Virginia Argus

Norfolk, Sept. 19.

Extract of a letter from Hamburg, dated 20th July, to a merchant in this place.

"You will have heard some time ago of the capture of the ships Imogene, Georgia Planter, and Herald, carried into Copenhagen by Danish privateers, and the Rodney into Calais by a French privateer, all waiting trial. I am sorry to inform you that the brig Hibernia, capt. Boush, has also been captured, and carried into Christiansand by a Norwegian privateer.

There are about fifty American vessels detained in the different ports of Denmark—Several have been condemned in the first court, on the most ridiculous ground. Indeed, from what I saw in Copenhagen, very few can escape: one does not know who to apply to for assistance: merchants, judges, and all are suspected to be directly or indirectly interested in the privateers. The few that have been released were obliged to pay some hundred dollars to the captors for their trouble, and the expenses of the court.

To do this, they find some irregularity in the papers, such as supercargoes names being on the bill of lading and invoice, and not on the roll of equipage; or the Mediterranean pass, dated 1809, in place of 1810, or something equally frivolous.

They are not ashamed to make supposition and conjecture the basis of sentences; in fact suspicion is condemnation. Of late there is a commission named, with the avowed object to examine ships papers; and if clear, they are to go on, without examination of the court. Some coming from Russia have passed that way, but for my part, I have not much confidence: I believe it is a decoy for about 100 American vessels now at Gottenburg, bound up the Baltic, but afraid to proceed.

Restrictions on the trade in this quarter are continually multiplying, the Danish government have shut all their ports in the North Sea to our flag, yet this change has had very little effect on prices at Altona, Sugar is the only article which leaves a profit. The Russian ports are overstocked with every kind of produce. In the Prussian ports, Sugar, Cotton, and Dry Goods answer still, but Tobacco, Rice, Indigo, Pepper and Coffee are low, tho better than in Denmark. Tea is a drug all over Europe."