From the LONDON GAZETTE of Tuesday, November 25.

Extra of a Letter from the Prefident and Select Committee at Bombay to the Seler? Committee of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, dated June 27, 1783, received over Land the 21ft of November.

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UR laft letter left Gen. Matthews, with his whole force collected, in poffeffion of Onore, and under pofitive orders to make an immediate attempt upon the city of Bednure, in cafe the intelligence, then juf receiver, of Heider's death, proved well founded. In parfuance of these orders, the General proceeded to Cundapore, which he reduced, after fome flight refiftance, and from thence reprefented, in very ftrong terms, that the condition of the army was not fuch as would warrant the at tempt upon Bednure, but that, nevertheless, he would make the trial; and this advice of his intention was conveyed in a letter from Cundapore, dated the 19th of January, and received bere the 8th of February.

The General's reprefentation of the danger of the enterprife, and fatal confequences of a failure, was expreffed fo forcibly, that we did not think it proper, after an opinion given in fuch strong terms by the officer who was to execute the fervice, to perfift in exacting a compliance with our above mentioned orders; and we, therefore, though with reluttance, difpatched difcretionary orders to the General to defer the attempt, at the fame time recommending to him to give due weight in the fcale to the advantages Heider's death would afford him, which, in our opinion, more than coune terbalanced the objections which might, in ftrict prudence, be urged againft the attempt.

The fervice, however, had been performed before the difpatch of cur orders; and, on the 14th of February, the Preficent received advice, in a note from Captain Torriano, com mandant at Onore, of our army having forced the Gauts, and gained possession of the city of Bednure. Advice of this important event was fhortly after communicated to you by the Prefident.

Subfequent reports, and intelligence collected from private letters, made us very impatient to receive a relation of his fuccefs from the General himself, as we foon underfood that a treaty of a particular nature ad been concluded with Hyat Saib, the governor of Bednure under Heider Ali, and that he was cont ued in the government of that city with an autherity little inferior to what he held before we became mafters of the place.

On the 26th of February Colonels Maclod and Humbertone, and Major Shaw, the principal officers of his Majefty's troops, airived here from the army, which they left fome days after the furrender or Bednure; but we had fill no letters from Brigadier-General Matthews. Thefe gentlemen, on their arrival, each give in memorials, ftating their reafons for quitting the army.

Mangalore furrendered by capitulation the 9th of March, after a practicable breach had been nearly effected. Carwar, and other forts in the Soundah Country, had been likewife reduced by a feparate detachment under Captain Carpenter; and some forts inland, a confiderable distance to the Eaftwar of Bednure, by other detachments.

In the letter from the General above-mentioned, dated the 4th of March, he taxes the whole army, in terms the moft severe and unqualified, but altogether general and indifcriminate, with offences of the higheft crimina ity. He fays that, after the furrender of Bednure, the flame of difcontent broke out among the officers, which rapidly spread from thofe in the immediate fervice of his Majesty to the Honourable Company's fervants, and that this flame, being blown by a few zealots for plunder and booty, he was apt to think, was one caufe of depriving him, at that critical time, of the fervice of Lieutenant-Colonels Macleod and Humbertone. He mentioned, in very concife terms, fome points of difference betwixt himfelt and Col. Macleo, respecting a claim of rank, and the mode of fupplying his Majefty's troops. That the agents for the capters had been loud in their reprefentations of the uppofed right of the army, and they and the efficers had done every thing that was disrespect. ful and injurious to him; which circumstances, fo contrary to good order and difcipline, could not fail to increase the fpirit for plunder in the foldiery, who, encouraged by the practice of their officers, were become loofe and unfeeling as the moft licentious freebooters.

The General further faid, he fuppofed Col. Macleod would deliver the papers on the fubject of thefe difputes, and called upon us to rake meafures to prevent fuch dangerous proceeding that the troops in Bednure were almost in a ftate of mutiny; the enemy colleDing a force within thirty miles; the profpe&t of refettling the city every moment more diftant, owing to the dejection of the Jemautaar Hyst Saib, who, from the illiberal and indecent expreffions of the officers, was filled with appre henfions that made him utterly defpond, and rendered him incapable of any exertion.

Such was the accufation against the army, and fuch the materials afforded by the General as grounds upon which Government were to take the meatures in fo delicate and critical an emergency. Col. Macleod had not delivered the papers, as fuppofed by the General, he hed only, on his arrival, as mentioned in a former paragraph, given in a menor al, affigning his reafons for quitting the army, an stating, with candour and moderation, the circomRances of his own rank and fervices, and the complaints of his Majetty's troops, which had rencered it impoffible for him to continue to ferve under the command of Brigadier-General Matthews. Thefe circumstances, as well as our refolutions in confequence, will be communicated by a future conveyance, only deeming it material to mention at prefent, that,

more particular account, to Lieut. Pruen. The account Col. Macleod gives is, That, on the morning of the 8th of April, they found themselves near the Mahratta fleet belonging to Gheriah, which, without fpeaking or ceremony, attacked the Ranger with great fury. Lieut. Pruen fought his veffel with the greatest courage. Their defence was defperate, and ceafed not till they were almost all killed or wounded. Major Shaw was fhot dead; Col. Humbertone was fhot through the lungs; Lieut. Stuart, of the 100th regiment, was almoft cut to pieces on boarding; Lieut. John Taylor, of the Bombay troops, was fhot thro' the body; Lieut. Seton, of the Bombay artillery, and Lieut. Pruen, commander of the veffel, were wounded with fwords on boarding. In the beginning of the action Col. Macleod received two wounds in his left hand and fhoulder; and, a little before it was over, a mufket-ball paffed through his body, which pierced his lungs and fpleen.-Lieut. Pruen's account likewife proves that the Mahrattas began the attack, and that he received a number of fhot before he returned a gun. Their forre confifted of two large fhips, a ketch, and eight gallivats, with which the Ranger, carrying only 12 guns, twelve-pounders, fuftained a clofe engagement of four hours and a half; and, for the laft hour, the two ships and the ketch were lashed along fide of the Ranger, in which fituation the engagement was continued with musketry only, and the brave defence of the officers and crew prevented the enemy from entering the veffel, till, from the number of killed and wounded, and most of the mufkets being rendered unferviceable, the fire of the Ranger was fo inuch reduced, that the commander was under a neceffity of striking; and the inftant the colours were down, the enemy rushed on board, and cruelly cut and wounded feveral of the officers and men, while others jumped overboard, to avoid immediate death. The fame night the Ranger was carried into Gheriah, where the Subedar and his officers difowned all knowledge of the peace, and refufed to release the velfel and officers without orders from Poonah.

We are concerned to add, that Col. Humberftone died at Gheriah, the 30th of April, of the wound he received in the action. Colonel Macleod's recovery was long thought imposfible, but he is now perfectly restored to health. Lieutenants Stuart, Taylor, Seton, and Pruen, are alfo recovered.

The Ranger, with Colonel Macleod and the other furviving officers, arrived here the 29th of May, having been released from Gheriah the 27th, in too difabled and defpoiled a condition to make her way to the Southward.

Our last letter from Mr. Anderton is dated the 19th of May, upon the receipt of the intelligence of the capture of the Ranger, which he immediately communicated to Mahajce Scindia, and required him, in strong terms, to give fome explanation with regard to this outrage, and the meatures which he intended to

purfue in vindication of his own honour, which was thus brought into queftion. Scindia declared, that none of his late letters from the Minifter gave him the leaft reafon to apprehend any finifter intentions of the Mahratta Government, and he affured Mr. Anderson, that he had written in strong terms to the Minifter, to punish with death the person who committed this act of hoftility, and to make full reftitution of the ftores and effects taken ; that, if they complied with these requifitions, he would undertake to reconcile the English Government, but, if they refused, they muft take the consequences; that, for his part, fince fo enormous an outrage had been committed, after the conclufion of the treaty, he muft confult and adopt the inclinations of the English.

So far from punishing the officer who committed the act of hoftility, we are affured, by Col. Macleod, that he received from the MiDifter public marks of approbation, and honorary rewards for his conduct. Col. Macleod was invited to the ceremony held upon this occafion, and fome of the officers were actually prefent when the Subedar exhibited, in public Durbar, according to the cuftom of the country, the honorary ornaments which had been fent to him from Poonah.

By this time matters to the Southward had taken a very unfavourable turn. The latter end of April we received advice from the Select Committee at Madras, in a letter, dated the 12th of March, that Tippoo had fent the greatest part of his army out of the Carnatic, through the Changamah pafs, and that they concluded he himself would foon follow, in order to use his utmost efforts to recover his valuable poffeffione in the Bednure Country.

Gen. Matthews fent repeated advice of the enemy's approach in force, and requifitions for reinforcement. Under the 20th of March he writes, from Mangalore, of a body of 50,000 men, with 25 pieces of cannon, being to the Eastward of Bednure, and that he should fet off for that place next day, when, he said, he may poffibly collect 1200 Sepoys, and 400 Europeans, with five pieces of cannon, to meet the enemy in the field. His next letter is dated the 27th, at Cundapore, in which he repeats his intelligence and requests for a reinforcement, without which, he obferves, it will be next to a miracle if he can preferve his footing. He then mentions, as a certainty, that a very large force was arrived within 35 miles of Bednure. His next letter, and the laft we have received from him, was dated the rtt of April, at Bednure, and advised, that Tippoo Sib, with 1000 French. 12,000 horfe, and as many infantry, with a few guns, were arrived within 45 miles, and purpofed pushing on without delay. We foon after received an account from Captain Matthews, the General's brother, dated at Cundapore, of a fmart action having happened, in which the Company's troops gained confiderable advantage. This account was not diftin&t, and only collected from the country people.

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Our next accounts informed us of the lofs of the two pofts the General had established at the Gauts, by which the communication between Bednure and the fea-coaft was cut off. The principal poft, which had been reprefented as very strong, appears to have been loft, after a very flight defence, by the mifconduct of the officer in command. The fugitives who efcaped from the Gauts communicated fuch diforder and panick to the garrison at Candapore, that little elfe but an escape was thought of, in attempting which, numbers of men and horfes were drowned. Large magazines of ftores and provifions, which were depofited at Cundapore, were immediately fet fire to in the confufion, and a large field of artillery difabled, or left to the enemy, who, it is to be obferved, had not even made their appearance when this fhameful flight and deftruction of a poft, faid to be tenable, took place. A part of the garrifon escaped to Onore, which is under the command of Capt. Torriano, who, by his refolute and prudent conduct, prevented the panick from infecting his garrifon, and made an effort to recover the post at Cundapore, in which he did not fucceed.

Thefe accounts were foon followed by others, Atill more unfavourable, of the lofs of Bednure, and that part of the army which was above the Gauts, under the command of Gen, Matthews in perfon. The most authentick information we have received of this difafter is from Major Campbell at Mangalore, and the particulars given by him are as follow: The 12th of May, the Intrepid had hardly failed, when a Sepoy arrived from Bednure, with the diftreffing accounts of the General, after 6 days employed in fettling articles of capitulation, having marched out of the fort, the 3d current, with his whole garrifon, with all the honours of war, in expectation of being allowed, in the fame manner, to come here; but, as naturally might be expected from an enemy by whom faith is fo feldom kept, the brave but unfortu nate garrison was no fooner got out of the gates, than they were furrounded by both horfe and foot, and forced to lay down their arms, and are now detained prifoners. The melancholy account is again confirmed by another perton, a Sepoy, who was alfo in Bednure Fort when it was given up. He corroborates every part refpecting it; both Sepoys agree that there was a confiderable quantity of water and provifiors in the fort."

The force Gen. Matthews had with him at Bednure, and the pofts above the Gauts, confifted of detachments of the 98th and 102d regiments, and of the 100th regiment of his Majefty's troops, the greater part of the Bombay infantry, originally 300 rank and file, the 2d grenadier battalion of Sepoys, and the 3d, 5th, 11th, and 15th battalions, except fome detachments from them, and the Bombay Europeans, which were at Onore and other forts. According to Col. Macleod's computation, for we have no returns to guide us, our lofs in this unhappy affair amounts to about 600 Europeans and about 1600 Sepoys. We before mentioned the force the General supposed he should be able to collect.

Under the 19th of May Major Campbell writes, "I have nothing further to add to my laft dispatches than a painful confirmation of the furrender of Bednure, the caufe unknown, but the confequence is, that Tippoo Saib is now encamped, with his whole army, in our front, his rear is just arrived, fo that I expect an attack to morrow morning. A Madras foldier is just come in to us, and fays, the number of the French Tippoo has with him does not exceed 3co: the rest of his army not lefs than 100,000 fighting men." GENT. MAO. Decomber, 1783.

It was fome relief to us in this misfortune, and gave us confidence and hopes of retrieving it, that just at this time we received advice, by the way of Buffora, of the preliminaries of a general peace having been figned at Paris the 20th of January.

There is still a very refpectable force remaining at Carwar, Onore, and Mangalore. We are apprehenfive for the fafety of Onore, in cafe it fhould be vigorously attacked, but truft the troops at Carwar and Mangalore will be preferved. At Carwar, and the pofts dependent, there is one battalion of Sepoys; and at Mangalore the 42d regiment, and fore fmall detachments from other regiments, and Company's troops, amounting all together to about 400 men, befides artillery, and upwards of four battalions of Sepoys, giving, on a return dated the 8th of May, near 3000 men. There is alfo a fufficient ftock of provifions, and a number of able officers in the place, which is under the command of Major Campbell; and we have ftrong hopes that the ftrength of the garrifon, and the approach of the monfoon, will baffle the attempts of the enemy.

Left you should not have received advice of the early return of the French fleet to the other coaft, and an account of their proceedings, we think it right to infert a paper tranfmitted to us by the Select Commitee at Madras, with their letter of the 12th of March, being intelligence given by Capt. Light, whofe veffel had been made a prize of by M. Suffrein.

"The French fleet, confifting of 11 fail of the line, and the La Fine and Bellona frigates, left Acheen the zoth of December; the Hannibal and Bellona were fent to cruife off the Braces. The 6th of January the flect arrived at Ganjam; the 10th ditto the Coventry was taken; he had fpoken with the Blandford that morning, who informed Captain Wolfefley, that in the night he had engaged a privateer. The Coventry, feeing a ship at anchor in Ganjam Roads, fuppofed it to be the privateer, and ran clofe in before the dif covered the rest of the fret. On the the Blandford was taken by the Coventry. On the 18th the Blake was taken by the Coventry. On the 20th and 21st three small veffels in ballaf were taken and funk,”

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We have not heard of any material captures made by the French fleet, except the Coventry and Blandford.

We have the pleasure to acquaint you, that the fleet under Vice Admiral Hughes arrived at Madras the 13th of April. The Admiral faw nothing of the French fleet in his paffage, and it feems doubtful whether they were to the Northward or the Southward. The Briftol and her convoy arrived the 17th of April, and foon after the Company's fhip Duke of Athol had the misfortune to blow up, by which a number of lives were loft. The Fairford was destroyed by fire in this harbour on the 5th corent, as you will be advifed by the Board. The grand army had marched to the Southward, upon an expedition against Cuddalore. The fleet was at Madras the oth of April, and, we understand, was foon to proceed to the Southward, to co-operate with the army again Cuddalore.

We are much concerned to acquaint you,. that we have private advice, that Lieut.-Gen. Sir Eyre Coote died at Madras the 26th of April, the day after his arrival from Bengal in the Refolution country ship.

Coty of a Letter from Mr. Hutchinson to the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors, &c.

GENTLEMEN,

The Honourable the Prefident of Bombay having directed the commandant of the Viper cutter, proceeding with difpatches for Buflors, to touch here for intelligence, I embrace the opportunity of acquainting you with the moft recent occurrences in the Carnatic which have come to my knowledge.

Gen. Stuart, with a powerful army, was before Cuddalore when information was received of a treaty of peace having been concluded at London the gth of February between the belhgerant powers, in confequence of which a cef. fation of holinties immediat ly took place It is imagined the garr.ion must have shortiv fubmitted, as we had fuc.eded in the attack on their lines, and had carried their redoubts. In effecting this fervice, a very heavy lofs was Inftained on the part of the British torces, computed at 616 European, and 256-5 poys, killed, wounded, and milling. This happened on the 13th ult. On the 25th the enemy mace a fally from the fort, and suvanced cole up to our works, commencing and fupporting the affault with great first and intrepidity; but they were reputed, with the lots of about 200 Europeans, and their colonel d'Acquitaine taken prisoner.

On or about the 20th ult. there was an engagement between the British and French fleets near Pondicherry, but I do not learn any decifive blow was ftruck by either fide. M. Suffrein returned to Cuddalore, and Sir Edward Hoches is fu pofed to have stood on towards Madras, as it was reported he was in want of water, and his people were very fickly

The Southern army, acting in the Carnatic, under the command of Cel. Lang, had maden irruption into the Coimbature Country, fubdu

ing Carwar and Dindegul, when the Colonel was recalled to join the grand army before Cuddalore, and Col. Fullarton invefted with the command, who, with great spirit and activity, had pushed on to Darampore, which fell to him the 1ft ult. He was then within tx days march of Paliagacheri, towards which place his further progrefs was totally barred, by an order from Gen. Stuart to move back to Cuddalore. He is now on his return again to the Coimbature Country, ftrongly reinforced.

A detachment of 300 Europeans, together with a fupply of powder and provifions, are fent from Madras to Mangalore, in his Mejefly's fhips Brifol and Ifis. A further reinforcement is deftined for the fame part, with an intention of enabling Col. Campbell to take the field, in cafe it should be expedient.

No accounts are yet received of the expected fleet, which was to have left England in January laft.

I have the honour to be, with the greatest refpect, Gentlemen, your faithful and obedient humble servant,

JOHN HUTCHINSON.

Anjengo, 19th July, 1783.

On the fwallowing of Pins, or Fish Bones.

BY W. TURNBULL, M. D.

BE (wallowing of pins, &c. has often been the caule of many grievous and dangerous effects, and, it is prefumed, of en fatal; for, upon diffecting the patients, who appeared, from the fymptoms, to have died of the iliac pallion, colic, &c. they have been foud to have been killed by pins, &c. โ April 1777, a young woman, who had fwa lowed a very large pin, which fuck fan in that part of the cefophagus which enters into the thorax, was brought to the hospital at Bamborough Caftle, Northumberland. As I then had the honour of the princ pal manage ment of that hospital, I was fent för, and found the patient in very great pain. Having, fume time before, confidered the nature of this accdent, and concluded, that if any thing could be given that would pafs eafily, and, when in the ftomach, coagulate into a glury maff, it might robably bring up any thing lodged in the pallage; I immediately gave her 4 grams of tartar emetic, diflolved in warm water, and then made her fwallow the whites of fix eggs, and in about three minutes the brought up the coagulated mafs, with the pin, and was effectually relieved.--The fame method was attenced with fimar fuccets, in an infance nearly refembling the above: A maid fervant to the Hon. Mr. Baillie, of Millerfiain, in Scotland, went to bed with 24 pins in he mouth. The confequence of which was, that in the night the family were alarmed with her cries. Mr. Baillie ordered her an emetic and the whites of eggs, as above, and the whole number of pins came up, and are now preferved in the family as a curiofity.-The fame method I have ofed, with fuccefs, for fith and other kinds of harp bones.