1800.] 
fails and tacked off the fhore, until pretty 
late in the afternoon; and towards eyen- 
ing they were about fix leagues diftant. 
The mafters of the fifhing veflels, ftopped 
by the fquadron, declared, that it was the 
intention of the enemy to attempt adefcent, 
bet ween Candon and Regla ; but they were 
prevented by the fouth wind. It would 
appear howeyer from their not hazarding 
an attack, that they muft have thought the 
numbers .of the Spaniards to be very for- 
midable: and thus ended this doubly cif. 
graceful bufinefs. Dilgraceful in attack- 
ing a place labouring under the fevere vifi- 
tation of providence ; and as impolitic as 
di/graceful, as a certain means of intro- 
ducing the plague into this country. The 
filence obferved by the men in office, has 
given room for much private report and 
opinions on this fubjeét; the impreffion 
made by which on the public mind is fuch 
as we cannot but wifh to fee removed. 
A French Journal of the 11th of No- 
vember, contains a letter from Tariffa, a 
{mall Svanifh town, feated on an eminence 
on the Straits of Gibraltar (trom which 
lace it is diftant about 17 miles) which 
itates that on the 16th of OSiober, the fig- 
nal towers on this coaft took advantage of 
the firft moment when the horizon cleared 
up to correfpond together, and they an- 
nounced that they had defcried two days 
before, fifteen flips of the line, nine fri- 
gates, and thirty merchant fhips, which 
feemed go ‘be endeavouring to enter the bay 
of Gibraltar. The weather becoming 
cloudy prevented farther corre{pondence, 
Some fhips of war, frigates and tranfports, 
pafied at different times into the ocean, but 
the weather was io thick that it was difh- 
cult to diftinguith them. It is faid alto, 
that a part of this convoy was beating up 
behind the hill of Gibralcar, trying to re- 
enter the Straits, and fevera! of the fhips 
had been driven on fhore, From thefe ac- 
counts there is realon to fear the {quadron 
and conyoy are actually difperfed, and that 
it will be a long time before they ¢an be 
colleéted. 
Letters from Plymouth, of the 19th of 
November, confirm the unpleafing intelli- 
gence of the lofs of the Marlbcrough, of 
74 guns, Captain Sotheby, on the 4th inft. 
near Beileifle, but that her crew were faved 
by his majelty’s thip Captain. Every ex- 
ertion was made to get her off by throwing 
her guns and every other moveable article 
State of Public Affairs in November, 1800. 
467 
overboard to lighten her; but this proved 
ineffe&tual, and the fea washed her trom the 
rocks into a cove nearer the fhore, where 
her mafts being all cut away, fie providen- 
tially rode out the ttorm until the next 
morning. ‘The Captain was all this time 
in fight of her diftrefs, but could not afford 
her the leaft afiflance. The next day the 
gale abated, and the boats from the Caps 
tain were able to approach near enough tg 
take her whole crew: at this time the wa- 
ter was as high within her as the orlop 
deck, and fhe muft have founcered foon 
after. 
The correfpondence which lately paffed 
‘ between the Britith and French govern- 
ments on the fubject of an armiftice is ex- 
tremely voluminous, conjifting of forty -fé- 
ven pages and an appendix. From thete 
documents it appears, that the defire of the 
Britith government to treat conjointly with 
its Imperial Ally, having been communi- 
cated to the French government throush 
the medium of the court of Vienna, the 
Con‘ulate authorized their agent in this 
country, M. Otto, to demand upon the 
fubject fome further explanation from his 
majefty’s minitters, propofing at the fame 
time a general armiftice between the fleets 
and armies of the two ftates, in order that 
while England took a fhare in the negocia- 
tion, France fhould not find herfelf under a 
fufpenfion of arms with one power, and a 
continuation of hoftilities with Great Bri- 
tain; and alfo, with refpect to the places 
befieged and blockaded, that Malta, Alex- 
andria and Belleifle, fhall be affimilated to 
the places of Ulm, of Philipfbifreh, and In. 
golftadt; that is to fay, all Neutral or 
French veffels fhall have permiffion treely 
to enter them, in order to furnifh them with 
provifions.”” , 
The prefent feffion of parliament will 
form an integral feffion, as it is to be tere 
“minated not by an adjournment, but by a 
prorogation. This circumitance is par- 
ticularly worthy the notice of fuch as may 
have bills to offer, or petitions to preient to 
the houfe, as, if they cannct be forwarded 
toaconclufion within the fhort {pace of fix 
weeks, they muft then fall to the ground, 
and it will be neceffary to bring them tors 
ward de novo inthe fefton of i801. The 
imperialaparliament ftands prorogued fy 
royal procidination to the 22d day of Jas 
nuary next. ¢ 
