Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Baltic in Autumn 1807
- 2 Sir James Saumarez Early Career
- 3 Saumarez takes up his Baltic Command
- 4 The Crisis of Rogervik
- 5 The Conversion to Peacemaker
- 6 The Pea Islands
- 7 Marshal Belle-Jambe Declares War
- 8 The Affair of the Carlshamn Cargoes
- 9 The Von Rosen Letters
- 10 Diplomatic Intrigues Napoleons Fateful Decision
- 11 The Final Year
- 12 Conclusions: the Man or the Situation
- Epilogue
- Appendix 1 Glossary of Place Names
- Appendix 2 Brief notes on some Lesser-known Names
- Bibliographical note
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
8 - The Affair of the Carlshamn Cargoes
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 March 2023
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Baltic in Autumn 1807
- 2 Sir James Saumarez Early Career
- 3 Saumarez takes up his Baltic Command
- 4 The Crisis of Rogervik
- 5 The Conversion to Peacemaker
- 6 The Pea Islands
- 7 Marshal Belle-Jambe Declares War
- 8 The Affair of the Carlshamn Cargoes
- 9 The Von Rosen Letters
- 10 Diplomatic Intrigues Napoleons Fateful Decision
- 11 The Final Year
- 12 Conclusions: the Man or the Situation
- Epilogue
- Appendix 1 Glossary of Place Names
- Appendix 2 Brief notes on some Lesser-known Names
- Bibliographical note
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Captain Barrett of HMS Minotaur had written, in November 1810, of the seizure of merchant ships at Pillau (Baltysk) and forwarded a plea from the masters of 13 ships there, unsigned but giving their own names and those of their ships:
To all or any Commanders of His Majesty's ships of War cruising in the Baltic.
We beg leave to inform you that all ships & goods lying here or coming from Great Britain have been put under sequestration, and the most rigorous measures have been taken that no ship should escape confiscation, that every ship lying in Pillau Road have been taken possession of by Prussian soldiers. I have no doubt but these measures will be adopted in all Prussian Ports. We therefore request you’ll dispatch sufficient force that may protect & prevent any vessels from entering any Prussian ports, which will be the saving of ours as well as immense property of Great Britain.
We beg particularly in case you should fall in with any of the undermentioned vessels that you’ll inform them of the above and request them to wait at Carlshamn or any other place of safety, that you may think proper until further orders, as in case they should come here they are lost, the spot that requires your particular attention is Pillau Road where there are upwards of fifty vessels all under sequestration, but as the wind blows strong N.E. they are not able to bring their prizes into port, if you can therefore afford us your protection soon, you will be the saving of them, & for your information there are many privateers & small boats fitting out from Danzick.
We hope you’ll excuse the liberty we have taken in addressing you, but we think it our duty as true Englishmen to do it.
We are your obdt. servts. Englishmen who have property at stake.
At the end of the 1810 season, Barrett had sailed on 16 November for England from Matvick through the Belt with 63 merchant ships. Saumarez followed on the 28th from Wingo, leaving Captain Honeyman in the Ardent as Commodore ‘with directions not to permit entry to Gothenburg of any ships or vessels that may arrive from England with English manufactures or colonial produce on account of British merchants’.
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- Admiral Saumarez Versus Napoleon - The Baltic, 1807-12 , pp. 128 - 140Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2008