IN

confequence of the movements of the enemy, which gave reafon to expect an attack upon the Auftrian and Pruffian pofts, his royal highness determined to march in the morning of the 8th to their fupport. He arrived about fix o'clock at the camp of Maulde with the brigade of guards, and a battalion of the 10th regiment of Hanoverian infantry. The Pruffian general was by this means enabled to reinforce himself, at St. Amand and the adjoining wood, with the troops which had occupied that important pofition.

The attack commenced about feven o'clock. It was directed against the pofts occupied by General Clairfayt, which extend from the Scheldt to the Abbaye de Vicogne, and the Pruffian corps which defends the wood in the front of the high road, leading from that place to St. Amand.

Tothefe points were directed the whole efforts of the French army, which had been previously reinforced by all they could bring together from every quarter. General Knobelsdorff, having been under the neceffity of fending a confiderable part of his troops to fupport the Auftrians at the Abbaye de Vicogne, his royal highness, about five o'clock, left two battalions in the camp at Maulde, and marched with the Coldstream, the flank battalion, and that of the third regiment, to his fupport. When the battalion of the Coldstream, which was upon the left, arrived, the enemy had nearly reached the road; they already commanded it, to a great degree, by their fire. The guns attached to the battalion were placed upon it, and by a well-directed and well-fupported fire kept the battery which was oppofed to them in check, and did confiderable execution.

The battalion advanced into the wood, attacked and drove the enemy before them; in going forward they became unfortunately expofed to the fire of a battery, from which they fuffered feverely. They coolly received the whole fire of the French, both grape and musquetry, which

they returned with great effect; but, finding it impoffible to carry the battery, In this atthey retired in perfect order. tack, one officer (enfign Howard) was wounded-two ferjeants were killed, and three wounded. Twenty-feven rank and file were killed, and forty-two wounded. The French loft in their battery between 40 and 50 from the fire of the Coldstream.

It is impoffible to exprefs adequately. the steady bravery which the British troops displayed. The lofs of fo many fine fellows must be lamented by their countrymen; but their conduct upon this occafion has added another laurel to the wreath of British glory. The other battalions received orders to advance, and were pofted in the wood. The French mean-while kept up a very brifk fire upon the road by which they advanced, but fortunately only two men were flightly wounded by it. The British artillery fired with very great effect, and was extremely well ferved. The troops remained at the posts which they had taken in the woods till it was dark, and then marched back to St. Amand. The Pruffians extol greatly the fpirit and activity of the British; and General Knobelfdorff, in the handfomeft terms, acknowledged that they faved his pofts, and decided the fate of the day. Major-general Lake commanded the battalions which went into action; and his royal highnefs declared he was much indebted to him for his exertions.

At the Abbaye de Vicogne and the village of Raimes the action continued, with almost equal and unremitting violence, till eight o'clock in the evening: Gen. Clairfayt was every where fuccefsful in maintaining his ground; the enemy, however, though baffled and defeated in their purpose, remained in the woods within a very small distance of his posts. During the action they cannonaded the Pruffian camp near St. Amand.-I am not exactly informed what measures they took in order to keep the Prince of Cobourg in check, but it appears that nothing of moment paffed in that quarter.

Upon the following day, the 9th, there was little firing, and it was not known what might be the intention of the enemy. His royal highnefs thought it therefore proper to let the troops remain till the evening at St. Amand and Maulde: every thing being quiet, and intelligence having been received that the troops opposed to Gen. Knobelsdorff were retreat

ing, they began their march for Tournay, but he was ftopped at the village of Maulde by a meffage from General Clairfayt, informing him that the enemy had erected batteries all along his front as well as upon fome part of General Knobelfdorff's, which, if they were allow ed to compleat and to poffefs, it would be extremely difficult for him to maintain his pofition. His royal highness immediately ftopped the march of the troops, and went himself to St. Amand, where he was met by Gen. Clairfayt and Gen. Knobelfdorff. It was agreed that the Auftrians and Pruffians fhould affault the whole of the batteries at day-break, whilft his royal highness retained poffeffion of the camp of Maulde.

This was done accordingly, and had the defired fuccefs. The enemy had withdrawn their cannon in the night; but they were entirely driven from the batteries, feveral killed, and upwards of 100 prifoners taken, with a very inconsiderable lofs. Thus defeated upon every occafion, the enemy feem to have entirely abandoned their defign: the body, which came from Lifle, has fallen back upon Orchies. There was firing to-day at one of General Clairfayt's posts, but nothing which had the appearance of a ferious attack. By the account of deferters and prifoners, they loft 4000 men upon the 8th. General Dampierre, who commanded the French, received a cannon-ball in his thigh, and died in confequence of his wound this morning. He was wounded by the British artillery; for at the time that he fell, their cannon only, which were pofted in the wood, were playing upon the French.

The Auftrians had upwards of 500 killed and wounded, and the Pruffians 300. The French prifoners, and the deferters, of whom there are a vast number, fay, that when the English appeared they declared they would not fight. The fame deferters affirm, that, to make them fight, they were put between two fires.

The bravery and ardour of the British could not be furpaffed. They fupported three days hard fatigue, with very little nourishment, not only without complaint, but with cheerfulneis. They had indeed before them the animating example of his royal highness the Duke of York, who partook of their hardihips, and difplayed the greatest magnanimity and perfeverance. On the night of the 8th, his royal highness flept upon ftraw; and we are happy to hear that he, as well as his whole army, is in the highest health and fpirits. The British, by their courage, excited the admiration of the whole combined army.

The following authentic letter, dated BAISSEAUX CAMP, May 21, will shew the relative fituation of the two armies, when the last advices came from that quarter:

We are encamped here with troops of almoft all nations of Europe, to the number of 80,000, under the command of Prince Cobourg and Prince Hohenloe, and expect daily to make a general affault on the enemy's camp at Famar, about eight miles diftant from us, where they are strongly entrenched, and defended by various batteries of heavy artillery. The French number 100,000 men, and are prepared for our attack. The conflict must be a fevere one. We are much in want of provifions, fo that decifive meafures must be adopted, or we ftarve in France. The troops, however complain not of their hardships, but feem emulous who fhall endure moft without a murmur. Condé, which is within three miles of us and in fight, still holds out; nor has Valenciennes yet furrendered. Our cavalry is, without boast, perhaps, the finest army in the world; it confifts of 14,000 men, commanded by officers of great experience and tried valour. We have many princes with us in arms, three of them of our own nation, viz. York, Erneft, and Adolphus. England muft be anxious for the fate of our army at this critical period-I have no doubt of the event of the day-we are animated but with one mind; and victory, though it may be dearly purchased, must eventually be

ours."

duke

duke Paul Petrowitz her fucceffor.-The King of Pruffia has alfo directed his letter patent, to the respective states and inhabitants of the hitherto Polith waywodeships of Pofen, Gnefen, Kalish, Sieradia, the city and monaftery of Czeutochowa, the province of Cujavia, the province of Dobrzyn, the waywodeships of Rawa, and Plotzk, &c. in the circle of the boundaries, and alfo to thofe of the cities of Dantzic and Thorn; by which thofe diftricts are taken under his protection. -The prefent acquifitions made by Pruffia, though vaftly inferior to what Ruffia gains, (or seizes,) are indeed very important; they contain above 1061 fquare German miles, 5000 English miles fquare; 262 towns or cities, 8274 villages, 1136389 fouls. Poland contains about 9500 fquare leagues, and of this territory the empress and the Pruffian king have violently grafped 5500-that is about eleven nineteenths, or above seven hundred miles more than one half!!!

OSTEND, May 6. Captain Clements, who commands a fquadron of British yeffels, deftined to co-operate with the English, Dutch, and Hanoverian, troops, in the fiege of Dunkirk, sent a fummons to General Pafcal Kerenveyer, the commandant, in which he fays, " I invite you, Sir, and all the inhabitants of Dunkirk, to take into ferious confideration the fad effects which will refult to you and your families, from refufing

this conciliatory offer, to prevent a farther effufion of blood, and for putting an end, on your part, to a war so destructive to the true interefts of your country. I am fent to offer you the protection of a great and honourable power, until your conftitution shall be established on a folid bafis." To which the Commandant returned the following anfwer:

SIR,

"I have received the letter you took the trouble to write to me to announce your plans, and the orders with which you are charged. I have only a few words to say in reply, and these are, that neither I, who have the honour to command in Dunkirk, nor any of the inhabitants or citizens, will ever listen to any propofal tending to dishonour the French name. It is ufelefs therefore to lofe time in epiftolary correspondence, which would become tedious, and be at least illegal. Do me the honour to attack me in a military manner, and I fhall have that of anfwering you, for it is in this manner that difcuffions ought to be determined between people of our cloth."

FRANKFORT, May 9. Yefterday Lan dau was again fummoned to furrender. The commandant Gillot read the fummons of General Szekuli, together with his answer to it, upon the parade. The latter was, "That he would not give up the place fo long as there was one stone upon another.

ALTHOUGH the report of a duel between the Duke of York and the Prince of Orange, as inferted in moft of the public prints, was not true, yet a very ferious mifunderstanding has lately fubfifted between them.

When the British guards were in garrifon at Dort, it was iffued in general orders by the Prince of Orange, in abfence of the Duke of York, that any officer leaving his poft fhould be fent to prifon-(a prifon fomething like Newgate in London.) This, though a cuftomary order with the Dutch troops, was fuch an indignity offered to the high fpirit of the English guards, that they applied to the Duke of York, who is faid (taking part with his countrymen) to have expreffed himself with much warmth to the Prince of Orange upon the occafion; and here, we are informed, originated the misunderstanding between them. Another circumftance, tending to widen the breach, happened as fol Lows:

During the time Captain V. C. Berke ley commanded the fleet of gun-boats in the Maefe, he was out one morning in the boat, reconnoitering the enemy along the Moerdyk fhore: paffing near the yacht of the Prince of Orange, becalmed, he was hailed by her, and directed to take the yacht in tow." Captain Berkeley, on this, afked whether the Duke of York was on-board? and, on being told that he was not, but that the hereditary prince was, he replied no farther to this ftrange requifition than to fay, "that he was a British officer on fervice." This however was not fatisfactory, and a peremptory order immediate ly followed, which Capt. Berkely only anfwered by ordering his men to row off. The next day, being on-fhore near Byten fluice, a party of Dutch dragoons, headed by two officers, rode down upon him with cocked piftols, and, after ufing much infulting language, took him into cuftody. Captain Berkely faid, he held himself a prifoner to the Prince of Orange; and

and immediately wrote to the Dutch admiral, Melville, informing him of the extraordinary treatment he had received, and that he had ordered his gun-boats, in confequence thereof, to act only in their own defence. He likewife fent a full statement of particulars to the Duke of York, requesting inftructions from his R. H. for his future conduct. What paffed, on this very fingular occafion, between the Duke of York and the hereditary Prince of Orange, is not known; but certain it is, that in the courfe of the day those two distinguished perfonages came down to Captain Berkeley, when the Prince of Orange difclaimed all knowledge of the order, either about towing the yacht or for taking Baptain B. into cuftody. He declared that the officers of cavalry were then in irons for their unwarrantable conduct; and apologised to Captain Berkeley in the fulleft, though not the moft unembarraffed, manner, for the infults he had received. And here the affair rested.

PORTSMOUTH, May 2. On Sunday morning arrived at Spithead his Majesty's fhip Edgar, of 74 guns, Capt. Bertie, with two prizes, namely, the Dumourier privateer, of 22 guns and 200 men; and a Spanish register fhip, called the St. Jago, from Lima, in South America, valued at upwards of 800,000l. which had been captured by the Dumourier privateer, about 200 leagues to the westward of the Lizard. The captain of the Spanish register ship took the French privateer to be an Algerine Corsair, having never seen the new National colours, or heard of the war; and, from a dread of being made flaves, stood an action of five hours, in which he had ten men killed, and thirty-feven wounded. His upper works were entirely shattered, and his people having been at fea from the time he left Lima, could no longer fupport the fatigue of the action, and struck their colours. After the was taken, all the fpecie, amounting to upwards of 500,000l. and weighing upwards of 60 tons, was moved into the privateer, which kept poffeffion of her prize only eleven days, when, falling in with thePhaeton frigate, Sir Andrew Snape Douglas, and four fail of the line of Admiral Gell's fquadron, the was obliged to furrender herself a prize to the British frigate. It is remarkable, that while the privateer was unshipping and re-shipping the dollars, the weather was fine and calm; and that after this business was effected, the wind immediately veered about, and springing up a brifk gale, carried them right into Admiral Gell's fleet.

The St. Jago was registered by the Spanish government for 800,000l. fo that he is doubtlefs worth a great deal more, and by far the richest prize ever carried into Britain, not even excepting the rich Acapulcho thip brought in by Lord Anfon, which compenfated for or gilded over all the mifcarriages of that celebrated voyage.

May 10. This day, between ten and eleven o'clock, the treasure taken out of the above prizes, and conveyed to the gun-wharf, was loaded in 21 waggons, provided by Meflrs. Badger and Clarke, in order to be conveyed to London. The waggons were escorted by a party of the life guards, amidst the acclamations of thousands of spectators of all descriptions.

LONDON, May 14. This morning, from half past four, till near fix o'clock, the above 21 waggons, loaded with Spanish treafure, and folid bars of filver, weighing from 165 to 167 pounds each, occupied the streets of this metropolis, in their way to the Tower. They were escorted by a detachment of horfe, accompanied by fome naval officers and British tars. They were received at the Tower by the governor, officers, and garrifon under arms, and conducted to the parade with drums beating, colours flying, and bands of mufic playing. The British flag flew triumphantly over the tri-coloured one of France upon every waggon, and a vast concourfe of people lined the roads and ftreets, and kept up one continual thout of acclamation and triumph. The fpecie has fince been removed to the Bullion office in the Bank.

The following is a state of the cargo of the St. Jago Spanith register fhip, as taken from the books of the Commander of Le General Dumourier:

In the privateer Le General Dumourier. 680 chefts of dollars, 3000 in each. 33 ditto of gold, jewels, and place.

Suppofed value 2,400,000 Dollars. In the Spanish fhip the St. Jago. 4,800 Quintals of copper. 2,666 Cafes of bark, of different weights 2,400 Quintals of cocoa. 11,250 Pounds of fine wool.

450 Ditto of extract of bark.
520 Quintals of pewter.

4,620 Pounds of different medicinal

roots.

250 Ditto of balfam of Pera, 145 Quintals of white fugar. 270 Prepared hides.

12 Barrels of Peruvian honey. 4 Ditto of Peruvian wine, i Cafes of Peruvian fruits.

The

4 Boxes of diamonds.

A vatt quantity of money in the
Spanish flip not mentioned.

The number of boxes of treasure entered at the Custom Houfe, Portsmouth, amounted only to 699; but in moving them from the St. Jago to Le Dumourier, and from thence to the Edgar, feveral of the cafes broke, and the treafure was repacked into others of a larger fize, which accounts for the difference in point of number.

By the above account the dollars are calculated at 2,400,000; the officers who have returned in the Edgar and Phaeton, however, eftimate them at 200,000 more. It is reported, that feven boxes of rough diamonds have been difcovered, fecreted in a private part of the St. Jago, fince the above treafure was fent to London; and the fhip is in confequence ordered to be broken up, and examined.

In every register thip which comes to Spain from South America, great quanties of gold and filver are concealed and Imuggled, and the moft ingenious methods are practifed to effect this purpofo, The St. Jago was built at Lima; there is, therefore, great probability, on her being ftript, immenfe ftore of wealth will be found that has not yet been difcovered; and what is very comfortable to the British feamen, there being no treaty of alliance between Spain and England, by the laws of nations the becomes the fole property of Admiral Gell's fquadron, which is as follows:

Boatfwains, Gunners, Puifers, Carpenters, Maf. ters Mates, Surgeons, Pilets, and Chaplains, each Midshipmen, Captain's Clerks,Sail-makers, Carpenters, Boatfwains, and Gunners' Mates, Mafters at Arms, Corporals, Cock fwains, Quarter Masters and Mates, Surgeons' Mates, and Serjeants of Marines, each Seamen and Marines, each

2,072 10

1,194 6

3327 34 12

Letters from Madrid advise, that all the English merchant ships, recaptured by the Spaniards in the Mediterranean, &c. are to remain in the Spanish ports, till the fate of the St. Jago register thip has been finally determined in England.

One of the most vexatious circumftances that perhaps could occur in the naval fervice, has happened to the Thetis frigate, commanded by Capt. Hartwell. That frigate had taken a French Eaft-Indiaman from Pondicherry to France, valued at 130,000l. but as this rich prize was fteering to England, she has been retaken by the Robert privateer of Nantes, and carried into France.

MAY 13. This day Rob, Mackreth, Efq. meinber for Athburton, in Devonhire, was brought up to receive the fentence of the court of King's Bench, for having fent a challenge to Sir John Scott, the attorney-general; when the court, after commenting on the heinousness of the offence of duelling, aggravated by the circumftance of provoking a public cha racter to fuch conduct, fentenced Mr.

Mackieth