The Virginia Gazette

From the London Evening-Post, Octob. 11.

Extract of a Letter from M. de la Guarda, Captain of a French East-India Ship, who had Orders from the French Company to go and bombard Mocha.

We arriv'd in the Road of Mocha the 25th of January, a Time proper for executing the Commission with which I was charg'd: Nevertheless we were 15 Days in that Road without doing any thing, except to cannonade the Place, and throw some Bombs into it, which only frighten'd the Women and common People; for the Arabs answer'd us from their Batteries in such a Manner as gave us to understand that something else must be done to reduce them to Reason: In effect, we should have had the second-best of the Dispute, if I had not found out Means to make a Descent in the South-Island and make myself Master of a Fort there. They did all in their Power to hinder our Landing, but we soon forc'd them with the Loss on our Side of only 4 Soldiers kill'd, and 12 wounded. It is very visible that we should have lost a great many more, had the Arabs known how to fire on us; they lost near 80 Men in the Action, which frighten'd them to such a Degree, that they immediately came to Terms with us, as highly advantageous to our Trade, as it is honourable to our Nation. The Cause of this Quarrel was thus; the Arabs pretended to make the French East-India Company pay higher Duties on their Goods than formerly; they would also raise the Price of Coffee and other Goods which the French used to take in there; they exacted other Things which had never been practis'd before, and they even insulted the Company Factors and Officers. As the French make it a Laudable-Maxim of their Government never to suffer themselves to be insulted by any Nation whatever, especially in that tender and In an important Article call'd Trade, they sent our large Ships to procure that Justice and Satisfaction which they found fair Means could not obtain, and to their eternal Honour, a triumphant Satisfaction they have had.