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cTiafe, (during winch *e ran t6o miles, ftne half the time
blowing a hard gale of wind at w. j. w.) we came up a
jongfide and captured La Revanche French lugger priva
tt!> 0 f ,6 guns and 62 men, after a running light of 2
hours close alongside. Slw attempted to board us twice,
but being repul fed, and a well direriled broadfule having
brought her main and mizen malls by the board., and (hot
her fore yard away, tliey called for quarter. We had no
former taken poffelfion of her (with the utmost difficulty
and all the exertion \Ve could polfibly make ule ot in gett
iivr the prisoners ftiifted and our own people back) than file
funk, having received above 40 foot between wind and
water. She had 7 men killed and wounded. lam happy
to add, we had only 2 men (lightly wounded; tlm damage
we sustained was mostly in our malls, (pars, tails, and
tigging* She was a remarkably fine’ failing veflel, had
only cruised 6 days, entirely new, fitted out for a month’s
cruile, and the largefl lugger that failed out of Calais. I
am particularly indebted to Mr. Jeffery, Mailer, and Mr.
Koy, Mate, for their attention, afliduity, and prompt ex
ecution of my orders, as well as all the officers and crew,
who deserve the higlieft commendation in their alacrity in
knotting, splicing, and fhifting fail in variable weather and
through a variety of courfos, having been exposed to a fiiaip
and well directed fire from the Hern chafes and mulketry
for near two hours before the action commenced.
Charles Webb.
Robert M l T)ougaH, Esq.
Admiralty Office , March 17.
Copy of a letter from Sir John Borlafe Warren , K. B.
to Evan Nepean , Esq.
Canada, off Isle Dieu, March 8.
Sir,—l take the liberty of acquainting you, that this
morning a convoy of the enemy.was dilcovered within Lie
Dieu, to whom I immediately gave chafe with his Majesty’s
ships under my orders; but the breeze dying away, 1 made
the signal for the boats of my squadron to chafe, and I
have the fatisfaction to inform you, that the veflels menti
oned in the enclosed lift were captured by them. A schoo
ner gun vessel and an armed lugger elcaped into the Fro
mentine passage, over the llland of Normendtr.
Two of the prizes are numbered, and laden with naval
(lores for the armament equipping at Brest, for the intended
expedition against England; the rest have wine and brandy
for their cargoes, and were bound from Rochefort to the
above port.
I have the honor to be, &c.
John B. Warren.
A UJI of vejfels captured by the squadron under the or
ders of Sir J. B. Warren , Bart. ,K. B.
1 A brig from Rochefort, bound to Brest.
A brig from ditto to ditto, numbered, and laden with
[naval {lores, as transports.
I A brig from Rochefort, bound to Breft*
A brig from ditto to ditto.
I A brig from ditto to ditto.
I A brig from ditto to ditto.
I A brig from ditto to ditto, laden with wine and brandv.
I A chaffs maree, from Rochefort, bound to Brest.
I A chaffe maree, from ditto to ditto.
B A chaffe maree, from ditto to ditto, lactenwith wine and
■randy.
|| A chaffe maree, from ditto to ditto, laden with wine and
■randy, burnt, being oii shore.
? (Signed) John Warren*
. SAVANNAH, May a” ~"1_.
* MARINE LIS T.
| Entered InwaUd.
Brig Harriet, Edwards, Charleston
■ Eliza, Lewis, Boston
W-’ Joner Polly, Shaw, Baltimore
I Industry, Ross, Charleston
1 Hibernia, Eafton, Africa
J Charlotte, Lufcomb, Charleston
j Cleared Out.
p ig Nancy, M‘Alafter, Charleston
I Beaver, Elliott, Philadelphia
■chooncr Republican, Crowell, Boston
■loop Nancy, Durraii, New York
■rig Apollo, Robinson, Ditto
■ Lydia, Bertori, Ditto
■ Bellona, Crooker, Di tto
■ Ceres, Hand, Ditto
■ Yefter Jay arrived, the brig Retrieve, C ipt. Phllpot, 16
Ays from Bermuda. On the passage spoke Admiral Van-
Amt’s (hip and the Topaz frigate—Sloop Robert, Capt.
s i 6 days from Philadelphia, having on board a quan
■y of military (lores. On Tuesday lull, off Charleston,
As brought to by the Thetis Brir.ifti frigate and the Hind
(u wai, was detained a few hours aud then permitted
V P Capt. Briggs informed Capt. Cochran he had
ch.bed the day before bv a vessel which he took to be
■French privateer, when the Thetis and Hind flood to the
■rtinvard in quell of her. Capt. Cothran Paul he had cap
■red three privateers in the couife of tile lad ten days.
■ . the Senate ol the United States, on the 26th ult.
■motion was made by Mr. Tazewell, that it be a (landing
■le tha# no Member ot the Senate ought to receive or
■ve any vifitto any foreign Agent or Ambassador, or any
■j.er peifon that avows himlelt to be a public Agent or
■mbaffador for a foreign country, without the leave and
■infent ot the Senate; it was determined in the negative,
■a- 6, nays 16.
■ On motion by Mr. Mason, the veas and nays being re
■urti by one fifth of the Senators prelent,
■ Thole who voted in the affirmative were, Messrs. An
■non, Bloodworch, Brown, Langdon, Mason, and Taze
■ell.
I Those who voted in the negative were, Messrs. Bin*.
■m, Clayton, Foster, Goodlnte, Greene, HUlhoufei How-
Ai, latimer, Laurance, Livermore, Marlhall, Martin,
■ ad, Sedgwick, Tattnall, and Tracy.
■ . n the 4th inst. the House of Representatives of the
Anted States were employed chiefly in difeuffmg the re-
Pent from the Senate, granting leave to Mr.
nllr fete Mini Iter at the Courts of Great Britain
9F fo JUin ’ \° receise the presents offered to him by those
‘* a debate, which continued moll of the fn
■t. tfo rtlui’uti.ms were diiagreed to, in the Committee
w f ’’ 44 10 ar *d id the House, (the teas and
H king called) 45 to 37. 7
atks. |n this city, Mrs.-Dews, wife of Mr. John
Dews. At Little Ogechee, Mr. Benjamin Fox.
Philadelphia, May 14.
The following appointments are made for the Naw by
the Piefident, with the advice and concurrence of the Se
nate: Captains. Richard Dale, Stephen Decatur, ol'Pcnn
fvlvania; Silas Talbot, of New Yprk; Sevier, of
Maffacliufetts. John Rulli, of Penuiylvunix, Surgeon.
Daniel CanTtlck, do. 2d Lieutenant of Marines. —.—
Parker, of New York, Surgeon's Mite.
Capt. Dale commands the Ganges, and Capt. Decatur
the Hamburgh Packet.
Appointments by Authority . Joseph Hopklnfon, ol* 5 ’
Penniylvania, Comi’nrffi.oner for holding a treaty with the
Oneida Indians. Winthrop Sargent, of the Northweflcm
Territory, Governor of the Milfiiippi Territory. John
Steel, of Virginia, Secretary of ditto. Peter Bryan Bruin,
of the Milfiiippi Territory, to lie second Judge of ditto.
Daniel Tilton, of New Hamplltire, third Judge of ditto.
Capt. Tatem, in 49 days from Cadiz, informs, that a
few uays before he failed a brig belonging to Boston arrived
from Charleston with a cargo of tobacco and Haves, name
not recollected. March 24, coining out, was boarded from
the Goliah Bntilh 74. The fleet under Lord Sc. Viiicent
Hill continue the blockade, and had lately received a rein
forcement of 10 fail of dig l ine from England; and part of
the French troops intended to act against Portugal had en
tered the frontier* of Spain.
Charlejion, 3 dry 2r.
Capt. Barnes, t i days from Gape Francois, informs,
that St. Mark’s was delivered up to the French troops un
der Gen. Touffaint on the 7th inst. and Port au Prince was
by capitulation to be evacuated op the 10th inst. the pro
perty of individuals was to remain to its former owners,
and the garrisons were permitted to depart.
A frigate was preparing to fail from the Cape with dis
patches for France, in consequence of which an embargo
was daily expedited to take place, and great exertions were
making by the Americans in order to enable their velfels
to escape it.
THE INFORMER. No. 2.
This delufve itch for f under, too-common in all ranks
of people, whether to gratify a little ungenerous re
sentment; whether , oftener , out of a principle of
levelling , from a mrrown fs and poverty of foul ,
ever impatient of merit and superiority in others;
whether from a mean ambition or the infatiate luf of
being witty; or, lafly , whether from a natural
cruelty of difpoptvn, ahfiraiA.d from all views and
confederation offelf; to which one , or whether to all
jointly , we arc indebted f r this'contagious malady ,
thus much is certain, from whatever feeds it springs,
the growth and p ro grcfs cf it are as defruSlive to as
they are unbecoming a civilized people. Sterne.
INFORMER, when his lu ll number made its
JL appearance, felt himfelf extremely anxious to find
out what reception it met with am rg the good people of
the place. To fatisfy himfelf on this head he puffed him
felf into all companies where lie lpppofed his paper would
become the (inject of conversion. The Informer let oilt
in so unassuming a manner that it led him to suppose that
the Literati would in compassion to his modesty connive at
the imperfedlions with which his number was replete; and
more especially, because, on his introduction among them,
he candidly declared that-he had no “great pretentious to
style or method, but that the main object lie had in view
was to inculcate lessons of virtue and piety, and, so lie at
tained this end, his dogmatizing in an old way, or his be
ing defective in point of compolition, were of little conse
quence. Thele conliderations lie is induced to believe have
iifenced the critics, who otfierwife might have palled the
fevered ftriritures on his performance with rdperit to its
literary merit. Ihe Informer begs leave here to express his
gratitude to the lons of Longinus for their indulgence to
his work, and humbly solicits a continuance of their favors.
The Informer,'although lie pulhed himfelf into all com
panies to hear the opinions about his paper, yet he had
other motives; he did it principally with a view to collecT
matter for his numbers; he has in fome measure succeeded,
for at a rout to which he was invited fome time ago he
could not but observe fome un ferminers of reputation very
busy in propagating reports injurious to the character of a
friend, whole mnocency ought to have merited, if any
thing, an eulogy. In confe juenre of this calumny, and
indeed more from a fonfe of its prevalence among all ranks
of people, he determined, as soon as his other avocations
would permit him, to animadvert on this vice. Asa moral
writer it certainly conies properly under his jurifuictioh;
he will therefore take cognizance of it in this number*
In pursuing this fubjecl the Informer will, in the firft
place, aim his fhafts at those who propagate fcatldal, and,
fecondlv, at those who retail it.
“ Speech was given to us by our Creator for wife and
benevolent purpoles; but when the tongue is busy in pro
pagating scandal, in expofmg the frailties of our nature,
and in publiftiifig falfe reports, it then becomes an inflru
ment of mifehitf, it destroys the pleasures of facial intef
courfc, and is a fire, a world of iniquity.” If we will take
the trouble of tracing the stream of calumny to its source we
will find it take its rife among little contracted fouls, w! tee
hearts melt not at another s misfortune, whose chief gratifica
tion lies in trampling upon the character of integrity, and who,
provided they can indulge their favorite paifions of envy,
malice, and refentaient, care very little upon what objects
those paifions are directed. Calumny mull originate among
people of tins ikdcnption, or no where; for among men
who possess the dealt fipark of philanthropy fcandaTcould
never be harbored; they would recoil at the very idea of
defaming the character of their neighbor, for these reasons:
because the good opinion of mankind is necessary to the
fucceli ot our temporal affairs; because an upright reputa
tion, and a character untainted by the breath of defamation,
are such abfoiute requisites for a man in his Ibort journey
through life that without them lie may be said to be an
outcast of society. When tiiefe are tlie consequences of
calumny can we suppose it to take its rife among men of
worth? No, certainly. The position then that the Informer
set out with mull be incontrovertible.
What are honors, what is projxrty, rnilefs we have an
nexed to us integrity? Sliadows. Whatever notions we
may Viav*. formed about the opinion pf the world, yet letfefc
”®Tand our miferv is tnc.Mculabfe. ‘What hhs a tendency
to do all this? Calumny* In what ail odious liyht outflit
we then to hold It. ° 8
It is no apology to fir that the fcandnl you propagate
is founded in truth; it is Hi I cruelty in the and
unpai-douabk in every point of view, to defame your
neighbor.’
The Informer knows only of two jnftancOswhere one
may be juHified in fpeakiiig 111 of another; the firft is,
when teftimonv ij given in a court of j ult tee a man may,
lor the lake of the‘public, relate what he knows qf another
without regarding; the tendency it mdy have to lelfen him
in the eftcem of his peers; lie who has offended against the
laws of hi i country deserves not that coujoalfioii and fellow
feeling wh.ich we onglit tu 11 lew to tliofe wliofe reAitudc of
conduct lliotild be a bai‘ to the- afjrerll >ns of the calumniat
or; and even in giving our evidonce against a tel > n we are
told to avoid all asperity and rancor. If we are to aril in
this mann.-r towards a t litof, whose crimes have drawn
down the vengeance of thedaws, what ought to be our
condurit tpwaitls those u ho deserve llopenfure? ’Fhe airfwer
is obvious, ic needs no lomokrit.
Tlie other inst nice Mjiiere it may be juflifiable in fpcak
ing ill of another nlay be the necessity of vindicating our
own. character; and even in the vindication of our own
condu 51 we lliou! L d^rfe-lves t > .those circumftancts
which apply to that virf jfeation, and ve fixmld assert no
thing but what js founded ort truth. If envy, malice, or
animolity, Ihould teippt us to retort, we IhouTd check their
progress by refleriVing that we ourlelves have been hurt by
these paifions in fimtlar iituations.
Tie Informer has now irrived at the second division of
his f object, that is, to make a few remarks oil the retailers
of defamation.
O.i t v head lit; begs leave to tranferibe the fi:h‘imcnts
of a gentleman celebrated for the benevolence of his heart:
1 hole who alfill irrthe circulation ot llories or anecdotes
by which their neighbor is ill fpokfen of think, perhaps,
they are fafe and perfectly juftifiable'in repeating what has
been communicated by another, whom they are at all times
ready, it required, to laciince to tlieir own indilerction.
This is however a weak apology; they may probably be
convinced that what tliey have.heard is ttaie; but why
Ihould they take delight in expofmg another's faults? If,
however, they know it to be falfe, and yet report it, their
glint is equal to the firft puhlillier. If they have any re
gard to truth, arly spark of humanity in their breads, they
would .have contradicted it, and to flop the
mouth ol scandal. No less juflifiabfe are they in promul
gating a llory upon the bare credit of another; they ought
to lufpend their belief, even before they form a judgment of
their neighbor’s conduit, till they are fully persuaded of
tne truth ol what they have heard, much less take a plea
liue in lpre iding it abroad.— 1 his is- the language of 4
writer whose charity towards mankind was bound’cfs, and
whole cheek wouldblufh entnfon deep to hear a scandalous
llory, much less to propagate one. ,
‘idle Informer flatters himfelf with the hope that these
remarks on calumny will operate in the way he ardently*
dcfires, that is, to in tlie breasts of youth a feoty
indignation against this vice, this bane of focicty. He
would particularly recommend to the female lex, who ap
pear to be much infected with the contagion of calumny,
to let his observations have their weight of reaf n among
them, l iie fair have i% every age been lalhed by the
moral ill for their prediiedt ion for defamation. The In
former would therefore recommend to thenraffb to tay'ST
fide this inveterate habit, eljx;cially in this enlightened age,
>in which to flick to old things would be incompatible with
the rage for innovation, I (hall conclude this number with
a few lines from Shakespeare, applicable to illy lubjecl:
Good name in man or woman
Is the immediate jewel of their fouls*
Who Heals my purse Heals tralh, ’tis something, nothing;
’Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been Have to thousands:
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.
NOT E.
7be learned will no doubt difover a good deal of
plagiarifn in this number; but this appears to be nb
very great fault , if the application is good. It has
been said by fome to be nearly equal to invention. In
dependent of this opinion the Informer is encouraged
in this prahlice by the example of fome who have pre
tensions to literature *
FOR THE INFORMER.
Mr. Informer ,
WHI-.N I come to town to fell mv filiall wares I
like to carry home with me fome little nick
nack or finery, that is not over costly, to my wife or
daughters. Now, I have fetn advertised for fafe, ‘ H.fir
flklers, Tongue -ferapers, and Back-lcratchers.’ I can partly
guess what tliey are intended Tor by their names, and you
could, I suppose, write a very pretty essay, as they call it,
about them; but I believe we can do without such like
things, though they may be very ufeful to fine ladies am!
gentlemen, particularly the Tongue-scrapers, as their
tongues I doubt often want feraping, and might lometimes
be the better for paring too mayhap. I have heard of fome
of your name, Mr. Informer, who have been little thanked
for their information; but, no disparagement to you, a
man cannot help his name, you know, and there may be
good Informers as well as bad; I hope you will prove your
felf by your information to be one of the good; What I
therefore wiflj is, to get lo far into your favor as to inform
me what the meaning or use of the following articles is,
which I have seen alio advertised, namely, ‘ Bafcaes, Co
pses, and Guzeenas,’ and whether they are eatables or
wearables, for it would look odd, you know, after buying
any of them and carrying them home, if none of us knew
what use to put them to. This information, in the way of
your calling, will mightily oblige,
A PLAIN COUNTRYMAN. •
All persons indebted to the
Printers hereof arc requeued to make payment*