prisoners on
any part of the coast, they would be immediately liberated, for
which purpose the cartel intended to be ratified had been
proposed. That the appearance of any hostile measure was only
intended for demonstration, and in order to elude the
vigilance of French spies, who might be dispersed in the
country.

With respect to the late transaction at Carlshamn in landing
the cargoes from the Russian or Danish vessels, it was in
retaliation for the Swedish property sequestered last year in
the ports of those nations, but that the measure was not
intended to operate against merchandise belonging to British
merchants under any other flag, the whole of which would be
secured, and the underwriters, _secretement_, indemnified for
the value of the cargoes that were insured in England.

I strongly represented to Baron Tawast that the merchandise and
colonial produce on board the Russian vessels were positively
the property of British merchants trading to the Baltic, under
licences from one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of
State, and which had been left in one of the ports of Sweden
upon the strength of the declaration made to me in the month of
November last year, that the property of British merchants
would be secured to them, notwithstanding the imperious
necessity which Sweden had been under of declaring war against
England; and that his Majesty's Government would doubtless
expect the same to be restored; or that the merchants would be
indemnified for the full value of the cargoes landed from the
vessels under the Prussian flag; and I requested him to put in
writing what were the real intentions of the Swedish Government
upon that subject; but this he positively declined, nor would
he allow Mr. Consul Smith, who was present when this discussion
took place, to insert any part of it in writing. I signified to
Baron Tawast, for the information of the Swedish Government,
that it was far from my intention to commit any act of
hostility against Sweden, and that I was confident it was the
wish of my Government to keep upon an amicable footing as long
as circumstances would possibly admit; that I received
instructions to allow the coasting trade of Sweden to pass
unmolested, and that I had reason to hope it might be extended