t, but for his
undertaking to proceed up the Gulf of Finland, to prevent the sailing
of the Russian fleet, with his own powerful squadron.

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 Engestroem. 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 Aland, 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 Aland, 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,--Arrive a Gothenburg, je m'empresse de remercier
votre excellence de toutes ses bontes pour nous, et des
facilites qu'elle nous a procurees pour continuer notre voyage.
Je prends la liberte de joindre ici une lettre a M. Schroeder
qui en renferme une autre a ma mere a Berlin; priant votre
excellence de la faire parvenir a Colberg si elle en a
occasion, je lui en aurai une grande obligation. Je suis avec
une parfaite co