1922.] FIKST LORD DE SAIJMAliEZ, ETC. 123 



him to capture and otherwise molest all ships engaged on the 

 Swedish coastal trade. Fie immediately pointed out to the 

 authorities that this would drive Sweden into the arms of 

 France. That Sweden preferred the friendship of England 

 is shown by the fact that the Swedish Government allowed 

 their Admiral to point out to Saumarez the best place to 

 shelter the convoys of merchant ships— convoys which were 

 assembling in direct contradiction to the orders of Napoleon 

 and the official policy of the Swedish Government. On the 

 6th of June, in reply to the request of Saumarez, the orders 

 against shipping were rescinded and there seemed fair 

 prospect of friendly relations being maintained. But this 

 prospect was of short duration. Four days later Napoleon 

 compelled Sweden to declare war on England. Even so 

 Saumarez persisted in his courteous restraint and he shewed 

 it very shortly afterwards in a peculiarly dramatic and 

 spectacular fashion. Towards the close of the season 

 Saumarez had collected his usual convoy which still 

 amounted to about 1,000 ships to escort home to England. 

 While the whole fleet was in the narrow belt between Fiiner 

 and Zealand, Bernadotte proceeding to Sweden after hi* 

 election as Crown Prince and heir to the throne, set out in hi; 

 yacht on his way to Sweden, and sailed into the midst of the 

 British fleet. Nothing shews more clearly the far-sighted 

 and generous policy of Saumarez. A French marshall, a 

 nominee of Napoleon, sovran prince of a country at war with 

 England, in every character he was a man the British 

 admiral might well have arrested. He might at least have 

 stopped him and compelled him to come to terms with Eng- 

 land. Saumarez did none of these things. Bernadotte was 

 allowed a free passage and as he passed through the great 

 fleet of merchantmen and men of war he must have realised 

 at once the impossibility of Sweden actively attacking the 

 British fleet, and her dependence on her trade with England. 

 More than that, he could hardly have helped contrasting the 

 generosity of the British admiral with the arrogant tyranny 

 of his late master Napoleon. 



In this year there was very little active warfare. The 

 naval domination of the British w r as recognised, and all that 

 Saumarez had to deal with were the Danish pirates who 

 harassed the merchant shipping. Russia was treated in much 

 the same way as Sweden. The undermining of the con- 

 tinental system proceeded apace, and since Russia was at 

 peace with Sweden and their fleet remained in Kronstadt 

 there was no occasion for active warfare. Saumarez had 

 already tried to wean the Tsar from his allegiance to 

 Napoleon by his use of the Portugese liberation as pro* 



