ing of the cabinet of St. James's the emperor paid no other attention than it deserved. He thought it time to put limits to his moderation.

The prince royal of Denmark, endowed with a character full of energy and nobleness, and possess ing from Providence a dignity equal to his high rank, had informed the emperor, that, justly incensed at what had taken place at Copenhagen, he had not ratified the convention, and considered it as of no effect. At this moment he has just communicated to his imperial majesty new proposals which have been made to him, which serve only to inflame his resistance instead of appeasing it; because they tend to impress upon his actions the seal of degradation, the impression of which they have never borne. The emperor, touched with the confidence which the prince royal placed in him, and having considered his own peculiar complaints against England; having maturely examined, too, the engagements which he had entered into with the powers of the north-engagements formed by the empress Catharine, and by his late majesty the emperor, both of glorious memoryhas resolved to fulfil them. His imperial majesty, therefore, breaks of all communication with England: he recalls the whole of the mission which he has sent thither; and no longer chooses to keep with him that of his Britannic majesty. There shall from henceforth be no connexion between the two countries. The emperor declares, that he annuls, and for ever, every preceding convention between En. gland and Russia, and particularly that entered into in 1801, the 5th (17th) of the month of June. He proclaims anew the principles of the

armed neutrality, that monument of the wisdom of the empress Catharine, and engages never to recede from that system. He demands of England complete satisfaction to all his subjects for their just reclamations of vessels and merchandizes detained against the express tenor of treaties concluded in his own reign. The emperor engages, there shall be no re-establishment of concord between Russia and England, till satisfaction shall have been given to Denmark.

The emperor expects that his Britannic majesty, instead of suffer ing his ministers, as he does, to scatter the seeds of fresh war, listening only to his own feelings, will be disposed to conclude such treaty with his majesty the emperor of France, as shall prolong (to use the expression) interminably (d toute la terme) the invaluable blessings of peace. When the empe ror shall be satisfied upon all the preceding points, and especially upon that of peace between France and England, without which no part of Europe can promise itself real tranquillity, his imperial majesty will then gladly resume with Great Britain those relations of amity, which, under the just dis content which he could not but feel, he has, perhaps, preserved too long.

Given at St. Petersburg, 20th (31st) October.

DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST DENMARK.

At the court of the Queen's palace, At the court of the Queen's palace,

the 4th day of Nov. 1807, present, the King's most excellent majesty in council.

Whereas the king of Denmark (T4) has

has issued a declaration of war against his majesty, his subjects and people; and his majesty's anxious and repeated endeavours to obtain the revocation of such declaration, and to procure the restoration of peace, have proved ineffectual; his majesty therefore is pleased, by and with the advice of his privy council, to order, and it is hereby ordered, that general reprisals be granted against the ships, goods, and subjects of the king of Denmark (save and except any vessels to which his majesty's license has been granted, or which have been directed to be released from the embargo, and have not since arrived at any foreign port), so that as well his majesty's fleets and ships, as also all other ships and vessels that shall be commissioned by letters of marque or general reprisals, or otherwise, by his majesty's commissioners for executing the office of lord high admiral of Great Bri. țain, shall and may lawfully seize all ships, vessels, and goods belonging to the king of Denmark, or his subjects, or others inhabiting within the territories of the king of Denmark, and bring the same to judgment in any of the courts of admiralty within his majesty's dominions; and, to that end, his majesty's advocate-general, with the advocate of the admiralty, are forth with to prepare the draft of a commission, and present the same to his majesty at this board, authorizing the commissioners for executing the office of lord high admiral, or any person or persons by them empowered and appointed, to issue forth and grant letters of marque and reprisals to any of his majesty's subjects, or others whom the said commissioners shall deem fitly qualified in that behalf, for the apprehending, seizing, and taking the

ships, vessels, and goods belonging to Denmark, and the vassals and subjects of the king of Denmark, or any inhabiting within his countries, territories, or dominions (ex cept as aforesaid); and that such powers and clauses be inserted in the said commission as have been usual, and are according to former precedents: and his majesty's advocate-general, with the advocate of the admiralty, are also forthwith to prepare the draft of a commis sion, and present the same to his majesty at this board, authorizing the said commissioners for exe cuting the office of lord high admiral, to will and require the high court of admiralty of Great Bri tain, and the lieutenant and judge of the said court, his surrogate or surrogates, as also the several courts of admiralty within his majesty's dominions, to take cognizance of and judicially proceed upon, all and all manner of captures, seizures, prizes, and reprisals of all ships and goods that are or shall be taken, and to hear and determine the same, and, according to the course of admiralty, and the laws of nations, to adjudge and condemn all such ships, vessels, and goods as shall belong to Denmark, or the vassals and subjects of the king of Denmark, or to any others inhabiting within any of his countries, territories, and dominions (except as aforesaid); and that such powers and clauses be inserted in the said commission as have been usual, and are according to former precedents; and they are likewise to prepare, and lay before his majesty at this board, a draft of such instructions as may be proper to be sent to the courts of admiralty in his majesty's foreign govern ments and plantations, for their guidance herein; as also another draft of instructions for such ships

goods that are or shall be taken, and to hear and determine the same, and, according to the course of admiralty, and the laws of nations, to adjudge and condemn all such ships, vessels, and goods as shall belong to the said territories, ports, and places, or to any persons being subjects or inhabitants thereof; and that such powers and clauses be inserted in the said commission as have been usual, and are according to former precedents; and they are likewise to prepare, and lay before his majesty at this board, a draft of such instructions as may be proper to be sent to the courts of admiralty in his majesty's foreign governments and plantations, for their guidance herein; as also another draft of instructions for such ships as shall be commissioned for the purpose above mentioned.

ELDON, C. CAMDEN, P. WEST-
MORLAND, C. P. S. WINCHEL
SEA, CATHCART, HAWKES
BURY, MULGRAVE, SP. PER
GEVAL, NAT. BOND.

BRITISH DECLARATION.

The declaration issued at St. Petersburg by his majesty the emperor of all the Russias has excited in his majesty's mind the strongest sensations of astonishment and regret.

His majesty was not unaware of the nature of those secret engage ments which had been imposed upon Russia in the conferences of Tilsit; but his majesty had entertained the hope, that a review of the transactions of that unfortunate negotiation, and a just estimate of its effects upon the glory of the Russian name, and upon the interests of the Russian empire, would have induced his imperial majesty to extricate himself from the embar

rassment of those new counsels and connections which he had adopted in a moment of despondency and alarm; and to return to a policy more congenial to the principles which he had so invariably pro fessed, and more conducive to the honour of his crown and to the prosperity of his dominions.

This hope has dictated to his ma jesty the utmost forbearance and moderation in all his diplomatic intercourse with the court of St. Pe tersburg since the peace of Tilsit.

His majesty has much cause for suspicion, and just ground of com. plaint. But he abstained from the language of reproach. His majes ty deemed it necessary to require specific explanation with respect to those arrangements with France, the concealment of which from his majesty could not but confirm the impression already received of their character and tendency. But his majesty, nevertheless, directed the demand of that explanation to be made, not only without asperity or the indication of any hostile dispo sition, but with that considerate regard to the feelings and situation of the emperor of Russia, which resulted from the recollec tion of former friendship, and from confidence interrupted but not destroyed.

The declaration of the emperor of Russia proves that the object of his majesty's forbearance and mo. deration has not been attained. It proves, unhappily, that the influ ence of that power, which is equally and essentially the enemy both of Great Britain and of Russia, has acquired a decided ascendancy in the councils of the cabinet of St. Petersburg, and has been able to excite a causeless enmity between two nations whose long established connection, and whose mutual in

terests,

terests, prescribed the most intimate union and cooperation.

His majesty deeply laments the extension of the calamities of war. But called upon as he is to defend himself against an act of unprovoked hostility, his majesty is anxious to refute, in the face of the world, the pretexts by which that act is attempted to be justified.

The declaration asserts that his majesty the emperor of Russia has twice taken up arms in a cause in which the interest of Great Britain was more direct than his own; and founds upon this assertion the charge against Great Britain of having neglected to second and support the military operations of Russia.

His majesty willingly does justice to the motives which originally engaged Russia in the great struggle against France. His majesty avows, with equal readiness, the interest which Great Britain has uniformly taken in the fates and fortunes of the powers of the continent. But it would surely be difficult to prove that Great Britain, who was herself in a state of hostility with Prussia when the war broke out between Prussia and France, had an interest and a duty more direct in espousing the Prussian quarrel than the emperor of Russia; the ally of his Prussian majesty, the protector of the north of Europe, and the guarantee of the Germanic constitution. It is not in a public declaration that his majesty can discuss the policy of having, at any particular period of the war, effected, or omitted to effect, disembarkations of troops on the coasts of Naples.But the instance, of the war with the Porte is still more singularly chosen to illustrate the charge against Great Britain of indifference to the interests of her ally: a war

undertaken by Great Britain at the instigation of Russia, and solely for the purpose of maintaining Russian interests against the influence of France.

If, however, the peace of Tilsit is indeed to be considered as the consequence and the punishment of the imputed inactivity of Great Britain, his majesty cannot but regret that the emperor of Russia should have resorted to so precipitate and fatal a measure, at the mos ment when he had received distinct assurances that his majesty was making the most strenuous exertions to fulfil the wishes and expectations of his ally (assurances which his imperial majesty received and acknowledged with apparent confidence and satisfaction); and when his majesty was, in fact, preparing to employ for the advancement of the common objects of the war, those forces which, after the peace of Tilsit, he was under the necessity of employing to disconcert a combination directed against his own immediate interest and security.

The vexation of Russian commerce by Great Britain is, in truth, little more than an imaginary grievance. Upon a diligent examination, made by his majesty's command, of the records of the British court of admiralty, there has been discovered only a solitary instance in the course of the present war, of the condemnation of a vessel really Russian; a vessel which had carried naval stores to a port of the common enemy. There are but few instances of Russian vessels detained, and none in which justice has been refused to a party regularly complaining of such detention. It is therefore matter of sur prise, as well as of concern, to his majesty, that the emperor of Rus