Moore, of the Indefatigable, giving an account of his proceedings in the execution of the service he was sent upon, in which he has, in company with the Medusa, Lively, and Amphion, succeeded in detaining the Spanish frigates therein named,Admiral Montague communicated to me the arrival of the Lively at Spithead, on the 17th, with the Fama.I have the the honour to be, &c.-W. CORNWALLIS.

Indefatigable, at Sea, Oct. 6, 1804. SIR, I have the honour to acquaint you, that I have executed the service you did me the honour to charge me with.--On the morning of the 29th of September, the Indefatigable got off Cadiz; on the 30th, we fell in with the Medusa; Captain Gore having informed me the Amphion was in the Streights' mouth, and that the Triumph was off Gibraltar, and that Sir Robert Barlow meant to go into Cadiz for the trade there, on his way to England; I thought fit to send the Medusa to apprise Sir Robert Barlow of the nature of my order, that he might then judge whether or not he should go into Cadiz, and I directed Captain Gore to rejoin me with the Amphion as soon as possible off Cape St. Mary. On the 2d inst. I was joined by the Lively, and on the 3d, by the Medusa and Amphion; the latter having communicated what I thought necessary to Sir Robert Barlow.Yesterday morning, Cape St. Mary bearing N. E. nine leagues, the Medusa made the signal for four sail W. by S. I made the signal for a general chace; at 8 A. M. discovered them to be four large Spanish frigates which formed the line of battle a head on our approach, and continued to steer in for Cadiz, the van ship carrying a broad pendant, and the ship next to her a rear-admiral's flag; Captain Gore being the head most ship, placed the Medusa on the weather-beam of the commodore; the Indefatigable took a similar position alongside of the rear-admiral; the Amphion and Lively each taking an opponent in the same manner, as they came up: after hailing to make them shorten sail, without effect, I fired a shot across the rear-admiral's fore foot, on which he shortened sail; and I sent lieutenant Ascott, of the Indefatigable, to inform him that my orders were to detain his squadron; that it was my earnest wish to excute them without bloodshed; but that his determination must be made instantly: after waiting some time, I made the signal for the boat, and fired a shot a-head of the admiral. As soon as the officer returned with an unsatisfactory answer, I fired another shot a-head of the admiral, and bore down close on his weather bow; at this mo

ment the admiral's second a stern fired into the Amphion; the admiral fired into the Indefatigable, and I made the signal for close battle, which was instantly commenced with all the alacrity and vigour of English sailors. In less than ten minutes La Mercedes, the admiral's second a-stern, blew up alongside the Ampbion, with a tremendous explosion. Captain Sutton having, with great judg ment, and much to my satisfaction, placed himself to leeward of that ship, the escape of the Spanish admiral's ship was rendered almost impossible; in less than half an hour she struck, as did the opponent of the Lively. Perceiving at this moment the Spanish commodore was making off, and seeming to have the heels of the Medusa, I made the signal for the Lively to join the chace, having before noticed the superior sailing of that ship. Captain Hammond did not lose an instant; and we had the satisfaction, long before sun-set, to see from our mast-head that the only remaining ship had surrendered to the Medusa and Lively.As soon as our boats had taken possession of the rear-admiral, we made sail for the floating fragments of the unfortunate Spanish frigate which blew up; but, except forty taken up by the Amphion's boats, all on board perished. This squadron was commanded by Don Joseph Bustamante, knight of the order of Saint James, and a rear-admiral. They are from Monte Video, Rio de la Plata; and, from the information of the captain of the flag-ship, contained about four millions of dollars, eight hundred thousand of which were on board the Mercedes which blew up. Other accounts state the quantity of specie to be much greater, public and private, and there is besides much valuable merchandize on board the captured ships. Our loss has been very trifling. I have not yet had the returns from the other ships, but the Indefatigable did not lose a man. The Spaniards suffered chiefly in their rigging, which was our object. The captains of the different ships conducted themselves so ably, that no honour could accrue to me but the fortunate accident of being senior officer.The zeal, activity, and spirit of the officers, seamen, and marines of the squadron, is best evinced by the complete manner in which they performed their work. Lieutenants Gore, Parker, and Ascott, of the Indefatigable, and Lieutenants Haviland and Hole, of the marines, gave me that support which their uniform good conduct formerly taught me to rely on. Mr. Griffith's, (the master) conduct has my perfect approbation. I presume to recommend, in the strongest manner, Lieutenant John Gore, of the Indefatigable, to yout

favour and protection.I have the honour to be, &c.-GRAHAM MOORE.

Force of the Spanish Squadron.-La Medee (flag ship) forty two guns, eighteen pounders on the main deck, and 300 men, taken; two men killed and ten wounded.- La Fama (commodore's ship) thirty-six guns, twelve pounders on the main deck, and 280 men, taken; no petorns.-La Clara, thirty-six guns, twelve pounders, on the main deck, and 800 men, taken; no returns.-La Mercedes, thirty-six guns, twelve pounders, on the main deck, and 280 men, blew up; second captain and forty men saved.

Indefatigable, Plymouth Sound, October 19, 1804. SIR, I have to inform you of the arrival at this port, of his majesty's ship under my command, with the Amphion, which I thought proper to order to England for the security of the two Spanish frigates La Medee and La Clara, which we have brought in with us. We have seen nothing of the Medusa and lively, with the Spanish frigate La Fama, since the evening of the action, when they parted from us. I inclose a copy of the account delivered to me by the Spanish major of the squadron, of the treasure and cargo on board the four ships.I have the honour to be, &c. GRAHAM MOORE.

Hon. Ad Cornwallis. A General Statement of the Goods and Effects brought by the Frigates of this Division, commanded by Don Joseph de Bustamante y Guerra, Chief of the Squadron of the Royal Navy.

On account of the King.- Medee. 35 sacks of Vienna wool, 20 chests and sacks of cascarilla, 1627 bars of tin, 203 pigs of copper, and 521,940 dollars in silver.- -Fama. 300 bars of tin, 28 planks of wood, and 330,000 dollars in silver.Mercedes. 20 sacks of Vienna wool, 20 chests and sacks of cascarilla, 1139 bars of tin, 901 pigs of copper, and 221,000 dollars in silver.--Clara. 20 sacks of Vienna wool, 20 chests and sacks of cascavilla, 1606 bars of tin, 571 pigs of copper, and 234,694 dollars in silver.Total. 75 sacks of Vienna wool, 60 chests and sacks of cascarilla, 4732 bars of tin, 1735 pigs of copper, 28 planks of wood, and 1,307.634 dollars in silver.

-Medee.

On account of the Merchants.32 chests of ratinia, 952,619 dollars in silver, 279,502 gold, reduced into dollars, and 124,600 ingots of gold reduced into dollars. -Fama. 316,597 dollars in silver, 217,756 gold, reduced into dollars, and 25,411 ingots of gold, reduced into dollars.- -Merredes. 590,000 dollars in silver.622,400 gold, reduced into dollars. -Total. 32 chests of ratinia, 1,859,216 dollars

-

Clara.

in silver, 1,119.658 gold, reduced into dollars, and 150,011 ingots of gold, reduced into dollars.

On account of the Marine Company.Medee. 8995 seal skins.Fama. 14,930 seal skins. Clara. 10 pipes of seal oil. -Total. 20,925 seal skins and 10 pipes of seal oil.

Copy of a Letter from Captain Moore, of bis Majesty's Ship the Indefatigable, to Wil liam Marsden, Esq., dated the 21st inst. SIR, I herewith transmit you, for their lordships' information, a return of the killed and wounded on board his majesty's ships in the action of the 5th of October, 1804, together with the loss of the Spaniards.-I am, Sir, &c.-GRAHAM MOORE.

Indefatigable. None. Medusa. Her return not received.Amphion. Lieut. William Bennett, wounded, 3 seamen and 1 marine wounded, badly.Lively. 2 kil led; 4 wounded.- -La Medée (the Spanish admiral). 2 killed; 10 wounded.La Clara. 7 killed; 20 wounded. -La Fama. 11 killed, and 50 wounded.La Mercedes. Blown up; the second captain and 45 men saved by the Amphion, all the rest perished. GRAHAM MOORE.

SUMMARY OF POLITICS.

IRISH CATHOLICS.In the former part of this number (p. 629) will be found a letter upon the subject of the military force which might be obtained by settling all disputes with the Catholics of Ireland. Perhaps the writer may be correct; but, making allowance for an over-sanguine cal culation, the matter is certainly worthy of serious attention. It is a melancholy flexion, that one third of the population of the empire should, from whatever cause, contribute nothing towards the general de fence and enterprizes of that empire. It is to be hoped, that some measure upon this subject will be brought forward during the next session of parliament. Such a measure cannot, and ought not, to be hastened to its consummation; but, if it were only sketch. ed out; if it were only proposed; there would be something for hope to live on, and, in the mean-time, consequences the most beneficial to the general interests of the empire might be expected to result from it.Being upon a subject relating to the Irish Catholics, I cannot refrain from just noticing a pamphlet, which has been published in Ire land, by way of answer to the narrative of the Rev. Peter O'Neil, which was published in the Register, Vol. V. p. 266. A copy of this pamphlet was, about three months ago transmitted to me with a request that would publish it, in "vindication of the

"Irish protestants," against whom Mr. O'Neil's narrative was, by the person who enclosed me the pamphlet, styled," an "envenomed libel." The first thing I did was to read over again very carefully the whole of the narrative, in which I found not only no one libellous expression against any body, but not even one censorious expression with regard to any particular person or description of persons, much, less any thing, either directly or indirectly, levelled against the protestants of Ireland or the protestant faith, the writer confining himself entirely (and in language the most respectful towards all persons of rank or authority) to an exculpation of himself. Such being the result of my examination, I, of course, did not insert the pamphlet in the Register. About a month ago I received a letter, signed, "A dignified Clergyman," reproaching me, in very undignified language, with partiality and with acting solely from party views, because I had not inserted the pamphlet against Mr. O'Neil. Whoever has read the narrative will, I am certain, approve of my decision; but, if he has read the "vindication" also, he will find, that it contains real accusations against Mr. O'Neil, and very severe ones too; that, this "vindication" is anonymous, whereas to the narrative, Mr. O'Neil put his name; and, I am sure the opinion of every candid man will be, that to have inserted the pamphlet, ander such circumstance would not have been to act with "impartiality." This appears, too, to have been the sentiment generally entertained upon the subject; for, as my reproachful correspondent observes, Mr. O'Neil's narrative was published in all the London prints, from one of which, indeed, I copied it; and, I believe, the" vindication" has not obtained admission into any one of them. Nevertheless, so strong is my desire that the readers of this work should hear both sides of every subject therein treated of, that I will even now insert the pamphlet in question, if the author (being a person of good and wellknown reputation) will send me another copy, with authority to publish it with his name and place of abode. Even the letter accompanying the pamphlet was anonymous, The contents of the pamphlet may be true; but, why, then, this shyness? It appears suspicious; and till this appearance be removed, neither the pamphlet will be published nor its statements credited by

me.

IRISH PAPER-MONEY.-The letter in p023, giving an account of the failure of the Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer's proposition to the bank directors of Dublin,

what

appears to me to contain censure too unqualified upon those directors. They certainly know their own interests best, and, it seems strange to suppose, that, in pursuing their own interests, they should not pursue also the interests of their constituents, the proprietors of bank-stock, who are, in fact, were partners with themselves. It is to me far from being so very clear as it appears to be to my correspondent, that either of the schemes proposed by Mr. Foster would answer the purpose intended. When the great difference between the amount of the former capital of the Scotch bank and that of the amount of the present capital of the Irish bank; and when the still greater difference as to the former and present quantity and state of the whole of our paper-money; when these are considered, there really seems to be little room whereon to found an argument of analogy. And, as to the making of Irish-bank-notes payable in notes of the bank of England: who can be certain that it will produce any other effect than that of communicating a share of the Irish depreciation to the already depreciated, though less depreciated, paper of Great Britain?But, upon authority is the Irish Chancellor of the Exchequer acting in this matter? If the measure, or measures, which he has proposed be of such vast importance, and so very necessary to the well-being of Ireland, why did he not obtain an act of parliament for enforcing his designs, especially as we are told, that the opinions upon which he proceeds are the result of inquiries made by a committee of the House of Commons? Acts of parliament are things by no means rarities now-a-days. For a session or two past there have, I believe, no acts been passed for regulating the manner of vending pigeons and rabbits' dung. I do not recol lect any acts of exactly that description since Lord Holland, in 1802, by the force of some excellent observations, quashed a bill, the principal object of which, if I recollect right, was to settle the question, whether, in the sale of the precious commodity above mentioned, the measure should be heaped up, or only filled to a level with the brim! I cannot refrain from digressing, a little further to observe, that this legisla ting upon trifles, and the consequent multiplicity of laws, is a certain mark of national decline. It arises from that confusion of ranks, in consequence of which low men obtain so easy access to persons, in high situations, and even to the situations themselves; it inevitably tends to degrade the legislature in the eyes of the people; and, of course, to weaken their respect for all

its acts, and for the whole of the constitution and government. But, to return to the bank-directors and Mr. Foster; a measure so important as the one proposed was certainly not beneath the notice of parliament, and, amongst the scores (I believe I may safely say dozens, at least) of acts, which that gentleman introduced into the House of Commons, during the last month of the last session, all which acts related exclusively to Ireland, he might surely have found a little corner for the affairs of the bank. The measure proposed, that I mean of obliging the bank of Ireland to pay in bank of England notes, might, if adopted, materially affect the property of all the people of England and Scotland. It might, in the space of a few months, cause a further depreciation of money in Great Britain to the amount of eight or ten per cent, thereby producing not only most dreadful hardships amongst people of fixed incomes, but so great and sudden a disproportion between the price of labour and the price of provisions as to plunge the whole) country into discontent and confusion. And, is this, in times like the present too, a measure to be adopted without the consent, and even the knowledge of parliament ? It is, or, at least, it was, a maxim in England, that property was sacred; that the people, by their representatives, taxed themselves; and that in this way, no minister could ever touch any man's property without his own consent. The funding system has blown all such maxims into air. A quarter of an hour's conversation between a person like George Rose and the Directors of the Bank can change the relative value of all our property; can make some of us richer and some of us poorer; can make provisions dearer or cheaper; can raise thousands into splendor, and sink millions into misery. When, indeed, any compulsion or punish

his Majesty, associated with the arms and superscription of the Bank, and thereby de-' grading the royal image and authority; as to all this, the consent of Parliament was not asked, any more than the consent of the ap ple-women at the Horse-Guards. But, when' it was found that the dollars were counterfeited; when a punishment was wanted to be inflicted to protect the bank and the paper-system; when it was found necessary (and I do not deny the necessity) to inflict severe penalties, then indeed, for the transporting and hanging part of the measure, application was made to the Parliament.-Upon the whole, therefore, it appears to me to be a subject of pleasure rather than of regret, that the Irish Bank Directors have rejected the proposition of Mr. Foster. Parliament will soon meet. If the measure be proper to be entertained, it may then be regularly brought forward, and, if approved of, adopted.-In the mean-time, it is very improper to load the bank-directors with such foul charges; and, in this respect, I cannot but disapprove of the letter of my correspondent I. T, though I am full as anxious as he can be to see the evil of depreciation removed. It is not the bank-directors, but the paper system, extended as it now is, that is in fault. The convertibility of Irish into English paper can only draw the malady from one part to another. It is the convertibility of all paper into gold or silver that is wanted to effect a cure: and, I must confess my astonishment at hearing men of general liberal.ty and of great profundity confine their blame to the bank-directors, while they must know that the real and only cause is the law sheltering the banks against cash demands, which law was first passed and has since been renewed at the express motion of the minister. How unjust and unmanly is it, then, to fall upon the bank-directors as the authors of the mise chief? We saw nearly a hundred Irish mem

66

his systems; and now, behold, they are railing against the bank-directors as the cause of the calamities which arise, naturally and inevitably arise, from those systems! The Emperor, upon evacuating Flanders, is re ported to have said to the people: If you "will have the French, why take them, and "much good may they do you!" So say we with regard to the Irish members and Mr. Pitt; but, if they take him, let them take his budget, his projects, his paper, and his depreciation, along with him: to throw the blame of these upon this or that description of persons in Ireland must proceed from extreme ignorance, or from motives which I do not think it necessary here to describe. The same remarks will apply to those