Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

Domestic Articles.
NEW-YORK, March 27.
Extract of a letter from a young gentleman of this city, dated on board the General Greene, March 6, 1799.
Dear Sir,
" Since I last wrote you by the Lavinia, capt. Caron, via Philadelphia, informing you of our safe arrival on our station, we have been at the Havannah to water, and since that, have been convoying Americans to and from that port.
We had not the good luck of falling in with an enemy till the 5th inst. when we came across a French privateer who struck to us after the fourth Shot. On boarding her, she proved to be a schooner pierced for twelve guns, and small arms, &c. and man-ned with 26 men. She had left the Havan-nah the day before we took her, and the captain had said, that in less than 2 hours after he was out, he would have three or four Americans as prizes. His Commission having expired, he was bound to the Cape to have it renewed ; but having about seventy barrels of beef and pork on board, he pretended when we took her, to consider himself as a merchantman, and thought we would not make a prize of him : he was soon made sensible of his mistake. They are all safe on board the Commodore, and in irons. She and her cargo will amount to about 4000 dollars. Our commodore means, when we return to port, to have her manned and armed out of the fleet, and being a fast sailer, he will certainly be an acquisition to our little squadron. There are at present in the Havanna, a cutter mounting 16 nines, and a schooner of 14 sixes, likewise another in a port to windward, with the sales of several American prizes on board to the amount of nearly 40,000 dollars. We are continually on the look out for these gentlemen, and have not the least doubt be-fore the cruise is over, we shall have the whole or part of them, and so clear this coast of these plundering picaroons so ruinous to our commerce."