The Enquirer

PHILADELPHIA, April 1.

By the Supercargo of the brig Sally and Jenny, from St. Pierres, Martinique, we have been obligingly favoured with the following details:

"On the 10th February in the night. a fleet consisting of one vessel of 110, two of 80, and three of 74 guns, with three frigates and two brigs, but no transports, having on board about 3,500 men, arrived at Fort-Royal, Martinique. On the 20th, an embargo was laid on all the shipping in the different harbours of the Island.-On the 21st, the fleet passed St. Pierres on their way to the Island of Dominica, where they arrived on the same night.-On the morning of the 22d, opened their batteries on the town of Roseau.-The town was not summoned to surrender previous to the attack, but it seems to have been the intention of the French Admiral to have carried it by a coup de main. The town was defended by a small fort that overlooks it, in which Governor Prevot, and a few of the militia of the town were stationed; they made a brave defence for nearly five hours, and then retired with the inhabitants to the fortification at Prince Rupert's Bay, on the other side of the Island. The town of Roseau was nearly two-thirds destroyed by fire, occasioned as was supposed, by the wadding of some of the guns from the fort.—The French landed about evening. and took possession of the fort and the remainder of the town. "Our informant is confident that no contribution was levied, as has been reported, because the inhabitants had generally fled before the French landed.-On the morning of the 22d the French forces re-embarked and it was supposed that the fleet had gone round to Prince Rupert's Bay, but it afterwards appeared they had sailed for Guadaloupe--on the receipt of this information at Martinique, the first of March, the embargo was taken off, and on the 2d our informants sailed. On the 4th of March in the morning, he passed Basse Terre, Guadaloupe, and saw the French fleet at anchor.-In a short time they weighed anchor and proceeded on; about mid-night of the 4th of March, lost sight of them in the channel between Montserrat and Antigua.--He supposes that it was their intention to attack Nevis and St. Kitts in the morning, as they were then only about 20 miles distant. It was generally reported at Martinique, that all the necessary officers for the Government of an Island-such as a Captain-General, were on board of the fleet; and, that the orders to the commander of the fleet, were, if possible, to carry whatever place he might attack, by a coup de main, and if he could not, to abandon the enterprize.-He was particularly commanded not to waste his time in blockades or regular sieges.~The loss sustained by the French, in their attack on Dominica, was stated at Martinique to be 600 men.—The loss of the English, was stated at 15 men, but of this there was no certainty. Captain Hunt, from St. Thomas, off the Hole in the Wall, spoke the brig Commodore Barry, Mead, out 8 days from hence to Havanna.-The French squadron were at anchor, between Nevis and St. Kitts; when he, Columbia Packett, left St. Thomas, they had landed a few troops at Nevis, but had not attempted St. Kitts.

*Nevis is a small island about 2 leagues long and one wide, separated from St. Kitts by a gut or channel, about two or three miles wide. It abounds in good fresh water, and probably for this the French fleet have stopped. From this they have but the short distance of 20 miles to any part of the Island of St. Kitts, and about sixty miles to Antigua.