TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY's POSTS From the LONDON GAZETTE.

 

St. James, April 11, 1777.

Ceremonial of the Knighthood and Investiture of MAJOR-GENERAL HENRY CLINTON, KNIGHT OF THE BATH.

THE Knights and Officers of the Order attended in the Privy Chamber in their Mantles, &c., and proceeded from thence, after the Levee, into the Sovereign's Presence, in the following Order, in his Mantle,  Chain,  and  Badge,  bearing the Scarlet Rod. - Register and Secretary;  in his Mantle, Chain, and Badge, - SIR CHARLES HOWARD, Knight Elect.

Knights Companions SIR EYRE COOTE

                                  SIR CH. FREDERICK

Then, by the Soveriegn's Command, MAJOR GENERAL CLINTON was introduced into the Presence by SIR CHARLES FREDERICK and SIR EYRE COOTE, preceded by a Gentleman Usher carrying the Sword, making the Reverences as before - The Sword of State was delivered to the Sovereign by SIR EYRE COOTE, the Second Knight in Seniority;  and MAJOR GENERAL CLINTON, kneeling, was Knighted therewith:  Then SIR CHARLES FREDERICK, the Senior Knight, presented the Ribbon and Badge to the Sovereign;  his Majesty put them over the new Knight's Right Shoulder;  who being thus invested, and having kissed his Majesty's Hand, the Procession returned to the Privy Chamber in the above Order, SIR HENRY CLINTON, the new Knight, preceding the Knight Elect. - The Ceremony was performed in his Majesty's Closet, several Great Officers of the Court being present.......(Gaz.)

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LISBON

March 11.....M. VICONTI di PONTE di LIMA has been appointed Minister and Secretary of State, in the room of the MARQUIS de POMBAL;  and the post of Superintendant of the Finances has been given to the MARQUIS di ANGEGRA.

MADRID

March 10.....Some letters from Ferrol mention, that an English squadron of 18 ships, some of which carried Russian colours, were in sight of that port.

MADRID

March 9.....We had for a long time past been informed of an illicit trade carried on by the English in the interior parts of America, by means of small vessels, which sailed up the river Tampico, sixty or seventy leagues up the country.

The Bar and Mouth of the Tampico is situated in the midst of the Gulph of Mexico, about 83 leagues north of La Vera Cruz, and about the same distance from the city of Mexico.

    On advice being lately received of the entry of seven English ships into the above River, our Viceroy detached a company of Dragoons for the place of their rendezvous, who seized all of them, with their papers and merchandizes, and seventy thousand hard dollars which they had taken on board in specie, and took off their rudders.

    We are assured that in the five years in which this illicit trade has been carried on, 365 English vessels have entered the Tampico, which on an average, have carried away eight millions of piastres yearly.  Our Court has given orders to cut off entirely and for ever this source of riches.

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L     O     N     D     O     N           April 12.

Two men of war sailed from Brest, in November, their destination unknown.  One ship of the line and two frigates from the same port, in January, full of troops;  another, and three transports, the middle of February;  and since that other single ships have failed.

It is now known that they are all destined to the Isle of France, where a very considerable force is collecting.

A new corps has been raised at Quebec, and another at Halifax, the former is called the Loyal Canadians, and the latter the Nova Scotia Volunteers.

Last week was married, an ingenious ****er, aged 23, of Thornton in Leicestershire, to a maiden lady aged 93, with a fortune of Seventy thousand pounds.

The following is said to be the royal expenditure from January 6th, 1776, to January 5th, 1777.

THE QUEEN...........................................................£50,000

DUKE OF GLOUCESTER.........................................12,000

DUKE OF CUMBERLAND.........................................12,000

PRINCESS AMELIA..................................................12,000

THE SERVANTS OF THE LATE QUEEN, PRINCESS

OF WALES, QUEEN OF DENMARK, &c.......................8,000

COSSETER OF THE HOUSHOLD.............................109,600

TREASURER OF THE CHAMBER...............................60,200

GREAT WARDROBE.................................................36,400

MASTER OF THE ROBES............................................8,800

MASTER OF THE HOUSE...........................................26,000

PAYMASTER OF THE WORKS...................................76,500

FOREIGN MINISTERS................................................98,600

GREAT OFFICERS, JUDGES FEES, SALARIES &c....130,000

PENSIONS AND ANNUITIES.....................................127,000

ROYAL BOUNTIES.....................................................11,500

GENTLEMEN PENSIONERS..........................................6,000

PRESENT TO FOREIGN MINISTERS.............................3,000

SECRET SERVICE.......................................................86,000

HIS MAJESTY'S PRIVY PURSE...................................48,000

GOLDSMITH.................................................................2,500

LAW CHARGES...........................................................60,000

................................................................. ..............£984,100

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A dispatch is arrived at LORD GEORGE GERMAINE's office, from the Commander in Chief at Fort Chatres, in which an account is given of a new colony fixing by the Spaniards on the Mississippi, near to the Missoure, and a regiment of infantry being placed there.  They had begun to erect a fort, which seemed to be intended for a place of considerable strength.

The Spaniards have fortified all the important posts on the Mississippi with great attention.

On Thursday night his SERENE HIGHNESS PRINCE GEORGE of Mecklenburg Strelitz, second brother to the QUEEN, arrived at a house prepared for his reception in the Stable Yard, St. James's, from Hanover, but last from the Hague;  yesterday morning he visited their Majesties at the Queen's Palace, and was afterwards at court.

The PRINCE OF MICKLENBURG is come over from Hanover at the desire of his Majesty, to lay a state of the land forces in that Electorate before government, in order to determine how far it may be politic to send more troops from thence to America, if there should be a necessity.

The homeward bound East Indiamen this season have had orders sent them to sail three or four together to resist any American privateers they may chance to meet with.

The following letter was received yesterday.

Admiralty-office, April 10

" Sir, I send to acquaint you, for the information of the merchants trading to Spain, Portugal, and the Mediterranean, that a convoy will be ready to sail from Spithead by the end of this month, with the trade bound to those parts.  I am, Sir, your humble servant,

PR. STEPHENS "

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L     O    N    D     O     N                                    April 12

Admiralty-office, April 11, 1777

CAPT. MURRAY, of his Majesty's ship the Levant, being on a cruize off the Island of Madeira on the 8th of last month, fell in with an American cruize which she took and carried to Gibraltar;  She is called the General Montgomery, having 18 guns of six and four pounders, four cohorns and three swivels, BENJAMIN HM Commander.

The aforementioned cruizer sailed from Philadelphia the 6th of February, having one hundred men on board, but which were reduced by sickness and accident to 87, at the time CAPT. MURRAY fell in with her, which was the day after she had arrived off Madeira.

A letter from Gibraltar gives the following particulars of the foregoing transaction: -

" The Montgomery privateer of 18 guns and 86 men, is taken by the Levant frigate, and brought in here.  The Levant being informed that she was cruizing about the Madeira Islands, sailed in quest of her under Dutch colours, and got along side her before the privateer discovered what ship she was.

The Levant ordered her to strike;  the Captain of the privateer said he would not, upon which he was told by the Levant's people, that they would sink her in few minutes, upon which the privateer immediately struck without firing a gun. "

The 70th regiment, now at Edinburgh, has received orders to hold themselves in readiness to embark for America.

A letter from a General officer of the Royal army, to his lady in town, by the last arrivals from New York, says, " The next letter you may expect from me, will I trust, be dated from Philiadelphia."

By the last advices from Philadelphia, dated the 6th of February, we are informed that there had been a great sickness in that city for some weeks, and that the burials daily amounted from 15 to 25 persons.  It was thought to be owing to a scarcity of salt, which was from 40 s. to 50 s. a bushel, and which used to be from 10 l. to 15d. per bushel prior to these disputes.  It also mentions Jamaica rum to be so scarce as to fetch 30s. per gallon, which used to be 3s 6d per gallon.

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L     O    N     D     O     N                                  April 12.

Advice is received from Halifax, that his Majesty's sloop the Diligent, of twelve guns, commanded by LIEUTENANT DODD, had fallen in with, off Black Island, near Connecticut, three American vessels, from Rochelle, laden with clothing and other articles for the Provincials, two of which she took, but the third made her escape, as she could not spare hands enough to put on board to take possession of her.

They write from Madrid, that the late Commissarry in that city had involved a number of families in the greatest distress;  the heads of whole Families had been committed to prison on the most jealous surmises.

Eight different recruiting parties were last Tuesday beating up at Sheffield-market for Volunteers, to recruit the Regiments in America.

An evening Paper says, a very lucrative branch of trade has lately been discovered:  The Dutch buy up great quanties of rough slate from the quarries in England, which they send to Holland, where it is polished at a very trifling expence, and then imported here at 400 l. per. cent. profit. - If this is the fact, why don't we polish them ourselves ?

A representation being made of the smallness of the Judges salaries in Ireland, they are to be raised 200 l. per annum.

A Correspondent asks, upon the rumour of the tax upon Livery servants, whether it will not be unjust in the Minister to impose a tax upon a tax, as every Master feels, to his cost, that Livery Servants are the heaviest of all taxes upon Housekeepers.

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L     O     N    D    O     N                                          April 12.

Yesterday there was the fullest council held at the Cockpit that has been known for some years;  said to be on hearing appeals from the plantations in the West India Islands;  it lasted upwards of four hours, and the result thereof was laid before his Majesty by LORD GEORGE GERMAINE.

That the French Court are far from wishing to support the American British colonies in their present unnatural rebellion, is clearly proved by the following recent post: - A young officer, of very large estate and capital connections, took fire at the American cry of Liberty, and therefore asked leave to embark and join the Provincial forces, which was peremptorily refused him;  in consequence of which he set off post from Marseilles with all possible secrecy;  but the matter getting wind, he was pursued by the proper officers with a "lettre de cachet", who however arrived at the port, but just in time to see him step on board the vessel, which instantly got under weigh, and wasted him on the other side the Atlantic, where she now continues in the Provincial service.  The French Government however have struck his name out of the list of their army, as an example to the other regiments in their service.

 

A lady of family and fortune in Grosvenor-street, who does honour to the elevated situation of life in which Providence has placed her, on Sunday evening last discharged four of her servants at a moment's warning, for being detected at card playing the same evening.

By the latest dispatches from New York, we have the following particulars respecting GENERAL LEE: -

He is confined in a very decent room in the Guards house, contiguous to which is a small room in which he sleeps, is accompanied by the officers that are on guard over him, with whom he freely converses, but never on the subject of the present disputes with the Colonies.

He is allowed all necessaries that are requisite, and amongst others a bottle of wine per diem.

He is careless in his apparel, and generally wears a brown short coat, or rather a jacket, and GENERAL HOWE, (who has not yet seen him), gave orders, from his first being taken, that he might, although a Traitor to his King and Country, be treated with that humanity as on all occasions should distinguish the character of a British soldier.

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