formidable attitude of the English armament obliged the Danes to come to terms. A convention was signed (August 29), under the very walls of their capital, by the two plenipotentiaries, Lord Whitworth and Count Bernstorff; the substance of which was, that the Freya and her convoy were to be released, and repaired at the expense of Great Britain; the decision of the question as to the right of search was postponed for further discussion.

This accommodation quashed but did not settle the dispute; neither did it meet with the approval of the czar. That prince, who in 1799 had threatened Denmark with war for assisting the commerce of the French republic, was now the most zealous partisan in forming a combination of the Northern powers in favour of the common enemy, whom he had engaged by treaty with Great Britain to resist with the whole force of his empire. Denmark and Sweden were openly invited to join him in the confederacy; his preponderating influence in these courts, added to their own commercial interests, induced them to comply with his peremptory request. His Swedish majesty, young and of a resolute temper, yielded at once to the solicitation, and he laboured with indefatigable ardour not only to complete his own naval equipments, but to accelerate the preparations of his neighbours. The Danes did not accede to the coalition without considerable hesitation; because their trade had never been more flourishing, or their navigation more extensive, than at that period. The commerce of Europe and both the Indies poured into their harbours, and their merchants had amassed a degree of wealth hitherto unexampled in the history of their nation. But the threats and importunities of the adjoining states, and the necessity of connecting themselves with some great power able to protect them, overcame their repugnance to war. The seizure of a Prussian vessel, and some other aggressions by the English, afforded to the court of Berlin a pretext for joining the union. The confederation of the four powers was formally concluded, and signed on the 16th and 18th of December (1800) at St

Petersburg; it was nearly similar to the armed neutrality of 1780, but rather more favourable to belligerent nations, as it required that the captain and at least half the crew should be subjects of the state to which the neutral vessel belonged.

In consequence of these hostile measures, the English government ordered a seizure (Jan. 14, 1801) of all ships in their ports belonging to any of the combined powers, except those of Prussia. A great number of merchantmen richly laden were seized on their way to the Baltic, or detained in port; and of 450 Swedish traders, it was estimated that 200 were either captured at sea, or arrested in British harbours. Count Jarlsberg and Baron Ehrensvard, the Danish and Swedish ministers at London, protested, in their notes to Lord Grenville, against the embargo, in name of their respective courts, and demanded that it should be removed, otherwise they would consider it equivalent to a declaration of war on the part of England. At Berlin, Lord Carysfort represented to Count Haugwitz the violence and injustice of the proceedings adopted by the Baltic powers; expressing a hope at the same time, that Frederick William would not join the enemies of his Britannic Majesty, who were about to employ force to compel him to acknowledge a code of maritime laws which he deemed incompatible with the honour and security of his crown.*

From the tone of these diplomatic discussions, it was evident that Prussia was not inclined to stand neutral in this great contest. A body of troops accordingly entered Hanover (April 3), when an embargo was immediately laid on British shipping, and the Elbe and the Weser were closed against the English flag. At the same time a detachment of 15,000 Danish soldiers under Prince Charles, landgrave of Hesse, took possession of Hamburg and Lubeck, in order to stop the trade and navigation of Britain on the Elbe. The English consul there had repeatedly warned all vessels in the river to accele

Annual Register, an. 1800, 1801. Alison's History of Europe, vol. iv. p. 479-485.

rate their departure, some of which obeyed the admonition, while others, not apprehending danger, were detained.

The situation of England at that period was extremely critical; only a year before, she had taken the lead in the coalition against France,-now she found herself obliged to resist the combined hostility of Europe, with an exhausted treasury, and a population suffering from the double visitation of famine and pestilence. On the other hand, the might of Bonaparte had increased with unexampled rapidity. Austria was unable to withstand his victorious armies; Italy and Switzerland crouched beneath his eagles; Spain openly declared in his favour; and Holland was reduced to a province of the Republic.

As the chances of success for Britain now depended entirely on her striking a decisive blow at the outset, and anticipating, by the celerity of her movements, that combination of force which threatened the national independence, the most vigorous measures were resorted to with a view to bring the controversy to a speedy termination. In the beginning of March (12th) a powerful squadron, consisting of eighteen ships of the line, four frigates, and about thirty gun-boats, sailed from Yarmouth, under Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, with Nelson second in command, fresh from the glories of the Nile. The fleet was accompanied by Mr Nicolas Vansittart (afterwards Lord Bexley), in the capacity of a plenipotentiary, to endeavour an arrangement by negotiation, which unfortunately proved totally impracticable. On arriving in the Cattegat, off Zealand (20th), Sir Hyde immediately despatched a letter to the Governor of Cronborg Castle, Heer Stricker, inquiring whether he would be allowed to pass the Sound unmolested? The answer was in the negative; but by the earnest advice of Nelson, it was determined to attempt the passage. This bold resolution was not only the most gallant, but the most judicious that could have been adopted; and accordingly on the 30th the squadron bore up in three divisions, with a favourable wind, and passing almost beyond reach of the Danish guns, which opened a heavy fire from above a