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FOREIGN NEWS.
HIGHLY IMPORTANT.
Charleston, July 27.
The fall failing fliip Boyne, capt.
SafFord, 7 days from Havanna, ar
rived just as we were putting our
paper to press. To the politeness
of capt. Tate, (a pafTenger) we are
indebted for the subjoined declara
tion of the Supreme Aflembly of
Spain against the French emperor
and nation.
Bonaparte, it appears, through
stratagem, got the royal family of
Spain, composed of Charles lVth,
Maria Louisa, Ferdinand Vlhh, the
Queen of Etruria, and the Infante
don Carlos, &c. to Bayonne—as
also, by force, the Prince of peace
and the infante don Antonia. From
thence he sent part of them to Va
lenciennes, and part to Fontain
bleau. Murat took upon him the
supreme command of the kingdom,
in the name of Napoleon ; resist
ance was made, but the feeble in
habitants of Madrid were overpow
ed—great slaughter and carnage
was the issue—the guillotine was
ere&ed—numbers of the grandees,
niinifters, and conspicuous charatt
ers, fell vi&ims to the perfidy and
cruelty of Murat. The whole na
tion rose in arms, breathing ven
geance, and the extermination of
the French race. In Seville, a
court under the title of the Supreme
Council of the nation, is eredted ;
Saavedra at the head; and this is
the only government now known
or acknowledged—it has proclaim
ed Ferdinand Vllth, and entered
into an alliance with England 5 for
the moment these events were
known, the Britifti admiral on the
Ration repaired to Cadiz, offered
hisfuccour, money, arms, & 8000
men from Gibraltar, if required.
The French fleet in Cadiz, com
posed of fix ships, was ordered to
surrender to the city; they retufed,
and as long as they could, they
obstinately defended themselves a
gainst the place and Spaniih (hips.
It was dated in Spain that anew
co*?.llition was forming of all the
continently powers.
King Ferdinand the Vllth, was
proclaimed at Havanna, on the
29th instant.
These important tranfa&ions ex
cited an extraordinary degree of
emotion in Havanna. It was
thought every Frenchman there
would be maflacred, so great was
the irritation of the people against
them, but the prudent and humane
measures of the governor, prevent
ed bloodihed. A deputation was
sent to an English frigate, the Fran
chise, then lying in the offing, to
communicate these events, & invite
her into port.
It was generally supposed at Ha
vanna, that the island of Cuba, all
the Maine, and Mexico, would de
clare themselves independent.
The arrival at Havanna, from
which we derive our interrefting
Spaniih news, left St. Lacar on the
12th May, and brought out anew
intendant of Havanna, don Juan
de Aguila. *
In consequence of the royal de
cree appointing the grand duke of
lieutenant general of the
kingdom, and his imperial and roy
al highnefa having confirmed the
members of all the tribunals in their
refpe&ive places, the council has
iftued under the fame date, a royal
decree enjoining the impavti.il and
Ipecdy administration of jtiftice, atid
ctircfling ftampt paper to bear the
words, “ Government of the Lieu
tenant General of the kingdom.*’
July 29.
Extract of a letter from an American
gent It man of the highest resp lia
bility, to his relation in this city ,
dated llavannab , July 1 Hth,
1808.
“ Yesterday a (hip arrived here
from Cadiz, in 35 days, bringing,
dates to the 9th of June. The
news which (lie has brought has
thrown this city into the greatest
confufion poflible: The accounts
are—that all the royal family of
Spain have been seized and forcibly
sent to Paris by Bonaparte; that
desperate measures took place in
Madrid, where upwards of 9000
fouls perished ; that the old council
of Caftiie was difiolved, and that
the French general, prince Murat,
remained as regent at Madrid ; that
it was difeovered that the governor
of Caviiz had correfpondcd with
Murat, and that city was to have
been given up ; the governor had
been rixsflacred, and an engagement
had taken place between the French
and Spaniih squadrons in that port,
but the Spaniards remained matters
of Cadiz. The Britifti fleet under
fir Fralmus Gower was lying in
Cadiz bay wlu-n this ship failed—
Further particulars have not been
received. It is also aflerted, that
the emperor Alexander has been
alfaftinated.
“ The consequence of this news
when it was publicly made known,
had irritated the minds of the peo
ple so much, that they avowed ven
geance against the Frenchmen, and
had it not been for the very prudent
and cautious manner in which the
governor a£ted, many lives would
have been loft.
“ This news had been received
two days before, by the wray of La
Vera Cruz, but was not generally
believed ; but this ftiip coming di
rect from Cadiz, and in so short a
paflage, bringing a confirmation,
the effe& was astonishing. Ihe
t oops were drawn up in the public
square ; war against the French was
declared, and peace with England
proclaimed. The mob was lilenc
ed by the troops having orders to
load with ball The governor har
angued the multitude, recommend
ed, in the strongest manner to all
the inhabitants, to behave peacea
bly and orderly, and it is much to
their honor that there has been no
bloodihed, not a life loft.
“The poor Frenchmen were
frightened to death, flying in every
dire&ion ; many of them slept on
board of the American veflels—-in
fliort, it was thought dangerous for *
any stranger to be in the streets.
Before night a strong guard of 1500
men was ordered to patrole the
streets all night, and every thing was
quiet. It will take fouie time to
calm the minds of the people, in
which space very little will be done,
as refpe&s bufmefs.
It is the general opinion that
the people of this island, the Maine
and Mexico, will declare themselves
independent; it is certainly the best
thing they can do; they will be
prote&ed by England, and the
trade from thole places to Great-
Britain will be immense; for if
once the Spaniards get . into the ha
bit of using British mannfattured
goods, they will prefer them to
all other.”
July 50. m
We have convered with a gen-’
.'tletnan who came paflenger in the
Boyne, from Havanna, who states
that the vilLi from Cadiz brought
accounts of the kivg of Denmark
Laving likewile been sent to Paris
by Bonaparte, in consequence of the
tardiness of his operations against
the Swedes. The ship Hantonia,
which arrived at New-York from
Cork, on the 24th June, brought
accounts of the difiatisfa&ion of
Bonaparte with the king of Den
mark.—lt was dated that retnon
ftrances had been sent to him upon
the utter impra&icability of convey
ing the Danish army into Sweden,
without the molt imminent danger
of its being destroyed by the British
and Sw'tdifh maritime forces. Bo
naparte replied, that he expe&ed to
have no more dispatches sent to him
unless they were dated from Stock
holm. ‘1 his circumstance gives
corroboration to the report at Ha
vanna.
DECLARATION of WAR
Against the tmperor of France , Na
poleon the first , in behalf of Fer
dinand Vllth, king of Spain and
the Indies , and in his name*..-by
the Supreme assembly of Spain &
India , established at Seville.
FRANCE, or more explicitly,
ihe emperor of France, having vi
olated the meft sacred treaty with
Spain, by taking the royal family
to Paris, and obliging them to ab
dicate and renounce all claim to the
throne, in his favor; and declared
that he has been eledted king of
Spain—the mod daring and great
est outrage and falfity ever known
in history—having entered his ar
mies in Spain, took pofft (lion of all
the fortrefles and capitol, and com
mitted the moft cruel aflafiinations
and robberies ever known; all of
which he has committed, not by
force of arms, but under the pre*
tence of our felicity ; the moft e
normous ingratitude for Cervices
rendered him by Spain—the friend
fhip we profefied, have been paid
with tricks of treason, and the moft
dreadful perfidy, ever committed
by any nation or monarch, that has
ever been heard of.
He has declared lately, that he
would overfet the monarchy and
fundamental laws; also, our holy
religion—and has obliged us by his
mifehievous conduct to manifeft to
all Europe; and that for our only
remedy we do declare war against
him ; and in consequence of which
and in the name of our king F'er
dinand Vllth. and in that of the
whole Spaniih nation, we do declare
war, both by lea and by land, to
the emperor Napoleon the firft, &
to France, while she will be under
the yoke and oppreflion of that ty
rant ; and we do hereby authorife
atid ordain to all and every Span*
ijfrd, to ad against those with hos
tility, and do them all the preju
dice, harm, and mifehief, they pos
sibly can, according to the of
war; and stop all French veflels,
property, appurtenances and rights
existing in the Spaniih dominions.
We do moreover ordain, that no
impediment or moltftarion lhall be
made against the Englilh nation,
government, veflels, property or
rights, belonging to any individual
of that nation ; and we do declare,
that we have opened a free com
munication with England, and have
agreed for an a rim!! ice, of w hich
we hope there lhall iflue a durable
and lading peace* We further dc*
dare, that we lhai| r.ct lay our
arms down, until the tmperor i\a
poleon the firft, makes us a reditu*
rion of our king Ferdinand VlLh.
and every per foil o! the royal fam
ily, and refpedt the sacred rights vs
the nation, which he has violated ;
also, his liberty, integrity ami in
dependence ; —and for the intelli
gence of the Spaniih r ation, we do
ordain, to make puulic this our ft’ 1-
emn declaration, and have it puL
lilhed in every towm and province
of Spain, Weft-Indies, &c. inform
ing all Europe, Africa and Afra,
of this our decision.
Given at the royal palace of Alca
zar, at Seville, June 6th, ] 80$,
by order of the Supreme aflem
bly.
(Signed)
John Baptiste Pardo, and
Manuel Maria Aguilar,
Secretaries of date.
New-York, July 15.
Capt. J. Horton, wriio arrived at
Sag-Harbor on Friday, from Ha
chias, informs, that he there saw a
handbill, ifiued at St. Johns, which
gave an account of a great naval
engagement in the Mediterranean,
in which the French were defeated.
The Englilh acknowledge to have
loft 5000 men, and three ships
wriiich blew up during the engage
ment.
July 22.
Extract of a letter from Trinidad to
a gentleman in this city, dated
June 2*ltb.
“ Two revolutions have taken
place in Spain, since the 15th of
March.—One preceded the abdica
tion of the old king in favor of the
prince of Afturias—lhe other, the
resignation of the prince in favor of
the father, arid as they could not
agree among themselves, they went
to Bayonne to submit their differ
ences to the decision of Bonaparte,
W’ho has laid violent hands on the
whole family, including the Prince
and several of the grandees, and
keeps them all prisoners. He has
made the king appoint Murat lieu
tenant-general of the kingdom.*—
Murat is in Madrid with 54,000
men, they fay ; but 1 don’t believe
he has SO,(XX). ihe provinces
have revolted against their author
ity, and against the authority of
Charles proclaimed Ferdinand
VII. the lawful king, and called up
on all faithful Spaniards to take up
arms in defence of their religion
their country. The supreme coun
cil of government is at Seville, and
in Andetufia alone 150,000 men
are in arms. It would appear they
rife in mass, and maflacree ail who
do not wear the cockade, which
the council has ordered that every
man shall wear. We are before
now I luppofe in potTefiion of Ca
diz, and the Spanish navy, which
the council have agreed to deliver
up in trust, to admiral Purvis and
gen. Spencer, whose expedition it
now appears, was sent out to favor
the king’s emigration to Mexico.
Six French ships of the line are al
so in the inner harbor; but they
are completely in jeopardy—mot a
man dare go on Chore, and admiral
Purvis is in their rear w ith 14 (hips.
Ihe populace of Cadiz, tore cld
Soland the governor, to pieces, on
suspicion of bis being in the French
interril. Ihe French merchants
are all on board the French ships,
and the only means of saving their
lives is to surrender themselves to
Purvis, for ii they landed, they