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THURSDAY, Octobir j 1781. [N 0.138.]
GEORGIA GAZETTE.
SAVANNAH: Printed 8 TdNk
K fe w - y O R K, September 12.
are informed that Mr. Walh
£7s > n g ton has moved from Chester
Q-** w in Pennsylvania, where he hait
/5v OTI f^e inst. a °d ** is
■V ■ ---X expeded he would. reach the
° f ElkM Monday*him
fell is to proceed by land, but
his (lores, provisions, and baggage, by water,
down Chefapeak Bay.
On board the ship Marquis de la Fayette, of
12:0 tons, w ere, besides many other valuable ar
ticles, 100,000 louifdoes, cloathing for 43,000
nien, and a great, number of braft cannon, field
pieces, rr.orta-rs ? &c. She was taken by the En*
dymion frigate.
We feel vast regret in mentioning that the noble
and brave Lord Rawdon, on his paftage to Eng
land in a South Carolina packet-, in an infirm Hate
of health, has been taken by the French fleet com
manded by M. de Gruffe.
Sept. 28. By a gentleman who arrived here
yesterday from Philadelphia, we learn, that pre
vious to his departure from that city a report pre
vailed. and was. univerfnlly credited * thatVn cx*-
piels had arrived fioni Vng:nia toT'oiig-cls^with
tween the atm y commanded by the Right Hon.
Gen. Earl Cornwallis and a jarge body of French
and Rebel troops, commanded by the Marquis de
la Fayette, in which the latter 101 l sco men killed,
and 500 taken prisoners.
His Majesty's frigate Perseverance, one of the
Hon. Admiral Digby’s fleet, tin her paflfage from
England, retook, ofl toe Welle:n lfles, the Lively
of 20 guns, which was captured by the French
grand fleet in the year 1778 ; also the brigs Rola
mond and Catherine, (her prizes) from Glalgow,
bound for this pott, ail of which were ordered (or
England.
Laift Monday arrived at Sandy Hook, in a fleet
of the King’s thins from Great Britain, under tiie
command of the Hon . Admiral Digby, His Koval
Highness PRINCE WILLIAM HENRY, thud
son ofdur tnofl: gracious Sovereign. The honour
conferred on this continent by the arrival of so ex
alted and amiable a character- upon it, is sensibly
felt by all ‘his Majesty’s faithful fubjedts on this tide
the Atlantick.
His Royal Highness came up to this city on
Wednesday afternoon in perfedt health, and was
cordially received upon his landing with the hon
ours due to his merit. It is impoflible to describe
the exultation of the navy, army, and loyal inha
bitants, on the occasion.
The brother of the Right Hon. Gen. Earl Corn
wallis commands one of the line of battle drips in
Admiral Digby’s fleet, which has brought over the
mail for July last, and 230,0001. lleiling.
The following is an exuadl of a letter from an
officer in the looth, regiment, dated on board the
Jupiter man of war, off Madeira, March 31, 1781.
“ After haying touched at St.- JagO, one of the
Cape de Y'erd Islands, wc (Hall proceed from thence
diredlly to Buenos Ayres, the capital city of the
Spanish territories in Paraguay, on the River La
Plata. The famous pried it ora that country to
gether with 100,000 Hand of spare arms, painted
in the Indian llile, are on board the fleet. To re
taliate the encouragement the Spaniards have.given
to the fpitit of ri*volt in North America 1 conceive
to be tire objed of this enterprise, as promifingas
it is just.” 7Q- -
One of the (hips of Admiral Digby’s fqundron
on the passage fell in with a Poituguefe veflel from
the “Brazils, by which wo have assurance that, on
the 18th of July, Commodore George Jbhirfftofie,
to the aftonilhment of all mankind, the deft i nation
of his squadron being generally fuppclcd againll
the Cape of Good Hope, had landed his troops in
the River Plata, on the coast of Brazil, and taken
pofleflion of Buenos Ayres, an immense rich city,
in the province of La Plata, on the call fide of
South America, lying 50 miles within the river’s
mouth, which is there seven leagues in breadth,
well fortified and defended by m any guns.
N. B. Sixty thousand inhabitants of that country
in arms againll the Spaniards, so that the revolt
ofqhnoft every province in South America is now
accomplished.
Tburfday fe’nnight a cartel strived here in ten
days from Boston, with a nurnbei of prifoners* a-
mong them about 12 mailers of vcflels, one of
whom is Capt. Cobb> of the Lockhart Ross, from
Quebeck to Cork, that, had the misfortune to be
taken by the Herniione and Aftrea, two French
frigates, and carried into Boston.
By the above prisoners we have certain advice of
the capture of a number of the enemy’s privateers
that had been dogging the Quebeck fleet; that no
less than nine of them had been cairied into Hali
fax, among them the Thorn, (but it is find Ihe was
afterwards retaken by a French frigate) and 15
into Newfouhdland ; a lift of them we have not
yet been able to obtain, we only know the names
of a few of those carried into St. John’s, New
foundland, viz.
Brig Sharp, Capt. / Hen, belonging to Boston.
Ship l ongrtfs, Capt. Rhodes. Salem.
Ship Lewey, Capt. Nicolas, Portsmouth.
B:ig ‘Aflive, Capt. Pattin, Beverley.
Sloop Fill) Hawk, do.
Brig New Adventure, Cant. Neil, do.
Ship Oliver Cromwell, Capt. Bray, do
Ship Mercury,’ letter of marque, Capt. Scorer,
* belonging 19 Pc-rtfinouth.
Ships Alexander', Neptune, and Marquis.
The day op which the last: packet arrived at
F n*fch fng*?Voer'-’
mione failed either for Philadelphia or Virginia..
When the cartel left Boston harbour there were
then there a-French <0 gun lliip and four frigates.
’ The whole of the Quebeck fleet (three excepted,
which were taken) areTpppofcd to be fofe arrived,
as they were seen in the River St. Lawrence, pretty
far up.
The following prizes aro taken and carried into
Fenobfcot by hi/ Mnjcfty’:, ihips the Amphitnte,
Capt. Biggs, and the Mjbnk, Capt. Rogers, viz.
The flup v alemPackt t, from fttU a, with nlk
and conLge.
Brig Dolphin, loaded with lumber.
The ft,ip Enter prize, formerly bdonging to us,
of 22 gups.
• And tiie Brig Endeavour.
1 he following is said to be a pretty accurate ac
count of the engagement off the Chcfapeak, the
ir.it mt, between the Britiih and French fleets:
* lie fti.il certain notice our Admjral received of
thc cnemy’s fleet being actually upon the coast was
from the advanced fhip-of the fleet on the morning
of that day, when the French fleet’ were seen at au
anchor/ extending from Cape Henry to the center
of the-m iddle g our.d, ( a fhoai so called which con
fi es the entrance into the Qhetbpeak) apparently
in- three dlvifions.
As the Britiih fleet advanced with a fair wind the
French got their ships. underfail, nncj’extcndiyg
themselves in a line of battle ahead ftrctched out to
seaward.
The Britifli ran down upon an call and weft line
with the wind at N. N E formed, and put them
fcives into order and preparation for battle.
As the British advanced towards the fhoai of the
middle they weie prepared to veer by signal, the
whole fleet together, to bring them upon the fame
tack with the enemy, who were alLthis tilde form
ing the line as they advanced to fea‘.
Q"’ The moment it was no longer fafe for the Britiih
van to. advance further, on account of “the fhcal,
the fleet* wore together, and came to the fame tack
with the French, and formed a line ahead nearly
parallelled with them, with their main-topfiuls
square, to let the enemy's van guard advance un
til the Britiih could-operate to advantage,
The'French came forward slowly, and Ihewed
24 large ftiips of their line of battle. The Britiih
formed 1 q in theirs.
It will be needless to give you a detail ‘of flgna Is.
A great number were made, and J believe all that
we:e necessary to prepare the Britiih line for an
united effort. ■
The French van had extended themselves consi
derably too much from their own* center and
seemed to present the favourable momentfor atfitek.
The Britiih line had been continually pressed
down to approach the enemy as near a$ ppftiple,
and the moment the French van betrayed fheinap
prehenfion of our dcfigq, by bearing away, the
signals for a close ailion were made, and the signal
for the line taken down, that nothing rqight cross
the opportunity.
The adiqn began at a quarter after four, about
the fourth or fifvh lliip, and in a few minutes ex
tended from the van to the lecond Ihipaftern of the
center.’’ *
Rear Admiral Drake’s division composed the
van of the Britiih line, Rear Admiral Sir Samuel
Hood, Bart, that of the rear.
The action in the van was very close and lharp
for fome time, and continued so until the French
“■ftiips put before the wind to prevent being cut up.
The French center and rear pulhed forward, and
kept much from the wind as they approached the
.Biitilh center, and appeared to have little more in
view than to advance far enough to receive their
own van, who were nearly before the wind, and
the better to effed this purpose they conllantly de
clined, close attion with the center of our fleet.
Every neceflary signal was made to urge a close
as well as a general adion, which the enemy ap
peared as much to decline, and did not permit our
rear to close with them, which prevented that part
ot our sic-et from having any {hare of the adion.
All firing ceased on both sides soon after sunset.
About ten o’clock it was made known to the Ad
miral by two frigate?, which had been sent through
out the line, that several of the Ihips.of the van,
were not.capabhrof keeping extended"with tKe en*
emy, having ‘luffered so much in their malls and
mailed that’ two pf the ftips which came very
‘leaky from the Weft Indies had.aggravated their
complaints, and one of them could only b 6 kept
free with all her pumps.
The two fleets'remained near each other for five
fucccflive days, at times'very close. The eneniy,
it was visible, had received much damage to their
van lhipsj| and frpjnj thence on the of
the Admiral’s j but our mails and yards had
fuffeied much more apparently—this enabled the
French to gain cbe rwnd of us, an*d two changes Qf
udnd so their favour prevented auir retoveiing it.
No time or effort was negletted which could put
the Britiih improper £>rder, for the enemy, with
their foperiority of number*, ought certainly to
have attacked us. On the 10th the Terrible coaid
no longer refill.her leaks, and the fleet was obliged
to bring to, as 4 well as to give time to fhift fome
top-malls. This was done at night, and the next
morning we saw no more of the enemy, who cer
tainly pulhed to regain'the Chefapehk, having been
dliven a great wav to the foutnw.ard.
The day belfig-cafm she Terrible was dismantled
apd let oq fire, aid several of the Weft India fqua
dion that had very lit tie, bread on board, and but
a few days wafdr, d’ere fuppliVd from-otjier (hips
of the fleet, and the whole mov*d ;owarfts Cape
Henry, which wc made On the 14th ; and finding
the French fleet had placed themleiyes so advanta
geously between the %hds as to give no probability
ol our. being dble to force them, or get any fuccour
up to York River, it became abfoiutely neefffary
to Ihelter the fleet before the approaching equinox,
as a gale of wiefl, by diftnantling .our fliips, might
do us more injiiry than a general adion. The fleet
therefore returned to New-York.
the adion one Lieutenant and §0
men killed, and 246 wounded ; one Captain hav
ing loft his leg*. ‘
Cbarkfionjutt, OSober 10. Yesterday his Majef-'”
ty’s Ihip Solebay returned from a cruize.
Same day arnvefl off our bar from New-York,
his MajeftyY Ihips Santa Monica, Capt. John
Linzee, and L* Fortnne, Capt. Christian, of
guns each, with Ae Jane sloop, Capt; Burr.
When thefeiveffcls left New-York a large body
of land forces? were embarking on a.fecret expedi
tion. It was said .they were to be escorted by rh*e
fleet under Admirals Graves, Digby, Hood, and
Drake, and that the objedt of their deftiuation is
Virginia, there to ad in co-operation with the ar
my under the command of our gallant and nqblc;
Earl Cornwallis.
The Magicienne French frigate, of 40 guns, h
taken by-the Chatham aad sent into Halifax ; an
other French frigatb is taken by the Assurance. \
< Ott. 11. Yesterday arrived here the brig Dia
mond, Capt. Tinker, io h day* front New Pro
vidence, by whom we learfi, that the brig Regu-
fropi Ph jadelphia Tor Havana, laden with
flour >yas lately lift rtf the Lion priva
teer, Capt. Bell, beltioging. to 4hat port. The
day he failed he spoke a sloop from Cubs* bound
for the Continent, laden with sugar, &c. prize to
the Union, Capt. JohufoUf, alfo’of that port.
