COG 



State of Public J fairs in September y 1805. [O^. 1, 



Governor General and Council, froivi 

 which we extract the following pira- 

 grajih : — 



<' On the 24th of February the Com- 

 mandtr in Ciiiet to 'k up a new polition, 

 on the north-eaft fide of Bhurtpore, and 

 hi> Excellency is prepared to cotnintnce 

 operations againrt tliat place as To in as he 

 fliail have leceivcd lupplies of ftorei and 

 animiniition, which aie advancing to- 

 wards the army tiom the ftaiions with the 

 Company's provinces at which they had 

 been collefled. Tiie Commander in Chief 

 exprefics a confident hope of ohtaining 

 poflTtfTion of Bhurtpore before the conclu- 

 llun of the feafon fur aftive military ope- 

 ratinns in that cjuarter of India." 



We rejoice to announce the fafe arrival 

 of our Eaft India fltet, and alio of a 

 great part of that fiom the Weil Indies. 



The tbllowing inllance of Biitilh va- 

 lour deferves 10 be recorded : 



Aimh ally Office, Augvji Zi,, 1S05. 

 Copy of a Letter from C.ipia n Miidge, ■ f his 

 Majeflry's late Ship Blanche, to William 

 M^iifden, Efq. dated on Board the French 

 national Ship Topazc, 22dju!y, 1805. 



Si R, 



T am forry to inform you of the lofs of his 

 Mnjefty's (hip Blanche, which was captured by 

 a French fquadron, as per margui ;» but, thank 

 God, (he was not dclli ed to bear French co- 

 lours, or to afi.ift the fleet of the en- my. 



On Friday morning, July 19, in lat 20 deg. 

 20 min. N. long. 60 <ieg. 44 min. VV. (weather 

 h.izy) at eight, fiur fail were I'een off the wea- 

 ther CTt-hend, three (hips, and a biig on the 

 oppofite tack, under eafy fail. I kept to the 

 wind until we were near enough to dlltmguiih 

 Colours, I then made the neceliary fignals to 

 al'certain whether tliey were enemies. At 

 «en, when a breall about three miles diftant, 

 they all bore up, and hoWted Englilh eufigns ; 

 but, from the make ot the Union, and colour 

 of the bunting, with other circumltances, 1 

 CO' eluded they were French, and iherefore de- 

 termined to lell the fhip as de.irly as polTiblc (lor 

 failing was out of the <jue(tion, the Blanche 

 having little or no copper on tliele laft nine 

 months, and failed very heavy). Having 



* La Topnze, of 44 guns, 28 18-pounders 

 on the main- deck, 1036-poufiu carronades and 

 6 12 pounders on the quarter deck and foic- 

 caftle, Capt. Bourdin comm.inder, 340 mtn, 

 10 officers, ai.d 60 privates. Legion de Midi. — 

 (410.) 



Lc Departement dcs LanJcs, of 20 guns, 

 ^ pounders, arid two O-poundeis on the toie- 

 cai'lle, Capt. des Mantel, 200 men, 6 officers, 

 •lid 30 privates,. Legion de Midi. — (2 16 ) 



Lr Torche, of 18 guns, long 1 2 -pounders, 

 tapt. Brunef, 190 men, 3 olficers, and 2o pri- 

 vates, Legion de Midi. — (213.) 



Lc J'aune, of 16 guns, (j-pounder^ Capt. 

 Delun, 120 mca and 3 «tiii;ers, Lcgign tie 



Midi,-{18J-} 



brought to with the mainfail in the brails, at 

 eleven the Commodore ranged up within two 

 cables length, fhifted his colours, nr<d gave us 

 hisbroadfide. When within piftol (hot (he re- 

 ceived oiir's : the adtion became warm and 

 fteady, the fhips never out of hail of each other, 

 running large, under eafy fail — Le Departement 

 des Lande"! on the ftaiboard quarter, and the two 

 corvettes clofc a-ftern. /i t forty-fiv- minutes 

 paft eleven the fiiip became ungovernable, and 

 was reduced to a perfeiS wreck ; the fails to- 

 tally dellroyed, ten fhotin the foremafl: fexpefl- 

 ing it to fall every minute), the malnmafl; and. 

 rigging cut to pieces, feven guns difmounted, 

 and the trew reduced to one hundred and ninety, 

 and the reff falling fart, with no probability of 

 efcape, I called a council of officers for their 

 opinion, who deemed it only facrificing the lives 

 of the remainder of as brave a crew as ever 

 fought, to ho'd out longer, as there was not the 

 fmallefl profpeft of fucce.'s, I therefore, at 

 twtlve, ordered the colours to be ftruck, and 

 was iTinediaiely hurried on board the Com- 

 modore. At fix, tlie ofHcers, who had charge 

 of the Blanche, returned, and reported the fhip 

 to be finking fa(t, on which^fhe was tired ; and 

 in about an hour after (he funk, for the maga- 

 zine had been fomc time under water. 



Thus, Sir, fell the Blanche, and I truft, the 

 defence made by her officers and gallant crew 

 will meet their Lordfhips' approbation. I have 

 the honour, to bs, &c. 



Zacharv MirncEi 



P. S, Including every individual when the 

 (hip went into aftion, there were but 215, 30 

 men being in prizes, and eight left on board one 

 of the frigates at Jamaica. I cannot exadlly 

 alcertain thofe killed and wounded, as the crew 

 were promifcuoufly dilfributed to the different 

 (hips of the fquadron, butthofethat came im- 

 mediately under my notice were, John Nichols, 

 quarter-ma(ler, killed; Wm. Marfhe, able, 

 killed ; Thomas MnUins, ditto, killed ; James 

 Forode, ditto, killed; Edward Marlh, ditto, 

 killed; Nimrod Lunce, m;irine, killed; Wil- 

 liam Jones, ditto (drummer), killed ; William 

 .Strutton, boy, killed ; Mr. William Hewctt, 

 boatfvvain, with ten feamen and two marines, 

 wounded. 



HOLLAND. 



Under exifting circumftances, it cannot 

 be expeiSed that any thing Ihonld be faiil 

 or dene oy the Government of Holland 

 tliMt is not conformable to the wifhts of 

 tile Emperor of the French. The Grand 

 Penfionary is but his organ, and neither 

 he nor any of the High MightinefTcs of 

 the Batavian Commoiiwetlth can aft con- 

 trary to his will. An extraordinary meet- 

 ing of theiT) was held on the 3d of Sep- 

 tember, and the Penfionary opened the 

 alii.inbly with the follov^ing addrcis : 

 " IV gh and Mighty LarJs, 



'' I have thought proper to lummon your 

 High Mightinelfes, in an extraoicimary man- 

 ner, in order to propoi'e to y. ur Affcmbly fbme 

 fuhjectr, the expediting of which I conceive to 

 be ot urc,cat iuij>orl,4U(,S lo liie intcrelf of the 

 Suu. 



'^ A number 



