ADMIRALTY-OFFICE, DEC. 17.

Copy of a Letter from Rear Admiral Bazely, Commanding Officer of bis Majefiy's Ships and Veffels in the Downs, to Evan Nepean, Esq. dated on board bis Majefly's Ship Overyffel, the 14th of December 1796. SIR,

I HAVE juft received a Letter from Lieutenant Webb, commanding the Marechal de Cobourg Cutter, acquainting me, that, on the night of the 12th inft. off Dungeness, he fell in with, and, after a chace of two hours, captured a French Lugfail Privateer of two guns and eighteen men, named the Efpojre, which had left Boulogne the day before, but had not taken any thing.

I am, Sir, &c. &c. &c.
JOHN BAZELY,

[FROM THE OTHER PAPERS.]

Rome, Nov. 7.

THE Pope has been greatly alarmed by the threats of the French, whofe terms of Peace have been fo greatly mortifying, that his Holiness refufed to ratify them. The Archbishop of Ferrara has lately tranfmitted to his Holiness the following bombaftic letter, which he had received from the French General :

Buonaparte to the Cardinal Matty, Archbibop of Ferrara (tranflated from the Italiar), 08. 21.

The Court of Rome has refufed the conditions of peace which were offered by the Directory; it has alfo broke the armiflice; it arms; it wishes for war; it fhall have it; but before I behold in cold blood the ruin and death of thofe ideots who would oppofe obftacles to the Republican forces, I owe to my country, to lialy, to humanity, to my felf,to make a final effort for inducing the Pepe to accept of conditions exceedingly moderate, conformably to his real in terefts, his character, and reafon. You know, M. Le Cardinal, the force and the courage of the army I command.

"To overturn the temporal power of the Pope, I have no more to do than to will ir-Repair to Rome, fee the Holy Father, undeceive him refpecting his true interefts, deliver him from the intriguers that furround him, who with for his deftruction. and that of the city of Rome. The French once more per mit me to offer propofitions of peace. All may yet be fettled. War, fo cruel on the people, has terrible confequences VOL. XXXI. JAN. 1797.

for the vanquished. Save the Pope from the greatest misfortunes. You know how defirous I am to terminate by peace a conteft, which has, for me, neither danger nor glory.

"In your million, M. Le Cardinal. I with that fuccefs which the purity of your intention deferves. (Signed)

"BUONAPARTE." INSPRUCK [THE CAPITAL OF TYROL], NOV. 20.

An exprefs, which arrived here this morning at five o'clock, brings the agrecable intelligence of fome advantages of importance obtained over the enemy by the Auftrian Field Marshal Baron Davidovitch. The following is thas General's letter:

Rivoli, Dec. 17.

"I this morning attacked the enemay, who were strongly posted on the heights near Rivoli, and notwithstanding the difficulties of the fituation from mountains and precipices, after an ob ftinate conteft, which continued, with out intermiffion, from feved in the morning till two in the afternoon, we drove the enemy to the heights of Campara. Their lots in killed and wounded was confiderable. Two Generals, Florella and Vallet, were made_prifoners, with a great number of Officers, and 1000 private men. We likewife took 12 pieces of artillery, and several ammu nition waggons."

Meffage of the Executive Directory to the
Council of Five Hundred.
Dec. 10.

"The multiplied wants of the Republic call imperiously on you to display and employ all her refources. You are not ignorant, that every branch of the public fervice experiences the utmoft difirefs. The pay of the troops remains unfettled; the defenders of the country Juffer all the horrors of nakedness; their courage is increafed by the painful fenfe of their wants; the difguft arifing from them naturally occafions defertion the hofpitals are in want of fuel, medicines, and all other neceffaries; the public alms and work-houfes experience the fame wants, and for this reafon they reject the needy and infirm citizens, who ufually found an afylum in them. The Creditors of the State, the Contractors who daily fupply the wants of the armies, with great difficulty obtain only a finall part of the fums due to them, and the diftrefs which they ex

L

perience

74

perience on this account deters others who might fupply thofe wants with more exactnefs, and on terms more advantageous to the Republic.-The public roads are impaffable, and the communications interrupted. The falaries of the public functionaries remain unpaid. From one end of the Republic to the other, the Judges and Adminiftrators are reduced to the dreadful dilemma, either to expose themselves and families to the utmoft mifery, or difgracefully to Tell themselves to intriguers. The difaffected agitate every part of the Republic murder and affallination are organized in many places, and the adminiftration of the police, without activity and without force, from want of provifionary means, is unable to check thefe disorders, &c."

[The remainder of this Meffage contains a plan for remedying thefe evils by the creation of a new kind of paper currency, fuperior, as it is averred, to any that has yet been tried in France, and calculated to produce all the vigour and energy of which the Republic flands fo much in need }

The Directory has paffed an order refusing to receive Mr. Pinckney. The order declares that all relation between the French Government and the United States of America fhall be interrupted, until the injuries which the French Republic complain of are re

dreffed."

CAPITULATION OF KEHL.

Extract of a Letter from General Moreau,

dated 21 Nivofe, 10 Jan.

"I have only time to fay, that Kehl will be evacuated this day at four o'clock. We carry away every thing, even the pallifades and the enemies bullets.

"MOREAU." Letter from Citizen Rudler, Commiffioner of the Government with the Army of the Rhine and Mofelle, to the Executive Divectory.

"By the capitulation agreed upon yesterday, the Fort of Kehl, after the trenches had been opened before it two months, will be restored to the Auftrians this day, at four o'clock in the afternoon; all our artillery has already been formed into a park on the left bank of the Rhine. Every foldier carries with him only the pallifade which covered him, the enemy will find nothing but afhes and ruins.

"It is thus that the army, after the paffage of the Rhine, after rapid conquefts, and one of the moft fkiltul re

GENCE.

treats, has crowned its brilliant campaign by a defence equally aftonishing and glorious.

"The Generals, the Officers and Soldiers have difplayed, in that fituation, a courage and a fortitude that even compelled the enemy to pay them the tribute of admiration which is due to their valour. Greeting and refpect,

(Signed)

"RUDLER,"

The following are the articles of ca. pitulation for the fortress of Kehl, propofed by General Defaix, Commander in Chief of the fortrefs, to General La Tour, Commander of the Auftrian forces, both having fufficient powers.

Art. 1. The French troops fhall eva. cuate the fortress of Kehl‍ to-day and to-morrow. Ans. Agreed.

11. They fhall give poffeffion to the Auftrian troops tomorrow (10th Jan.) precifely at four o'clock in the afternoon. An. The Auftrian troops fhall take poffeflion of Fort Kehl to-morrow at four o'clock, and alfo of every thing which the French fhall leave behind.

III. From the prefent moment al! hoftilities fhall ceafe on both fides, and the Auftrian troops fhall take poffeffion of the redoubt and burying-ground, and carry their advanced pofts to the nearest barrier. The redoubt, the buryingground, and the barrier leading to the fort, thall be inftantly furrendered.

IV. The French troops fhall hold the other fide of the barrier until four o'clock to-morrow. Anf. Agreed.

V. On each fide a Staff Officer fhall be exchanged as an hoftage, who fail remain until the Capitulation is executed, and then to be re-exchanged. Anf. Granted. They shall be exchanged the moment the Auftrians take poffeffion of the fort.

At three quarters after three the reft of the troops had defiled; the rearguard was the 62d half brigade.

Every thing has been carried off; even the Auftrian pallifadoes and bujlets.

The bridge of boats has been drawn. along the Left Bank. The great bridge is uncovered, and there remains no longer any communication with the other bank of the river.

CONFLAGRATION IN AMERICA.

New-York, Dec. 9.

About one o'clock this morning a fire broke out in one of the ftores on Murray's Wharf, Coffee-houfe-flip, and raged with fuch fury as to baffle all human exertion, till it had laid in afhes the

whole

wholeblock of buildings included between that flip, Front-ftreet, and the Fly-market. The number of buildings confumed may be from fixty to feventy, confifting mety of large warehoufes, with fome large and valuable dwelling-houfes. The goods in the ftores first burnt were all confumed, with all the books and papers of the occupiers. Of this num. ber are Mefl. Robinfon and Hartshorne, Meff. Loomis and Tiilingha, W, and S Rubinfon, and the reprefentatives of Nicholas Cook. The merchandize in the ffores nearer to the Fly-market was much of it faved. Fortunately it was high water, and the wind off fhore, by which means the fhipping was faved. The principal proprietors of the buildings burnt are, Stewart and Jones, John Murray, jun. John Marston, Robert Browne, John Taylor, Garey Ludlow, Robert and Peter Bruce, and Henry H. Kp. It would be imprudent at prefent to hazard a guess at the amount of property deftroyed. It must be immenfe. The warehoufes were all of wood, and many of them contained large quantities of rum and fpirits, which rendered the flames terrible in rapidity and extent. Dec. 14. SERIOUS CAUSE OF ALARM! -Citizens of New York, you are once more called upon to attend to your afety. It is no longer a doubt-it is a fact,that there is a combination of incendiaries in this city, aiming to wrap the whole of it in flames! The house of Mr. Lewis Ogden, in Pearl ftreet, has been twice fet on fire-the evidence of malicious intention is indubitable, and he has fent his black man, fufpc&ted, to prifon. Laft night an attempt was made to fet fire to Mr. Lindfay's house, in Greenwich-freet. The combuftioles left for the purpose are preferved as evidence of the fact, Another attempt, we learn, was made laft night in Beckman ftreet. A bed was fet on fire under a child, and his cries alarmed his family, [Ir the courfe of the above conflagration at New York, Capt. Sharpe, and the crew of his Majefty's packet the Swallow, exerted themfelves in a manner to imprefs with the warmest gratitude the inhabitants of New York. They cut out of the flames several vef fels that had actually caught fire, and faved the lives of thirty perfons who were on board. The papers are full of teftimonies to their brave and humane

exertions.

It must be highly pleafing to his Ma jefy, and to the Nation at large, to be

informed, that, out of feveral hundred fail of fhipping then in this harbour, not one boat was feen during the dread ful fcene to render the leaft affiftance, but that of the British packet here al luded to.]

Savannah, Nov- 29. On Saturday the 26th inftant this city exhibited a fcene of defolation and diftrefs, probably more awfully calamitous than any. previously experienced in America. Between fix and feven o'clock in the evening a fmall bake-houfe, belonging to a Mr. Gromet, in Market fquare, was difcovered to be on fire. The citizens, together with the officers and crews of, the veffels in the harbour, were foon convened; but, unfortunately, no immediate and decifive measures were adopted by which the fire could be stopped in its beginning.

The feafon, for two months previous to this accident, had been dry; the night was cold, and a light breeze from N. N. W. was foon increafed by the effect of the fire. The coverings of the buildings being of wood were, from the above circumftances, rendered highly combuftible. Several of the adjoining houfes were foon af.. fected, and then almost inftantly in flames. The wind now became ftrong, and whirled into the air, with agitated violence, large flakes of burning fhin. gles, boards, and other light fubftances, which, alighting at a distance, added confufion to the other terrors of the conflagration. The ufe of water was now rendered torally vain; its common extinguishing power feemed to be loft, -Torrents of flames rolled from house to houfe, with a destructive rapidity which bid defiance to all human controul, and individual exertions were from this time principally pointed towards the fecuring of private property. The direction of the fire being now committed to the wind, its rage was abated only when, by extending to the common, it found no farther object wherewith to feed its fury. On the north fide of Market-fquare, and thence in a fouth easterly direction, the inhabitants were enabled, by favour of the wind, to fave their houfes, and limit the conflagration.-On the other hand, by the time it had extended on the Bay, nearly to Abercorn-trect, the prodigious quantity of heat already produced in the center of the city, began to draw in a current of air from the east, and enabled fome of the most active inhabi£ 2

cants

tants and feamen to fave a few houfes in that quarter, after having been in imminent danger. Between twelve and one the rage of the fire abated, and few other houses from this time took fire. The exhaufted fufferers, of both fexes, had now to remain expofed to the inclemency of a cold frosty night, and to witnefs thediftreffingfpectacle of theirnumerous dwellings, covered with volumes ef fmoke and flame, falling into ruins.

Thus was this little city, foon after emerging from the ravages of our revo lutionary war, and which had lately promifed a confiderable figure among the commercial cities of our Sifter States, almoft deftroyed in one night. The num ber of houfes (exclufive of other buildings) which are burned, is faid to be nearly 300, but of this (together with an eftimate of property defroyed) a more particular statement than we can now furnish is expected fhortly to be offered to the public. We can now only fay, that two thirds of the city appear in ruin, in a direction from the corner of Market-fquare, along the Bay of Abercorn-street, thence in a fouth-eaft direction, taking the whole centre of the city to the fouth and eaft coinmons a few houfes quite in the fouth-eaft part only excepted. It is faid, that three or four white men and two or three

negroes loft their lives in rendering affittance during the fire; and whether any more, is not yet afcertained. /

During the conflagration on Saturday night laft, in four hours 229 houfes, beside out-houses, &c. were burnt, amounting to one million of dollars, exclufive of loofe property; 375 chimnies are ftanding bare, and form a difmat ap pearance-171 houfes only, of the compact part of the city, are ftanding-more than 400 families are deftitute of houfes. About the beginning of December the election of a Chaplain to the Houfe of Affembly at New York took place. There were three candidates, for whom, at the final clofe of the poll, the numbers were as follow:

each.

Mr. Adams and Mr. Pinckney are therefore elected Prefident and Vices Prefident of the United States, an offi cial notification of which was to be made on the 10th inft. by the Prefident of the Senate to both Houfes of Congrefs. Both thofe Gentlemen are confidered as well difpofed towards Great Britain. Mr. Jefferfon, one of the un fuccessful Candidates, is fuppofed to be friendly to the interefts of France.

The States of Kentucky and Tenneffee, although attached to the Union, were not, from fome informality, allowed to fend Electors; and the returns from the State of Georgia did not arrive in the time limited by Act of Congr.fs.

Druidical fuperftition. We have been favoured with two accounts of this acci dent, one from a young Student of great erudition and taste, and the other from a Gentleman of high character in the li terary world, both or whom have visited

the