322 Memoirs of Gustavus Adolphus IV. King of Sweden. [May 1, 
the desires of myself, my wife and child! 
My sovereignty is my people’s; and for 
them alone Iam, and remain a king! 
“« Be assured, that when, in your de- 
liberations with me, unity and sincerity 
with piety shall be found to preside, we 
may expect from the grace of God, thac 
this. diet will terminate to the welfare 
and happiness of the people—Then— 
Yes, O Heavens, that is the witness of 
my vows !—then shall I think myself 
amply rewarded for all my past cares and 
future solicitude! , 
“ Convinced that you, as faithful 
Swedish subjects, worthy of your an- 
cestors! partake of my sentiments, I 
wish that the heavenly grace and blessing 
of the Almighty God may attend your 
deliberations, and rest on you for ever: 
AndI remain, with royal benevolence 
and good will, your affectionate Gustavus 
Adolphus.” 
Aboutthis time his Majesty, taking pre- 
-eautionary measures against foreign ambi- 
tion, entered into an alliance of armed 
neutrality with the Emperor of Russia; and 
after the lapse of a period marked with 
the most momentous events, on the 17th 
of June, 1801, a convention of a similar 
import was signed by the Kings of Swe- 
den and England. By this agreement, 
the principle that neutral flags constitute 
neutral property, for the enforcement 
of which, the powers of the North had 
united, was modified to the satisfaction 
of the contracting parties. But, by a 
subsequent convention with Sweden, 
Great Britain was authorized to bring in 
Swedish vessels proceeding to the ene- 
my’s ports with certain articles necessary 
for the equipment of ships of all descrip- 
tions; and to exercise the right of pur- 
chasing them, apon condition of paying 
a profit of ten per cent, upon a fair in- 
voice price in- England or im Sweden 
respectively, at the option of the owner,, 
with an indemnification for detention and 
necessary @xpences. ORS 
Some observations upon this treaty 
appeared in the French newspaper 
ealled the Moniteur, stamped with the 
character of official remonstrance. ‘That 
remonstrance notes it as a lamentable 
circumstance, that the powers of the 
North should thus be obhged to abandon 
a prineiple, which had appeared to them 
of so much importance to the interests 
of commerce, and the navigation of neu- 
ral states; namely, that the flag covers 
the merchandize, But with respect to 
Sweden in particular, it asserted, that 
she was compelled to grant an additional 
4& 
benefit, by authorizing Great Britain to 
retain, not upon the terms which we have 
already stated, but according to her 
caprice, a part of the naval supplies, 
which certatn states of the continent © 
might endeavour to procure by the chan- 
nel of Swedish ‘vessels. Such: remarks 
evidently betrayed the discontent with 
which the French government viewed 
the conduct of the court of Stockholm, 
in entering into a treaty with that of 
St. James’s, which definitively adjusted 
every former point of dispute. The gross 
misrepresentation this affected remon- 
strance contained, was as impudent as it 
was contemptible and false. . 
The King of Sweden, on the other 
hand, as a member of the Germanic 
body, viewed the interference of France 
in ‘the affairs of the Empire, with rea- 
sonable distrust and indignation, A dis- 
pute having arisen between several prin- 
ces of the Empire and the equestrian or- 
der, relative to the immediate depeh- 
dence of the latter upon the princes; 
this subject, and some other grounds 
of dissatisfaction, led to a serious mis 
understanding between the emperor 
and the Elector of Bavaria,- brother-in- 
law to the King of Sweden, Bonaparte 
directed Mons. Otto, French minister at. 
Munich, officially to declare to the elec- 
tor his displeasure at his conduet, and his 
expectation that his - imperial majesty 
would take measures to inflict on him a 
suitable punishment. 
To sueh unjust and insolent interfe- 
rence, the King of Sweden’appears to 
allude, in a note, dated 26th of January, 
1804; delivered to the diet of Ratisbon, 
by his Majesty’s minister the Baron de 
Belt. Atter expressing the lively solici- 
tude with which his majesty has always 
been animated for the welfare of the 
German Empire, and alluding to the il- 
legal and unconstitutional proceedings of 
several princes; the note.proceeds to 
state hisSwedish Majesty’s persuasion, that 
the Emperor and the Empire, when they 
shall have been requested by the interest- 
ed states of the Empire, will cause these 
abuses to he investigated with the most 
rigid scrutiny, in order that justice may 
be done to each, and thatin future, they 
may not afferd room for’ discussions 
which might be attended with most dan- 
gerous consequences. “The note also ex- 
presses his Majesty’s conviction, that the 
delrberation which was to be opened for 
this purpose between the Emperor and 
the Empire, will take place with the re- 
ciprocal harmony and good understands 
ing 
