Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v1p1.djvu/396

366 on the 14th Jan. 1801, an embargo was laid on all the ships in English ports, belonging to any of the confederated powers, Prussia excepted. With the latter a negotiation was for some time carried on, with the hope of prevailing on her to abandon the league; hut with so little effect, that in the month of March, the troops of that power entered Hanover, closed the navigation of the Elbe, Weser, and Ems, and laid the British shipping in those rivers under restraint. About the same time. the Danish army took possesion of Hamburgh, for the alleged purpose of stopping the English trade to that portSuch a combination, under the influence of France, would soon have become formidable; and never did the British cabinet display more decision than in instantly preparing to crush it.

The fleet destined for this service, under the command of Sir Hyde Parker, left Yarmouth Roads on the 12th March; Mr. Vansittart sailed in it, the English government still hoping to obtain its end by negociation; but on that gentleman’s arrival at Copenhagen he found the Danes in the highest degree hostile, and their state of preparation exceeding what our ministers had supposed possible. On the 30th the armament passed the Sound, and anchored near the island of Huen.

The British fleet had no sooner brought up, than the Commander-in-Chief, accompanied by Lord Nelson, and some other officers, proceeded in a light vessel to reconnoitre the harbour and channels. It was soon perceived that the unnecessary delay which had taken place outside the Sound had been of important advantage to the enemy, who had lined the northern edge of the shoals near the Crown batteries, and the front of the harbour and arsenal, with a formidable flotilla. The Trekroner battery appeared in particular to have been strengthened, and all the, buoys of the northern end of the King’s Channels had been removed.

The ensuing night was employed in ascertaining the Channels round the great shoal called the Middle Ground, and in laying down fresh buoys. On the next day, Sir Hyde Parker and Lord Nelson, attended as before, proceeded to the examination of the northern channel, and of the flotilla from the eastward. The Danish line of defence was formed in a direct line eastward from the Trekroner battery, and extended at least two miles along the coast of Amak; it was ascertained to consist of the hulls of seven line-of-battle ships with jury masts, two only being fully rigged, ten floating batteries, one bomb-ship rigged, and two or three smaller craft. On the Trekroner appeared to be nearly seventy guns; on the smaller battery, in shore, six or seven guns; and on the coast of Amak several batteries which were within a long range of the King’s Channel. Off the harbour’s mouth, which was to the westward of the Trekroner, were moored four line-of-battle ships and a frigate; two of the former, and the latter, were fully rigged. Their whole line of defence, from one extremity to the other, might embrace an extent of nearly four miles. A council of war was held in the afternoon, and the mode which might he advisable for the attack was Captain Foley continued on the Baltic station until the month of August, 1801, when he returned to England in 