Early in the morning of the 18th, land was discovered; and next day, about noon, the British fleet made the Scaw, or Scagen, the first general rendezvous.  This low point of sandy and apparently barren land, which is the most northernly part of the peninsula of North Jutland, is eleven or twelve leagues distant from Marstrand Island on the Swedish shore.  At both these points, the Danes and Swedes have respectively erected light-houses; for the support of which, all vessels passing the Sound, or entering the Swedish ports, are required to contribute:  the entrance between the Scaw Lights and the Cattegat being considered as the entrance to the Cattegat.  As it was well known, that the Danes were making every possible effort to obstruct the passage of the Sound, and render Copenhagen inaccessible to the approach of gun-vessels, much surprise was expressed, at the fleet’s not being ordered to pass the Cattegat, with a strong north north-west wind, so highly favourable to such a design.  The commander in chief, however, was probably deterred, by the nature of his instructions, from committing the country, by a forcible passage of the Sound, till the effect of Mr. Vansittart’s pacific propositions, who had preceded the fleet, on board a frigate with a flag of truce, should be first fairly ascertained.  This gentleman having reached Elsineur the 20th of March, proposed to the Danish court, in conjunction with Mr. Drummond, the British minister at Copenhagen, the secession of Denmark from the northern alliance; the allowance of a free passage to the British fleet through the Sound; and an abandonment of the system of sending convoys for the protection of Danish merchant vessels.  These proposals being instantly rejected, the two British plenipotentiaries received passports for their return.

In the mean time, the officers and crew of the fleet, by foul winds, with heavy falls of sleet, snow, and rain, added to a chilling cold, which they particularly experienced from the 21st to the 24th, suffered considerable fatigue.  This, with the delay, had a tendency to damp the ardour of the enterprise; and Lord Nelson, aware of all the consequences, would gladly have discarded much of that diplomatic etiquette which finally proved, as he had from the first supposed it would do, quite unimpressive with the Danes.  Still less did he regard the discouraging suggestions of ignorant and designing pilots, whose exaggerated accounts of the difficulties to be surmounted, when the commander in chief had resolved on forcing the passage of the Sound, represented the enterprise as more practicable, and less hazardous, by the circuitous passage of the Great Belt.  Though Lord Nelson’s mind could not be thus induced to fluctuate, and was decidedly for the immediate passage of the Sound, when the Great Belt appeared to be preferred—­“Let us, then, go by the Great Belt!” said the hero.  Impatient for action, he was desirous of proceeding by any way which might soonest lead to the object.