Volume II Part 18 (1/2)
”The coasting trade carried on by Denmark along all such parts of her coast as are included in the operation of this armistice, shall be unmolested by any British s.h.i.+ps or vessels whatever, and instructions given accordingly by Admiral Sir Hyde Parker.
”ARTICLE VII.
”This armistice is to continue, uninterrupted by the contracting parties, for the s.p.a.ce of fourteen weeks from the signature hereof; at the expiration of which time, it shall be in the power of either of the said parties to declare a cessation of the same, and to recommence hostilities, upon giving fourteen days previous notice.
”The conditions of this armistice are, upon all occasions, to be explained in the most liberal and loyal manner, so as to remove all ground for farther dispute, and facilitate the means of bringing about the restoration of harmony and good understanding between the two kingdoms.
”In faith whereof, we, the undersigned commissioners, in virtue of our full powers, have signed the present armistice, and have affixed to it the seal of our arms.
”Done on board his Britannic Majesty's s.h.i.+p the London, in Copenhagen Roads, April 9, 1801.
”Nelson and Bronte.
”William Stewart.
”Ernest Frederic Walterstorff.
”Hans Lindholm.
”In pursuance of my abovementioned authority, I ratify this doc.u.ment with my hand--
”Frederic.
”Ratified by me--
”Hyde Parker, Admiral and Commander in Chief of his Britannic Majesty's Fleet.”
The Danes had great reason to be satisfied with the liberality of this armistice; the conditions of which certainly were, on our part, most strictly performed. It will appear that, on the part of Denmark, this was not precisely the case. Lord Nelson's conduct, however, at once firm and conciliating, procured justice to his country without again resorting to arms. The first blow had been struck by Denmark, and she had suffered for her rashness and temerity. Even in pa.s.sing the Sound, her guns evinced the disposition, but happily possessed not the power, to injure the British fleet. A very heavy fire was kept up by the Danes, but none of our s.h.i.+ps received a shot. In the mean time, we had several bomb-s.h.i.+ps firing on the town of Elsineur, the sh.e.l.ls from which killed upwards of a hundred and fifty people on sh.o.r.e. At Copenhagen, still more confident in their strength, they had made every arrangement for the destruction of our fleet, but no preparation for the defeat of their own. s.h.i.+elded by nature with dangerous shoals, and fortified by art with powerful batteries, they seemed rather to invite, than to dread, any hostile attack. They reflected not, that the hero coming against them was no less expert as a navigator than as a warrior, and scarcely more a seaman than a soldier. Happily his heroic heart was replete with humanity, and his dreadful ability to shed human blood only surpa.s.sed by his ardent desire to spare it's unnecessary effusion. The Danes, trusting to the strength of their grand line of defence, composed of eighteen s.h.i.+ps, block-s.h.i.+ps, floating-batteries, &c. which were all, in a few hours, sunk, burnt, or taken, had neglected to engage surgeons for their wounded defenders; who were found bleeding to death, on boarding the different captured vessels, in prodigious numbers, and afforded a shocking spectacle of horror to our brave but humane seamen. To preserve his fellow creatures from wanton destruction, the hero's flag of truce unfurled; a pause was thus obtained; reason had time to operate; and the basis was immediately laid for a renewal of that amity which had happily prevailed, for a long series of years, between the two nations, though anciently the fiercest foes.
The news of this victory was received in England with the utmost rejoicing; nor did the temper of the people fail to partic.i.p.ate in their favourite hero's generous sentiments towards the brave but vanquished Danes. They considered Denmark as having been unwillingly dragged into the confederacy; they admired the patriotic courage of her misdirected sons; and generously lamented the cruel necessity of thus compelling them to relinquish a league, which had for it's object, beneath the artful veil of a generous love of liberty, that has sufficiently deluged the earth with blood, the unjust and absurd view of destroying the maritime power of Great Britain, by which the freedom of the, seas is alone preserved to the honourable commerce of all civilized nations.
On the 16th of April, the Earl of St. Vincent, then First Lord of the Admiralty, made a motion in the House of Peers--and Mr. Addington, now Lord Sidmouth, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the House of Commons--of thanks to Sir Hyde Parker, Lord Nelson, Rear Admiral Graves, and the rest of the officers, seamen, and marines, for their very exemplary bravery displayed in the great and glorious victory atchieved at Copenhagen; which were carried, in both houses, with acclamations of unanimous applause. The Duke of Clarence observed, of his old friend, Lord Nelson, whom he ever loved and revered, that fortune seemed to back his courage and intrepidity, in every enterprise he engaged; and acknowledged his own obligations, as a prince of the blood, to the gallant commanders, and to the whole fleet, for the accomplishment of a victory which, probably, in it's effects, would restore the possessions on the continent to his family, together with the peace and security of the British empire, and of Europe. About a month afterwards, Lord Nelson was elevated to the rank of Viscount of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, by the name, stile, and t.i.tle, of Viscount Nelson of the Nile, and of Burnham-Thorpe in the county of Norfolk; an additional honour which was generally and justly considered, at the time, and must ever be regarded by posterity, as by no means equal to his high deserts.
In the mean time, immediately after signing the convention with Denmark, Russia and Sweden remaining still unattacked, Sir Hyde Parker had proceeded to the eastward, with such s.h.i.+ps as were in a condition for service: leaving Lord Nelson at Copenhagen, with orders to repair his damaged s.h.i.+ps, and dispose of the prizes; after which, he was to follow the commander in chief, and a.s.sist in accomplis.h.i.+ng the other designs of this very important expedition. The repairs were not long compleating, and the prizes were soon disposed of; of the latter, all but one--the Holstein of sixty-four guns--were found entirely unfit for service, and immediately destroyed. Even this solitary remain of the Danish formidable line of defence, was only judged worthy of being commissioned as an hospital-s.h.i.+p in the British fleet; yet villainy and weakness united to wrest from our hero the honour of a compleat victory, even on the spot where it had been felt as well as witnessed.
Lord Nelson, after the battle of the 2d of April, had returned with his flag to the St. George; and, on the 16th, was ready to proceed after the commander in chief, who had entered the Baltic, and greatly alarmed the Russians, Prussians, and Swedes. Most of the squadron of his lords.h.i.+p, however, touched the ground, in their pa.s.sage through the narrow and shallow channel which divides the islands of Amak and Saltholm, and two or three of them actually sticking fast for a short time, he was detained, even after they did pa.s.s, to have the St. George lightened, which drew still more water than the rest, by taking out the guns, and putting them on board an American s.h.i.+p. While this was effecting, the report of the Swedish fleet being out, with an intention to join that of Russia, then lying at Revel, reached his lords.h.i.+p. The instant he received this intelligence, though it was then a very cold evening of that climate, he descended into his gig, or smallest boat; and, after being so exposed on the water several hours, got again on board the Elephant, the former bearer of his flag and triumph. Lord Nelson, in his extreme haste to quit the St. George, had neglected to take his boat-cloak; but he would not lose a moment in returning for it, notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather and the great distance he had necessarily to go. A master of one of the s.h.i.+ps, who was ordered to attend, earnestly pressed his lords.h.i.+p's acceptance of a great coat which he had brought for himself. This, however, was as kindly refused, as it had been affectionately tendered--”I thank you,” said the hero, ”very much; but, to tell you the truth, my anxiety, at present, keeps me sufficiently warm.” Soon afterwards, his lords.h.i.+p asked--”Think you, that the British fleet has quitted Bornholm? If it has,” continued he, without waiting for a reply, ”we must follow it to Carlscrona.” His lords.h.i.+p had arrived about midnight; and, the next day, saw the Swedish armament safely sheltered under the numerous forts and batteries erected on the island at the entrance of Carlscrona; where, as he suspected, it had taken timely refuge from the British fleet. Sir Hyde Parker, while on his voyage to Revel, having gained intelligence of the intended junction of the Swedish fleet with that of the Russians against which he was proceeding, had immediately steered his course for the Island of Bornholm, with the hope of intercepting the Swedes; but the commander, warned by the Danish disaster, wisely retreated from the danger of a similar encounter, by returning into port with the utmost precipitation.
Scarcely had Lord Nelson quitted Copenhagen, where he could not but have endeared himself to every virtuous heart, by his amiable liberality of disposition--bountifully rewarding youth of promise in the national military schools of the Danes, as if he had been dealing honours among the deserving of his own country, and every way displaying the superior cast of his dignified soul--when he learned that Olfert Fischer, the Danish commander in chief, had officially published the following shamefully partial account of this indisputably great and glorious victory, as transmitted to his Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
DANISH OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN.
”On the 1st of April, at half past three in the afternoon, two divisions of the English fleet, under the command of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson, and a rear-admiral, weighed anchor, and stood eastward, and by the south of the middle pa.s.sage of the road, where they anch.o.r.ed. This force consisted of twelve s.h.i.+ps of the line; and several large frigates, gun-boats, and other smaller vessels; in all, thirty-one sail.
”On the 2d of April, at three-quarters past nine in the morning, the wind south-east, both the vessels to the south and the vessels to the north of the middle road, weighed anchor. The s.h.i.+ps of the line, and heavy frigates, under Lord Nelson, steered for the Konigstiefe, to take their stations, in order, along the line of defence confided to me. The gunboats, and small vessels, took their stations near the town; and the division of Admiral Parker, consisting of eight s.h.i.+ps of the line, and some small vessels, steered with a press of sail southwards, to the right wing of defence.
”At half past ten, the foremost s.h.i.+p of Admiral Nelson's division pa.s.sed the southernmost s.h.i.+p of the line of defence. I gave those s.h.i.+ps that were within shot the signal for battle. The block-s.h.i.+ps, Provesteen, and Wagner, and immediately after these the Jutland, between which and the block-s.h.i.+p Dannebrog, the leading English s.h.i.+p of seventy-four guns fixed her station, by throwing out one of her rear-anchors, obeyed the signal, by a well directed and well supported fire. By degrees, the rest of the s.h.i.+ps came up; and, as they sailed past, on both sides of the s.h.i.+ps already at anchor, they formed a thick line: which, as it stretched northward to the s.h.i.+p of the line the Zealand, engaged not more than two-thirds of the line of defence committed to me; while the Trekroner--or Three Crowns Battery--and the block-s.h.i.+ps Elephanten and Mars, with the frigate Hielperen, did not come at all into the action.
”In half an hour, the battle was general. Ten s.h.i.+ps of the line, among which was one of eighty guns, the rest chiefly seventy-fours, and from six to eight frigates, on the one side: on the other, seven block-s.h.i.+ps; of which, only one of seventy-four, the rest of sixty-four and under; two frigates; and six smaller vessels. _This was the respective strength of the two parties_. The enemy had, on the whole, _two s.h.i.+ps to one_: and the block-s.h.i.+p Provesteen had, besides a s.h.i.+p of the line and the rear-admiral, two frigates against her; by which she was raked the whole time, without being able to return a shot.