Page images
PDF
EPUB

Diaries-Harwich, April 11th.-It appears that Russia has been very urgent respecting subsidy. Till she had crossed her frontiers, she professes not to have wanted any, but declares now that she cannot go on without it. However, whatever is given now in the way of arms, stores, clothing, or money, to either Power, will be deducted pro tanto from the gross amount.

We go out still clogged with the cession business. I look upon the whole system of compensation and exchange, that is made a condition precedent, as a miserable species of policy. As a condition subsequent, I should not have objected to it for Sweden; but for us—a great nation, who have always set our face against the unwarrantable practice that has prevailed of late years amongst the Powers of Europe, of indemnifying themselves for the sacrifices they have been obliged to make to powerful enemies, at the expense of a third party for us, to put in a pitiful, piddling, stipulation about Hildesheim, &c., for Hanover, is what I must ever consider as disgraceful and impolitic, and what I am sure will never bear the light here.

I have urged all I could on the subject and proposed some modification, at least in point of form; but I fear without any other effect than impressing on Sir Charles's mind the great importance of the question, and preparing him to find it a stumbling block in our way-the more so as the whole drift of the late treaty, is, to transfer the preponderance of Russia, as a maritime power, from the Baltic to the Black Sea.

"

It was said when the question was discussed, that these three small provinces were essential, to make even the residence of Hanover less confined; and this is no doubt the case, as well as on account of some roads that pass through Hildesheim. But I expect that the Prussians will be very stiff about them, and that Hardenberg, himself a Hanoverian, would be charged with partiality if he gave them up. Walpole says, the Prussians are nothing humbled; but retain all the pretensions of the time of Frederick Second. The Swedish mission will, equally with ours, be under the control of Lord Cathcart. Thornton will accompany the Crown Prince, wherever he may go -a service in which he will I think feel a little out of his element-and will have orders to meet Sir Charles before operations commence. But if we are not pretty quick in our movements, Boney may be before hand with us again. The step he has taken of making his Empress Regent, is well calculated to flatter and cajole the Austrians, and although, what Walpole says must be received with a certain degree of reserve, I agree with him that we must not expect much from them. Neither should much stress be laid on Wessenberg's language. When I called upon him, by desire of Sir Charles, I found him, though empressé even to recognize me as an old acquaintance, yet extremely reserved on public affairs, and evidently anxious to avoid allusion to them. He has despatched a messenger to Vienna, who, like ourselves, is detained here by the fog.

12th. A man I have met here, of the name of

Du Moulin, who was formerly an officer of dragoons in our service and who left Hamburg on the 4th, has told me, that the force under Tettenborn and Dornberg is small, that the former has about two thousand Cossacks, and that the corps of the latter is composed chiefly of peasants who, in the first burst of exultation on the retreat of the French, joined his standard. He says that the Russians might have swept the whole coast, if they had advanced a few thousand infantry and half a dozen pieces of cannon. But that instead of that, Tettenborn came at once to Hamburg, where there was nothing to oppose him; showed his whole force, and has been, and is to this day, amusing himself with illuminations, fêtes and other festivities. In consequence of this, the French, who were flying on all sides, had recovered from their first panic and were re-occupying the posts they had abandoned.

Would that the fog would clear off!-I am very anxious to get away to ascertain how far this account is true. Cockburn has arrived at Heligoland, and was still there when the packet left.

According to Walpole's account, Alexander and Lord Cathcart are amusing themselves with reviewing the Guards, and the King, who was at Potzdam, was to return with all speed to assist at the reviews. Lord Cathcart, he said, had expressed himself much pleased with the gracious reception he meets with from the Emperor and, especially, with the "petit couvert" to which he is always invited, when His Imperial Majesty has leisure to dine at all.

There is but little wind, but it is southerly-the moon as she rises seems to drive the fog before her. "The 'Lord Nelson' shall show the others the way," says our captain, and we are off.

Mr. F. J. Jackson to George Jackson.

Brighton, April 11th, 1813.

I send a few lines, my dear George, on the chance of their finding you still on this side of the water, to bid you once more farewell, and God speed.

Lord Castlereagh ought to regret every day of the last fortnight that he did not send you off. Indeed it is already clear, by their own shewing, that Government has proceeded too slow and too fast in this business-too slow by not letting you, as was intended, first feel your way and obtain authentic intelligence; too fast, in having got up a mission of éclat, such as Sir Charles Stewart's is known to be, without any sufficient overture or arrival from the King of Prussia.

[ocr errors]

If Gniesman comes as Chargé d'Affaires, your going would have been a sufficient anticipation or answer to him. At present, we show ourselves too complimentary, and in too great a hurry to renew the connection, for which, I think, we should have been duly solicited from Berlin-taking care always that the main cause did not suffer for want of arms or accoutrements. For it must never be forgotten that England enters for nothing at all in the considerations that have induced Prussia to place herself in her present predicament. She is, as was

selon lui, is the universal cry. But Dornberg has retreated across the Elbe, and Davoust is advancing against him in force. Beauharnais had marched out of Magdeburg, but had been driven back again with the loss of above a thousand men, killed and wounded. The French have again retired to Bremen, and the united Russian and Prussian forces, under Wittgenstein, were stationed at Zübst. This, as far as I can learn, is the way in which matters now stand.

Du Moulin told me correctly; in this quarter there is nothing to prevent the return of the enemy. A party came back some days ago to within a few miles of this place, and carried off one of the newly constituted authorities. As soon as they reached Bremen, they shot him, sans cérémonie.

In the

neighbourhood of Bremen, it appears they have committed the greatest excesses, and this Major Kentzinger says, he has applied to Tettenborn for permission to retaliate upon them.

King was waiting at Heligoland for a passage home. Some of his doings had been discovered, and Metternich had desired him to leave Vienna in consequence. I told him my brother was at Brighton, and that if he should be that way he would be glad to see him. He said he should like to run down for a day or two, so Francis may learn some of his secrets, though I doubt their being worth the trouble of extracting; he told me, however, that Schwarzenberg had just left Vienna for Paris, with an off to Bonaparte to treat for a general peace, on

er

the

« PreviousContinue »