Alexandria Advertiser And Commercial Intelligencer

A statement, in some measure incorrect, having been made in an Alexandria print of the reported capture of an American vessel by an Algerine frigate, it becomes proper to state the circumstances on which the report is founded.

Mr. Cathcart, our former consul at Tripoli, but residing now at Leghorn, has enclosed to the secretary of state an extract from the Florence Gazette containing an article under the Naples head, dated June 1st, stating that an action had a short time before taken place between an Algerine frigate and an American vessel which had lately sailed from Naples, with Mr. Smith, charge d'affaires, on board, who had come from Rome on the purpose of taking a passage home. The American vessel was obliged to yield to superior force.

Since the receipt of this letter, another of subsequent date, viz. June 22, has been received from Mr. Cathcart, advising that he had received no further information respecting the capture. Considering it, however, possible, he immediately wrote circulars to the several American consuls on the Barbary coast requesting their interposition in case the vessel should prove to be captured.

The belief of this information should in our opinion, be received with some hesitation. It may be no other than a report arising from the capture, about the same time, of a Neapolitan frigate by the Adams. Or if an American vessel has been captured, it may have been by a Tripoline cruiser. The vessels of the Barbary powers are so similar to each other, that frequent mistakes arise in appropriating them to their respective nations.

Nat. Intel.