To the above letters Sir James returned the following satisfactory answer, which decided the plan of his operations for this year: Victory, Wingo Sound, Gothenburg, 18th May 1809. SIR, I have just received the honour of your letter of the 15th instant, by the messenger Mears, acquainting me with the particulars of a conference you had with Baron de Lagerbjelke on the present critical state of Sweden, in consequence, as he was pleased to state to you, of her desire to remain in amity, and maintain her commercial relations, with Great Britain; and requesting you to explain to me the full extent of her danger, in the confidence that I should give all the assistance in my power which her perilous situation required, without waiting for instructions from his Majesty's government. Also informing me of the formidable preparations making in Finland for the immediate invasion of Sweden. The assurances made to you through Baron de Lagerbjelke, on the part of the Duke of Sudermania, that every effort will be made to repel the meditated attack of Russia, and that his Royal Highness has determined not to yield to the conditions of peace proposed to him, as long as he has the means of defending himself, will decide me in employing the fleet under my command in the best manner in my power for the defence of Sweden; for which purpose an adequate force will be stationed in the Sound and on the coast of Denmark, to intimidate the Danes from making any attack on the southern provinces of Sweden; and a squadron of line of battle ships will be employed in the Baltic to watch the Russian fleet, and prevent any attempt on their part to carry an invading army against the coast of Sweden from the side of Finland. As the attention of the Swedish marine will be principally confined to the defence of Stockholm, and the coast within the Gulf of Bothnia, it is to be presumed that, with proper exertion, they will be perfectly adequate to that service; and as three Swedish frigates have been ordered to cruise on that station, with other armed vessels, and one hundred and six gun-boats, no doubt can be entertained of their being for the present sufficient to repel the enemy; and I shall readily order such further part of the force under my command, as can be spared from other services, to co-operate in that quarter. The important transactions going on in the southern coast of the Baltic, in which the interest of Sweden is materially concerned, require a considerable part of the force under my orders for that particular service; but I have the honour to assure you, that every effort will be exerted for the protection and security of Sweden against any attack of the enemy.