halls wilmington gazette no i 3 .] . thursday march 30 i 797 . lvoi 1 armistice on the lower rhine reliance under the protection of providence — on the wifdoin and firmncls of his parlia ment on the tried valour of his forces by fca and by land and on the zcaly public 1'pirit and reionrres or his kinj/dum for viirourous and effectual lupport iu the pro fecution of a coutelt winch it does not de peinl onliiimajelty to terminate and which involves in it the fecurity and permanent in terclts of this country and of europe " g hex being french ami with views hoftile toriitj country but does not appear to know wnc ther the whole fleet f which confined ola bodl 17 fail of the line 1 frigates and in eluding tranfports and lugger amount.ng to 50 f^iil were all toateinoleac bantry biy gen hoche was on bond cominandiig a con(iderabl force cologne december 16 an armiltice has jull taken place on the lower rhine and the generals of both ar mies have agreed to the following articles fubjeift to a future ratification : tit the troops of the refpective armies fliall go into cantonments forthe winter the french behind the w upper and the auuvi aus behind the sieg ad the pofitiona occupied by the two armies refpectively at the moment the nr miilicc takes plac :, fliall be rc-ocenpied on the renewal ot hollilities till that period the pofitions flin'l be guarded by polls not ceedinjr 25 hi ',, 3d the tet iu pont at nieuwied fliall bedifanned and the french hall leave on ly a guard of 2 men this convention was fipned on the 7tli of dec by generals kray and kleber and the troops have in conlequence one into win ter quarters % divifion of the army cl the north who wjere rationed near miilleim go back into holland it is olfo uiideillrod tuat the cavs ry will be cantoned in the dilt ri(5lotguej e >». i bave the honour to he " my lord •' i'llham january a invasion ok ireland we have now ro impart to the public thgri molt fatisfatttory intelligence refpectin ttw french ttect which lately failed from bicft on saturday morning a difputch was re ceived at the admiralty from vice ad in col poys dated n monday lad the 261 1 n off brett that difpatch hates that tw mrhifh ad niral had received huellige.uce.wf t!ie kreiron fleet having been difaerfea in a gale of wind ; and on lie morning of hi day on when lie wnitp upon * to clear ill bwdvj lie pevceived ix kill of lie e ic niy's line tanding right towards his lie at the french unfortunately perceived their hauler rime enough to crti-ct tiirir efcape into breft the admiral likewijc hates tin lots of ihe p'rencli line of battle hip of 74 guni the sedufanr which is nieniioned in t ue french journals of the 7ih uec bhe had no lefs man 1800 feaineil wiki trooja on bond upwards of iooo of whom perifhed chi saturday nighc difpatchel were like wite received at cue admiralty from admiral kingfimll dated the 29th ult from qork rating that 8 ail of kreuch line ot baule hips with fume irigates sec appeared f biiury biy on tilt poiithweh coatt*of ire ian i ontheaa i , on the 24th they anchored in the bay i'ney remained tlicre the wind hi vuii hard till die 27th wlv n they nude ftil to pjc to fca wicu a foul wind they did not a tempt to land a man during the time they ttsid in the bay but a boat in en k*a\'uringtop.if>fro 11 one hip to another was i > wn on hare and a lieutenant and 7 msn wiiich were in the boar vrere n<ade pri . fiiiisrs tilde lite that this is x>t of a fleet which lately ( : i!ed from breit ; that they had tnetw th fome feverr weatlier luce they ha 1 been out and that their hyec had been difperfed ; that hoche was to command the expedition but that they did not even then know its deltination the p-ople of the country up.ni the firft appearance of the french fleet armed tiiemlelves and hewed the m 11 loyal difpofition ; and if the weather li id permitted an attempt at laud ing theie i nodoubt that they woul 1 have given the enemy a proper reception it was the opinion of featuring men tuar the french fleet could not weather the rocks at rhe eu trtnee of the bay in atempting to gee out oa the 27th notice had been immediately font to admiral colpoys on tin firlt appear a;ice of the french fleet and orders were immediately difparched to lord bridport to put to iea on the receipt of the intelligence at the admiralty b that we hope to hear a further account of thefe hip before they can recover bred harbour bantry bay this place the fo often fnppofeo reno*r i -. ' '•* **♦ j ■}*&.'■ ti ,» lie tf •• of trance hfltimhuuj ihrtnt 4 >....^« troni die city and 30 from the narbour of cork on the fotithweft coaft of ireland i v is a fafe and fpacious bay and deep enough for hips of any burden it is peculiarly lav enable la filch an enterprise the adjacent country being fertile plenteous in the extreme ii it vei y litr • dittance from kerry but from the military garrifbns of cork harloir car liflr fort weftmorelaucl fort haulbnurlint ifl;uid flie bead of t lie cove of cuk the city of cork from kiufale and clta'les fort in kinfalc a force of volumeers egulart cavalry and iniliti equal to oppodng any number of troops which the frenchfieet may attetnpi to and may he eafilv colccied we received on saturday bv ex|ii'cfs pa ris papers of the 26th and 97th ulr the niolr intevt'lling intelligence theybrinp aid it is interefting indeed is the ajcount of a declaration f'aicl to be made by lliekingof pi uffia cxpreflivc of that monarch's deter mination 10 protect thofe princes of the em pire who have finned feparate treaties with the french and have on that arcounr re fuf.d to fupply ih«ir contingencies for the imperial army bgainlt puiiifliment they have reafon to dread from their juflly of fended chief thus then has lie unfortu nate death of the imperial catharine already begun to operate on the politics of the con tinent | for without this event thistreach erout monarch would not have dated to fanction in others that breath of allegiance which lie hatf committed himfclf ami wliicu has offered a mod pernicious example tr his own fubjecis who are not bound to him by any tie more flrong more facred than that by which as a prince to the empire he wae bound to its lawful chief i ondon january i we yeft jrday received paris papers to the s7th inch five — ey contain a repotf that the kini of prullia has itfned a declaration promidp.j to dcfeiul baden wernn.he g and tli't other members of the germanic bo . y wyiio in couferjuence of their invina "^•<-' peace with france were tlireutncd j0 liiltile nieafures by tlie emperor — should chere unfortunately be foundation for this rumour the fit nation of the empe ror mull become eiiibarrafting in thdhighefl degree and germany probably be difira^ted by inteltine war the german accounts from italy ftnte that buonaparte has made an unfurcefsl til attempt upon mantua ; and the retreat of the auitrians is apcribed to a new p]jn of o perations beth armies received coniv.f ra ble reinforcements and alvinzy's head quarters were 45 italian miles from thofe of the french mr secretary dundas on the fubject of the late negotiation for peace brought up on the 26th the following meflage from his tnajelty to the houfe of commons : '* george r " it is with the ut-mofr concern that in's majtrty acquainis the houfe of commons that his earneft endeavors to effect the refto ration of peace have been unhappily frufl rated and that the negociation in which he was engaged has been abruptly broken oif by the peremptory refufal of the french go vernment to treat — except upon a bafis evi dently inadmifliule — and by their having in confluence required his majefty's plenipo tentiary to quit paris within forty-eight hours " his majefty has directed the feveral me morials and papers which have been exchan ged in the courfe of the hte difculfion and the account tranfmitted to his majeity of its final refult to be laid before the houfe " from thefe papers his majeity truft it will be proved to the whole world that his conduct has been guided by a fincere de lire to effect the restoration of peace — on principles fuited to the relative fituarion of the belligerent powers — and eflential for the permanent imerefts of his kingdoms and the general fecurity of europe — whilft his enemies have advanced pretenfions at once inconfiflent with thofe objects unfupported even to the grounds on which they were pro felled to reft and repugnant both to the fy ftem eftablidied by repeated treaties and to the principles and practice which have hi therto regulated the intercourfe of indepen dent nations " in this fituatton his tnajefty has tlie confolation of reflecting that the continu ance of the calamities of war can be imput ed only to the unjnft and exorbitant views of his enemies and his inajdrv looking forward with anxifty tothe moment when they may be difpofed toact ondifferent prin eiplcs places in the mean time the fulleft we may then probably have to tlank his pruflian imiefty for the haughty rtjccli on of our term by the rlcfpotic lovcrei^iis of france and for the cohcqnent prolonga tion of the war — we may have to thank that inachi ive'.mi policy whic marks the whole conduct of his italian minifter which regard the obligation of treaties as no lonjrrr to be ohlerveil than ambition diclatri aiiti intereit fugi;c^s their obfervance ; which confitlers the bonds of good faith as objects of herifion ; and which lo«»ks on the ries of honour with contempt for the obtlinacj and arrogance or our minifters fomided on prein fes thac reflec'l eternal dif^race on thofe who made them thisdifliononrable aitempt to enfeeble the exertions of our ally whofe fuperiority of mind whofe elevaietl character whofe inviolable adherence to treaties and whof glor'o 08 perfevcrance in an honourable canfe ; in hort the perfect contrail of whofe character mull naturally have excited envy and diflike cannot be too ttrongly reprobated not only by every bri ton but by every friend to truth and virtue let not however this punic prince in dulge a premature exultation on the deve lopemeiu of his dark machinations let him recur to the page of hiltory ami he will find fnffirient reafon for believing that he will never be fuffered quietly to overthrow the germanic conftitutiou which he is hound by an oath to protect : nor by the dif fnfion of thole jacobinical principles of amr chy and innovation which he fblrmnly pledged himfelf in the face of europe to ic fiit to acquire a preponderance in the em pire founded on the b;ife invafion of the facred rights of a prince who has never vio lated any engagement nor forfeited in any degree his claim to the refpeit and efte^m of the prefent ajre and of polteri'y there re itill we trull fufllcicut force aiui energy lalt night about ten o'clock an exprefs ar rived in town with di punches from dublin caftle to the duke of portland upon the above fubject the account at dublin re prefeuted the french fleet at bantry bay to confilt of 17 ail of the line but we have every reason to believe that admiral kingl mill's latemciit if more corretf the following official letter appeared in a dublin paper of the 301b ult to the lord mayor of dublin dublin cattle dec 29 « my lord " the lad accounts from prn danrymple are by his aid-de-camp captain gorton who left bantry at ten a m on tnefilay and arrived here this morning 1 7 fail of french fliipiof the line were at that time at anchor at the lower part of bear ifland but at fuch a diftance as their force could not be nicer ttined the lieutenant of a french frigate was driven on fliore in his boat going from jiu veflel which was difmafted to the ad miral—he confirms the account of the fleet