On the 26th, at day-break, the fleet got under weigh, and stood to the westward; for the purpose, as was generally imagined, of passing the Great Belt; and Captain Murray, of the Edgar, who had, the preceding summer, surveyed that entrance to the Baltic with a degree of precision hitherto unknown, tendered his services for the purpose.  The facility with which this passage might be effected, by the aid of so active and intelligent an officer, where the Danes had only a single guard-ship, left little room to doubt that it would be adopted.  This, however, was not done.  Several vessels from the Baltic, on this and the following day, passed the Sound, under Prussian colours; and they were permitted to proceed, notwithstanding it was then sufficiently ascertained that Prussia had also acceded to this confederacy against Great Britain.

On the 27th, Sir Hyde Parker, acting under his instructions, dispatched a flag of truce, with the following note, to the Governor of Cronenberg Castle,

“From the hostile transactions of the Court of Denmark, and sending away his Britannic Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires, the commander in chief of his majesty’s fleet is anxious to know what the determination of the Danish Court is—­and whether the commanding officer of Cronenberg Castle has received orders to fire on the British fleet as they pass into the Sound?—­as he must deem the firing; of the first gun a declaration of war on the part of Denmark.

     “Hyde Parker.”

To these enquiries, this answer was returned by the Danish Governor.

“I have the honour to inform your excellency, that his Majesty, the King of Denmark, did not send away the Charge d’Affaires; but that, on his own demand, he obtained a passport.  As a soldier, I cannot meddle with politics; but, I am not at liberty to suffer a fleet, whose intention is not yet known, to approach the guns of the castle which I have the honour to command.  In case your excellency should think proper to make any proposals to the King of Denmark, I wish to be informed thereof before the fleet approaches nearer to the castle.

     “Heer Stricker.”

After receiving the above reply, the British commander in chief immediately sent notice to the Danish Governor—­That, finding the intentions of the Court of Denmark to be hostile against his Britannic Majesty, he regarded his excellency’s answer as a declaration of war; and, therefore, agreeable to his instructions, could no longer refrain from hostilities, however repugnant it might be to his feelings:  but that, at the same time, the admiral would be ready to attend to any proposals of the Court of Denmark, for restoring the former amity and friendship, which had for so many years subsisted between the two courts.  During these negociations, an officer of distinction, high in favour with the crown prince, coming on board the admiral, with a verbal answer to one of our proposals,