Meanwhile Sir James, instead of making any hostile demonstration, most readily complied with the request of Count Rosen, the Governor of Gothenburg, to grant him a licence for a vessel to sail to Lubeck for medicine and drugs for the use of Sweden, and enclosed him passports for Baron Stedinck for the purpose of allowing two vessels to proceed to St. Petersburg, to convey his excellency from thence to Stockholm. He concludes his letter thus: "I take this opportunity to express the satisfaction it affords me to have it in my power to comply with your wishes," &c. (14th May) making no mention of the affair at Carlshamn.

On the 17th Mr. Smith came on board the Victory, being desired by Count Rosen to inquire whether, in the event of differences between Sweden and Norway, the hostile measures of Sweden would be opposed by Sir James, to which he replied that he was not authorised to make any opposition to such an attack, but that he did not consider himself justified in supporting it without having instructions from Government; at the same time Sir James received information by an officer who had been some time a prisoner at Christian Sand, representing that place as open to an attack in order to capture the merchant vessels therein, as well as the flotilla.

It was evident that the Swedes were very intent on the possession of Norway, either by negotiation or otherwise; but it was questionable whether such an addition would be advisable. Sir James was of opinion that if Norway could be rendered independent of Denmark or of any other country, it was not improbable that the inhabitants of that country would accede to proposals to that effect, if assured of the support of our Government and the advantage of our trade to them. Sir James both personally and by letter, previously to his coming on board, had expressed to Mr. Smith that the sequestration of the British property at Carlshamn had been by no means satisfactorily explained, and requested that an account of this apparently unjustifiable measure should be speedily given, assuring them that nothing short of the full restitution of the property would be accepted, and requiring that his strongest remonstrances should be transmitted to Stockholm without delay. The consequence was the appearance of the Baron Tawast, who came with a flag of truce ostensibly to treat for the exchange of prisoners, but virtually to explain the affair of Carlshamn. The usual articles for the cartel were exchanged, ratified, and published, and need not be inserted here; but the true mission of the Swedish general will be best understood from the following letter, which Sir James wrote immediately after the conference.

Victory, in Wingo Sound, 23rd May 1811.

Sir,

I request you will please to inform the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that Major-General Baron Tawast, commander-in-chief of the Swedish forces at Gothenburg and the coast adjacent, in the absence of his excellency Count Essen, having yesterday come on board his Majesty's ship Victory, under a flag of truce, for the purpose of entering into an arrangement with me for the exchange of prisoners, and other points connected with the present state of affairs between our respective nations, informed me, that he was instructed to communicate to me, in the most confidential manner, that it was the earnest wish of the Swedish Government to keep up the most amicable terms with Great Britain; and that it was not intended, under any circumstances, to commit any acts of hostility whatever; that the supplies of water and fresh provisions for the use of the squadron should be facilitated both at Hano Bay and Gothenburg, for which purpose picquets should be withdrawn from the points the most convenient for these articles to be received; that the correspondence, both by post or by courier, should be continued unmolested; and that, in the event of any British subjects being made prisoners on any part of the coast, they would be immediately liberated, for which purpose the cartel intended to be ratified had been proposed. That the appearance of any hostile measure was only intended for demonstration, and in order to elude the vigilance of French spies, who might be dispersed in the country.

With respect to the late transaction at Carlshamn in landing the cargoes from the Russian or Danish vessels, it was in retaliation for the Swedish property sequestered last year in the ports of those nations, but that the measure was not intended to operate against merchandise belonging to British merchants under any other flag, the whole of which would be secured, and the underwriters, secretement, indemnified for the value of the cargoes that were insured in England.

I strongly represented to Baron Tawast that the merchandise and colonial produce on board the Russian vessels were positively the property of British merchants trading to the Baltic, under licences from one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, and which had been left in one of the ports of Sweden upon the strength of the declaration made to me in the month of November last year, that the property of British merchants would be secured to them, notwithstanding the imperious necessity which Sweden had been under of declaring war against England; and that his Majesty's Government would doubtless expect the same to be restored; or that the merchants would be indemnified for the full value of the cargoes landed from the vessels under the Prussian flag; and I requested him to put in writing what were the real intentions of the Swedish Government upon that subject; but this he positively declined, nor would he allow Mr. Consul Smith, who was present when this discussion took place, to insert any part of it in writing. I signified to Baron Tawast, for the information of the Swedish Government, that it was far from my intention to commit any act of hostility against Sweden, and that I was confident it was the wish of my Government to keep upon an amicable footing as long as circumstances would possibly admit; that I received instructions to allow the coasting trade of Sweden to pass unmolested, and that I had reason to hope it might be extended to the ports in Swedish Pomerania, on which the Baron laid so great a stress, but that I was very apprehensive that the late measures adopted against the British property at Carlshamn, and the want of more satisfactory explanations than he appeared instructed to make to me upon that subject, could not fail being very ill received by my Government.

Baron Tawast was particularly solicitous that the communication which he made to me should be considered in the strictest confidence, and expressed his hopes that the whole of the conference would be kept a profound secret, which I assured him I should take particular care to signify in the statement I transmitted for the information of Government.

I have, &c. &c. &c.