Star.
London, England, 1809-05-17 00:00:00

LONDON

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17.

Penmen OF Wai.as aeass.—Holiday at the Bank, Ezdtequer•
and Stamp-91Sce.
PRICE OF STOCKS YESTERDAY.
Bank Steck 24514 Omnium I pr. us.
S per Cent. Red.67ii India Stock 185}
3 per Cent. Cons. 66* India Bonds 15s. I 6s. prem.
4 per Cent. 8,21 i Exeheq. Ins 143. prem.
5 per Cent. Navy goi Cons. for arc. 681 f

Yesterday (3:3patchcs were received from Admiral
Sir ALEXANCER. COCHRANE,' dated the 7th ult. an-
nouncing that on the 25th of March, the L'Orient
squadron appeared in the %Vest Indies; viz. the Cou-
ragctix, Delafoulte, and the Polonaise, of the line,
and the Italienne and Furieuse frigates. They had
,caozured two merchant-ships ie their voyage, and
fro:n thee, it is supposed, they learned the fate of
Martinique, as they instantly bore away for the
Saints; where Admiral COCHRANE, with the ships
under his command, soon after arriving, and finding
it impracticable to attack them in that situation, ap-
plied to General BECKWITH for troops, which, it was
supposed, wculd arrive from Martinique and Domi-
nica, by the 12th : in consequence, the most sanguine
hopes are entertained, of the capture both of the island
and the squadron.—The following letter contains a,
few particulars relative to this squadron

" FALMOUTH, MAY 14.

Arrived_this day the Francis Freeling packet,
Captain BELL, with Mails from the Leeward Islands,
in 9.9 days from St. Thomas's; she brings an account
of the arrival 2t the Saints (Guadaloupe), of the
French squadron which effected their escape from
L'Orient, about the beginning of February last :
they were destined for Martinique, but having re-
ceived information by some merchant vessels they
captured, that it was in our possession, they put into
the Saints, and are blockaded by his Majesty's ships
NEPTUNE, YORK, POMPEII., CAPTAIN, and INTREPID,
with several frigates.—General BECKWITH, at the ap-
plication of Admiral COCHRANE, is preparing some
troops to land and erect batteries on the island, and
which will oblige them to come out or surrender at
discretion. The French force consists of three line of
battle ships and two frigates, viz. Courageux, De-
lafoulte, and Polonaise, and Italienne and Furieuse.
The Duke of Kent and Duke -f Alontrose packets,
were safe arrived at Barbadzes."

It appears that some movements ha•:e again com-
menced among the vessels composing the Boulogne
Flotilla. Their object is not known, but they nave
been ,:nfortunate in their first attempt.
Yesterday his Majesty's ship Trompeuse, Captain
DOLLING, sent two of them into Dover. They carry
each two large guns and two howitzers, and a crew
of 15 men. These with nine more came out of Bou-
logne harbour the day before, and were •bound to
Helvoet. On observing the Trompeuse, they madcs.
for Ambletuse harbour with all possible speed, and
eight of them succeeded in their object. The other
three ran on shore under Cape Glisnez, and about
ten &clock at night the two than have been sent in
were brought off by the boats of the Trompeuse, un-
der a tremendous fire from the batterie, but fortu-
nately without any of our brave fellows receiving any
hurt.

These prizes, though fropl Boulpg!te,' are Do itch
and were manned with Dutchmen, twoOfiiitotra wire
Founded by the fire from the bltteries.
appear to be Intuit decayed by having lain by so long

—They have ch four large guns below, beskles
those monnte on deck.
Yesterday less than nine vessels arrived from
Holland. Tey left the coast last Friday, at which
time no accoents had been received of any farther
successes of the French against the Austrians—a cir-
cumstance which tends to give some countenance to
the reports cirrent at Hamburgh, A letter from that
City has thefollowing—
" P. S. A Courier has just brought Intelligence, that on the
23d and 24th instant, Hiller totally defeated the French. He
himself has written a letter to the Commissaries of War, that
provilions, Ste. should be sent to Alt-Oltingen."

The Dutch letters mention that the French in
Holland am_ far from comfortable. Even the terrors
.of tyranny cannot restrain the people from upbraiding
them as the cause pf all their miseries.

The Captain of a vessel who left Oporto on the
19th ult. gives a recital afflicting to humanity ;—At
the time of the advance of Marshal SOULr to that
unforruna:e city, about forty French prisoners fell
into the lands of the populace, who barbarously
put them to death. As soon as the Marshal was
informed of this, he ordered bloody vengeance to
be taker. In consequence, some thousands of the
wretched inhabitants were bayonetted without distinc-
tion of age or sex. After the rage of the French was
in some messure satiated, and the bodies of the
slaughtered had been exposed three days in the streets,
the bodies of some were permitted to be interred in
the churches and burial grounds, but the greater num-
ber of the dead bodies were cast into the river. Mar-
shal Soutr, it is said, gave strict orders to the soldiers
spat to hurt any of the English, as they, he was pleased
to declare, generally respected the laws of war.
When the Captain sailed, there were not more than
6,000 French troops in Oporto,
On the above narrative there is one observation to
be made ; and that is, that the speedy surrender of
Oporto is not to be attributed, as is tog generally
done in this country, to an indifference on the
part of the Portuguese to their national• indepen-
dence, which we are convinced does not exist in
any part of the Peninsula—but to disorganization,
aided probably by th,- corrupt co•operation of a few
partizans, which the enemy has the means everywhere
of purchasing among the more powerful classes.
Letters of the 30th ult. from Lisbon, advise, that
;',7 transports, with British troops on board, had sailed
for Figueras, to assist in an attack upon the enemy.

The letters brought by the CHAMPION from Lisbon,
state, that the British army by the latest accounts
was at Leiria, and was expected at Coimbra, about
80 English miles from Oporto, on the 2d of May.--
Sir ARTHUR NYELLMEY, as we stated in a former
Paper, had set out for that town. It is not impro.
bable that Sir nun means only to make a demon-
stration against SOIII.TI and that his real object is to
attack VICTOR, for which his great force of cavalry
is well adapted. If by a successful movement he
could cut off the division of the French under Vic-
TOR, the impression given to the Spaniards would
most Irdent and auspicious. The fall of SoULT
would afterwards be certain.

We mentioned yesterd ty (in our Portsmouth letter)
t'ie arrival of transports with the French Garrison of
Martinique, these trooops having been refused to be
received at Quiberoon. In other words the French
refuse to ratify the capitulation of General VILLARET,
by which the troops composing the garrison were to
be carried to France to be exchanged man for man,
and officer for officer, according to their rank : the
whole garrison has been brought to England, and
arrived Monday evening at Portsmouth.

The destruction 4 the French Fleet in Basque
Roads, And the great panic which has since almost
paralized the enemy's naval force, having rendered it
unnecessary for this country to maintain large block-
ading squadrons, o'ir fleets are to be detached into
numerous flying squadrons, to act at discretion, or as
circumstances may require.

Orders from the Admiralty were received at Ply.
mouth on Saturday, to fit out all the small vessels cf
war in that port which were deemed capable of being
rendered fit for service, and to afford 'every faci-
lity and encouragement to the fitting out of privateers.
So urgent was this order, that numbers of the ship-
wrights were ordered to work on Sunday.
By accounts from Dominica, dated 22d March,
upwards of 20 sail of vessels were espected at St.
Hartholoinzw's from Liverpool, at which island they
would obtain the Swedish flag, and proceed to the
Coast of Africa, to trade for negroes ; by which means
the Law for prohibiting the Trade will be evaded. It
is the duty of Ministers to look to this adventure.
The Little Mary cartel, Capt. BROOKES, arrived at
Portsmouth from Oporto, which place she left on the
19th ult. brings an account that the following English
vessels were captured by the French at Oporto, on
the 29th of March, viz. :
The Atalanta, Battersby ; Mary, Back; Favourite, Liddle
Anna, Paltrier; Pbanix, Tomlinson ; Lord Howick, Anderson ;
Noah, Bowman ; Progress, Barking; Charlotte, Watson ; Aqui-
lon, Thomas; John, Haywood; Unity, Gardner; Elisabeth,
I ---; Queen Charlotte, r--; and the Harmony, Penson
All fully laden, except the Queen Charlotte.—The
two latter vessels are since lost.

Friday the Court of Session met in Edinburgh, fer
fre dispatch of business. ARCHIBALD Cempasu., Esq,
Advocate, one of the Judges of the Commissary
Court (son of the late LORD PRESIDENO, presented
his Majesty's letter, appointing him one of the Lords
(if Session, in the room of Lord Dumsumra, resigned.
The buildings and garden-ground in St. Dunstan's,
Canterbury, lately uses as a gaol, for the eastern aii- •
visi.pn of Kent, were sold by Public Aucjion on Sa-
turday last, and produced the sum of £1420.