of Sunda, where falling in twice with an American frigate that gave them chafe, they were compelled to quit their ftation, and directed their courfe towards Bencoolen.

During the time Admiral Blankett was chafing the Clariffe, fhe not only threw her guns overboard, out cut her anchors from the bows; all her fmall arms were thrown over, an azimuth compafs, and, in fhort, every thing that could in the fmallest degree be of fervice to the captors.

Particulars of the Capture of the Ship Helen, commanded by CapStewart, belonging to Mers. Bruce, Fawcett and Co. of Bombay.

tain

On the 9th of July the Helen failed from Madras, at half paft ten a. m.; the wind being foutherly, fhe purfued her courfe clofe hauled to the eastward; at ten p. m. fhe paffed a fhip to leeward, ftanding

to

the eastward; the ftranger tacked between twelve and one, and was coming up very faft with the Helen; at half paft one fhe hailed her, and asked the fhip's name, and from whence the came? being fa. tisfied with their anfwers to thefe queftions, the commander of the Helen afked the ftranger's name? upon which they answered, a French privateer, and defired him to ftrike his colours, or they would fink him. Captain Stewart, feeing no probability of effecting his efcape, or of hazarding a conteft with any hopes of fuccefs, ordered his colours to be hauled down, and the fhip was taken poffeffion of by a party from L'Uni French privateer, mounting four eighteen-pounders, and twenty-four twelve-pounders, manned with 280 men. She failed from the Isle of France on the 3d of May, and had taken at the

Sychelles the Henrietta English pri vateer, belonging to Mr. Hogan at the Cape, and her prize, a flave fhip from Mozambique.

BOMBAY, Sept. 4, 1800. Information having this day reached the prefidency, of the intention formed by our fellow-fubjects at home, to perpetuate, by a naval monument, the glorious victories of the British navy, to be erected as the fole effufion of British gratitude by general and voluntary fubfcription; it is propofed to give, by public contributions, a proof of our immediate participation in these honourable fentiments; and it is not doubted that they will continue to manifeft the loyalty, liberality, and affection that has ever diftin. guished the fettlement of Bombay; their regard for the mother country, which, as the minifter on a fimilar occafion of Indian patriotism obferved, neither time nor abfence can diminish; their attachment to the British crown; their veneration for its grand fupporter, the navy of England, and their regret for their brave, but not unfortunate countrymen, who have perished in its defence.

Subfcriptions for this purpose will be received by James Smith, efq. to be remitted to the treasurer in England. Jonathan Duncan, W. Syer, William Page, James Rivett,

R. Ricards,
R. Bowles,
R. Nicholfon,
P. S. Maifter,
Robert Gordon,

James Fifher,
Alexander Adamfon,
Charles Forbes,
James Kerr,
Henry Woodington,
H. Fawcett, ten guineas.
Robert Henshaw,

Rupees, 500

200

200

200

100

100

200

100

50

50

100

100

50

50

126

Robert

50

50

50

50

Extract of a letter, giving the Particulars of the Lofs of the Ship Bhavani, Capt. Carfe, late of Calcutta.

Our voyage was uncommonly tedious from St. Helena; and owing to Sir Thomas Williams having carried us too far to the eastward, in croffing the line, we were a long time becalmed upon the coaft of Africa. The paffage, had we ftill perfevered in endeavouring to get within the Cape de Verd iflands, would have been next to miraculous. This deviation from the common track not only led us aftray in one inftance, but when we came to the northern limit of the trade wind, we had unavoidably fallen out of our track, and were a fecond time totally becalmed for a long time.

This latter calm was fucceeded by a gale of wind, which ceafed only at the diffolution of the Bhavani; it began to blow in the latitude of 380 N. and continued with fuch violence from the W. N. W. and N. W. that we were obliged to fcud before it, and were unavoid. ably feparated from the commodore, with whom we however fell in again a few days after, and fteered for the Channel.

In the lat. of 48° 50' or 49°, in the afternoon, the commodore made our fignal for the lat. and lon. which was answered; thefe agreed with his obfervations, We had founded

We hauled up to the fouthward immediately,and burned blue lights, one of which was anfwered, and we fteered for it. At four a. m. we fired a gun, which was alfo returned ahead (E. S. E.); at daylight we faw the London, Kingfton, Endymion, and another hip of war, in company with them, under easy fail ftanding for Plymouth; we made all fail poffible to join them, by letting out the reefs and fetting all the small fails.

In the afternoon it blew fresh in fqualls, and we fplit our jib; a lugger from the French coaft at this time fteering for our wake. Having fhifted our torn fail, we again made fail upon the ship, and continued under a very heavy prefs in the intervals between the fqualls, failing nine knots, one port free.

Towards the dusk we obferved the Endymion made fail, and, in company with another fhip of war, went into Plymouth; we, with the other fhips, ftood after him, and at 8 p. m. faw the Eddystone at about one mile's distance; the night being hazy and tempeftuous, we continued our courfe up the Channel. At two in the morning it blew vio. lently in fqualls, with hail, and we were obliged to furl all our fails; at three we hove too; in the morn. ing at dawn we veered and set our forefail, and close reefed mizen topfail; paffed feveral luggers.

We obferved that, although the fhip was going very faft through +C 3

the

we

the water, fhe did not pass the land with equal velocity; at fun-fet on the 7th November, we fet Duflftone-Head, bearing N. N. W. and were fteering E.S. E. at eleven in the fame evening we founded, and continued founding every hour.-At two in the morning I was called upon deck, it then blowing with the most exceffive violence, and learned that the fhip was in 14 fathoms water, and was then fhoaling, fuppofed to be upon the English coaft, fet there by the flood. We veered several times, but, as my duty was forward, I cannot fay how we stood upon each tack, except that it was clofe upon a wind; the wind about N. W.; by W. continued to fhoal out water until day-light,when we had nine fathoms, and faw the land bearing from N. N. E. to S. S. W. the nearest part of it about 3 or 4 miles; foon after we faw the French colours hoifted, and the batteries upon the shore opened their fire upon us; we veered once more and in veering we confiderably leffened our distance from the furf, which was breaking upon the beach at a mile's distance. All fail poffible was made upon the fhip, and every attempt that prudence and experience could dictate, was used for her prefervation; but the wind having moderated, and the very heavy ground-fwell breaking frequently over the fhip in large feas, together with the tide then fetting upon the fhore, rendered every attempt ufelefs,

No hope now remained of pre. ferving the fhip but fuch as we could expect from the anchors: and this laft effort (after endeavouring to get fhip upon the other tack, fhe having fallen off point by point on this) was thought by us all the only one that now remained; the fails were cleed up, and the best bower anchor dropped in five fathoms,

upon a bottom of gravel and fand ; we veered to two-thirds of a cable, and immediately parted. The other bower was now cut from the bows, and before he felt its effect, he ftruck the ground, (the batteries ftill continuing to fire); the fecond fhock was dreadful, and feemed to forbode the fpeedy diffolution of the fhip.

Our endeavours were now called for the prefervation of the lives of the crew, and we thought proper to cut the cable, to let the fhip drive as far upon the beach as poffible, as no hope feemed, in the prefent ftate of things, to prefent itself. We then hoifted our pinnace, and, as no attempt was used to prevent any perfons faving their lives, eleven men jumped into her, and left the fhip; fhe, the boat, almoft immediately upfet, and we had the mortification to fee them perish, without being able to render them any affiftance. The fhip continued to beat with violence; the forts now ceased fir ing, and immenfe crowds of peafants flocked to the beach ;-all attempts to get the long-boat out would have been ufelefs, as the could not have gained the shore through the furf which now furrounded us.-At two p. m. the furf had moderated, and the tide had fallen confiderably.-I now propofed to carry a line to the shore, and left the fhip in a small boat, accompanied by the third officer and two fea-cunnies; fortunately we all reached the fhore alive, and were well received by fome French officers, who had collected themfelves upon the beach to protect our landing. Hitherto the people on board had continued pretty fober, and excepting the most abject and degrading fear, we had no caufe to complain of their conduct; but they now endeavoured, ami ift the confufion

attending

attending our fituation, to drown their fears in plunder and intoxication. Captain Carfe generously told them, that he had no defire to fave any part of his property; that if they could be faved, thofe who could get them to the fhore were welcome to them; but he little knew that, previous to this, much had been conveyed, as well as his time-keeper, into the pinnace by his own fervants, who had perished. No part of our property was faved to us. At five p.m. the paffengers, and thofe of the crew who were not too drunk, got to the shore; in half an hour after the mainmaft went, and carried the mizenmaft and the whole of the poop with it. During the night the remaining part of the fhip's company were faved, by the vigilance and exertion of the French; and they indeed deferved the greateft credit, for they found many on board to appearance dead, but who were only in the laft ftage of bestial intoxication.

Of the whole fhip's company, 24 men perifhed, and, I am forry to add, that the greater part were Europeans. Upon our landing we were immediately made prifoners of war, and were conveyed to Valenciennes. We were allowed to leave France on the 10th January, and arrived in London on the 12th at night.

Extract of Particulars relative to the Capture of the hip Prize, of Calcutta, by the Confiance, Captain Surcouf.

We left the pilot on the 11th of September, and proceeded to the fouthward, working against fresh foutherly winds and fqually weather with little fuccefs, owing to a heavy head fea, and ftrong efterly current. On the 17th, finding the fhip too light to carry fufficiency of fail in fuch ftrong breezes, we thought it

moft prudent to ftrike eight of our ten guns into the hold; and in confequence found that it not only enabled us to carry more fail, but greatly improved our rate of failing. On the 18th we were abreast of Ganjam; on the 19th at day-light we faw a veffel in the fouthward standing to the northward; at that' time we took no further notice of her, fuppofing her to be a fmall veffel fteering towards the Sand-heads; and the wind coming off the land, which enabled us to lay our course, we began to make fail as faft as poffible; at feven the ftranger, which we obferved to be a remarkable faft failer, was almost abreast of us; at half paft feven the tacked, and at, eight we could fee her hull completely from the deck.

We now began to form fufpicions refpecting her; the had not the appearance of a merchantman, and we were foon convinced was not one, not only by her fuddenly putting about, but from her very faft rate of failing. At half past eight fhe hoisted English colours; at nine we could diftinguish a regular tier of guns, and that he was crowded with men. We were then convinced that he was a privateer, and being certain that there was neither any chance of running away from a veffel which failed fo amazingly faft, or of defending ourselves (even had our guns been on deck) against fo fuperior a force, we, after a fhort time, reforted to the only expedient we thought gave a probability of fuccefs, which was to wear fhip, and feemingly prepare for action, hoping that manoeuvre might intimidate the enemy. I am forry to fay they were too confident of their own ftrength to be fo eafily fright ed; for they immediately hauled down the English, hoisted French colours, and fired a gun to wind

+ C 4°

ward,