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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.