No. IV.

NOTE delivered the 18th of June, by the RUSSIAN AMBAS, SADOR at STOCKHOLM, to the SWEDISH MINISTRY.

IN confequence of the various objects on which the underwritten envoy extraordinary and minifter plenipotentiary of the imperial court of Ruffia has lately conferred with his excellency count Oxenstiern, he has now the honour to prefent to him a fuccinct recapitulation of the fame in the pre fent note.

Whatever may have been the surprise of the emprefs my fovereign, when she was informed of the armaments carried on in Sweden, her imperial majefty, not feeing any just motives which could occafion them, refolved to be filent as long as thofe motions should be confined to the interior parts of the kingdom. But being apprifed of the motives alleged by the fenator count Oxenstiern to the minister of Denmark, and which he, in confequence of the intimacy fubfifting between the two courts, communicated to the under-written, her imperial majefty has refolved to break filence, and given orders to the under-written to enter into the following explanations with his Swedish majefty's minifters.

During the twenty-fix years of her reign, the empress has never ceafed to give conftant teftimonies to the king, and to the whole Swedish nation, of her wish to cultivate the most perfect harmony and good neighbourhood, fuch as at the leaft peace was established between the two ftates; if, therefore, in the midft of the repofe which her empire enjoyed from its other neighbours, her imperial majefty has never conceived the leaft idea of disturbing or altering, in any shape, the order of things, it would be arguing againft every degree of probability to attribute it to her now, when the

finds herself engaged in a war which has been unjustly excited against her by a powerful enemy, and to which the cannot give too much attention. Provoked in this manner to dif play all the means which fhe holds from Providence, to repel the attack of her enemy, she has not failed to make an amicable communication of it to all the chriftian powers, and particularly obferving this conduct when the refolved to arm a fleet to fend into the Archipelago; which intention the under-written did, by her orders, communicate to the Swedish minifters. All thefe difpofitions and preparations being therefore vifibly and fingly directed to the circumftance in which Ruffia found herself, were in no wife of a nature to alarm any neighbour, that did not nourish some fecret intention to multiply her embarraffments, and take advantage of them. But admitting for a moment that the court of Ruffia had intimated fuch defigns that of Sweden, however contrary they are to the faith of the treaties which bind them, found reafoning, as well as the intereft of the former, would have confined all her measures to prevent their effects, and not to provoke them; and, in fact, fuch as prudence dictated, and were adopted, after the rumours which were spread on all fides of the armaments carrying on in Sweden, are reduced to a trifling reinforcement of the ruffian troops in Finland, and the deftination of the ufual fquadron that annually cruifes in the Baltic to exercise the feamen; a custom to which Sweden has never given any attention, or occafioned any umbrage.- Nevertheless, her armaments were daily advancing and increafing, without the court of Stockholm thinking proper to give any formal notice of it to the court of Petersburg; and then at last they were prepared. The fenator, count von Oxenftiern, in. the name of the king, did not fail to declare to the minifter of a court clofely allied to Vienna, and confequently, it may be prefumed, not bound to conceal it from us, that thofe preparations were directed againit Ruffia, on a fuppofition that Sweden was threatened to be attacked by her.

In this fituation, the emprefs, on her fide, has as readily ordered the under-written to declare to his Swedish majefty's miniftry, and to all thofe who have any fhare in the administration, that her imperial majefty could not give them a more folid proof of her pacific difpofitions towards them, and of the intereft fhe takes in the prefervation of their tranquillity, than by affuring them, on her imperial word, that all the oppofite intentions which fome might impute to her, are void of all foundation; but if afsurances so formal and fo pofitive, joined to arguments fo plain and convincing, are not fufficient to reftore calmnefs and tranquillity, her imperial majefty is refolved to await the event with that confidence and fecurity which the purity and innocency of her intention afford her, as well as the powerful means which the Almighty has put into her hands, and which she has never employed but for the glory of her empire and the happiness of her fubjects.

Stockholm, June 18, 1788.

(Signed)

COUNT ANDRE RAZUMOFFSKY.

ANSWER of the COURT of STOCKHOLM to the foregoing RESCRIPT.

HIS majefty could not avoid being surprised when he faw, in the note delivered on the 18th of June, by M. le comte de Razumofffky, envoy extraordinary and minifter plenipotentiary from the court of Ruffia, the manner in which it was attempted to distinguish between the king and the nation; and the affurances given by the emprefs of her difpofition in their favour, and of the intereft which fhe takes in the prefervation of their tranquillity.

Although in this language the king recognizes principles often divulged by the court of Ruffia in other countries, his majefty cannot reconcile fuch friendly fentiments on the part of the emprefs, with an infinuation that tends directly to draw a diftinction between him and his people; and,

firmly refolved never to admit fuch a principle, he cannot believe that a delaration of that nature was ordered to be made to him by the court of Ruffia. The king is rather willing to impute it to their minifter only, retiding at his court; but, surprised as well as hurt at the language it contains, which is at once irregular and hoftile to the tranquillity of his kingdom, he cannot after this moment ac knowledge the comte de Razumoffiky as envoy extraordinary and minifter plenipotentiary at his court, referving himfelf, until his arrival in Finland, to anfwer the empress of Ruffia on the other articles of the declaration, by his minister at Petersburg. Meanwhile his majefty finds himfelf obliged to require the departure of the comte de Razumoffíky, by announcing to that minifter that he can no longer treat with him, as having in his written memorial offended both the principles of the fwedish government and failed in the refpect that is due to the perfon of the king.

The attention wherewith the king has honoured this minifter ever fince he knew him, ftrongly marks the regret felt by his majesty in commanding his departure; and nothing less than the powerful reafons, of his dignity being perfonally offended, and the peace of his dominions rendered liable to be disturbed by thofe principles it has not fcrupled to avow, could have influenced his majefty to defire the removal of a perfon who has fuch claims upon his regard, that, in fignifying his intentions to the comte de Razumoffsky, (whom he no longer acknowledges a public minifter,) his majefty allows him a week to make the neceffary preparations. The king has alfo given orders for fhips, and every other accommodation that can render his paffage to St. Petersburg convenient, that being the only mark of attention which the prefent circumftances leave it in his power to fnew to the comte de Razumofffky.

COPY

COPY of a CIRCULAR NOTE delivered by the COURT of SWEDEN to all the foreign MINISTERS, dated STOCKHOLM, June 23, 1788.

WHILE the king, anxious to preferve a good underftanding with all his neighbours, neglected nothing in the cultivation of the fame with the court of Ruffia; he has been aftonifhed to obferve the little effect which his fentiments have produced on the minifter of that power; whose language, for fome months paft, in his public conduct, fill appears to bear the marks of that fyftem of diffenfion which his predeceffors tranfmitted to him, and which they have perpetually laboured to extend. The king was always willing to deceive himfelf on this point, and wifhed he could doubt the existence of the efforts made by the ruffian envoy, to induce the fwedish nation to return to thofe errors which led it aftray during the time of anarchy, and to diffeminate anew, in the heart of the ftate, that ancient spirit of dif cord, which Heaven and his Majefty's paternal care have happily extinguifhed; till at length count Razumoffíky, by his note of the 18th of June, has extinguished all thofe doubts the king was fill defirous of preferving on this fubject. Amidst the declarations of the emprefs's friendship for the king, with which the note is filled, this minifter has not hesitated to appeal to others befides the king. He addreffed himfelf to all the members of adminiftration, as well as to the nation itself, to affure them of the fentiments of his fovereign, and how much he has their tranquillity at heart. This Sweden, however, derives folely from its proper union; and the king could not but fee, with the greatest furprise, a declaration expreffed in fuch terms, difcerning therein but too much of the policy and language used by that minifter's predeceffors; who, not content with fowing divifions among his majefty's fubjects, wanted to fet up other authorities in oppofition to the legitimate power, and to

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