Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 5.djvu/425

A.D.1789.] brother, the duke of Orthogothia. On arriving, Gustavus issued an earnest proclamation to his people to follow him to the defence of their country. But, to lose no time, he hastened on to Dalecarlia, the brave inhabitants of which had first placed his great ancestor, Gustavus Vasa, on the throne. They speedily mustered to his aid, and he led them directly against the Danes, who, under the prince of Hesse, were already in possession of Stronstad and Uddewalla, and in full march on Gothenborg, the chief commercial town of Sweden.

His arrival gave great joy and confidence to the people of Gothenborg; and at this moment, seeing the consequence of their too easy conduct, the English government sent a peremptory demand to Copenhagen through Mr. Elliot, the British ambassador there, that Denmark should desist from this invasion of Sweden, the ally of England, or, in default of this, that a powerful English fleet should be dispatched to the Baltic.

The Danes evacuated Sweden, again retiring into Norway, but Gustavus was left to continue his contest with Russia. His broken army, under his brother in Finland, took up their winter quarters at the strong seaport of Sveaborg; and he himself prepared to make some decisive movement against his haughty and refractory nobles. Besides the order of nobility, three other orders sate in the general assembly of the states; and Gustavus, confident of their affection to him, determined to throw himself upon them for protection against the nobles. He therefore, in the first place, sent for the chief magistrates, clergy, and citizens, and laid before them forcibly his position. He showed them how the recovery of the ancient Swedish provinces on the other side of the Baltic had been prevented by the defection of the aristocracy, and how the country had been invaded by the Danes through this encouragement. Made certain of their support, he then summoned a diet, which met on the 26th of January, 1789.

In this diet Gustavus freely complained of the conduct of the nobles, and they as freely, and more insolently, complained of his acting without authority of the states declaring that his bringing down the Dalecarlians was done to overawe them, and that the appointment of count Loweinhauft as president of the diet was intended to overawe the diet, as he was the king's sworn friend. The language of the nobles was unbearably insulting; and Gustavus fiercely retorted on them that they were traitors to their king and country—that they made themselves the tools of Russia, and if Russia were not now encamped with her armies in and around Stockholm, it was owing only to resolute resistance to their proceedings. The nobles rose in a body and quitted the assembly; but Gustavus continued his speech to the three remaining orders. He declared it necessary, for the salvation of the country, for him to assume almost despotic powers, and he called on the three estates to support him in punishing the traitorous nobles, promising to secure the liberties of the country as soon as this was accomplished. Not only the three orders, but the public at large zealously supported him. Stockholm was in a state of high excitement. Gustavus surrounded the houses of the chief nobility with his brave Dalecarlians; secured twenty five of the principal nobles, including the counts Brahé, Fersun, Horne, and others, who were consigned to the castle. He had already sent and arrested nine of the leaders of the insurrection in the army in Finland, and these officers were now also confined in the castle; others had escaped and fled to their great patroness in Petersburg. To