, I 1 1 c ' .$ 1 ..,. 1 ; :: f• e a .. I' ''. . 6 f I i 4 ('"t I f t 1 • S i ,-. t STAN. 3. fish 74 is 500 men, but seldom is there an board, even on the home stations, more than from 460 to 480 men, and of these generally about On are foreigners, and about 60 are boys. The United States, in the recent eng agement, had a complement of 478 men, that is , 12 less tan the nominal complement of our 74's, and at least equal to the number that any 74 actually has on board. But a consideration of by far greater consequence than the quantity of men is their quality. horn the extended state of the British navy, it is impracticable to man our fleets with seamen. About 6-7ths of every ship's company are landmen ; and thus, in a 74, there are seldom more than 70 hands that can be put upon the forecastle or rated as able seamen. Now the Americans, having but few national vessels, are able to man their ships not only entirely with sailors, but with picked, choice sailors; and they have been but too successful in enticing some of our ablest hands to become their petty officers. THE ARETHUSA. Tla Morning, Chronicle, in the course of the week, felt it to be its paiifful duty, as it frequently does, to be the first to spread the news of a disaster, and accordingly put forth a positive and circumstantial account of the capture of the frigate Arethusa, with four millions of dollars on board.— This ship was stated to have been taken by the Americans, and carried into the Mississippi. No actual intelligence having been received of the fact, the statement was contro. verted. The Chronicle then informed its readers, that the frigate had been seen in a storm, and was expected to be taken possession of by the Americans. On this, it was first foolish enough to make the *count public, and on this absurd enough afterwards to defend it. It is now generally disbelieved altogether, as advices have been received of her down to the 27th of October, at which time she was " all well," having repaired some damages previously sustain ed in a gale of wind. • It had been confidently stated, for some days past, that the Belle Poule was seen with a French frigate in tow, which she had captured after an action of an hour and a half. Of this, such positive intelligence was received, that no one doubted the tact ; but the following paragraph in the Cou rier of yesterday destroys the pleasing illusion, and scarcely leaves it in OW power to hope that the information is cor rect. " We fear there is no truth in the account transmitted in the Plymouth letters yesterday, of the capture of a French frigate by the Belle Poule. They stated that she was actu ally seen in the offing in tow of the Belle Poule. Our let ters, however, from Plymouth this morning are silent upon the subject, and no account of such a capture has been re ceived at the Admiralty." Some further correspondence has been published by the American Government between Mr. RUSSELL and Lord C:ISTLEREAGH. The new overtures frown America called for the concessions before demanded, on the understanding that a Law should be passed to prevent British seainen enter ing into the service of the Vnited States. These as not essentially differing from those formerly made, and not con taiuing a specification of the Law to be enacted, were not deemed satisfactory, and accordingly rejected. The Minerva packet, Capt.W ans,arrived on Monday at Liverpool, from New York, as a Flag of Truce. Mr. Boss employed in the late mission from this country, arrived in this vessel with dispatches for Lord CASTLEREAGH, 110111 Mr. 13ATES, the British Diplomatic Agent at Washington. Those dispatches are stated to be of great importance, but no account of their contents has yet transpired latteri of the THE NATIONAL REGISTER. ii ^ , most recent ditc ft.( to New York bola otrt a strong hope that the negoc . iations will speedily take a pacific turn. The Minerva brought New York and Philadelphia papers to the 17th ult. They communicate Captain RODGEIIS'S official report of the capture of the Swallow packet., with 200,000 dollars on board. According to calculations in. the American papers, the American ships of war and privateers bad cap tured, up to the 15th ult. IS British vessel's, carrying al togetfiet 574 guns, and manned with 3106 nacu.: , •among thes?. arc Iwo British Frigates! We are sorry to state, that all hopes arc given ap of the safety of the Magnet sloop, commanded by Capt. Mautuct: she went out to join Sir Justri BURLASE WAP.REN, at Halifax, but no account of her has yet been received, an 4 it is supposed she must have foundered. Some farther details have appeared in an evening paper with regal d to the conspiracy of Generals NI AL ET and LA.- HOitt E. it is stated to have been part of thcbr plan to get possession of BUON AP ART E's wife, as well as her SQII, the King of Romn. With this view they bad sent her a letter, purporting to come from her father, the Emperor of AusTItIA. in which he informed her of the death of BuoN A LIA TE, her I husband, and desired her , in o r d er to avoid the troubles that would follow that event, to set oil immediately for Stirasburg,, where his Amba'sador would wait for leer; but the carriage in which she was to set off with her son would have ta'.:en the road to Dieppe instead of the road to Strasburg; and flow Dieppe she and the boy would have been sent to England. It is stated, that the Lords of Trade have at length come ' to the determination of putting a stop to the inteicours;e with France by licenses. An immense number latch been issued by Ar A TIT L, under the• expectation that they would be met by corresponding licenses from the Board of-Trade here, and the cessation of this indulgence w i ll ren der „ ins grant mete waste paper. The im p ertinent now given is, in course, not to be understood as aalicable to the li censes already issued from our Boaid, for the fulfilment of which the faith of the Government being pledged, the con cession made under them cannot be withdrawn. The 'Managers of the Opera•Comipt: at Paris have been punished by tine and inipilsonment, for negligence, on ac count of a late riot in that theatre, in which the statue'id BUON AP ART F. is represented to have been thrown down and trampled upon by the audience. It is pleasing to see, that whilst our countrymen so libe rally contribute to zu.siq the staeling W-s_ they are not forgetful of our own manufacturing and labouring poor. The Association lately established for their relict continue their exertions with indetati;able activity, and have already produced much benefit to our ( U,-tre:,,efi class Ls. In this work of beneficence all ranks, all ranks and professions are united, and fin m a monument of native patriotism. which yields as much gladness to the heart of the observer, as it does assistance to the spas of poverly arid %we. It is reported, that a ('out icr (tom Vienna arm I: ea at tits Foreign ()like, on W ednesday night, at eleven o'clock, with dispatches of impoi lance, which were immediately forwaided to Lord A•••11.1.:10 , .1S; W hen the la:t mail left Cottenburg on the the frost had set in with extreme bevel it Tlw t:owageux, and two or three merchantmen, frozen up, ale the only l3tii sh vessels now remaining there. A strong reinforcement 3!1-gun lately been ordered to lre built, and named as 1ollow.: . .11ealidcr, ructulas, Inter, Icarus, Nigt:r, Etidisnus, 11,c:rus, 0 - rin.tes, and