DECEMBER.

SIR,

SIR,

In my letter of yesterday I had the honour to report to you, that the enemy had shewn lately some disposition to advance and take ground nearer our works; and this morning I found they had thrown up an intrenchment of earth and gabions upon a peninsula or tongue of land within 200 yards of our works. I immediately determined to destroy the work, and dislodge them before they could have time to strengthen or bring any guns upon it; I appointed De Bersey's corps for this service, with a party of peasants to destroy the work, and the Maltese corps, under major Wen, to support and cover them: about

[December,

The

11 o'clock they crossed the ditch, drove the enemy from the ground, and destroyed the work. enemy made two or three attempts to advance in force, but were completely kept in check by our grape shot from the batteries, which were admirably well served; their bat teries kept up a very heavy fire of round and grape shot, which did us very little harm. The business being completed, the troops returned into the works, having suffered inconsiderably in numbers; though we have to lament one officer killed and three wounded. I was a good sion of the ground; but, upon con deal inclined to have kept possessideration of the weakness of our force, I thought it scarcely tenable so close to the enemy's works, more morning of their having got a reinespecially as we were advised this forcement of 200 men from Piombino, two or three nights ago. flatter myself, however, they are equally convinced of their inability to keep a post so near us. The killed and wounded, and three offi enemy admit between 60 and 70 ourselves, I am persuaded they are cers; and, from what we could see within the mark in this calculation. GEO. AIREY. Return of killed, wounded, and missing, at Porto Ferrajo, October 11.

I

Names

Names of officers killed and

wounded.

Maltese corps, ensign Bartoli wounded.-De Bersy's corps, ensign de Lannois killed; and captains Marson and Barbian wounded. GEO. AIRY.

(Signed) Admiralty-office, 16. Letter from lieutenant Wooldridge to lord Keith.

Armed brig Pasley, Gibraltar. My Lord,

I have the honour of informing you, that, in execution of your orders, on Wednesday the 28th inst. Cape de Gat bearing W. N.W. 20 leagues, I fell in with a polaca ship, who immediately gave chace, and, from her being to windward, we very soon neared each other and commenced the action, which continued for an hour, when, finding her guns much too heavy, and the gaffs, most of the stays and main rigging shot away, the only alternative was to lie her on board, which was done by running across her hawse, and lashing her bowsprit to the capstern: the contest now became severe; but, from the intrepidity of the Pasley's ship's company, notwithstanding the very great superiority of numbers on board the enemy, she was carried in about a quarter of an hour, and proved the Spanish ship privateer El Virgine del Rosario, pierced for 20 guns, but only 10 mounted, viz. two long 24-pounders, and eight long twelves, with a complement of 94 men, belonging to Malaga, on a cruize, out 20 days, but had taken nothing.

W. WOOLDRIDGE.
Officer and seamen killed on board
the Pasley.
Mr. James Pooke, gunner; 2

seamen.

Officers and men wounded. Lieutenant William Wooldridge,

commander, shot through the left shoulder; Mr. Ambrose Lions, master, wounded dangerously in the head; Mr. George Davie, first mate, shot through the thigh; 5 seamen.

Officers and seamen killed and wounded on board the enemy. First and second captain, second lieutenant, 2 prize-masters, the gunner, and 17 seamen, killed; 13 officers and seamen wounded.

Admiralty-office, 22. Letter from the right hon. lord Keith, K. B. to E. Nepean, esq. dated at sea, September 14.

SIR,

It is with great concern that I acquaint you, for the information of their lordships, of the capture of his majesty's ship the Swiftsure, by Gantheaume's squadron, on his return to France, after his unsuccessful attempt to debark troops on the coast of Egypt: I enclose a copy of captain Hallowell's communica tion of that unfortunate event.

KEITH.

On board l'Indivisible, in Toulon Roads, July 24.

My Lord,

It is with infinite concern I have to inform your lordship of the capture of his majesty's late ship Swiftsure, by a squadron of French ships under the command of rear-admiral Gantheaume. Having separated from my convoy, consisting of cartels and light transports, on the 22d ult., I was making the best of my way to Malta, when on the morning of the 24th, at half past three, the wind at N. W. Cape Dearne bearing S. W. distant about seven leagues, we discovered five sail to leeward of us nearly hull-down. As lieutenant Sheppard of the Pigmy cutter had informed me on the 19th that an enemy's squadron had quitted Durasso on the 7th, where they had attempted

attempted to land their troops, I concluded the ships in sight were those of which he had given me intelligence, and made all the sail possible to get from them. At sunrise my suspicions were realized; we clearly distinguished four of them to be of the line, the other a large frigate, and their signal flags soon pointed them out to be enemies. At half past five, two of the line of battle ships tacked by signals, and stood on till they fetched into our wake, while the other two and the frigate stood upon the same tack with us. At eight o'clock the two ships and frigate having forereached considerably on us, tacked and stood towards us until they got on our lee quarter, when they tacked again. From their great superiority of sailing, they closed with us so fast as to be nearly within gun-shot by two P. M.; and as the ships astern were coming up very fast, I determined on bearing down and engaging the two ships and frigate to leeward, hoping to disable one of them before the whole squadron could be brought into action, and thereby effect our escape by getting to leeward of them: at three o'clock I bore up, and steered to pass astern of the sternmost ship, all our steering sails set on the starboard side, when the enemy tacked and stood towards us: at half past three, the Indivisible, of eightyguns, bearing rear-admiral Gantheaume's flag, and the Dix Août, of seventy-four guns, being in close order, and within half gunshot of us, opened their fire, which was instantly answered, and a warm action ensued. Their great supe riority in point of sailing gave them every advantage of position, and baffled all our attempts to get to leeward of them. At thirty-seven minutes past four, the Jean Bart and

Constitution, of seventy-four guns, being within gun-shot, and closing upon our starboard-quarter very fast, the Indivisible almost on board of us on our larboard-bow, and the Dix Août on our larboard-quarter, our fore-yard and fore-topsail-yard shot away, all our running, and part of our standing rigging cut to pieces, the fore-mast, mizen-mast, and main-yard badly wounded, our deck lumbered with the wreck and sails, all hopes of making our es cape, or falling in with any succour, cut off, and only one of the enemy's ships apparently much damaged, I thought farther resistance in our crippled state would be exposing the lives of valuable men without any advantage to their country resulting from it; with pain, therefore, I ordered his majesty's colours to be struck, after an action of one hour and seven minutes. Most sincerely, my lord, do I lament our having been opposed to so very superior a force, as, from the steady and gallant conduct of the officers and men I had the honour to command on this occasion, and with whom I had been acting nearly four years on various services, I have not a doubt of what would have been the issue of a contest on more equal terms. Our loss has been principally in masts, yards, sails, and rigging, having only two men killed, lieutenant Davis, and seven men wounded (two of whom are since dead of their wounds), the enemy's intention being to disable us in our rigging, in which they succeeded too well: at the commencement of this unequal contest, we were eighty-six men short of compliment, and had fifty-nine sick, those who returned from the army before Alexandria having introduced a bad fever into the ship. Four hundred men were put on

board

board the Swifture on the evening of her capture, many of the prisoners removed, and the ship in so crippled a state as to render it necessary to take her in tow: the next day carpenters and seamen from all the ships were sent on board to repair her damages, and soldiers to complete her number to seven hundred; and with all their exertions, and the advantage of smooth water, it was six days be fore they were able to make sail. On the 4th of July, between Lampidosa and Pantalaria, they fell in with and captured the Mohawk, letter of marque, from Bristol to Malta, laden with various articles of merchandize; on the 22d they anchored in this road, in general very sickly, without having landed

any part of their troops on the coasts of Egypt or Barbary, although they attempted a debarkation at Derne, on the 23d ult.: but from the hostile appearance and reception of the natives they did not persevere, and returned to their ships without landing a single person.

I feel it a duty I owe to admiral Gantheaume to mention to your lordship the handsome manner in which we have all been treated by the officers of his squadron, and by him in particular: the strictest orders have been issued to preserve the property of every individual; and he has done every thing in his power to render the situation of the officers and men as comfortable as possible.

BEN. HALLOWELL,

9400

Males 9661 Females 9713

70 and 80-1047 80 and 90- 484 102 1 90 and 100 64

Feb. 9. Lady of the hon. George Gunning, M. P. a son.

12. Hon. Mrs. Poyntz, a son.
21. Countess of Errol, a son.
23. Lady viscountess St. Asaph,

a son.

ter.

24. Lady Louisa Brome, a daugh

Lady of sir George Armytage, bart. a daughter.

March. 2. Countess of Guild. ford, a son and heir.

23. Countess of Derby, a daugh

ter..

-.

Lady Wm. Beauclerk, a son. 25. Marchioness of Bath, a daughter.

March