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remain there if they pleased, till farther orders from his serene highness, major-general, the prince of Neuf-Chatel (Berthier). Nevertheless, in order to be entitled to this privilege, they were to produce a certificate, from the governor, that they had not taken any part in the defence of the place. The wives of the officers and others, that is, persons in civil employments or situations, to be at liberty to remove from the city. The sick and wounded to be left in the care of the marshal Le Febvre; and on their recovery, to be sent to the advanced posts of the Prussian army. Marshal Le Febvre engaged to the inhabitants of Dantzig, to employ all the means in his power, for the protection of persons and property. The present capitulation to be carried into execution at 12 o'clock at noon, the 26th of May.

It

was to be understood, that between the present and that period, the garrison of Dantzig was not to make any attack on the besiegers, in case of their being engaged in any action with the Russo-Prussian army without the city.

On the 27th of May, the garrison marched out of the city with general Kalkreuth at its head. This strong garrison, which consisted at first of 18,000 men, as above stated, and, at the opening of the trenches, of 16,000, was now re. duced to 9,000, of which number 400, and among these some officers, deserted. The officers said, that they had no mind to go to Siberia. Several thousands of artillery horses were given up to the French, according to the terms of capitulation, but most of them in a very bad condition; 800 pieces of artillery; magazines of every kind; more than 500,000 quintals of

grain; well stored cellars; immense collections of clothing, and spices and great resources of every kind for the army.

The Russian lieutenant general, Kamenskoy, who after his defeat of the 15th retired under the fortifications of Weischelmunde, remained there, without making any farther attempts, and was a spectator of the surrender of Dantzig. When he perceived that the French were em. ployed in erecting batteries for burning his ships, he set sail, and returned with his fleet to Pillaw. The fort of Weischelmunde however still held out. But when mar. shal Le Febvre summoned it on the 6th, while the terms were only under consideration, the whole garrison advanced from the fort and surrendered at discretion. The commandant, thus abandoned by the garrison, s ved himself by sea*.

After the fall of Dantzig, a de tachment was sent, closely to block. ade and besiege, in form, the fortress of Graudenz, which though strong, both by art and nature, could not be supposed to hold out long, hemmed in, as it was, on all sides, by the besieging and grand French army.

The last hope that remained to the allies, of a favourable turn to the war, on the left, or western side of the Vistula, was Stralsund.

Marshal Mortier, having first plundered, established a regular system of exaction, and completely esta. blished the domination of France in Mecklenberg, Hamburgh, and Lubeck; and had orders, towards the middle of February, to enterSwedish Pomerania, and lay siege to the capital of that province. It was invested on the land side, but the siege was not pushed with vigour

Marshal Mortier, being charged

• 77th Bulletin of the grand French army.

with

ith the siege of Colberg, drew off 7,000 men to that place, leaving the siege of Stralsund in charge to general Granjeau.

In the mean time, while the operations of the besiegers were but languid, the besieged made several bold sorties, demolishing the batteries of the enemy, and spiking their guns. The garrison of Stralsund received considerable re-inforcements; and troops were also landed at other points from the Swedish flotilla.

In the beginning of April, it was thought proper to re-inforce the army besieging Dantzig. The siege of Stralsund was raised; and the besieging troops, by degrees, began to march to the Lower Vistula.

As soon as the general baron Van Essen, the governor-general of Swedish Pomerania, perceived that the French were filing off from that province, in small detachments, he determined to march against them, and compel them to a andon their entrenchments, and completely to evacuate Pomerania. His troops were divided into two columns; the first under his own orders; the second under those of lieutenant. general baron Armfeldt. Each column consisted of eight squadrons of hussars, a detachment of mounted artillery, and four battalions of infantry, with their proper divisions of chasseurs.* These two columns, advancing in the same line of direction, came up with the enemy at Lussow, drove them from thence to Ruderhagen, and pursued them from thence to Voigdehagen.

In the mean time the French had abandoned their batteries and en

dish

ed.

e

trenchments at Stralsund, and entrenched themselves on the heights between Voigdehagen and Te:chenhagen, on which they had mounted a battery of four pieces of artillery, and two howitzers. Tis being silenced by the Swedish altery, they endeavored to take possession of orass, ski ted by a wood, but **. forced t desist from the atresit, and continue their retreat from post to another which they have done with admirable kid courage, even acording to the we account, which is here tollowOn the 3 of Apri, general Van Essen's colun entering Demnin, made the garrison, after a slight res stance, prisoners, and sent out his light troops in pursuit of the enemy on the side of Mecklenburg. On the morning of the 4th of April, the column under baron Armfeldt entered the town of Anclam, where he took 150 men prisoners. The military chest also, containing 3,000 crowns, fell into his hand. The loss of the French in this well conducted retreat, is not stated to have been very considerable. But the prisoners, made during the retreat by the two Swedish columns, were said to have been 10,000 men, and, among these, 20 officers. +

After the retreat of the French from Swedish Pomerania, the Swedish army occupied a line of positions of very great extent, having the heads of its columns at Faikenwald, Stoltzenberg, Stadsfort, Belling, and Darkitz, that is, from the banks of the Oder to the confines of Mecklenberg Strelitz. Marshal Mortier

* Chasseurs, or hunters, consist partly in horsemen, and partly in foot soldiers. Small groups of these are sent here and there into alleys, broken ground, or other places of shelter, in pursuit of the flying enemy. They were at first attached to battalions, but afterwards into regiments.

+ London Gazette, 21st April, 1807.

deter

determined to bear, with his whole force, on the centre of this dilated line. without giving himself any trouble about the other positions, being convinced, that by a rapid march on the river Peene, which the Swedes had inconsiderately erossed, he could throw them into the utmost confusion and consternation. Having assembled a part of his forces at Passewack on the evening of April 15th, he advanced on the 16th, before break of day, on the road to Anclam, overthrew a Swedish post at Belling, and another at Ferdinandskaff, took 400 prisoners, and two pieces of cannon, entered Anclam at the same time with the enemy, and made himself master of the bridge on the Peene. Thus a Swedish column commanded by general Cardell was cut off. It remained at Nekermunde when the French were already at Anclam. General Armfeldt, one of the Swedish commanders-in-chief, was wounded by a grape-shot. All the magazines at Anclam were taken, together with all the Swedish sloops of war, on the lake adjoining to Anclam, and transports. The column of general Cardell, which was cut off from the other Swedish troops, was attacked on the 17th, by the general of brigade Veau, near Neckermunde, when it lost three pieces of cannon, and 500 men. Another column took possession of Demnin, and made 500 soldiers prisoners. The Swedes were driven back again behind the river Peene.

head quarters of Van Essen, the commander of the other division, and who had now the supreme command of both at Greifswald,

General Armfeldt, after inform ing the baron Van Essen, of his having been wounded, and that he had been obliged to make the infantry of his division fall back on Ranzien, retired to Stralsund. It was ordered by Van Essen to march to Grimm, and thereafter to the

Here, April 17th, he was joined by a detachment of hus-ars, belonging to the royal guard from Stralsund. Early on the morning of that day, he had sent a flag of truce to marshal Mortier, of 24 hours, for the purpose of removing the sick and wounded to hospitals. It was not difficult to persuade the marshal, who knew how much his master wished to detach Sweden from the cause of the allies, to comply with his request. Soon after noon, the first adjutant of marshal Mortier arrived with a flag of truce, at Greifswald, with an answer to that which had been sent by the Swedish general. Before mid-day of the 18th, another flag of truce arrived from marshal Mortier, and an early hour was fixed for a conference between the two generals at Sklatkow, within an English mile and half of Anclam,' where an armistice was agreed on, not to be broken without ten days' previous notice. Besides this, which was the principal article, there were others, and these altogether in fa vour of the French. The Swedes were to restore the isles of Usedom and Wollin, which were to be occupied by the French garrisons, to be sent thither for that purpose, on the day after, that is, the 20th of April. The line of demarcation between the two armies, was to be the Peene, and the Trebel. But the French were farther to occupy a position beyond the Peene, and behind the barrier of Anclam. Du ring the armistice the Swedes were not to afford succours of any kind; to the towns of Graudenz and Dantzig, nor yet to the troops of any

of

of the powers at war with France or its allies. During the armistice, no troops belonging to any of the powers at war with France

were to be landed at Stralsund, or any other part of Sweish Pomerania, or the isle of Rugen. If, however, there should be a debarkation of any troops at Stralsund, in consequence of superior orders unknown to general Van Essen, the general engaged, that they should not commit any act of hostility against the French. *

Towards the end of the same month, April, mar hal Mortier, and general Van Essen, improved the terms of mutual accommodation into a more certain prelude to a permanent peace. It was agreed, April 29th, that none of the parties should resume hostilities without giving a month's previous notice, instead of the ten days fixed by the armistice of the 18th, When the king of Sweden was informed of the armistice, and the events that led to it in Pomerania, he determined to come thither, and take the affairs of this province, political and military, into his immediate management, and accordingly arrived at Stralsund early in May. Though he was far from approving of the armistices of the 18th and 29th of April, he was sensible that those armistices, which he considered as most disgraceful, were owing, not to any misconduct on the part of the general, baron Van Essen, but to the imprudence, and precipitation of general Armfeldt, in crossing and advancing too far with his column beyond the Peene.

While ge

neral Van Essen, therefore, was appointed governor-general of Pomerama, and decorated with the grand cross of the Swedish order of the

sword, general Armfeldt obtained permission from the king to resign his commission. These marks of favour were shown to general Van Essen on the 14th of May, at a graud parade; when the officers of the different Swedish regiments stationed at Stralsund, and various places in the vicinity, were also presented to his majesty, by whom they were received in the most gracious manner. He expressed his entire satisfaction with their conduct in the last campaign in. Pomerania. In the course of the campaign, the Swedes were joined by 2,000 Prussian officers and soldiers, under the command of general Hinning, and were placed among the troops in garrison at Stralsund. This officer was also presented to his Swedish majesty.

While Gustavus was thus employ

ed, in reviewing and promoting his brave and loyal Swedes, he was himself not a little animated, it may be presumed, by the arrival at Stralsund of the English general Clinton, with assurances of speedy succours of all kinds from the Bri tish government + in the administration of which, there had been, on the 24th of March, a great change. The ministers, who were desirous, above all things, of peace, and who had been amused with a negotiation by Buonaparte, until he was prepared to take the field at the close of September 1806, were exchanged for others, better disposed, it was generally imagined to afford cordial, prompt, and effectual succour, and co-operation with the confederacy against the tyranny, and still growing ambition, of the ruler of France.

Rapport du Baron D'Essen, &c. Reçu par S. M. le Roi de Swède à Malme, on Scama le 24e Avril par un Cour er expedié de Stralsund le 20. †Swedishi Gazeɛɛe, published at Stralsund 14th May.

CHAP.

CHAP. III.

Meeting of Parliament-Ilis Majesty's Speech delivered to both Houses by Commissiɔn—An Address in Answer--Moved in the House of Peers, by the Earl of Jersey-Seconded by Lord Somers-Observations on the Speech by Lord Hawkesbury-Replies made to Lord Hawkesbury, and the Speech in general defended by Lord Grenville-An Address in Answer to the Speech from the Tarone, moved in the House of Commons by the Hon. William Windham-Seconded by Mr. John Smith-Speech of Mr. Canning on the present Occasion, and Character of his Speeches in general. -Substitution proposed by Mr. Canning, of a new Address in place of that proposed by Mr. Lamb-Reply to Mr. Canning, and the Speech from the Throne in general defended by Lord Howick-Reply to Lord Howick, and various Strictures on the Conduct of Administration, by Lord Castlereagh-The Address, carried Nem. diss.-Thanks to General Sir John Stuart, and the Officers and Soldiers by whose valour the Victory of Maida was obtained, moved in the House of Peers by Lord Grenville-And in the House of Commons by Mr. Windham.-These Motions carried in both Houses by Acclamation.

THE

HE new parliament that had been called in October, assembled according to appointment, on the 15th of December. It was opened in his majesty's name, by Commission. The commissioners were the archbishop of Canterbury, the Chancellor, the earl of Ayls. ford, and lord Walsingham. Abbot was chosen speaker in the Louse of commons, with universal applause. Some days were taken up, as usual, in swearing in the men. bers of both houses. On Friday 19th, the lord chancellor delivered to both houses, what the commis. sioners had in command from his majesty.

The first topic touched on in the speech, was the late negociation with France; the papers exchanged in the course of which, his majesty had ordered to be laid before them: his majesty's efforts for the restoration of general tranquillity, on terms consistent with the interest Mr. and honour of his people, and good faith to his allies, had been disappointed by the ambition and injus. tice of the enemy, which, in the same moment, had kindled a fresh war in Europe; and of which the progress had been attended with the most calamitous events. After witnessing the subversion of the antient constitution of Germany, and the

That is, at the very moment when those efforts were made. This, though not very distinctly expressed, is, no doubt, the meaning.

subjugation

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