Star.
London, England, 1810-08-13 00:00:00

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treee4lehrietery of British solders. They yesterday
gave the enemy an earnest of what he may expect
from theqs in a general engagement. This was of it.
self a smart affair, and to borrow a French phrase,
" Cot ered the English with Glory." It was the object
of the enemy to cut off the division under General
CRAVItURD, and prevent it from joining the main army,
With this view they assembled a force of 8000 infan.
try and 8600 cavalry, which, at about three o'clock
in the morning attacked our advanced guard, consist-
ing of 600 cavalry and 4000 infantry only, in the
cinity of Almeida.

" MESSINA, /U NE 22, 18W.

Our letters from Gibraltar come down to the 25111
144 14 Which time the garribou was in good health

" It was not till night that this contest terminated
and when it is considered that, during the conflict
the British repulsed the enemy is three distinct at.
tacks, at the point of the bayonet, on the bridge which
passes over the Coa, you must suppose the carnage
amongst the enemy must be great.' '
The contents of the Portuguese Papers, which have
been received to the 30th ultimo, arc for the most
part rendered unimportant by the official CommJni.
cations which have been received. All accounts agtea
in stating that both armies were concentrating, and
that a -general battle was shortly expected to take
place.—" REGNIER had broken up from Truxillo,
and crossed the Tagus at Alcantara, to join MasszNa.
General HELL was also on his road to Castel Branco
to join Lor,St.WaLLENcrow. The French have inves,
ted Almeida on the Spanish side. The 7th regiment
of infantry, 1000 strong, landed at Lisbon, from Ha.
Wiz, on the 28th ultimo, and immediately marched
to join Lord WELLlNcros's Army. The 23d Foot,
from the same place, was daily expected at Lisbon."

This morning Mails and dispatches were received
from Malta, Sicily, and Gibraltar, brought to Fal.
mouth by the Carteret packet, Captain Davin', in 16
days from the latter place.
We have a letter from Messina of the 22d June, at
which 'time the enemy had not made their grand
effort against Sicily. The following is the letter
alluded to ;

" I have no doubt but that an attack wi I be made
up to us before the middle of next month, as MURAT
himself is how at Scylla-with fully 20,000 men, and
they have collected nearly 200 gunboats and small
craft there, and have 300 more in the Adriatic ready
to co-operatc with this army. We are erecting bat.
teries all along the Fam of Messina to oppose their
landing, and though they may.suffer severely, I think
they will eventually succeed in getting a body of men
on shore. Indeed it is the opinion of the best in.
formed here, that the island cannot possibly be saved
but by a complete change of system—such a change
as would give the people confidence in the means of
defence, and a prospect of future felicity. The island,
should by treaty be made British property ; nor would
it be difficult to satisfy the present Royal Family by
giving an equivalent in England."
Our accounts from Falmouth add, that when the
Carteret-sailed from Messina on the 23d June, a very
heavy cannonade was seen and heard over the Fato
point, and which continued from one P. M. till eight:
the packet then running out of the sight and hearing
of it, Capt. DAVEY knew nothing of its object or result.
On tl.e 2d of July, the packet touched at Gargenti,
on the S. W. side of Sicily, and there took on hoard
a Sicilian Messenger, who had crossed the island from
Palermo, with dispatches, and who reported, that
the French had made an attempt to cross from Cala•
bria to Sicily, but had been defeated with the loss of iv.
tween three and four thousand men. The Messenger
also stated, that Admiral MARTIN had arrived at Pa-
lermo, to congratulate his Sicilian Majesty on the
event, previous to his leaving that place.—Off Sar.
dinia, the packet was chased by a French privateer,
but escaped by superior sailing.
His Majesty's ships Trident, Unity, Elvin, anti
Spider, were at Malta on the 26th June :—and on the
22d July, the Royal Sovereign, Hydra, Comus,
Hearty, and Alacrity, -with the Prince Erntst
packet, were at Gibraltar.

It is our duty to add, that we have reason to be,
lieve tbe above accounts 'from Falmouth ate over•
charged—the following being the substance of the
accounts circulated in the Offices of Government :

" The CARTZRET packet is arrived from thelledi-
terranean, bringing dispatches from /*sows to the
25th June, and from Gibraltar to the 25th July.

" The preparations for invading Sicily were carried
on with activity, but had been retarded by the attacks
of our flotilla, which had engaged in several succ
caterprizes against the French convoys of stoic:,
artillery, Lltc.
" Ilse enemy had erected most formidable batteries
along the Coast, for the protection of his ves,eis, of
which several hundreds were. collected. !dollar %as
with the advanced guard—his whole force was esti•
mated at 5,000 men. In the mean time the British
were not idle. Fortifications were thrown up on the
Sicilian shore, and every means taken to strengthen
the portion.
" The unhealthy season was fast approaching, and if
the French troops remained much l►►nger encamped,
would prove very destructive to them.
"Accounts tram Malaga received at Gibraltar state,
that the enemy were dismaiitli lig the Castle, and were
about to evacuate the place in consequence of an
Order of recall to the Neighbourhood of Seville"