ance, while the Livonian nobles send their young greyhounds to be suckled by the female peasantry, the Swedish Finlanders were free, and enjoyed the produce of their labour in peace and comfort. Gustavus alluded to this contrast in his declaration against Russia. "Inhabitants of Finland," he said, "a people worthy of esteem, your King has, during the whole of his reign, attended to your instruction, and to the cultivation and prosperity of your country. A faithless neighbour threatens to hurl you back to the state which you were in, in ages past, because your neighbourhood is a reproach to him." Well might Gustavus thus address them. There had been an increase of 60,000 in the population of this province during the last twenty years; and Seume, a traveller, whose judgment is as sound as his feelings are excellent, declares, the whole country was so highly cultivated, that he had seen nothing equal to it in Germany, Italy, or France, considering the difficulties which were to be surmounted. "I never," says this good man, "felt so much respect for human industry, as during my tour in Swedish Finland."

This happy country fell under the yoke of Russia. The Generals of that country resembled Suvaroff in barbarity, however unlike him in the nobler parts of his character. The town of Wasa was given up to be plundered; and while the soldiers were perpetrating every atrocity, in open day, their Generals, Kniper, Demidoff, and Emine, to whom the government of the town had been given on its capture, rode through the streets, hallooing these wretches on, and crying out well done! at all their enormities. Many of the

officers imitated the conduct of their superiors; and, when the work of havoc was over, they publicly divided the spoil with the common soldiers. The adjacent country presented only a scene of devastation and wretchedness, villages in ashes, and houses, in which nothing was left but such of their miserable inhabitants as had escaped death or captivity, happy, even then, if they were not mangled or dishonoured. General Rajewski repressed these horrors while he was present, expressing the utmost detestation of them; and the official account, published by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of the province, acknowledges, that some few of the soldiers, and even of the officers, without regard to their own danger, did all they could to protect the poor inhabitants. The officers were worse than the soldiers; this is the case in that great empire-natural virtues are to be found in the lower ranks,-the higher ones have exchanged them for the vices of French refinement. Gustavus addressed a letter to the Emperor Alexander, conjuring him to put a stop to these horrors, which, he said, could not fail of bringing down on his own person and government, the curses of divine Providence. In consequence of this letter, Demidoff was displaced from his command, and ordered to Petersburgh.

Wasa, after it had thus been sacked, was evacuated by the Russians; but Klingspor, who had advanced beyond that town, and endeavoured to maintain a position which would cover the most fruitful part of East Bothnia, was unable to resist the increasing numbers who were brought against him. His line of operations extended from Lindalax and Omyssa

to Lappfjerd, eight and twenty Swedish miles. The corps at Lindulax was driven back; and the Russians, after having been repulsed on three successive days, succeeded in cutting off the communication between Lappo and Lappfjerd. This latter post was now threatened, and Klingspor was compelled to retreat. He effected his retreat, as he had on the former occasion, with the greatest skill and courage, still facing a superior enemy, and bringing off all his baggage and artillery. An armistice, for an unlimited time, was concluded between the two armies at the end of September. It left each party in possession of the country which it occupied; but the Russians were soon strong enough to resume offensive operations,and a second armistice, signed on the 20th of November, virtually surrendered Finland to Russia. The Swedes were to evacuate all their posts there, and retire beyond the river Keims, the limit of the province.

During this campaign many unimportant actions took place between the flotillas of the contending powers, and our trade in the Baltic received considerable injury from the Danish gun-boats. The honour of the British flag was, however, gallantly supported by that distinguished officer Sir Samuel Hood, who, having joined the Swedish Admiral, Nauckhoff, with the Centaur and Implacable, two seventy-fours, sailed in quest of the Russian fleet, August 25th. Next morning the enemy were discovered off Hango Udd. All sail was set in pursuit. The British ships outsailed their allies; and, about five o'clock on the following morning, the Implacable brought the Sewolod, of 74 guns, which was the leeward

VOL. I. PART. I.

most of the enemy's line of battle ships, to close action. The Russian Admiral immediately bore up with. his whole force. In the course of twenty minutes the Sewolod was completely silenced, and her colours, both Ensign and Pendant, struck: but Sir Samuel was obliged to make signal for the Implacable to join him. The Russian Admiral sent a frigate to take the disabled ship in tow, and again hauled his wind. As soon as the Implacable was ready to make sail, Sir Samuel gave chace again, and soon obliged the frigate to cast off her tow. This made the Russian again bear down with his main force, and it was hoped that a general action would be brought on, but the enemy availed themselves of a favourable slant of wind, and entered the port of Rogerswick.

The Sewolod, which had fallen to leeward, grounded on a shoal just at the entrance of the port; she soon, however, rode at anchor-exertions were made to repair her damage,— a hundred men from the other ships were sent on board to replace her loss in the action, and, at sun-set, boats came out to tow her in. Upon this, Sir Samuel stood in with the Centaur to cut her off. She was just entering the port when he laid her on board.---Her bowsprit took the Centaur's fore-rigging, and she swept along with her bow, grazing the muzzles of the British guns. When the bowsprit came to the mizen it was lashed there. Sir Samuel now attempted to tow her out, but an anchor had been let go from her. A severe contest of about half an hour ensued, when the Russians, after losing in this second conflict 180 men, struck. The Centaur and her prize now grounded, and two of the enemy's

ships were seen under sail standing towards them; but Captain Martin, in the Implacable, anchored his ship so as to heave the Centaur off, and they then retreated. The prize was fast on shore, and Sir Samuel, finding it impossible to bring her off, burnt her. Hopes were entertained

in England, when this intelligence arrived, that the Russian fleet might be destroyed; but the harbour was strongly fortified. They landed their men and erected more batteries, and it was found impossible to make any attempt upon them.

THE Castle of Scylla, in Calabria, which was held by an English garrison, under Lieutenant-Colonel Robertson, was taken by the French General Regnier, early in the year. The arrival of troops and ordinance stores at Seminara, towards the end of December, manifested an intention of besieging this place. Parties of peasantry were, therefore, sent out to render the passes of Solano impracticable, and break up the various paths which lead from the heights of Milia down to Scylla; but, on the 31st, the advanced workmen, and the out-posts of the armed peasantry, were driven in by a detachment of cavalry and three battalions, and the enemy took post upon the heights above the town. On the first day of the new year, Regnier brought up two more battalions, extended his out-posts, and completed the investment of the place.

The town of Scylla lies partly upon the shore, but the greater part is on the rocks above, where nine rows of houses are seen, one immediately a bove the other; and above the highest of these, in an oblique direction,

there are still six or seven other rows. The castle is upon a cliff over the sea; but, notwithstanding the advantages of its situation, it is not strong.

There were between four and five hundred armed Calabrians in the town, and about two hundred British soldiers in the castle. The besieging force consisted of about six thousand men, who were now incessantly employed in forming roads, to bring his heavy ordinance from Seminara; the besieged labouring, on their part, to render the approach difficult, and to harass the French outposts. The month of January was past in these preparations, when four Sicilian gun-boats, each carrying a fourand-twenty pounder, were taken by the

enemy; and thus all the endeavours which had been used to prevent him from bringing battering cannon into that part of Calabria were frustrated. The Delight sloop of war, in endeavouring to recover them, got on shore ;-several of her crew were killed, and the remainder made prisoners. In this unfortunate affair, Captain Hanfield, her commander, fell, a man of such professional and