Norfolk Gazette And Publick Ledger

Yesterday morning, about 2 o'clock, our town was alarmed by the cry of Fire, which was discovered to have been occasioned by the French privateer Revanche de Cerf, John Jacques, master, at anchor in the river, being on fire. The flames had made such progress, and an alarm prevailing that she had a considerable quantity of powder on board, prevented any exertions being made to save her; and she burnt to the water's edge, having been towed off to prevent her from doing damage to the other shipping, which lay very near her.

It was suspected that she had been set on fire designedly, and no doubt remains that she was. It appears, from the examination of two boys that were on board, that two boats came alongside of the privateer, manned with about fifteen armed persons who took the two boys out of the cabin, tied their hands behind their backs, and then took a tub which had fire in it into the hold, and thus set fire to the vessel.

It has not as yet been discovered who were the authors of this very unjustifiable deed; which was not only highly wrong as regards the destruction of the property itself and the violation of the hospitality of our country, but the very imminent danger to which other vessels were thereby exposed, (particularly ship with 300 barrels of naval stores which was moored very near) and indeed the town itself.

The two boys, who have been examined, say that they were carried over to the hospital point, and there landed, and that the persons who came in the boats spoke no other language but English.

Such conduct cannot be excused, or even palliated though the causes which produced it may not be difficult to imagine. The individual who commanded this privateer, had rendered himself obnoxious by capture of American vessels heretofore:-- within these few days he was publicly recruiting men for the purpose of going, as was supposed, on cruise; these circumstances were viewed with indignation, much heightened by the very atrocious destruction of American property, by French cruisers accounts of which are daily detailed in the papers. The Revanche de Cerf was detained about six or nine months since by Commodore Rogers, and was lately restored by an order from the Admiralty court.