Star.
London, England, 1801-03-04 00:00:00

CAPTURE OF THE KENT EAST4NDIAMAN.

•
We are extremely lorry to announce the unfor-
tunate capture of the Honourable Eaft India Com-
pany's fhip the Kurt-, Captain ROBERT RIVING-
TON, by a French privateer in the Bay of Bengal
in Odober laft, after fuftaining a gallant anionfor
nearly two hours. This fhip failed from England
on the 3d May laft, in company with the QUEEN,
and was at Saint Salvador at the time the qv kll
was confumed in July following. The KENT at
the time of her capture wks full of paffengers ; for
in addition to her own, fhe took all the QusFN'S
paffengers on to Bengal,,
after the lots of ffie Paid
fhip. The KENT was an entire new fhip, of Bzo
tons burthen, and her firft voyage, as well as the
firft voyage as Commander, of the late gallant
Captain RIVINGTON.
Captain ItiviNcrom, of the Keur, was unfor-
tunately killed, bravely defending the Company's
property till the laft moment of his exiftence, when
he exclaimed, " Do not give up the fhip."—Mr.
Caron, a Free Merchant, alfo fell, covered with
wounds. All the furviving pallingers who were
able to be moved, were put on board an Arab,
and landed at Calcutta.

The KENT was in 25 fathoms water, and took
the Confiance for a Pilot Sloop. The crew of
the Confiance were all armed with fabres and pif-
tots, and had been thrice encouraged with liquor,
previous to their boarding the KENT.
The fituation of Mr. and Mifs Crroit muff have
been diftrefling in the extreme.
General Sr. JoH N and his family were on board
the KENT, and appear to have been particularly
unfortunate. All his jewels, plate, and baggage
had been burnt on board the gym., and he was
now almoff defined to behold" his lovely wife,
daughter to the Margravine of ANSPACH, and his
three charming daughters, viaims to the lawlefs
excels of a favage banditti. The gallant Captain
Pit itiN oroN, the General's Aid-de-Camp, was fe-
verelv wounded in defending the General's faraily.
The French behaved with a cruelty almoft un-
exampled in fea-fights, giving no quarter, and
Itabbing with their fabres even the lick in their
hammocks.

Previous to their boarding, the KENT had evi-
dently the advantage ; and had the Crew been
equally armed with offenfive weapons, or had
more mufquetry, the Confiance would, in all
probability, have paid dearly for the rafhnefs of
her attempt. This is the fame (hip which was
beat off formerly by the Aftsisrom.
The above unpleafant intelligence was received
by private letters which arrived overland from
Bombay on Monday night: the following is copied
from the India Telegraph.
CALCUTTA, OCTOBER 18, 1800.

On Sunday left accounts were received in town
of the capture of the Honourable Company's (hip
KENT, Capt. RIVINGTON, after an engagement of
confiderable duration with the Confiance, Captain
SURCOUFF, off the Sand Heads. The following
are the particulars :
On Tuefday morning the 7th infant, at day-
light, a ftrange fail was dikovered in the N. W.
quarter; the KENT at that time was lying too for
a pilot, and Captain RIVINGTON, conceiving the
veffel in fight to be a pilot fehooner, immediately
bore down, hoifled his colours, and made the fig-
nal for a pilot ; the (ranger, upon this, made fail
and hauled up towards the KENT; it was loon
afterwards diwovered that fhe was a (hip, the
bands svere immediately called to quarters, and
the Ihip prepared for aftion ; upon her approach
to the KENT, as fhe fhewed no colours, a shot
was fired at her from the larboard fide, which was
followed up, as The paffed upon the oppofite tack,
by a broadfide, and a conftant fire kept up while
fhe was within reach of the guns;—the privateer,
for it was now afcertained to be fo, loon after-
wards tacked, came up on the larboard fide, and
commenced .I.e engagement within about midket
(hot, but without doing much injury, although
(he continued in this pofition for fome time:
then Mot a-head, and palling round the bow of
the KENT, renewed the engagement on the other
fide, nearly at the fame diftance and for the fame
length of time, but with as little effeil as before.
She afterwards made fail a-head, as if with the
intention of relinquilhing the attack and making
offs which The could eafily have done, having
greatly the fuperiority in failing • when Ile had
got about the difiance of half a mile a-head of the
KENT, fhe was, however, obfcrved to haul her
main-fail up, and wear round immediately to. i
wards her, and in about ten or fifteen minutes
afterwards, or as loon as her guns would bear,
fhe, for the &it time, hoifled the National colours,
(Suacourr afterwards declared that he had for
gotten them before,) and fired a broadfide and a
volley of mufquetry from every part of the (hip,
which was immediately returned by the KENT,
and continued while her guns would bear; the
privateer tlit.n .' caring round her km, ranged
clofe up alongfide, and received a full dikharge
from the Kss is itarbnai d guns: at this moment
the fired a whole broadfide, and threw a number
of hand grenades horn her taps into the KENT,
lime of which penetrated the upper deck and
burg on the gun deck, at the fame time a fire of
mnfquctry was kept up from her tops, which
killed and wounded a number of the paffengers
and recruits that were on the quarter deck and
poop : when the ,fhips were completely locked
with each other, Captain SURCOOFF entered at
the head of about i;o men, completely armed for
boarding, having each a fabre and a brace of pif-
tols ; the contelt upon deck was now defperate,
and tailed for about twenty minutes, but the
enemy, having greatly the fuperiority, both in
numbers and aims, were viliorions, and a dread-
ful carnage enfued, they (hewing no quarter to
any who came in thcir way, whether with or with-
out arms; and fuch was their favage cruelty, that
they even Rabbet' fame of the rick in bed.
Upon gaining poffeffion of the poop, the French
immediately cut down the colours, and loon after
this had complete poffeffion of the 114.
Captain SVICOUTT, finding form difinclination
in his crew to board, had been under the n.:ceflity
of plying tilt= Cenral times with liquor, as well
as to promifc them an hour's pillage, in the event

. .
of carrying the Ihip, and this time they coin.
pletely occupied, breaking open every package
they could come at, and even taking the coats,
hats, limes, &c. from the perfons of the, officers
and paiforgers.
From the commencement of the anion until
the French were in polfeffion olthc 'hip, u:as about
an hour and forty-feven minutes, and from the
gallant manner. in which the officers and crew 01
the KENT behaved while the (hips were clear of
each other, there is not a doubt but the would
have overcome the privateer ; but illZre being a
very great deficiency of (mall arms, they had no
means of repelling fuch a number of hoarders, fo
well prepared for clofe ation, and Captain Sea-
-1 COUFF acknowledged that had he not fucceeded
in carrying her, his own flip mutt loon have funk
allngfide.
It is with extreme regret we add, that Captain
111%1r:crow, after the molt manly conduit in the
defence of his (hip, fell by the mufquetry from
the tops of the privateer while SURCOUTE was in
the aft of boarding.
In the afternoon the officers, paffengers, and
crew of the KENT, were fent on board an Arab
veal, which hove in fight, and which had been
plundered by the privateer the day before ; fome
of the fe:imen were, however, detained on board
the privateer and put in irons, with the hopes of
inducing them to enter. The Chief Officer, Sur-
geon, and Surgeon's Mate, with about thirteen of
the molt dangeroully wounded, were detained on
board the Keay, under pretence of its requiring
too much time to remove them.

Although the prize-mailer informed the unfor-
tunate people who were fent on board the Arab,
that there was abundance of provifions and water,
yet upon enquiry there was found only a very final)
quantity of rain water, scarcely equal to half a pint
each per day, for four days, with a few dates and
raw rice to fubfift on, and they were confequently
reduced to the utmoft diftrels, before they were
relieved by one of the pilot falconers which they
met in the roads.

LIST of OEFICIRS SEAMEN, PASSENGERS, and TROIP9.
killed and wounded on board the Hon. Company 'a 'lip Kr N 7,
in laical with la Confiancc' French Privateer, off the sand
Heads, in the Ray of Bengal, 7th of October, in twelay-
five fathoms water.
[Publifficd by Order of Government.]
Robert Rivington, Efq. commander, Killed.
Mr. J. Findlay, carpenter, Ditto.
Mr. Wm. Rudy, boatfwain's mate, Ditto.
Mr. R. Youl, third officer, J)angeroufly wounded,
Mr. J. Tween, fourth ditto, Ditto, Ditto.
John Cooper, fuman,
Ditto, and left on board
I teary Bradley, ditto,
We Kent.
Cornelius Zadhn, ditto,
William Karr, ditto, Wounded.
Mr. W. Cator, free merchant,Bengal Killed.
Mr.T. H. Graham, writer, ditto, Ditto.
Mr. J. Puller, ditto, ditto, Danperoufly wounded,
Mr. Benj. Tichburn, cadet, Madras, and could not be re-
Mr. R. Sherwood, affift. furgeon, do. moved from the Kent.
Mr. . Ewer, writer, Bengal, Slightly wounded.
Mr John Warner, cadet, Wounded.
Mr. . Glbfon, AIR. furgeon, Ditto.
Mr. R. Moor, cadet, Madras, c Severely wounded, fusee
I dead.
, Mr. Alex. Penland, ditto, ditto, Ditto.
Mr. Charles Gaghan, ditto, ditto, Wounded.
Mr. Charles Mitchell, ditto, ditto, Ditto.
Mr. I. S. Smith, ditto, ditto, Dkto.
Corporal Wally, H.M. roth reg. foot, Killed.
T. Cooper, —76th ditto, Ditto.
S. Cole, H. M. 27th Light Drags. Ditto.
. Darks, IL Pd. sgtb ditto,
. I Pickering, H. M. apth ditto, Ditto.
Ditto.
. Mullagen, H. Company's recruit. Ditto.
Capt. Pilkington, Aid-de-Camp to - . . .
}severely wounded
Hon. Gen. St. John,
Edigu Palmer, H.M. zoth reg. of foot Wounded dangerouly
Enfign Syne, H. M. 76th ditto, Ditto.
Se*. Olnien, H. M. toth ditto,
Sedt. Mc Cullum, H. M. 29th Light
Dragoons, D.ingeroufly wounded.
P. Lucas, H. M. 76th ditto, and could not be re-
A. Crowdall, H. M. ditto,ditto, moved irons the Kent.
Francis Fletcher, H. M. ditto,
Henry Magnefi, H. M. ditto, ditto,
J. Floyd, H. M. 25th light dragoons, J
Corporal Finegan, H. M. 29th ditto, Wounded.
Corporal Spicer, IL M. 76th foot, Ditto.
l ohn Healing, ditto,
wDitto.
ohn Scawood, ditto,
Ditto.
. Potts, ditto, Ditto.
W. Colliers, H. M. 27th light drag. Ditto.
Henry Perry, ditto, Ditto.
Sam. Daniels, H. M. Kith reg. foot, Ditto.
Richard Gating', ditto, Ditto.
G. Wright, H. M. 29th light drags. Ditto.
J. Griffiths, Hon. Company's recruit Ditto.
Henry Hayding, ditto, Ditto.
John Garnerith, ditto, Ditto.
Andrew O'Neal, ditto, Ditto.
John Stafford, ditto. Ditto.
William Diskfon, ditto, Ditto.
1 Dangeroutly wounded,
E. Ford, private, H. M. 76th foot, } and left on board the
J Kent.

Abftradt i t Killcd.
44 Wounded,