Pelican, at Sea, Sept. 17. SIR,

I have the honour to inform you, that at 30 minutes past 7 A. M. we discovered a brig bearing N. N. W. (Cape Nicholas S. by W. half W.) standing towards us, with the larboard tacks on board. As she appeared to be a vessel of force, I immediately made all sail towards her, the wind being east. At 49 minutes past 8, she having shown Freneh colours, we opened our fire upon her in crossing, then wore round her stern, and kept up a continued and well-directed fire until 20 minutes after 9, when she made all sail from us, with the larboard tacks. Unfortunately, we could not immediately make all sail after her, as our running rigging was much cut; but, as soon as it was repaired, every exertion was made to get alongside of her a second time, which was effected at 45 minutes after 12, when we opened our fire on her, which was so well directed, that at ten minutes past one she blew up abaft and struck her colours. At 15 minutes after one she went down by the head, and was totally lost. Upon which we immediately hoisted out our boats, and fortunately saved the lives of 60 of the crew, by whom we learn she 'was the Trompeuse French privateer brig, mounting 12 six-pounders, and 78 men on board: she had been out eleven days, but had taken only one prize. I feel myself greatly indebted to captain Perkins, of the Drake, whom I discovered in shore of us, for using every exertion to work to windward, and cut her off from Jean Rabel, as soon as I made the private signal to him, and that of the chase being an enemy. Great praise is due to lieuts. Ward and Usher, and Mr. M'Cleaverty the master, for their zeal, conduct,

28. This day admiral sir Horatio Nelson attended at the chamberlain's office in Guildhall with the lord mayor and Mr. alderman Wilkes, to receive the gold box of one hundred guineas value voted to him for his bravery and conduct in the British service. After the admiral had received the box, and the freedom of the city beautifully written and illuminated, the customary oath of every freeman was administered; to which Mr. Chamberlain Wilkes added,

"Rear-admiral sir Horatio Nelson,

"I give you joy; and with true satisfaction I return you thanks in the name of the lord mayor, aldermen, and commons of the city of London, in common council assem bled, who have unanimously voted you the freedom of the capital, for your distinguished valour and con, duct in the favourite service of the navy, and particularly against a very superior force of the enemy off Cape St. Vincent, on the 14th of February last.

"Many of our naval commanders have merited highly of their country by their exertions; but in your case there is a rare heroic modesty, which cannot be sufficiently admired. You have given the warmest applause to your brother officers, and the seamen under your command; but your own merit you have not mentioned even in the slightest manner; and the relation of the severe and cruel wound you suffered in the service of your country is transmitted to posterity by your noble commander-in-chief.

May you long live to enjoy the grateful benedictions of

the

the country which you protect!"

Sir Horatio Nelson's answer. "Sir, nothing could be more gratifying to me (as it must be to every sea-officer) than receiving the high honour this day conferred upon me in becoming a freeman of the great city of London. And I beg you to believe, and to assure my fellow-citizens, that my hand and head shall ever be exerted, with all my heart, in defence of my king, the laws, and the just liberties of my country; in which are included every thing which can be beneficial to the capital of the empire. I beg leave to return you, sir, my sincere thanks, for the very flattering expressions you have honoured me with on this occasion."

DECEMBER.

5. The gazette announces the capture of L'Aimable Sylvie, three Spanish coasters, two Spanish brigs, and L'Aventure French privateer, of 8 guns and 43 men, by captain Digby of the Aurora.

8. Maria Theresa Phipoe, otheravise Mary Benson, was indicted at the Old Bailey for the murder of Mary Cox, on the 25th of October last, by giving her a mortal wound under the left breast, of which she died. The prisoner, who appeared to be about forty years of age, of middle size, rather inclining to the enbonpoint, and not at all handsome, was dressed in a white muslin gown, a black silk cloak, and a plain cap, and came to the bar attended by a female friend.

Mr. Const, on the part of the prosecution, stated the case, in the course of which he was interrupted by the prisoner, who requested from the court the indulgence of a chair,

which she stated to have been withheld from her; adding, that she had made previous complaint to a Mr. Williams upon the subject of the detention of her property, who replied only with abuse and cruel sarcasms, and told her she would soon be in a place where she would have no occasion for it. A chair was immediately ordered; but the court postponed the consideration of the second part of her request until the much more momentous business then pending should be decided, And Mr. Const, having finished his statement, called the witnesses in support of the charge.

Letitia Munday, the first witness called, swore, that the prisoner lodg ed in her house in Garden-street, St. George's in the East: that on the morning of the day laid in the indictment, the deceased came to visit the prisoner, who immediately sent out the witness for some brandy, and. likewise the change of a guinea; that on her return the prisoner called out from above stairs that the things brought in were not then wanting, and that when they were the prisoner would apply to her. Witness shortly after heard a great groaning, and a noise like a scuffle in the prisoner's room, where the deceased was; and being greatly alarmed thereat, she called in Mrs. Macdonald and Mrs. Eyles, two of her neighbours, accompanied by whom she went up stairs; that they found the door locked. and on inquiring what was the matter, the prisoner answered from within, that the woman was only in a fit, and would be soon well; that not being satisfied with this answer, and having persevered in insisting to know the truth, the prisoner opened the door a little, and

said

said to the witness, "You Mrs. Munday, may come in, but nobody else:" that the witness being much alarmed declined entering the room, and went for a doctor, and that on her return she found the prisoner in the hall walking about, holding up her finger, and the deceased, who had come down stairs also in the absence of the witness, in the kitchen, her head on her hand, supported by the table, and covered all over with blood.

Mrs. Macdonald and Mrs. Eyles corroborated the testimony of this witness, in addition to which,

Durant, the beadle, swore, that on his entering the kitchen, the deceased took him by the hand, and pointed with it to her right-hand pocket: that he searched it, and found a watch; and that the deceased, being speechless, made signs to him to keep it; that he then went up stairs, found the prisoner sitting on the bed, a case knife and part of a finger were lying on a table; on asking her why she had used the poor woman so, prisoner replied, "I believe the devil and passion bewitched me." In answer to his further questions she also admitted that the knife on the table was the instrument with which she had done the mischief, that the piece of the finger belonged to her, but that the deceased had cut it off.

Mr. Pierce the surgeon was of opinion the finger was not cut off in a scuffle; it was cut off directly across, as if it had been laid on a block for the purpose.

The depositions of the deceased, taken after she had recovered her speech, which was shortly before her death, were then read; they stated, that the deceased had waited on the prisoner to purchase a watch, and some other articles, for which

she gave her eleven pounds; that she further asked her for a piece of china then on the mantle-piece; that the prisoner consented, and that while the deceased was in the act of taking it, the prisoner wounded her in the nerk with a knife ; that she was near an hour under her hands, during which time she received the various wounds and stabs on the several parts of the body, at the end of which prisoner said, "You bitch, I will kill you out, that you may not be able to tell your story."

The prisoner being now called on for her defence, addressed her- ' self to the court and the jury in a firm intrepid tone, without the least appearance of embarrassment or agitation. She said, that the deceased came to her lodging to purchase some articles the prisoner wished to dispose of; that she told the deceased she would not sell a part of them, or not even the whole lot, unless the money was paid down; that deceased then used the most provoking language; said she supposed she wanted it to go to London, and turn whore again to Courtois, and asked her why she did not go into a nunnery as her mother wanted her. One word produced another in return; the deceased at length snatched up the knife which lay on the table, and cut off her finger, and that prisoner, smarting with the wound, and the insults she had received, lost all reason and recollection, and totally forgot what ensued.

Mr. baron Perryn, who presided, summoned up the evidence, in the course of which he pointed out some inconsistencies in the prisoner's defence, with the evidence on the part of the crown, and particu larly with the account she gave

originally

originally of the transaction, as proved by the beadle.

The jury having retired a few minutes, brought in a verdict, Guilty; and the court pronounced sentence of execution upon her for Monday next. Immediately after this a packet was handed to her; but apparently undismayed by the verdict, she addressed the court again, insisted it did not contain her property, and reiterated her complaints that it had been withheld.

9. The gazette gives the following intelligence :

Copy of a letter from the right hon. lord Bridport, K. B. to Evan Nepean, esq. dated the 5th of Dec. 1797. SIR,

You will herewith receive a copy of a letter from captain White, of his majesty's brig Sylph, which I transmit for their lordships' information.

I have, &c.

BRIDPORT. Sylph, Cawsand Bay, Dec. 2, 1797. My Lord,

I beg leave to acquaint your lordship, that we sailed from this anchorage on the 19th ult. in order to rejoin the squadron under captain Keats, but, owing to thick and blowing weather, I was not able to fall in with him before he quitted the rendezvous. I have further to acquaint your lordship, that since the above period, we have made the following re-captures (between the latitude of Belleisle and Rochfort) and with the last of them we arrived here this morning.

On the 21st of November, Active schooner, from Newfoundland, bound to Teignmouth, laden with fish and oil; she was captured on the 14th of November by La Constance brig privateer, of Nantes. On the 22d of November, a Prussian

galliot, from Amsterdam to Lisbon, laden with wheat, captured by le Buonaparte ship privateer, of Bour deaux, on suspicion of the cargo being Portuguese property; this vessel being very leaky, and her car go much damaged, I suffered her to proceed (after taking out the Frenchmen) to her original desti nation. On the 23d of November, the brig Diana, from New Providence, bound to London, laden with cotton, sugar and coffee, cap tured on the 12th of November, by the Felix cutter privateer, of 14 guns, belonging to Nantes; besides the Diana, she had taken three English vessels from Newfoundland, and two Americans outward bound. On the 30th of November, the ship Henniker, from London, bound to Martinique, laden with provisions on account of government, was under convoy of the Trent and Amphitrite, and captured in lat. 42 deg. 27. min. north, and lon. 21 deg. 50 min. west, by le François ship privateer, of Nantes, on the 23d of November.

The prisoners taken in the Diana inform me, that le Felix (the privateer to which they belong) was upset on the night of the 16th of November, in a sudden and violent gust of wind, and though not a quarter of a mile from her prize, not one of her crew was saved, which consisted of 115 men, exclu sive of whom, I am sorry to add, perished 22 British and American seamen, belonging to the vessels this privateer had captured.

I am, my lord, &c.

J. LE WHITE. Captures made by his majesty's sloop La Bonne Citoyenne: Le Pleuvier French privateer, of 9 guns and 43 men; Le Canard French privateer, of 10 guns and 61 men ; two Spanish brigs in ballast, with

$900 dollars; Jengin del Rosario, Spanish tartan, with 20 recruits; with eight other Spanish merchantmen of small value.

This gazette also contains accounts of the captures of La Marie, a French privateer brig, carrying 14 guns and 63 men, by his majesty's ship Jason, captain Stirling; also, the Spanish corvette Bolador, of 16 guns and 74 men, by his majesty's ship Majestic, captain Westcott; also, le Coureur, French privateer, of 14 gun and 90 men, by his majesty's ship Blanche, captain Hotham.

-

11. This morning was executed opposite Newgate, pursuant to her sentence, Maria Theresa Phipoe, alias Benson, for the wilful murder of Mary Cox.

12. The sessions ended at the Old Bailey, when Wiliam Wade, Richard Fuller, Thomas Brown, Robert Franklyn, William Smith, alias Flint, and Robert Penn, alias Fish, severally received judgment of death.

Nine were ordered to be imprisoned in the house of correction at Clerkenwell; four to be publicly whipped, and one to be privately whipped and discharged.

The sessions being ended, the same were adjourned until the 10th of January next.

14. In the common-hall held this day, the following resolutions were passed:

Resolved unanimously, That the plan proposed to parliament for increasing the assessed taxes, appears to the common-hall to be partial, oppressive, and impracticable, and if carried into effect, would, by operating chiefly upon the middle and lower classes of the people, render it impossible for them to gain a subsistence.

Resolved unanimously, That by

making the assessment retrospective, preventing persons thereby from making any necessary retrenchments in their expenditure, appears to be founded in cruelty and injustice; and will, if adopted, have more the appearance of an arbitrary measure, than the deliberate act of a British legislature.

Resolved unanimously, That the proposed relief would lead to a disclosure of circumstances highly injurious to the credit and happiness of families, introducing an inquisitorial system, dangerous to the freedom of the subject, and repugnant to the spirit of the British constitution.

Resolved unanimously, That property does not appear to have been made the basis of the intended tax, persons having only a precarious income, acquired by their labour and industry in trade, being obliged to pay in the same proportion as persons who have a permanent income, proceeding from landed or funded property.

Resolved unanimously, That our representatives in parliament be instructed, and they are hereby instructed accordingly, to oppose the arbitrary and unconstitutional bill now pending in the house of comnons; and not to concur in any modification thereof; being convinced that the principle of it is destructive of the dearest interests of the people, and subversive of social order.

Resolved unanimously, That the foregoing resolutions be fairly transcribed, signed by the town-clerk, and be immediately transmitted to the right honourable the chancellor of the exchequer.

Resolved unanimously, That the foregoing resolutions be printed in the morning and evening papers throughout the kingdom. Resolved