A List of the Dutch National Ships lost taken or destroyed this Year.

Zephyr, 32 guns; taken possession of by the Andromeda, W. Taylor; Ranger, J. Hardy; and Kite, M. Malbou; in the Firth of Forth, March.

Zeeland, 64; Brakel; Thoolen; Mierman, 16; Pyl, 16 guns; taken possession of at Plymouth, by Vice-admiral Richard Onslow, and the ships of war at that port, March 4.

Thetis, 24, and Zee Meeuv, 12 guns; taken at the surrender of Demerara, April 23. The Thetis was afterwards sunk at Demerara, and the Zee Meeuv lost.

Argo, 36 guns; taken by the Phoenix, L. W. Halsted, in the North Sea, May 12.

Echo, 15; and De Gier, 14 guns; run on shore by the Pegasus, R. Donnelly, on the coast of Friezeland, May 12.

Mercury, 16 guns; taken by the Sylph, J. C. White. Jason, 32 guns; brought into Greenock by her own crew, who matinied; and taken possession of by the Penguin, J. K. Pulling, June 8.

Dortrecht, 64; Revolutie, 64; Van Tromp, 54; Castor, 44; Braave, 40; Bellona, 28; Sirene, 26: Havick, 18; and Maria, (store ship); surrendered on capitulation to, and taken possession of by, the squadron under Vice-admiral the Hon. Sir G. K. Elphinstone, K. B. in Saldanha Bay, near the Cape of Good Hope, Batave, 12 guns; taken by the Roebuck, A. S. Burrows, off Barbadoes, July 6.

Haerlem, 10 guns: taken by the squadron under Rear-admital P. Rainier, in the East Indies.

A List of the Spansih National Ships lost, taken, or destroyed this Year.

La Princesa, 16 guns; detained by the Sea-Horse, G. Oakes, off Corunna, Sept. 16.

La Mahonesa, 34 guns; taken by the Terpsichore, R. Bowen, in the Mediterranean, Oct. 13.

El San Pio, 18 guns; taken by the Regulus, W. Carthew, in the Atlantic, Nov.

El Galgo, 18 guns; taken with 80,355 dollars, by the Alarm, E. Fellowes, off Grenada, Nov. 23.

El Corso, 18 guns: taken by the Southampton, J. Macnamara, in the Mediterranean, Dec. 2.

La Sabina, 40 guns; taken by La Minerve, G. Cockburn, in the Mediterranean, Dec 20, but retaken the next day.

1797.

Destruction of the Droits des Hommes-Capture of a Detachment of French Troops at Fishguard, on the Coast of Wales-Proceedings of the Mutineers at Spithead, and the Nore-Defeat of the Dutch Fleet under Admiral de Winter.

ON the 13th of January, the Indefatigable of 44 guns, commanded by Sir Edward Pellew, and the Amazon of 32 guns, Captain Robert Carthew Reynolds, about 50 leagues S. W. of Ushant, at half past noon, discovered a large ship in the N.W. quarter, steering under an easy sail, towards the coast of France. At this time the

wind blew hard at west, with thick hazy weather. Chace was instantly given. As four P. M. the Indefatigable had gained sufficiently upon the chace, for Sir Edward Pellew to distinguish very clearly, that she had two tier of guns with her lower deck ports shut, and that she had no poop. At a quarter before six he brought the enemy to close action, which continued to be well supported on both sides near an hour, when the Indefatigable unavoidably shot ahead; at this moment the Amazon appeared astern, and gallantly supplied her place; but the eagerness of Captain Reynolds to second his friend, had brought him up under a press of sail; when, after a well supported and close fire for a little time, he also unavoidably shot ahead. The enemy made an ineffectual attempt to board the Indefatigable: and kept up a constant and heavy fire of musketry till the end of the action, frequently engaging both sides of the ship at the same time.

As soon as Sir Edward Pellew had replaced some of the disabled rigging, and brought his ship under a proper sail, and the Amazon having reduced hers, they commenced a second attack, placing themselves, after some raking broadsides, upon each quarter often within pistol shot. This attack lasted without intermission for for five hours; when the Indefatigable was obliged to sheer off to secure her masts

About twenty minutes past four in the morning, the moon opening rather brighter than before, shewed to Lieutenant Bell, who was watchfully looking out on the forecastle, a glimpse of the land; which he had scarcely reported to Sir Edward Pellew, before the breakers were seen. At this time the Indefatigable was close under the enemy's starboard bow, and the Amazon as

near her on the larboard; not an instant could be lostevery life depended upon the prompt execution of orders; nothing could equal the activity of her brave crew, who, with incredible alacrity, hauled the tacks on board and made sail to the southward. Before daylight they again saw breakers upon the lee bow, and wore to the northward. Not knowing exactly on what part of the coast they were embayed, the lingering ap proach of day-light was most anxiously looked for; and soon after it opened; the land was seen very close ahead; the ship was again wore in twenty fathoms wa. ter, and stood to the southward. A few minutes after the Indefatigable discovered and passed within a mile of the enemy who had so bravely defended himself; the ship was laying on her broadside, and a tremendous surf beating over her. The miserable fate of her brave crew was perhaps the more sincerely lamented by those of the Indefatigable, from the apprehension of their suffering a similar misfortune, having at that time four feet water in the hold, a great sea, and the wind dead on the

shore.

Sir Edward Pellew was now able to ascertain his situ ation to be that of Hodierne bay, and that their fate depended upon the possible chance of weathering the Penmark rocks, which by the uncommon exertions of her fatigued and exhausted crew, in making all the sail they could set, was happily accomplished at eleven o'clock, passing about a mile to windward of them.

The fate of the Amazon was not so fortunate; when the Indefatigable had hauled her wind to the southward, she had hauled hers to the northward: Captain Reynolds, notwithstanding every effort, found his masts, yards, rigging, and sails so miserably cut and shattered, with

three feet water in his hold, that it was impossible to work off the shore; in this condition, a little after five in the morning the Amazon struck the ground; and almost at the same moment the enemy shared a similar fate. The crew (excepting six, who stole away the cutter and were drowned) was saved by making rafts; and upon their landing they were made prisoners.

In this gallant action, which commenced at a quarter before six, P. M. and lasted (excepting at short intervals,) until four A. M. the sea was so high, that the people in both ships were up to their middles in water on the main deck. Some of the guns on board the Indefatigable broke their breechings four times over; others drew the ring bolts from the sides; and many from getting wet, were repeatedly drawn immediately after loading.

The loss sustained on board the Indefatigable, was only 19 wounded-among the number was Mr. Thompson, the first lieutenant. Twelve of the others had wounds of no great consequence, consisting chiefly of violent contusions from splinters. The Amazon had three men killed, and fifteen badly wounded.

The enemy's ship proved to be Les Droits des Hommes, of 74 guns, commanded by Captain ci-devant Baron Le Crofs, manned with 1600 men, seamen and soldiers, 170 of whom perished, exclusive of those killed in the action.

On the 22d of February two French frigates, a corvette and a lugger, anchored in Fishguard Bay, on the coast of Wales, where they landed 1200 troops, with out cannon, and again sailed. The French vessels were La Vengeance, 44 guns; La Resistance, ditto, ditto; La Constance, 24 ditto; and La Vauteur 14 ditto.