was freed from any apprehensions from the junction of the ememy's

army.

tion.

As the troops were assembling to proceed to other objects, which I thought of importance for the king's service, I was informed by brigadier-general Churchill, of an attack that had been made at Irois, where, though the enemy had been fortunately repulsed in the assault upon that post, they still continued to invest it, and to threaten its siege.

No time was lost in detaching the honourable colonel Maitland with a sufficient force to the assistance of that officer. On his arrival, brigadier-general Churchill informed him of the repulse of the enemy.

I have the honour to inclose to you a return of the killed and wounded upon the attack and destruction of the enemy's battery and breast-works, and of the ordDance and ordnance stores taken and destroyed.

Return of killed and wounded in his majesty's British and colonial troops, under the command of colonel Dessources, on the 16th and 17th of April, 1797, at the attack of the enemy's positions of St. Laurent and Boutillier, from wence they were driven; 1797.

and also the attack of the enemy's battery, breast-works, and places, of arms near post Grenier. Head-quarters, St. Domingo, Port

au-Prince, May 8, 1797. In driving the enemy from their ambuscade above post Guerin, (Jean Kina's entrenched camp) under the command of major Clay, of the 40th regiment. 66th regiment.-1 rank and file killed; sergeant wounded. 69th ditto.-1 rank and file wounded.

3d battalion of Irish brigade.-1

officer wounded.

Total, 1 rank and file killed; I officer, 1 sergeant, 1 rank and file wounded.

On the attack of posts St. Laurent and Boutillier. Dessources' regiment.-1 officer, 3 rank and file, killed; 3 rank and file killed; 3 rank and file wounded.

De Pestre's ditto.-1 rank and file

killed.

Detachment of troops from Jeremie. -1 officer killed; 2 rank and file wounded.

Jean Kina's corps.-1 sergeant killed; 4 officers, 4 rank and file wounded.

Total, 2 officers, 1 sergeant, 4 rank

and file killed; 4 officers, 9 rank and file wounded. At the attack of the enemy's battery, breast-works and places of arms, near post Grenier. Chasseurs Royaux.-2 rank and file wounded.

De Pestre's regiment.-2 rank and file wounded.

Chasseurs de York.-4 rank and file wounded. Chasseurs de Prince of Wales.-1

officer, 1 sergeant, 5 rank and file wounded.

Dessources' regiment.-1 rank and

Total, 1 rank and file killed; 1 officer, I sergeant, 12 rank and file wounded.

Names of officers killed and

wounded.

Captain Haly, of the 3d Irish brigade, wounded. Major Pocket, of the Jeremie, killed. Lieutenant de la Rue, of Dessources, killed, Ensign Eviere, of Prince of Wales's chasseurs, wounded. Lieutenants Babin and Campanne, of Jean Kina's corps, wounded. Ensigns Le Pine and L'Artigonave, of ditto, wounded.

E. B. LITTLEHALES, Dep. adj. gen. Return of ordnance and ordnance stores taken and destroyed at the attack of the battery and heights of post Fezard, on the morning of the 17th of April, 1797.

Brass ordnance.

Two pounder; 1 taken and carried to post Grenier.

Iron ordnance.

Limbers for six-pounders, 2 de

stroyed.

Side boxes for six-pounders, 8 destroyed.

Two-inch rope coils, 2 destroyed. A proportion of drag washers and linch pins for nine-pounder and eight-pounder and two-pounder carriages, taken and carried to post Fourmier.

Carriage with limber for ninepounder, I destroyed.

Cartridges filled for nine-pounders, taken and carried to post Grenier, 52. (Signed)

W. SPICA, Captain-lieutenant, com manding a detachment of royal artillery. E. B. LITTLEHALES, Dep. adj. gen.

This gazette also contains an account of the following captures by the ships under the command of rear-admiral Harvey: the schooner Ranger, from Wilmington, bound

Stores.

Fixed ammunition for six pounders, equal proportion of case and round, taken and carried to post Grenier, rounds 110 destroyed.

Case shot unfixed for six pounders, taken and carried to post Grenier, fifty destroyed.

Cole shot unfixed for nine pounders, rounds 110 destroyed.

Langridge in bags for ninepounders, rounds 150 destroyed. Langridge in bags for eight pounders, rounds 150 destroyed. Ammunition for two-pounders, * * destroyed

Carriage with limber for eightpounder, 1 destroyed.

Carriage for two-pounder, 1 destroyed.

Devie cart for moving guns, 1 destroyed.

slaves, belonging to Massachuset,retaken from the French to the windward of Mariegalante by the Vanguard, and sent into St. Pierre's, Martinique; the schooner Nobby, from Wiscasset, bound to the West Indies, laden with lumber and slaves, belonging to Massachuset,retaken from the French off Mariegalante by the Vanguard, and sent into St. Pierre's, Martinique; the schooner Little Mary, from Surinam, bound to Philadelphia, laden with coffee, cotton, and sugar, belonging to Philadelphia, retaken from the French off Mariegalante by the Vanguard, and sent into St. Pierre's, Martinique, went on shore; the ship Hero, from London, laden with provisions, retaken from a French privateer off St. Kitt's by the Lapwing, and sent into St. Kitt's; the brig Paramaubon, Geo.

Curd,

Curd, master, from Surinam, bound to St. Thomas, laden with molasses, sugar, and coffee, belonging to Baltimore, retaken from a French privateer between Tortola and St. Croix by the Fury, and sent into Tortola; the snow Rebecca, from Demerara, bound to St. Thomas, laden with sugar and coffee, retaken from a French privateer to windward of the Virgin Islands by the Fury, and sent into Tortola, papers not found; the sloop General, H. Bloomsbury, master, from Barbadoes, bound to Martinique, laden with dry goods and provisions, recaptured from the enemy off Guadaloupe by the Perdrix, and sent to Fort Royal, Martinique; the schooner Phoenix, Jacob Perkins, master, from Tobago, bound to St. Thomas, laden with fifty puncheons of rum, belonging to New York, retaken from a French privateer to the north-east of St. Croix by the Fury, and sent into Tortola; the ship Lealand, U. Beaumain, master, from Guadaloupe, bound to Santa Cruz, laden with coffee and sugar, belonging to Barbadoes, taken to windward of St. Croix by the Favourite, and sent into Tortola ; detained, having French property; the ship Atlanti, Thomas Stockel, master, from Teneriffe, laden with wine and dry goods, re-captured from the enemy thirty-seven leagues south-west by south of Barbuda by the Lapwing, and sent into Basseterre, St. Kitt's; the schooner Adelagarde, Bartolame Table, master, from Cuba, bound to Porto Rico, laden with wax and tortoise-shell, taken off Porto Rico by the Arethusa, and sent into Martinique; detained, being Spanish property; the ship Scipio, from Guadaloupe, bound to St. Thomas, in ballast, belonging to Liverpool, re-captured from the French off Guadaloupe by

the Scipio, and sent into Roseau, Dominica; the schooner Jean Kirby, bound to Guadaloupe, in ballast, belonging to Antigua, re-captured from the French off Guada. loupe, by the Scipio, and sent into Roseau, Dominica; the French schooner privateer La Bayonaise, belonging to Guadaloupe, carrying 2 guns, some swivels, and 36 men, by the Cyane.

16. A most melancholy accident happened this night, about eleven o'clock. As the three Mr. Taylors, two of whom are clerks in the office for foreign affairs, the other aid-decamp to the duke of York, were coming to town from Richmond, in a small wherry with a sail, which they had built for their amusement, the boat overset near Kew, by striking against a barge, and all three tumbled overboard. Mr. B. Taylor got on shore unhurt; Mr. Heroert Taylor was brought on shore with little signs of life, but has since recovered by the means recommended by the humane society; and Mr. William Taylor was drowned. The latter had lately returned with Mr. Hammond from Vienna, to whom he acted as secretary, and was much esteemed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. The night was extremely dark and tempestuous.

17. This morning at one o'clock a fire broke out at lord St. Helen's house, in Great Russell-street, Bloomsbury, which consumed the same, and upper part of sir George Young's house adjoining; the accident is not any other way accounted for than, that his lordship, who had been writing, the candle is supposed to have caught the furniture of the bed, which providentially waking him, he instantly alarmed his servants, who had scarce time to make their escape at the top

(H2)

of

11. On Sunday night, and the early part of yesterday morning, occurred one of the most tremendous storms of thunder, lightning, and rain, ever remembered in the metropolis. The lightning commenced about nine o'clock in the evening, and continued without one instant's intermission till twelve, illuminating with its coruscations every quarter of the heavens with vivid gleams of scarlet and blue light. The thunder came on about twelve, and continued till half after three, with incessant peals of the loudest and most awful effect, so near as seemingly to be bursting directly over head,, and accompanied the whole time with the heaviest and most uninterrupted deluges of rain.

This very heavy storm appears to have taken a very wide and extended circuit. In Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hants, &c. its commencement was about nine or ten o'clock in the evening, and its duration till after day-light. In the metropolis, by the minutest observation, its fury began a little before midnight, and had ceased at four o'clock. At Windsor it was extremely and awefully heavy; at Harrow on the Hill, Highgate, Hampstead, Shooter's Hill in Kent, and other elevated situations, it was felt in a manner particularly severe.

The storm felt here on Sunday night and Monday morning passed over the continent previous to visiting this country. It was felt at Lisle on Saturday afternoon, and continued till three o'clock on Sunday morning without intermis

sion. It has done considerable damage.

20. This day the parliament was prorogued to the 5th day of September. See the Public Papers.

Worcester, July 20. In beginning the repairs of our cathedral on Monday last, the tomb which stood in the nave, near the chancel, to commemorate the interment of king John, was proposed to be removed to a more convenient place; but, to the astonishment of the workmen, a stone coffin was discovered at the bottom, level with the floor, which, on carefully examining it, was found to contain the remains of the king. From the great length of time the body had been deposited (so long since as the year 1216) nothing but conjectural ideas could be formed as to the vestments, &c. Part of the robe was firm in its texture, but of what colour could not be ascer tained. What was discovered of the body appeared to be nearly in the same position as the figure on the top of the tomb-stone, and, from the length of the coffin, measured five feet six inches and a half; part of a sword was lying by his left side, which time had much mouldered; and the leather sheath was nearly in the same state: the most perfect part was towards the bottom of the legs and feet, on which appeared a kind of half-boot. A quantity of a sort of white paste lay in two or three lumps on and below the belly, which it may be supposed had been poured into the body on the heart and bowels being taken out; on breaking a piece of this paste, it was mixed with the skeletons of maggots and flies, of which vast quantities lay on and about the body; and on the right cheek of the skull there was a sharp point about half an inch long, and some grey hairs appeared under

part

part of the cap, which had fitted the head very tight, and seemed to have been buckled under the chin, part of the straps remaining; the robe had the appearance, in some parts, of having been embroidered, particularly on the right knee; no bones of the fingers were to be found. One point ascertained is, that the body certainly was deposited here, and not in the more eastern part of the church, as was supposed; and the extraordinary circumstance of there being no memorandum or record of the place of interment in the archives of the cathedral is now obviated. The tomb is to remain sacred to the ashes of the king, and will no doubt be preserved with additional care and attention. The dean and chapter gave orders that the curiosity of the people should be gratified as far as could be done Consistently with safety; but, the concourse from all parts becoming so great, it was deemed proper to close the tomb again on Tuesday afternoon. It was observed by the masons, that the coffin was cut out of Higley stone; but there was no other top to it than two elm-boards, which were perfectly sound.

From the London Gazette, July 23. Admiralty-Office, July 22, 1797. Extract of a letter from vice-admiral sir Hyde Parker, knight, commander in chief of his majesty's ships and vessels at Jamaica, to Evan Nepean, esq. dated June, 11, 1797.

I have the pleasure to acquaint you for their lordships' information, that the Grande Anse is acknowledged to be saved by a spirited and well-timed attack made by captain Ricketts, of his majesty's ship La Magicienne, upon the enemy's transports of provisions and ammunition in Carcasse Bay, for the particulars of which I beg leave to refer

you to a copy of captain Ricketts's letter.

La Magicienne, in Carcasse Bay,
St. Domingo, April 24, 1797.

SIR,

I beg leave to inform you, that on Sunday the 23d instant, when doubling Cape Tiberoon, in company with the Regulus and Fortune schooner, we discovered a six gun privateer sloop and four schooners at anchor in this bay, which convinced me that the posts of Irois were attacked. Soon after the alarmgun was fired at the fort. As no time was to be lost in endeavouring to counteract the views of the enemy, we stood in and anchored, when we commenced a heavy cannonade, and had the good fortune, in a short time, to drive them into the mountains; their field-pieces, ammunition, provisions, and vessels laden with necessaries for carrying on the siege, fell into our hands.

The good conduct of every officer and sailor belonging to our little squadron manifested itself upon this occasion, as well as upon many others, since I have had the honour to command it. I have to regret the loss of four men killed, and Mr. Morgan, master's mate, and ten men wounded (though not mortally), who were in the Magicienne's boat when endeavouring to tow out the privateer.

I have the honour to be, &c. &c. W. H. RICKETTS. Sir Hyde Parker, knt. vice

admiral of the red, &c. Diligence, Nassau, New-Providence, March 13, 1797.