Sir,
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.
It could never be expected by this country that England would pass with indifference a measure so seriously affecting the interests of British merchants; and Government will naturally expect some satisfactory explanation upon the subject. Those made to me by Count Rosen and Baron Tawast have been transmitted without delay, and I hope those in reply to the remonstrance I have made by order of Government will prove of a satisfactory nature.