GENERAL HISTORY, 



[87 



take the sense of the House on the 

 subject. 



In answer to a question after- 

 wards put to lord Liverpool, his 

 lordship affirmed that there was 

 no treaty of concert and subsidy 

 with either Russia or Prussia. 



On June 16th, there was laid 

 before parliament a paper con- 

 taining the substance of the en- 

 gagements between the courts of 

 Stockholm and Petersburgb, so far 

 as they are referred to in the treaty 

 between Great Britain and Swe- 

 den. In this it is stated that the 

 French government having, by the 

 occupation of Swedish Pomerania, 

 committed an act of hostility 

 against the Swedish government, 

 and by the movement of its armies 

 having menaced the empire of 

 Russia, the contracting parties en- 

 gage to make a diversion with a 

 combined force of 25 or 30,000 

 Swedes, and 15 or 20,000 Rus- 

 sians upon some point of the coast 

 of Germany ; but that, as the king 

 of Sweden cannot make such 

 diversion consistently with the se- 

 curity of his dominions, so long as 

 he must regard Norway as an 

 enemy, the emperor of Russia en- 

 gages, either by negociation or 

 military co-operation, to unite Nor- 

 way to Sweden, which acquisition 

 is to be considered as a prelimi- 

 nary to the diversion in Germany. 

 The two powers unwilling to make 

 an enemy of the king of Den- 

 mark, will propose to him to ac- 

 cede to this alliance, and offer him 

 a complete indemnity for Norway 

 by a territory more contiguous to 

 his German dominions, provided 

 lie will for ever cede his rights on 

 Norway. In case he shall refuse 

 this offer, they engage to consider 

 Denmark as an enemy. Great 



Britain is to be invited to accede 

 to and guarantee this treaty. By 

 a subsequent convention, the Rus- 

 sian auxiliary force is augmented 

 to 35,000 men. The date of this 

 treaty is March 24', 1812. 



Earl Grei/, on June 18th, rose 

 .and first observed that the docu- 

 ment laid on the table was not 

 that which the House had a right 

 to look for, as it might reason- 

 ably expect the communication of 

 the articles themselves, instead of 

 the alleged substance of them. 

 Not, however, to dwell upon that 

 circumstance, he contended that 

 not only hostilities with Den- 

 mark having been continued after 

 an offer of peace, but a treaty hav- 

 ing been entered into with ano- 

 ther power for its spoliation, it 

 was become doubly necessary that 

 it should be proved that Denmark 

 had refused that justice which 

 Great Britain had a right to de- 

 mand : it was a fact that the ports 

 of Denmark had been closed against 

 the privateers of France, and every 

 facility given to British commerce, 

 as early as the 10th or 12th of 

 February. Soon after, an official 

 agent arrived from Copenhagen, 

 who was succeeded by Count 

 Bernstorf. Hence it appeared that 

 long before the Swedish treaty was 

 concluded, Denmark had by overt 

 acts incontestihly proved her pa- 

 cific disposition towards this coun- 

 try. After some other observa- 

 tions relative to the right of the 

 House to be fully informed how 

 the case stood before it gave its 

 sanction to a treaty of robbery and 

 spoliation, his lordship concluded 

 with moving, that an humble ad- 

 dress be presented to the Prince 

 Regent, for an account of all com- 

 munications that had taken place 



