Alexandria Advertiser And Commercial Intelligencer

The following relation may be depended upon as true in every circumstance.

An American vessel, belonging, we believe, to Salem, and lately from St. Domingo to Baltimore, having on board 61 French passengers and their property, was met by two English ships of war, who, seeing her colours, gave no molestation. Soon after she was brought to by another English frigate. The poor passengers prepared, with what fortitude they could muster, for the loss of their whole property, if not for that captivity, which, as a measure of retaliation, for the detention of the English visitants in France, they had reason to expect. The commander of the frigate inquired of the American master, what might be the amount of French property on board? He answered, that it was considerable, but that he knew not its value. Does it amount to two thousand dollars? The master answered that it was more than two thousand dollars. Does it amount, said the British captain, to ten thousand dollars? The American captain said, it possibly might, he could not answer for its amount: it was, probably, between two and ten thousand dollars.

If it is no more than ten thousand dollars, said the commander of the frigate, I will not deprive these poor Frenchmen of it. He then told the American he might make sail and the vessel and passengers have lately arrived safe at Baltimore. We are sorry our informant does not recollect the name of the British captain. This account had from some of the French passengers; they added that the French army in St. Domingo must inevitably soon surrender to the English, or evacuate the island.