Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez. Vol II

by Sir John Ross

I have the honour to be, &c.

E. Thornton.

To Admiral Sir Jas. Saumarez.

Sir James immediately despatched his nephew, Flag-lieutenant Dobree, in the Drake sloop of war, with this important despatch, and with the intelligence that the French army had passed the frontiers of Russia on the 24th of June, being the first act of hostility. Lieutenant Dobree arrived at the Admiralty on the 31st July, for which and other services he was promoted to the rank of commander. In the mean time, and in anticipation of this joyful event, Earl Cathcart had been nominated as Ambassador to the Court of St. Petersburg, and had sailed from England in the Aquilon.

Admiral Martin's arrival at Riga was extremely well-timed: his judicious operations in concert with Generals Essen, Ems, and Lovis, were the means of saving that city, which was in July and August besieged by Macdonald, when General Lovis was obliged to retreat within the walls. The suburbs were burnt rather hastily, but the arrival of a reinforcement of both English and Russian gun-boats, not only raised the siege, but impeded the advance of that division of the enemy towards the great scene of action in the vicinity of Moscow.

A well-timed feint concerted by Admiral Martin on the heel of Dantzig had the desired effect of retarding the advancement of a strong reinforcement, so as to prevent it reaching the main army in time to take part in the battle of Borodino. To effect this a number of small merchant vessels were seized in the harbour of Riga, and by the prompt exertions of British seamen were converted into transports, on board which were embarked four hundred troops and other people of all classes, a sufficient part of which were clothed in regimentals to deceive a spectator. This formidable-looking armament having entered the Bay of Dantzig under Swedish colours, created such a degree of alarm, as to induce the troops which were marching to join Buonaparte to halt for no less than fourteen days, during which time proclamations in the German and Swedish languages were landed on the coast, while demonstrations for landing troops, ostensibly for the purpose of an attack on the city, were occasionally made, and shells thrown into the lower forts. After a sojourn of three weeks in the bay the borrowed ships were sent back to Riga, and the Aboukir and part of the squadron joined Rear-admiral Morris at Hanö, where that excellent officer had been most successfully protecting the commerce of both nations. On the 9th of October a large convoy, which had long been detained at Matvick and Hanö, was about to sail, when it was ascertained that several French privateers had passed through the canal of Kiel, in order to attack it, and the Briseis was consequently sent in the disguise of a merchant bark in advance of the convoy. The plan succeeded; one of the privateers came alongside of the Briseis, and was easily captured, while the other three having taken refuge under the batteries in Hammarhus Bay, on the N.W. side of Bornholm, were attacked and destroyed. In this affair the Briseis had her main-mast badly wounded. Lieutenant Jones, who commanded the boats, particularly distinguished himself; but on his approach the enemy, having cut their cables, and run their vessels on the rocks, they were instantly wrecked and could not be carried off.

Sir James had detached Captain Stewart of the Dictator with several small vessels, to the Belt, to cut off the communication with Zealand, and in the course of this service Lieutenants Wilkie, Douell, and Petley particularly distinguished themselves. The Attack gun-brig was taken, and Lieutenant Craufurd, of the Wrangler, made a gallant but ineffectual attempt to retake her. The Mars, and Courageaux, and Orion, had the arduous duty of protecting the trade through the Belt, and excepting on one occasion, when five merchant vessels were driven on shore in a storm, their efforts were successful. Owing partly to the negotiations and to the expectation that an enemy's fleet might escape from the Scheldt, the commander-in-chief was detained at Wingo Sound, the outer Roads of Gothenburg. The merchant ships which had been detained at that port and Carlshamn, as also the colonial produce and other British property, had been by his firm and temperate conduct released and sent under licence to various ports on the Continent.

Mr. Thornton, who had been on board the Victory on the 11th of July, had proceeded to Orebro, where he signed the treaty of peace already mentioned; returned on the 7th of August, sailed in the Tweed for England on the following day, but fortunately meeting with the Aquilon to the eastward of the Scaw, he returned with Lord Viscount Cathcart; and after a consultation with Sir James and Count Rosen, the Governor of Gothenburg, the ambassador set out for Orebro to ratify the coalition of the three nations against the common enemy.

An expedition was now planned for an attack on Zealand, the object of which was to force the King of Denmark to join the coalition, and 7,000 Swedes were collected; these were to be joined by 20,000 Russians; but the latter were so tardy in their motions that the plan was abandoned, as well as another for the descent on the coast of Norway; but the armament itself had a good effect by detaining the troops necessary for the defence of Denmark from joining the main army of the French, while it gave a more serious aspect to the feint made by Rear-admiral Martin in the Bay of Dantzig.

Soon after the ratification of peace the Swedish Monarch conferred on Sir James the high honour of the Commander of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword of Sweden,[13] which corresponds to that of the Bath in England, and the decorations were sent in the following handsome letter from his Majesty: