266 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



lOth. When a merchant-ship is 

 not under convoy, and happens to 

 be brought to by a ship of war or 

 privateer belonging to any of the 

 belligerents, the captain shall not, 

 in that case, oppose the searching of 

 his vessel, but be bound faithfully 

 to shew all acts and documents 

 which relate to her cargo. The 

 captain and his people are strictly 

 prohibited from keeping back or 

 destroying any of their papers. 



1 1 th. If,however,such shipmakes 

 part of a convoy, the foregoing ar- 

 ticle shall not serve as the rule, but 

 the captain's duty consists in punc- 

 tually obeying the signals of the 

 commodore of the convoy, for which 

 purpose, therefore, he shall sepa- 

 rate as little as possible from the 

 convoy. 



12th. All captains are expressly 

 forbidden to attempt going into a 

 blockaded port, as soon as they arc 

 formally apprized by the oflicer 

 commanding the blockade. In 

 order to ascertain what a blockaded 

 harbour is, this appellation is con- 

 fined to those to which, by the ex- 

 ertions of the blockading power 

 with sliips destined and adequate to 

 the object, it is evidently danger- 

 ous to attempt running in. 



13th. In case any Swedish mer- 

 chant-ship is captured by a ship of 

 war or privateer of any of the bel- 

 ligerents, the captain shall imme- 

 diately transmit a circumstantial ac- 

 count, and duly explained, to the 

 Swedish consul or vice consul of 

 the place to which the ship is taken; 

 and, should there be no consul or 

 vice-consul there, he shall transmit 

 a memorial to tlie Swedish consul 

 of the district to which the place 

 into which his ship is taken be- 

 longs. 



1 4!th. Every captain of a Swedish 



merchantman, who strictly observes 

 the above regulations and orders, 

 shall enjoy a free voyage, protected 

 by the laws of nations and the pro- 

 vision of treaties; and to this end, 

 all public agents and Swedish 

 consuls are required, in case of at- 

 tack or insult, to give their support 

 to the just and well-founded com- 

 plaints on the subject. But those 

 w^ho in any point whatever neglect 

 or violate their orders, must answer 

 for the consequences of their con- 

 duct, without relying upon the 

 protection of his majesty. 



15th. By the contents of a re- 

 cent order, his majesty has prohi- 

 bited the privateers of a foreign 

 nation to enter, or bring theii* 

 prizes into the ports of his king- 

 dom, except in c:ise of their being 

 driven in by stress of weather. In 

 this case it is expressly prohiljited 

 to all whatsoever to buy the prizes, 

 or any of the efl'ects which the pri- 

 vateers have taken. 



To which end, publication, &c. 

 Given at St. Petersburgh, 

 Dec. 23, 1800. 

 ( Signed) Gustavus Adolplms. 



Letter from Mr. Skairp, relative to 

 the British Prisoners in Russia. 



VARIOUS reports having been 

 circulated respecting the un- 

 fortunate British subjects now in 

 Russia, I send yoa the foUovving 

 authentic information. 



The persons of the British mer- 

 chants have hitherto remained un- 

 molested; and what ready money 

 they had in their possession has not 

 been seized; but their warehouses 

 are sealed, and all their property is 

 under sequester. All the British 

 ships and their cargoes are seized 



