Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez Volume II Part 20

SIR,

I have received the honour of your letters dated the 14th and 16th inst., informing me of your sudden departure from Stockholm, of which I had been previously apprised by Admiral Krusenstjerna. However deeply I must regret being deprived at this crisis of your important communications, I hope your arrival in England will be the means of furnis.h.i.+ng Government with information relative to the state of Sweden, of which they could not otherwise have been in possession.

The instructions I have received, containing the modifications upon the coasting trade of this country, have given me infinite satisfaction; and I am happy to find, from what you have been pleased to mention on the subject, that the moderation with which I have acted has been highly approved of by the Swedish Government.

Having written my last courier to Captain Honeyman, senior officer in Hawke Road, directing him to appropriate one of the s.h.i.+ps upon the station to convey you and your suite to Yarmouth, or any other port you desired, I trust he will be able to accommodate you to your satisfaction.

With my best wishes for your speedy and safe pa.s.sage.

I have, &c. &c.

JAMES SAUMAREZ.

To his Excellency Augt. Foster, &c. &c. &c.

The following farewell letter, written by Mr. Foster to Sir James on leaving Sweden, gives a more decided opinion on the state of Sweden than has. .h.i.therto been offered. It concludes the correspondence.

The politics of Sweden have necessarily undergone a great change. The death of the Crown Prince has completed the disasters of the nation, and such is its present state of weakness and discouragement, that I cannot consider the Swedes as having any longer a shadow of independence. Their exposed local situation, will prevent their taking any offensive measures of hostility against us; the futility of any effort of the sort prevents its being exacted from them by Buonaparte; but I have recommended strongly to the merchants here, who have British property, to place it under neutral cover, and by no means to expose themselves in any way through a want of proper precaution. I have had the satisfaction to find they have attended to my advice.

Give me leave, sir, to repeat my best thanks for the communications you continued to honour me with during my residence in Sweden, and to a.s.sure you that I am, with great regard and esteem,

Sir, &c. &c.

A. Foster.

To his Excellency Admiral Sir James Saumarez.

Some false reports having been circulated that the cruisers under the orders of Sir James had captured several Swedish s.h.i.+ps bound to England and other ports, from which the English flag was not excluded, the Right Hon. Charles Yorke, then first Lord of the Admiralty, wrote a private letter to Sir James accompanying the modification of the order already alluded to, and directing that any captures made under its operation might be restored. To which communication Sir James made the following reply:

Victory, 20th June 1810.

SIR,

I have this morning received the honour of your letter on the subject of the trade of Sweden, in which you are pleased to observe that the Marquess of Wellesley had communicated to you that he had received information that some of the s.h.i.+ps under my orders have detained and captured some s.h.i.+ps from a Swedish port destined to the port of London, to which I beg leave to state that the information must have been incorrect, the detention or capture of any vessel of that description being contrary to the orders I have given to the cruisers on this station, and no report having been made to me of any having been detained. I beg further to observe, that to every application made to me by any of the merchants, I gave my decided opinion that Swedish s.h.i.+ps trading to England, or to those countries where Swedish produce was admitted, were not liable to detention, and that they would not be molested by the cruisers under my orders. Knowing the extreme distress that Sweden must suffer from the interruption of her coasting trade, I acted upon the instructions I received with the utmost possible moderation, consistent with the tenor of those instructions. They were not acted upon until I had an opportunity of communicating with the Consul at Gothenburg, and some of the princ.i.p.al merchants, who appeared perfectly satisfied with the indulgence I allowed to the trade of Sweden under the existing circ.u.mstances, and the same has been signified to me by the Swedish Government, who have expressed themselves satisfied with the mildness and consideration with which I have uniformly acted to this country. I shall therefore feel most sensibly, if any unfavourable cases have been made by misstatements upon any part of my conduct since I came upon this station. There being no immediate appearance of the Russian fleet putting to sea, I propose to remain here some time longer, for the greater facility of communicating with England, as well as for accelerating the trade from this rendezvous.

I have the honour to be, with great regard, &c.

JAMES SAUMAREZ.

To the Right Hon. C. Yorke.

Everything being now adjusted to the satisfaction of both Governments, the trade was carried on by means of licences to the ports in Russia and Prussia, while the Swedish coasters and packets met with no interruption. The Swedes began to look for a successor to the throne to fill the place of the late lamented Crown Prince. The candidates were the King of Denmark, the Prince of Oldenburg, and the French General Bernadotte, the Prince of Ponte Corvo. The last was proposed by Count Morner, to whom he had shown much kindness when a prisoner.

In order to secure his election he sent over a large sum of money by means of the Swedish Stralsund packets, which performed their voyage unmolested; and the first intimation of this event was obtained by the author about the 15th of August, when he met the waggons loaded with specie on their route from Ystad to Stockholm. Soon after which he was informed that Admiral Krusenstjerna was to arrive at Carlsham on the 20th, and he accordingly met him with Sir James's a.s.surance, that he would be received on board the Victory and permitted to depart after having made his communication to the Admiral.

This will be best explained by Sir James's public despatches to the first Lord of the Admiralty, of which the following is a copy.

Victory, Hano Bay, 21st Aug. 1810.

SIR,

Admiral Krusenstjerna has done me the honour this morning to come on board the Victory, with a verbal communication which he has been charged to make to me from the King of Sweden relative to the election of an heir apparent to the throne. After expressing to me the regard and confidence of his Swedish Majesty for my services to Sweden, Admiral Krusenstjerna signified to me that he was desired by his Swedish Majesty to communicate to me his Swedish Majesty's intentions to maintain the harmony and good understanding that subsist between the respective nations, in which the interest of Sweden is so particularly concerned. In order to the maintenance of that harmony, as well as for the existence of Sweden, it was indispensable that the Government should be headed by a person who was independent, and not liable to submit to the will of others. He was directed to inform me that of the four persons who have been proposed to be successor to the throne of Sweden, the Prince of Augustenburg had declined the acceptance of that distinction, in favour of his Majesty the King of Denmark, but who, from political circ.u.mstances, was _not_ considered eligible. The Prince of Oldenburg had also been mentioned, but insuperable objections also arose to prevent the choice fixing upon his Serene Highness. The Prince of Ponte Corvo, through the medium of the Swedish minister at Paris, had offered himself a candidate for the high situation, and was the person recommended by the King of Sweden to the Diet now a.s.sembled at Orebro, to be successor to the late Crown Prince.

Admiral Krusenstjerna was also instructed to signify to me that the Prince of Ponte Corvo, in offering himself for this distinction, had professed his firm intentions, as far as depended on him, to maintain the relative situations between England and Sweden, and that his proposing himself was without the partic.i.p.ation of Buonaparte. He further mentioned that he was of all others the person who would have the firmness to oppose the intentions of Buonaparte, or his agents and ministers, in the intercourse with other countries.

The Admiral was further directed to signify to me that the King of Sweden earnestly hoped that this communication would be acceptable to the King, my august sovereign, and that it would be considered as an additional proof of his earnest wish to preserve the harmony and friends.h.i.+p that have so long subsisted between the two nations.

I requested that Admiral Krusenstjerna would put down in writing the substance of the communication he had to make to me, which he declined, being contrary to the instructions he had received. I have, however, stated the particulars of the whole communication, as nearly as I possibly can from memory.

I have the honour to be, &c.

JAMES SAUMAREZ.

To the Right Hon. C. Yorke, &c. &c. &c.

The Swedish Government, aware that objections would probably be made by the English ministers to the election of a French general in the service of Buonaparte, as successor to the throne of Sweden, had so managed that the above communication should not be made until too late for any remonstrance. The following message from the King to the Diet had been delivered, and their decision was expected before Admiral Krusenstjerna could return to Orebro.

"His Royal Majesty Charles XIII, King of Sweden, &c. Our most gracious proposition and message to the Diet now a.s.sembled respecting the election of a successor to the Crown of Sweden," &c.

Orebro, 10th August 1810.

At this crisis the States of Sweden having met, and since the last Diet more than three months having elapsed, every good Swede must have reflected on his situation. After great misfortunes and innumerable troubles, the kingdom appeared to be a little calm. Three treaties of peace which have taken place have unfortunately diminished the territory of Sweden. A n.o.ble Prince at the side of the throne, by his virtue, talents, and abilities, promised new regulations and orders, which the King and the people had already forwarded. His manner of appointing the army gives an excellent proof of the good choice made by our native country; but a great national misfortune occurred, by which our hopes were destroyed.

His Royal Majesty dwelt on that hope, and overwhelmed with grief, his sorrowful heart beheld Sweden's last misfortune. The Crown Prince, Carl August, is no more, and a cloud has overcast the joyful and bright days of our native country. With a heart rent by sorrow and affliction, his Royal Majesty has a.s.sembled the Diet, on this occasion to repair the loss. His Royal Majesty sees on our side endless disputes and disturbances throughout the realm. His Royal Majesty's years are far advanced, and he wishes to employ his last days for his people's repose. He will be happy when he has seen his people unanimous, and their swords sheathed, and the laws and const.i.tution kept sacred; then he will end his days happily, and at the present time will give them a proof of his love for his native country by proposing a successor to the throne, whose talents, virtues, and abilities are universally admitted.

With the utmost tenderness for the welfare of his subjects, he now recommends a prompt decision on the choice of an heir to the Crown, and offers to the voice of his people, as his choice, the Prince of Ponte Corvo, whose name is brightened by his glorious deeds and laurels of honour, and whose unparalleled services deservedly obtained them. His renowned knowledge as a statesman has astonished every body; his mildness and compa.s.sion, even to an enemy, have gained him the respect and affection of all ranks. Separated from the misfortunes which have hitherto attended Swedish warriors, we must judge of the Prince with the most tender sensations, and with them he will use the sword. Indeed, all the circ.u.mstances have convinced his Royal Majesty, and having maturely considered the nation's public and secret affairs, his Royal Majesty recommends him to be elected as his heir.[11]

[11] Translated from the Swedish by Lieutenant J. Ross.

According to this recommendation the Prince of Ponte Corvo was elected on the 21st of August, the very day on which the communication was made by Admiral Krusenstjerna, but, as it was reported, not without opposition by the friends of the son of the deposed King, Gustavus the IVth, Adolphus, and it was even said that had the numbers on each side been counted the majority would have been in his favour.

After Sir James had sent off the despatch of the 21st, he had another conference with the Swedish Admiral, who then returned with Sir James's a.s.surance that the conference should be faithfully reported.

On the 22nd he sent off another courier with a despatch, of which the following is an extract:

Victory, Hano Bay, 22nd August 1810.

SIR,

Having heard the various motives a.s.signed by Admiral Krusenstjerna for the election of the Prince of Ponte Corvo to be the successor to the Crown of Sweden, I observed to him that I extremely regretted that this communication had not been made in time to enable me to obtain the sentiments of my Government, previous to the election taking place. That it was probable the election of a general officer in the service of the most inveterate enemy that England had to oppose would be highly obnoxious to his Majesty's Government, and I earnestly urged him to entreat the King of Sweden to delay the election until I could receive a return to the letters I would immediately send to England by an express. I repeatedly pressed this point to Admiral Krusenstjerna, who intimated that the election would be decided before he could return to Orebro, as it was understood to take place during the present week.

On his observing that Prince Ponte Corvo was the only one of the four candidates that could be accepted by Sweden, and requesting me who, in my opinion, ought to be elected, I immediately replied that I considered the son of the deposed monarch, Gustavus Adolphus, was the person who naturally presented himself as the most proper successor to the throne of Sweden, and that the age and state of health of the reigning monarch led to the expectation that he would live until the Prince became of age. He stated that the King at this time required the aid and a.s.sistance of a military character, possessed of strength of mind and energy to govern the country, and who also would have the spirit to maintain her in her foreign relations, and in resisting the power of Russia and France, which he said Bernadotte had faithfully promised to do.

Admiral Krusenstjerna expressed repeatedly his confidence in my reporting the communication in the most favourable terms to his Majesty's ministers, adding, that on this would greatly depend the light in which it would be considered. I uniformly replied, that was not in my power, but that his Swedish Majesty might be a.s.sured of my transmitting a faithful report of what he had done me the honour to communicate.

In a Postscript to this letter, which was addressed to the Right Hon.

Charles Yorke, he says,--

Lieutenant Ross of the Victory, who went on sh.o.r.e with the Swedish Admiral, was requested to inform me, that he had omitted to mention, that the Prince of Ponte Corvo had promised to invest all the property he possessed, said to amount to eight millions sterling, in Sweden, as a pledge of his intentions to maintain the country in her foreign relations.

The next packet from England brought the accounts of Sir James's promotion to the rank of Vice-admiral of the Red, and also the confirmation of several appointments made by the Admiral on the station.

We may now mention the answer given by Mr. Yorke to the two last despatches, although dated on the 18th of September. After acknowledging the receipt of them, communicating the election of Bernadotte as successor to the Crown of Sweden, he says,--

These interesting papers, which confirmed accounts that had been previously received of this extraordinary transaction, have been communicated to the King's ministers. I have at present only to express to you my sense of the prudent and proper manner in which you appear to have conducted yourself on this occasion in your conversation with the Swedish Admiral, and to acquaint you that the earnest desire entertained by his Majesty's Government of preserving the relations of peace and amity with Sweden, as long as possible, remains unalterable.