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Herewith I have the pleasure to inclose a letter from captain Tomlinfon, of his majefty's floop La Suffifante, containing particulars of his fuccefs in capturing the Morgan French privateer, and recapturing the fix English merchant fhips named in the inclofed lift, that had been taken by her, and which you will be pleafed to lay before my lords commiffioners of the admiralty

So complete a piece of fervice, performed by a veffel of such small force as the Suffifante, I am per fuaded their lordships will admit, reflects great credit on captain Tomlinson, his officers, and men.

La Suffifante, Plymouth, June 30, 1796. Sir,

I beg leave to acquaint you, that his majefty's floop La Suffifante, under my command, has retaken two English merchant fhips, on the 27th inft. near the ifle de Bas (from Oporto, loaded with wine.) I gained intelligence from the prifoners, that the French privateer which they belong to, carried fixteen guns and ten fwivels; and that on the preceding day the was to the northward of Scilly, in chace of feveral English veffels: I therefore immediately difpatched the prizes, with orders to go to Plymouth, and stood in for the French coaft, between Ufhant and the ifle de Bas, in hopes of meeting her on her return, or any other prizes that the fhould fend into Morlaix or Breft. On the following morning I had the good fortune to difcover the above mentioned privateer, and four loaded merchant fhips, (her prizes) ftanding towards us; and, as 1 fetched within gun fhot of the privateer, we gave her feveral broadfides as we paffed on oppofite

tacks; and, on our putting about to follow her, fhe made the fignal for her prizes to difperfe. They were then about feven miles from us to the N. W.

At one P. M. we fetched very near her lee quarter, and opened a well-directed fire of mufquetry upon them from forward, which obliged them to ftrike before we could get alongside to bring our great guns to bear upon her.

As the greatest dispatch was neceffary to enable us to overtake the prizes, which were endeavouring to efcape by fteering on different directions, I ordered lieutenant Pickford to take command of the privateer, to fend the French captain and officers on board the Suffifante immediately, and then to make fail and aflift me in taking the merchant fhips, which fervice. was performed very much to my fatisfaction, he having taken two of them, one of which I had not the leaft hopes of his being able to come up with, as fhe was very far to the windward.

To the fpirited and active behaviour of the officers and crew of the Suffifante, I confider myself in a great measure indebted for our fuccefs, which is as complete as I could wish it to be, for, exclufive of the privateer, which is a fine copper-bottom brig, capable of doing much mischief, we have likewife retaken fix valuable English merchant fhips, which are all that he had captured.

Inclofed, I have the honour to tranfmit you a lift of the prizes, and their cargoes, and am, Sir, &c.

NICHOLAS TOMLINSON. To vice-admiral Onflow, commander in chief at Plymouth.

Lift

Lift of veffels retaken by the Suffifante, Nicholas Tomlinton, efq. commander, on the 27th and 28th of June, 1796.

Draper, burthen 200 tons, of Dublin, from Oporto, bound to Dublin, laden with 400 pipes of wine, and 11 bales of cotton.

Brothers, burthen 180 tons, of Liverpool, from Oporto, bound to Liverpool, laden with 350 pipes and 35 hogtheads of wine, and 72 bales of cotton.

Mary Ann, burthen 170 tons, of Dublin, from Oporto, bound to Dublin, laden with 272 pipes of wine, 11 bags of cotton, and 5 caiks of vinegar.

Ann, burthen 170 tons, of Dublin, from Oporto, bound to Dublin, laden with 303 pipes of wine, 15 boxes, and 20 batkets of lemons.

Vine, burthen 110 tons, of Lancafter, from Oporto, bound to Lancafter, laden with 108 pipes and four hogtheads of wine, 175 bags

of cotton, three tons and a half of cork, lemons, &c.

Eliza, burthen 160 tons, of Dublin, from London, bound to Dublin, laden with 250 chefts of tea, 250 barrels of porter, a quantity of fteel, and other dry goods.

NICHOLAS TOMLINSON.

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Anf. All property and inhabitants will be fubject to and under the protection of the English laws. Perfons withing to quit the ifland must obtain permiffion of the governor or commander of the island.

3. No inhabitant fhall be difturbed, molested, or banished, on account of his opinions, or for having held any place under the French republic.

Anf. Agreed to, as answered in the fecond article.

4. The agent general, the commander in chief, and the forces of the republic, who have defended the ifland, thall march out with the honours of war, and deliver their arms; the officers only being alfhall be treated as prifoners of war, lowed to keep their fwords: they and fent back to France as soon as poffible.

Anf. The first part of this article main prifoners of war until exgranted, but the troops must rechanged.

5. The British forces fhall take poffeffion of the Morne Fortune at the hour which may be appointed for that purpofe, and the French garrifon fhall march out with their and colours flying. arms and baggage, drums beating,

Anf. The fort to be put into the poffeffion of the British troops tomorrow at noon; the garrifon to march out of the fort in the manner defired. The garrifon to occupy houfes in the neighbourhood of the fort, until veffels fhall be provided for their reception.

6. The garrifon fhall pile their arms at the place which may be appointed for that purpofe, and shall immediately be fent to France. The officers fhall be allowed to take with them their wives and children.

Anf. The arms to be piled on the glacis without the fort. Anfwer has already been given as to the difpofal of the garrifon. The officers may difpofe of their wives and children as they pleafe.

7. The agent general of the exeeutive directory, his aides-de-camp, fecretary, and other perfons attached to him, fhall be allowed to keep all papers and effects belonging to his office. The fame favour fhall be granted to the commander in chief and all the officers of the garrifon.

Anf Agreed to; but all papers relating to the ftate of the inland, public works, and all plans and maps, to be given up.

8. The volunteers ferving with the French forces fhall be allowed to keep their knapfacks.

Anf. Agreed to, according to the return given in by the commander in chief.

9. No perfon fhall be plundered or infulted, on account of the opinions he has hitherto profeffed.

Anf. Agreed to.

10. Two veffels of the republic, lying in the harbour, fhall be granted to the agent of the executive directory, to ferve as covered boats. The crews of these two veffels fhall, however be confidered as prifoners of war.

Anf. Refufed; but every accommodation that can be defired by the agent general of the executive directory fhall be granted,

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Anf. Agreed to.

13. All the articles of this capitulation fhall be faithfully and ftrictly oblerved by both parties. Anf. Agreed to.

Additional Articles.

Proper officers to be named by the agent general and commander in chief, to take the neceffary orders for the furrender of Gros Iflets, Souffriere, and Vieux Fort, and other pofts that may be occupied in the ifland. The means of conveyance fhall be found for the faid officers. Stores and provisions of allkinds to be delivered by the French commiffaries to the British commiffaries authorised to receive them on the furrender of the different pofts. (Signed)

RALPH ABERCROMBY. HUGH C. CHRISTIAN. GOTTENS. GOYRAND. Morne Duchaffeaux, St. Lucia, May 25, 1796.

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colonel Stuart, and captain Gardner, commanding the English troops, the fortrefs of Colombo, upon the following conditions, at the expiration of three days.

Ant. Major Patrick Alexander Agnew, adjutant-general of the British troops in the inland of Ceylon, by virtue of the powers delegated to him by colonel James Stuart, commanding the British army, and Alan Hyde Gardner, efq. captain of his majefty's fhip Heroine, and senior officer of the naval force before Colombo, confents to accept of the furrender of the fort Colombo, on the undermentioned terms, provided the capitulation is figned this evening, and the fort delivered to the Britith troops to-morrow morning at ten o'clock, in the manner ftipulated in the following articles.

Art. I. In this capitulation fhall be included the town of Gale, and the fort of Caliture, with all their dependencies, lands, domains, &c. of the hon. Dutch East India Company; and the governor thall iffue orders to the commander and

council of Gale, and the commandant of Caliture, for the actual furrender, according to the contents of this capitulation.

Anf. Granted.

Art. 2. The fort, with all its dependencies, artillery, ammunition, ftores, provifions, and all other effects belonging to the company, with the plan and papers relative to the fortifications, thall bona fide be delivered up, without concealing or keeping back any thing.

Anf. Granted. The furveys of the districts of the ifiand of Ceylon, and its coats, with all the other public plans, to be included.

Art. 3. And as the banks at Colom.

bo, as well as Gale, are two years in arrear, the delivery shall take place according to the balances now actually exifting, and a reafonable

time be allotted to the commercial fervants here, and at Gale, with their afliftants, to finish their books; and they fhall during that time receive the pay and emoluments fixed for their fervices. As the fmith, cooper, houfe carpenter, the overfeer of the arfenal, and the brick-maker, receive every thing by indent, their accounts shall be examined by our accountants, and paid by the English: on the other hand, the above mentioned artificers and overfcers are responsible for the articles iffued to them.

Anf. One year, or eighteen months, if abfolutely neceffary, fhall be allowed, for the purpofe of arranging the books; during which time a reasonable falary fhall be paid to the fervants of the Dutch company neceffarily employed in this department. The accounts of the artizans fhall be examined and liquidated.

Art. 4. All public papers fhall alfo be faithfully delivered over; but attefted copies of all the public and fecret confultations held during his short government, and which he has not had an opportunity of forwarding to Holland or Batavia, fhall be given to governor Van Angelbeck, to enable him to anfwer for his conduct, according to the exifting circumstances.

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the commiffaries, who fhall be appointed by the governor, to major Agnew, who is authorized by the government of Madras to receive them.

Anf. All merchandize, ftores, and public property, of every defeription, either laden on board the hips now anchored under the guns of the fort, depofited in publicitores, or diftributed in the houfes of individuals; as well as all public property placed in a fimilar manner at Gale, Caliture, or any other part of the island of Ceylon, depending on thefe governments, thall be delivered up by the commiffaries, who fhall be named by the governor Van Angelbeck to major Agnew, the major appointed by the government of Madras to receive them, in three weeks from this date.

Art. 6. But as the company has of late borrowed money upon intereft, of their fervants and inhabitants, and, when in want of ready money, have flued (kredi& breeven) promiffory notes, to the amount of about five lack of rix-dollars, of which, however, at least one half is in the treasury, with a promife to realize the fame; and as feveral fervants have their pay and emoluments in the hands of the company, for which they have no other fecurity but their property, the above mentioned debts fhall be paid out of them, and the notes difcharged, which can occafion the lefs confideration, as the returns alone, tak- ing the fine cinnamon at only three rupees a pound, the pepper at one hundred rupees per candy, the cardamoms at one rupee a pound, and the picce goods and other merchandize at the invoice price, will amount to about twenty-five lacks

of rupees, and all the debts, pay, and notes in circulation not above fix lacks. The copper doodees shall continue current for one ftiver.

Anf. As Mr. Van Angelbeck has affured the officers commanding his majefty's naval and land forces before Colombo, that a refufal to comply with the demand contained in the 6th article, will be attended with the total ruin of the colony, they confent to the following arrangements regarding the paper currency of this ifland, provided, the public property of the Dutch company is found to be conformable to the ftatement contained in this article. The English government of Ceylon will take up the promillory notes of the Dutch government which are ftill in circulation, provided, they do not exceed the fum of 50,000l. fterling, and iffue certificates for the amount, bearing an intereft of three per cent per ann. payable half yearly, which certificates fhall be in force fo long as the diftricts of Ceylon, extending from Matura to Chilau, fhall be in poffeffion of the English, and no longer. Should thefe diftricts be reftored to the Dutch, the refponfibility of payment will neceffarily revert to them, in which event the original notes of the Dutch government fhall be reftored to the proprietors, in exchange for the certificates granted by the British government. The officers .commanding the British forces are not authorized to provide for the payment of the arrears due to the fervants of the company. This muft be left to the future determination of his Britannic majesty.

The copper coin of this ifland muft find its own value in the course of exchange.

Art. 7.

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