balls and operas at court on this occafion. Lord Lauderdale, Mr Sheridan, and Mr Grey, have waited on Mr Dundas, fuggefting it to him, that it was the opinion of feveral Scotch lawyers, that the fentence paffed against Meffis Muir and Palmer was illegal; and they requested that he would fufpend the execution of the fentence until the meeting of parlia ment. It is reported, that in confequence of this reprefentation, Mr Dundas tranfmitted the paper which he had received from Meffrs Sheridan and Grey, and the Earl of Lauderdale, to the Lords of Jufticiary, in order that they might make a report upon it. On this report being received by Mr Dundas, he fent, on Monday night, a letter to the three gentlemen who waited on him, informing them, "that having tranfmitted their paper to the Lords of Jufticiary, he had received a report upon it. That it was not in his power to comply with their requeft to fufpend the execution of the fentences, and finally, that the Law must take it courfe." The Lord Lieutenant and Council of Ireland have issued a proclamation, granting liberty to trade with fuch ports of the island of St Domingo as may be in poffeffion of his Majefty. Grand total of prifoners at Paris, 4510. The greateft preparations are making at Havre-de-Grace and St Maloes for a defcent upon England; according to accounts from Paris, "To attack London, and carry it, fay they, will be the fame thing to foldiers animated with the paffion of liberty." A letter from Vienna, December 15, mentions, that an epidemic and mortal difeafe raged among the French prifoners on the Danube. The Turkish ambaffador will refide here in great splendour. He is to occupy the houfe of the French ambassador in Portman Square. He enjoys, in London, the manners of his own country with fuch as he can adopt from thofe of this country, without infringing on the rules of the Koran; it is faid, that he is particularly fond of Gloucester cheese and London porter, in which he indulges every day after dinner. His appearance is dignified by a countenance marked with the outlines of philanthropy and good fenfe. The obituary for the year 1793 contains the deaths of more old people than any for fifty years paft. Letters of a recent date from St Kitts, mention, that no fhip to, or from France, for a long time, had entered the port of Martinico, and that General Rochambeau was thought to be fecretly well difpofed to treat with the Allies. It appears, from authentic accounts from Philadelphia, that the number of victims to the epidemic fever were about 4000. The ex-minifter Le Brun was executed at Paris, December 18, in the place de la Revolution, convicted of confpiring against the unity and indivifibility of the Republic. A neffenger is arrived from Vienna, with the agreeable intelligence, that Pondicherry hath surrendered to the British forces." The troops in Cowes road, deftined for the expedition under Earl Moira, amount to 9c00, of whom 5000 are British; they are to be augmented to 15,000. Fifty fhips belonging to the East India Company will go out this feafon, they will fail, under convoy, in three fleets. The inftructions to the commanders of fhips, &c. iffued November 6, (fee State Papers) were this day recalled, (Jan. 8,) and the following iffued in lieu thereof. ift, That they fhall bring in, for lawful adjudication, all veffels with their cargoes that are loaden with goods the produce of the French West India islands, and coming directly from any port of the faid iflands to any port in Europe. pro 2d, That they fhall bring in, for lawful adjudication, all fhips with their cargoes that are loaden with goods the duce of the faid iflands, the property of which goods fhall belong to fubjects of France, to whatsoever ports the fame may be bound. 3d, That they fhall feize all ships that fhall fhall be found attempting to enter any port of the faid iflands, that is or fhall be blockaded by the arms of his Majesty, or his allies, and shall fend them in with their cargoes for adjudication, according to the terms of the fecond article of the former inftructions, bearing date the 8th day of June 1793. 4th, That they fhall feize all veffels loaden wholly, or in part, with naval or military stores, bound to any part of the faid islands, and fhall fend them into fome convenient port belonging to his Majesty, in order that they, together with their cargoes, may be proceeded againft, according to the rules of the law of nations. (Signed) Lon. Gaz. HENRY DUNDAS. Jan. 9th. Earl Moira is arrived at Cowes, in the Crefcent, commanded by Sir James Saumarez, with 12 fail of tranfports from Guernfey; the original object of his expedition is not abandoned. Admiral Gardner hath left town to go on board the Queen of 98 guns, and to proceed with the convoy for the Eaft Indies, to relieve Admiral Cornwallis. The decree excluding foreigners from the Convention, was put in execution December 26th, fo that Thomas Paine and Anacharfis Clootz are no longer members of that affembly. On the 31ft they were arrested, and their papers feal ed up. The Turkish Envoy hath been prefented to the King at St James's. into the Cotterlin, and meditate an attack on Cherbourg. The landing will now be in Normandy, and not in Concale bay, where, and at St Maloes, the republicans are in great force. There are no official accounts of affairs from the island of St Domingo; a veffel from New Providence, which arrived lately at Liverpool, fays, that when the failed, the ports of Cape Nichola Mole and Jeremie were in poffeffion of the British. There is the utmost exertion making at Plymouth to equip Lord Howe's fleet for fea. Sir John Dick is appointed one of the commiffioners to the army on the continent. The execution of Madam du Barre has produced to the Convention L. 50,000 which they have feized; a great part of her vualuable jewels are in England. Under the reign of Louis XV. her charms commanded the wealth of France, and the fate of the nation. The inhabitants of Brighton, at a veftry which was held there, decided against a general innoculation; of 5669, 1863 perfons who never had the fmall pox. Of the laft, 26 were in a state of pregnancy. The Spaniards are determined to attack Perpignan, to augment their army to 70,000 men, and to pursue their victories. Captain Moore of the Phoenix, of Calcutta, fays, that when at Nootka Sound and on the N. W. of America, he met with a Ruffian veffel, the captain of which informed him, that he was fent by the exprefs orders of the Emprefs to treat with, and to ufe every endeavour to civi The 27th of February next is appointed to be kept as a day for fafting and humiliation in Scotland, and the 28th in England. Lord Hobart hath taken leave of the lize the natives. King on going to Madrafs. Additional taxes on leather, hats, candles, and horfes, are spoken of. The Duke of Brunfwick, in the late retreat, covered the Austrian army, and conducted it with great military skill and good order. Thofe who fled from Weiffembourg for protection to Fort Louis, fuffered much from the cannon of the fortrefs, and were obliged to pass the whole night uncovered before they were admitted. Lord Moira has left town with new inftructions for his expedition. Advices from the coaft of France flatly contradict the exaggerated relations of victories faid, in the Convention, to have been gained over the Royalifts. They are faid to be ftill in great force, to the The national vengeance feems to be amount of upwards of 40,000 warlike receiving its fulfilment in the death of foldiers; to have laid fiege to Angers; the unhappy inhabitants of Toulon. On to have penetrated through Normandy, the 21ft, 130 foldiers and citizens were VOL. LVI. G fhot fhot, 25 marine officers have fhared the fame fate. Sir James Wallace commands in the expedition with Lord Moira. Admiral McBride is to command a fquadron on the coaft of America. The King, in council, figned an order for the transportation of Meffrs Muir and Palmer, agreeable to the fentence of the Court of Jufticiary at Edinburgh. O'Hara, from the garrifon of Toulon, received a passport from the French General to return. On his way he was ftopped by the French fentinel, who faid, that if citizen Dugomier did not know his duty, he, the foldier, knew his, and that no Englishman should enter the place by his poft. The furgeon has fince remained a prifoner. The duties on falt in the port of London are to undergo a modification, as by abuses and frauds in that article Government is faid to lofe L. 100,000 annually. In a late action near Courtray the Heffans are said to have loft 700 men ; but that the French at the fame time loft more, and were repulfed. A privateer of that nation hath taken great many Dutch fishing veffels on the Dogger bank. a Government has received intelligence that the French have nearly completed a levy of 40,000 horfe, decreed two months ago by the Convention, in addition to their prefent cavalry. The States of Brabant have refused, in fpite of all entreaty, to acknowledge M. Vandevelde, appointed chancellor by the Emperor, The Hinde frigate, Captain Durham, and whom they had formerly denounced. fell in with fix French frigates, one of From the West Indies very favourable which fired into her, killed two men accounts have arrived; with our prefent and wounded fix. force there, it was expected we should be able to reduce the French islands of St. Lucie, Guadaloupe, and Martinique. The Spaniards with a confiderable force were preparing to attack Cape Francois. There are arrived accounts from Leghorn relating to the evacuation of Toulon. On the part of the Allies it appears to have been unexpected. It was refolved on in a council of war on the morning of the 18th, when the embarkation began; the malecontents in the city immediately arofe, and profiting by the diforder, put to death the Royalifts by fabres and every kind of weapon. Prince Adolphus, accompanied by Marshal Freytag, is gone for the Contiuent to join the army under the Duke of York. Accounts are received of an amazing mortality in many of our Welt India iflands, numbers of the troops have fallen a facrifice to the fever which is raging in that part of the world. The national affembly of Genoa have voted a statue to the memory of J. J. Roffeau. His excellency Robert Lifton, Efq; had an audience of leave of his Majefty, previous to his fetting off for the Ottoman court, where he will refide as ambaffador. A furgeon who was fent to General An augmentation is to be made to the regiments of heavy cavalry, by increasing the ftrength of the private troopers. The public mind has been relieved from a state of anxious fufpence, in which it hath been for fome days paft, concerning the evacuation of Toulon by the allied forces, by the arrival of Sir Sydney Smith with difpatches from Lord Hood and General Dundas, commanding the British forces in that quarter. of thefe difpatches is Lord Hood's letter, December 20th, from Hieres bay, and at from General Dundas, Decem ber 21ft, from the fame place. The laft It appears from thefe difpatches, that after the unfortunate affair of General O'Hara's capture, on November 30th, the enemy had remained pretty quiet, without carrying on much offenfive operation till the 16th; they had meanwhile been receiving confiderable reinforcements, and increafing their number of batteries, mounted with cannon and mortars, for the purpose of making a vigorous attack against the pofts, occupied by the Allies, through the whole extent of their lines. Their numbers was fuppofed to be about 40,000 men; of the Allies 11,000 or 12,000 were only able to do duty, MY LORD, Toulon, December 18, 1793. Agreeable to your Lordship's order, I proceeded with the Swallow tender, three English and three Spanish gun-boats, to the arfenal, and immediately began making the neceffary preparations for burning the French ships and ftores therein. We found the dock-gates well fecured by the judicious arrangement of the already fubftituted the three-coloured cockade Governor, although the dock-yard people had for the white one. I did not think it fafe to attempt the fecuring any of them, confidering the fmall force I had with me, and confidering that a conteft of any kind would occupy our whole attention, and prevent us from accomplifhing our purpose. daty, which was become fevere and very laborious, the principal pofts, with their feveral dependencies, extending to a circumference of 15 miles. In the morning of the 17th the enemy in great force attacked Fort Mulgrave, which they at laft carried, after many gallant efforts to maintain that poft. At the fame time an attack was made on the poft of Pharon, where the lines were penetrated by their Dumerous troops, who covered all the fide of the mountain which overlooks the town. Being now in poffeffion of batteries which commanded the town and The galley-flaves, to the number of at least harbour, the fituation of the Allies be- 600, fhewed themfelves jealous fpectators of came extremely critical, and prompt and our operations: Their difpofition to oppose us decifive meafures neceffary. A council was evident; and being unchained, which was. of war was held, the engineers declared unufual, rendered it neceffary to keep a watchful eye on them on board the galleys, by pointthe place untenable; the fpeedieft eva- ing the guns of the Swallow tender and one of cuation was now determined on. This the gun-boats on them, in fuch a manner as began early in the morning of the 18th, to enfilade the quay on which they must have by putting on board the fhips the fick landed to come to us; affuring them, at the and wounded. The pofts were called in, them if they remained quiet. The enemy kept fame time, that no harm fhould happen to measures were taken to keep the towaf up a clofe fire of fhot and fhells on the spot men in awe, who had difcovered fymp- from Malboufquet, and the neighbouring hills, toms of treachery, and had begun to put which contributed to keep the galley-flaves in on the tri-coloured cockade; the evacua- fubjection, and operated in every refpect favourable for us, by keeping the republican tion, by the troops, began about 11 at party in the town within their houses; while night, and by day-light in the morning it occafioned little interruption to our work, of of the 18th, the fea being calm, and the preparing and placing combuftible matter in weather moft favourable, without interrup- the different fore-houfes, and on board the tion, or the lofs of a man, the forces, to fhips; fuch was the fteadiness of the few brave A great the number of 8000, were got on board feamen I had under my command. multitude of the enemy continued to draw the fleet. Lord Hood had alfo the fatif-down the hill towards the dock-yard wall, and faction to shelter, from the avenging fury of the enemy, many thousands of the meritorious inhabitants. Lond. Gaz. The circumstances which unexpectedly occurred, and which rendered the total evacuation of the town and forts unavoidable, prevented the execution of an intended arrangement for deftroying the French fhips and arsenal in a manner fo complete as could have been wifhed. This feems however, under the exifting circumftances, to have been accomplished in a very great degree; and for the execution of it, the fervice is indebted to the zeal and military talents of Sir Sydney Smith, who voluntarily undertook this difficult and hazardous task. The account of which we fhall give at length, as published in the Gazette. as the night clofed in, they came near enough boat was ftationed to flank the wall on the manner and occafional tumultuous debates ceafed entirely on her appearance. The only noife heard among them was the hammer knocking G 2 off off their fetters, which humanity forbade my oppofing, as they might thereby be more at liberty to fave themselves on the conflagration taking place around them. In this fituation, we continued to wait most anxiously for the hour concerted with the Governor for the inflammation of the trains. The moment the fignal was made, we had the fatisfaction to fee the flames rife in every quarter. Lieut. Tupper was charged with the burning of the general magazine, the pitch, tar, tallow, and oil ftorchoufes, and fucceeded moft perfectly; the hemp magazine was included in this blaze. Its being nearly calm was unfortunate to the fpreading of the flames, but 250 barrels of tar, divided among the deals and other timber, infured the rapid ignition of that whole quarter which Lieut. Tupper had undertaken. The maft-houfe was equally well fet on fire by Lieut. Middleton, of the Britannia. Lieut. Pater, of the Britannia, continued in a moft daring manner to brave the flames, in order to complete the works where the fire feemed to have caught imperfectly. I was obliged to call him off, left his retreat should become impracticable; his fituation was the more, perilous, as the enemy's fire redoubled as foon as the amazing blaze of light rendered us diftinct objects of their aim. Lieut. Ironmonger, of the Royals, remained with the guard at the gate till the last, long after the Spanish guard had withdrawn, and was brought fafely off by Capt. Edge, of the Alert, to whom I had confided the important fervice of clofing our retreat, and bringing off our detached parties, which were faved to a man. I was forry to find myself deprived of the further fervices of Capt. Hare; he had performed that of placing his fire-fhip to admiration, but was blown into the water, and much fcorched by the explosion of her priming, when in the act of putting the match to it. Lieut. Gore was alfo much burnt, and I was confequently deprived of him alfo, which I regretted the more, from the recollection of his bravery and activity in the warm fervice of Fort Mulgrave. Mr Eaks, the Midshipman, who was alfo with him on this occafion, deferves my praife for his conduct throughout this fervice. The guns of the firefhip going off on both fides as they heated, in the direction that was given them, towards thofe quarters from whence we were moft apprehenfive of the enemy forcing their way in on us, checked their career. Their fhouts and republican fongs, which we could hear diftinctly, continued till they, as well as ourfelves, were in a manner thunderftruck by the explosion of fome thoufand barrels of powder on board the Iris frigate, lying in the Inner Road, without us; and which had been injudicioufly fet on fire by the Spanish boats in going off, instead of being funk, as ordered. The concuffion of the air, and the fhower of falling timber on fire, was fuch as nearly to deftroy the whole of us. Lieut. Patey, of the Terrible, with his whole boat's crew, nearly perifhed; the boat was blown to pieces, but the men were picked up alive. The Union gun-boat which was neareft to the Iris, fuffered confiderably, Mr Young being killed, with three men, and the veffel fhaken to pieces. I had given it in charge to the Spanish officers to fire the fhips in the bafon before the town, but they returned, and reported that various obftacles had prevented their entering it. attempted it together, as foon as we had completed the bulinefs in the arfenal, but were repulfed in our attempt to cut the boom, by repeated vollies of mufquetry from the flagfhip, and the wall of the Battery Royale. The cannon of this battery had been spiked by the judicious precaution taken by the Governor, previous to the evacuation of the town. We The failure of our attempts on the ships in the bafon before the town, owing to the infufliciency of our force, made me regret that the spanish gun-boats had been withdrawn from me to perform other fervice. The Adjutant Don Pedro Codella, Don Franfcisco Riguelm, and Don Franfcifco Trufello remained with me to the latt; and I feel bound to bear teftimony of the zeal and activity with which they performed the most effential fervices during the whole of this bufinefs, as far as the infufficiency of their force allowed it, being reduced, by the retreat of the gun-boats, to a fingle fellucca, and a mortar-boat, which had expended its ammunition, but contained 30 men with cutlaffes. We now proceeded to burn the Hero and Themistocles, two feventy four gun fhips, lying in the Inner Road. Our approach to them had hitherto been impracticable in boats, as the French prifoners who had been left in the latter fhip were fill in poffeffion of her, and had fhewn a determination to refift our attempt to come on board. The fcene of conflagration around them, heightened by the late tremenduous explosion, had, however, awakened their fears for their lives. Thinking this to be the cafe, 1 addressed them, expreffing my readiness to land them in a place of fafety, if they would fubmit; and they thankfully accepted the offer, fhewing themfelves to be completely intimidated, and very grateful for our humane intentions towards them, in not attempting to burn them with the ship. It was neceffary to proceed with precaution, as they were more numerous than ourselves. We at length completed their difembarkation, and then fet her on fire. On this occafion I had nearly lost my valuable friend and affiftant, Lieut. Miller, of the Windfor Caftle, who had ftaid fo long on board to insure the fire taking, that it gained on him fuddenly, and it was not without being very much fcorched, and the risk of being fuffocated, that we could approach the ship to take him in. The lofs to the fervice would have been very great, had we not fucceeded in our endeavours to fave him. Mr Knight, |