and got a general fire from the Little Belt. | Thought the Belt a heavy frigate until next day. Action continued fourteen or fifteen minutes, including three or four minutes' interval. Little Belt could have fired again, but President could have sunk her. Commodore's official account is true. Lieutenant Creighton thought the Little Belt a frigate (excepting her feeble defence) until next day. Captain Bingham told him the President's colours were not hoisted, but he recollected the pendant. It is the usage as before stated by another witness, for the President to be prepared for action on coming along-side an armed vessel. Thought the Little Belt displayed bad management or want of conduct in her defence. Joseph Smith, midshipman, acting as master's mate.-Commanded the 4th division of guns. Heard Commodore R. hail, and no reply for five seconds. Heard second hail, and was looking at the Little Belt when the first gun was fired by her, before a shot or any provocation was given from the President. The Commodore fired one gun, then the Little Belt three, and action continued. Thought the Little Belt a frigate. The duration of the action, and orders to cease, as before stated. The last order to stop firing was received by three different officers. Commodore R.'s statement confirmed. Henry Dennison, acting chaplain.-Was on the quarter-deck. Little Belt was 70 or 80 yards distant. Heard Commodore R. hail, and the reply, and the second hail -then a gun, he thinks from the Belt, as he felt no jar in the President, and no gun or provocation had been given by Commodore R.-Account of Commodore K. confirmed. Michael Roberts, boatswain.-Was on the forecastle, saw the flash and heard the gun from the Little Belt, before any shot or provocation had been given from the President. Had not seen the Commodore's account. Richard Carson, midshipman.-Was on the forecastle and gangways. Commodore R. hailed, and was answered by repeating his words; second hail was answered by a shot. Was looking at the Belt and saw and heard the gun, before any provocation from Commodore Rodgers. Gun from the President was followed by the Belt's broadside, as stated by others. Commodore's account confirmed. Matthew C. Perry, Silas Duncan, and John M'Clack; midshipmen, gave their evidence to the same effect. Thomas Gamble, second Lieutenant.Commanded the first division of guns. Commodore Rodgers hailed," Ship a hoy!"" Was answered "halloo!" Asked "What ship is that?" Received his own words repeated in reply. Hailed again, "What ship is that?" Then a gun from the Belt. Heard no gun or provocation from the President-swears no gun was fired from his division. Nothing but round and grape fired after the action commenced. Commodore's orders as before stated; when firing ceased finally. Belt was in a favourable position for firing, but another broadside from the President probably would have sunk her. Saw no colours on the Belt, and took her for a frigate of 36 or 38 guns. No firing on board or sheering off by the President. Statement of Commodore Rodgers confirmed. John Neese, Captain of the first gun-In the first division on the gun deck, was looking at the Little Belt, and saw and heard her first fire. All the other Captains of the guns testified exactly the same as Neese. Lieutenant Creighton testified farther, that when the Belt was silenced the second time she luffed up towards the Commodore, instead of keeping away, as she should have done to fire at the President, and would have done if her rudder had been free. Commodore R. expressed much humanity and anxiety to stop the firing. Lieutenant C. also testified to the offers of assistance from Commodore Rodgers to the Little Belt the next morning. Here the examination closed, having as we understand, embraced every deck officer, as well as captains of guns, now on board the President, who were present during the action. The hours when the chace and action took place, with the courses steered, and some technical sea terms, are omitted as unessential to the material objects of the inquiry. NAVAL COURT MARTIAL-On Thursday, October 17, a Court-martial was held on board His Majesty's ship Gladiator, on Captain ROBERT PRESTON, of His Majesty's ship Ganymede, of 22 guns, which was continued by adjournment till the 23d. MEMBERS OFf the Court. Capt. Bissett. R. Hall. M. Greetham, Esq. Judge Advocate. Upon charges exhibited by the Admiralty of Cruelty, Tyranny, and Oppression, contained in the following letter, which had been forwarded to their Lordships by the Ship's Company of the Ganymede: "Portsmouth Harbour, Sept. 23, 1811. "For the Right Hon. the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, the Petition of the Ganymede Ship's Company, "Humbly sheweth, "That your petitioners, from grievances which they labour under, through the cruel treatment they receive from the Captain and Officers belonging to the said ship, we your petitioners, humbly solicit your Lordships, that you will be pleased to remedy the same, by a change of ship or officers, as your Petitioners wish to be true to their King and Country, and are willing to serve in any ships your Lordships may think proper. Honourable Sirs, in granting this your Petitioners will ever pray. Your Lordships most obedient humble servants at command." It appeared to the Court, that upon the receipt of the above letter the Lords of the Admiralty directed a Court of Inquiry to be held on board the Ganymede, to ascertain the authenticity of the letter. This Court consisted of Admiral HARGOOD, Captains Orway and HALLIDAY. Upon turning up the hands, the letter was unanimously declared to have been written with the consent of the whole ship's company; and a seaman (Mac Gowrie) delivered another letter to this Court, which was to the same effect. The Court of Inquiry expressed a wish, that any twelve of the crew would step forward as prosecutors in the charges. This, however, they declin. ed; and in a letter they afterwards wrote to Admiral HARGOOD, signed by nearly all the ship's company, they stated their wish to prosecute in a body.-Upon the above documents and recital appearing before the Court-martial, Admiral HARGOOD, and Captains OTWAY and HALLIDAY were called, and proved their truth. John McGowrie, Wm. Lowrie, George Townsend, and 17 other seamen, were examined in support of the allegations contained in the above letter. Their evidence went to prove, that Captain Preston was more in the habit of adopting the summary punishment of starting than the witnesses had known to have ever prevailed on board other ships; and to have frequently uttered very intemperate language. Capt. Senhouse, being ordered to proceed to sea, was examined, and deposed, that Captain P. had been his most intimate friend and messmate; that he was possessed of gentlemanly manners, not habituated to blasphemous expressions, nor inclined to cruel, or oppressive, or tyrannical manners. Sir Home Popham sworn.-Capt. P. asked, As, you have commanded several of His Majesty's ships, and been several years in the Navy, I would beg leave to ask, whether you have not found it generally both expedient and salutary to the service, in the exercise of your own disfour dozen lashes, and sometimes more, cretion, as a summary punishment, to give and to what extent, at the gang-way, for offences contrary to the discipline and subordination of your ship; and whether such punishments have not been essentially necessary for the good of His Majesty's service-The Court was cleared, and agreed, that as the information required by questions like the above was irrelevant to the charges, and contained matters of opinion unnecessary to the Court, for the purpose of forming their judgment, that the above question should not be put to the witness. : The prosecution being closed, Captain P. begged the indulgence of the Court till the next day, to make his defence when Mr. MINCHIN having been taken ill, Mr. WEDDELL, a Solicitor, read it. Captain P. lamented that the Lords of the Admiralty should have brought him before the present Court, upon charges which were anonymously asserted, and equally directed against his officers as himself. When he assumed the command of the Ganymede, he found his crew in a bad state; he had to restore them to that degree of discipline and subordination so essential in ships of war; he had certainly practised a summary mode of punishment (that of starting), but there was no degree of severity mixed with it; and he conceived he was justified in the practice, by * Starting is ordering a boatswain's mate to take a rope's end, and lay on the party until ordered to stop by the commanding officer. the custom in all other ships and by the salutary effects it produced in all delinquents: he never punished from caprice, nor from any feeling but that of the good of the service. When men properly conducted themselves, he was their friend and benefactor: in sickness, they often had had his personal attention, were fed from his table, and participated in all the indulgencies the service would admit of. Lieut. Sparshott; Mr. Telfer, surgeon; Mr. Rian, boatwain; Lieut. Waring, R. M. and several other officers were sworn, who deposed, that they knew of no instance in Capt. P.s conduct which could be designated tyrannical or oppressive. The Court, after deliberating some considerable time, agreed, "That the charges had not been proved against the said Capt. R. Preston, and did adjudge him to be acquitted; but the Court, however, farther agreed, that they could not help feeling it their duty, to express their sense of the singularity of punishment, in many instances, on board the Ganymede, and to strongly recommend to Captain Preston a future change of conduct in that respect." AUSTRIAN PAPER MONEY.-The Regency of Lower Austria has published the following Circular. blished at Hamburgh, for Hamburgh and Luneburg; at Travemunde, for the arondissement of Lubeck; at Stadte, for the In the name of his Majesty the Emperor of the French, &c. the Commission of the Government, established by the Decree of the 18th of December, 1810, considering the Decree of his Majesty, dated 26th of December, 1810, ordering that a maritime administration and navigation police should be established in the Hanseatic departments, conformably to the laws and regulations in existence in France, upon the report of the Counsellors of State, Intendant of the Interior and Finances, decrees as follows:-Art. 1. seatic departments, a particular account There shall be taken throughout the Hanof French citizens who are destined to navigation. Art. 2. The offices for mari1. On the 16th of this month, Redemp-time inscription are provisionally estation-bills of 10 and of 5 florins shall be issued, in order to withdraw from circulation the bank-notes of 50 and of 25 florins. -2. The above two sorts of redemption-arondissement of Stadte; at Bremerlehe, bills are severally to pass in exchange for for the department of the mouths of the bank-notes of 50 and of 25 florins; but Weser; and at Varel, for the department the holders of bank-notes of a lower deno. of the Upper Ems.-Art. 3. There are mination are permitted to exchange them comprehended in the maritime inscription, for redemption-bills of 10 or of 5 florins, 1. Sailors of every description, whether provided they present, in one or more navigating armed or merchants' ships.sorts, 50 or 25 florins in bank-notes, for 2. Those who navigate, or are fishermen. 10 or 5 florins in redemption-bills.-3.-3. Those who sail in barges or boats, From the date of the 16th of September, upon the coasts or in the roads, rivers, or the exchange of bank-notes of 50 and of canals, comprehended in the maritime 25 florins, for bank-notes of a lower de- districts.-Art. 4. There shall be included nomination, shall cease to take place.-4. in the maritime inscription every citizen, From the 15th of October next, bank- aged 18, who has fulfilled one of the folnotes of 50 and of 25 florins are put out lowing conditions:-1. The having perof circulation. From that date, they shall formed two long voyages, or to the Grand no longer be received at the Treasury, Fishery.-2. Having been at sea eighteen nor in payments to individuals.-5. How- months.-3. Having been employed in ever, permission is given, till the 31st of the coasting fishery two years.-4. HayDecember, to carry the above two sorts of ing served two years apprenticeship to bank-notes to the office, created by the the sea.--Art. 5. All foreign sailors repatent of the 20th of June last, under the siding in the territory of the Empire, who name of Redemption-bill Office, and to have married French women, and sailed exchange them for redemption-bills of 10 in French merchant ships, are subject to sina, 3d Sept. 1811. the maritime inscription.-Art. 6. The SICILY.-General Orders, issued at Mesalready mentioned sailors are bound to present themselves at the office of Maritime Inscription, in the district where Lieutenant General Maitland informs they reside, and have their names in the army, that the Commander of the scribed. Art. 7. Carpenters, sail-makers, Forces has already sailed for England; &c. exercising their professions in the and that his Lordship has undertaken this maritime ports and places, shall be called voyage from the most urgent political to the military posts in the event of war, motives, which highly interest the bopreparations for war, or of extraordinary nour of Great Britain, and the prosperity or considerable works. There shall be of Sicily.-In the absence of the chief of kept an exact registry in the offices of in- this army, Lieutenant General Maitland scription, and they shall be exempt from finds himself more than ever obliged to all other requisitions than those relative be assiduous in cultivating the good-will to the maritime service.-Art. 8. Every and opinion of his brother officers; and French citizen comprehended in the ma- requests from the soldiers the most soliritime inscription is exempt from all other citous attention to the fulfilment of their services, than those of the Navy, Marine, duties. He trusts that he will receive Arsenals, and the National Guard, in the throughout the district the experienced asarondissement of their districts.-Art. 9. sistance of the General Officers, and that Every sailor who has attained the full age the entire army shall be united and ready of 50 years, is, by right, exempt from the for every emergency that the vicissitude requisition for the ships or arsenals of the of events may produce.-The four followEmpire; without, however, losing the ing persons, namely, Orazio Ballantinio, power of continuing the employment of Antonio Barese, Vincenzo Smirida, and fishing, or even serving in the ships of the Giovanni Grillo, who have been impriState. Art. 10. There shall be granted to soned for holding correspondence with enrolled sailors, pensions, according to the enemy in Calabria, have been set at their rank, age, wounds or infirmities. liberty by order of General Maitland, on These pensions will be fixed according to his return from Palermo.-These persons their services on board the ships and have been liberated, not because there arsenals of the empire, and the merchants' wanted sufficient proof against them, but vessels.-Art. 11. The length of service because the General would not condemn in the three departments, either in the to death, immediately after having asmerchants' service, or on board ships of sumed the command of the British army, war, shall be computed agreeably to ar- four men, who were arrested by bis preticle 205 of the Imperial Decree of the decessor, whose departure prevented the 4th of July, 1811, as if it had taken place pending sentence.-He avails himself of on board French ships, and give the same this occasion to exercise an act of cleright to half-pay and pensions upon the mency, which will not be renewed at any invalid marine chest.-Art. 12. The wi- other time. He is resolved to use his utdows and children of sailors shall have most means to put an end to the system of the same claims to assistance and succours, espionage, and of treachery, which has as those of military men who died in the been for so long a time, and in a manner service. Art. 13. All Captains, &c. na- so notoriously practised by persons of evil vigating the rivers, or on the coasts of the intentions, and equally enemies of the Si32d military division, will, from hence to cilian people and the British. He is rethe 1st of November next, provide them-solved, in consequence, to watch attenselves with a role d'equipage, at the maritime office of inscription.-Art. 14. Every Captain, &c. who, after the 1st of November, sails upon the rivers, coasts, &c. of the 32d military division, and has not conformed to the dispositions of the present decree, shall be punished with eight day's imprisonment, without prejudice to still greater penalties, should there be occasion to inflict them. Given at the palace at Hamburgh, Sept. 17. (Signed) The Marshal Prince of ECKMUHL. tively persons of this description; and is determined from this time forward, to bring before a Council of War, those, whoever they may be, who shall be thus found holding communication with the enemy, and thus placing in danger the British army and this Island; and iminediately the sentence of that Council shall be executed. J. CAMPBELL, Adj. Gen. ARMY OF THE SOUTH. On the 20th of August, general Godinot came up with, at Torbiscan, the rearguard of Montijo, and overthrew it; on the 21st he found a part of the division in position at Velez de Benaudella; he immediately caused it to be attacked; it was routed with the bayonet : a great number were killed, and night alone favoured the escape of a few. Montijo got off with 12 men only. In the meanwhile Colonel Dulong entered Motril, and pursued the other part of the enemy's division, which had retired to Pinos del Rey; the Adjutant General Remond, detached from Grenada to assist the operations of Godinot, arrived at the same time with one battalion and two squadrons; six companies detached by General Godinot also made their appearance; in an instant the village was penetrated and carried; the enemy, pursued to the summit of the mountain La Cruz, was precipitated from it, with the bayonet, into frightful ravines. The loss of the enemy cannot be calculated; a very few escaped under the cover of night. This division was composed of the regiments of Alpuxares, of Cuenca, of Burgos, of a number of united bands, and 300 horsemen.-The Duke of Dalmatia having ordered Count D'Erlon, commandng the 5th corps in Estramadura, to direct an expedition towards the mouth of the Guadiana, for the purpose of completely clearing that country of the bands of Bal lasteros, who has still about 3,000 men left; General Quiot, and the Adjutant Commandant Foreister, were charged with this expedition. Ballasteros, after an action of little importance, made off in all haste, and embarked at Ayamonte for Cadiz. Two hundred Spaniards were sabred in this expedition, and a detachment of 78 cavalry with their horses were taken. The chief of squadron Millet has distinguished himself.-General Cassagne occupies Ronda in force; his moveable columns do not permit any band to gain a moment's footing in the mountains. Every day brigands are arrested, who are delivered up to justice. DISTRICT OF THE ARMY OF THE CENTRE. The Duke of Dalmatia seems satisfied with the spirit which prevails in the provinces of Malaga and Granada. He has returned to Seville. The Duke of Belluno pushes his operations before Cadiz.-General Darmagnac has advanced with his division upon Cuenca, to second the ope Ciudad Rodrigo, Sept. 30, 1811. Report of the Marshal Duke of Ragusa, Commander in Chief of the Army of Portugal, to his Highness the Prince of Wagram and Neufchatel, Major General. MONSEIGNEUR,-I had the honour of acquainting your Highness, that after having raised the siege of Badajoz, and driving the settled between the Duke of Dalmatia and English army beyond the Guadiana, it was myself, that I should advance towards the Tagus, leaving one division on the Gualeave the 5th corps in Estremadura; that diana; that the army of the South should the Duke of Dalmatia, with his troops, should march against the Spanish divisions which had quitted the English army, and and that, while he should destroy them, against the insurgent army of Murcia; and clear the provinces of Cordova, Granada, Malaga, and Murcia, I should keep in check the English army. We had General should make a diversion, and again taken our measures in case the English advance upon Badajoz; but the English the army of Murcia to its fate, and passing General, deaf to the Spaniards, abandoned the Tagus, advanced to the Coa. It was then supposed to be his plan, to march to As soon as General Dorsenne was informed the assistance of the army of Gallicia.Astorga, beat the Gallicians, dispersed of this new combination, he marched upon the fortifications of Astorga. We hoped them beyond Villa Franca, and repaired that this movement would induce the English to advance upon Salamanca; but they remained unconcerned at this event, as they had been at the disasters of the Murcian army. About the beginning of September, I learned that seven divisions of the English army were all assembled on the Coa; that they blockaded Ciudad Rodrigo; that they were collecting fascines and gabions at Fuente Guinaldo; that the works of their entrenched camp at Fuente Guinaldo were already advanced, and that even the besieging equipage had arrived there from Oporto. I then pro |