tage to themselves, and lofs to us, as is abovementioned.

Silver is our fpecie of exchange with all nations, and our most proper national money ; the value and quality of that, therefore, fhould be always fixed and certain. As the values of the rich metals are always fluctuating, one muft ever be confidered as the standing money, the other as a commodity: If filver is our money, it behoves us not to buy gold with it, which is our commodity, too dear; this we manifeftly do in general that of Portugal, both in what they pay to us and to other nations. Should we then reduce our guineas fixpence in value, we should save so much in all the gold we deal in; for, in proportion to the lowering of our gold coin, the lowering of gold bullion in circulation would take place; and, as to what paffes as mere bullion in traffic, that is, and always must be, fold by the ounce (like any other commodity) for a price more or lefs, according to the quantity on hand, and the demand for it

abroad.

Suppofe then, for a radical cure of the evil complained of, that a new coinage be made of pound and ten fhilling pieces, inftead of guineas and half guineas, with fixpennyworth of gold lefs to the former than there now is in the guinea.-This would be at once finking the difference, and at the fame time would avoid the perplexity of fractions in our money, and be bringing our gold and filver to a nearer proportion to their respective eftimations in the other

countries of Europe; and at the fame tim the circulation of foreign gold fhould be re gulated at correfponding rates. If fuch measure be deemed eligible, there neve can be a time properer for carrying it into execution than the present; because there i now little or no foreign gold circulating in the kingdom, and perhaps as small a flock of national coin in hand, as, I hope, we are ever likely to have; nor do I foresee there can be any kind of difficulty in bringing this regulation effectually to bear. As foon as the new coinage is iffued, guineas and half guineas may be called in for a limited time, at their full prices; after which they fhould be only paffable, the former at twenty fhillings and fixpence, and the latter at ten fhillings and three pence; fo that there is no doubt but they would be immediately carried to the mint, in order to avoid the lofs that the poffeffors of them would otherwife be fure of fuftaining. The only loss that can happen will be to the Government, by the calling in of the gold monies, and their re coinage; and that cannot be very confiderable; but, whatever it may be, as it is for the public benefit, the public should certainly bear it. Afterwards we shall only part with our gold at the rate we receive it, and the only lofs that can happen will be to those nations which reap an advantage from our present ill eftimation of gold by filver; but that lofs to them will be just fo much gain, or at least continual faving, to our own country. W. SHIRLEY.

An Account of Fort St. DAVID, lately taken by the French under General Lally.- See a Defcription of the English and French Colonies in the EaftIndies, with an Account of Monfieur de la Bourdonnaye's Taking of Madrass, illustrated with a new and accurate Plan of that City, Fort St. George, and the neighbouring Country, in Vol. IX. Pages 97, 146, 201, 243, and 313, of our Magazine.-Also, in Vol. XVI. Page 97, an Account of Fort St George, illuftrated with a perspective View; and of Bombay, with a perfpective View, Page 249Alfo, in Vol. XVIII. Page 123, an Account of the Kingdom of Bengal, illuftrated with a perfpective View of Fort William in Calcutta-Laftly, in Vol. XIX. Page 49, Obfervations on the Trade carried on by the English, French, Dutch, and Portuguese, in the Eaft-Indies, with a new and accurate Map of the Coast of Malabar, Cormandel, Bengal, &c. finely coloured.

F

ORT St. David, in long. 80 deg. 20 min. E. lat. 12 deg. 3 min. called by the Indians Tegapatan, or Tegapatnam, is a ftrong fort and factory of the English, Mr. Yale, Governor of Fort St. George, having bought it of a Prince of the Royal family here, in 1686, for 90.000 pagodas, for the India Company. It is fix leagues north of Porto Novo, and 17 from Tranquebar. Mr. Lockyer fays it is of great profit to the Company, because of the 3

rents they have here, and the great quantities of calicoes and muflins, that are carried hence to Europe; and they have regularly fortified it, being reckoned a place of the greatest confequence to the English, on this coaft, next to Fort St. George. It is known, at fea, by a fort of red ftone on the north fide of its river, belonging to the Indians, as alfo by a great red pagod on a hill four miles up the country. Though its river is fmall, it is larger than any to the

fouth,

fouth, and very convenient for the naviga

tion as well as the fresh water. The country here is healthful, pleasant, and fruitful; and it is watered with several rivers, which are as good as fo many walls to fortify the colony.

In Cuddelow river, which lies about a mile to the fouth, fhips of 200 tons may ride fafely in September and October; and tho' they both have bars, they are very smooth. When the English bought this fort, the Dutch had a little factory about a mile from it, where the English, whofe bounds reach above eight miles along the fhore, and four miles within land, permit them ftill to trade, on paying cuftoms to the Company. This colony produces large quantities of good

The Political State

From the GAZETTE February 27,
Rome, February 3.

T

HE Abbe Cafali, Agent to Cardinal d'Alface, has notified to the Pope the deceate of the faid Cardinal, at his bishoprick of Malines, and that, by his will, all his effects in this city are to be distributed amongst the poor. On the 30th died Cardinal Doria, aged 50 years. By his decease, there are twenty hats vacant in the college of Cardinals; but the Pope feems not as yet inclined to make a promotion. In confequence of the difpofitions that are making by the court of Naples, for the incampment of troops at Fondi, St. Germano, Sezza, &c. and of the intimation fent by that court both to the Duke of Sora, and to the fuperior of the convent of Monte Cafino, to make the neceffary difpofitions for that purpose, the Pope has fent inftructions to the Governors and Magiftrates of the respective towns and villages on the borders of the ecclefiaftical ftate, to use the neceffary vigilance and precaution that the occafion requires. Count Burgos, who is to command the Neapolitan troops, defigns, it is faid, to fix his head quarters at Monte Cafino.

Admiralty-Office, March 3.

Commodore Kepple is returned from the coaft of Africa to Spithead, with his Majesty's fhips Torbay of 74 guns.

64

64

Naffau
Fougueux
Dunkirk 65

having parted with the Prince Edward at fea.

Admiralty-Office, March 3. Extract of a letter from Captain Samuel Hood, of his Majefty's fhip the Veftal, of 32 guns and 220 men, to Mr. Clevland, Secretary of the Admiralty, dated at Spithead the 2d of March, 1759.

I beg you will be pleased to acquaint my Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty, that being ftationed at day-light, four or five miles a-head of Admiral Holmes, to look out, on the 21ft paft, about feven o'clock in the morning, 200 leagues fouth-weft from the Lizard, I faw a fail bearing

long cloths, brown, white, or blue dyed; alfo falampores, morees, dimities, ginghams, fuccatoons, &c. and Capt. Hmilton gives it as his opinion, that, were it not for this colony, Fort St. George would not make fo great a figure as it does in trade. The town is preuy wide, with gardens to most of the houfes; and there is a pretty good garden and fummer house belonging to the Company, where the Governor generally refides. Their black cattle are very fmall, but plentiful and cheap; and their feas and rivers abound with good fish. About the year 1698, the free-booters, from the mountains of Gate, had like to have taken this fort by furprife and treachery.

of EUROPE, &c.

fouth-fouth-eaft directly to windward, and gave
chace. At eleven I difcovered the chace to be
an enemy, of which I made the fignal to the
Admiral, as I did immediately after, that of be-
ing able to fpeak with her: At ten minutes paft
two, I begun to engage the Bellona frigate, com-
manded by the Count of Beauhonoir, of 32 guns,
within half musket fhot, and continued a close
action till near fix, when the ftruck, having only
her fore-mait ftanding, without yard or top-
maft, which soon after went away, being much
wounded. The Trent chafed at the fame time
I did, and then was not more than four miles
to leeward; and when I began to engage fhe was
out of fight from our top gallant-maft's head,
though the chafed the whole time, and the wea-
ther very clear, and was full four miles from
me when the enemy ftruck; the lofs of whom I
cannot exactly afcertain, the accounts of the
prifoners differ fo widely; and I can get no pro-
per roll of equipage; but it was very great, as
the Veftal's Lieutenant found more than 30
dead upon the deeks, when he took poffeffion;
and they themselves own to have thrown over-
board 10 or 12, which, with those now living,
being 180, make the number that were on board
at the beginning of the action, upwards of 220, as
I have carefully informed myfelt from the Cap-
tain, and other of the Officers. On the part of
his Majesty, were 5 killed, and 22 wounded.
As foon as I brought to, after the enemy ftruck,
all the top-mafts fell over the fide, being much
fhot, and having no rigging to fupport them :
The lower mafts would likewife have gone, had
not the weather been very fine indeed; and
with all the fhing I could give the main-maft,
it would not bear other than a jury-yard, which
I was likewife under a neceffity of rigging upon
the fore-maft. In this fituation of his Majefty's
fhip, and her prize, I thought myself obliged to
bear up for England, especially as the wind'
fhifted in the action to the fouth-weft, which I
hope their Lordships will approve. Not being
able to put a boat in the water, but by launch-
ing her over the fide, by which a cutter was
funk and loft; I defired Captain Lindfay to stay
X

by

by me, and exchange a part of prisoners, which he did; but having made room for them on board the Vestal, by noon next day Captain Lindsay took his leave, in order to rejoin the Admiral. The Bellona failed from Martinique the 16th of January in fome hurry, accompanied with another frigate of the fame force, and the Floriffant, occafioned by his Majesty's fquadron, under the command of Commodore Moore, being off the island. The Commodore did not appear till that morning, and had all the troops landed by the evening near Point Negroe: The three French fhips were chafed by fome of Mr. Moore's fquadron. The Bellona got clear by fuperiority of failing, but does not know how it fared with her companions, having never seen either of them fince.

Admiralty-Office, March 1.

Captain Colby, of his Majefty's fhip the Thames, gives an account, in his letter of the 14th of February, of his having, in company with the Coventry, taken La Mouche, a French privateer of Havre de Grace, of 8 fix pounders, and eighty men, which fhip is arrived at Kinsale, with the Coventry.

The LONDON GAZETTE Extraordinary.
Whitehall, March 7.

and

Yesterday afternoon Captain Townfhend, Aid de Camp to Major General Hopfon, and Captain Tyrrel, late Commander of his Majefty's fhip the Buckingham, arrived with difpatches from Major-general Hopfon, and Commodore Moore, to the Right Honourable Mr. Secretary Pitt, dated from Baffe Terre, in the island of Guardaloupe, the 30th of January: By which it appears; That on the 15th of January, his Majefty's fleet arrived off Port Royal harbour in the island of Martinico: That, the next morning, the men of war deftroyed the batteries, and drove the enemy from their intrenchments at Pointe des Negres, on the weft part of the faid harbour; the troops landed without oppofition, and lay under arms all night: That, on the 17th, the day following, in confideration of the difficulty of roads, communications, and a march of five miles to Port Royal from Pointe des Negres, General Hopfon propofed to Commodore Moore to land the heavy cannon, ftores, provifions, &c. at the Savannah which is before Port Royal; and, in cafe that could not be done, defired that the boats might attend, the fame evening, to bring off the troops, as foon as the moon was up: That the Commodore having found the bove propofal impoffible, until the weft part of the fort fhould be filenced by the batteries raised by the troops on fhore, made an offer, not only of landing the heavy artillery at Negro Point, where the troops then were, but also of transport ing the fame, wherever the General pleased, by the feamen belonging to the men of war, without any affiftance from the land forces: That the troops were, however, reimbarked that night.

That, the next day, the General acquainted the Commodore, that the Council of War was of opinion, it would be most for his Majesty's fervice to proceed to Fort St. Pierre with the troops in order to make an attack upon that place, and that no time should be loft,

It appears accordingly, that on the 19th in the morning, his Majesty's fleet entered the Bay of St. Pierre, when the Commodore, having examined the coaft, reprefented to the General, that he made no doubt of deftroying the town of St. Pierre, and putting the troops in poffeffion of the fame; yet, as the fhips might, in the attack, be fo much difabled, as not to be in a condition to proceed immediately on any other material fervice; and as the troops, if it should be practicable to keep poffeffion of the above town, would alfo be much reduced in their numbers for future attacks; and being of opinion, that the deftroying the town and fortress of Baffe Terre in the island of Guardaloupe, and keeping poffeffion of it, and, by all poffible means, endeavouring to reduce the faid ifland, would be of great benefit to the fugar colonres, as that ifland is the chief neft of French privateers, conftantly infefting the British islands, and deftroying the trade from North America with fupplies of provifions, &c. the Commodore fubmitted it to the General's confideration, whether it would not be best to proceed to the faid place forthwith; which was put in execution accordingly.

On the 22d of January, his Majefty's fleet appeared off the ifland of Guardaloupe; and though the town of Baffe Terre, which is the metropolis of the faid ifland of Guardaloupe, was very formidably fortified to the fea, and the fort was thought by the chief engineer, on his reconnoitring it, to be impregnable to the ships; on the 23d Commodore Moore made a difpofition for the attack of the faid place, with the ships under his command, which was profecuted with the utmost vigour and refolution, and after a moft fevere cannonading, which continued from between nine and ten in the morning till night, all the batteries and the fort were filenced by the fhips. It was intended to land the troops the fame evening, but it being dark before they were ready, they did not land till the next day, when Commodore Moore put the land forces in poffeffion of the faid town and fort, without their being annoyed by even one of the enemy; the Governor, principal inhabitants, and armed negroes, having retired into the mountains. The bombs, which had been ordered to play on the town, having fet it on fire, occafioned, from the quantity of rum and fugar which was in it, great deftruction of houses, with goods and treafure to a very great value.

General Hopfon concurs with Commodore Moore in giving the greatest commendations to the bravery of the Officers and men of his Majefty's navy, the General taking notice, in his letter, that the very great refolution and perfeverance of the men of war was fo remarkable, that it would be an injuftice not to mention it. Lift of the fhips which attacked the island of Guardaloupe the 23d of January, 1759. 60 guns Capt. William Trelawny. Capt. Thomas Burnett, Capt. Robert Hughes. Capt. Clark Gayton. Capt. Molineux Shuldham. Capt. James Gambier.

Lion
Cambridge 80
Norfolk 74
St. George go
Panther 60
Burford
༡༠

Berwick

Berwick 64 guns Capt. William Harman.

Rippon 60
Briftol 50

Capt. Edward Jekyll. Capt. Lachlin Leflie, came in from the fea after the fhips had been engaged fome time, and went to the affiftance of the Rippon, which was in diftrefs.

Duroure's,

Lift of Officers and men killed and wounded un-
der the command of Major-general Hopfon.
SCapt. James Dalmáhoy, killed.
Capt. Colin Campbell, wounded.
Watson's,
Lieut. James Hart, wounded.
Highlanders, Lieut. George Leflie, wounded.
Artillery, Captain Peter Innes, wounded.
Total at Martinico 22 killed, 47 wounded.
Total at Guardaloupe * 17 killed, 30 wounded.

In all 39 killed, 77 wounded.

March 24.

Breflaw, February 25. The Hereditary Prince of Heffe is declared General of the foot, and named Vice-governor of Magdeburg, in the abfence of Prince Ferdinand of Brunfwic the Governor.

Breflaw, March 4. General Woperfnow has taken poffeffion of Posen, and the magazine that had been formed there by the Ruffians, who retired from thence, being too weak to make reKstance: And, if the accounts received from their army are true, it has fuffered greatly by fickness. Laft Friday the Hereditary Prince of Heffe Caffel left this place, on his journey to Magdeburg. His Pruffian Majefty has declared the Duke of Brunswick Bevern, and Lieutenantgeneral Fouquet, Generals of foot. The other promotions are not yet published.

and chaffeurs, under the command of Major-general Urft. This detachment, being affembled at Rhotenburg the 28th of laft month, fell unexpectedly, in the night between the Ift and 2d inftant, upon the enemies quarters, fome of whom were taken, and the reft retired in the utmoft confufion. Hirschfeld, Vacha, and all , the Heffian bailiwicks, which the Austrians had taken poffeffion of, were immediately evacuated. It is fuppofed that the enemy are retiring to wards Meinungen, and that their heavy baggage has taken the route towards Bamberg.

Hague, March 13. The news of the taking of Erfurth by the Pruffians, and of the clearing the landgraviate of Heffe, by a detachment of Prince Ferdinand of Brunfwic's army, the beginning of this month, is now confirmed. The troops of the Emprefs-Queen, and the circles, were driven from all their pofts, and are retired in great confufion and precipitation further back into the empire, abandoning a great many pri foners, and a great deal of baggage, which have fallen into the hands of the light troops of Prince Ferdinand's army.

There is certain advice that the Pruffians are in poffeffion of Fulda: They have taxed that Abbot and Abby at 100,000 crowns, of which 10,000 were paid. Erfurth was taxed 100,000 florins. March 27.

Rome, Feb. 17. The Roman Catholic ecclefiaftics, in the ftates poffeffed by the King of Pruffia, have acquainted the Pope, that his Pruffian Majefty has caufed an edict to be published, requiring them to pay a tax of ten per cent. on their revenues, in the fame manner as is exacted by the Emprefs-Queen in her dominions, in confequence of a Bull which the Pope has granted to her Imperial Majefty for that purpose. and a The King of Portugal has requested the Pope to take upon himself the chaftifing of the clergy under arreft, that are concerned in the late confpiracy against his perfon, but nothing has been determined as yet on this fubject.

Breflaw, March 7. The accounts received from Erfurth say, that on the 28th of February, that town capitulated, upon the approach of the detachment under General Knobloch; Beutrality was ftipulated with the garrifon in the Peterberg. There were, befides the ufual garrifon in the Petersberg, four battalions in the town, to whom a capitulation of an extraordinary nature has been granted, viz. To have leave for 24 hours to retire unmolefted, where they pleased; but if taken after that time, they were liable to be made prifoners of war: And it is faid, there is a probability that General Aschersleben, who led a detachment from Lagenfaltz towards Erfurth, may intercept them in their retreat, especially as he will be affifted by Colonel Kleift, who commands the detachment of dragoons and huffars, and who had made about 60 men, and fome Officers, prifoners, before the town of Erfurth capitulated. General Verner of the huffars is returned from his expedition to Cracow, whither he was detached to feize a magazine the Auftrians were forming: But it does not appear that any thing confiderable was found there.

Munfter, March 7. About the 28th paft, the Prince of Ifemburg, agreeable to the orders, he had received, detached towards Vacha four battalions, with about 1000 dragoons, huffars,

From other Papers. March 5.

Guns.

64 Prince Frederick

64 + Captain
64 † Bedford

64 Stirling-Caftle

The fleets in North America, under the command of the Admirals Saunders, Holmes, and Durell, will confift, when united, of the fol lowing ships: Guns. go Neptune 84 Royal William 80 + Princess Amelia 74 Dublin 74 Terrible 74 Shrewsbury 74 Warspite 70 † Vanguard 70 † Pr. of Orange 70 Northumberland 70 Somerset 66 + Devonshire 66 Orford

64 Intrepid
64 Trident
64 Alcide

60+ Pembroke
60 Windfor
60 Medway

54 † Centurion

Sutherland

Befides frigates, &c. The ships marked thus † are now at Halifax, or Louisburg, with Admiral Durell ; the reft

For further Particulars concerning Guardaloupe, fee its Natural and Political Hiftory, with a new and accurate Map, in this Number of our Magazine, Page 143.

failed

failed on Feb. 15 and 17 with Admirals Holmes ny's, and two frigates. On the 28th of April