INTERESTING INTELLIGENCE FROM THE LONDON GAZETTES. Admiralty-office, Nov. 24. This Gazette contains (in addition to what we gave in our last) a copy of a letter from Capt. Waldegrave, of the Thames frigate, dated so far back as the 26th of July; and transmitted by Rear-Admiral Martin, mentioning the destruction of a convoy of 31 vessels, with 12 gun-boats and transports, on the Calabrian Coast, carrying stores and provisions to Murat's army at Scylla, and which led to the postponement of the invasion of Sicily. Also a letter from Capt. Markland, of the Bustard, noticing the destruction of some armed feluccas. Extract of a Letter from Capt. Bullen, Fearful my letter of the 22d. inst. may not come to your hands so soon as this, I beg to repeat, that on the 5th inst. the Spanish army under Gen. O'Donnell left Tarragona, and on the 13th got to Arreus de Mar, at which place he divided his forces, himself taking the road to Besbal; and so rapid were his movements, the enemy was not apprized of his arrival till within a quarter of an hour of entering the town. This happened on the 14th; when a smart action took place, but of a very short duration, when the French Gen. Swartz, with 500 men, were taken prisoners. On the same day St. Filui, Palamos, and Beger were severally attacked, and all surrendered; the total of French taken being about fourteen hundred men, besides cannon, &c. &c. so that this coast from Rosas, with the exception of the Medas Islands, is again in the possession of the Spaniards.-General O'Donnell, I am sorry to say, is badly wounded in the leg, but there are hopes of his doing well. The whole of the prisoners are at Tarragona, where the General now is, with only the inhabitants doing the duty of the garrison, and which makes him so anxious about their being removed. Upon the whole there is every prospect of the enemy being soon driven out of this province. I was yesterday at Escala, in the Bay of Rosas, where the French had a depôt of corn, &c. all of which I have got on board this ship. Yesterday I was gratified to hear, that, on Monday last, the French were defeated at Bascarra, where they were attacked by 500 Spaniards, who took from them an immense convoy of provisions (which was on its way from Perpignan to relieve Gerona), besides 400 prisoners. General M'Donald was at Severa a few days since; but so reduced is his army (having now only 6000 men), that it is generally thought he will not get back to Barcelona. Cadigues and all Capt. Bullen, Volontaire, &c. [This Gazette likewise contains a copy of a letter from Capt. Hardy, noticing the destruction of two large gun-boats off Langeland, on the 31st ult. with eight men wounded. Another from Captain Sayer, of the Raleigh sloop, mentioning the the capture, on the 2d inst. of the Admiral Neel Siuil, Danish privateer schooner, of 10 guns and 28 men.-A third from Lieut. Jaundey, of the Cracker gun-vessel, announcing the capture of the Diane French lugger privateer, of 4 guns and 28 men, on the 20th inst.-A fourth from Capt. Bolton of the Endymion frigate, announcing the capture on the 11th inst. off Cape Clear, of Le Milan French privateer of St. Maloes, with 14 guns and 80 men. A fifth from Capt. Doyle of the Lightning sloop, reporting the capture in the North Sea, on the 21st inst. of the Gen. D'Orseune lugger privateer, of 14 guns and 69 men. - Downing-street, Nov. 24, 1810. Extract of a Dispatch from Lieut.-gen, Viscount Wellington, dated Pero Negro, Nov. 10. Nothing of any importance has occurred since I addressed you on the 3d inst. The enemy reconnoitered Abrantes on the 5th inst. and, under cover of that operation, moved a small body of eavalry and infantry through Beira Basa, towards Villa Velha, evidently with an intention of obtaining possession of the bridge on the Tagus at that place. They found it, however, destroyed, and this detachment returned to Sobriera Formosa. I have a letter from General Silviera, of the 3d inst. from Francoso.He had his detachments on the Coa, and one of them (consisting of a battalion of the 24th regiment, which had been in garrison at Almeida during the siege, and which Marshal Massena had reported to the Emperor as having voluntarily entered the French service), had driven in the out-posts of the present garrison at Almeida. Admiralty-office, Nov. 27. This Gazette contains the Copies of three letters transmitted by Admiral Drury-two from Lieut. A. V. Drury, of the Sylvia cutter, reporting his having destroyed in April last, two piratical armed prows and a lugger, in the Straits of Sunda; and also having captured the Dutch national brig L'Echo of 8 sixpounders and 46 men, after a contest of 20 minutes, with the less on our part of four killed and three wounded. The Dutch brig had some vessels under convoy for Batavia, two of which (transports) mounting 2 nine-pounders and 60 men each, were taken; they were laden with artillery and European goods. SubLieut. Chesnaye particularly distinguished himself.-A third from Captain Spencer of the Samarang sloop, reporting a successful attack made on the fort of Pulo Ay island, and also the destruction of 1 ship, 6 brigs, 4 sloops, and 53 other vessels by the squadron under Capt. Tucker, of the Dover.-A Letter from Capt. Hotham of the Northumberland, mentions the capture in the Channel of the French privateer La Glaneuse, of 14 guns and 85 men, from St. Maloes. Admiralty-office, Dec. 1. This Gazette contains two letters, transmitted by Vice-Admiral Sir J. Saumarez-one from Capt. Acklom, of the Ranger sloop, noticing the capture in the Baltic, on the 11th ult. of the Bornholm Danish privateer, of 4 guns and 30 men, with her prize, a Swedish galliot. The other from Capt. Pettet, of the Wrangler gun-vessel, mentioning' the capture off Anholt on the 14th ult. of the Danish cutter privateer Danneskiold, mounting two carriage guns, and 12 men, with a long boat attachedwere from Hals, and made no capture. LONDON GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY. Downing-street, Dec. 3. Extract of a Dispatch from Lieut.-gen. Viscount Wellington, dated Cartaxo Nov. 21. The Enemy retired from the position which they had held for the last month, with their right at Sobral, and their left resting upon the Tagus, in the night of the 14th inst. ; and went by the road of Alenquer towards Alcoentre with their right, and Villa Nova with their left. They continued their retreat towards Santarem on the following days. The Allied Army broke up from their position on the morning of the 15th inst. and followed the march of the Enemy; and the advanced guard was at Alenquer on the 15th, and the British Cavalry and the advanced guard at Azambuga and Alcoentre on the 16th, and at this place on the 17th. In these movements they made about 400 prisoners. These troops have been followed on their march by Sir B. Spencer's division, and the 5th division of infantry under Major-Gen. Leith.-On the 17th I received accounts from Major Gen. Fane, from the left of the Tagus, that the Enemy had constructed another bridge on the Zezere, that which had been first thrown over that river having been carried away by the floods; and that they had on that day marched a large body of troops from Santarem towards Golegao; and I immediately passed Lieut.-Gen. Hill's corps across the Tagus at Valada, in boats which Adm. Berkeley had been so kind as to send up the river to aid and facilitate the operations of the army. Having advanced from the positions in which I was enabled to bring the Enemy to a stand, and to oblige them to retire without venturing upon any any attack, it is but justice to Lieut.-col. Fletcher and the officers of the Royal Engineers, to draw your Lordship's attention to the ability and diligence with which they have executed the works, by which these positions have been strengthened to such a degree as to render any attack upon that line occupied by the Allied Army very doubtful, if not entirely hopeless. We are indebted for these advantages to Lieut.-col. Fletcher and the Officers of the Royal Engineers; among whom I must particularly mention Capt. Chapman, who has given me great assistYour ance upon various occasions. Lordship will have observed how much the effective strength of the army in proportion to its total numbers has increased lately. There is no sickness in the army of any importance; and above one half of those returned as sick in the military returns are convalescents, who are retained at Belem till they will have gained sufficient strength to bear the fatigues of marching and of their duty in the field. Besides the Allied Army, your Lordship will observe, that an additional force had been provided from the fleet; and I take this occasion of informing your Lordship that in every instance I have received the most cordial and friendly assistance from Admiral Berkeley, and the officers and men of the squadron under his command. RearAdmiral Sir T. Williams has even done me the favour to come up the Tagus to superintend the passage of Lieut.-gen. Hill's corps over the river. In my dispatch of 20th Oct. I informed your Lordship, that the Marquis de la Romana had joined the allied army in their positions in front of Lisbon, with a considerable detachment of the Spanish army under his command; he still continues with us, and I receive from him much valuable advice and assistance. Throughout the period during which we occupied those positions, every thing went on with the utmost regularity and to my satisfaction, notwithstanding that the force was composed of troops of various descriptions, and of different nations; and I attribute these advantages entirely to the zeal for the cause in which we are engaged, and the conciliating disposition of the Chiefs and General Officers of the armies of the different nations; and I have no doubt that the same cordiality will prevail as long as it may be expedient that the armies should continue united.--Lieut. gen. Sir B. Spencer and Marshal Sir W. C. Beresford, and the Officers of the General Staff of the Army, have continued to give me every assistance in their power. GENT. MAG. Suppl. LXXX. PART II, G Admiralty-office, Dec. 8. This Gazette announces the capture of the Roi de Naples French lugger privateer, of 14 guns and 48 men, by the Royalist sloop, Capt. Downie. Admiralty-office, Dec. 15. Letter from W. Shield, Esq. Commissioner of his Majesty's Navy at the Cape of Good Hope, to J. W. Croker, Esq. dated at the Cape, Sept. 24.. The Sir, It is with the deepest regret I acquaint you, for the information of the Right Hon. the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, with the loss of a part of his Majesty's squadron on this station. The account I have now the honour to present to you, came to my knowledge by his Excellency Lord Caledon having had the goodness to send, for my perusal, dispatches he received last night by the late master of the Sirius from the Governor of Bourbon. I have transcribed and inclosed such part thereof as may lead their Lordships' judgment to the extent of this disastrous event. Isle de la Passe had fallen by assault from a party landed by two of the frigates; subsequent to which the Bellona, Minerva, and Victor, arrived and run into Port South-East, with their prize the Hon. East India Company's ship Ceylon, taken in company with the Windham, after a gallant resistance, on their way from the Cape to Madras, with a part of the 24th reg. on board. The Windham was turned from Port SouthEast, and re-captured by the Sirius, but the troops had been removed to the Bellona. Capt. Pym appears to have immediately determined on attacking these ships; and to his not being aware of the difficulties of the navigation within the port is to be attributed his failure and the loss of the King's ships. The Sirius and Magicienne were burnt by their crews, after doing every thing that was possible to extricate the ships from the situation they had fallen into. The Nereide, after every officer and man on board were either killed or wounded, fell on shore a mere wreck, and was taken possession of by the Enemy.→ I am sorry to add to this list of misfortunes, that the Ranger transport, laden with provisions for the squadron, and having some stores on board, has also fallen into the hands of the Enemy.-The transports having the troops on board, and which were to have sailed yesterday from hence without convoy, will be prevented putting to sea, by the arrival of this lamented intelligence. If it should prove that I have not been exactly correct in the information I have now given, I hope for for their Lordships' indulgence, and that they will impute it to my anxiety to give them the most early intimation of so important an event. W.SHIELD. P.S. Capt. Willoughby has lost an eye, and is otherwise wounded, and is in the hands of the Enemy. Letter from Capt. Pym, of H. M. late Ship the Sirius, addressed to Capt.Rowley, of the Boadicea. L'Isle de la Passe, Aug. 24. Sir, By my last you were informed of my intention to attack the frigates, corvettes, and Indiamen in this port. The Magicienne having joined as the recaptured ship was about to make sail, I sent Capt. Lambert orders to bring her and the gun brig with all dispatch off L'Isle de la Passe; and that the Enemy in Port Louis should not be alarmed, I made all sail round the South side, and though blowing very hard, reached L'Isle de la Passe next day. At noon Nereide made signal ready for action; I then closed, and from the situation of the Enemy decided on an immediate at tack; and when her master came on board as pilot, made signal to weigh, but when within about a quarter of an hour's run of the Enemy, he unfortunately ran me on the edge of the inner narrow passage. We did not get off (and that with wonderful exertion) until eight o'clock next morning. At noon on the 23d, the Iphigenia and Magicienne came in sight; the Enemy having moved further in, and making several batteries, as also manning the East India ship, and taking many men on board the frigates, I called them to assist in the attack. Having all the captains and pilot on board, and being assured we were past all danger, and could run direct for the Enemy's line, we got under weigh, and pushed for our stations: viz. Sirius alongside the Bellona, Nereide between her and the Victor, Iphigenia alongside La Minerva, and Magicienne between her and the East India ship; and just as their shot began to pass over us, sad to say, the Sirius grounded on a small bank, not known; Capt. Lambert joined his post, and had hardly given the third broadside before his opponent cut her cable. Magicienne, close to Iphigenia, run on a bank, which prevented her bringing more than six guns to bear; poor Nereide nearly gained her post, and did in the most gallant manner maintain that and the one intended for Sirius, until Bellona cut. All the Enemy's ships being on shore, and finding Sirius could not get off, the whole of them opened their fire on Nereide; and even in this unequal contest, and being a-ground, she did not cease firing until ten o'clock, and sorry am I to say, that the Captain, and every officer and man on board, are killed or wounded. Capt. Lambert would have immediately run down with the Enemy, but there was a shoal a very little distance from and between him and them; he did all that could be done, by keeping open a heavy, although distant fire; nothing was wanting to make a most complete victory but one of the other frigates to close with La Bellona. I must now inform you, that the moment we took the ground, every possible exertion was made to get the ship off, by carrying out stream and kedge anchors; but both anchors came home together. I then got a whole bower cable and anchors hauled out (not a common exertion for a frigate), as also the stream; and, although having the one with the capstan, and the other with purchase on purchase, we could not move her one inch, from the nature of the ground, and the very heavy squalls at that time. We continued lightening every thing from forward, and made many severe but fruitless attempts to heave the ship off before day-light, but all to no effect. At that time the Nereide was a perfect wreck, Magicienne in as bad a situation as Sirius, no possibility of Iphigenia closing with the Enemy, the whole of the Enemy on shore in a heap. We then tried the last resource by warping the Iphigenia to heave us off, but could not get her in a proper situation until the 25th in the forenoon.-I had a survey by the Captains, masters, and carpenters, in which they agreed it was impossible to get the ship off. I had the same report yesterday from Captain Curtis, and that his men were falling very fast; I ordered her to be abandoned at dusk and burnt; and, as the Enemy's frigates cannot get off, I thought it most prudent to preserve L'Isle de la Passe, by warping Iphigenia for its support; and, having no prospect of any other immediate support, I thought it most prudent to quit my ship, then within shot of all the Enemy's posts and ships, and being only able to return their fire from two guns. After seeing every man safe from the ship, Lieut. Watling and myself set her on fire; and, I trust, Sir, although my enterprise has been truly unfortunate, that no possible blame can be attached to any one; and never did Captains, officers, and men, go into action with a greater certainty of victory: and I do aver, that if I could have get alongside the Bellona, all the Enemy's ships would have been in our possession in less than half an hour. My ship being burnt, I have given up the command to Capt. Lambert, and have recommended his supporting and protecting this Island with his ship and ship's compani Commodore Rowley, &c. Boadicea. N. B. By other dispatches received at the Admiralty it appears, that his Majesty's ship Phoebe arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on the 25th of September last, and that the Menelaus sailed from St. Helena for the Cape on the 16th of October. [This Gazette also announces the capture of the French privateer Le Renard, of six guns and 24 men, by the Quebec, commanded by Capt. Hawtayne; of the French privateer La Caroline, of one gun and 42 men, by Capt. Bluett, of the Saracen; and of Le Mamelouck French privateer, of 16 guns and 45 men, by the Rosario sloop, Capt. Harvey.] Admiralty-office, Dec. 22. This Gazette contains accounts of the capture and destruction of the Melampe Danish privateer, of 3 guns and 17 men, by the Ranger sloop, Capt. Acklom; and of the capture of L'Adventurier French lugger privateer, of 14 guns and 50 men, by the Royalist sloop, Capt. Downie. Downing-street, Dec. 25. My Lord, The detachment of the Enemy's troops commanded by Gen. Gardanne, which had returned to Sobreira Formosa, have continued their march to the frontier, and by the last accounts had entered Spain. I have not heard that this detachment had any communication with the Enemy's troops on the left of the Zezere, from whom they were distant about three leagues. I understand that, having lost some prisoners taken by a patrole and by a party of the Ordenanza which accompanied the Hon. Lieut.-col. Ponsonby on a reconnoissance from Abrantes to the river Codes, they made very particular inquiries respecting the position of Lieut.-gen. Hill's corps, and the means which the allies possessed of crossing the Tagus at Abrantes; and having cominenced their march from Cardigos towards the Codes in the morning, they retired about eleven with great precipitation, and continued their retreat in the same manner till they reached the frontier. They were followed by the Ordenanza, who did them much mischief on the march, and took much baggage from them. The Enemy destroyed many horses and mules which could not keep up with them; and this march, if it was ordered by superior authority, and is connected with any other arrangement, [This Gazette contains a letter from Captain Douglas, of the Bellona, reporting the capture, on the 18th inst., of the French schooner privateer Le Heros du Nord, belonging to Dunkirk, mounting twelve 2-pounders and two 12-pound carronades, with 44 men. She left the Brill the preceding evening, and had made no capture.] Admiralty-office, Dec. 29. Letter to Sir Roger Curtis, Bart. Com mander in Chief at Portsmouth. Diana, off La Hogue, Dec. 24. Sir, Since I had the honour of addressing you by the Vautour, I have ascertained that the Enemy's frigate was so far embayed and protected by Tatihou, and the batteries on the North shore, that nothing could be done with the ship to prevent the Enemy from working during the falling tide to save the stores, and that the ship was so completely bilged that there appeared little chance of their being able to save the hull; however, as I once already had been deceived in my expectations of her being destroyed, I determined to risk the chance of the boats being able to set her on fire, which service was generally volunteered, notwithstanding the ship was completely under the fire of heavy batteries, and three armed brigs lying within hail of her. I anchored immediately after dark, and gave the charge of the boats to Lieut. Rowe, of the Diana, in the barge (who I knew would execute it if possible), Mr. Bean the gunner, and Mr. Noble the boatswain, who always volunteer; Lieut. Sparrow went in the gig to reconnoitre and watch the brigs, to prevent surprize, and Mr. Knocker, master's mate, went in the cutter; and, as the service required the least possible loss of time, they took no other materials but two kegs of the combustible matter received from the Roman, and I am happy to say that, though the water was nearly up to her quarter deck, we had the satisfaction in an hour from the time they left this ship to see her completely on fire. The batteries and brigs immediately opened a very heavy fire of round and grape; and as our peeple did not leave the frigate until the fire took effect, it is with extreme pleasure I inform you that not a single man was hurt. Lieut. Rowe speaks in the strongest manner of all |