1808.] - 
the characters of the innocent, who miay be 
suspected, be effectually vindicated and re 
Stored. : t 
When we reflect that our armies and our 
fleets are composed of men of the same de- 
s¢ription, and drawn from the same sdurcés ; 
that our engazements at sea always shed new 
lustre on the navy, andalways add to the na- 
tion’a security, while our victories on land~ 
are generally unavailing. and often lead to 
disgrace, we cannot persuade ourselves that 
the whole blame in the late transactions is at- 
tributable to our commanders. 
We suspect that it may be owing either to 
some radical’ defect in our military system, 
or to the incapacity or misconduct of those 
by whose counsels the efforts of your Ma- 
JeSty’s land forces are directed, and to. whose 
judgment and discretion the management of 
the army is entrusted ; such defect, incapa- 
city, or misconduct, cannot be remedied by 
a‘court martial, er by any military court of 
. inguiry. : 
We therefore pray your Majesty net only 
to order courts martial to be held on the con- 
duct of all the officers who advised or signed 
either the armistice or convention in Portugal, 
but to recommend to the parliament. to insti- 
fute such a public and effectual investigation 
into all the causes and circumstances of these 
traisactions, as may lead to the adeption of 
such measures and salutary reforms as may 
secure the punishment of the guilty, however 
high their station, and prevent the recurrence 
ot similar calamities. 
And. we assure your Majesty, that whoever 
advised you to rebuke the Lord Mayor and 
corporation of the city of London, for’ their 
late loyal petition, acted in defiance of the 
principles which seated your Majesty’s fa- 
mily on the throne, and in contempt and vio- 
Jation of the undoubted rights and liberties of 
your people, asserfed at ail times by our an- 
stors, and finally secured to us at the Revo- 
“Jution by the Bill of Rights. 
~ 
The following sums had been redeem- 
ed by the commissioners of the Natioual 
Debt, the Land Tax, and Imperial Loan, 
to the ist of November, 1808 : 
Redeemed by Annual Mil- £.72,202,958 
5 of DSU EZ; : 
lion, &c. - 
Ditto on uccount of Loans + 71,533,608 
Ditto by Land Tax - = * 93,156,429 
Ditto by 1 “per cent. per? 040,087 
Ann. on Imp. Loan 
Stock ‘transferred by Life ; 
Annuities, up to fhe 27th & 226,602 
Octuber, 1808 - 4 ! 
. Total £168;029,664 
The sum to'be expended in the 
ensuing quatter is’ 2,690,67 51. lis, 2d. 
é; A Court of Inquiry at Chelsea has inet 
on the subject of the late Couyention in, 
_. Mowruty MAc., No. 178. 
4 
- 
State of Public Affairs in November. 
fot fairly be brought to punishment, nor cah — 
483 
Portugal. It consists of the following 
General OXicers:—General Sir David 
Dundas, presidents Generals the Right 
Hon, the Earl of Moira, Earl of Pem- 
broke, Licutenant-general Sir George 
Nugent, Peter Craig, Lord Heatitield, 
and Oliver Nicols. 
Copy of a letter from Captain Seymour, of the 
Amethyst, to Admiral Young, Cowmander in 
Chief of bis Majesty's ships and vessels at Piy- 
mouth, and by bum transmitted to the Hon. W. 
W. Polz, dated on board the Salvador det 
Mundo, in Hamoaze, the 15th instant. 
Amethyst, Hamoaze, Nov. 15, 1808+ 
My Lonro.=I have the most sincere plea 
sure in acquainting you, that his Majesty’s 
ship the Amethyst, under my command, 
saptured, the 10th instant at night, the 
French frigate La Thetis, of forty-four gunsy 
and acrew of three hundred and thirty men, 
who had served years together, and one hun- 
@red and six-soldiers, from L’Orient for Mar- 
tinique. Being close to the N. W. point of 
Groa, she was seen a quarter before seven 
P. M. and immediately chaged; and a ciose 
action began before ten o'clock, which conti- 
nued with little intermission till twenty mi- 
nutes after midnight. Having fallen on board 
for a’short time, after ten, and from quarter 
past eleveny when she intentionally Jaid us 
on board, till she surrendered (about an 
hour), she lay fast alongside, the fluke of 
our best bower anchor having entered her 
foremost maindeck: port, and she was, after’ 
great slaughter, boarded and taken possession 
of, afd some prisoners received from her, be= 
fore we disengaged the ships. Shortly after a 
ship of wat was seen closing fast under a 
press of sail, which proved to be the Triumphy 
which immediately gave us the most effectu- 
al assistance that the anxious and feeling. 
mind of such an officer as Sir Thomas Hardy 
could suggest. At half-past one the Shannon 
joined, received prisoners from, and toolc 
La Thetis in tow. She is wholly dismasted, 
dreadfuily shattered, and had her Command- 
er, {(Pinsun, Capitaine de Vasseav,) and ore 
hundred. and thirty-five men, killed; one 
hundred and two wounded, amongst whom 
are all her officers except three. The amethyst 
has lost nineteen killed and fifty-one wound- 
ed, amongst the former is Lieutenant Ber- 
nard Kindall, a most promising young offi- 
cer, of the Royal Marines, who soffered 
greatly; and that invaluable officer, Lieute- 
nant 5. J. Payne, dangerously wounded; the 
miizen mast shot away, and the ship much 
damaged andleaky, Ne language can convey 
an adequate idea of the cool and determined 
bravery shewn by every officer and’ man of 
this ~ship ; and their truly noble behaviour 
has laid me under the greatest’ obligation, 
The assistance 1 received from my gallant ~ 
friend the first Lieutenant, Mr. Goddard 
Wennerhassett, an oflicer of great merit and 
3 Q ability, 
