The Newport Gazette

A Spanish merchant of this city received a letter last Friday from Bilboa, which brings an account that the British Consul had sent a complaint to the court of Madrid of the American privateers being encouraged by the merchants at Bilboa, in bringing into that port English ships, and disposing them there, to the great hurt of the merchants and owners, &c. in England; and the Court of Madrid had taken the above affair into consideration, and sent an express order to Bilboa, to seize all the American privateers which came into that port, and to stop all the prize they bring in, for the benefit of the owners, and to imprison the captain and crew of the privateer till further directions. But as the above order arrived from Madrid, a privateer came to Bilboa with a prize, but the agent for the affairs of America residing there, getting intelligence of the arrival of the above order from Madrid, acquainted the Captain of the privateer of the danger he was in; upon which the Captain and his crew got on board another vessel just before the officers came to seize, put to sea, and so escaped taken, but they left behind them the privateer and their prize, which were seized by the Spanish officers. This letter being read by the merchant to his friends, and other letters authenticating the account, the insurance on the ships bound to that port fell on Saturday last very considerably, as the Consul had assured the merchants that the Court of Madrid has given strict order to their governors that no American privateer be admitted into any of the Spanish ports for the future.