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"of January, 1801, some valuable books, mag"nificently bound, were presented to the Royal "Society of London from the National Insti"tute of France: a letter of compliment accompanied this present, signed-' Buona

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parte, President of the National Institute, "and First Consul of France:' and on the let"ter was a finely executed vignette, represent"ing Liberty sailing on the open ocean in a shell, with the following motto:

'Liberte de mer.'

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"The progress of the Northern Confederacy "became every day more marked; Russia, Sweden, Denmark, and Prussia, entered into "it with avidity. The Emperor Paul ordered an embargo to be laid on near 300 British

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ships in the ports of Petersburgh, Riga, Re"vel, and Cronstadt; but the crews, with their "commanders, were taken out of the vessels, "and dispersed into the interior parts of the

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country, to distances from a hundred to a "thousand miles, in bodies of ten or twelve "men each, and put into prison! a flagrant act "of injustice, a gross and infamous violation "of the avowed intercourse of polished na"tions! besides this, all British property on "shore was sequestered; and seals were placed

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all warehouses containing English "goods.

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"The King of Prussia was now universally

regarded as a party in the grand confedera"tion, which was well known among the "Northern Powers. Without her accession it "would have been incomplete; for with the

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good will, or even neutrality of Prussia, Eng"land might defy the intrigues of Buonaparte, "and brave the utmost rage of Russia, though "seconded by so hardy and brave a country as "Sweden. The accession of Prussia involving, "of necessity, that of Denmark, completed the "chain for excluding the English from the "" continent; from Petersburgh and Stockholm "to the Straits of Gibraltar.

"But they that do know their God shall be "strong and do exploits." In consequence of "these hostile measures exhibited in the "North, an order was issued, dated 15th Ja

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nuary, 1801, for laying an embargo on the "northern ships; and the day after a note was presented to the Danish and Swedish ambas"sadors at London: the substance and import "of it was, that his Britannic Majesty being "informed of the re-establishment of the "armed neutrality, and of the naval prepa"rations in the Baltic, had determined imme

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diately to adopt the most effectual measures

"for repelling the attack he had already expe"rienced, and to oppose the effects of the con

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federacy armed against him. A fleet, con

sisting of eighteen ships of the line, four "frigates, and a number of bomb and gun"boats, amounting in all to fifty-two sail, and

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having on board several regiments of ma"rines and of riflemen, sailed from Yarmouth

on the 12th March, 1801, for the Baltic, un"der the command of Admiral Sir Hyde "Parker. On the 30th of this month the "British fleet passed the Sound, and it being "resolved to attack the Danes, the Vice-ad"miral Lord Nelson offered his service to con"duct it. On the morning of April the 2d "Lord Nelson made the signal to weigh, and "to engage the Danish line, consisting of six "sail of the line, eleven floating batteries of "24 and 18 pounders, and one bomb-ship, be"sides schooner gun-vessels. These were "supported by the Crown Islands, mounting

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eighty-eight cannon, and four sail of the "line moored in the harbour's mouth. The "seventeen sail, being the whole of the Da"nish line to the southward of the Crown "Islands, after a battle of four hours, were "sunk, burnt, or taken. The van of the Bri"tish was led by Captain George Murray of "the Edgar, who set a noble example of intre

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pidity, which was followed by every captain,

officer, and man, in the navy. The loss in "such a battle was naturally very heavy."The total amount of the killed and wounded "was stated at 943. Among the killed was "the gallant Captain Riou, and Captain Moss "of the Monarch. The carnage on board the "Danish ships was excessive; it was calcu"lated by the commander-in-chief of the "Danes at 1800! As soon as the fire from "the Danish line had slackened, and Lord "Nelson perceived that the ships and battery "of the enemy were in his power, he went "into his cabin, and wrote a letter to the "Prince Royal, addressed, To the Brothers

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' of Englishmen, the Danes,' expressive of "his desire to spare the further effusion of "blood. An armistice ensued, which soon "led to an amicable convention.

"This was a memorable and most bloody "engagement: the Danes fought with incon"ceivable intrepidity. Lord Nelson told the "Crown Prince's aid-de-camp, who waited

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upon him respecting the proffered flag of "truce, that the French fought bravely, but "that they could not have stood an hour the

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fight which the Danes maintained for four. "I have been in one hundred and five engage"ments, said he, in the course of my life, but

"that of to-day was the most terrible of all." Thus the confederacy was broken, and the Danes were detached from it by the arms of Britain, whose seamen have always shewn themselves strong and valiant in her cause, and whose gallant Admiral Lord Nelson was ever ready to acknowledge the hand of God, who, in mercy to Great Britain, strengthened him to do exploits.

"There were some points not easily agreed upon, which impeded a solid pacification be"tween this country and Denmark; but these "were done away by a fortunate event which happened at this momentous period-the "death of the Emperor Paul. The new Em

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peror Alexander, who was immediately pro"claimed, declared for the laws and system of "his august grandmother. It was among the "first acts of his reign to release all those Bri"tish seamen who had been thrown into prison

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by Paul; peace and good understanding were "re-established between the courts of London "and Petersburgh, and all disputes between "Great Britain and the Northern Powers were "amicably adjusted *."

See Dodsley's Annual Register for the year 1801; see also Van Ess's Life of Buonaparte, vol. V.

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