The Enquirer

Baltimore, March 21.

By some Jamaica papers brought by the Chasseur, we learn a number of particulars of the attack on New-Orleans, previous to the decisive battle of the 8th of January.--As usual, the accounts are dressed up in the style of confidence and exaggeration--They make Jackson's army amount to 15,000 reluctant men, pressed into service, and that of the British to be "10,000 effective bayonets, independent of seamen and Marines".--They tell how 3000 of their army defeated the whole of Jackson's 15000 in the engagement of the 23d of December, but they acknowledge a heavy loss of both men and officers, several of whose names are mentioned--They then tell of the mighty preparations to attack N. Orleans in full force, and they had no doubt of being in possession of that city on the 8th of January !-Little did they foresee the fate of that memorable day, so fatal to England, and so glorious to America.--In one place they say, " how happy the Spaniards were at the thoughts of being under the dominion of England."-In another, with evident chagrin, they tell, how neither the French nor Spaniards afforded the British any assistance, but on the contrary "were fighting under the banners of General Jackson" This is not the first time the British ministers have been deceived in their knowledge of America-indeed they have been in a continued state of ignorance of this country ever since the year 1774; and none have been so instrumental in this long train of deception, as the Henryites and hirelings and factionists in this country, who have contrived to mislead and misinform their employers both at the Court of St. James and the banqueting room of Carleton-house, ever since the commencement of the reign of George the Third.

From these papers we are enabled to form a tolerably correct idea of the effective force which the British brought against New-Orleans, the whole of which, we think, could not be less than 12,000 men--Under the generals Pakenham, Lambert, Gibbs, & Keene, there were the 14th Dragoons, the 4th, 7th, 21st, 40th, 43d, 44th, 85th, 93d and 95th regiments of foot; with a Corps of engineers. miners and sappers; besides a large body of marines, another of seamen, and two regiments of black troops-but these latter, it would appear, were not of much use, as they either sunk under excessive fatigue, or became sick, and many of them died-From these and other accounts, we have reasons to believe that both the army and navy suffered much by the want of provisions and water-- Confident of a quick and easy conquest, they had not provided a sufficiency of either.

American.