Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

CAPTURE OF AMBOYNA.

LONDON, December
Parliament-Street, November 29, 1796.

A dispatch from the Governor and Council of
Madras, dated Fort St. George, June 21, 1796, of
which the following is a copy, has been received by
the court of Directors of the East India Company
and by them communicated to the Right Hon.
Henry Dundas, one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State.

Honorable Sirs,

We have particular satisfaction in offering to you
our sincere congratulations on the complete success
which has attended the operations of Rear Admiral
Rainier in the Eastern Seas; and judging that an
early communication of this event might be of material use to his Majesty's Ministers, we have determined to forward this letter by the route of Bombay.

It appears by the Rear Admiral's dispatches, dated the 27th of March and 11th April last, and
which reached us on the 18th inst. by the Orpheus frigate, that the British troops are in possession
of the islands of Amboyna and Banda, with their
several dependencies, comprising, as it was thought,
the whole of the Dutch islands, excepting Formosa, yielding cloves, nutmegs, and mace. This acquisition has been attained without the smallest loss
on our side.

Amboyna and its dependencies were delivered up
on the 19th February, and Banda and its dependencies on the 8th of March. Copies of the Capitulation are enclosed.

The Admiral speaks in the handsomest manner
of the activity and alacrity with which every duty
was performed by the forces under his command,
both naval and military; and dwells particularly
on the perfect harmony which all along subsisted between the officers and men in both services. It behooves us on this occasion to convey to you the high
sense we entertain of the able and spirited conduct
displayed by Rear Admiral Rainier, whose hearty co-operation with us in every measure conducive to the
public weal demands our warmest acknowledgements,
and whilst we feel assured of your entire approbation
of all the means employed by this Government, to
give effect to the arrangements framed by his Majesty's Ministers for securing the Dutch settlements
in India, it is nevertheless, incumbent upon us
to declare, that the accomplishment of this great object has been chiefly obtained by the zealous and
cheerful support which we have had the good fortune to experience from the Officers entrusted with
the execution of it.

We shall do ourselves the honor of transmitting,
by the first safe conveyance, copies of all the papers
received from the Admiral which will enable you
to form an accurate opinion of the value of those
islands. At present we can only give you a summary of his proceedings.

The Admiral found in the Treasury at Amboyna 81,112 rix dollars, and in store 515,940 pounds
weight of cloves; and in the Treasury at Banda
66,675 rix dollars, and in store 84,777 pounds of
nutmegs, 19,587 pounds of mace, besides merchandise and other stores at each place, upon which no
value had been then put.

We are preparing to send a reinforcement of
troops for the better protection of those valuable
islands; and, as the Admiral has advised us that he
is short of provisions, and in want of a supply of
naval and military stores it is our intention to form
an adequate stock of every necessary article.

We have great pleasure in acquainting you, that
the company's possessions on this coast are in a state
of perfect tranquillity; and that we have no reason
to believe that any designs are in agitation by the
native powers hostile to your interests.

We have the honor to be, &c.

(Signed)
HOBART,
ALURED CLARKE,
EDW. SAUNDERS,
C. W. FALLOWSFIELD.

Capitulation of Amboyna, translated from the original in Dutch, Feb. 19 1796.

Not finding ourselves equal to withstand the great
force with which we have been surprised, we the
undersigned governor and council do hereby give
up this settlement, with all its dependencies, and
place the same under the protection of his Britannic
Majesty, upon the conditions mentioned to us in the
letter of the Right Honorable the Governor of Madras: that is, upon condition that we may keep
all our private property, and be allowed a reasonable subsistence, that the inhabitants be guaranteed
in the secure possession of their private properties.
and that the senior and junior servants of the Civil
Establishment, the Clergy, the Military and Marine,
receive their usual pay.

It is upon the above conditions that we shall tomorrow morning, give over all the guards of the
fort to the troops of his Britannic Majesty, after receiving the ratification of this instrument by his Excellency the Commodore.

Done at Amboyna, in the Castle of Victoria, on
the above date.

(Signed)
A. CORNABÉ.
R. SMISSART,
(Dutch Co. Seal.) F. OSTROWSKI,
ENEAS MACKEY,
ERON EYZABAD,

Approved of and acceded to
P. RAINIER.
(English Seal.) W. C. LANNON, Sec'ry.

Capitulation agreed upon between his Excellency
Peter Rainier, Esq. Commodore, commanding
the Sea and Land Forces of his Britannic Majesty in these Seas, and F. Van Boeckholtz, Governor of Banda, &c. &c.

In consideration of our great want of provisions
and the great force with which the British have appeared before this settlement, and to resist which
would bring destruction and desolation on the harmless inhabitants of this place, we therefore think it
prudent, for the sake of humanity, and from our
confidence in the honor and generosity of the English to accept of the terms offered to us, and to deliver into their hands this fort and settlement, with
all its dependencies, upon the following conditions,
viz.

That private property be kept secure to every
individual of this settlement, whether in or out of
the Company's service, that the servants of the
Company, civil and military, be kept in their respective stations, as far as may be thought necessary
for the administration of justice; and the Civil Government of the place, the Governor alone excepted, as the government must, of course, be vested in
the English; that the military continue to receive
their pay, and are not to be forced into the British
service contrary to their wishes; and the civil servants also to be continued on their present pay; and
such an allowance made for the provision of the
Governor as his Excellency the Commander. of the
British forces may think adequate. The Governor, however, and any other Servants of the Company, shall be permitted to retire from the service,
either to Batavia or elsewhere, whenever a convenient opportunity shall offer.

Upon these conditions we, the undersigned, consent to deliver up Fort Nassau, the settlement of
Banda, and all its dependencies, to the troops of
his Britannic Majesty to-morrow morning, upon receiving a copy of the Capitulation, ratified and signed by his Excellency the British Commander. The
keys of all the public property, and, all accounts
properly authenticated, shall be immediately delivered over to the British, and the Government entirely
vested in them.

Fort Nassau, Banda, March 8, 1796.

(Signed)
F. VAN BOECKHOLTZ,
A. H. VUEGE,
(L. S.)
F. SALGANG,
T. MAZEE,
(L. S.)
P. DE HAAN,
M. WALHLOO.

Approved and accepted of,
(Signed)
(L.S.) P. RAINIER.

True Copies,
(Signed)
W. C. JACKSON, Sec'ry