Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

The Gazette.

PHILADELPHIA.

FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 4

DISPATCHES,

From which the following are extracts, were received yesterday at the Office of the Secretary of the Navy :

"As this is the first opportunity I have had of conveying to you any direct intelligence, since our departure from America, I am truly sorry it does not contain more pleasing information.

"On the 17th day after our departure, we weathered the Virgin Islands. Off St. Thomas's, fell in with a sloop of war, of 22 guns—she not answering our private signals, we prepared for action, the Norfolk and Retaliation being at a considerable distance. On hailing her, she proved to be the British sloop of war Scourge. Her lieutenant, who came on board, informed that these seas were much infested by privateers, and that the Scourge was then in pursuit of four, that had left St. Thomas's the evening before for Guadaloupe. Made sail with the Norfolk and Retaliation for this island ; off Antigua, again fell in with the Scourge, and a king's brig of 16 guns. After cruising several days to windward of Antigua and Guadaloupe and every day meeting British frigates, we concluded no other vessels were in these seas, and we were uniformly assured that the French had nothing larger than schooner privateers, except one ship of 18 guns.

"We kept, however, constantly upon the look-out, and once run in full view of their forts, without meeting with any vessels but British frigates, till yesterday at 10 o'clock at night, when we descried a brig close to us, which we gave chase to, and soon came up with. She was the brig Fair American, of Philadelphia, then in possession of the enemy, taken five days previous, from Surinam. We took the prisoners out, 7 in number, and was informed by the captain and supercargo, who were left on board her, that there were two privateers and a prize brig standing after them. We kept a sharp look-out, and at 2 P. M. by the light of the moon, saw two vessels, which we gave chase to, and left the prize brig with the Retaliation to follow us; but being too near the land, they kept so close in, and no dependence to be placed in moonlight, we were obliged to give up the chase, and stood off shore till day-light, keeping the men at their quarters the whole night; as day-light appeared, we found we were meeting two very large frigates and a three masted lugger; the Retaliation, and the prize, a little a-head of them, were standing for us. We bore up for the Retaliation and hailed her, and was informed by captain Bainbridge, that they were the English frigates we had seen the day before. Fortunately, we saw, at that instant, the two sail we had chased a little before, to leeward, and we put about to pursue them ; the frigates standing after us, and nearly within gun-shot. We crowded a press of sail after the chase, and not knowing what to make of the frigates, we hoisted their private signals, which were not noticed; we then hoisted the American flag—still saw no colours but crowding sail after us, and, we presumed; chasing the same vessels which we were. The Retaliation then dropped, unsuspicious, with her prize, (or rather could not avoid them) close under their guns, when the headmost frigate fired into her, and we saw her haul down her pendant, while the prize was suffered to keep up her ensign.

This led me to suspect that the British expected the compliment of lowering the pendant to them, as I was still persuaded they were English ships. We pursued the chase, which we at last came up to, and took the sternmost, which proved to be a captured large schooner from Kennebeck, bound to Antigua, taken the day before, and had got up nearly in reach of one of her forts, at the north end of Guadaloupe. The Norfolk being rather the headmost vessel, got her boat out, after firing several shot to bring her to, and with great expedition we manned her and brought her safe off, almost from under the guns of the frigates, and made sail for this island.

"After we got off, the prisoners told us that they were two large French frigates, from Cayenne, bound then into Guadaloupe, and to cruise on that station, which at once marred our hopes of ever being joined by our consort, and much valued officer Bainbridge, who, as well as our prize brig, fell into their hands, with Mr. Griswold, one of my midshipmen, and three of our seamen. The schooner we have got safe in, which is loaded with lumber and fish.

"Now, Sir, you will no doubt condole with me on this unhappy catastrophe; but I flatter myself no blame can append to me; for it is next to a wonder how we saved our other vessels. Nothing but the good appearance which we put upon our situation, by inducing them to think they should decoy us, saved us : for they were seldom out of gun-shot from the first of our falling in with them, and I believe, had we attempted to run at first, we must have all been taken, as there were, besides the ships and lugger, three schooner privateers in sight, but they did not seem rightly to understand each other; else how they came to suffer us to take off the prize schooner, is incomprehensible, unless they were satisfied with their first booty.

"This moment the prize brig has come to anchor alongside of us, and from our midshipman we learn, that the ships which took them were from Cayenne, one the Volontaire, of 20 guns and 300 men, the other the Insurgente, of 40 guns and 200 men. They only put a midshipman and five seamen on board, without taking any of our people out, who, at 7 o'clock at night losing sight of them, re-took the prize, and brought her in here.

"I have met with very polite civilities from all the British officers that I have met with, particularly from captain Maunsell, the (Swan sloop Iris, here; by whom I have written to admiral Harvey, whose nephew he is, requesting an exchange of signals, a copy of which I herewith enclose you, which I hope will meet your approbation."

ALEXANDER MURRAY.

"On board the Montezuma, St. Thomas's, Nov. 29th, '98.

"I again address you from this place, where we arrived this day.

"I convoyed eight vessels from Antigua bound to America, and shall pick up several more here to join us, so as to be off to-morrow.

"I mean to conduct these vessels clear of all cruisers about the islands, and then to run to windward, which I find is the best station for us.

"I landed 18 prisoners here, and got a receipt for them of the French consul, who treated us very politely ; and by a flag of truce bound up to Guadaloupe, have made another effort in favor of our unfortunate prisoners there.

"There are, at this time, not less than 150 privateers out of Guadaloupe, mostly small schooners and sloops, but hard to be caught, as they run in the wind's eye, in moderate weather, and lurk among rocks and shoals, where we cannot get at them ;—but, keeping them in their ports is a great object, as we find they already fear to go too far off from the land."

ALEXANDER MURRAY.