Swedes, to oppose the Russian Fleet, in its Operation against Sweden. This occafioned his Czarish Majesty to take fome Precautions, and to fend Orders to Mr. Weffelowski, his Refident in England, to inform himself of the Matter: His Majefty also, that no Time might be loft, wrote himself to the faid Admiral Norris the tenth of June last from Cronflot, and fent his Letters by the Lieutenant Count Gollowin But, in the mean Time, his Majesty being on the Way with both his Fleets towards the Inle of Aland, detach'd from thence his High Admiral Count Apraxin, with the Flotilla or Gallies, towards the Scheeren of Sweden, to begin the Operations of the War; and with the Men of War, after his Majesty had convoy'd the other, he return'd, and came to an Anchor at the faid Ifles of Abland. N. B. It was not till the 25th of July, Old Stile, that his Majefty receiv'd an Answer to the faid Letter, by which it is evident, there appeared no Manner of Defign of Hoftility. The 7th of Auguft, M. Ofterman, Minister and Plenipotentiary of his Czarifh Majesty, who had been fent into Sweden, return'd with a Letter from the Queen of Sweden, and made his Report of the preffing Inftances which that Princefs made to his Czarish Majefty, to put a Stop to his Hoftilities, in order to forward the Peace. Upon these Inftances, the 9th of the fame Month, his Majefty, after having called a Council, fent Orders to his faid High Admiral to cease the Hoftilities, and return with the Fleet to Lameland, as well in Confideration of the 1719. 1719. the Entreaties of the Queen of Sweden, as alfo because the Seafon was too far advanced; and his High Admiral executed those Orders the 19th. After this, his Majefty calling a General Council, it was refolved therein, for the Reafon abovesaid, to put an End to the Campaign; and having agreed for the Difpofitions for laying up the Gallies in feveral Ports, he gave them Orders to fail to their respective Ports with the firft fair Wind, the Grand Fleet fetting Sail alfo on the 21st of August for Revel, and his Czarish Majefty parted the fame Day with fome Gallies for Petersburgh. The fame Day, after his Czarish Majesty's Departing, one Part of the Gallies failed for Abo, others for Revel, and others remained fome Time at Lameland, to observe the Enemy. All these Things paffed, without having the leaft Advice of the Approach of the English Fleet to the Affiftance of the Swedes, lefs had they Notice of fuch a Design, and least of all, that there was a Treaty on Foot for that Purpofe between Sweden and England. In the mean Time, his Czarish Majesty's Fleet arrived in the Road of Revel the 23d of Auguft; they met in the Way, at the Isle of Nargen, Lieutenant Count Gollowin, who had been fent, as before, and was returning in a Hooker to Copenhagen: He came away from thence the 21ft, with the News only that Admiral Norris was fail'd to Bornholm, but without any Account of his Defign. It was not till after the Arrival of the Ruffian Fleet at Revel, that they had the first News News of Admiral Norris's being at Sea; and his Czarish Majefty received not that Account till the 27th, when Count Gollowin came to his Majefty at the Ifles of Berefow, and brought him the fame Account: Thefe Advices were farther confirm'd fome Time after from the Ruffian Ambaffador at Copenhagen, the Prince Dolgoruki, who fent it by one of his Servants with a nimble Frigate exprefs: He inform'd his Czarish Majefty, among other Things, of the joining Sir John Norris by feveral other Men of War from England. This Frigate of Prince Dolgoruki paffed by the Inles of Aland the 23d of August, not meeting the Ruffian Fleet, which was that very Day arrived at Revel: He ftay'd there fome Time after, according to his Czarish Majesty's Orders. In a word, the Seafon being far advanced, his Czarish Majefty fent Orders, that half the Fleet should come to Cronflot, where they arrived the 14th of September, the other half remaining in the Port of Revel. After this his Czarish Majefty receiv'd Advice from several different Places, that the King of England had made a feparate Peace, and a Defenfive Alliance with the Queen of Sweden; but to this Day no Notice has been given either by his Britannick Majesty's Minifter at the Ruffian Court, or by any other Channel. But the 18th of September, Letters from his Czarish Majesty's Plenipotentiary at Aland, dated the 10th of the fame Month, brought an Account, that a Swedish Brigantine had brought thither an English Gentleman, whose Name VOL. III. was 1719. 1719. was Berkeley, who being fent to, the next Day after his Arrival, had told them, that he was fent by the Lord Carteret, the English Ambaffador at Stockholm, and Admiral Norris, with fome Letters for his Czarish Majefty, defiring them that they would give him Dispatches towards Petersburgh, or that they would take the Letters he had brought, and forward them to his Czarish Majefty. That hereupon the faid Plenipotentiary asked him, If he had any Meffage to deliver to his Czarish Majefty by Word of Mouth? To which he had anfwer'd, that he had nothing in Commiffion but to deliver the faid Letters; that this obliged them to ask him, What were the Contents of the faid Letters? and that he had given them Copies of them, both in English and French: That seeing by the Contents of the faid Letters, that as well the Ambaffador, as the Admiral, had treated him in fo unusual a Manner, and fo full of Pride, they durft not take upon them to forward the faid Gentleman to his Czarish Majefty, nor to receive his Letters; and that after they had given him this Anfwer, they returned him in Safety to Sweden, to the English Ambas fador, with a Letter fignifying the fame. Thus it appears, by all that had been faid, that the Inftances of the Queen of Sweden, and the Seafon being fo far advanced, have been the only Reafons which had determined his Czarith Majefty to put an End, for this Year, to the Operations of the War, and to bring back his Forces into his Ports; and that the Conjunction of the English and Swedish Ships could not contribute any Thing to that Refolu Refolution, feeing they had no Knowledge of it 1719. till after the whole Ruffian Fleet was fo return'd. in Notwithstanding this Account above, publifh'd by the Ruffians, it was generally thought that the Approach of the British Fleet was the Occafion of their Retreat. It was on the 26th of August that Sir John Norris arrived at the Dablers: The next Day the Prince of Heffe and the Lord Carteret paid him a Vifit on Board; and on the 3d of September the Queen herself, and the whole Court, went on Board, and were magnificently entertain'd by the Admiral at Dinner; after which there was a Ball, in which her Majefty danced. The Admiral was received with great Honours at the City of Stockholm, where, without doubt, his Prefence was very agreeable to the Swedes, whofe Country was in fuch Diftrefs. On the 8th of the fame Month Mr. Berkeley, Son of the Lord Berkeley of Stratton, fet out from Stockholm with the Letters before-mentioned, from the Lord Carteret and Sir John Norris, to the Czar, offering his Britannick Majefty's Mediation, for making Peace between his Czarish Majefty and the Queen of Sweden; the Contents of which were as follow: His Excellency the Lord Carteret's Letter to his Stockholm, Sept. 1. O. S. 1719. SIRE, HE King of Great-Britain, my MaTH fter, has ordered me, his Ambaffador Extraordinary at the Court of Sweden, to acquaint your Czarish Majefty, that the Queen |