I have the honour to be,
With truth and regard,
Cathcart.
To Vice-admiral Sir James Saumarez, Bart. K.B.
Here follows a list of one ship of one hundred guns, one of eighty, five of seventy-four, and three frigates, under Admiral Tait; seven of seventy-four, and three frigates, and four smaller vessels, under Admiral Crown; and three of seventy-four, two frigates, a brig, and four English transports, under Rear-admiral Karobka. Sir James at the same time received details of the proceedings at Riga, which have already been mentioned.
The following passage relative to the death of his daughter is extracted from a letter from Sir James to his brother.
At a time I was buoying myself up with the expectation of soon returning to England, and affording that consolation to my beloved wife and to those dear ones whom the Almighty yet spares us, which they so greatly need, I received despatches which rendered it impossible for me to leave the station; I most fervently implore the all-gracious Providence to enable me to submit to its divine decree with patience and due resignation.
If I could be assured of Lady Saumarez's welfare, I should feel more tranquil, but I know too well the keenness of her feelings. The anxiety she suffers on my account will, I fear, put to the test her practice of those pious virtues we all know her to possess, and of which she sets so bright an example. James's presence is of the greatest comfort to me, and alone enables me to make my cabin supportable. He returned most opportunely from St. Petersburg the day on which the news of this affliction arrived, and it was he that communicated it to me. He was the bearer of Lord Cathcart's despatches, which I have forwarded, for I could not spare him from me.
We shall now continue the narrative of Sir James's operations at this eventful period, when the tyrant of France received his first effectual check, followed by the disastrous retreat of the French army from Russia, and the liberation of Europe.
Besides twenty thousand stand of arms which had been supplied to the Swedish army and landed at Gothenburg, the Snipe gun-brig, Lieut. Champion, had been sent to St. Petersburg with four transports laden with sixty thousand stand of arms. On opening the arm-chests it was found that they contained muskets, but no bayonets, and the indignation of the Russians at this circumstance may be better imagined than described, when they exclaimed, "What! do the English think we do not know how to use the bayonet?" On searching, however, the last ship, the bayonets were found, to the inexpressible joy of these people; and it cannot be denied that they did make use of them with fearful effect.
The Briseis was sent with the Admiral's last despatches to Lord Cathcart, and Captain Ross had the honour of returning with the important intelligence of the re-capture of Moscow, the defeat of Murat, and that the French were in full retreat. The Russian fleet had, however, sailed from Cronstadt and Sweaborg, and it was now too late to stop them: the accounts reached London on the 8th of November, and it was a satisfaction to Sir James that he had retained the command until the overthrow of the invading army. Mr. Saumarez went home in the Aquilon, but the Admiral remained in the Pyramus at Gothenburg until the 5th of November, at which time he had delivered the various papers and instructions to Rear-admiral Hope necessary in giving up the command to that officer.