By Capt. David Hawley who came to town last Saturday from Halifax, which place he left the 24th of April last, we have the following interesting intelligence, viz.
That on the 17th of March he sailed out of Stratford ー on the 21st was taken by the Bellona of 6 guns and 8 swivels; the ministerial crew jump'd on board him eager for plunder, damn'd him, his crew and country ー they were all taken and put on board the Bellona. About 10 o'clock at night they joined the Rose, Glasgow and Swan men of war, and went on board the Rose, the next day sailed into Newport, when he obtained liberty to go on board his own sloop, to get his cloaths, where he found his chest broke open and all his cloaths plundered. They offered him five shillings sterling per day, a good cabin, that his vessel should be paid for, after the dispute was over, and his choice of a plantation in any part of the continent, if he would be their pilot, which he refused, and was thereupon parted from his men, and put on board the Glasgow and not allowed so much as a line to his mate, relative to a glass he had left. On the 5th of April the Glasgow sailed from Newport ー in the morning of the 6th discovered sundry sail and stood for them ー come up with, and hailed the brig, who answered, that they were from Plymouth; then the brig hail'd the Glasgow, and was told who they were ー upon signals being made and not answered, as it was still dark, the Glasgow received a heavy broad side from the brig, killed one man and slightly wounded another, then the Alfred came up, and closely engaged her for near three glasses, while the black brig attacked the Glasgow on her lee bow ー it was observed by the motion of the Alfred that she had received some unlucky shot ー the Columbus kept at a distance, the sloop of 12 guns fired upon her stern without any great effect, the most of the shot went about 6 feet above the deck, whereas, if they had been porperly levelled, must have soon cleared them of men. The Glasgow got at a distance, when she fired smartly, and the engagement lasted about 6 glasses, when they both seemed willing to quit. The Glasgow was considerably damaged in her hull, had 10 shot through her main mast, 52 through her mizen stay sail, 110 thro' her main sail, 88 through her foresail, had her spars carried away and her rigging cut to pieces ー on the 6th they got into Rhode-Island, early in the morning of the 7th were fired upon from the shore, cut her cables and run up to Hope-Island, where the hospital ship followed them ー the wind shifting to the northward they went out and joined Commodore [James] Wallace, and after two days sailed for Halifax and arrived there in eleven days, where Capt. Hawly tarried a fortnight, and on the 7th [sic] of April made his excape with 8 others in a small boat, and came to Old York.
Capt. Hawley is of opinion that if the Alfred had come close along side the Glasgow, she would have struck. ー At Halifax, is the Chatham of 50 guns, Orpheus of 34 guns, Scarborough, Glasgow and Rose of 20 guns, the King-Fisher, Tamer, and other of 16 guns, an armed brig, two schooners, and two small sloops, and a number of transports; the Tamer and the Glasgow are sent home to refit. On the 24th of April the Niger frigate of 32 guns, with two ships and a brig, having on board 700 troops sailed for Quebec. Five transports arrived at Halifax from the West-Indies with troops. ー From the best information there was about 8 or 9000 troops at Halifax before any were sent away. On the 24th a packet arrived from England with accounts that about three regiments were lost on their passage to America; and by what he could learn they expected 10,000 troops to come to America this Spring and no more.