‘160 
took oecasion to express, in an of- 
ficial note, to baron Jacobi, the 
Prussian minister in London, ** the 
great anxiety felt by his majesty, 
at the manner in which possession 
had been taken of the electorate of 
Hanover ;” and to desire him ex- 
plicitly to inform his court, *‘ that 
no convenience of political arrange- 
ment, much less any offer of cqui- 
valent or indemnity would ever in- 
duce his majesty so far to forget, 
what was duc to his own legitimate 
yights, as well as to the exemplary 
fidelity and attachment of his Han- 
overian subjects, as to consent to 
the alienation of the electorate.”*— 
But this note, which at an earlier 
period, might have deterred the 
court of Berlin from the violent 
and outrageous course, on which it 
_ had entered, arrived too late to pro- 
duce any change in its determina- 
tions. The three provinces were 
already given upto France, and 
engagements had been formed to 
execute the other articles of the 
greaty of Paris, from which the 
Prussian government durst not re. 
cede. 
While the violent and unjustifi- 
able proceedings of Prussia were 
directed solely against the electorate 
of Hanover, his Britannic majesty 
was advised by his ministers ‘‘ to 
forbear all recourse to his British 
subjects” in support of his rights ; 
and to content himself with ‘ re- 
monstrating, by amicable negocia- 
tion, against the injury he had sus- 
tained, and resting his claim for 
reparation on the moderation of his 
conduct, on the justice of his re- 
presentation, and on the common 
interest which Prussia herself must 
* ‘Note from Mr, Fox to baron Jacobi 
F Apnibé. + April’d. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
ultimately feel, to resist a system 
destructive of all legitimate posses. 
sion. But, when instead of re- 
ceiving assurances conformable te 
this just expectation, his majesty 
was informed that the determination 
had been taken of excluding, by 
force, the vessels and commodities 
of Great Britain from porte and 
countries under the lawful domini- 
on, or forcible controul of Prussia 5 
it was impossible for his majesty 
fonger to delay to act, without neg. 
lecting the first duty, which he ow- 
ed to his people. ‘the dignity of his 
crown, and the interests of his sub- 
jects, equally forbad his acquiesc- 
ing in this open and unprovoked 
aggression.” No sooner, there~ 
fore, had intelligence reached Lon- 
don of the actual exclusion of Bri- 
tish shipping from the Elbe, and of 
the determination of Prussia to shut 
all the ports of the German ocean 
against the British flag, than mea- 
sures of retaliation were adopted.— 
Notice was givent to the ministers 
of neutral powers, that the neces. 
sary means had been taken for the 
blockade of the rivers Ems, We- 
ser, Elbe, and Trave. A general 
embargo was laid on all Prussian 
vessels in the harbours of Great 
Britain and }reland ;¢ and this or- 
der was afterwards extended to all 
vessels belonging to the rivers Elbe, 
Weser, and Ems, vessels under the 
Danish flag only excepted.|| The 
English mission at Berlin was re- 
called ; anda message from his-ma- 
jesty was presented to both houses 
of parliament,{ stating ‘* the ne- 
cessity, in which his majesty found 
himself, of withdrawing his minis« 
ter from the court of Berlin, and of 
KKloert, March 17. 
|| April 16, § April 21. 
adopting 
