holds. When the malls and rigging
caught file, it foon communicated to the bowfprit,
&c. Numbers only efcaped the flames, to drop into
.ss watery grave ; by the great exertions of the boats
of the fquado on, many were faved: I believe 340 out
of near 700. Our boats were particulatly aelive :
indeed we were fo near her; that we had a better op.
portunity than moll others. Captain Blackwood,
who jumped from the fpritfail yard, was one of thofe
Paved by us, when he was almoll exhaufted. Eleven
men and a boy died on board of its the fame-night.
Amulet thofe who perifhed are two Lieutenants,
feveral Midlhipmen, and the Mailer, Surgeon,
Captain of Marines, and, I am forry to add, Mr.
Dennet, the gunner. He was teen to jump over.
board with a piece of a rail, or fome kind of wood in
his hand. A fine boy of about twelve years old, fon
of Mrs. Denuett, by Mr. Randle, her firft hufband,
had the prefence of mind to watch a good opportu•
oily and drop ft om the head into a boat, and got fafe
on board—the poor fellow had nothing on but his
night•fhirt and a thin pair of t:owfers, as he had juft
taken leave of his father, and was going to bed when
the alarm was given ; he (laid with us a few days,
and you may be fore he did not want for any affif
tapes and attention in my power ; he is now on board
the RsruLse—the gunner of her was an intimate of
poor Dennett—l believe you don't know his mother,
but 1 could *A you to, find out fome of her friends,
and, if the is not acquainted with her loft, they will
make it known to her in as eafy a way as they can.
A Mr. Roufe, late carpenter of the AJAR, a man two
years older than I am, and very corpulent, although
no fwimmer, dropped from the head, was picked
up by one of the boats, and alto reached us in
fafety. This unfortunate accident threw a damp
upaa the fpidts of the whole fquadron.: at any time
the lots of fuch a Chip, and fuch a number of brave
fellows, would have been reverely felt ; but it was
doubly diftrefling to our little fquadron at fuch a
time, as as it weakened nalsteatly ; to add to out cha-
grin, the wind wbsalft ato us, which prevented us
getting np the tenet, and gave the Turks
an opportunity of getting additional guns to their
forts and batteries, and crating new ones. It was
I not till the 19th we had a wind to go +littlish—We'

•
. . .
then had a toe breeze, and got tinderway at clay.
light. The Canopus led the van, and, as the tailors
call it..took off, the fiery edge: the entrance is pretty
wide, therefore the Ants from the &II forts, which are
very (Tong ones, did little or no execution ; and in
gaffing, the bombs threw in a' few 111:11s, which we
have reafon to imagine did a good deal of mifchief.
There fortO are one on the Afia fide, and one on the
Europetincbut Rill we had to pals two tremendous
onts at a. very narrow part, exaelly oppofite to each
other, that on the Afia fide called Abydos, and on
the European Seftos, betides fevers' fmall Mud bat-
teries, and one Turkith two.derker, five frigates,
four corvettes, two gun boats, and other Nall craft,
that were moored a little above the Collies. It is
Paid that we did not mean to commence hnllilitiesb as
our Ambaffador went up in the. Royal George, we
wilhed to bring them to the terms he had formerly
propofed to them, but they fired at U.S, end compelled
us to ad on the defentive ; the Are from the forts was
very heavy, and very much cut us up Ui the rigging
way, but thank GOD not half fo bad as" we erpeeted.
The fhipping
alto kept up a very good fire, but we
loon filenced them; and Sir Sidney Smith, with the
fternmoft (hips, fet fire to them, and deftroyed the
whole, but one. corvette, which we kept poffetlion of,
but left behind when we came down. In this affair
vie had but three killed, and nineteen wounded, fome
badly, this we confidered as trifling, confidering
what we had to contend with.. You, will be aflo-
nitbed, my dear Mary, to hear what unmerciful (lone
(hit they fire from their forts • had I not witnefed
it thyfelf, I could not have credited it. We received
one (hot, which is now in my fibre room, weighs
34.61b5. is 23 inches diameter, or five feet nine inches
in circumference, and another of the fame Gze broke
in the forecaftle ; we have got Come others Come.
thing (mailer ; Come of the (hips have got thofe of a
larger fize. In coming down, the Windfor Caftle
received one which has wounded her main mail fo
badly, that it will caufe her to leave this place ; it is
better than (even feet round, and weighs, I am told,
upwards of Booths. I forgot to tell you the Glatton
remained at 'Penedos to protect fome veffels that came
with the factory from Smyrna, and alto we fuppofe to
give intelligence of our proceedings to any Englifh
veffel that might arrive. On the loth, we anchored
dole to a groupe of iflands within four miles of Con
flantinople ; the next day flags of truce paffed from
Conflantinople to the Admiral, and we were led to
imagine that matters would be amicably fettled ; but
the wind letting out right againfl us, gave them an-
other opportunity of encreafing their fortifications
and throwing up works in every direction; fo that
in five or fix days, the entrance of the harbour was fo
very formidably fortified, that in my opinion, it would
have been madnefs to have attempted to enter it.—
Their (hipping were alfo not to be defpifed. It is (aid,-
14. fail of the line were 'completely ready to come
out, with 9 frigates, 6 fire-(hips, and near 200 fail
of (mall velfels, manned with volunteers to board us
during the allion. Had this been the cafe, it would
have been a dreadful fcene ; for the Turks are not
accuflomed to give or take quarter : fill our lads
were in as good fpirits as if they were in Hamoaze.
On the.26th, we perceived they were making fome
movements on an ifland clofe to us called Prote.—
Boats were coming from the Main frequently. with
numbers of men, and to all appearance, they were
going to fortify the ifland. As they would have an-
noyed us greatly were it Coffered to proceed, on the
27th, the Admiral ordered the Repulfe and a Bomb,
with the boats of the fquadron, manned and armed,
to go and fcour the ifland : they fent a few mot and
fells on (bore, took two (mall field pieces, and flopped
0 couple of boats with Come Turks and Greeks, and
then returned on board; but in the evoting we
learned from a Greek who voluntarily came on board,
that a number of Turks were yet on the ifland,
and had taken refuge in a monaftery—a large
ignore ftone building. Our own boats were fent to
diflodge them, but they loon found they were not
force fufficient to died it : their pofltion was very
ftrong, and they bad a much greater number of men
that we were told of. They fired at our poor fellows
out cf loop holes and windows, as they afcended the
bill, and Come were killed and wounded in a very few
minutes; Rill our people were not difmayed, but
boldly ;milted up to the door, and fet it on fire. The.
boats from the other (hips were then fent to affill.
Their people likewife [offered a good deal on firß
going up ; but night coming on, they had orders to
leave the ifland, and get on board their refpe&ive
(hips, without effecting any thing. Captain Kent of
the matines, one feaman, and two marines, were
killed; ten badly wounded, two of whom are fence
dead ; and I am truly lorry to fay, that James Reiley,
my mate, was one of thole two: he had a dreadful
wound in the belly, but remained perfealy fenfible.
He expired the following evening, much lamented by
every body, as he was a very valuable man. I don't
exactly know the number of killed and wounded of
the other (hips—this you will fee by the public ac-
courts. Mr. Route, of the Royal George, fon to
Mr. R.• the ropemaker, is amongft the latter, but
1 am•happy to add, it is only a flefh wound in the
leg, and is now doing very well. Previous to this
affair of ibe Wand, the Endyrnion's jolly boat, with
a midfhipman, fon to Mr. Harwell, catpenter of the
Royal George, and four young lads, were fent to
the Wand to purchafe fonsething, as we were in the
habit ofgetting fills and vegetables fromtheGreeks. A
boat with Turku from the Main was teen to board her
and 'eke the boys out. What is become of them,
is not yet known to a certainty. The Greeks, report
is, that two of their throats were cut immediately,
but that we hope is unfounded. I Oft now heard,
that Mr. Harwell has been allured by the Admiral,
that his fon Is Cafe in Conflantinople. and will be
taken care of. I with it may be the cafe,but I should
be lorry to have any friend of mine in their clutches.
As all negotiation was at an end, I foppore the Ad-
miral thought it improdent to remain any longer with
the fmall force we bad, flsould we get any (hip difabled
or drove on lhore, the confequence would be joy
tenons. On the ill intl. we got under weigh, and on•
the 3d we once more paffed the Celtics and Batte-
ries, and found them, I think, much warmer than
they were before. We again led the van—we had
many more (trot (ruck us than we had in going up,
but. thank Gov, the people efcaped moil, miracta-.
loufly, ,we had none killed and four. wounded ; one
of thofe large (hot truck us between wineland water,
and made a hole large enough'for a man to go into,
but did not penetrate
qt,iteAtbrough—moll of the (hips
havet contrary to as, Catered more in coming down

Clict gqiipirup: i reit
corrie • .•
,4 This day, liven:Wilt the line ;it'd two frigates
(Ruffians) have jnined us,. with a number of,trOops.
IVe are yet in the dark reit:telling the futute opera.
tins of the fquadron, but I h.,pe we (hall not ;pa n
have to encounter none walls. "Fit tirfl unpit,fitable
fighting ; and as yet not Much honourgot,by
Should there be another oPportunny of writing wind
our plans are fixed; I 111411 not neglea it."

SITRACT FROM FRiSNO9S LITTER.
" On the 13th Match we were j ,ined /4 the Admiral,
when it was thought proper, for the better accom-
modation of the faelory, to make a difir6vrion Of
us among(' the (hips lan arrived it unfortunately
hippened to the lot of Mr. Pickering, from Liver-
, pain, Mr. Farquhar, and my elf, to be feat on board
the Ajar, of guns. About nine o'crck the even.
ing following we were drinking the ulna! toall of
Saturday night, when a perfon came running into
the Wardroom, laying the Chip was on fire; we
'bon found that it had got fo far, that all hopes of .
getting it under were gone. When that was gene-
rally known throughout the !hip, I leave it to you
to judge the Hate the was in, as I think it beyond the
power of man to defcribe it, particularly as it was
blowing hard, with a very heavy fea, a rapid cur-
rent, and no !hips near us. In the courfe of half an
hour the fmoke became very thick, and the heat in-
fupportable ; I got over the fide under the main-
chains, where I hung for a length of time : being a
bad fwimmer, and loaded with a great coat and
boots, which I could not get off, in this dreadful
Hate I remained fome time looking for a boat, and
at lan expelled to get into one which the crew were •
attempting to lower down, but which Hove on one
of the anchors. By the eight of the flames I fortu-
nately law an oar fall from her, which I immedi-
ately Zle
jumped after. I fuppofe I might be about a
quarter of an hour on it, when I faw another float-
ing pal me, which I bad firength enough left to
grafp. Soon after Mr. Armflrong, Surgeon's Mate,
came and took hold of them. Upon my laying that I
could not fwim, and that my flrength was nearly
exhaufted, poor fellow, he good-naturedly left me—
he was fared. I remember little elfe that paffed till
I found myfelf lying in a boat. I was, with many
unfortunate (offerers, put on board the firth !hip we
came up with, which fortunately for me proved to
be the Canopus, where my old friends paid me every
poflible attention. Poor Farquhar and Pickering are
no more. On the 19th, we palled the Dardanelles
with much lefs lots than could have been expefted.
—The Turkilh fleet confined of 14 fail of the line,
nine fiigates, and 116 fire•fhips, protefted by a num-
ber of batteries. On the 'lfl, we returned through
the Dardanelles, where we found them ready to
receive us : they have done confiderable damage to
many of the (hips, and killed many brave fellows.—
Captain Kent, of the Marines, is among the killed :
among the wounded is Lieutenant Willabay, of the
Royal George ; he commanded the boat that fared
my life. We have fince been joined by the Ruffian
fleet, but what they will now attempt is uncertain.
The Windfor Cattle got her mails chattered on re•
palling the Dardanelles, and is to go to Malta to
refit. The Faftory have got orders to go on board
of her.—The Windfor Cattle arrived at Malta the
aoth of March."