no more, in fact, than propose an armistice,
which is undoubtedly the province of every commander-in-chief. It is
indeed true that Buonaparte, who was at Erfurth when the Emperor
Alexander received his letter, made this the basis of a deceitful
overture for peace, in order to gain time, and thereby puzzle the
ministers a little; but this circumstance can never be held out as a
reason for preventing a commander-in-chief at a great distance from
home concluding an armistice, when he is confident it would be
beneficial to the cause on which he is engaged.

In the mean time, the Russian fleet, with the exception of two ships,
which were lost on the passage, succeeded in returning to Cronstadt.
It was said that Admiral Henikoff, who commanded, was degraded in
consequence of his conduct in not engaging the Swedish fleet.

The mortality continued at Carlscrona among the seamen until the cold
weather set in about Christmas, when it was calculated that the Swedes
had lost a number nearly equal to the original crews of their ships,
including sixty-four officers; among whom were fourteen of the rank of
captain (lieut.-col. in their service).

The Orion sailed with the first convoy in November, which she carried
successfully through the Belt. The next ship was the Africa, which,
after seeing her convoy through the Malinoe channel, was attacked by
Danish gun-boats in a calm, and suffered so severely as to oblige her
to return to Carlscrona. The Mars, Orion, and two bombs, made an
unsuccessful attack on Eurtholms; but the last convoy which left
Carlscrona, under the Salsette, Magnet, and two Swedish sloops of war,
was the most disastrous undertaking of all. They sailed on the 23rd
December, after the winter set in with unusual severity. A storm
coming on from the northward, brought the already-formed ice down on
the convoy. The Magnet (Captain Morris) was wrecked, with several
others; the rest, with the Salsette and two Swedish armed ships, were
carried back into the Baltic; and, excepting the Salsette, none of
them were ever heard of.

The gallant Captain Bathurst, who afterwards fell gloriously at
Navarin, after suffering severe hardships by being frozen out the
whole winter, during which his ship was drifted twice round the island
of Bornholm, was able to approach Carlshamn in March, and was cut into
that harbour by the Swedes, who afforded him every assistance. The
Swedish armed ships were lost by being carried by the ice on