From the LONDON GAZETTE, October 18. Downing Street, Oct. 18. DISPATCHES, of which the following are copies, have been received from Captain Anftruther and Robert Craufurd, Efq. by the right hon. Lord Grenville, his Majefty's principal fecretary of ftate for foreign affairs. Head Quarters of his Royal Highness the Archduke MY LORD, HIS royal highnefs the Archduke, leaving a confiderable corps in referve at Windecken, marched with the main body on the 12th to Friedberg. From thence General Kray pushed on with a strong advanced guard towards Wetzlar, on the approach of which the enemy abandoned the town, and took poft on the heights behind it. General Hotze was detached at the fame time towards Weilbourg, but was not able to make himfelf mafter of the place. His royal highnefs, whofe chief operations feemed hitherto to be directed on Wetzlar, now turned to the left, and following the great road to Limbourg, encamped on the 14th inftant near Weyer. His object was to form a junction with the corps under General Neu, which was advancing from Schwalback, and to endeavour to penetrate the centre of the enemy's line at the points of Limbourg and Dietz, whilft General Kray turned it by the left from Wetzlar, and General Milius kept in check the right, pofted near Naffau. On advancing to reconnoitre the enemy, his royal highnefs found him very advantageoufly pofted, and a confiderable force on the heights in front of Limbourg; and as from the reports received from the advanced corps, there was every occafion to believe that he meant to difpute the paffage of the Lahn, it was judged adviseable to defer the attack till the co-operation of General Neu was more certain, and till the referve, which was now ordered up from Windecken, fhould arrive. Early on the 16th his royal highneis advanced against the front of the enemy's pofition, whilft General Neu, from Kirberg, turned it. The enemy, who faw himfelf in danger of being cut off, abandoned the heights with precipitation, and being clofely purfued, was obliged to take felter behind the Lahn, leaving the Auftrians mafters of Dietz and Limbourg. The tirailleurs defended themfelves, however, in the fuburbs of the latter, with fo much obftinacy, that night came on before it was poffible to diflodge them. From the refiftance made at Limbourg, the Archduke was in hopes that the enemy meant to risk an action in the pofition of Hadamar, and in confequence the whole army affembled before day-break on the 17th, betwixt Dietz and Limbourg, from which point it was determined that a general attack fhould be made. A very thick mift, which prevailed in the morning, prevented the troops advancing fo early as was in tended; and when it cleared away the enemy was feen in full retreat, and already at fuch a diftance as to leave no hope of bringing him to action. He abandoned fucceffively, in the courfe of the day, all his pofts on the Lahn, thofe of the left and centre retiring towards the Sieg; and the divifion of the right, and the corps which blockaded VOL. V. P Ehren Ehrenbreitstein, throwing themselves into the tete de pont at Neuwied, and the entrenchments on the left bank of the Rhine. No time was loft by the different Auftrian corps in paffing the Lahn in purfuit of the enemy. General Kray was, on the 19th, at Herboon, and pushes on towards Dellenbourg and Siegen. The advanced guard of his royal highnefs's column is this day at Hochitebach, in the direction of Altekirck, and General Neu is in the neighbourhood of Neuwied. The pains which the enemy has heftowed in fortifying the latter place, prefent difficulties which it will perhaps require time to overcome, but which, in the mean time, will not in any degree retard the progrefs of the army. The feeble refiftance which the French have made in a post fo important and advantageous as that behind the Lahn, and which they certainly had refolved to defend, confirms, in the strongest manner, the reprefentation which I have had the honour of making to your lordship of the fituation of their army. Disorders of every kind have arifen to fuch a height amongst them, that Jourdan thought it neceffary to demand extraordinary and unlimited powers of the Directory, without which it would be impoffible for him to restore discipline and fubordination. This request was not only refuted by the Directory, but he himself is removed from the command, which is conferred on Bournonville. This circumftance has added much to the difcontent of all claffes in the army. A number of the officers of the highest rank and reputation have given in their refignations, and the defer◄ tion among the foldiery is prodigious. Under these circumftances, it is rather to be wifhed than expected that the enemy may attempt to make another stand on this fide of the Rhine. I feel infinite fatisfaction in being able to ftate to your lordship, that from the favourable accounts received of the fituation of Colonel Craufurd, there is every reafon to hope that he will be enabled to refume the functions of his miffion much fooner than was at first expected, MY LORD, ROBERT ANSTRUTHER, Head Quarters of his Royal Highness the Archduke A REPORT is just received from Lieutenant-general Hotze, in which he states, that in advancing yesterday evening towards Hockitebach, he found means to bring on a ferious affair with the rear guard of the enemy, which terminated entirely in favour of the Auftrians. Marceau, general of a divifion, and diftinguished amongst the French for his activity and enterprize, is wounded and taken prifoner. His two aides de camp have fhared the fame fate, and his adjutant-general I was left dead on the field. A confiderable number of inferior officers and privates are likewife brought in. The enemy continues his retreat with the utmost precipitation. It is generally fuppofed, however, that he will affemble his whole force in the ftrong pofition of Ukareth, and there make another stand. This has induced the Archduke to bring nearer to the main body the corps under General Kray, who, in confequence, encamps to day at Hackenburg. His royal highnefs will be this evening at Walrode, and and the advanced guard of General Hotze is pushed on to Altenkirchen and Weyerbush. A confiderable corps, drawn from the garrifons of Manheim and Philipfburg, and reinforced by the detachment of cavalry under Count Meerfeldt, has advanced into the margraviate of Baden, and has met with much fuccefs. They have furprifed and difperfed the corps which the enemy had left in that country, have made a number of prifoners, and taken or destroyed a quantity of baggage and ammunition. Accounts are received of the operations of General La Tour down to the 14th inftant, by which it appears that General Moreau quitted his pofition on the left bank of the Yfer on the 10th and 11th inftant. General La Tour followed him closely, and was on the 12th at Pfaffenhoven. As General Moreau feemed to direct his march towards Neuburgh, where it was fuppofed he would repafs the Danube, General Nauendorff croffed the river below that place in order to watch his motions; and on the 14th engaged a ferious affair with his rear guard, in which the Auftrians took one piece of cannon, and upwards of a thousand prifoners. MY LORD, I have the honour to be, &c. Head Quarters of his Royal Highness the Archduke IN my dispatch of the 20th inftant I had the honour of mentioning to your lordship the idea which prevailed that the enemy intended making a ftand in the pofition of Ukareth. On the 21st, however, pofitive information was received, that only a rear guard remained on the Sieg, the main body having taken the direction of Duffeldorff, whilst two divifions of the right wing had actually croffed the Rhine at Bonn. The Archduke now faw himself at liberty to undertake the projected operation towards the Upper Rhine, and he loft not a moment in making the neceffary arrangements for that purpose. Lieutenant-general Wefnech, who commands the army destined for the defence of the Lahn, received orders to advance on the 22d to Ukareth and the Sieg, and at the fame time his royal highness began his march towards the Meyn. He croffed that river on the 25th inft. and leaving a confiderable referve cantoned betwixt Mayentz and Frankfort, proceeds to the Upper Rhine. The latest reports from Lieutenant-general Petrafch, after mentioning a number of fuccefsful expeditions, in which the lofs of the enemy had been very confiderable, ftate the unfortunate iffue of an attempt made on Kehl on the 17th inftant. The attack took place in two columns, and was at first completely fuccefsful. The French were driven from the town and fort with great lofs, and forced to take refuge on the other fide of the Rhine. Unluckily the commanding officer of one of the Auftrian columns was killed, and that of the other taken prifoner during the affair, and the troops, deprived of their leaders, fell into the greatest confufion; whilft the French, having received a reinforcement from Strafburg, paffed the bridge, which the Auftrians had neglected to deftroy, and, falling on them before they could be brought into any degree of order, drove them in their turn from the post which they had fo gallantly carried. Lieutenant-general Petrafch, after an unfuccessful effort to diflodge the enemy, retired to his pofition at Bifchoffsheim; and, leaving a detachment to obferve Kehl, and guard the pafs of the Kniebis and the valley of Keutzig, he marched with the rest of his corps towards Stutgard, where his van guard would arrive on the 24th inftant. By reports from General La Tour, it appears that Moreau, who, as I had the honour of mentioning to your lordship, had retreated from the Yfer, behind the Leck, made a forward movement on the 17th inftant, drove in the Auftrian advanced out-posts, and extended himself as far as Landfberg on the Leck. General Frolich, defcending the Iller, occupied on the 17th Immenftatt and Kempen, and on the 19th advanced to Ifay, where he completely defeated the enemy, made 500 prifoners, and difperfed the reft of the corps in the woods; and thus the right of Moreau was completely uncovered. General Nauendorff, in the mean time, had advanced with a confiderable corps to Nordlingen, from whence he took poffeffion, on the 20th, of Donawert and the Schellenberg. His parties extend to Dillingen, Ulm, and Gemund, from whence he had put himself in connection with the light troops of General Petrafch, at Constadt. Under thefe circumitances, Moreau felt the neceflity of a retreat. In the night of the 20th he repaffed the Leck at Augsbourg and Rain; on the 22d his head quarters were at Weiffenhom, and he had occupied Ulm, which was commanded by General Nauendorff. General La Tour had croffed the Leck on the 22d, and his advanced guard was at Werthinger. I have the honour to be, &c. ROBERT ANSTRUTHER, Wilhembad, September 21, 1796. A REPORT of General Moreau's directing his retreat through Franconia, in order to form a junction with Jourdan by Fulda, proves to have been induftriously spread with a defign to create alarm, but was, nevertheless, founded on the circumftance of the enemy's having puflied a corps of cavalry as far at Aichftadt. The acts of licentious barbarity that have lately been committed by the enemy, even exceed every thing we have heard of their cruelty before. Numbers of villages have been burnt, not in the way of punishment, or to retard the purfuit of the conqueror, but merely from the delight they feem to take in wickednefs, as they frequently went out of their road in order to fet fire to them. Leipfic, September 23. THE fituation of the enemy's army, commanded by General Moreau, is now fuch as to give no farther apprehenfion whatever as to the fecurity of the whole circle of Franconia, and alfo a great part of that of Suabia; General Nauendorff having, by his different movements, obtained in thofe parts a decided fuperiority of pofition over that of the enemy. General General Moreau's army, in the environs of Donawert, Augsburg, and Ulm, is in fuch confufion and terror, that they have nothing left but to feek how to effect their retreat over the Rhine. The Imperial troops have taken poffeffion of Stutgard and Conftadt, and extend themselves all along the Upper Rhine to Stalhoffen, and even fo far as to Kehl. All accounts received from those parts are filled with particulars relative to the capture of different French commiffaries, together, with their plunder and booty in money and other objects of value, by the advanced Auftrian troops. In this they are moft eagerly fupported by the pealants of thofe countries, who vie one with another in difcovering every thing concealed by the enemy, and alfo in leading the Imperial troops through all the difficult paffages; by all which means a great number of the French fall daily into the hands of their purfuers. MY LORD, Head Quarters of the Archduke Charles of I HAVE the honour to inform your lordship, that General Moreau, after abandoning his pofitions on the Leck, directed his retreat, with a confiderable part of the army, towards Ulm. very Six commiffaries, and all the people belonging to the bread department, were taken, on the 22d inftant, upon the roads leading from Ulm towards Confladt and Stutgard. They had been fent forward to prepare bread, at the two latter places, for four divifions of General Moreau's army; from which circumftance, as well as from other intelligence, it was evident that his intention was to cross the Danube at Ulm, and retreat by Stutgard and Conftadt towards Kehl. But Major-generai Nauendorff, advancing from the neighbourhood of Nordlingen, arrived before Ulm time enough to fruftrate General Moreau's defign, fo that when, on the 23d, a ftrong column of the enemy defiled out of the town, they found the heights, commanding the road towards Stutgard, already occupied, and did not attempt to force them. The next day General Nauendorff made his advanced guard (under Major-general O'Reilly) attack this corps, and drove it back to the gates of Ulm. The enemy, finding himself thus prevented from executing his intended march to Conftadt and Stutguard, abandoned Ulm on the 26th inftant, leaving in it a large magazine, and a confiderable number of his pontoons, and proceeded along the left bank of the Danube as far as Erbach, where he again croffed the river, and directed his retreat (as it is fuppofed) towards the foreft towns. General Nauendorff marched on the 27th by Blauberen towards Tubingen, where he could come into communication with Majorgeneral Meerfelds, who was at Heckingin. Lieutenant-general Petrafch, after being informed of the enemy's having been fruftrated in his attempt to retreat by Stutgard, directed his march by Horb towards Villingen; a detachment from his corps, under Colonel D'Afpre, occupying the Knieby and the valley of King, the Rench, and the Murg. A corps that had been detached by General Moreau to reinforce the poft of Kehl, had attempted to force the Kinfig valley, but was repulfed, and obliged to retreat by Freyburg, General |