threaten, with ftrong winds from the fouthward. One re-capture remained with me till the 8th of Ja nuary, when our vicinity to the fhore, and a heavy fea, obliged me to carry fail, and abandon to herfelf the Commerce, that was deftitute even of one fail to fhift, and thofe bent were in the worst condition. Having the following day spoke the Trojan Weft Indiaman, with the lofs of her main top-maft, crofs jack-yard, and most of her fails, now bound to Lifbon to refit, but feparated with many others in the recent gales from the outward-bound convoy, I continued to attend her till the 21ft, in almost a continual ftorm; and on the 27th had the pleature to fee her fafe into this port. It is, however, with much forrow I have to acquaint your lordship with the lofs of most of our prizes and several of our crew. Of the Duchefs of Gordon, which was wrecked near Lifbon, only one perfon was faved, the pilot of the Netley being of the num ber who perished. The fate of the others is anticipated, though it is known that two brigs are arrived fafe, and two others took refuge in Vigo. The French lugger was ftranded in attempting the bar of Viana, but I am happy to hear her crew were faved. F. G. BOND. Admiralty-Office, Feb. 25. Copy of a letter from captain Kiou to admiral Milbanke. His majefty's fhip Amazon, Spithead, Feb. 21. but I am forry to add, that on the following evening, as the Amazon was brought to found, the Bougainville ran on board us at the rate of nine knots, and rebounded off with the immediate lofs of her fore and main-maits, and with fo much injury to her hull, that there was an inftantaneous alarm of finking. It was not without fome rifk, as the night was dark, the sea rough, and the wind high, that the boats were hoifted out of the Amazon, and all the men faved, excepting one. The Bougainville, I am told, was at this time going down by the ftern, the water within-board being above the after part of the gun-deck. The injury done to the Amazon was nothing more than the carrying away the fpritfail, yard, and bumkin. E. RIOU. Copy of a letter from admiral fir Hyde Parker, to E. Nepean, efq. dated Dec. 27. SIR, I have the pleasure to acquaint you, for the information of the lords commiffioners of the admiralty, that on the 23d inft. captain Rolles, of his majesty's fhip Alarm, brought with him into this port a very rich and valuable Spanifh fhip. She was captured by the Amphion, captain Bennet, in company with the Alarm; and, for their lordships' farther information, inclofe herewith a copy of captain Bennet's letter to captain Rolles on this occafion. H. PARKER. In obedience to your fignal, I chaced S.W. last evening, and had the good fortune at one (A. M.) to come up with, and capture, L'Asturiana, Spanish letter of marque, carrying 18 eight pounders, two twelve-pounders, and four howit zers, of thirty-two pounders (all brafs), brafs), manned with 180 men, from' Cadiz bound to La Vera Cruz, with a very valuable cargo; fhe had four fail of convoy with her in the morning, three of which her commander thinks are ftill to the eastward forty days out. The Afturiana is a very large fhip, quite new, admirably found, and coppered. R. H.A. BAKER. [This gazette alfo contains copies of letters from the following officers; viz. lieutenant d'Auvergne, of the Aristocrat armed brig, reporting the capture of a gun boat on February 19. Captain Peter Halkett, of his majefty's fhip Apollo, dated Madeira, January 25, ftating the capture of the Aquilla, Spanish fhip of war, pierced for twelve, but carrying only four guns, on the 11th ult. and of the re-taking the Lady Harwood, which had fallen into the hands of a French privateer two days previous. Captain John Cooke, of the Amethyft, relating the capture of Le Vaillant, a faft-failing French cutter privateer. Alfo one from the honourable captain Curzon to fir Alan. Gardner, acquainting him of the Triton having chafed from the fquadron, and come up with, the French national brig La Vidette, of 14 guns and 84 men, from L'Orient bound to Breft. The fame gazette contains an order of his majefty in council authorifing the importation of Spanish wool, notwithstanding any doubts that may have been entertained to the contrary, in fhips or veffels belonging to any kingdom or ftate in amity with his majesty. zer, of the Nymphe, to the right honourable lord Bridport. La Nymphe, Plymouth Sound, March 3. MY LORD, I have the honour to inform your lordfhip, that I brought into Plymouth this morning La Modefte, a French letter of marque, pierced for 16 guns, and having 70 men on board, which I captured on the 24th of February laft, in company with the Amethyft. She is a fine hip, about 600 tons burden, and laden with cotton, coffee, tea, fugar, indigo, &c. had left the Ile of France only nine weeks, and was bound to Bordeaux, off which port I captured her.—I am, &c. PERCY FRAZER. [This gazette likewife contains an account of the capture and carrying into Viana, in Portugal, the Noftra Simora Carmen, Spanish lugger privateer, Don Joseph O'Livera commander, mounting two guns, nine-pounders, with fmall arms, and a crew confifting of 44 men, by the Maria private fhip of war, Mr. John Doyle commander.] Admiralty-Office, March 11. The following is addreffed to lord Bridport. Nereid, Plymouth Sound, MY LORD, I beg leave to inform you, that, on the 28th ult. when cruizing with his majefty's fhips Repulfe and Agamemnon off the Penmarks, being confiderably to leeward of the above fhips, I loft fight of them. in the night, and at three A. M. I faw a light to windward, which I kept company with, fuppofing it the commodore's, but it proved a Danish brig. On my ftanding back to the rendezvous on the following (B) night, boom. FRED. WATKINS. 11. A fociety under the title of "The Royal Inftitution of Great Britain," and under the patronage of his majefty, commenced its fittings, for the first time, this day. Its profeffed object is to direct the public attention to the arts, by an establishment for diffufing the knowledge and facilitating the general introduction of useful mechanical inventions and improvements. night, we discovered five fail, four had not the carried away her jibfhips evidently of force, and a fchooner: the moment I had made the neceffary preparations for battle, I hauled my wind for them; on the dawn of day I plainly difcovered they were of force, and then lying-to; when nearly within gunfhot of the largest fhip, they difperfed different ways; I continued to chafe; night coming on I loft fight. but was fortunate enough the following morning to fee one of them, which, after chafing twelve hours, and running 123 miles, we captured, which proved to be the Vengeance privateer, of Bourdeaux, pierced for 18 guns, 12-pounders, but only 16 mounted, and 174 men; by her we found that he failed on the 26th from the above place, in company with the following fhips, which were thofe we fell in with; viz. Bellona, 24 guns, 12-pounders, fix 36-pound carronades, and 420 men. - La Favorite, 16 guns, eight-pounders, and 120 men. La Huron, 16 guns, fix-pounders, and 87 men. --La Terrailloufe (fchooner) 14 guns, fix-pounders, and 80 men. I have to lament that, from the pufillanimity of the enemy, I had it not in my power to destroy the whole, or of trying the zeal of my officers and young fhip's company; but have every thing to fay in their favour, for the activity and cheerfulness they flowed on the occafion, and hope fome future day we fhall be more fortunate. On the following day we re-captured the American fhip Perfeverance, of Baltimore, with a cargo valued at 30,000l. The Vengeance is two years old, and has be en repeatedly chafed by our frigates, but from her fuperior failing efcaped; nor fhould we have caught her, Venice, March 14. The new pope has taken the name of Pius VII. to honour the memory of his immortal predeceffor. The order of Benedictines, to which the world is fo much indebted for the progrefs of the fciences and of divinity, has the honour of having given to the Catholic church its new head. Pope Pius VII. made his religious vows in the convent of St. Maria del Monte, at Cefena. Since that period, he has dedicated the whole of his time to the fciences. In the convent of St. Paul, without the walls of Rome, he studied divinity and the canonical law with fo much fuccefs, that, in a public difputation in the church of Kalisto, at Rome, he aftonified the whole audience. He was afterwards appointed lecturer of philofophy in the convent of St. John the Evangelift at Parma, but was again called to Rome by the abbot of St. Paul, to inftruct his novices in philofophy. Having completed this talk, he was appointed lecturer of divinity in the convent of St. Anfelm at Rome. This place he filled nine years, when he was elected prior of that convent. Pope Pius afterwards appointed him abbot, then then bishop of Tivoli, and, in two years after, he was raised to the dignity of cardinal. This afternoon the cardinals had the honour of kiffing his holiness's hand and foot, and of being admitted to the double embrace. Admiralty-Office, March 15. Copy of a letter from captain Barlow to admiral Kingfmill. Phabe, at fea, Feb. 27. SIR, I have to acquaint you that on the 21ft inftant, his majefty's fhip under my command captured the French hip privateer Bellegarde, of 14 guns, and 140 men, belonging to St. Maloes; fhe had been out 16 days, and had captured the fhip Chance, of London, from Martinico, and the brig Friends, of Dartmouth, from St. Michaels, bound to Bristol; the former fince re-captured by his majesty's floop Kangaroo.-I am, &c. E. BARLOW. [This gazette alfo contains an account of the capture of the French lugger privateer Maflina, carrying four three-pounders and 30 men, by his majesty's floop Plover, captain Galway.] 17. The following are the particulars of the unfortunate lofs of his majefty's fhip Repulfe of 64 guns, captain Alms, one of the fhips belonging to the Channel fleet, but had been detached by fir Alan Gardner to cruize off the Penmarks, for the purpose of intercepting provifion vefiels going to Breft. On Sunday, the 9th March, there came on a fudden and violent gale of wind, and the rolling of the fhip occafioned an accident to captain Alms, who, while ftanding near the companion-ladder, was thrown down by it, by which one of his ribs was broken, and he was difabled from doing any further duty on the fhip's deck. For two or three days the weather had been fo thick, that it was not poffible to make any obfervation, and the current had driven the fhip fo far out of her reckoning, that, about 12 o'clock on the night of the 10th, the Repulfe ftruck on a funken rock fuppofed to be the Mare, 25 lagues fouth-eaft of Ufhant. She was then going about fix knots an hour. The fhip continued ftriking on the rock near three quarters of an hour before he could be brought to wear; and the water rushed in fo faft, that the lower deck tier was foon flooded. By great exertions, the fhip was kept afloat long enough to be enabled to approach the coaft near Quimper; and, at half paft ten o'clock, captain Alms, and the fhip's company, quitted her, and made good a landing on ont of the Glenans iflands, about two miles from the continent. The peafantry on the ifland gave every affiftance; and the thip's company were fent prifoners to Quimper. In the confufion of getting afliore, one of the fhip's boats upfet, with five feamen, who were drowned. Two others were drowned owing to drunkennefs; and four more were fo drunk, they could not be got out of the fhip. The 1ft and 4th lieutenants, two midfhipmen, and eight feamen, preferring the risk of getting fafe to England to the horrors of a French prifon, betook themfelves to the large cutter, and, having got a small fupply of provifions and bread, fteered for Guernsey. They had got within eight leagues of the land on the firft day, when a gale of wind came on, which drove them towards the French coaft; and it was not until the fourth day that they reached Guernsey, after having undergone the most fevere (B2) hardships hardships during three days and nights; the waves breaking over the boat fo inceffantly, that four of the feamen were conftantly employed in bailing her. The 1ft lieutenant was landed at Weymouth on Sunday. The Repulfe had, the 16th, on the day preceding the accident, re-captured the Princefs Royal packet, from the Leeward Islands, on board of which the 3d lieutenant and ten feamen had been fent. The French prize-master was carrying her into Nantes. The mail had been taken out by the privateer which captured her. Admiralty-Office, March 18. The following is a letter from the commander of his majefty's floop La Suffifante, to vice-admiral Pafley, bart. La Suffifante, at fea, SIR, March 13. I beg leave to acquaint you, that after a chafe of three hours from the ifle of Bas, I this day captured the French cutter privateer Josephina, of four guns and 20 men, commanded by John Francis Froment, two days from Morlaix; has taken nothing. J. WITTMAN. Admiralty-Office, March 25. Copy of a letter from admiral Kingfmill, commander-in-chief of his majefty's fhips and veffels on the coaft of Ireland, to Evan Nepean, efq. dated at Cork, the 9th inftant. SIR, In my letter of the 2d inftant I acquainted my lords commiffioners of the admiralty of the arrival of the French brig privateer Telegraphe, fent in by his majesty's floop Kangaroo. I now have the pleasure to inclofe, for their information, a copy of captain Brace's letter to me, giving an account of the particulars. The very gallant and beneficial fervices of that excellent officer, in capturing the enemy's privateer at an early period of her cruize, and retaking two valuable merchant-hips, deferve every recommendation; but it will, I trust, be needlefs for me to attempt pointing out to their lordships conduct, which has on this, as well as on former occafions, fhown itself to be fo highly meritorious. The French prifoners, who were on board the Kangaroo, affert, that the French brig which made her escape was the Grand Decidé, of 18 brafs 12-pounders, and 150 men. I conclude the two officers of the army, captain Hearnes and lieutenant Bournes, fo handfomely mentioned by captain Brace, were re-captured in the ship Chance. R. KINGSMILL.. His majesty's floop Kangaroo, at fea, Feb. 25. SIR, It has been the good fortune of his majesty's floop under my command to capture and re-capture the veffels named in the margin*. The Telegraphe is a fine French brig privateer, quite new, and fails remarkably faft; mounting 14 carriage-guns of different calibre, and having on board 78 men. I am pleafed with having captured her in fuch weather, with no other accident than the 1ft lieutenant Mr. Thomas Toulerton (a good officer) having received a violent contufion in the face, from the chafe-gun be * Minerva, an American fhip, laden with tobacco, re-taken on the 22d inftant, in lat. 49 deg. 44 min. N. and long. 12 deg. 37 min. W.-Le Telegraphe, 20 days out from St. Maloes; had, on the 11th inftant, taken the Elizabeth brig from Lifbon, Jaden with fruit. Chance, Weft-ludiaman, from Martinique; re-captured on the 24th in lat. 49 deg. 48 min. N. and long. 13 deg. W. and in company on the 25th ult. - ing |