fefto, on that occafion, the northern confederacy was foon formally concluded and declared to the world. It was figned on the 16th of December, 1800, by Ruffia, Sweden, and Denmark, and on the 19th by Pruffia, as an acceding party. The principles of the northern confederacy had been before recognised in a treaty between Pruffia and America. It was nearly the fame with the armed neutrality of 1780, and the treaty between France and America already noticed; but fomewhat more favourable to belligerent powers at sea, and less to neutrals, It was required that the captain and half the crew fhould be the fubjects of the state to which the neutral Thip fhould belong. When the king of Sweden, under the name of Count Haga, was at Peterburgh, for the purpofe of concerting with Paul the measures to be purfued in the armed neutrality, the emperor conferred on him the crofs of the order of St. John of Jerufalem, or, of Malta. In confequence of thefe hoftile measures exhibited in the north, the British government, on the 14th of January, 1801, ordered a feizure, not only, in the way of retaliation, on Ruffian fhips, but on all veffels belonging to any of the confederate powers, at that time in any of the ports of Great Britain, thofe of Pruffia excepted. And letters of marque were granted for the purpose of capturing a great variety of richly laden fingle vellels, as well as fleets, which were known to be working their way to the Baltic. A great number of veffels belonging to the northern powers, but mostly to the Danes and Swedes,

were stopped in our ports, and many taken at fea. Of 450 Swedish ships that were abroad, it was estimated that 200 were either feized at fea, or detained in English harbours.

On the day after that on which the order was iffued, for laying an embargo on the northern flips, January 15, a note was prefented by lord Grenville to the Danish and Swedish ambassadors, at London, refpecting the embargo that had been laid on the Danish and Swedish veffels. The fubftance and import, of it was, "that his Britannic majefty, being informed of the reestablishment of the armed neqtrality of 1800 and 1801, and of the naval preparations in the Baltic, had determined immediately to adopt the most effectual measures for repelling the attack he had already experienced, and to oppofe the effects of the confederacy armed against him. An embargo had been laid on all the Danish and Swedish fhips in the ports belonging to his majefty. But, in the execution of this meafure, his majesty would take care, that no violent or fevere proceedings fhould be exercifed, on the part of his majefty, towards innocent individuals. His majesty was fill animated by the most anxious defire that the circumftances which had rendered thefe fteps neceffary might ceafe, and that he might be enabled to return to thofe relations with the courts of Stockholm and Copenhagen, which exifted between them, till that mutual good understanding was interrupted by the prefent attempts to renew for mer pretenfions." To this note the Danish amballador, count Jarlsberg,

[H4]

replied,

replied, "that with refpect to the principles of the northern powers, concerning the facred rights of neutrality, they had not been abandoned. Ruffia, in her bellige rent quality, had only fufpended the application, and Denmark and Sweden had, by their convention of the 17th of March, 1794, declared, in the face of all Europe, that their fyftem of protection, in favour of innocent commerce, was invariable. Hence it followed, that his Danish majefty now only renewed ties which had not ceafed to exift." The baron, therefore, protefied against proceedings of fo hoftile a nature.

66

The Swedish envoy, baron Ernfward, faid, that, as the difpute between the Ruffian and English courts related to the island of Malta, and the declaration of the Danish court referred to the convention of 1780, he could see no just reason, why the Swedish court, which had given no juft caufe of complaint to the English, fhould be attacked in fo hoftile a manner before any anfwer had been given to the infinuations contained in a note from the English to the Swedish miniftry, at Stockholm, 31ft of December.* In conformity to orders from his mafter, he protefted formally against the embargo laid on the Swedish fhips, and all lofs or damage that might be thereby occafioned. He demanded, in the moft forcible terms, that, in pursuance of the treaty of 1661, the embargo might be taken off, the continuance of which could no otherwife be confidered than as a defigned and premeditated declaration of war on the

part of England, as well by the de tention of the convoy, as in respect to the affair of Barcelona." When Lord Grenville's notification was received at Stockholm, all Swedish fhips were immediately stopped from going to England, and an embargo was laid on all English hips in the Swedish harbours. After fome farther civil remonftrations on both fides, the Swedish minifter quitted England.

If Sweden and Denmark could have been detached from their connexions with Ruffia by any amicable means fhort of relinquishing the maritime claims of Britain, the court of St. James's would doubtlefs have come to an amicable adjuftment. But, even from thefe claims it feemed difpofed, in fome measure, to recede in favour of Pruffia, for the fake of peace, with a monarch who had it fo much in his power not only to distress Great Britain, but to annoy the fovereign of this kingdom by attacking the electorate of Hanover. Lord Carysfort, the English ambaffador at Berlin, in repeated notes, reprefented the violent proceedings of Paul, and the unjust and hoftile defigns of the northern powers in general, with many expreffions of confidence, that notwithstanding various reports and appearances, his Pruffian majefty had not entered into the confederacy, to fupport by force principles in common with other powers, whofe hoftile views againft his Britannic majefty had been openly proved. The last of thefe notes, dated at Berlin, January 27, 1801, concluded with the

expreffion

expreffion of a firm reliance, that "whatever fentiments the Pruffian government might entertain, in regard to the new principles of the armed neutrality themfelves, it was too juft, and knew too well what fovereigns owed to their people, and to one another, to favour for a moment the defign to employ force in order to induce his Britannic majefty to acknowledge a code, which the latter deemed inconfiftent with the honour and fecurity of his crown." Lord Carystort received, in anfwer, from the Pruffian minifter, count Hogwitz, a note, bearing date, 12th of February. It ftated, among other particulars, "that his Pruffian majefty could not fee without the utmoft grief and concern, the violent and hafty meafures to which the court of London had proceeded against the northern naval powers; the negotiation that had been lately carried on among whom was founded on juftice and moderation; as the communication of a copy of the convention to fuch. of the belligerent powers as had the juftice and patience to wait for it would fully prove.-The British government had, in the prefent, more than in any former wars, ufurped the fovereignty of the feas; and, by arbitrarily framing a naval code, which it would be difficult to unite with the true principles of the law of nations. It exercifed over the other friendly and neutral powers an ufurped jurifdiction, the legality of which it maintained, and which it confidered as an imprefcriptible right, fanctioned by all the other tribunals of Europe. The fovereigns had never conceded to England the privilege of calling their fubjects before its tribunals, and of fubjecting them to its laws,

in cafes where the abufe of power had got the better of equity, and which were but too frequent. The neutral powers had always had the precaution of addreting to it the molt energetic proclamations and protests; but experience had ever proved their reclamations fruitless. And it was not surprising that, after fo many repeated acts of oppreffion, they had refolved to find a remedy against it, and for that purpose to eftablish a well-arranged convention, which fixed their rights, and placed them on a proper level, even with the powers at war. The naval alliance, in the manner in which it had just been confolidated, was intended to lead to that falutary. end: and the king hesitated not to declare to his Britannic majesty, that he had again found in it, his own principles, that he was fully convinced of its neceffity and utility, and that he had formally acceded to the convention, which had been concluded on the 16th of December, last year, between the courts of Ruffia, Denmark, and Sweden. His majefty was, therefore, among the number of the contracting parties, and had bound himfelf, in that quality, not only to take a direct share in all the events which interested the cause of the neutral powers, but also, in virtue of his engagements, to maintain that connexion by fuch powerful meafures as the impulse of circumftances might require. Unpleafant as the extremes might be to which England had proceeded, yet his majesty doubted not the poffibility of a fpeedy return to conciliating and peaceable difpofitions, and he relied on the fentiments of equity which, on former occafions, he had had the advantage of meeting with

in his Britannic majefty. It was only by revoking, and entirely taking off the embargo, that affairs could be brought to their former fituation. While thofe meafures exifted, which had been reforted to from a common principle, and against an alliance which could no longer be faken, the hoftile refolution which would be the confequence, would be the neceffary refult of the treaty, and the Pruffian minifier was authorized to declare to the minifter of his Britannic majefty," that the king, while he expreffed his concern at events of which he had not been the caufe, would facredly fulfil the engagements which had been prefcribed to him by treaties." From this note it was evident that Great Britain had nothing to expect from the neutrality of Pruffia. Among the mealures, which the impudfe of circumftances required, were the two which the British government had greatly apprehended: the exclufion of the English commerce from the great rivers of Prufiia, and the invafion of Hanover. A declaration was iffited, on the 30th of March, by the king of Pruffia, to the royal and electoral college of Hanover, in which, after an enumeration of events which he alleged, fufficiently proved that the court of London had no inclination to defift from her inadmiffible demands, and a cept the propofed means of amicable conciliation, he faid, that he was compelled, in conformity to the obligations he had contracted, to take the most efficacious measures in fupport of the convention, at tacked, and to retaliate for the hoftile proceedings against it. For this purpofe, he would not only fhut the mouths of the Elbe, the Wefer, and

the Ems, but likewife take poffer fion of the ftates belonging to his majefty the king of England, as elector of Brunfwick Lunenburgh, fituated in Germany. The king of Pruffia accordingly demanded, and expected from the electoral college of privy counsellors at Hanover, that they would fubmit to this difpofition without delay or reply; and that they would voluntarily obey the orders which fhould be given, relative to the occupation of the electorate by the Pruffian troops, and likewife relative to the electoral countries. What his Proffian majefty principally demanded, was, that the Hanoverian corps, which had hitherto occupied part of the northern line of demarcation, fhould be difarmed and disbanded, with a proportional part of the other troops. He allo required, that the generals and other officers fhould engage, in writing, not to ferve againft bis majefty the king of Pruffia; but, on the contrary, to follow ftrictly his orders, until the prefent affair fhould be brought to a conclution, For the troops that fhould continue to be embodied, he appointed particular ftations. All the other places were to be delivered up to the Pruffian troops. The Pruffian troops to be fubfifted at the expense of the electoral territory, commencing from the end of the month of April. In cafe of a voluntary fubmiffion, Eis majefty was difpofed, and ready to promife folemnly, not only to the nobility, but to the burgeffes and all the inhabitants of the electorate, the complete enjoyment of tranquillity, and the fecurity of ther property; but, on the contrary, thould the government and the goneral officers attempt to impede the exécution of the measures taken,

and

and oppose the entrance of the Pruffian troops, his majesty would be bbliged, though against his inclination, to revoke his promifes, and to treat the electoral states in a hoftile manner."-To thefe conditions, by a convention, concluded on the 3d of April, 1801, the regency of Hanover confented, only exprefling their hopes that the number of Pruffian troops would be diminished, as much as poffible, to eafe the country and the inhabitants. The Pruffian troops entered the territory of Hanover, and were pofted chiefly on the banks of the Elbe and the Water. An embargo was laid on the British hipping; but a number of vellels that had taken on board

their cargoes of grain were fuffered to depart, and fail for England.The firmness and the moderation of the Pruffian king formed a ftriking contraft with the capricious rage of his ally the emperor of Ruffia. Never was war carried on, by any power, with greater dignity, civility, and decorum.

About the fame time, a body of Danish troops, to the number of 15,000, under the command of prince Charles, landgrave of Heffe, a feld-marthal in the Danish fervice, and father-in-law to the prince royal of Denmark, there called the crown prince, took poffeffion of Hamburgh, in order, as was de. clated, by a notification published at the exchange of Hamburgh, April 3, toftop the British navigation and trade on the Elbe. An embargo had already, on the 29th of March, been laid on the Britifh fhips at Copenhagen, and the other ports of Denmark. When the intentions of prince Charles of Heffe were announced to the fenate of Hamburgh, March 25, it fent deputies, on the 29th,

to his highness, at Penneberg, a town of Holftein, about fifteen Englifh miles from Hamburgh, to make the ftrongest reprefentations against a meafare fo violent and unexpect ed. The prince, without hefitation, declared his intention to fummon the city to furrender to his troops next morning, and even to ufe force in cafe of refiftance. At the fame time, the deputies received the moft fatisfactory affurances that no fears ought to be entertained for the independence of the city of Hamburgh, or the property of individuals; and farther, that his highnefs would be fatisfied with the poffetion of the gates and walls, without requiring any troops to be quartered in the city. The fenate alfembled in the night, unanimously refolved, that it was better to yield to force than to expofe the city to greater force, in confequence of any refiftance: On the morning of the 234, the gate, called the Millenthor, and a part of the fortifications, were immediately given up to a corps of Danifh troops, and without the leaft interruption of the public tranquillity. The British conful, at Hamburgh, confidering the critical fituation of affairs, had given repeated information and advice to the captains of British veffels in the Elbe to accelerate their departure. Some took the warning: others, not eafily believing that any thing lerially hoftile was to be apprehended from the Danes or Pruthians were not in hafte, and were detained accordingly.

The English minifiry, in fuch preffing circumfiances, naturally had recourfe to a mode of conduct, of the fame nature with that which had been attended, at leaft, with parthat and temporary fucceis, abolit