ch struck on a shoal off Winterton, having been assembled, and
fully prepared, took their departure on the 12th of March 1801.

Early in the morning of the 18th, land was discovered; and next day,
about noon, the British fleet made the Scaw, or Scagen, the first
general rendezvous. This low point of sandy and apparently barren land,
which is the most northernly part of the peninsula of North Jutland, is
eleven or twelve leagues distant from Marstrand Island on the Swedish
shore. At both these points, the Danes and Swedes have respectively
erected light-houses; for the support of which, all vessels passing the
Sound, or entering the Swedish ports, are required to contribute: the
entrance between the Scaw Lights and the Cattegat being considered as
the entrance to the Cattegat. As it was well known, that the Danes were
making every possible effort to obstruct the passage of the Sound, and
render Copenhagen inaccessible to the approach of gun-vessels, much
surprise was expressed, at the fleet's not being ordered to pass the
Cattegat, with a strong north north-west wind, so highly favourable to
such a design. The commander in chief, however, was probably deterred,
by the nature of his instructions, from committing the country, by a
forcible passage of the Sound, till the effect of Mr. Vansittart's
pacific propositions, who had preceded the fleet, on board a frigate
with a flag of truce, should be first fairly ascertained. This gentleman
having reached Elsineur the 20th of March, proposed to the Danish
court, in conjunction with Mr. Drummond, the British minister at
Copenhagen, the secession of Denmark from the northern alliance; the
allowance of a free passage to the British fleet through the Sound; and
an abandonment of the system of sending convoys for the protection of
Danish merchant vessels. These proposals being instantly rejected, the
two British plenipotentiaries received passports for their return.

In the mean time, the officers and crew of the fleet, by foul winds,
with heavy falls of sleet, snow, and rain, added to a chilling cold,
which they particularly experienced from the 21st to the 24th, suffered
considerable fatigue. This, with the delay, had a tendency to damp the
ardour of the enterprise; and Lord Nelson, aware of all the
consequences, would gladly have discarded much of that diplomatic
etiquette which finally proved, as he had from the first supposed it
would do, quite unimpressive with the Danes. Stil