Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez. Vol IIRoss, John, Sir
History
Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez. Vol II
Ross, John, Sir
Admirals -- Great Britain -- Biography; Saumarez, James, 1757-1836
I have the honour to inform your excellency that intelligence
having been received by his Majesty's Government, that the
cargoes belonging to British subjects, and that have been
insured to a considerable amount in England, embarked in
vessels belonging to Prussia, Denmark, Mecklenburg, and other
States, have been landed in Sweden by order of the Swedish
Government, under pretext of making reprisals for the Swedish
property said to have been confiscated in Prussia and
Denmark,--I have been directed to remonstrate in the strongest
manner against measures so deeply affecting the interest of his
Majesty's subjects, and at the same time to signify to the
Swedish Government that I cannot permit such proceedings, under
whatever pretext they may be disguised, and that if acts of so
injurious a tendency are persevered in, I shall be obliged to
depart from that indulgent course I have hitherto pursued
towards Sweden.
In requesting your excellency will be pleased to make known the
above communication to your Government, I beg to renew the
assurances of the perfect consideration with which I have the
honour to be, Sir, &c.
JAMES SAUMAREZ.
To his Excellency M. General Baron de Tawast,
Commander-in-chief, &c. Gothenburg.
Baron Tawast's reply to this letter was a simple assurance that no
hostile act was intended, and that the Swedish Government had been
compelled to act as it had done. He had no doubt but eventually the
English merchants would be indemnified, and he trusted that Sir James
would not insist on sending his remonstrance to Government as he had
no doubt that Baron Von Essen, who was expected in a few days, would
explain all to his satisfaction, and that a rupture would thereby be
avoided. The same assurances were given to Mr. Consul Smith, but their
proceedings had so evidently the appearance of gaining time that Sir
James firmly insisted that his remonstrance should be transmitted to
Government through the medium of Baron Essen, and in reply to a note
from Consul Smith and Baron Tawast he wrote the following:
Victory, in Wingo Sound, 6th June 1811.
SIR,
I request you will signify to Baron Tawast, that I can have no
objection to the letter I had the honour to address to him on
the 30th ultimo being communicated to the Swedish Government
through the means of his Excellency Count Essen; but having
received directions from England to make the remonstrance it
contained on the very unexpected measures adopted against the
property of the British, I hold it my indispensable duty to
require that it should be transmitted to the Government at
Stockholm.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account