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Extract of a Letter from Captain Cochrane, of his Majefty's Ship Thetis, to Mr. Nepean, dated St. George's, Bermuda, May 16, 1766.

I BEG leave to enclose, for the information of my lords commiffioners of the admiralty, a copy of a letter from Captain Evans, of his Majesty's floop Spencer, giving an account of his having captured, on the 4th inftant, the French corvette La Volcan, from Charlestown, bound to Guadaloupe, after an action of one hour and a quarter.

Much praise feems to be due to Captain Evans, his officers, and fhip's company, for their very steady conduct. The very great fuperiority of the enemy in number of men, and the Spencer having three guns difmounted on the fide the engaged, prevented the action from being brought to a close fo foon as it otherwife would have

been.

SIR,

Spencer, St. George's, Bermuda,
May 10, 1796.

I HAVE the the pleasure to acquaint you, that on the morning of the 4th inft. being in company with his Majefty's fhips Bonetta and L'Efperance, in lat. 28 deg. N. and longitude 69 deg. W. our fignal being made to chace, we pursued, and at twelve o'clock came up with and captured the French corvette La Volcan, after a clofe action of one hour and a quarter, with the lofs of one feaman killed and one wounded. The above-mentioned fhips having chaced two veffels standing a contrary way, we loft fight of them about ten o'clock,

My officers and fhip's company deferve the highest credit for their conduct on this occafion, evincing a coolness and obedience very meritorious. I am more particularly indebted to Lieutenant Lennox, and Mr. Harriden, the master, for their affistance.

Several

I cannot exactly afcertain the enemy's lofs, as they ftudiously endeavour to fupprefs it, but have reafon to think it confiderable. They have fuffered very much from fome powder flasks and combustibles taking fire, which they had prepared with intent to board us. of their men jumping overboard were drowned, and many others miferably burnt, fome of whom have fince died. The damage they fuftained was very great, her top mafts being fhot away, and her rigging, both ftanding and running, cut to pieces. The Spencer's (except her mizenmaft badly wounded, and fome of the running rigging rendered ufelefs) is not material.

I have judged it proper to make this port to land our prifoners, whofe numbers far exceed our own, as well as to refit and complete our water,

I am, &c.

A. F. EVANS.

Hon. A. F. Cochrane, Commander of his
Majefty's Ship Thetis, and Senior
Officer at Bermuda.

Admiralty Ofbce, June 21, 1796.

Extract of a Letter from Vice-Admiral King fmill, to Mr. Nepean, dated L'Engageante, Cork Harbour, June 15, 1796.

MY letter of the 13th inftant acquainted you, for the information of my lords commiffioners of the admiralty, that I had fent out La

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Trom

Trompeufe floop to meet the Unicorn, and her prize La Tribune, and afford them any affiftance they might need; you will now pleafe to communicate to their lordships, that, in execution of thefe orders, La Trompeufe, within a few hours after failing from hence, on the 12th inftant, discovered two brigs, the nearest of which, a collier, having been just before captured by the other, was immediately retaken, and Captain Watson proceeded in chace of the privateer, which he had the good fortune to come up with, and to capture about ten o'clock the fame evening, close in fhore, between Bally Cotton and Cable Island. She proves to be L'Eveille, mounting fix guns, four of which were thrown overboard during the chace, but carrying one hundred men; had been out ten days from Breft, and had in the morning, well to the fouthward, taken a Newfoundland outwardbound brig, which our other cruizers are likely to intercept.

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From the LONDON GAZETTE, June 28.

Admiralty Office, June 28, 1796.

Extract of a Letter from Admiral Sir John Jervis, K. B. Commander in Chief of his Majefty's Ships and Vejels in the Mediterranean, to Mr. Nepean, dated on board the Victory, off Toulon, May 11, 1796.

I DESIRE you will communicate to the lords commiffioners of the admiralty the enclosed letter from Commodore Nelson, addreffed to me; and the fatisfaction I feel in having an officer of fuch zeal and local knowledge on the important ftation he occupies.

SIR,

Agamemnon, off Loana, April 25, 1796. THIS morning having received information that a convoy, laden with ftores for the French army had anchored at Loana, I loft no time in proceeding off that place, with the flips named in the margin.* I was forry to obferve, on my approach, that, inftead of a convoy, only four veffels were lying under the batteries, which opened on our approach, and their fire was returned as the ships got up, under cover of which our boats boarded the four veffels, and brought them off. The veffels laying very near the fhore, a heavy fire of mufketry was kept on our boats, and it is with the greatest grief I have to mention that Lieutenant James Noble, of the Agamemnon, a moft worthy and gallant officer, is, I fear, mortally wounded. The fire from the ships keeping under the fire of the batteries, we fuftained no damage: the Agamemnon, was, I believe, the only fhip ftruck by fhot. The principal part of this fervice fell on our boats, whofe conduct and gallantry could not on any occafion have been exceeded, and I wish fully to exprefs the fenfe I entertain of the gallantry of every officer and man employed on this occafion. Herewith I tranfmit a lift of wounded, and of the veffels taken, none of which had any colours hoisted, or man on board, when taken.

Sir John Jervis, K. B.

I have the honour to be, &c.
HORATIO NELSON.

* Meleager, Diadem, Peterell.

Wounded.

Wounded.

Lieutenant James Noble, of the Agamemnon.
Two feamen of the Meleager.

Lift of Veffels taken.

One fhip of eight guns (four of which are brafs) and twenty bra pateraroes, laden with corn and wine.

One ketch, laden with mufkets and cafes of ammunition.
One galley laden with wine.

One ditto with corn.

Officers employed in the Boats.

Lieutenants Suckling, Noble, and Compton, of the Agamemnon Lieutenant Calverhoufe, of the Meleager.

Lieutenant Ryder, of the Diadem.

HORATIO NELSON.

From the LONDON GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY, Friday, July 1, 1796.

Downing-freet, June 30.

DISPATCHES, of which the following are copies and extracts, have been received from Lieutenant-colonel Craufurd, by the right hon. Lord Grenville, his Majesty's principal fecretary of State for foreign affairs.

MY LORD,

Baumbolder, June 1, 1796.

I HAVE the honour to inform your lordship that hoftilities commenced yesterday morning, at half an hour paft ten o'clock. The enemy attacked the village of Walhaufen, fituated near the fources of the Nahe, and occupied by the Auftrians as an advanced poft; but they were repulfed, lofing from fixty to feventy killed, and near four hundred taken prifoners.

The Auftrian General Schellenberg took poffeffion at the fame time of Kern, upon the Nahe. The enemy made feveral unfuccefsful efforts to diflodge him from that poft, and fuftained a confider

able lofs.

To-day a part of the Auftrian hulans, and the Salkbourg light infantry, attacked and defeated one of the enemy's pofts near Steinberg, towards the fource of the Blifs. There have been other trifling fkirmishes that are not worth noticing, in all which the Auftrians have had the advantage. In the courfe of yesterday and to day, their lofs has been four officers, and between feventy and eighty noncommiffioned officers and privates.

I have the honour to be, &c. &c. &c.

C. CRAUFURD.

Ober

Ober Mufchel, June 6, 1796.

ON the 4th and 5th reports were received from Prince Ferdinand of Wirtemberg, who commanded the corps upon the Sieg: they ftated in fubftance as follows:

The two divifions of the enemy's troops that were in the neighbour hood of Duffeldorf, being confiderably reinforced from their army of the north, marched towards the Sieg, and after fome fevere fkirmishes, forced the Prince of Wirtemberg's advanced pofts to quit that river on the ft. His ferene highnefs then took a pofition at Corbach, near Hackenbourg, having an advanced guard at Altenkirchen.

On the 3d the enemy attacked the poft of Altenkirchen, and carried it with great lofs, after experiencing the moft obftinate refiftance that it was poffible to make. Nothing could furpass the bravery displayed by the Auftrian troops, but they were obliged to yield to the great fuperiority of numbers, the enemy having brought the principal part of the force which they had on the right bank of the Rhine against that one point.

MY LORD,

Head-quarters, Hockheim,
June 10, 1796,

I HAVE the honour to inform your lordship, that on the 6th inft, Prince Ferdinand of Wirtemberg, upon finding that the enemy was manœuvring to turn his right flank, retired from the Synbach rivulet to the Lahn, and took a pofition near Limbourg, having a corps upon his left at Naffau, and one upon his right at Weilberg; the latter detached five fquadrons of light cavalry to the neighbourhood of Wetzlar, for the purpose of obferving the enemy's movements on that fide. The first reinforcements that were fent to the Prince of Wirtemberg joined him the 7th. Several other troops have fince arrived in the pofition of the Lahn, and the further progrefs of the enemy is effectually stopped by the active and energetic meafures which the Archduke has employed upon this important occafion.

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General Jourdan, immediately after the fuccefs of General Kleber against the Prince of Wirtemberg, threw bridges over the Rhine at Neuwied, and he is affembling, with the utmost diligence, the principal part of his army on the right bank of the Lahn. His firft intention evidently was to advance to Franckfort; but, as the Archduke has còmpletely foiled him in that project, he feems now to confine his views to the fiege of Ehrenbreitftein, which he has invefted. The Archduke is now marching against him with his main army, having left a confiderable corps under General Mercantin, in the pofition behind the Seltz rivulet, between Mayence and Altzey. His royal highness's head-quarters were moved, on the 6th inftant, from Obermufchel to Wonfheim, on the road from Creutz- nach to Altzey; on the 8th to Nider Ulm, and on the 9th to this place, where they remain to-day. All that part of his army which is destined to act immediately against General Jourdan, has paffed the Rhine at Mayence, and is advancing towards the enemy, full of spirits, and confident of victory.

Marthal Wurmfer has detached to the Upper Rhine a fufficient number of troops to put his left flank in fecurity against any attempts which General Moreau might now be induced to make on that fide, and his excellency ftill maintains a pofition, with a part of his army, on the left bank of the Rhine, from Reh Hutte to Franckenthal, the left of which is covered by the lower part of Rehbach rivalet, and the

front

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front and right by the canal called the Floreback, that interfe&ts the plain from the Rehback to Franckenthal, and runs from thence through part of the wood of Frifenheim into the Rhine.

I hope foon to have the honour of tranfmitting to your lordship an account of his royal Highnefs's fuccefs against General Jourdan, and the confequent relief of Ehrenbreitftein; events, which the vigorous offenfive meafures that will be immediately pursued in that quarter feem to insure.

I have the honour to be, &c. &c. &c.

C. CRAUFURD.

Head-quarters of his Royal Highness the Archduke Charles of Auftria, Hackenbourg, June 18, 1796.

I HAVE the honour to inform your lordship, that the Archduke's head-quarters were moved from Hocheim to Schwalbach; near Kon, ingstein, on the 11th inftant, to Heffe Homburg on the 12th, and to Græffin Wifbach the 13th, where they remained the 14th; on which day his royal highnefs completed the neceffary arrangements for the defence of the Lahn, between Braunfels and the Rhine, which chiefly confifted in pofting a large corps at Limbourg, with two others of inferior force near Naffau and Weilburg. On the 14th a confiderable corps, under the command of Lieutenant-general Werneck, arrived at Wetzlar, the Saxons at Butzbach, nearly fouth of Wetzlar. Another strong column, commanded by General Kray, marched the fame day to the neighbourhood of Braunfels, and a partifan corps pufhed across the Lalin to Koningsberg, which lies between Gieffen and Herbron on the Dille.

The river Dille formed the natural left flank to the enemy's line of defence, which was covered on the right by the Rhine: and as the hills on the right bank of the Dille are very steep, woody, and difficult of accefs, it was effential for the enemy to occupy them, but more efpecially fo, to take the pofition between Hernanitein on that river, and Altenbourg on the Lahn, as the Auftrians would then have been completely prevented from croffing at Wetzlar, and obliged to ma noeuvre, by Gieffen, towards Herborn and Dielenburg

The Archduke ordered General Werneck to puth his advanced poft acrofs the Lahn and the Dille at Wetzlar on the 14th, and to pass on the 15th, with his whole corps; to fupport which manoeuvre, the Saxons were directed to advance to Wetzlar the fame day, and General Kray to occupy the heights between Braunfels and Leuhn on the Lahn, The French general, Le Fevre, was in march with a large corps for the fame object at the fame time. The heads of his columns attacked General Werneck's advanced guard, which, after making a very long and moft obftinate refiftance, was obliged to yield to the great fuperiority of numbers. The enemy then occupied the abovemen tioned pofition, with their right to the Lahn and their left to the Dille, and began a fevere cannonade upon the Auftrians, who, though at the foot of the heights, with the river clofe in their rear, had formed again, and stood firm. His royal highnefs the Archduke having arrived juft as the advanced guard was retiring, ordered the Saxons to accelerate their march, and particularly the cavalry, to advance with as much expedition as poffible. His royal highnefs likewife ordered that part of General Werneck's corps, which had remained in referve on the left

bank

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