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Admiralty Office, September 15, 1756.

Extract of a Letter from Vice-admiral Sir Hyde Parker, to Evan Nepeans Efq. dated on board his Majesty's Ship Queen, at Sea, Auguft 21, 1796.

CAPTAIN Brown has just reported to me the capture of La Rochelaife fchooner privateer, of 8 guns and 40 men, commanded by Giffard, from Rochelle.

Admiralty Office, September 15, 1796.

Copy of a Letter from Admiral Peston, Commander in Chief of his Majefty's Ships in the Downs, to Evan Nepean, Efq. dated September 14, 1796. BY a letter I have this day received from Mr. Nich. Simmonds, master of the Lion armed cutter, he acquaints me, that at fix o'clock on the morning of the 12th inftant, Beachy Head bearing N. by W. diftant about three leagues, he defcried a French cutter privateer within him, and immediately gave chace; the privateer finding that the Lion was determined to keep without him, at feven o'clock bore down, and, after exchanging feveral fhot, ftruck to the Lion, and proved to be the Turot, four days from Havre-de-Grace, commanded by Bernard Emanuel Turat, having four four-pounders and fix fwivels, a number of small arms, and twenty-five men. She had taken nothing during the cruize.

Admiralty Office, September 16, 1796.

Copy of a Letter from Captain Poyntz, Commander of his Majefty's Sloop Childers, to Evan Nepean, Efq. dated at Sea, off Cape Barfieur, September 14, 1796.

I BEG to reprefent to you, for the information of my lords commiffioners of the admiralty, that being this morning off Cape Barfleur, I fell in with and captured the French privateer Le Bon Efperance from Cherbourg, of two fwivels and 25 men, out three days; had captured the floop Mary Ann, of Queenborough, from Plymouth; which loops, from the account of the prisoners, I hope to fall in with. The privateer I have fent to Portsmouth, under the charge of the Trial cutter, who I fell in with bound to England the fame day.

Childers, at Sea, September 14
Ten o'Clock, P. M.

SIR, IN addition to my letter of this morning, I have the fatisfaction to inform you, for their lordships' information, that this evening I fell in with and recaptured the floop Mary Ann, of Queenborough, which was captured on Monday evening by the French privateer Bon Efperance, and which I captured this morning. The above veffel is laden with naval and ordnance ftores, from Plymouth, bound to Woolwich and London. The Trial cutter being not yet out of fight, I fhall direct her commander to take charge of her to Portsmouth.

I am, &c. (Signed)

S. POYNTZ.

From

From the LONDON GAZETTE, September 20.

Downing-freet, September 20, 1796.

THE difpatches, of which the following are copies, have been re ceived from Robert Craufurd, Efq. by the right honourable Lord Grenville, his Majefty's principal fecretary of ftate for foreign affairs.

MY LORD,

Head Quarters of his Rayal Highness the Archduke
Charles of Auftria, Lauffen, August 27, 1796.

I HAVE the honour to inform your lordship, that the main body of the Auftrian army of the Upper Rhine paffed the Danube at Donawert on the 13th instant, and halted near that place on the 14th; the rear guards ftill occupying the road leading from Norlingen and Hochftadt to Donawert; the former at the defile of Haarburg, the latter at a village about a league eastward of Blenheim.

On the 15th, his royal highnefs, leaving General La Tour with a confiderable part of the army of the Upper Rhine, to defend the Lech, marched with the remainder down the right of the Danube, with an intention of recroffing it, in order to operate again ft General Jourdan's right flank, whilst General Wartenfleben fhould advance and attack his front. The rear guards were of courfe withdrawn from the abovementioned pofts, and Donawert evacuated in the courfe of the day.

When his royal highness commenced this manœuvre, General Wartenfleben was in the pofition near Amberg. To turn the left of this pofition, General Jourdan had detached a confiderable column on the great road leading from Nuremberg, through Newmark, to Ratibon; and in order to oppofe this column, Major-general Nauendorf was advancing from the latter place with a corps of four of the battalions newly arrived from Auftria, and fome light troops.

On the 17th the troops, which the Archduke had brought from the army of the Upper Rhine, repaffed the Danube, in two columns, at Neuburg and Ingoldstadt, and encamped near thofe places; the latter of which being capable of defence, and important from its fituation an the river, a garrifon was thrown into it. The column that paffed at Neuburg was commanded by Lieutenant-general Hotze.

On the 18th the troops halted..

The intention was to proceed from hence with the right column from Ingolstadt towards Beilugriefs, and Lieutenant-general Hotze confiderably further to the left; but, in the night from the 18th to the 19th, intelligence was received that General Wartenfleben had been obliged to quit the polition of Amberg, and return behind the Nab.

The abovementioned projected movement of the Archduke's corps now became very dangerous, as its communication with General Wartenfleben would have been in the greatest degree precarious, and its retreat, in cafe of defeat, (being cut off, as it might have been, from the road to Ratifbon) extremely difficult. His royal highness therefore directed his march more to the right, and arrived on the 20th inft. with his right column at Hamman. From this time Major-general Nauendorf's corps, which advanced the fame day to the heights of

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Tafwang, formed his royal highnefs's advanced guard. Lieutenantgeneral Hotze's corps marched towards Beilugreifs.

By this march the Archduke fecured the road to Ratifbon, and the right flank of Jourdan's army was equally threatened, he having advanced to the Nab.

A heavy cannonade, heard in the direction of Schwartzfeld on the 20th instant, and other reafons, made it neceffary to proceed but flowly until more certain intelligence of General Wartenfleben's fituation could be obtained, and a combined plan of attack finally arranged. The abovementioned cannonade afterwards proved to be an affair of no in portance.

On the 22d the enemy's corps, which had advanced from Neumark, and taken poft behind a deep ravine, through which the great road pafies near the village of Teining, was attacked by the advanced guard under General Nauendorf, and obliged to quit his pofition, and retreat towards Neumark.

On the 23d the Archduke and Lieutenant-general Hotze's corps having reunited, advanced in feveral columns, and drove the enemy from their position behind Neumark. General Hotze pursued them to within a league of Altdorf, and at the fame time pushed forward a confiderable column of cavalry, and some light infantry, under Majorgeneral Prince John of Lichtenstein, on the great road towards Nuremberg.

i he right column of the Archduke's corps encamped near Neu

ma k.

On the 24th the long-intended combined operation took place against General Jourdan's army. This operation was performed in feven celonins. That of the right of General Wartenfleben's army advanced towards Weger; another large column proceeded from Schwartzfeld, havig a third fmaller force to its left, and a fourth advanced from Swandorf towards Amberg, in the neighbourhood of which place the three latter columns were to unite, and that of the left to form a junction with the Archduke's right, which proceeded from Neumark, by Caftell, to Amberg, having two ftrong corps to the left, of which the one under Lieutenant-general Starray advanced to Herfpruck, and the other under Lieutenant-general Hotze to Lauffen. This excellent difpofition would certainly have been followed by a very decifive battle, had not the enemy, alarmed at the menacing movements of the Archduke's cops, retreated fo precipitately as to make it impoffible Their lots muft, however, have been confiderable; and two battalions of their rear guard, which defended as long as poffible the defiles of Amberg, were completely annihilated by fome fquadrons of Auftrian cavalry. The different corps encamped in the evening in the neighbourhood of Amberg, Herfchpruck, Lauffen, &c. General Jourdan is continuing his retreat towards Forcheim.

Whift thele operations were carrying on, General Moreau croffed the Danube at Donawert, and acted with his whole army against General La Tour, who has been obliged to quit the pofition of the Lech, and on the 24th took another behind the Ifer. General La Tour's lofs has been very confiderable," although the great fuperiority of the enemy obliged him to retreat.

Thus, my lord, have I endeavonred to give your lordship an accurate account of the late events and movements: and it is with the deepeft

concern

concern I must conclude it by informing your lordship that my brother, Lieutenant-colonel Craufurd, was unfortunately wounded and taken on the 25th inftant.

The Archduke has been pleafed to write to General Jourdan, reclaiming him; and I have no doubt of their giving him up, as it would be contrary to every rule to detain a perfon as prifoner of war, who was not, at the time of his being taken, employed in a military capacity.

It is impoffible for me to exprefs to your lordship how much the Archduke, and, I may fay, all the principal officers of the army, have fhewn themselves interested about Colonel Craufurd: nor can I conclude without affuring your lordship, that his being taken was not owing to any imprudence; though, indeed, his conduct, ever fince he has had the honour of being attached to the Auftrian army, has been marked by that confpicuous zeal, activity, and courage, which he cannot help difplaying, even when only a fpectator of military operations. I have the honour to be, &c.

MY LORD,

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Head Quarters of his Royal Highness the Archduke
Charles of Auftria, Bamberg, August 31, 1796.

I HAVE the honour to inform your lordship, that after the affair of the 24th instant, General Jourdan continued his retreat in several columns through Velden, Pegnitz, &c. in the general direction of Ebermanftadt and Forcheim; he has been clofely pursued by the Archduke's army, under which denomination I comprife that lately commanded by General Wartenfleben, as well as thofe troops which his Royal Highnefs brought with him from the Danube.

On the 25th inftant, the advanced guard, under Lieutenant-general Kray, marched by Sultzbach to Hohenftadt, and a confiderable column of the enemy's baggage was taken or destroyed in the defile between that place and Velden. The troops, which had encamped the preceding evening near Amberg, followed General Kray's march, and the Archduke took his head quarters at Sultzbach.

On the 26th Lieutenant-general Kray purfued the enemy in the direction towards Graffenberg, and Lieutenant-general Hotze advanced from Lauffen towards Erlangen on the Rednitz; the former having his right covered by Major-general Elfnitz, in the neighbourhood of Velden, Neuhang, Belch, &c. as had the latter his left by Major-general the Prince of Lichtenftein, who had paffed through Nuremberg. The Archduke's columns marched from the camp of Sultzbach to Herchspruck on the Pegnitz.

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On the 27th, Lieutenant general Hotze, having croffed the Rednitz, moved towards Hochftadt on the Aisch, Prince Lichtenstein's corps forming his advanced guard, Lieutenant-general Kray's corps marched to Græffenberg, Betzenftein,&c. and the army from Herchfpruck to Lauffen.

On the 28th the Prince of Lichtenstein's light troops approached on the left bank of the Rednitz, very near to Bamberg. Lieutenantgeneral Kray marched to Neukirch, and the Archduke to Heroldf berg,

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On the 29th, upon the approach of the advanced guard, the enemy abandoned precipitately the ftrong fort of Forcheim, fetting fire to the mills and bridges on the Wilent to cover their retreat. The rear guard, confifting of nearly a divifion, took poft in the night with its left to the heights of Egglefheim, and its right to the Rednitz, on the road from Forcheim towards Bamberg. The army encamped between Baierfdorf and Forcheim.

Early on the morning of the 30th, Lieutenant-general Kray moved forward to attack the enemy in their pofition near Fgglefheim, but they abandoned it fo quickly, that no ferious affair could be engaged, nor could the column, which had been fent through the mountain to turn their left, arrive in time to fall upon their retreat, fo that their lofs was not confiderable. Lieutenant-general Kray purfued them towards Bamberg, and the Archduke took his head quarters at Hirschaid. the left of the Rednitz Lieutenant general Hotze advanced to Burg Ebe rach, pushing forward his advanced guard under the Prince of Lichten ftein to Eltman on the Meyn. Lieutenant-general Starray's corps, which had followed General Hotze's march, advanced to Clofter Ebe rach. Very early on the morning of the 30th, Jourdan's army, that is, the heavy artillery, &c. began to cross the Meyn at Hallftat.

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During the whole of the operations which I have had the honour of defcribing to your lordship in this and my laft difpatch, his royal highness's great aim has been to bring General Jourdan to a decifive battle, but the bad roads and defiles the troops had to pass between the Danube and Amberg confiderably retarding their march, gave Jourdan time to get off; and he has ince fucceeded in avoiding a general engagement, wherein he has been greatly favoured by the nature of the country, which is fo extremely hilly, woody, and interfected, as to make it impracticable to employ the cavalry.

Notwithstanding it is much to be regretted that it was not poffible to bring the enemy to a general battle, yet there are ftrong reafons to hope that thofe masterly manoeuvres, by which the Archduke has forced them to fo fudden a retreat, and has already driven them confiderably out of the direction which Jourdan undoubtedly must have wifhed to take, may ultimately have as happy an effect upon the general iffue of the campaign as they, at all events, will be honourable to his royal highness.

I am not yet enabled to inform your lordship of the number of prifoners made by the different columns; a confiderable number were taken on the 23d in the affair near Neumark, and in the affair of Amberg there were between nine hundred and a thoufand. Of what has been taken fince I fhall have the honour to acquaint your lordship in my next.

A corps under Major-general Nauendorff was detached on the 25th inftant, to reinforce General La Tour, who is behind the Ifer.

On the 27th Colonel Craufurd was left behind by the French, with a fafeguard, at Betzenftein, they having found it impoffible to tranfport him any further without endangering his life; they exacted his parole not to ferve against the republic till exchanged, which will, I believe, take place immediately. He has been moft feverely wounded in the head by a mulket ball, but I have the happinets to inform your lordfhip that the Archduke's own furgeon, whom his royal highnefs (whofe goodness on this occafion has been great indeed) was pleafed to fend to

him,

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