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Letters not exceeding the weight of the Governor General, accompanied

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Lofs of his Majesty's fhip Sceptre. We are forry to be under the neceffity of confirming, on unquestionable authority, the melancholy intelligence of the lofs of his Majefty's fhip Sceptre, in a korin at the Cape, on the 5th of November. The officer who carried up the packet of the Danifh fhip Louifa Augufta, faw the Sceptre dafhed to pieces on a reef of rocks in the harbour; and the current report was, that only from fixty to feventy men, including an officer, had been faved. A Danish fhip of the line, the Oldenborg, was alfo loft; but she fortunately grounded on a sand-bank in fuch a manner that all the officers and men were enabled to reach the Thore in fafety. Several other veffels met with a fimilar fate; among them, the Hamburgh fhip Chrifliana, from this port; but we have Ne fatisfaction to hear that there was not any Indiaman of the number.

Fort William, Feb. 13. On Thursday laft, the 6th of February, being the day appointed by the proclamation of the Right Hon. the Governor General in Council, to be obferved as a day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the late fignal and important fucceffes obtained by the naval and military forces of his Majefty and of his Allies, and for the ultimate and happy eftablishment of the tranquil. lity and fecurity of the British poffeffions in India; the Right Hon.

by the Chief Justice, the Commander in Chief, the members of Coun cil, and the Judges of the Supreme Court of Judicature, and by the public officers civil and military, proceeded to the New Church, to return thanks to God for these great mercies and bleffings.

His Lordship proceeded on foot from the Government Houfe to the church, at about half an hour past fix o'clock in the morning, through Council-house-street, which was lined by the body guard, the native troops in garrifon at Fort William, and the Calcutta native militia; and the avenues into the streets through which his Lordship paffed were guarded by parties detached from the above-mentioned corps.

The Right Hon. the Governor General was preceded by all the public officers civil and military, and at the entrance of the church was met by the chaplains attached to the Prefidency.

The prayers, which were felected for the occafion, were read by the Rev. David Brown the fenior chaplain, and the fermon was preached by the Rev. Claudius Buchanan. The Te Deum, and appropriate anthems, were fung.

Divine fervice being ended, the Right Hon. the Governor General, the Chief Juftice, the Commander in Chief, the members of the Coun cil, and the Judges of the Supreme Court of Judicature, returned in their carriages.

Three royal falutes were fired from the ramparts of Fort William. The first, on the Governor General's fetting out from the Government Houfe; the fecond, during the celcbration of the Te Deum; and the third, on his Lordship's return. The guns from the ramparts to Fort William were anfwered by feveral ships in the port.

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A great concourfe of the native inhabitants of Calcutta were affembled in the streets, during the pro. grefs of the Right Hon. the Go. vernor General from the Govern.' ment Houfe, and on his return.

At three o'clock in the evening, divine fervice was performed in Fort William for the European troops in garrifon.

The European and native troops in garrifon fired three,vollies from the ramparts of Fort William at fun-fet.

At the fame hour, the Calcutta European militia, cavalry and infantry, paraded on their ufual ground of exercife, and the laft-mentioned corps fired three vollics.

On this folemn occafion, all the perfons (amounting to upwards of fixty in number) confined for debt in the prifon of the Court of Requefts, were liberated in the name of the Hon. Company, the refpec. tive fums for which they were imprifoned having been difcharged by order of the Governor General in Council: Orders were alfo iffued by his Lordship in Council, for the dif. charge of the debts of feveral perfons confined in the Calcutta goal.

MINUTES OF COUNCIL,. Feb. 11. Ordered, That the thanks of the Right Hon. the Governor General in Council, be given to the Rev. Claudius Buchanan, for the excel. lent fermon by him preached before his Lordship, at the New Church of Calcutta, on the 6th day of February, the day of General Thankf giving appointed by the Governor General in Council, and that Mr. Buchanan be defired to print the faid fermon.

Ordered, That the Chief Secretary do communicate the faid order

to Mr. Buchanan.

By order of the Right Hon. the Governor General in Council.

G. H. BARLOW, Chief Sec.

A dreadful fire happened on Wed. nefday evening laft, at Colootollah, which confumed an immenfe number, of huts, caufed great confufion, and destroyed much property.

On the 22d inft. a baker's fhop in the Bazar at Barrackpore took fire, and the wind being strong, the flames fpread with great rapidity, fo that the greatest part of the Bazar was reduced to afhes, before a ftop could be put to the conflagration.

We are concerned to add, that fome lives were loft, of whom we have not been able to afcer. tain the precife number or de. feription.

Coel, Jan. 17. - We have no intelligence here at prefent worth writing: the only event of any confequence is the releasement of the family of the late Ifmael Beg from confinement they were doomed by Afiatic policy to figh their lives. away, like their father, in a prifon; but General Perron, by unremitting interceffion, has at laft obtained the Prince's leave, not only to give them their liberty, but a decent allow. ance to maintain them for their lives. This is an act of exulting humanity, which. redounds very much to the uniform goodness of General Perron's character.

Allahabad, Feb. 7.-The Public Thankfgiving of yesterday was ob.. ferved here with the mott marked

attention. The King's regiment attended divine fervice and a fermen, on its own parade, carly in the morning; and their chaplain officiated afterwards to the garrifon at Col. Kyd's quarters, The grand object of the fettival was duly publifhed, in the words of the procla mation, both in garrifon and regimental orders.

MADRAS,

MADRAS, Feb. 1, 1800.

G. O. BY GOVERNMENT.

Fort St. George, Jan. 27. In confequence of the departure of the Commander in Chief, Lieutenant General Harris, the chief command of the army under this Prefidency devolves on MajorGeneral Brathwaite, to whom the ufual returns are accordingly to be

made.

From the long experience of Major General Brathwaite in all the branches of the military fervice, and from the entire fatisfaction which he has afforded during the feveral periods of his holding the chief command of this army, the Right Hon, the Governor in Council has perfect reliance on that officer's zeal for the fame able difcharge of the high and important duties now entrusted to him, by which his conduct has invariably been diftin guilhed, By order of the Right Hon. the Governor in Council.

(Signed) J. WEBBE, Sec.

Trincomallée, Jan. 11. His Majefty's fhip Braave, Capt. Alexender, arrived here on the 5th inft. from the Red Sea, having on board General Du Buc, ambaffador from the late Tippoo Sultaun to the Di. rectory of France, and his fuite; and this day the Rraave proceeded for Columbo with Mr. Du Buc, and the Frenchmen who were taken with him. Captain Adam, late of the Albatross loop of war, was a paffenger in the Braave, and fails to-morrow in a brig commanded by Captain Tapfen, in order to join his Majefty's fhip La Sybille, to which he has been appointed by Admiral Rainier,

Extract of a letter, dated his Majefty's fhip Orpheus, at fea, 7th October 1799.

We are on the point of witneffing the commencement of the Hongey; a word which I must explain, by informing you, that it means an annual vifit to the different ports of the Moluccas, where the British flag is now flying, and in like manner as heretofore practifed by the Dutch. The vifit is made by the Commercial Refident, attended by a party of troops, orambees, coora-cooras, and prows, to the number of about feventy veffels, armed with two, three, and four-pounder guns. In this vifitation caufes are heard, orders are iffued, and juftice is administered.

BOMBAY, Feb. 1, 1800. Extra&t from the Minutes of Coun cil, sd January 1800.

Refolved, that Major-General Brownrigg's request to proceed to Europe on furlough be complied with, and that he he recommended for his long fervices to the favourable notice of the Court of Direc.

tors.

Quarter Seffions, Jan. 11.-On the 7th inftant, the Quarterly Sef fions of Oyer and Terminer and gaol delivery, commenced at the Town Hall before Sir William Syer, Knight, and his affociates, James Loughnan, Efq. Mayor, Charles Colin Elphinstone and Simon Halliday, Efqrs. fitting Aldermen. One of the cafes for prefentment, related to a late unhappy duel, wherein a gentleman loft his life. On the trial which enfued, we understand that the cafe, as it was made out in evi. dence, gave occafion to a moft pathetic peroration, manifeftly proceeding from the heart of the learn

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ed and worthy judge, wherein his
Jove of juftice and his fenfibility
were exhibited in a style of anima-
tion which electrified a crowd of
hearers, who quitted the court deep-
ly impreffed with the manner and
fubject of his addrefs to the gentle.
men, in particular, who officiated as
fecond to the deceased on the me-
lancholy occafion. A wanton con-
tempt of life is certainly in no de-
gree allied to any military virtue;
and although its value may be over
rated, in the estimation of fociety,
by an exceffive folicitude for its
prefervation, under fuch circum-
ftances as gave rife to the trial in
question, yet a temperate demeanour,
when it is hazarded, is fo far from
being incompatible with the cha-
facter of a good foldier, that it is
of
with great juftice reckoned one
the faireft attributes of the experi-

enced veteran, and the surest foun-
dation of military fame, whereon

the candidates in that laborious car. reer can reft their future pretenfions. The jury on the above occafion returned a verdict of manslaughter against the gentleman who fired the fatal fhot in his own defence, in a fituation of danger to both parties, which appeared, without any intention on his part, to have been need. lefsly aggravated.

It is with much pleafure that we announce the recapture of the fhip Thomas, (formerly taken by the Malartic,) by his Majefty's fhip Sybille. This will prove a most valuable prize to the captors, as the cargo alone of the Thomas was estimated at feven lacks of rupees.

We have alfo to add the recap. ture of the fhip Penang, by his Majefty's fhip La Virginie. This veffel had been taken by the Confiance privateer, of 24 guns. In confequence of the information received

from the prifoners, La Virginie purfued and came up with her near Pulo Bouton; but, it falling calm, fhe ef fected her efcape by the help of her fweeps.

Major Jacob Thompson having obtained permiffion to proceed to Europe by the fhips under dispatch, Government were pleased to exprefs their approbation of the meritorious fervices of that deferving officer in the following order:

BY GOVERNMENT. Extract from the Minutes of Coun

cil, 16th January 1800.

The application from Major Thompson of the corps of artillery, for permiffion to proceed to Europe with leave, and with the choice of

eventually retiring from the fervice, on the pay of his rank, being fupported by the prefcribed medical and pay certificates, is acquiefced in by the Governor in Council.

The Governor in Council on this occafion very willingly fubfcribes to the Commander in Chief's teftimony on the profeffional merits of this officer, whofe fkill and judgement have been in various circumftances confpicuoufly and advanta geoufly difplayed during the long period he had been employed in the Company's fervice; and the Boardwill not fail to notice him to the Court of Directors, as a perfon defervingly entitled to the public commendations of his fuperiors,

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they halted at Panwell all the night of the 24th ultimo and the following day. On the 26th they proceeded through a beautiful country of hill and dale to Chock, where they beheld fix miferable victims to the law hanging on a tree. They had belonged to a gang of twenty, one of the numerous bands which have, it feens, for fome time paft, infefted the low country, whofe fuf. picious appearance attracted the notice of the inhabitants of a village through which they had occafion to pals, and the answers they gave to certain interrogatories being evafive and contradictory, they were carried before the Aumildar, to whom they confeffed that their object was to way-lay fome treasure which was expected from Panwell to Poonah; and on this confeffion their heads were cut off, and the bodies tied up by the heels.

On the 27th the Commiffioners proceeded to Campolly, a village at the foot of the gauts, where they encamped by the fide of a ftone tank, of curious ftructure, and a work of great labour, as well as expence; it, with a pagoda in the neighbourhood, is faid to have coft Nana Furnavefe upwards of a lack

of rupees.

On the 28th they afcended a gaut, in the profecution of their journey, of about 4 miles acclivity, and fo fteep that they were obliged to walk; they halted for the night within about half a mile of the fummit, and next day proceeded to KarJee, from whence they were induced to deviate a few miles to vifit the caves in that neighbourhood, of which the defcription we have been favoured with on the prefent occafion ftates, generally, that the principal chamber is in good prefervation, arched, and fupported by two rows of oftagonal pillars, bearing on a very rich capital two elephants,

each furmounted by two well-cut male and female figures, which are faid to outvie thofe of the elephants, in ftyle, grandeur, and execution, beyond all comparison,

On the 30th they advanced to Tilligaum, where they halted for the night, and next day purfued their journey to Poonah. They fet out at four in the morning, and at feven met Col. Palmer, at a village called Oondh, about four cofs from Poonah, which place they reached about 9 in the fame morning. After fome days preparation for the ceremonial, (the particulars of which we are not informed of,) the letter from his Majefty to the Peshwa was delivered.

On the 10th January the travellers went to vifit an extraordinary perfonage at Chichura, to whom divine homage is paid, on the ground of a tradition, that the god Gunputtee was incarnated in the perfon of one of his ancestors of the fixth generation back from the prefent living object of the idolatry of a credulous people, who is now faid to be about the age He of fifty. has one fon, who is to be the laft of the godhead. He is the oracle of all that part of the country, and is fo far a bleffing to the village in which he refides, that it enjoys peace and plenty, from the veneration in which he is held, while every other part has been at times defolated by the ravages of contending armies. He deals out peace or war among nations at pleasure; and we fincerely with that his prcphetic fpirit may acquire additional celebrity by the fulfilment of his prediction, that the prefent war in Europe will be terminated in fix months. He prepares a feast for the Brahmans on a certain day of the year; and the manner in which it is ordered is deemed a prognoftic favourable or otherwife to the pro

duction

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