The Gazette

By the last Mail.

BALTIMORE, SEPT. 19.

We have been obligingly favored with Norfolk papers to the 15th inst. brought by Capt. Barbine's packet, from which we copy the following circumstantial account of the capture of the ship Niger, by the American frigate Constitution, detailed to the printers of the Norfolk Herald by Capt. Nicholson himself.

NORFOLK, SEPT. 15.

Constitution's Prize!

In our last paper we mentioned the arrival of a ship of war, taken by the United States frigate Constitution; we are now enabled to furnish our readers with the following statement:

On the 8th inst. in lat. 33, 10, long. 70, at 6 A. M. they discovered a sail, to which they gave chase; at 10 o'clock they got alongside and fired a shot over her. On which she hoisted English colors and fired a shot to leeward. The 3d lieutenant was sent on board of her and found they had laid a train of gunpowder to the magazine to blow up the ship; the officers were dressed in the French naval uniform, and said they were French royalists, and were bound from Jamaica to Philadelphia; they had a commission from the English government, and a register and clearance from Jamaica, all of which appear to be counterfeits; they have no articles, shipping paper, or log book on board; the crew are made up of seven French officers, Frenchmen, Spaniards, three Englishmen, Portuguese, Italians, one American, Dutch, and several negroes, in all about 75 men. A British officer, his lady and two children, and an American gentleman (of Baltimore) are passengers. She is called the Niger, is built of cedar by the Spaniards, was taken by the British 2 or 3 years ago, and sold at Jamaica; she mounts 24 guns, nine and twelve pounders, is coppered, well found, and is a remarkably fine vessel. It appears she has a large sum of money on board, as well as 30 hogsheads of sugar and 15 puncheons of rum; the crew have a great deal of money, and every one of them an American made trunk full of goods, clothes, &c. which it is supposed they have plundered.

One of the seamen on board the Constitution has sworn, that 7 months ago he belonged to a schooner from Portsmouth (N. H.) which was taken by a French privateer, on board of which the boatswain of the Niger was an officer, who stripped him and the crew naked, and sent them into Guadaloupe.--They have behaved in a cruel manner to the passengers, whom they turned out of the cabin; and, we understand, had attempted to poison them by giving them drugs in their wine.

There was every reason to believe the ship was cruising, as she was not consigned to any person in Philadelphia, and it is supposed has different sets of papers. They had English and national colors both bent, when boarded by the officers of the Constitution; they sailed from Port Royal to Port Antonio with a few hands, and took the remainder on board at that place.

It also appears they could not stay at Jamaica, in consequence of a proclamation issued by the Governor of Jamaica, of which the subjoined are the heads:

"The commander in chief has, with the advice of the privy council, issued a proclamation, under the alien bill, passed last session, ordering that after the first day of September next, all vessels having French people on board arriving at Port Royal from St. Domingo, shall not be suffered to pass the forts until the French passengers are carried on shore and examined with regard to their principles before John Ramsay, and Dennis O'Farrell, esqrs. appointed by the proclamation, commissioners of police, who will judge whether they are proper persons to have certificates granted them to go at large in the isl.

and--all French people of every description now here (citizens and naturalized subjects excepted) are to repair before the hon. John Jaques, Ken Osborne, Simon Taylor, Henry Shirley and Alexander Shaw, esqrs. to be examined by them and to receive from them police tickets, otherwise to be considered improper persons to reside in this island: and every French person travelling in the island without a police ticket, is to be taken up and carried before any justice of the peace, and in case of his or her not giving a satisfactory reason for his or her being without it, and the magistrate have reason to suppose he or she is going about with sinister views, to keep him or her in safe custody and send notice thereof to the commander in chief."

Lieutenant Claiborne is making preparations to receive the prisoners at Fort Norfolk, where they will be landed in two or three days.

By a gentleman passenger we learn, that the Niger, 3 days after she was out, retook the outward bound Jamaica ships Favorite and Betty Park, captured a short time before by a French privateer, and sent them into Port Antonio.

By the same gentleman we are also informed, that Jeremie was evacuated the 12th ult. by the British; and they had accounts at Jamaica, that they had also commenced the evacuation of Cape Nicholas Mole.

Mr. P. Garts, passenger on board the prize from Jamaica, embraces this medium of publicly returning his acknowledgments to capt. Nicholson, for his politeness and attention to him while on board the Constitution.

BOSTON, SEPT. 27.

Extract of a letter received on Tuesday from on board the Constitution frigate, dated within the Capes of Virginia.

"We have captured a Twenty-four gun ship, manned by Frenchmen, Englishmen, Spaniards, Italians, creoles, and blacks. She has a magazine, according to the gunner's story, equal to ours. I saw the commodore when she first hove in sight. The Sailing-Master went aloft to look at her, and said she appeared to be a two-decker. "If," said the old Man, "he is a four decker I will speak her." It is said there is considerable money, and 30 trunks of dry goods on board her; besides sugars, &c. If she is condemned, she will be worth a good round sum. She is copper bottomed, has fourteen long 12 pounders and six nine-pounders on her gun-deck, and four six-pounders on her quarter deck, with a new suit of sails.

We shall go into Norfolk, land the prisoners, take our men, and continue our cruise after the rascals. She is called by the Englishmen on board, the Niger; and has a number of Commissions.

Our Captain told the Master of her, he was nothing more nor less than a pirate.

I am told that two of the crew have said, they lately took a black ship, plundered, and then sunk her. She is supposed to be Mr. Parson's black ship from Boston.

I think she will be condemned."