1808.] 
to have catled for the exertions of the sea and 
land forces eivployed upon this expedition, 
they would have added another laurel to the 
many already acquired by British valour and 
discipline. 
Copies of the two letters of summons, with 
the auswers of the resoective governors, are 
herewith transmitted, together with a return 
of ordnance and ordnance stores taken posses- 
sion of, both at St. Thomas’s and Santa Cruz. 
This dispatch .will=be presented to your 
lordship by Captain Berkeley, of the.16th in- 
fantry, an intelligent officer, who will answer 
any question you may be pleased to ask him, 
and l beg leave to recommend him to your 
iordship’s notice 
Captain Berkeley is my first aid-de-camp. 
I have the honour to be, &c. 
Henry BowYeEr, 
General and Commander of the Forces. 
Tu a Debate which took place in the 
Tiouse of Lords on the 8th instant, rela- 
tive to the late Expedition to Copenha- 
ven, Lord Hutchinson, the Military Pub- 
lic Agent of this Country to the Armies 
of the Allies, spoke to the following 
Lfect -— ' 
He said he had listened with the greatest 
attention to the very able and eloquent speech 
of the Marquis Wellesley, who had just sat 
down, but had been unable to extract from it 
any justification satisfactory to his mind of the 
expedition to Copenhagen. ‘The noble lord 
had failed in proving that Zealand could not 
have been effeciualily defended, even. if the 
French were in possession ‘of Holstein and 
Jutland. He was of opinion, even supposing 
the French to have been in possession of Hol- 
stein and Jutland, that still Zealand might 
have been defended with efiect against the 
French armse He had been employed on a 
very important mission, end he thought it 
the more necessary to say something respect- 
ing that mission in consequence of partial ex- 
_tracts from his letters having been commu- 
nicated in another place, by which he had 
been held out as giving opinions which were 
never delivered by him. The Russian army 
in Poland never amounted. to more than 
70,000 men, with the exception of two de- 
tached divisions, amounting to about 30,000. 
The French troeps were estimated at 150,000. 
From the,disasters sustained by the former, 
and after the unfortunate. battle of Friedland, 
the loss of the Russians amounted to 40,000 
meny they lost also 4998 officers, and 28 ge- 
nerals. He was then perfectly convinced 
that Russia must make peace with France, 
fe believed also that the Emperor of Russia 
was sincere in his desire to media’e, if possible, 
a peace between this country and France ; 
but at all events, he then believed that the 
felations of peace and amity might have been 
preserved between Great Britgin aad Russia. 
State of Public Affairs in February. 
“The treaty of Tilsit was signed on the 7th of 
_country. 
169 
uly. , 
On the 23d of August my lords, I had a 
conversation with the Emperor of Russia att 
Kamincostroff. His Imperial Majesty asked 
me whether I had not admitted to Count Stro= 
gonoff, three days after the battle of Fried- 
land, that it was necessary for him to make 
peace? T told him that I had done so, that I 
was of that opinion then, which subsequent 
events had confirmed; that I thought myself 
bound in justice to him, and to myself, pub- 
licly te avow it; which I should contitue to 
do as long as Ilived. His Imperial Majesty 
said, we are then both agreed on the neces 
sity there was to male peace. I answered in 
the affirmative. 
<¢ His Imperial Majesty proceeded to state, 
that he had offered his mediation to England 3 
that he attached no false vanity (g/oriole was 
the French word) tothe acceptance or rejec- 
tion of his mediation; but that it was his 
most sincere and anxious wish that ingiand 
should make peace, as he was sure that it 
was his interest, and also that of Europe, and 
ours, that we should restore tranquility to the 
world. R 
I said to his Imperial Majesty, that he had 
not given sufficient time for England to ac- 
cept or reject his mediation, because a much 
longer period than a month must elapse bee 
fore any answer could be received; and 
though thedisposition of my mind inclined to- 
wards peace, I, nor no other manin England, 
would accept it, but on conditions the most 
reasonable and honourable; that, as far as 
we were concerned, the events of the war hed 
been highly favourable. 
To which his Imperial Majesty replied, 
that che time allowed was of no importance, - 
because we might takethree or four months, 
if we pleased to accept or reject his mediation 5 
but his anxious wish and desire was, that we 
should mike peace. That he had a perfect 
knowledge of the feelings and character of 
the people of England; that he had beea 
made acquainted by Bonaparte with the con- 
ditions of peace proposed tobe offered, and 
that he had no doubt that even I myself 
would consider them to be highly reasonable 
and honourable. 
Some confidential conversation followed, 
which I do not think myself at fiberty to dis» 
cluse, but from what thtn sassed, as | have 
already stated, I was justified in believing, 
that the relations of peace and amity might 
have been preserved between the two couns 
tries... It has been stated in another place, 
that I had given an opinion, that if the at- 
tack on Copenhagen had not taken place, 
Russia would not have gone to war with this 
My Lords, I never gave any such 
opinion, nor do I mean now tosay, that if that 
attack had not been made, there would have 
been no war with Russia, but 1 mean to sav 
ota 
tay 
