Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de Saumarez Volume II Part 16

SIR,

I do myself the honour to inform your excellency that his Swedish Majesty has most graciously been pleased to intrust to me the command of his sea and land forces, who are to act on the coasts and in the Gulf of Bothnia against the common enemy of our respective nations; and I beg to a.s.sure your excellency that nothing could afford me more pleasure than receiving your commands, if ever I can be of the smallest use to your excellency. I submit to your excellency's own judgment if it should not be useful to the common service to have respective officers, who are acquainted with the languages, placed aside of the commanders-in-chief. For my part, I should find it very agreeable if Lieutenant John Ross, who served last year on board the Swedish Admiral's s.h.i.+p, would be permitted to resume the same employment on board of this. He is so well acquainted with the Swedish language and customs, that I flatter myself he would have no objection to this proposition.

If winds permit, I intend to depart to-morrow with two s.h.i.+ps, one frigate, six galleys, fifty gun-boats, and some transports, carrying 7,000 troops, and proceed up the Gulf in order to debark this army on a proper place, so that they might fall in the back and destroy the enemy's troops, who at present occupy the province of West Bothnia. Vice-admiral Baron Cederstrom will remain with one hundred gun-boats and some galleys to protect the Swedish coasts opposite land. The Camilla frigate is left cruising in the land Haf, to act in conjunction with the British force stationed there by the orders of your excellency.

I should think it very useful for the service we are upon if a British frigate and some sloops of war could be stationed at Revel, in order to prevent the enemy from sending any reinforcement to land; and also if your excellency should proceed further up in the Gulf of Finland with the British squadron, and make such demonstrations as would contribute to keep the enemy in uncertainty of an attack on either of the coasts in the Gulf. He would thereby be obliged to disperse his forces, which in the present case would be of the greatest utility for the service.

I submit all this to your excellency's invaluable judgment, and have the honour to remain, with the highest esteem and consideration,

Sir, Your excellency's Most obedient and most humble servant, JOHN AF PUKe, Admiral.

His Excellency Vice-admiral Saumarez, Commander-in-chief, &c.

The Swedish councillor of state, Baron Platen, who had been sent to communicate with Sir James, remained only a few days on board the Victory, when it was agreed that the Swedish flotilla should be reinforced, so that there could be no doubt left of its superiority to that of the Russians. The following correspondence will demonstrate the amicable feeling produced by the interview.

Stockholm, 2d August 1809.

SIR,

It is with great pleasure I have the honour to return my best thanks for all the numberless civilities bestowed on me during my last visit. I should be vain were I to consider these as paid to me personally; they were given in honour of my King and country, so powerfully protected by your excellency, for which his Majesty has ordered me to express his highest grat.i.tude.

In reference to the operations in the common cause, as well as to some other matters, I have written to Captain Hope, to whom I sent several charts and drawings. I hope he will make out what I mean, though I cannot express my ideas as I wish in a foreign language.

Part of the expedition to the north is already under way, and the rest will to-morrow set off under the command of Admiral Puke. May the Almighty crown the undertaking with success, and soon send them back again! Perhaps something might be effected, before bad weather puts a stop to operations, with the small fleet. Till now, every event seems favourable to the expedition; and the knowledge of the chief makes me confident that what is possible will be done. How much will Sweden be indebted to your excellency for having so powerfully promoted the business by combined measures.

I rejoice in the opportunity this gives me to a.s.sure your excellency of the high esteem wherewith I am for ever,

Sir, &c. &c. &c.

B.V. PLATEN.

P.S.--It is by the order of his Majesty that I have the honour to announce to your excellency that Lieutenant Ross has been created a Knight of the order of the Sword, on the particular request of the Admiral Puke.

Victory, Gulf of Finland, 12th August 1809.

SIR,

With the greatest pleasure I have received the letter your excellency has done me the honour to write, and I have to express my sincerest regret at not having been able to enjoy for a longer time your valuable company on board the Victory; but when I considered how precious every hour must be to your excellency at this important epoch, I could not prevail upon myself to offer the least delay to your departure, however happy it would have made me to postpone it for some days longer.

I hope soon to have the satisfaction to be informed that the expedition has been crowned with the most complete success; and should the proposed enterprise against land be adopted, I trust to be able to reinforce the detachment under the orders of Captain Reynolds, and contribute, as far as my means will admit, to an expedition that has the security of Sweden for its object.

I return you my sincere thanks for the charts you have been pleased to send to Captain Hope, and for the attention your excellency has bestowed on the welfare of the squadron in directing that the s.h.i.+ps may be supplied with fresh provisions from the island of Gothland, should they require it.

The unremitted marks of friends.h.i.+p and regard shown to the fleet under my command in the different ports in Sweden have excited my highest grat.i.tude, and I have not failed to express the same to my government.

I shall take the earliest opportunity to signify to Mr. Ross, who is at this time absent from the squadron on a particular service, the distinguished mark of favour his Majesty the King of Sweden has been pleased to confer upon him for his services.

I have the honour to be, &c. &c.

JAMES SAUMAREZ.[10]

His Excellency Baron de Platen, Stockholm.

[10] It has been already mentioned that a reinforcement was granted to Admiral Puke's expedition; but Lieutenant John Ross being at that time acting in command of his Majesty's sloop Ariel, and detached on a particular service, the request that he might be again appointed as adjutant to the Swedish fleet could not be complied with. The following letters from Sir James to Mr. Foster are given to show the progress of affairs at that time, and how dependent the Swedes were on the issue of undertakings in other quarters.

Victory, Gulf of Finland, 19th August 1809.

SIR,

I received by the Mary your letter of the 10th, with the papers to the 1st instant from London. I hope the next accounts will convey the pleasing information of the complete success of the expedition under Lord Chatham, and that so powerful a blow in favour of the common cause will induce Austria to renew hostilities against Bonaparte. I shall also be happy to hear that the expedition to the Gulf of Bothnia has been terminated by the expulsion of the whole of the Russian force from Sweden.

Nothing has transpired in these quarters since my last letter.

From what I am informed, great discontent prevails in Russia at the conduct of Bonaparte with respect to Poland.

In my last letter from England, orders have been given for the vessels that conveyed the Spanish troops from the Danish islands to Gottenburg to be restored. This looks as if peace was about to take place between Sweden and Denmark; and I am informed by Mr. Merry it was a condition demanded by Denmark previously to preliminaries being entered into.

I have, &c. &c. &c.

JAMES SAUMAREZ.

Augt. Foster, Esq.

&c. &c. &c.

Victory, Gulf of Finland, 22nd August 1809.

SIR,

I return you many thanks for the letters and despatches you have been pleased to forward to me, and which, with your letter of the 19th, reached me yesterday evening. It becomes of so great importance that I should receive my several communications as speedily as possible, that I lose no time in hastening the cutter back to Dalaro, and I shall be obliged to you to transmit my letters for England that I send by her.

I have this morning received a letter from Berlin, dated the 30th ultimo, from a person who had recently left the Austrian head-quarters. It was expected that hostilities would be renewed at the expiration of the armistice, and measures were ordered to be in readiness for that purpose. I also understand that information of this being the intention of the Emperor has been transmitted to government, and also to Lord Chatham, commanding the expedition. I therefore hope we may yet see a favourable termination of the campaign.

With respect to Sweden, I am really anxious to be informed what are the intentions of ministers relative to that country, as also if there exists any probability of their concluding peace with Russia and the other powers.

On receiving the account of the insurrection on the Earthholmes, I sent immediate orders to his Majesty's s.h.i.+ps that might be at Carlscrona to use their endeavours to take possession of them, and I have detached a s.h.i.+p of the line upon that service. It is an island of great importance, and I sincerely hope it will fall into our hands. I also hope to receive accounts of the expedition from Sweden having succeeded to its fullest extent, and request you will be pleased to transmit to me the earliest accounts that may arrive. I am rather surprised at not having heard from the detachment under Captain Reynolds.

I have, &c. &c. &c.

JAMES SAUMAREZ.

Augt. Foster, Esq.

&c. &c. &c.

Admiral Puke, having been reinforced by the Tribune, Rose, Hearty, and some gun-boats, proceeded safely to his destination at West Bothnia. In every attack on the Russian flotilla he had the advantage, and he eventually landed General Count Wachtmeister with 7,000 troops near Umeo. It appears that this general did not take up the best position for preventing the escape of the Russian general Kaminski, who, notwithstanding the bravery of the Swedish troops in the battle of Umeo, succeeded in effecting a retreat on a reinforcement, and at length compelled the Swedish general to propose an armistice on the terms dictated by Russia. This led to a peace, by which Russia obtained the whole of Finland and West Bothnia as far as Umeo.

The terms would no doubt have been still worse had not the English fleet remained in the Gulf, for there was nothing else to prevent the Russians from taking possession of Stockholm. It will be manifest, from the following correspondence, that, under circ.u.mstances of heavy responsibility, Sir James remained to a very late period for the defence of Sweden and the protection of the commerce of that country and England.

Stockholm, 2d Sept. 1809.

SIR,

I had the honour to receive yesterday your excellency's letter, dated 28th ultimo. Despatches and letters have been lying here for you some days: in those which came yesterday you will find the official account of the surrender of Flus.h.i.+ng. I am sorry not to be able to give you such satisfactory intelligence as I could wish of the operations of the Swedes, who have failed to cut off the retreat of the enemy, although they have gained considerable advantages. I enclose to you the Swedish Gazette, as I think you have an officer on board who can read it.