1922.] FIRST LORD BE SAUMAREZ, ETC. l2i 



the difficulty Napoleon had to compel compliance with the 

 Berlin decrees. ihe Danes were the most hostile nation on 

 th Baltic. The coast towns of Prussia and Russia were only 

 too ready to trade with the British and Swedes. 



bucn were the direct results of the campaign of 1808. 

 Indirectly it had a certain value. Movements were afoot 

 which combined to shake the allegiance to France of Russia 

 and Prussia. Bliicher had already a Prussian army of 

 50,000 men, a fact which cannot have failed to exert some 

 influence on Prussian opinion. Russia was also growing 

 restive. Saumarez had taken care to acquaint the Tsar witii 

 the British successes in Portugal. But a more potent cause 

 undermining his friendship with Napoleon was the latter's 

 aggressive attitude in Poland. Here Russia first began to 

 perceive that what she had taken for an honest friendship 

 was merely the cloak for outrageous designs on the integrity 

 of her empire. In Austria too the spirit of revolt against 

 French military tyranny was spreading. Silent mobilisation 

 of men and of material was in full swing. But before these 

 tendencies could combine into the premature revolt of 1809 

 or the Great War of Liberation of 18 13, Sweden suffered her 

 defeat at the hands of Russia. 



A triple Russian invasion was planned for the winter of 

 1808-9 wliile the ice closed the Gulf of Bothnia to British 

 ships and provided a bridge for the troops of the Tsar. The 

 first army moved round the north of the Gulf and defeated 

 the Swedes at Kalix. The second crossed the Gulf by way 

 of the Quarken Islands and took Umea. The third crossed 

 as far as the Aaland Islands, where the thaw caught it and 

 left it stranded. Their objective, Stockholm, was for the 

 moment saved. 



Meantime the Swedish King, Gustavus, had become 

 hopelessly insane and was deposed in favour of his uncle 

 Karl, who attempted to come to terms with the Tsar and 

 Napoleon, but being unable to obtain favourable conditions 

 he turned to Saumarez for support, and as the Spring allowed 

 the fleet to move again he was able to preserve his indepen- 

 dence for another season. The presence of the British in 

 the Gulf of Bothnia lengthened the communications of the 

 Russian Army at Umea which could no longer use the sea. 

 It began to fall back unsuccessfully harrassed by the Swedes, 

 but still remained in Sweden. Concurrently with this the 

 Austrian revolt had been crushed by Napoleon and Russia 

 was reduced to silence. Under these conditions Karl of 

 Sweden made peace and the whole of the Baltic ports were 

 closed to the British. Saumarez still held the sea but in 

 deference to the request of Karl he retired to Karlskrona apd 



