menaces

employed in proving the existence there were fit subjects of uneasi. of Buonaparte's designs upon Den

ness on this head. The principal mark. What appears to us to be amongst them, was the appointment much more material to establish, is of a minister for foreign affairs, in the inability or unwillingness of the person of count Romanzow, Denmark to resist them. Upon well known to be hostile to this one of these points, we have the country.

The immediate conseconfession of the Danish govern. quence of this appointment was, ment themselves, that they had not that the negotiation which had been the means of resisting; that it some time pending between the two would consequently have been folly countries, for a renewal of the ex. to attempt it. We have, moreover, pired commercial treaty, experi. the facts notorious to every one, enced unnecessary delays; the Bri. that no such attempt or preparation tish agents at the Russian court for it was ever made, even at the were treated with unaccustomed moment when the

of coolness and reserve; and frequent, France were the most loud, and although, at first, cautious commuher means of executing them ac. nications were observed to pass be. cumulated in the greatest and most tween the commanders of the Rus. impending force. But independ. sian and French armies, and soon ently of these circumstances, which afterwards between other agents of arose from the situation and coile those governments. The battle of duct of Denmark, tliere were others Friedland gave maturity to these of a more extensive origin, which, beginnings of Russian secession howeves, converged all to the same from the common cause. It led to point, and must have had a very a treaty of peace, the oflspring of decisive influence upon the ques. consummate knavery and address tion, which the British government on one side, and of the most puerile found itself called upon to resolve, imbecility of a timid mind on the

Early in the present year, there other. It produced the weak and had appeared symptoms of wavering insulting offer of mediation to Great and discontent on the part of the Britain, which gave a character to Russian cabinet. It is, indeed, the whole transaction, and shewed, true, that even subsequently to the beyond doubt, what other circumperiod to which this observation stances, and very authentic infor. applies, the personal conduct of the mation, went to establish, viz. that emperor of Russia was such, as to it was a question of nothing less weaken the distrust of him which than a combination of all the norththose symptoms were calculated to ern powers in one general league, suggest. He is even said to have to further the ambitious views of committed himself spontaneously, Buonaparte against the interests, and by the most solemn written the prosperity, and even the exista assurances, to adhere faithfully to ence of Great Britain, as a great the cause in which he was engaged, naval and commercial power. The and to allow no circumstances of character and conduct of the French distress, no reverse of fortuve, to agents and generals on the Danish shake his resolution. Nevertheless, frontier, added strength to this be. to an attentive and close observer, lief. The former openly announced

1

the intentions of their government; state of blockade--a most wise and and the latter indicated a ready de- humane precaution, calculated at termination to carry those inten. once to ensure the success of our tions into effect, by marching and enterprise, and to render it as countermarching their troops in the bloodless as possible, if it should way and directions most calculated be ultimately necessary to have reto excite alarm.

course to arms

The British army Such was the state of things, acconipanied the main body of the when the British government, ha. fleet to the Sound, where it was ving kept an attentive eye upon the reinforced by the troops that had transactions which led to it, deter- been for some time employed at mined to send to sea a powerful Stralsund and the isle of Rügen, military and naval armament, con. as auxiliaries to the king of Sweden. sisting of about 20,000 men, and a Lord Cathcart, who was with those fleet of 27 sail of the line, and ves. troops, was appointed to the chief sels of all other descriptions, to the command of the whole land force. number of near ninety pendants. Admiral Gambier, one of the lords But such had been the secrecy at. of the admiralty, commanded the tending these preparations, that the fleet. whole force was nearly ready for Hitherto the warlike preparations sea, before the extent of it was of our government appear as the known to the public, and it had most prominent feature of this un. actually left the ports of England dertaking. Much of its success many days before its destination was indeed expected to be derived was even suspected. A division of from them; but it was, at the same the fleet, under the immediate 'di- time, understood, that with the ex. 1 rection of commodore Keats, was ception of the abovementioned even. detached to the Great Belt, with tual and precautionary order, to instructions to allow no military obstruct the passage of any troops force whatever to enter Zealand. across the Belt, the whole of our That enterprising and judicious offi. armament was to remain, in the cer led his line of battle ships first instance, inactive. No offen. through a little known and intricate sive operations were to be undernavigation, without the smallest ac. taken, until the result of a nego. eident, and stationed his whole tiation was known, which was, at squadron in such a manner, as that, the same time, to be opened with by the vessels being within tele- the court of Denmark, in order to graph distance of each other, 10. obtain, without hostility, and by an thing could attempt to pass them arrangement equally advantageous without a certainty of interception. to both countries, the object which The 'communication was entirely was considered of paramount imcut off between Zealand, the adja. portance to Great Britain. eent isle of Funen, and the main To conduct this negotiation, his land of Holstein, Síeswig, and Jut. majesty's ministers selected Mr. land. No troops from any of the Jackson, who had, for several prelatter could pass into Zealand, ceding years, resided at the court which was thus placed, as to any of Berlin, as envoy from this counmilitary succour, in a complete try, and who was supposed to have VOL. XLIX.

become

ment assembled in the Sound. In of August. The case was foreseen presenting this alternative, every that impediments might be thrown possible stipulation was to be ada in the way of his communication vanced, by which, the present and with the British mission at Copenfuture interests of the crown of hagen, and with the British comDenmark were to be fostered by all manders; and a period was there. the resources of the British empire. fore fixed, beyond which, they Permanent alliance; guarantee, and were not to wait to hear from him, even aggrandizement of their actual but were to suppose a constraint possession; every thing that the to have been put upon his person, fleets and armies, and the treasury and were to proceed in the execu. of England could afford, both for tion of their instructions. immediate support, and for future On reaching Holstein, Mr. Jacksafety, was to be put at the prince son found that a considerable degree royal's disposal. Specific proposals of fermentation prevailed there, espe. were made to this effect; and what. cially in the port of Tonningen, on ever other conditions the Danish account of an order issued for the government might suggest, would, second time, under the sanction of it was declared, be readily listened the British minister, to the Circle of to, and if possible, admitted on his Lower Saxony, enjoining the mas. majesty's part. If they feared the ters of all British vessels to quit effects, which an appearance of that port, and to place themselves connivance at our views might pro. under the protection of the squa. duce in France, we had an imposing dron blockading the Elbe. This force at hand, which would give to order Mr. Thornton judged neces. acquiescence an air of constraint, sary, in consequence of the intelli. rather than of free will, and the gence he had obtained, of its being extent of our armament was well the intention of the French general calculated to put that construction Bernadotte, at that time command. upon it. In short, every possible ing the French troops in the neigh. stipulation, whether public or se. bourhood of Hamburg, to proceed cret, that could be devised by either on a certain day to occupy

the ports party, for the purpose of rendering of Holstein and Sleswig. The Da. the proposed measure acceptable to nish ministers not having received the feelings of Denmark, and prom the same information, ornot choo. pitious to her permanent interests, sing to give credit to it, were highly was to form a part of the agreement offended at this step, which they to be entered into upon this occa. termed precipitate and rash, and sion: but, in the last resort, the they furthermore asserted that it prince royal was to be informed, did not come within the limits of that if he failed to agree to them, Mr. Thornton's functions. the British commanders would It was under these untoward ap. forthwith proceed to hostilities. pearances, that, on the day after

Under these instructions, and his arrival at Kiel, Mr. Jackson with a charge to bring his nego. had to announce the purport of his tiation to a speedy termination, instructions to count Bernstorff, and Mr. Jackson left England on the to apply for an audience of the Ist, and arrived at Kiel on the 6th prince royed, to whom he was“ di

rected

S %

become peculiarly well acquainted, the necessity of taking this stop, in that and other high diplomatic founded upon the belief which the situations, with the general politics conduct of the court of Denmark of the North of Europe. The de- had created of her adherence to tails of that gentleman's mission to French, rather than to British in. the Danish court have not been, terests. The tone assumed by her as practised on many similar occa. in the discussions relative to the sions, laid before parliament. But

But French decree of blockade, and the the substance of his instructions, reprisals of Great Britain, was to which were themselves offered to be particularly insisted upon as a be produced when the subject was sufficient motivé of itself, for calling discussed in the house of commons, upon Denmark for an unequivocal was very generally known; and we declaration of her intentions, and have been able from good and au. for an infallible pledge of the executhentic sources, to collect the fol- tion of them, if not hostile to his lowing particulars of what passed majesty's interests.

The recent upon that occasion.

events in the North of Europe ren. Upon the ground of Buona.' dered this now indispensable, and parte's design to shut the ports of left no option between exposing Tolstein against the British flag, this country to great and immediate and forcibly to employ the Danish danger, and disarming France of navy against this country, Mr.Jack. the means on which she was known son was instructed to repair to the to rely for the formation of a grand residence of the prince royal of maritime league against Great Bri. Denmark, and to enter into imme- tain. The removal of the Danish diate and unreserved explanation fleet was necessary, on account of with his royal highness respecting the season of the

year,

which would the views and sentiments of the Bri. soon impede naval operations in the tish government.

Ile was to use Baltic, and give time and opportu. every argument in his power to in. nity for the French troops being duce the prince regent to enter into beforehand with us in the arsenal of these views and sentiments, as no Copenhagen : for that reason too, less conducive to his royal high- ordinary measures of precaution, pess's own interests and safety; and such as might at other times, and to endeavour, by every

under other circumstances, have means, to establish, on terms of been resorted to, were altogether friendly accommodation, the measure insufficient, This demand there. which was to be the main object of fore, was to be steadily adhered to, his whole proceedings. This mea. and the British negotiator was disure was the delivery of the Danish reçted, after having exhausted every fleet into the possession of the Bri. endeavour to obtain the prince roy. tish admiral, under the most solemn al's consent to it, as the foundation stipulation that it should be restored of a treaty of alliance and general at the conclusion of the war be. co-operation between the two coun. tween this country and France. tries, to announce unequivocally to We understand that Mr. Jackson his royal bighness the determination was directed to urge many of the of this court, to enforce it by the topics above alluded to, in proof of operations of the powerful arma.