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STOCKHOLM, August 6-
The 30th ult. M. Nothbek, the
Ruffian charge d’affaires at our court,
presented to our high chancellor a
note to the following purport :
“ The empress of all the Ruflias has
deemed it expedient to order a fleet of
25 fliips of the line, and an equal num
ber of frigates, to cruise in the North
and E3A Seas, in order to prevent,
in concert with the navy of Great-
Britain, any supplies of provisions or
warlike (tores being conveyed to
France. Her Imperial rnajelty desires
therefore of the king of Sweden, that
his majesty’s (hipsferving as a convoy,
do not take under their proteftion any
Swedifli merchant veil'd, laden with
merchandize of the description above
mentioned. Her Imperial majesty
has further given coihmand,to search
all merchantmen inthofc seas, to di(-
cover if there are any such merchan
dize on board of them. All this is
done upon this ground, that neutrality
can find no place in favour of a go
vernment composed of rebels.”
The court of Peterfburgh has or
dered a (imilar declaration to be de
livered to that of Copenhagen.
Tiiemiriiftersof Great-Britain have
also delivered a declaration of the fame
tenor, at Stockholm and Copenhagen.
AUGUST 31.
Our ministry have returned to the
note presented by M. Nothbek, the
Imperial Ruffian charge d’affaires, on
the 30th of July, an answer to the
following purport:
“ Since the political exiflence of
Sweden depends so much 011 its com
merce, no measure tending to its pre
judice can be agreed to, but an entire
dependence will be placed on the ful
filment of the treaties hitherto con
cluded. It is therefore requested and
expected, that the court of Ruilia will
revoke the orders which it has given
in this refpett to its naval com
manders.”
Count de Stecligcfe, the Swedish
ambaftador at the court of Peterf
burgh, delivered the following note
to the ministers bf the empress:
- “ Whereas his royal highmefs the
duke regent has demanded an ac
count of the note which the charge
d’affaires ot her majesty the empress
of all the Ruflias has delivered at the
king’s palace on the 3oth > of July, by
order of his court, to the. ministry of
his majesty, containing the advice of
the failing of the Imperial fleet, and
of the orders given to its commanders,
the undersigned extraordinary ambaf
sfador of his majesty the king of Sweden
at the court of her Imperial majesty,
has received orders of his royal high -
nefs the duke regent, to communicate
to the empress, by means of an official
note, the answer of hishighnefs, which
has already been communicated ver
bally and verbatim to the above men
tioned charge d’affaires Nothbek, by
the high chancellor of the kingdom.
His royal highnels the duke regent
relies with so (trong a confidence up
on the true and unalterable friendlhip
of the empress, the ally of Sweden,
that he can never persuade himfelf
that that princess should desire of him
any thing which would prove im_
mediately detrimental to the lawful
imereft of Sweden, or could infringe
upon it in the smallest manner.”
Our ministry has likewise transmit
ted an answer to the note delivered
on the 30th of July, by the Britiffi
charge d’affaires, of which the fol
lowing is the substance.
“ The expectations of Sweden are
too sanguine with regard to the in
tentions of his Britannic majesty to
wards this kingdom, not to be fully
confident, that on his majesty’s part
I the treaty extant will be obterved, as
Sweden wilt, on the other hand, be
- v.unftantly solicitous to fulft’ its duties.”
f. BRUSSELS, September 8.
• N S \n army of 50 ; ooo Germans, un.
.he command of general Beaulieu, i
is aflembling between Charleroy, Phi
lipville and Maubeuge. i heir desti
nation is thought to be against the
towns of Longwy, Sedan, and Mont
medi.
HAMBURG, September 21-
Letters from the Hague, dated the
17th inst. inform us, that on the n'h
the Dutch posts at Werwyk and Hal
luin were attacked by about 60,000
French troops, and that, after an ob
stinate battle, the Dutch were de
feated and driven from those places ;
that prince Frederick of Orange de
fended the post at Werwyk, and was
wounded in the arm j he arrived
here by way of Fluis in F landers.
The Dutch retreated towards Deynie
and Ronffelaer ; they had
men killed and wounded. General
Beaulieu came too late, and did not
defend the bridge at Werwyk as he
ought to have done, having let the
French pals over, by which means
the column Under prince Frederick of
Orange was surrounded, and all com
munication was cut oft between him
and the hereditary prince ; they were
obliged to fight their way through
the enemy, which occalioned the
great loss of the Dutch troops. Ge
deral Beaulieu has since taken post be
tween Menin and Courtray, and the
Dutch are aflembling near Ghent.
General Freytag, on bearing of this
defeat, retreated with the Hanoveri
ans. Christian, prince ofHeffe Darm
ftadt, and general Van Wartenfleben,
were wounded. Lieutenant colonel
Van Tengnagel, of the grenadiers,
was killed.
LONDON GAZETTE.
Letter from colonel fir James Mur
ray, adjutant-general of his majes
ty’s forces, to the right honourable
Henry Dundas.
Dixmude, Sept. 14, 1793*
I take the opportunity of captain
Robinson, of the Brilliant frigate, gb
ing to Etigland, to inform you, that
the Dutch ports upon Lys were forced
by the enemy on the 12th. In con
sequence of this the troops of the re
public have abandoned Menin, and
have fallen back upon Bruges and
Ghent.
“ Accounts were received this
morning, that an engagement had
taken piace at Villers en Couchee,
near Ouefnoy, in which the French
were defeated with the loss of 3000
men, and eleven pieces of cannon.
J. MURRAY.”
LONDON, August 25.
The last week abounded with in
telligence of small events, preparatory
to political rneafures and military
operations of great importance. A
memorial is laid to have been delivered
to lord Grenville, in which the Ame
ricans complain of the interruption of
their commerce with France ; and the
public funds have felt a depreflion from
the report, which the details of mili
tary successes on the continent have not
been able to overcome. If the circum
ftancesof this after ted rupture had pro
ceeded to a greater extent, or
more certainly known, it might be
necessary to contider their probable
consequences ; a talk which we avoid
at present, from the hope that the
whole assertion is untrue, and the
belief that, if it is not so, the pru
dence of administration will prevent
the alarm from, any longer existing
than until explanations on each fide
can be exchanged.
SEPTEMBER ia.
Notwithstanding the accounts from
Dunkirk are disastrous, and are likely
to be attended with inconveniences,
they cannot tarnish the success of the
combined forces, in all directions. At
Valenciennes, Conde, and Mayence,
near one thousand pieces of cannon
were taken. The garrisons of these
places amounted to 24,000 men—and
the (lores taken therein are immense.
The late loss is, therefore, compara
tively But a trifle.
SEPTEMBER m-
Yesterday lord Lauderdale pre
fenteJ a petition to his majesty, from
the city of Glasgow, ligned by up
wards of 40,000 persons, praying his
majesty to put an end to the prelent
war.
All the (hips at Oftend are under
an embargo, that they may be used
as occasion requires. This place and
Furnes being unfortified, and being
deprived, by the loss of the heavy
cannon, of the opportunity of form
ing redoubts, can only be defended
in the field. It is therefore necessary
to preserve this means df fending oft
the lick, wounded, and (lores by sea ;
if the great superiority of the enemy
fhou’d render any further movements
necessary.
When the necessity of circumstances
is such as to aliow but httle time to
write the official dispatches, why docs
not fir James Murray employ l'ome
secretary qualified to make the mod
of it, and to write intelligibly? In
his dispatches of the 7th, in the firft
paragraph, he fays, “ a conliderable
number of tnen were killed, and five
officers, and upwards of 60 men tak
en but he forgets to fay whether
by the enemy or the allies. In the
last dispatches he fays, “ three pieces
of cannon, and between two and three
hundred prisoners have been taken.”
Does he mean by the French, or us?
For he adds, “ the Hanoverians have
loft the fame number of cannon.”
On ThuHclay night prince Adol
phus arrived, incog, at the Hanoverian
office, Bury-ftreer, St. James’s; from
the Britiffi camp before Dunkirk.
Eight hundred lioufes hive been
consumed by fire at Orea, about one
hundred miles behind Moscow ; and
from Riga, information is said to be
received, that the whole diftricl in
Sibe r'u, w Were ilie gold and filvei
mines are, suddenly funk into the
earth, and left nothing in its place
but a large dead lake. The inhabit
ants in the last place have loft their
all ; and but very few Jives have been
laved.
Retreat of the duke of York.
To conlider the check of the duke
of York’s army before Dunkirk as an
irremediable misfortune, on the one
hand—or to pass it over as one of
those favourable events which maybe
immediately remedied, on the other
—is, in our opinion, preserving an
equal distance from the truth. The
ill success of this attempt upon Dun
kirk, appears to have arisen from
an impetuosity in his royal highness,
which fome have attributed to too
eager a desire to attain the honour of
taking the place, before any Austrian
commander (hould arrive to (hare it
with him : but be that as it may,
whenever an army receives a check
in its operations, it must be considered
as a misfortune ; whenever a large
portion of men are loft in an engage
ment, especially when victory does
not indemnify the loss, who will not
lament it as a misfortune ? When
such an officer as colonel Moncrieffe
falls, and at such a moment as he un
fortunately (ell, the misfortune may
be great indeed, because it may be ir
reparable. But all these unfortunate
circumstances, which have befallen
our army in Flanders, even in their
aggregate (late, cannot be considered
with such a serious and alarming con
cern, as the Unspeakable encourage
ment they will afford to the French
nation; and we mud well know the
will be taken, and the arts
that will be employed, to propagate
the event in all the forms of turbulent
exultation. We can forefee the man
ner the retreat, however temporary
it may be, will be represented to the
French people ; and we are not with
out our fears, that it may have such
an cfteCt upon them, as inay irtcreafe,
*
or render more obstinate, the obfta. j
cles to peace ; because, though the J
late misfortune may be foot: retrieved, M
and as the prince of Cobourg, by the
capture of Ouefnoy, is now at liberty f
to join in the siege of Dunkirk, w c jjj
have a real expeftation of its yielding, 1
before the conclusion of the campaign, |
ro the Britilh arms ; yet the effecl of j
their late (uccefs will be inftantaneoas “l
throughout the French nation, and I
will not only invigorate their patience |
under calamity, but their courage to |
pursue the means which they are ■
taught to believe will relieve them 1
from it.
SEPTEMBER 19.
A letter from Bruges, dated Friday •
evening, September 13, fays, “ Our .
town is at this instant in such corifu- ;
fion as I scarcely ever vvirneffed before, ’
occalioned by the defeat of the Dutch
at Menin, who were commanded by -
the prince of Orahge—he is danger- I
oufly wounded, and now lies at the
Hotel de Commerce. The body of :
Dutch that was attacked was about ]
2000 ftrong;—thofe who have fled
and have reached this place, fay, that j
upwards of one half their corps was
cut to pieces. A great many people
are flying the towns fearing the ar- j
rival of the French. Furnes is al
ready in their poffeflion. It is hoped i
that the duke of York will be able to
repel the attack that will be made j
upon him- The fate of Weft r lan-
ders depends upon his being able to
make good his position. We have
been beaten at all points—our affairs
are unfortunately in a desperate litu
ation ; and unless we ipeedily get
afliftance from general Cobourg, I
dare not fay what may happen.—
Menin is in poffeflion of the French.
Orders are given for the retreat of
the remainder of the Dutch cavalry
to Ghent.”
A letter from Oftend, dated Sep
tember 17, fays, — a A junction has
l been formed between generals Beau*
lieu and Clairfait ; they attacked the
French troops at Menin, and Cftaieii
them from that place with dreadiul
loss: It is said that upwards of 1500
of the French were driven into the
river Lys, and drowned ; and there
were 3000 French troops taken pri
soners, with 80 pieces of cannon.”
DEAL, September 12.
Prince Adolphus, who landed this
morning, inthe Brilliant frigate, com
manded by captain Robinion, has
brought with him a lift of 83 office!s
killed in the late aftion.
The 14th has fuffered more severe
ly than any other British regiment-
The artillery left by our troops, it is
said, was not even (piked up.
PLYMOUTH, September 14.
The reports refpefting the French
fleet being inthe channel, dill prevail
here, and it feetns the alarm has not
been treated as altogether chimerical
by government, as two frigates were
immediately dispatched, on the re
ceipt of the intelligence, to order back
the fleet which passed this port on
Monday last, to the number of 200
fail and upwards, under convov of
the Diadem, of 64 guns, and three
frigates, bound to the Mediterranean,
and which repafled this port on their
way for Torbay early this morning :
two of the fleet came in here: the
master of one of them fays, that the
two frigates fell in with them on Wed
nesday last, about 30 leagues weft of
Scilly, when they (tood for the chan
nel, and that the next morning they
law a fleet of large fliips, to the num
ber of 33 fail, which were supposed
to be French: and that one of the
Englilh frigates bore down to recon
noitre them, but did not deem it pru
dent to go near enough to difeover
what they really were. They were
(landing up channel, but the Diadem’s
convoy soon loft fight of them.