On the 16th of April, Adm. Holburne and Com. Holmes, with the British men of war and transports destined for North America, failed from St Helen's, where they had been detained by contrary winds about four weeks. They arrived at Corke on the 25th, took on board the troops, and failed thence on the 8th of May. A lift of the fquadron and land-forces is on the preceding page. It is faid, that Adm. Holburne, before he left Corke, received, by exprefs from London, an order, to make fearch, on his arrival in America, after two privateers, one of Halifax, and one of New England, which fome time ago feized, on the Spanish main, two Spanish veffels, and took out of one of them above 400 gold dubloons, and out of the other 3500 piaftres. If the Admiral finds them, he is to get them tried and executed as pirates, and full reftitution is to be made to the Spaniards.

By the British Eaft-India company's fhips Portfield, Edgecot, and Chefterfield, arrived from the coafts of Malabar and Coromandel at Limerick in Ireland about the end of May, there is advice of the taking of the company's forts and fettlements in Bengal. One letter relates the affair thus.

"The latter end of May 1756, our late nabob [Alli Verdee Caun] died, and the prefent nabob [Sourajee Doulah, his grandfon] was established; who immediately invefted Coffimbuzar, without any other pretence (as he faid) than that he had received many infults from Gov. Drake. Finding our gentlemen determined not to give up the factory without making an oppofition, he proposed a truce, and inveigled Mr Watts, our chief, to his tent, under pretence of accommodating matters. When he got him to his tent, he made him fign a paper, acknowleding himself indebted to the nabob in a large fum of money; and then ordered him to fend for Meff. Collet and Batfon, two of the council. As foon as they came to the nabob's tent, he fecured Mr Batson, and fent Mr Collet back to prevail on our people to furrender the factory, with the guns, ammunition, &c. at difcretion, keep

ing Mr Watts as hoftage for the performance of it.- On the 4th of June the factory of Coffimbuzar was furrendered, notwithstanding it was warmly oppofed by many of the gentlemen.As foon as he had performed this exploit, he immediately marched with all his forces, confifting of 70,000 horfe and foot, to Calcutta, threatening to drive all the English out of the country. On the 15th he began the fiege, by attacking one of the redoubts at the entrance of the town; but was repulfed with a great flaughter of his men. The next day he made an attack on our advanced pofts at the gaol and courthoufe; which kept a conftant fire on his troops, by which many of them were killed.- Notwithstanding this oppofition another attack was made on the 18th; when thofe pofts were abandoned by our troops; which gave the nabob's forces an entrance into the town; which obliged us to retreat to the fort.

A council of war being called to confider of the state of affairs, the captain of the train acquainted the council, that there was not ammunition in the fort for three days; on which the women were fent on board the fhipping lying before the fort. The governor and fome of the principal officers likewife got on board the fhips, and went away, leaving the people in the fort without a poffibility of fecuring a retreat. -The whole number left in the fort being 250 effective men, we held out till the 20th in the evening, when the ammunition being near spent, a flag of truce was hung out. During the parley from the walls, the back gate was betrayed by the Dutch guard, and we were obliged to furrender at difcretion. The fame night 170 of us were crammed into a hole not large enough for 50 of us to breathe in; the effect of it was, that only 16 were alive next morning. Four of us were fent to the nabob's camp, and put into irons; but what became of the other twelve that escaped hell in miniature, I have not been able to learn.”

In another letter from the Eaft Indies, dated Dec. 15 1756, we have the fubftance of a letter received by the gover

nor

nor and council there in October, as follows.

"It seems the governor and council at Bengal protected an old nabob depofed, [a principal officer, or prime minifter, according to fome letters], from the refentment of the young one, his fucceffor. The latter fent to demand him; but the English refused to deliver him up. Upon which he raised an army of 30,000 horfe, and the fame number of foot, with 3 or 400 elephants of war. The English fent out fpies to difcover their number, which they never knew exactly, till they were juft upon them. They fummoned the fort to deliver up the old nabob, promifing upon that condition to withdraw their troops immediately; but this was again refufed. The enemy then threw up a small breaft-work oppofite to the fort, and mounted two twelve-pounders upon it. They fired two or three times in an hour; but if they had fired till doomsday, they could never have made a breach. However, long before any real attack was made, the run away aboard a fhip in the morning; the counsellors and their wives in the afternoon; leaving Mr. Holwell behind, who faid he would stay, and defend the place to the laft extremity. Being thus left with only a few gentlemen and fome military of ficers, he called a council of war. foldiers grumbling at not being permitted to escape, he divided three chefts of the treasure among them, and fecured the keys of the gates himself; and stood to the defence of the place gallantly. The Moguls kept firing their two twelvepounders to no purpofe; for all the mifchief proceeded from the counsellors houfes being built clofe round the fort. In these houfes the enemy lodged them felves, and galled the English greatly. During all this time the fort fired conftantly, and diflodged them feveral times; but the third day (I think it was the third) most of our men being killed, and all the reft wounded, (with only two hours ammunition left), Mr Holwell thought to have made an honourable retreat, by hanging out a flag of truce to amufe the enemy. But the fhips in the

The

river had dropt down feveral miles from the fort, and did not leave even a boat for the others to escape in. The foldiers that night knocked off the lock of the little gate, Mr Holwell having the keys, and let in the Moguls; who immediately loaded them with irons, and crammed them into a place, called the black hole, for that night. But out of the 175 that went in, only fixteen came out alive next morning; among whom were Mr Holwell, and Mr Burdett, a writer. The next day they carried Mr Burdett to accompany Mr Holwell up the country, loaded with irons, and gave them only rice and water for their provifion: they likewife obliged them to walk three days through the fun without any covering, and, when they arrived at their journey's end, put them into a cow-houfe, where they narrowly escaped another fmothering. However, in three days they difmiffed them. From thence they went to Muxadavat.”

To this letter is fubjoined what follows. "The 28th of October we sent three fhips full of troops and ammunition, to reinstate the company's fervants in the fettlement of Bengal, as we hear it will be delivered up to us fhortly. The company is reported to have loft by this affair two crow of rupees. Each crow contains 100 lack, and each lack 100,000 rupees; that is, in all, twenty millions of rupees; which make 2,250,000l. Sterling.- -The fame day (Oct. 28.) our ambaffadors arrived from Pooner, where they had been three weeks treating with the Moratta prince, to whom we have delivered Geriah [24.], and they in return have given us feveral villages at Sevenrooke.'

By the East-India company's, as well as many private letters, it is advised, that the meafures taken by the prefidencies of Fort St George and Bombay, in conjunction with Adm. Watson and Col. Clive, who command the naval and land forces, there is the greatest reason to hope that the company would not only be very foon re-established in Bengal, but that ample fatisfaction will be obtained of the nabob for what the company have fuffered by him.

There

There are allo many letters that mention the Mogul's having marched a large army into thofe provinces, which was faid to be actually arrived near Muxadavat, in order to fubdue the nabob Sourajee Doulah, and fix another nabob in those provinces.

A lift of thofe killed in the defence of Calcutta and Fort-William, and of thofe who died in the black hole, over-beated, and for want of water. Killed: William Baillie, Efq; Capt. P. Smith, Lieut. Picard and Bishop, Enf. Blagg; Meff Carfe, Smith, Wilkinson, and Throfeby, gentlemen in the company's fervice; Meff. Purnell, Stephenfon, Parker, Cary, Macpherfon, Guy, Whitby, and Fidecomb, feafaring men.

Shot themselves: Thomas Bellamy, before the attack of Calcutta; and Lieut. Elliot, after the furrender of Coflimbuzar factory.

Died in the black hole, of whom fome were wounded before they were put in: Edward Eyre, Efq; Thomas Coles (fhot in the breaft); the Rev. Mr Bellamy; Capt. Clayton, Buchanan, Witherington, and Simfon; Lieut. Bellamy and Hayes; Enf. Scot and Wedderburn; Mefl: Jenks, Reveley, Law, Valicourt, Jebb, Dalrymple, Stephen and Edward Page, Street, Grub, Har. rod, N. Drake, Dodd, Janiano, Johnston jun. Byng, Orr, and Golling, gentlemen in the company's fervice; Meff. Hunt, Jennings, Dumbleton (wounded), Porter, Coker, Bendal, Meadows, Reid, Ofborne (wounded), Barnet, Frere, Wilfon, Burton, Leach, Tilley, Cartwright, Lyon, Alfop, and Hillier, feafaring men.

Drowned in efcaping: Capt. Collings, a fea

men.

Sent from the black hole to Muxadavat: John Zephinio Holwell, Efq; Mr Richard Court, fen. merchant, Mr Bourdett, writer; and Enf. Walcott. The laft is fince dead.

Made prifoners at Coffimbuzar: William Watts, Efq; chief; Meff. Collet, Batfon, and Haftings, of the council; Mefl: Watts jun. Sykes, Marriot, and Chambers, writers; and about 50 military. Meff. Watts and Collet were afterwards fet at liberty, and Mrs Watts with her three children were permitted to live in the French factory at Coffimbuzar.

Made prifoners at Dacco: Richard Becher, Efq; chief; Meff. Scrafton, Hyndman, Waller, and Cartier, of the council; Mr Wilfon, furgeon; Mr Johnston fen. writer; Mrs Becher and her child; Mrs Warwick; Mifs Harding; Enf. Cudmore, and about 25 military. All these were fet at liberty by the interceffion of the French, and permitted to live in their factory at Dacco.

A list of those who efcaped to the fhips at Fulta, and were there in July 1756, or are fince dead. Gov. Drake; Charles Manningham, William Frankland, William Macket, and Paul Richard Pearkes, Efqs, of the council; Capt. George Minchin and Alexander Grant; Enf. Carftairs, (wounded); Rev. Mr Mupletoft, lieutenant of militia. Mr Pearkes was taken prifoner, but made his escape.

Gentlemen in the company's fervice: Meff. Sumner, Cooke, fecretary, Billers, O'Hara, Rider, Ellis, Lindfay, Tooke fen. Lufhington, Meff. Cooke and Charlton, Vafmer, Leister. Lufhington were in the black hole. Mr Lindsay is fince dead.

Free merchants, captains of ships, mates, and others: Meff. Beaumont, Margas, Cruttenden, Carvalho, Douglas, Baldrick, Wood, Nixon, Holmes, Putham, Le Beaume; Capt. Rannie, David Graham, Wedderburn, Walmsley, Austin, Laing, Widderington, Saunders, Baillie, Campbell, Lewis, Lord, Beft, Baldwin, Young, Coftelly, Whatmore, Cozens, Nicholson; Dr Fullerton, G. Gray, Taylor, Knox; Mr Child, fchoolmaster; Atkinson and Ridge, attorneys; Pyfinch, writer; Blany, glafs-grinder; Burton, butcher; Coverly, gaoler; Macpherson, cooper'; Cockylane, a French feafaring gentleman; Champion, Summers, and Smith, mates of ships; Ling, mufician; Cole, carpenter; Dracco Con las; three Portuguese priests; M. Albert, a French gentlemen.

Of thefe Mr Margas, Capt. D. Graham, Laing, Beft, Baldwin, and Nicholson, are fince dead; and Dr Fullerton, G. Gray, Taylor, and Knox were taken prifoners, but made their efcape.

Of the factory at Balfore: Mr Thomas Boddom, chief, Mr English, Capt. Keene, and about 25 military. They quitted their factory after the capture of Calcutta, by order of the governor and council. Capt. Keene is fince dead.

Of the factory at Jugdea: Mr Peter Amyat, chief; Meff. Playdel, Verelft, Smyth, Hay, and Enf. Mure, with about 20 military. They alfo quitted their factory after the capture of Calcutta, by order of the governor and council.

Women and children: Lady Ruffel, Mrs Drake and two children; Cruttenden, three children; Mackett, two; Mapletoft, two; Gray, one; M'Gwire, three; Cooke, one; Buchanan, one; Dumbleton, two; Coales, one; Rannie, two; Wedderburn, one; Tournac, one; Knox, two; Robertfon, four; Packer, one; Afton, three: Amyat, Sumner, Riccards, Duncan, Major Holland's widow; Rofs, Jacobs, Griffith, Searle, Beard, Margas, Putham, Clayton, Parker, Rainbow, Edwards, French, Renbault, Chapman, Finley, Gooding, Bellamy, Barclay, Cockylane, Gould, Hunt, Holland, Young, Woolley, Smith, Child, Porter, Lord, Bowers; Mifs Bellamy, Jobbins, Bagley, Carey, Seale, Of thefe Mrs and the two Mifs Cavalhos. Cruttenden, Gooding, and Bellamy, are fince dead, and Mifs Bellamy is fince married.

Advices