Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez Volume II Part 17

I delivered to Baron Platen your message. He is, however, quite despondent as to the possibility now of an attack upon land.

Count ----, it really appears, might have taken a stronger position, so as to prevent the escape of Kaminski. The time that will now be lost in his pursuit being fatal, renders future operations equally so.

The Baron means to write to you, and I shall detain the King's messenger Meares; whom, not having anybody else to send, I am obliged to despatch to Dalero until this letter is ready.

The negotiation at Frederickshamn, as far as I can understand, is proceeding slowly. The demands of Russia continue peremptory, as before, upon the cessions required. On the article respecting us, some propositions of a modifying nature have been offered by the Russians; such as though the general preliminary for excluding from Swedish ports is still insisted on, that colonial goods, salt, and raw produce of various kinds, amounting to almost every thing that is not actually prohibited by the Swedish laws, shall be considered as exceptions. But on the question of the s.h.i.+ps, and particularly of the s.h.i.+ps of war of Great Britain, I am afraid, in the present state of things, that Sweden will not obtain a peace without a stipulation for their exclusion.

Under this conviction I have addressed myself to Baron Engerstrom, representing to him the danger that his Majesty's s.h.i.+ps might be exposed to in keeping the seas at the perilous season of the year if no ports were open to them; and I requested of him to give me early intelligence if Sweden were disposed to consent to this article, and as to when it might be put into execution. The Swedish minister gave me the most solemn a.s.surances that he would not fail to communicate to me full time enough if this country should be obliged to enter into such stipulations; and observed that, although necessity might oblige them to act against their wishes, yet that they would _always be honest_. He likewise remarked that preliminary conditions were not at any rate to be put in force until the peace was ratified; and that, before that event should take place, arrangements were to be entered into relative to the ceded provinces, which would necessarily cause a very considerable delay; so that he would not look upon a final arrangement with Russia as being likely to ensue before the winter should set in, and render navigation impracticable.

The Swedish minister has frequently remarked to me, that, even if a treaty should be signed by which Sweden should bind herself to exclude us from her ports, such an obligation could only extend to those that were capable of defence; but that there were innumerable inlets and harbours which were not commanded by cannon, and which of course could not be included.

One of the propositions to be put forward will, I have reason to think, be grounded upon this state of the coasts; and it will be offered to close the large harbours, mentioning them by name, leaving the rest open. I should be glad to know what you think of these speculations of the Swedish cabinet on so interesting a point. If the Earthholmes are taken, I suppose you will not be very anxious about them. I forward to you two German papers from Mr. Fenwick, and two of Pelletier's papers, which you may like to see, and have an occasion to forward to Mr. Drusina. The Hamburg Gazette says the armistice is broken in Germany, and there are reports of two battles.

I have, &c. &c. &c.

AUGT. FOSTER.

Vice-admiral Sir James Saumarez.

Victory, Gulf of Finland, 8th Sept. 1809.

SIR,

I had the honour to receive yesterday your letter of the 2nd inst., and I am truly concerned to find the success of the Swedish expedition has been so very inadequate to what was reasonably to have been expected, and that the delay in endeavouring to cut off the retreat of the Russian troops will render it too late to make the intended attack upon land. The terms persisted in by Russia appear to be very severe; but I apprehend Sweden will be obliged to make the most of them, from the slender means she has of defending herself during the winter months, when the country will be exposed to danger of an invasion. It is a fortunate circ.u.mstance that the navigation has been so long protracted as to enable the trade to proceed hitherto out of the Baltic, and as considerable delay must still take place before the peace can be ratified, it will afford sufficient time for the s.h.i.+ps that are loading in the Russian ports to a.s.semble at Carlscrona before the exclusion can be enforced. The period agreed upon for the last convoy to sail from Carlscrona was fixed to the 15th Nov., till which time, at least, we must hope the ports will be open, both to s.h.i.+ps of war and the trade. Should you think it advisable, it might be mentioned to the Swedish minister (Baron Engerstrom) that if the stipulation of exclusion is absolutely insisted upon, that it is hoped that it will not be put in force till the winter is too far advanced to admit any s.h.i.+ps sailing from the ports of Russia.

It will be proper to know from Baron Engerstrom if the notice that was signified in the spring, of not allowing more than five or six pendants at a time at Carlscrona or other ports in Sweden, is insisted upon at present, in order that I may regulate myself accordingly. At the same time, as tempestuous weather in going down the Baltic, or other circ.u.mstances, may render it advisable for the whole squadron to enter Carlscrona, I would wish orders to be given for that purpose, and that the pilots may be directed to go out to s.h.i.+ps making the signal. I shall be obliged to you to let me know by the return of this vessel the determination of the Swedish government upon this point.

It is my wish to remain in the Gulf of Finland as long as is possible, consistent with the safety of his Majesty's s.h.i.+ps; but as the equinoctial gales may soon be expected, and as it will become indispensable to withdraw the s.h.i.+ps, particularly those stationed in Makelato Bay, I could wish to be informed whether it becomes of importance to Sweden for the squadron to remain in this sea any longer, and which I also request you will let me know, by the return of the vessel that conveys this, with as little delay as possible. I forward some papers I yesterday received from Pillau; you will find the armistice has been prolonged for a fortnight with fourteen days' warning, but it was expected hostilities would re-commence the middle of the present month.

I sincerely congratulate you upon the surrender of Flus.h.i.+ng. I hope we shall soon hear that the other objects of the expedition have been accomplished, particularly as far as regards the capture or destruction of the enemy's s.h.i.+ps in the Scheldt. I delivered to Captain Ross the Cross of the Order of the Sword, which was enclosed to me by Count de Morner. He will be happy to avail himself of this signal mark of distinction, on receiving his Majesty's gracious permission. Permit me to request your having the goodness to forward the enclosed to Count Morner.

I have, &c. &c. &c.

JAMES SAUMAREZ.

Augt. Foster, Esq.

&c. &c. &c.

Stockholm, Sept. 7th, 1809.

SIR,

Your private letter of the 5th inst. has reached me with extraordinary despatch. By this time you will, I trust, have had mine of the 2nd: I have nothing to add to the statement I then made to you of the appearance of affairs in Sweden, except that an armistice has been offered by General Kaminski, which will probably be accepted. Platen is in great despondency, and says he never will be sanguine about anything again. The generals have certainly not done as they might. As far as the council and the navy were concerned, all was well combined, but the army was ill posted, and Wachtmeister has shown that he has but a very poor head. Unless the Russians are disposed to change sides, the negotiation at Frederickshamn is not likely to be benefited by these events. You must calculate on this country yielding, if the ministers are pressed strongly, to the terms demanded. I see no means they have of resisting. It is a mutilated land, and the resources that remain are ill managed, while the debt is rapidly increasing.

Baron de Platen desires me to say he will send you the plan you demanded of St. Petersburg by the next opportunity; it is copying, and not quite ready. I have the honour to send to you a couple of the last French papers. Lieut. Allen delivered to me your letter, and I shall endeavour to get him a seat in the messengers' carriage to-morrow night.

I should be glad to know when you think of quitting the Gulf with the fleet, and how soon the navigation becomes dangerous.

If an armistice between the hostile armies in West Bothnia takes place, in all probability the squadron in land's Haf will be no longer necessary there.

I have, &c. &c. &c.

AUGT. FOSTER.

To Vice-admiral Sir James Saumarez.

P.S.--I send you a paper of the 26th, a day later than any here, which I have got from the packets having been detained a day in Harwich. I hope you will be able to send the French papers to Mr. Drusina. I beg to submit the suggestion of the advantage of as frequent a return of the despatch vessel to Dalero, at this period, as is convenient to you.

The armistice between France and Austria appears to have been prolonged, some say twenty-eight days, some eighteen: it is said proposals have been made to us. I can think of none that would be palatable.

Stockholm, 15th Sept. 1809.

SIR,

On the day before yesterday Mr. Reynolds delivered to me your letters of the 8th and 9th inst, as also a despatch containing three letters addressed to me from Pillau, for which I beg to return you my best thanks. I had already taken occasion, some days back, to prepare Baron d'Engestrom for the moment, when, in consequence of the lateness of the season, a formal notification might be made to him, on your part, of the impossibility of your much longer keeping the seas you are in; and I lost no time in soliciting an interview of the Swedish Minister for the purpose of obtaining from him the information which you desire in your letter above mentioned.

I stated to his excellency that you were anxious to know whether it became of importance to Sweden that the squadron under your orders should remain in the sea in which it is any time longer. I laid stress upon the circ.u.mstance that the only object which you now had in remaining in the Gulf of Finland was the defence of Sweden, and to cover the expedition in West Bothnia; and I did not fail to remark upon the season being advanced, and the dangers to which his Majesty's s.h.i.+ps might be exposed by a longer stay in the Gulf of Finland, though at the same time I thought it advisable to dwell upon the sincere wish which I was sure you had to do everything in your power, short of endangering the safety of the fleet, that might be judged desirable by the Swedish Government for the further defence of this country.

Baron d'Engestrom asked to consult his sovereign upon the answer to be made, and yesterday he appointed an hour in the evening for me to wait upon him. I had previously written to him in the morning a letter of which the enclosed is a copy, from the warmth with which he a.s.sured me that at all events, and under whatever stipulations, peace might be made between Sweden and her enemies. His Majesty's s.h.i.+ps under your command, to whose efforts Sweden was so much indebted, should have no reason to dread the result, or your excellency have cause to be anxious, lest an article for the exclusion of British s.h.i.+ps from the Swedish ports should be suddenly enforced, even if Sweden were finally to be under the necessity of agreeing to a treaty containing it. I was afraid that the Swedish Minister might labour under the mistake of imagining that a suspicion of such a state of things being likely to take place, might possibly be connected with your desire to withdraw from the Gulf of Finland at the present moment, and I therefore judged it advisable, without making an official note of it, to write the letter, a copy of which I enclose, and which I hope will meet with your approbation.

On seeing the minister I found he was fully sensible of the motives by which you were guided; he thanked you for the a.s.sistance you had given to Sweden on the part of his sovereign, who, he said, was penetrated with the delicacy of your conduct to this country. If you could not keep your station in the narrow Gulf of Finland, he hoped that you might be able to remain at least in the Baltic, until the accounts from Fredericksham should become more decided; and as to the squadron in land Haf, he observed, that Admiral Puke was soon expected, when the service of that squadron would no longer be wanted; he wished it to remain till then, which would be a few days longer.

As I had demanded, in conformity with your desire, if the regulation of last spring, which limited the number of his Majesty's pendants that might be in Carlscrona or other ports of Sweden, was still to be considered in force, he answered me, that with respect to the s.h.i.+ps under your orders, any number of them, or all, might enter into Carlscrona or any other port, and procure what they stood in need of; and he offered to give me a written engagement to that effect, which I expressed a desire to have, and it is for that I wait in order to despatch the Hero.

I have, &c. &c. &c.

AUGT. FOSTER.

To Vice-admiral Sir James Saumarez, &c. &c. &c.

Stockholm, Sept. 16th, 1809.

SIR,

Lieut. Reynolds having been so long detained, without entering into particulars, I shall only mention that peace is on the point of being signed between Sweden and Russia; an officer arrived yesterday from Fredericksham, and on the 18th or 20th the signature is expected. The exclusion of British s.h.i.+ps and merchandise is one of the articles; but those under your command, and the merchant s.h.i.+ps now in the Baltic or at Gottenburg, M. d'Engestrom has a.s.sured me, are to be excepted from its operations.

I have the honour to enclose to you a copy of the note which I have this moment received from the Swedish minister, in answer to the propositions you had made. The minister remarked to me, that though he should not mention it in the note, yet that he trusted you, in using the ports of Sweden, would be cautious of committing the government of Sweden. Both he and Baron Platen are desirous that you should still keep the sea near the Gulf of Finland, in order to influence their negotiation; certain British goods are still to be admitted. I shall despatch a messenger to Captain Reynolds the moment Admiral Puke arrives.

I have, &c. &c. &c.

AUGT. FOSTER

To Vice-admiral Sir James Saumarez, &c. &c. &c.

Victory, off Nargen, 19th Sept. 1809.

SIR,

I had the honour yesterday evening to receive your letters of the 15th and 16th inst., enclosing the copy of one you had written to Baron d'Engestrom, and of that minister's answer to your letter. It affords me great satisfaction to find that the Swedish government have so readily acquiesced in the representation you were pleased to make to them of the expediency of the squadron leaving the Gulf of Finland, in consequence of the present advanced state of the season, and also of the ready concurrence with the proposal that all the squadron, if required, should be admitted into the ports of Sweden, without adverting to the number that had been previously limited.

I request you will do me the honour to a.s.sure Baron d'Engestrom, that I shall not withdraw the squadron from this station until the weather renders it indispensable for the safety of his Majesty's s.h.i.+ps, and that, on my leaving the Gulf, I shall order a detachment to cruise between Daggerort and the Swedish coast, should it be further required. It is a fortunate circ.u.mstance that the preliminaries of peace were so far advanced as not to give a pretext for their being hastened by the squadron having been withdrawn from the station, and it affords me singular satisfaction to find that the government appears so strongly impressed with the measures that have been pursued for the welfare of Sweden.