the great basins have been completed some time; but there was no occasion for them, for in the height of this last war, the ships which the old docks contained, required more shipwrights than there were belonging to the yard; and the other Dock-yards, even to Plymouth, were forced to find each their quota of shipwrights to be sent here in aid, and altogether were not enough for the ships already in the old docks, and those coming into the harbour for occasional repairs. Many more in addition to those might have been employed, if more could have been found. He then carried me round the yard and shewed me four line of battle ships of the largest kind lying in docks to receive repairs, in not one of which was there a single shipwright at work. What are the ideas which must naturally strike a foreigner, seeing this; for, although there is a probibition of foreigners coming into the yards, least they should discover the nakedness of the land; nevertheless, permits from the Admiralty, I am told, are given occasionally, which do admit those who probably have the greatest discernment. The ships before mentioned in the docks, I think were the Queen, Barfleur, Ajax, and Montague: the whole power of the yard being employed, together with the master carpenters of the ships in ordinary working as common mɛn (never before known) on board of 3 frigates in the docks, and the ships fitting in the harbour. He added, the want of shipwrights, indeed of every description of artificers and labourers in the yard, (of which you shall hear more hereafter) is one of the blessed effects of discharging men and driving them out of the service, whose youth, vigour, and maturity have been passed in it and attached to it.

Many of whom from experience were far better qualified to continue in the performance of their different departments, than the young and new comers placed in their stead, nevertheless too far advanced in life to begin a new line elsewhere. Is this holding forth encouragement for the King and Country's service? He then shewed me the slips for building line of battle ships, covered with lumber, and told me that there had not been a keel of a line of battle ship laid in this yard the last two years, and that during this time two only had been launched, and which had been previously building. - I must own it struck me forcibly, that there should not have been a keel of one ship laid down since the peace in this great dockyard, while our enemy is known to be so active. If we have in our late wars equipped ships from our ports faster than men could be procured to man them, the enormous expense of these new works is futile.

[710 Should not a board be appointed to examine such works as to their utility, and to put a stop to wild speculations, tending to drain the vitals of the nation.-I am an admirer of your strenuous endeavours to awaken the nation to a sense of its real situation, and shall conclude with a remark of your own, that " of 600 noblemen and gentlemen; "the constitutional guardians of this country, no one should be found to examine "into this, is strange indeed."-I am, Sir, yours, &c. VIATOR.

London, 3 May, 1803.

ON THE NAVY.

SIR, I have perused your Register with great attention for some months past, particularly that part which relates to the conduct of the Admiralty, and having some knowledge of what is going on, in this season of puffing and vain boasting, I have presumed to offer a few observations on the measures of that Board. Much has been said in the House of Commons and Morning Papers, upon the wise and politic proceedings of the Admiralty, but I contend their plans have had a far different effect than what they and their friends suppose, for that which has been held out as an encouragement, is considered a gross infringement upon one of the most important branches of mechanism this country can boast of; I mean the mode which the Admiralty have adopted in distributing apprentices to the shipwrights. In a few years the modellers and draftsmen will be extinct, for the apprentices brought into the service upon the present system cannot (for the want of a knowledge of the art of drawing, &c. necessary for laying down a ship), have any idea beyond the laborious part. Does the Admiralty think that to be a shipwright it requires no other ability. than to dub and chop? I do not mean to say it is necessary every shipwright should possess the knowledge I describe, but it is certainly expedient a proportion of them should. The lads that are now taken into that line are the sons of indigent men, who have it not in their power to give their children an education beyond common reading and writing, and many cannot afford them even those necessary qualifications.- Formerly interest was made to get respectable young men apprenticed to the principal officers of the trade, by which means the mould loft was full of young men of good education, who were capable of obtaining a knowledge of the more intricate branch of their profession. But, Sir, a most wonderful change for the worse has been, and will continue to be the result of the present measures pur

sued by the Admiralty; for now, no one of the description I have just alluded to, comes forward, indeed many who were in the service previous to the late regulations, having taken place, have gone in disgust to seek employment elsewhere, and the few now remaining are only waiting a favourable opportu hity to follow them.-But, Sir, perhaps the Admiralty will say, we will make those, whose duty we conceive it to be, to instruct the new apprentices in every part of their profession. In answer to which I contend, it is morally impossible for such an order to be complied with, unless the master shipwrights and their assistants turn schoolmasters, and teach the boys to read and write, and so to go on progressively till they arrive at a knowledge of the geometrital problems, drawing, e. for without those qualifications, it will be utterly impossible for them to form the moulds by which the timbers of a ship are put together; therefore, in a few years, when new ships are to be built, (if the present system is pursued) the King's yards will be destitute of artists of this description, to whom fundamental knowledge is as necessary in the construction of a ship, as the materials with which It is composed.-The Admiralty have been obliged to resort to the assistance of the Warranted carpenter of ships to do the common duty of working shipwrights. unprecedented measure!!! Adopted in conBequence of the want of men in some of the yards, which deficiency, (for a deficiency there is, notwithstanding it was advanced in the House the dock-yards were full of artificers) has been occasioned by the furious and highly inconsiderate condict of the Admiralty, by their driving from the service a number of the best and most approved workmen.-You observed, some little time since, the Victory could fiot be got to sea in six months, the Admifalty (I suppose to refute your assertion) have strained every nerve to get her to Long Reach, which they have done by keeping ships in commission which ought to have been paid off three weeks ago, and by taking the pensioners (men sent from Greenwich to assist in fitting the ships) from the blocks and bulks preparing to guard the mouth of the Thames, and by That measure procrastinated the equipment of those powerful meatis of our security, and particularly at a time when the ministers were congratulating the country on their being in such a state of forwardness, so as to take their stations in a few days. It is frue the Victory is in Long Reach, with Bergans and stores in but she is yet in Went of a triffing requisite trifling indeed in

An

the eyes of the minister, I mean the want of men, for believe last week (indepen. dent of her marines) she had not more than 50 on board including officers, men, and boys. She has been commissioned a month, and therefore if their endeavours to procure hands in the same proportion of time is not attended with better success, your statement will prove but too true.-With regard to the dock-yards being full of stores, as a morning paper the other day asserted, I have only to observe, respecting the article of timber, the yards in general are very short. Chatham yard I believe is pretty well stocked, but in the others a very great scarcity prevails; I only refer your readers to Deptford and Woolwich, and I have every reason to suppose the same deficiency will be found at the western yards.-At the commencement of the armament many of the poor fellows on board ship were obliged to sleep night after night on the decks without beds and blankets, and, therefore, numbers were sent to the hospital attacked with severe colds and rheumatism, and this in consequence of the ill-judged conduct of the Admiralty, in tefusing to take off the contractors hands a number of those articles he had made during the latter part of the last war for the express purpose of government. Notwithstanding these defalcations, their partizans have the audacity to assure the Public, that no want of stores has at any time prevailed. But will they attempt to deny the truth of these assertions? No, Sir, they cannot, they are facts too glaring, facts incontrovertible.-The orders of the Admiralty are now so complicated and confused, that individuals hardly know how to act; an order of to-day is contradicted tomorrow. For instance, the Unicorn frigate was ordered from Sheerness to Chatham, to be fitted for service, another order was sent to Sheerness for her to be taken in hand there, which did not arrive till four days after she had sailed for Chatham; the ship. wrights, in consequence, were almost at a stand for want of work; whereas, at Chatham, the greatest hurry and bustle prevailed, and, in order to keep the shipwrights at Sheerness employed, they took the Commissioner's yacht into dock, to caulk and copper her bottom; a trifling service in comparison with what was going on in other yards. Last October, positive directions were sent to the yards, that artificers were not to be entered whose ageexceeded 28, since which, that well digested order has been superseded, and now the extension is to 35, the limited age that was wisely ordered in the days of our ancestors. That these blunders and inConveniencies would not have happened un

$13)

der any other set of men must be, notorious to every well informed person. - Captain Markham observed, on Wednesday last, in the House, that "attacks unjust, unfound"ed, and malevolent might be made on "the conduct of the Admiralty. But how "did those attacks accord with the truth?

Three months after the proclamation of "war in 1793, the effective naval force of "Great-Britain was much less than that "which we now had in readiness to act

against any enemy at the present mo. "ment. In every part of the world we "had a naval force more than equal to all "the strength of the navy of France, which "exhibited nothing better then fishing boats " in their ports, and had, in fact, no exist<< ence, unless, perhaps, in the minds of cer"tain hon. gentlemen on the opposite side "of the House, and their friends!!!" The most bare faced and impudent assertion I ever met with! This precisely corresponds with every part of their former conduct. The Admiralty have invariably taken upon themselves the credit of every plan that was framed by their predecessors. Does the bon. captain mean to attach any credit to the present Admiralty for the number of ships that are now on foreign stations? I only wish to remind him, that those ships are the remains of our fleets commissioned during the late war, and that nothing but dire necessity has kept them so long abroad, and had it not been for that lamented necessity, those very ships which the Admiralty now boasts of as being ready to act, would long since have been dismantled.-J con. tend we ought to look to the ships that have been got ready in our barbours at home, since the peace (and not to those on foreign stations) by which we ought to judge of the exertion and conduct of the Admiralty ; let every unprejudiced person do that, and it will be found how very much we have fallen short of what was formerly done on similar occasions, and this in consequence of the unwise and ignorant proceedings of the Board of Admiralty; a Board that has abused its authority, a Board that has insulted and degraded almost every person upder their controul, of which many hundreds, both civil and military, can bear testimony. -I am, Sir, your hearty well-wisher, May 8, 1803.

L. M.

Extract, from an Italian book, entitled Le Ricbezze dell' Italia passate in Francbia, &e. or the Riches of Italy gone into France, or an account of the Plunder made by the French Re public since 1794. (Italia 1800.)

Besides invaluable productions of the arts, (which never can be replaced) private plunder and destruction of all kind, &c.Among the treasures of antiquity which during the revolution have been carried fron Italy into France, the author mentions the following.-1. The whole of the Archives of the ancient Senate of Venice.-2. The most important documents for the history of this government.-3. An immense collection of natural history, which the English General at Malta, after the surrender of Valetta, out of respect to the famous philosopber and jacobin, DoLOMIEU, sent from Malta to Marscilles in a flag of truce!!!

FOREIGN COUNTRIES.

Paris, April 27-The corvettes l'Etormante and la Foudrovante have arrived at Brest from Guada loupe, which place they left on the 8th of March,

An article from Rennes of the 20th states, "that "two detachments of the 6th regiment of artil "lery, in garrison in that city, marched a few. "days ago for Belle Isle, and the Isles St, Marcou, "Notwithstanding the little appearance of a rup"ture between France and England, both powers

are taking the necessary precautions."-We are informed from Besançon, under date of the 22d, that Toussaint Louverture, who was in custody at Fort de Joux, departed this life a week ago.

Paris, April 28.-The English evacuated Alex andria on the 17th March. They embarked with them, Mahommed Elfy Bey, as Ambassador Extr. from the Beys to the court of London. The Eng lish also took with them all the bronze cannon, and all the military effects which were at Alexandria, so that the Porte will have to send fresh artillery to fortify that place.-Moniteur.-They received on the 24th at Strasbourg, the intelligence that the imperial ratification of the conclusum of the diet had arrived at Ratisbon.-The Prince of Nassau Orange, ci-devant Stadtholder of Holland, has published the convention by which he aban dons in entire property to his son, the Hereditary Prince, all the indemnities allotted to him by the Germanic Empire.

Constantinople, March 20.-The Porte has, by another courier, received news from Arabia, which is said to be of a disagreeable nature. According to public report, the Pacha of Mecca advanced with a body of troops against the rebel Abdul Wechab. An engagement ensued. It was fought with obstinacy, and with great bloodshed. The troops

of the Pacha were, in the end, defeated and dispersed.

Petersburgh, March 30.-Upon the arrival of couriers from London, Paris, Vienna, and Berlin, conferences were here opened, in which several of the foreign ministers were invited to take part. We have room to hope, that the result of those negotiations will be favourable to the maintenance of the general peace of Europe. However, the proposal made to England to evacuate Malta, and leave it to be occupied by Russian troops, has not been accepted.

Leghorn, April 13.-The reports of peace and war succeed daily to each other. The English families who were settled here have embarked, disembarked, and re-embarked themselves and their property. The English frigate that is in these roads has ordered all the merchant ships of that nation to quit the port, and to anchor in the roads.

Milan, April 14.-They write from Naples, under date of the 9th of April, that the arrival of an English vessel had occasioned the holding of a Council of State, at the breaking up of which the French Minister expedited a Courier to Paris in all haste. The Courier set out about twelve hours after the English vessel had entered the port. This event has not failed to give birth to several contradictory reports, for instance, of a convention concluded with France for receiving 20,000 men in their ports in case of war, and of another set on foot with England relative to Sicily.

Brussels, May 2.-They write from the Batavian frontiers, that the French troops, which are already arrived at Nimeguen, and in the environs of that place, consist of a body of 6,000 men, which will be augmented according to circumstances. Our troops have also occupied, within these few days, some new places in Holland, on the second, and even the third line. The Batavian Government has given orders to embark, very speedily, the troops destined to reinforce the garrison of the Cape of Good Hope. The last advices received from Flushing import, that all is still in the same situation; that place has been put in a good state of defence; the garrison is exact in its service, but hitherto the other ordinary dispositions in a town in a state of siege have not been carried into execution. The town of Veau, situate in the Isle of Walcheren, has also a French garrison. At Middleburg the garrison is composed of French troops, and a battalion of Dutch infantry.-It is even apparent that all Zealand will be exclusively occupied by French troops.

The

Paris, May 5.-Lord Whitworth had announced his departure as fixed for yesterday, at five in the morning; the Ambassador has, however, changed his resolution, but it is not said how long the delay will last. Whatever may be the cause of this new incident, it is impossible not to conceive some hope of the preservation of peace.-Much is said of the approaching departure of all the French troops stationed in Switzerland. greater part of these troops will, it is said, proceed to Italy; the rest to the departments of the ci-devant Alsace and Franche Comté..-May 8. From the news of yesterday it was no longer doubted that the English Ambassador was about to depart, and the report of a rupture between France and England appeared to be confirmed. Since this morning, however, the aspect of affairs is changed, and hopes are entertained that peace will not be interrupted. It is said, that Lord Whitworth's departure is deferred; that he had

this morning an important conference with the Minister for Foreign Affairs; and that after that conference a Messenger Extraordinary was dispatched to London.-On the 2d inst. Citizen Thorn, who is appointed by the First Consul, President of the General Consistory of Protestants of Augsburg, in the two departments of the Rhine, took, in that character, the oaths prescribed by the Concordat at the Thuilleries. The three Consuls were seated in chairs, and the New Testament was placed on a table before them. The President knelt down on a velvet cushion, and, laying his right hand on the New Testament, pronounced the oath with a loud voice. The three Consuls then arose, and Buonaparté put several questions to the new President.

DOMESTIC.

From the London Gazette.-St. James', April 28, 1803.-CEREMONIAL of the Knighthood and Inves titure of Gen. Sir D. Dundas, Knight of the Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath.

The Knights and Officers of the Order, attending in the Privy Chamber, in their mantles, collars, &c. proceeded from thence into the Sovereign's presence, making the usual reverences:Then, by the Sovereign's command, Gen. Dundas was introduced into the presence between the Right Hon. Sir W. Fawcett and the Earl of Malmesbury, the two Junior Knights present, preceded by the Gentleman Usher of the Order, with reverences as before. The Sword of State was delivered to the Sovereign by Lord De Blaqueire, the Second Knight in seniority, and Gen. Dundas, kneeling, was knighted therewith. Then His Royal Highness the Duke of York, senior Knight, presented the Ribbon and Badge to the Sovereign, and his Majesty put them over the new Knight's right shoulder, who, being thus invested, had the honour to kiss his Majesty's hand, and the procession returned to the Privy Chamber.-The ceremony was performed in his Majesty's closet before the drawing-room, several of the great officers of the court being present.

Crown-Office, April 30, 1803.-Members returned to serve in this present Parliament.-Town of Berwickupon-Tweed-Francis Sitwell, of Barmoor Castle, in the County of Northumberland, Esq and Alexander Allan, of Baker-street, St. Mary-la-Rone, in the County of Middlesex, Esq. in the room of Thomas Hall and John Fordyce, Esqrs. whose election for the said town has been adjudged to be void.

St. James' Palace, May 4, 1803.-His Majesty has been pleased to appoint William Earl of Mansfield, to be Lord Lieutenant of the Shire of Clackmannan, in North Britain.-This day the Chevalier d'Anduaga, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary from Spain, had a private audience of his Majesty to deliver his Credentials-And Rufus King, Esq. Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States of America, had an audience of Leave of his Majesty :-To which they were respectively introduced by the Right Hon. Laid Hawkesbury, his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and conducted by Sir Stephen Cottrell, Knight, Master of the Ceremonies.-The King was this day pleased to confer the Honour of Knighthood on Colonel Charles Green, William Bulkeley Hughes, Esq. Francis Hartwell, Esq. and Samuel Autchmoutty, Esq

Whitehall, May 5-The King has been pleased to grant to Joseph Hawker, Esq. late Rouge

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Croix Pursuivant of Arms, the Office of Richmond Herald, void by the Promotion of Ralph Bigland, Esq. to the Office of Norroy, King of Arms.

St. James' Palace, May 6.-His Royal Highness the Duke of Cumberland has been pleased to appoint Major Thornton to be one of his Royal Highness' Equerries.

Extract from Daily Papers.-The following extraordinary communication in a morning print of Saturday (the 7th instant) excited much doubt and anxiety, and operated a complete stagnation of all monied concerns in the city:

"TIMES OFFICE,

Saturday Morning, Half past Two o'clock. "We stop the press to announce the arrival of "Mr. Silvester, with dispatches from Lord Whit"worth, and also a French courier, with dis"patches for General Andreossi.-We have seen "a gentleman who is also this moment arrived "from France. He states, that previous to his "leaving Calais, Mengaud, the French commis

"

sary, had received official information from Pa"ris that the negotiation had been amicably ter"minated. In consequence of this joyful intel"ligence, Mengaud ordered that public demon"strations of joy should immediately take place; "and when our informant left Calais, the military 86 were assembling to celebrate the happy tidings. 66 -The above intelligence, the truth of which we "entertain no doubt, will at once dispel the gloom, "which prevailed yesterday, from the apparent "certainty of hostilities.-We have been also fa"voured with a sight of the Moniteur of the 3d "and 4th inst. and also of the Argus of the last "date. There is nothing new in these papers. "The French funds were on the 3d at 53f. 250"At the audience on Sunday last, Mr. Monroe, "the American Envoy Extraordinary, presented "his credentials to the First Consul."

To prevent any improper advantage, however, from being taken by those who might possibly be possessed of intelligence, and to learn to a certainty whether the news was true, some of the gentlemen of the Stock Exchange waited on the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, to request the favour of his sending to Lord Hawkesbury to ascertain the fact. His Lordship, with great politeness, cheerfully acquiesced, and in consequence it was put to the vote at the Stock Exchange, whether it would not be most proper to suspend all business until the answer arrived. The House was unanimous, and waited with the utmost anxiety until three quarters past twelve o'clock, when the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor came to the Stock Exchange, and addressed them to the following effect:-His Lordship lamented that he had inadvertently and unintentionally been the means of so much mischief, by announcing the impudent forgery which had been practised upon him on Thursday last; but he trusted that the House would do him the justice to believe, that what he did he conceived was for the public good.-[Here was a general cry of "Yes! Yes!"-His Lordship then stated, that, in consequence of their request, he had written to Lord Hawkesbury, and his messenger was detained until that moment; that he had received, however, an answer from Mr. Addington, which he begged leave to read; it was as follows:

"My Lord,- As Lord Hawkesbury is not at "the Foreign Office, I have opened your Lordship's "note, conformably to the wish expressed through "your messenger.-If any information had been "received by government, which could properly "be the subject of public communication, your

"Lordship may be assured that such communi"cation would not have been with-held.-I feel it, "however, my duty distinctly to caution your "Lordship against receiving impressions of the "description alluded to, through any unautho"rised channel of information.--I have the ho66 nour to be, &c. HENRY ADDINGTON."

Downing-street, Saturday men.

The following resolutions were then put and unanimously carried, a copy of which was delivered to his Lordship:-" At a meeting of the mem"bers of the Stock Exchange, held on Saturday "the 7th of May, 1803.-It was unanimously re"solved, That the thanks of the whole House "should be given to the Right Hon. the Lord "Mayor, for the laudable promptitude displayed "by his Lordship on this day, by communicating "in person, to the members of the Stock Exchange, an official answer to their application.-It was "farther resolved, that a copy of that resolution "should be transmitted to his Lordship, in tes"timony of their entire satisfaction in his Lord"ship's explanation, as well as the most perfect "confidence in the solicitude manifested by his "Lordship for the public welfare,

Signed, by authority,

C. H. HANCOCK, Chairman." The Lord Mayor then, in a neat speech, returned thanks for the honour done him; and assured them, that at all times he should be happy, and feel it his duty, to attend to what he conceived was material to the welfare of his fellow citizens in general, and to that House in particular.-His Lordship afterwards went out by the door which leads into Broad-street, to avoid the crowd which had assembled in Capel-court; and the chairman having given notice, that, on the going round of the rattle, business would commence, the rattle was immediately sprung, and the first price was 66. They then fell to 65. Considerable sums were sold from that price to 64, after which they rose to 65 for money, 66 for account, and left off at 65 for either money or time.

Jamaica. A dissenting minister, named Campbell, who some time since was a popular preacher in this city, lately went to Jamaica, with the view to convert and enlighten the Blacks; the Magistrates, however, under authority of the law for preventing preaching by persons not duly quali fied, ordered him to prison, and the Grand Court, after three day's hearing, confirmed their order. The penalty is six months imprisonment; but this being his first offence there, he was only to be confined a month.-In New England, they would have justly bestowed on him forty lacking

one.

Gibraltar, April 18, 1803.-On the 14th the Anacreon transport, with the 88th regiment on board, arrived here from Egypt, on their way to England. They sailed from Alexandria with the rest of the army on the 12th of March, the_embarkation having taken place on the 11th. They touched at Malta, where the whole of the other ships with the rest of the troops had also arrived before they left it. His Royal Highness embarks in a few days for England. By a vessel in eight days from Marseilles we learn, that they are pressing every young man there, and at Toulon also, from 16 to 26, for either the navy or army.

DOMESTIC OFFICIAL PAPERS. COPIES OF LETTERS RESPECTING EXPORTATION OF 5,000 QUARTERS SEED CORN TO NORWAY, LAID BEFORE

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