"Article I. The agents, arrested in consequence of the orders of our minister of justice and police, shall be brought before the competent authorities, to be dealt with according to the laws.

"II. Respecting the vessels detained in our ports, the list of which is subjoined, the competent tribunals are ordered to proceed against them with the utmost rigour. "III. Reckoning from the day of the publication, of the present decree, every vessel arriving in our ports is bound to enter into a double security, which shall remain in force till the legitimacy of their papers are acknowledged, and sufficient proof is given that these vessels have not touched at an enemy's port.

" IV. In case it should be proved that the papers are false, or that, in opposition to the declaration of the captain, the vessel has touched at an enemy's port, the amount of the double security shall be immediately demanded, and the sum paid into the public treasury.

"V. As soon as the security shall be regulated, the liberation of the ship shall take place, in presence of the persons appointed for that purpose, by the minister of Finance, who shall take care that owners shall not unship anything that may be presumed to come under the description of English goods.

"VI. In case it should be proved that the goods are actually of English fabrication, to have been brought from an enemy's port, they shall not only be confiscated for the benefit of the public treasury, but the double security shall be forthwith demanded, and the ship compelled to put to sea immediately; and, in case of bad weather, no indulgence shall be allowed, but under the most vigilant inspection, such as a guard, &c.

"VII. All correspondence, printed journals, &c. brought by neutrals, shall be seized and burnt.

"VIII. All passengers, or travellers, not able to prove that they do not come from the British islands, shall be immediately sent out of the kingdom.

"IX. All the former prohibitory limitations, relative to the English trade, are to remain in full force, so far as they are not affected by the present decree.

"X. All persons transgressing against these determinations, shall be considered as opposing the laws of the kingdom, and punished accordingly.

"XI. Our minister of finance is alone and personally responsible for the strict execution of these determinations. Our ministers of war and marine shall put under his disposal, detachments of hussars, gens-d'armes or infantry, together with such sloops and armed vessels as he may require.

"XII. Our ministers of marine, war, and finance, are charged, each so far as they are concerned, with the execution of the present decree.

"The second document is a decree of his majesty the king, dated this day, No. I. which it is required, that all persons demanding passports to go into foreign countries shall be required to state, whether they mean to go by sea, or by land: the same to be mentioned in their passports. If the persons demandi passports mean to travel by land, the words by land shall alone be inserted in the passport; and when their object may be to go by sea, this must be signified by a specific statement of the name of the ship, the captain, the port from whence they intend to sail, and an exact reference to the place of destination. 1st. It is determined to adopt the first article of the above-mentioned decree, for public notification. 2d. According to the second article of the same decree, and in order that the suspected falsehood of the ship's papers, and their lading, which may be in the hands of the ministry (such ships being under embargo or in custody,) may be brought to the clearest proof; and that the said ships and their lading should be proceeded against, according to the rigour of the laws, the project here inserted is to be sent to the king; and in order also that an exact inventory of the papers may be made out, they shall be transmitted to the minister of foreign affairs. 3d. His excellency, the minister of marine, is to be requested, by letter, to adopt the most efficacious measures to prevent the introduction of the goods and manufactures of the enemy, to put some vessels of war in a state of for

wardness, which vessels are to receive an officer of convoys and the customs on board; and for this purpose also, they are to cruize in the streams and waters of this kingdom, as under :

a. Two vessels to cruize in the Zuyder sea as far as Pampus, and along the Wadden, as far as the coast of Groningen.

"b. Two vessels to cruize in the streams of Zealand, between the Maeze and the West Schelde.

"c. One vessel to cruize from the coast of Groningen to the river Jahde, so far as this can be effected with safety.

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By letter, also, to suggest to the same minister of marine, whether the watching of the strands and coasts may not be considerably facilitated by the officers of the convoys and customs, in common with the military force, and better effected by the means of telegraphs along the coasts; and the proper places to be pointed out. To request his excellency the minister of war, to station troops, and cavalry in particular, upon the coasts, and upon some islands where sufficient vigilance has not been used, viz. In Friezeland and Groningerland, between Harlingen and Delfzyl, a squadron of cavalry; and to put them at the disposal of the commanding officer, according to the advice of the substitute fiscal of convoys and customs, M. C. L. Van Beymen, at Harlingen. In East Friezeland, as far as the Jahde, a squadron of cavalry to be disposed of according to the discretion of M. Van Riemsdyk, comptroller-general of the finances in East Friezeland, as performing the functions of commissary-general for convoys and customs in that province. In each of the islands of Ameland, Schiermonnikoog, and Tersschelling, a detachment of 20 infantry, and five or six cavalry. In the country of Voorne, a detachment of cavalry, consisting of about 30 men, to be stationed at Brielle, Oostvoorne. and Rokkange. In the island Overflakkee, a detachment of about 12 infantry, and 12 of cavalry, in the Goeda Rehede, Middelharnis, and Sommelsdyk. Upon the island of Schouen, 30 cavalry, more or less, between Brouwershaven and Zurickzee. Upon the island of Noordbeveland, a subaltern, and eight cavalry, more or less, to be stationed at Cortgeene. Provided also, that all such military corps shall respectively extend their services, to the assistance of the officers of convoys and customs, posted at the neighbouring places above-mentioned; and besides making a common cause with them, they must be careful to keep such a sharp look-out, as shall be found requisite for the service upon which they are employed, and necessary for the execution of the orders of his majesty the king, for the purpose of putting a stop to all communication with the enemy, and the prevention of the introduction of every kind of British manufactures and merchandize, which is strictly forbidden. All officers and servants belonging to the convoys and customs are hereby charged, in conformity to the express desire of his majesty the king, being assisted by the military force, which is already or shall hereafter be added to them, to make common cause with them; to act in concert with each other, with the view of preventing all navigation, trade, or communication by or with the kingdom of Great Britain; and for that purpose to be equally active, by day or by night, in order that nothing may escape their vigilance, or any attempt be made, with impunity, to evade the penalties of the laws inflicted upon the enemy. The commissaries-general, substitute-fiscal, and commissaries-general of the convoys and customs, are earnestly admonished to see to the rigid execution of these laws, and to co-operate with them by all possible means; and upon discovering the least suspicion, whether of inactivity, collusion, or improper behaviour among the inferior officers, or that their attention or vigilance has been over-reached, or eluded by any person or persons, immediate information of the same is to be given to the minister, in order that such officers may be disposed of, according to the importance of the case; and the aforesaid officers, superior and inferior, shall be personally responsible for their actions, and for the strict performance of the task imposed upon them. In order to preserve the necessary vigilance in the islands of Schouen and Overflakkee, both the riding officers now upon the island of South Beveland shall be placed upon the former island; one near Haamstede, and the other near Dirkoland. The commissaries-general are hereby respectively enjoined to transmit to the minister, without delay, the number of shipping, at present detained under embargo in their respective departments, by virtue of the minister's aforesaid re

solutions; together with an account of their lading, or whatever may be found on board of them, whether deposited on shore, in the storehouses, or otherwise disposed of. If any papers belonging to the ship, or referring to its landing, remain in their hands, these must be transmitted at the same time; and the commissaries are further charged, to make a weekly report of whatever may occur to the said ships, and also of the measures put into execution concerning them. The commissary general at Rotterdam is charged, upon his personal responsibility, to order that all ships under embargo, in his jurisdiction, or those that may hereafter be in that situation, be brought up to the Zee Kantoor of that city, in order that he may more conveniently inspect, or cause them to be inspected; and further to place them in such a state of security, that their arrest cannot by any means be violated. His excellency the minister of trade, and the colonies, is to be requested to give the necessary orders, that an order shall be given by the commissaries-general at Rotterdam and Amsterdam, to his officers belonging to the storehouses, to enquire whether charge of the several ships' lading, which are under embargo, can be taken; and in case of the same being accepted; those vessels now under embargo, in the department of Amsterdam, or that may be there hereafter, shall be laid up in the East-India dock of that city. Respecting article VII. of the above-mentioned decree, information is to be given, by letter, to the director-general of the Post-Office, and the commissary general of his majesty the king, in East Friezeland, in order that the necessary measures may be taken for the stoppage of all correspondence, journals, &c. coming from prohibited places; and that upon the least suspicion of the same coming from the enemy's country, such dispatches, &c. are to be seized and transmitted to the minister. His excellency the minister of marine is to be requested, by letter, to order the king's ships, stationed at the most distant posts and guards, to take the necessary measures for carrying article VIII. of the aforesaid decree into execution, by the examination of all passengers and travellers, to discover whether they have sufficient proof, that they do not come from the British islands; and such proofs are to be immediately transmitted to the ministry. And with respect to passengers by sea, in case their passports do not answer the conditions of No. 1. of his majesty's decree, a report of the same is to be made forthwith; in the meanwhile, the ships and passengers are to be detained under the guns; and in future, all vessels coming in from sea, though they have no passengers on board, are to be detained, or otherwise to be sent to the nearest place of safety, under a trusty guard, which shall remain with them, till the prescriptions of the law, on the part of the administration of convoys and customs, shall have been executed. And lastly, the commissaries-general of convoys and customs, shall be respectively written to, in order that not themselves alone, but every person in their jurisdiction, shall be acquainted with the necessary and rigorous measures, imposed upon the officers and servants of the convoys and customs; and also that such persons shall be stationed along the shore and the coasts, to obtain proper evidence, that passengers, or travellers there arriving, do not come from the British islands, and to transmit the same to the minister; in failure thereof, such officers are to be reported; but in all cases, strangers arriving are to be put under proper security. The same conduct is to be observed, relative to persons who wish to go to sea, without having passports answering the conditions of his majesty's aforesaid decree, which expresses, that passports for persons going to sea shall contain the names of the ship and captain, the port from whence the vessel is to sail, and the clear and express name of its place of destination. Besides the necessary copies of the aforesaid decree, an extract from the present register shall be sent to the dvocate fiscal general of the king for sea and land; to the commissaries-general, substitute fiscals, and all other officers and servants of convoys and customs. A copy of this resolution, and the above-mentioned decree, shall also be transmitted to the council of judicature for sea and land, with the letter herein contained.

Printed and published by G. SIDNEY, No. 1, Northumberland-Street, Strand; Sold by H. T. HODGSON, Wimpole-street; J. BELL, Sweeting's-alley, Cornhill; and by all the News-venders in Town and Country.

Vol. III. No. 15.

Saturday, October 10, 1807. Price 10d.

289

HISTORICAL DIGEST.

FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS RESPECTING THE EXPEDITION TO DENMARK.

The continental journals mention that the Crown prince of Denmark has refused to ratify the capitulation signed at Copenhagen, on the 7th of September. It is diff cult to surmise upon what grounds his royal highness persists in this resolution. After having left the defence of the city to one of his generals, who has unquestionably proved himself worthy of the trust reposed in him, it is somewhat singular, that he should refuse to ratify a measure which did not take place until the destructive ravages of war had reduced a considerable part of his capital to ashes; which measure was provoked by the hope of preserving the remainder, and of the expediency of which, the general who was left as his representative, must have been the most competent judge. In fact, I cannot perceive upon what principle the concurrence of his royal highness was at all necessary; since the concluding article of the capitulation expressly refers the ceremonial of ratification to the respective commanders-in-chief, and states that it shall take place before twelve o'clock of the day whereon the conditions were signed. Not a syllable is mentioned concerning the Crown prince; nor is there the least allusion made to the ultimate decision of any jurisdiction superior to the will of the general who defended the city. Considered in this light, the conduct of the Crown prince must be exonerated from the charge of pettishness; for the deed is done, the object of our enterprize is obtained. Why, therefore, should he be called upon to ratify in person a transaction, from which he withdrew, that he might not become a party in it. He foresaw that the resistance of the Danes, though it might save their honour, could not save their navy; therefore, rather than be a spectator of a scene which must naturally have rent his heart with anguish, he delegated his own authority to an officer in whose fidelity, courage, and discretion, he could safely confide. Hence, I cannot discover any apparent cause for the various speculations to which the circumstance has given rise. If the reader will revert to the proclamation of lord Cathcart and admiral Gambier, inserted in our 10th Number, he will find that our expedition was sent into the Baltic for the sole and avowed purpose "of preventing those who have so long disturbed the peace of Europe, from compelling the force of the Danish navy to be turned against us," that, with this view, we proceeded, first by an amicable explanation to obtain this object, and that we did not resort to compulsory measures, until every prospect of success from negociation had vanished. This is the state of the case: beyond this we did not presume to extend, either our wishes, our hopes, or our arms. "We come to your shores, inhabitants of Zealand," says the above proclamation, "not as enemies, but in SELF-DEFENCE.", That self-defence was defined to consist in the temporary deposit of the Danish fleet; in which case, we pledged ourselves to "treat Zealand, on the footing of a province of the most friendly power in alliance with Great Britain, whose territory had the misfortune to be the theatre of war." But we declared, at the same time, that if it shewed itself deaf to the voice of reason, and the call of friendship, it would be visited by the horrors of war, and it would be alone responsible for them. The Danes adopted the latter alternative, and the result was, the bombardment of their capital, which finally terminated in its surrender, together with that of the fleet. It is impossible, therefore, to see any necessity for the Crown prince ratifying a measure which he could not prevent after the commencement of hostilities, but which he might have prevented by a timely acquiescence in the liberal conditions offered to him. We might as well consider no capitulation of a besieged fortress to be valid, until it has received the signature of its sovereign. Our work having been accomplished, we have only to bring away the ships, and their equipage, comformably with the articles of the capitulation agreed to by general Pieman and our com manders.

VOL. III. —NO, 15,

But, it is probable, that since the cessation of hostilities, other circumstances may have arisen to require either an enlargement, or modification of the terms of the capitulation it is probable also, that ulterior considerations may have led our government to profit by the success of the expedition, in order to acquire a more solid security than what it has already obtained by the capture of the fleet, as well as to ascertain the present disposition of the Danish cabinet, after the transactions which have passed before its eyes. These motives are strengthened by the circumstance of the Crown prince having dispatched his aide-de-camp to Paris, immediately after the intelligence of the fall of his capital had reached him, and by the consequent determination which his royal highness must have formed relative to his future line of conduct. It would be desirable for us to know what are the present sentiments of the court of Denmark towards us; and whether, after having satisfied his honour by a courageous, though unavailing resistance, the prince now seeks to gratify the spirit of revenge? or, whether, after the first emotions of indignation had subsided, he has calmly reviewed the urgent necessity of our measures against him, and receded from that obstinate course which has been productive of so much mischief to his future subjects? It is of great importance, that these matters should be clearly, unequivocally, and fully ascertained. Nor is it even now too late for him to retrace his steps, and to retain our friendship. Perhaps, our government, guided by the most just policy, blended with generosity, may still hold out to him the same honourable proffer which it tendered to him before the appeal to arms. Such a noble and disinterested instance of magnanimity would have a tendency to conciliate the most refractory spirit, and to impress upon the prince himself, a conviction of our honour, truth, and good intentions. Its unexampled greatness would confound the purpled tyrant of France, and attract the love and admiration of mankind. According to the principles of that policy which I have suggested, and from which I have never swerved in a single page of this work, I earnestly exhort our government to make another effort to obtain, by an amicable arrangement, what it has shewn itself per. fectly competent to secure by force of arms. Having overpowered the Danes in war, let us also try to overpower them by a display of our magnanimity, and to compel even them, in despite of that irritation against us which they now feel, to acknowledge the justice of our cause, and to regret that their stubborn rejection of our friendly offer, has occasioned the shedding of the blood of two nations, which ought never to be at war with each other. For this purpose, Mr Merry, who is said to be going in a diplomatic capacity to Denmark, should be instructed to appease the exasperation of the Danes, by renewing the conditions which we proposed before the commencement of hostilities. In order to convince them that our motives were unambitious, that hostilities were not of our seeking, and that even the demand we made was prompted solely by the imperious necessity of self-defence; we should propose to wave the right of conquest, and to hold the Danish fleet merely as a temporary deposit, till the conclusion of a general peace, provided the court of Denmark will give us some security that it will not be a party against us during the present war. We should thus consult our interests, while we illustrated our generosity. Treating upon this vantage ground of policy, we should soon attain a sufficient insight into the temper of the Danish cabinet, and be enabled to govern our conduct according to its determination. The fleet of Denmark is now our own: it belongs to us by right of conquest, and by a fair declaration, that it should become so in the event of a refusal to accede to our proposal. But disdaining to take advantage of such a species of success, we are ready to return to the original stipulation, on condition that Denmark shall not throw herself into the arms of France, and voluntarily become an instrument of" offence, to be wielded against us by that usurping power. If Denmark be disposed to listen to this honourable offer, she will hasten to give us a test of her returning friendship and sound policy; she will provide us with a security adequate to our wishes, and the deposit of the fleet will serve as a substantial pledge to keep her to her engagements.

The answer to such a proposal will determine our future conduct, and shed sufficient light upon her former and present disposition. Should she assent to the proposal, humanity will have cause to bewail the blood which has been unnecessarily spilt in the late transaction; but our object will be equally attained, and the former good

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