12 
when a page delivered him a let- 
ter, written with a pencil, in good 
French ; of which the following is 
a_literal translation : 
COST: 
‘« May it please your Majesty ta 
listen to the warning of a man who 
is not in your service; asks no fa- 
vour of you; does not flatter your 
errors, but wishes to avert the 
danger which threatens your life! 
There is, doubt not, a project to 
take away your life. People have 
been extremely sorry that it could 
not be put in execution last week, 
when the inasked ball was counter- 
manded—this day is resolved on to 
try the attempt. Stay at home, and 
avoid all future balls, at least for 
the present year. Keep also away 
from Haga. In a word, be upon 
your guard, at least for a month, 
Give yourself no trouble to find out 
the author of this letter; chance 
made him discover the horrid plot 
which menaces your days. Believe 
me, he feels no interest to ward off 
the blow prepared for you. Had 
your hired troops at Gefle commit- 
ted acts of violence upon the peo- 
ple, the author of this letter would 
have fought against you sword in 
hand; but he abhors assassination.’ 
The King, having frequently re- 
ceived similar warnings, slighted 
this; and, notwithstanding the most 
pressing solicitations of Baron Essen, 
his master of the horse, he entered 
the ball-room ; he was instantly sur- 
rounded by a crowd of masks in 
black dresses, and being pressed 
hard, felt himself wounded by the 
contents of a pistol which were 
lodged above his Jeft hip, near the 
back-bone. His Majesty took the 
mask immediately off his face, and 
said to Baron Essen, ‘¢ lam wounded; 
conduct me back to my apartment.” 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
‘Life Guards. 
1792. 
Being arrived there, he sat down 
on a sopha; and, attended by dif- 
ferent foreign ambassadors and 
courtiers, he conversed with much 
apparent ease on the effects which 
this event would cause in Europe 
in the present crisis. He re- 
quested the former not to let their 
messengers set off before it should 
be known whether there were 
hopes or apprehensions of his re- 
covery. The surgeons arrived, 
probed the wound, and dressed it 
for the first time. His Majesty 
was then carried to the Castle, 
and was let blood at four o’clock 
in the morning. When the pis- 
tol had been fired off at the opera- 
house, an officer of the guards 
ordered all the doors and gates 
to be shut, and every body was 
obliged to pull off his mask, and 
give his name, Two pistols were 
found in the hail, the one fired 
off, and the other loaded with se- 
veral points and heads of nails, 
two slugs, and a, dozen small 
shots, besides a large carving knife, 
sharpened on both edges, and full 
of hacks to render the wound more 
dangerous. The mayor of the city 
having summoned all the sword- 
cutlers and cutlers before him, the 
pistols and knife were recognized 
by two workmen, who declared 
to have mended them for Mr. John 
Joseph Ankerstroem, at ten o’clock 
in the morning. The person who 
wrote the anonymous letter to his. 
Majesty acknowledged the act of 
his own accord; it was Lieutenant-. 
Colonel Lilienhorn, of his Majesty's 
He is now in safe: 
custody.—John Joseph Anker- 
stroem, who wounded his Majesty, 
was formerly a.captain in, the: Swe- 
dish service, but dismissed, with 
some. others, in 1789, for havin 
prevented the peasants of Gothlan 2 
joining 
