Stockholm, 15th May 1809.
Sir,
Scarcely had the letter which I wrote to your excellency late last night been received by the person who set out with it this morning, when a note reached me from Baron de Lagerbjelke, minister for foreign affairs ad interim of this government, to inform me of his having important communications to make to me, and appointing an hour for a conference with me this forenoon.
The object of this conference was to expose to me the critical position in which Sweden is placed at this moment, from her desire to remain in amity and maintain her commercial intercourse with Great Britain, of which, as he was pleased to express himself, she was on the point of becoming the victim; and to ask of me to explain to you the full extent of her dangers, in the confidence that you would give her all the assistance in your power which her perilous situation requires, without waiting for instructions for the purpose from his Majesty's government; it not being the interest of England that this country should be conquered by Russia, although the same alliance no longer existed between his Majesty and the Swedish government. Buonaparte has evaded the repeated solicitations of Sweden to take into his own hands the management of the negociation for a peace, which this country is willing to enter into with all her enemies; and has referred her for the terms of such a peace entirely to the court of St. Petersburg. This court, meanwhile, has manifested the most marked discontent at the delays which have already taken place in the negociation; and has insisted, as a preliminary condition to the treating for peace, that this country should enter into the alliance against Great Britain. She has also declared the kind of armistice concluded by her generals at an end; and Baron Schwaren, who had been sent on a mission to St. Petersburg, which place he left the 24th ultimo, returned here on the 6th instant, bringing intelligence of very formidable preparations which are making in Finland for the immediate invasion of this country, while the Russian army at Torneo has been considerably reinforced.
Baron de Lagerbjelke gave me the assurances of the Duke of Sudermania, that every effort shall be made on the part of Sweden to repel the meditated attack of Russia, and that his Royal Highness is determined not to yield to the conditions of peace proposed by her, as long as he has the means of defending himself; but he proposes that your excellency should on your part aid him in his defence, by displaying first a part of the fleet under your command in the Sound and on the coast of Denmark, to deter the Danes from making an attack on the southern provinces of Sweden, while the troops and sailors necessary for the defence of this part of the kingdom shall be withdrawn from these shores. Secondly, that you should engage to send such a force into the Baltic sea as to render it dangerous for the Russians to make any attempt with ships of the line against the harbours, or to carry an invading force against the coast of Sweden. And thirdly, that by detaching sloops of war, brigs, and frigates in the direction from Norrköping and Stockholm, as far as Gefle, you should strew such a force in those seas as to intimidate the Russian General in Finland from embarking his troops on board the flotilla at Åbo, for the purpose of attacking at once the centre of this kingdom. Such are the paucity of means, and so few the troops which this government can assemble for the defence of Sweden against so powerful an enemy, that the invasion cannot in all probability but succeed, unless your excellency can send the aid the King desires.
On the supposition that you might act in consequence of the above-mentioned representation of this government, I observed to Baron de Lagerbjelke, that, from the remoteness of the seas in the neighbourhood of Åland and Gefle, it was very probable that many of your officers might be unacquainted with them, and thereby risk being thrown into situations of danger; on which he observed, that through the means of his father, the minister of marine, he should take care that pilots should be sent out to meet you whenever it was ascertained that any of the ships under your command were coming into these seas. The navigation of the Gulf of Bothnia promises now to be open in ten days or a fortnight; and therefore this government hopes, in case you should accede to their wishes, that as little time as possible may be lost in the execution of them.
Three Swedish frigates, as Baron de Lagerbjelke gave me to understand, have been ordered round from Carlscrona to cruise off these coasts; and 106 gun-boats, hemmemas, and other vessels, are at present in or near the water; but the want of men from the mortality of the last winter is severely felt, and can only be supplied from the south, in case you think fit to coincide with the views of this government.
I have, &c. &c. &c.
Augt. Foster.