On the 6th of June, the Duke of Sudermania was elected King by the States, and took the title of Charles XIII, on which occasion due notice was given to the Admiral both by Mr. Foster and the Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Baron Engeström. At this time everything seemed to go well on the Continent, and the period of the new King's accession to the throne was thought a proper epoch to sue for peace with Russia. This, however, was not done without the knowledge of Mr. Foster, to whom assurances were given that the alliance with England should not be broken; and in this the King subsequently showed great firmness. An officer was sent to demand passports for Baron Stedinck, who was to be the negotiator, and who actually proceeded to the Gulf of Finland. But the Emperor of Russia, acting under the influence or fear of Buonaparte, made the shutting of their ports against the English a preliminary concession before he would either grant a passport to the negotiator, or a cessation of hostilities. The attempt, which was indeed intended to gain time until the war between Austria and France was decided, totally failed, and nothing was left but to prosecute the war.
An attack on Åland, which had been meditated, was abandoned; and the plan now was to cut off a division of the Russian army, which had advanced to Urneo, in West Bothnia, for which extraordinary exertions were made. In the meantime the Russians, amounting to 11,000, with 84 gun-boats, had, in dread of the approach of the Admiral's fleet, fortified themselves strongly in Åland, which could not safely be approached by ships of the line.
Prince William of Orange, who had brought the intelligence from Colberg of the fate of Major Schill, and been hospitably received on board the Victory, wrote the following letter, which Sir James received off Carlscrona:
Monsieur,—Arrivé à Gothenburg, je m'empresse de remercier votre excellence de toutes ses bontés pour nous, et des facilités qu'elle nous a procurées pour continuer notre voyage. Je prends la liberté de joindre ici une lettre à M. Schroeder qui en renferme une autre à ma mere à Berlin; priant votre excellence de la faire parvenir à Colberg si elle en a occasion, je lui en aurai une grande obligation. Je suis avec une parfaite consideration,
De votre excellence, le très devoué Serviteur,
Guillaume, Prince d'Orange.
Gothenburg, 6 Mai 1809.
Monsieur le Vice-amiral Saumarez.
The Victory left Carlscrona on the 20th June, having ten sail of the line in company, and proceeded to the Gulf of Finland, in order to blockade the Russian fleet at Cronstadt. Sir James chose a position at the small island of Nargue, near Revel, as the most convenient place: on passing Landsort, at the entrance of Stockholm, he sent the Rose with letters, and to receive any which Mr. Foster might have for him.
The coronation of the new King was to take place on the 29th June. It was the intention of his Majesty to invite Sir James to assist at that ceremony, had he anchored at Dalerö, the anchorage for ships of the line near the entrance of the river of Stockholm; but the Admiral had proceeded without anchoring, and on that day was off Hang Udd.
On arriving at Nargue Island, which had a Russian governor, but no fortification, Sir James found a large quantity of wood prepared for transportation to Revel, which was very acceptable to the fleet; but the water was not plentiful. The inhabitants of this island, who are fishermen and speak the Swedish language, are inoffensive people; and the Admiral, on his arrival, signified that it was not his intention to molest them.