the Duke, placing him thus directly between two fires. The Russian Admiral, not doubting that the Swedish Fleet had fallen inevitably into his hands, immediately dispatched a vessel to Petersburgh, where a great alarm was excited by the proximity of so enterprising an enemy, and the rumours of so many doubtful battles, in order to announce the joyful news to Catharine. All these hopes vanished before a sudden shift of the wind, improved by judicious manoeuvres and bold exertions. The duke of Sudermania, having extricated his fleet from its perilous situation, took shelter in the island of Biorko, where he either found or was joined by the king with his flotilla. But this Prince, who seemed to delight in difficulties and to court death or glory, no sooner saw his people disengaged from one danger, than he exposed them to another still greater. He now resolved to make an attack on Wybourg, the capital of Carelia, distant only seventy miles from Petersburgh, and where alarge division of the Russian galleyfleet was stationed.

But as a measure preparatory to an attack on Wybourg, he made a descent with part of his troops on the neighbouring coast of Carelia. He divided his force into two detachments, which pursued separate courses, and were each successful in routing and dispersing such small parties of Russians as could be suddenly collected in that dreary country to oppose his progress. But his design in making this descent near Wybourg, was not only to distract and increase the terror of the enemy, but partly to invest the city, as far as his numbers would admit, on the land-side, and be in rea

diness to second the efforts of the fleet against the harbour. Scarcely, however, were his arrangements for these purposes made, and the ships of war disposed in the harbour ready to begin the attack, when, as might have well been apprehended, both the Russian grand fleet and flotilla (the former under Admiral Tschitschakoff, the latter under the Prince of Nassau) appeared in sight on July 3rd, and before that narrow passage which leads into the bay of Wybourg. Four large Russian ships of war were moored on each side of that inlet; the other ships drawn up in a long line on the outside, while their frigates and light vessels were ranged among the numerous islands nearer the shore; so that the king was now enclosed as in a net, and had no other alternative than that of either surrendering at discretion, or forcing his way through his enemies.

The choice could not admit of a moment's hesitation. The van of the Swedish fleet, under Admiral Modec, assisted by a favourable gale passed the strait without any material damage, firing their broadsides with great spirit. Four ships of the line, either from confusion or the smoke, missed the channel, struck against the rocks, and were abandoned to the mercy of the enemy. Those that effected their escape were pursued along the coast of Finland during the whole night and following day; and escaped, after the loss of two ships more, with the duke of Sudermania, on the evening of the 4th, to Sweaborg. on the same evening the king arrived, with what remained of his flotilla, in Swenk-Sound. Six of his stoutest vessels, with 800 of the guards on board, were taken by the

Russians,

commanded the guards, and other officers of distinction.

On the 28th of April, his Swedish majesty, at the head of a body of his troops, crossed the deep river Keymene, which separates Swedish Finland from Carelia, and entered the Russian territories. The next day in the evening he stormed and took the Russian fort at Valkiala, with the entrenched camp by which it was defended, after a well-fought battle, which lasted for several hours, in which he received a contusion on the shoulder. The reduction of this important place was followed by several other advantages. The Swedes took possession of Wilman Strand, and several other places, with several magazines of stores and provisions; and the king fixed his head quarters at Borgo, where he was joined by his fleet of gallies; of which he took the command himself, and hoisted his flag on board the Amphion.

A great division of the Russian galley-fleet was stationed at Fredericksham, a strong and well fortified port and arsenal in Finland, where they waited for the junction of the other and still greater division from Cronstadt. The king, at the head of his gallies, stormed and forced the defences of Fredericksham, took thirty-eight vessels, sunk ten, and burnt forty gun-boats, with thirty transports laden with provisions, destroyed the docks, and set fire to all the timber and stores accumulated for building fleets of light vessels. In any other country than Russia, where labour is cheap and naval stores inexhaustible, such a loss would have been irreparable.

In the mean time the king's brother, the duke of Sudermania,

had put to sea at the head of a Swe dish fleet, consisting of twenty-three ships of the line and eighteen frigates. It was not the object of this armament to prevent a junction between the Russian fleets in the harbours of Revel and Cronstadt, or to seize any favourable opportunity of fighting them separately; bat (agreeably to the maxim of Sweden at this time, of making the attack where the strength and the danger was greatest) something more desperate and daring. It was nothing less than the destruction of the Russian squadron, and great naval arsenal at Revel, along with all its docks and magazines. The ships at Revel were eleven of the line; three of which carried 100 guns each, and five frigates; and they were protected by numerous batteries of heavy cannon in various parts of the harbour. The Swedish fleet, notwithstanding all these obstacles, on the 13th of May, penetrated into the harbour, and in the midst of the hostile fire, maintained for hours a doubtful conflict. But towards the evening a violent storm arose, which obliged the Swedes to retreat. In this manœuvre, performed with great difficulty, a Swedish ship of sixty guns being dismasted, was taken. Another was wrecked, and set on fire by its own crew.

On the third of June, the duke of Sudermania, accidentally fell in with the Russian fleet coming from Cronstadt, under admiral Kruse, consisting of eighteen sail of the line. An engagement ensued, which was continued with an interruption only in the dead of the night, and in which the Swedes at first had the advantage. But on the second day the Russian fleet from Revel appeared in the rear of

the

the Duke, placing him thus directly between two fires. The Russian Admiral, not doubting that the Swedish Fleet had fallen inevitably into his hands, immediately dispatched a vessel to Petersburgh, where a great alarm was excited by the proximity of so enterprising an enemy, and the rumours of so many doubtful battles, in order to announce the joyful news to Catharine. All these hopes vanished before a sudden shift of the wind, improved by judicious manoeuvres and bold exertions. The duke of Sudermania, having extricated his fleet from its perilous situation, took shelter in the island of Biorko, where he either found or was joined by the king with his flotilla. But this Prince, who seemed to delight in difficulties and to court death or glory, no sooner saw his people disengaged from one danger, than he exposed them to another still greater. He now resolved to make an attack on Wybourg, the capital of Carelia, distant only seventy miles from Petersburgh, and where a large division of the Russian galleyfleet was stationed.

But as a measure preparatory to an attack on Wybourg, he made a descent with part of his troops on the neighbouring coast of Carelia. He divided his force into two detachments, which pursued separate courses, and were each successful in routing and dispersing such small parties of Russians as could be suddenly collected in that dreary country to oppose his progress. But his design in making this descent near Wybourg, was not only to distract and increase the terror of the enemy, but partly to invest the city, as far as his numbers would admit, on the land-side, and be in rea

diness to second the efforts of the fleet against the harbour. Scarcely, however, were his arrangements for these purposes made, and the ships of war disposed in the harbour ready to begin the attack, when, as might have well been apprehended, both the Russian grand fleet and flotilla (the former under Admiral Tschitschakoff, the latter under the Prince of Nassau) appeared in sight on July 3rd, and before that narrow passage which leads into the bay of Wybourg. Four large Russian ships of war were moored on each side of that inlet; the other ships drawn up in a long line on the outside, while their frigates and light vessels were ranged among the numerous islands nearer the shore; so that the king was now enclosed as in a net, and had no other alternative than that of either surrendering at discretion, or forcing his way through his enemies.

The choice could not admit of a moment's hesitation. The van of the Swedish fleet, under Admiral Modec, assisted by a favourable gale passed the strait without any material damage, firing their broadsides with great spirit. Four ships of the line, either from confusion or the smoke, missed the channel, struck against the rocks, and were abandoned to the mercy of the enemy. Those that effected their escape were pursued along the coast of Finland during the whole night and following day; and escaped, after the loss of two ships more, with the duke of Sudermania, on the evening of the 4th, to Sweaborg. on the same evening the king arrived, with what remained of his flotilla, in Swenk-Sound. Six of his stoutest vessels, with 800 of the guards on board, were taken by the Russians,

Russians, and sixty smaller vessels were lost. Four of the oldest and best regiments suffered a heavy loss, including ninety officers killed, taken, or otherwise missing. In this daring and unfortunate attempt on Wybourg, the loss of the Swedes was computed at 7000.

At Swenk-Sound, the king found the Pomeranian division of his light fleet, under the command of Colonel Cronstadt; which was not involved in the general wreck, from its late arrival, during his misfortune. Gustavus, who possessed an elasti city of courage and genius, that rose under every disaster, and seemed to bid defiance to fortune, determined in some measure to obliterate the memory, if he could not totally remove the effect, of his late defeat. He refitted the wrecks of his late flotilla, reinforced it by the Pomeranian division of his gallies, hastened to intercept the prince of Nassau in his way to retake the harbour of Fredericksham, and came up with him on the 9th of July. The Swedish and Russian fleets consisted each of frigates and gallies. The prince of Nassau did not decline the combat, but bore down directly on the Swedish fleet, drawn up in three divisions. The king, who commanded the fleet in person, gave the signal for a general engagement. Though the Russian vessels were in general furnished with twenty-four or thirty pounders, and with howitzers, discharging balls of forty-two pounds weight, their left wing began about noon to recoil. Fresh succours arrived to both parties, and the battle was renewed along the whole line with redoubled fury.

About noon, however, some of the larger Russian vessels quitted their station. Some struck, some foundered, and several were taken. The main body retreating, and firing till ten in the evening, embraced the opportunity of night to escape by dispersion; but many of them were stranded, and in the night burnt by their crews, or in the morning, fell into the hands of the victors, who closely pursued the fugitives till ten, and took 45 ves sels with 4500 prisoners. The total loss of the Russians cannot be exactly ascertained, as numbers of vessels were wrecked, burnt, and blown up. But the vestiges of

ruin visible upon an extensive line of coast, demonstrated that it must have been prodigious. The Swedes lost but a few vessels: nor was their loss of men, if we consider the bloody and destructive nature of such close combats in those narrow seas, nearly so great as might have been expected. This defeat so recently after the disaster, and almost ruin of the Swedish fleet, struck the Empress with surprise and alarm, and, as already mentioned, perhaps touched her heart with some generous sentiments. Such an antago¬ nist, not to be subdued either by overwhelming numbers, or the ad❤ versity of fortune, might, ifshe continued the contest, and refused to listen to reasonable terms of peace, with the assistance of the allied powers, whose interference she had now reason to dread, become irresistible. Forsaken by the Austrians, menaced by the Prussians and English, and at war with the Turks, who, though beaten, were still a formidable

formidable enemy, she began to think of peace with the King of Sweden.

On the other hand, the late signal victory over the prince of Nassau, though it reflected the highest honour on the personal spirit and martial talents of Gustavus, by no means counterbalanced the severe loss he sustained on those two unfortunate days, the 3rd and 4th of July. The Swedish nation, which had strained every nerve in support of the war, had not only sustained a great loss of men, but was worn down by its enormous expences: in a word exhausted of so much blood and treasure, Sweden was in a state of weakness that demanded repose. We have not learned for certain by which of the party overtures for peace were first made. Where there was so cordial a disposition for a pacification, a hint for that end was quickly taken, and improved on either side. Immediately, or very soon after the victory of the 9th and 10th of July, a direct, though private, communication ensued between Catharine and Gustavus; and it is very probable that the main points of accommodation were agreed on, in this way,

by the principals themselves. But it was necessary that the terms of peace should be formally and publicly settled. For this end, General Ingelstrom, on the part of Russia, and the Lieutenant General Baron d'Armfeldt, on that of Sweden, met on the Banks of Kymenę, in a large tent erected for the purpose, between the advanced posts of the two hostile camps, on the plains of Werela: a suspension of arms was agreed on immediately, and a peace was concluded on the 14th of August, 1790, a little more than two years after the commencement of the contest, by a restitution of all conquests on both side.

The Turkish war occupied the mind of the Czarina still, with grand objects of hope and subjects of immediate attention:-and a new career of glory was opened to the Swedish monarch by the French revolution. But here it becomes necessary to take notice of the meeting between the Emperor and the King of Prussia and Elector of Saxony, in August 1791, at Pilnitz: around which, as a centre, the affairs of Europe were arranged in 1791,+ as they had been around the treaty of Reichenbach in 1790. Sovereign

excellent