Things in Sweden began to take a different turn. The conduct of the King in disgracing his guards, because, after beating three times their number of Russians in Finland, they were obliged to retreat, and could no longer defend Abo, the capital of that province, rendered him unpopular; and a conspiracy was formed, at the head of which was Aldercreutz, the general who had been in Finland, in conjunction with Aldersparre, who commanded the western army, which was secretly set in motion for Stockholm from the frontiers of Norway, and had arrived at Orebro before reports of its progress reached the King. On the night of the 8th of March, his Majesty issued orders for all the troops to get under arms at daylight; and on the morning of the 9th he demanded the specie from the bank, intending to set off with it to Scania. The ministers and officers of state were summoned to the council; and others, among whom was the Author, were required to attend his levee at nine o'clock, which was the moment fixed on by the conspirators, who entered, and told the King that he must not leave Stockholm. Drawing his sword, his Majesty made a pass at one of the conspirators: in the mean time the General seized the _staff of power_,[8] and ordered the others to seize the King, which they immediately obeyed by forcing him into the next room. They forgot, however, when they locked the door, that there was a private entrance, out of which the King immediately escaped, and appearing on the staircase, below which the Author was standing, he called loudly for help. Some of the conspirators, however, with great presence of mind, called to the soldiers on duty, "The King is mad;" on which they again secured him, and in the evening he was removed to Drottningholm, where his family resided. [8] In Sweden the high officers of state carry a staff, which is in fact their commission; therefore the staff of power was that of the commander-in-chief of the army, which the King always kept; but, when seized by another, he lost the power, every person by the law of Sweden being obliged to obey whoever is in actual possession of this staff. The conspirators then went to his uncle the Duke of Sudermania, and, having represented the state of the King, requested he would assume the reins of government, to which he readily assented; and a proclamation was forthwith issued, declaring that Gustaf IV. Adolf was unable to govern the nation, and that his uncle had assumed the royal authority in his stead. This proclamation made no sensation, and things went on as if nothing had happened.