Page:Account of the dispute between Russia, Sweden & Denmark, and Great Britain.pdf/22

22 and to the failure of which alone, he ſaid, muſt be attributed the diſaſters, which might befal Copenhagen. After having deſtroyed the line of defence, under of the heavieſt fires which, an experienced  declared, he ever felt, Lord Nelſon retired to his cabin, and wrote a letter to the Prince Royal of Denmark, expreſsing his deſire that a flag of truce  be ſent on ſhore; ſtating, that if ſuch permiſſion  denied, he would deſtroy the veſſels and the floating batteries; and if ſo, he could not be anſwerable  the lives of the brave Danes, by whom they were defended. Theſe were his words.—In reply, Prince Royal deſired to know, why a propoſition for  truce came from him who had been so ſucceſſful.—Lord Nelſon replied, that the object of his miſſion  not the deſtruction of a brave people, but to  the rights of his King and Country. His were humanity; he wiſhed to spare the effuſion  human blood; and that no victory would be so gratifying to him, as that which united the diſpositions  his gracious Sovereign and thoſe of a Prince with whom he was deſirous to continue in that harmony which had ſo long ſubſiſted between them. Struck with the magnanimity and ſingular generoſity of ſuch a meſſage from a Conqueror, the Prince inſtantly acceded to the propoſal. In conſequence of this, Lord Nelſon went on ſhore. He was received on ſhore by a brave and generous people, (for ſuch they proved themſelves to be, who had loſt ſight of their diſsaſter) with the loudeſt acclamations of admiration. He was received by the Prince of Denmark alſo in a manner which does honour to that Prince, and there he diſplayed the politics of an able ſtateſman, as eminently as he had formerly the conduct of a gallant and victorious naval officer, and, in conjunction with the death of Paul, who died a few days before the action terminated a war as ſoon as it was begun.

Whether Paul died a natural death or by aſſaſſins is not yet poſitively known: Whether this victory