Inferno

Chapter 30

No. 10 Downing Street, London

They came quickly, the summons to Cabinet brusque to the point of impoliteness. Portland was already there, appearing more than usually frail, with a hunted look.

‘Sit, sit,’ he commanded, in a weak voice, between coughing fits. ‘There’s no time to be lost. I’m unwell so I’ve asked Canning to speak to you.’

The foreign secretary got to his feet and leaned forward over the table, a tigerish smile in place. ‘Gentlemen,’ he began silkily, ‘events have moved forward at a pace that will allow no further delay and procrastination. The meeting will not disperse until a joint plan of action has been decided. This is at the express wish of the prime minister. Is that clear?’

There were no objections and he resumed his seat, shuffling his papers into order.

‘There have come to my notice developments in the situation – intelligence that is of extreme gravity to the security of this kingdom. I shall detail them to you …’

By the time he had finished there was an appalled silence.

‘All of Europe under Bonaparte,’ the home secretary murmured, shocked. ‘It doesn’t bear thinking of.’

‘Not the least of it, sir. Conceive of above a hundred battleships launched at our shores. With a dozen Nelsons we could never withstand it.’

‘And the threat to Ireland, a land war,’ quavered Portland. ‘In all my days, I cannot recollect-’

‘So my previous comment stands proud. That a supine submission to the will of Napoleon will not answer, only a savage thrust at his vitals as will-’

‘This we’ve discussed ad nauseam, Canning. There’s nothing within our power that can go against the tyrant.’

With a look of savage triumph, Canning wheeled on Castlereagh. ‘But there is. And one calculated to solve our other problems in a bold stroke.’

‘Oh? I’d no doubt be entertained to hear it.’

‘You shall, I promise. Now, all our present troubles stem from one thing – that by subverting Russia, Boney is seeking to clap Europe behind a ring of iron that excludes us both from all trade with the continent and our vital – no, crucial – naval stores out of the Baltic. End to end, we face an unbroken and hostile shore that will ensure we must capituglate for want of essentials.

‘At the same time he will concentrate the fleets of the continent into one colossal force that even our entire navy combined is powerless to resist. The writing is on the wall – in one month, at most two, having completed his conquests and forced a peace, he will be ready to turn on us with all the power and resources of a conquered continent.

‘Gentlemen. Time has finally run out for us all. What I propose is the only sanction.’

‘We’re still listening,’ Castlereagh drawled, fiddling with a pencil.

Canning winced but ignored him. ‘We break the ring of iron and at the same time secure this crucial Baltic trade.’ All attention now on him, he continued more quietly: ‘I have explicit intelligence that I’ve no reason to reject. It reveals that pressure will be put on Denmark to deny us the Baltic by closing the Sound, failing which Bernadotte on the Elbe is poised to invade and seize their fleet. I’ve information that suggests the Danish will conform. First Lord of the Admiralty?’

Mulgrave nodded. ‘Oh, yes. A trustworthy captain by name of Pembroke swears that he witnessed the Danish fleet in Copenhagen preparing for sea. Stores, equipment on the wharves, all signs of-’

‘Thank you. I’m as well in possession of a dispatch from our head of mission in Denmark, Benjamin Garlike. He points out with understandable unease that the fortress of Kronborg, commanding the entrance to the Sound, has been considerably reinforced with artillery. To cap it all, the Danish charge d’affaires in London, Rist, is unable to account for any of these developments or to lay before me the true position of the kingdom of Denmark in respect of the treaties of Tilsit.

‘With the loss of the Russians to our cause it can mean only one thing. That Denmark sees its best interest in siding with Bonaparte.’

‘Foreign Secretary, I mislike where you are leading us,’ Portland’s querulous voice interrupted. ‘Are you suggesting-’

‘Your Grace, I beg you will allow me to finish. If the Russians were to join with the Danish, at the very least, sir, they have made the Baltic a French lake, which is a dolorous prospect indeed. Therefore what I put forward to you is this. In the time left to us we pre-empt this catastrophe. In one swift move we strike to drive a cleft into the centre of Bonaparte’s continent, isolating the Russians in the east and at the same time preserving our Baltic interests. Gentlemen, I propose that we should demand of the Danish that they surrender into our keeping their entire fleet. Without it they are powerless to block the Sound to our Baltic trade and at the same time it not only sunders Bonaparte’s ring of iron but ensures he can never later use that fleet against us. In fine, we will have broken his domination of the continent.’

‘A valiant plan,’ Castlereagh said acidly, ‘with but one flaw. Denmark is strictly neutral and this …?’

‘Quite,’ Portland fussed. ‘There’s no question that England can demand such of a neutral. Supposing they do not comply? We shall then be obliged to step down from our demand with grievous loss of countenance.’

‘We do not back away. If necessary we bring force to bear that-’

‘Sir, do not quibble! That would be nothing more or less than a calculated and deliberate attack on a neutral country in clear violation of every tenet of civilised conduct. This administration will not be a party to such-’

‘Then, sir, you are putting your name to this government’s abject submission to the Emperor Napoleon’s will!’

‘Ah, this is a hard matter. It beseems we should think on it long and hard before-’ Portland tried.

‘There’s no time!’ rapped Canning. ‘If we’re to move at all, it has to be before Bonaparte has consolidated his seizure of Prussia, before he can then turn and himself take the Danish fleet. And above all before the Baltic ices over when it’ll be too late to do anything.’

‘If the Danes resist and we assault them, Russia will declare war against us immediately,’ Castlereagh said quietly. ‘Are you prepared for that?’

‘They’re Bonaparte’s creature. They’ll do so anyway.’

Perceval leaned forward. ‘Has anyone considered what the cost of alienating Denmark would be? No? Then I’ll remind you all that eighty per centum of our current exports to the continent are brought in by us and transhipped through Danish ports. We stand to lose all of this, in the sum of uncountable millions, should we offend them.’

‘It might not come to that. The Danes are a practical race. They’ll see where their best interests lie.’

‘And if they do not?’ Castlereagh drawled. ‘I for one am not forgetting our late lamented Lord Nelson before Copenhagen in as hot a battle as any he fought. Since then there’s little doubt but that they’ve taken steps to increase their defences. I rather think they’ll be confident enough behind them to defy our entire fleet, with or without a Nelson, and then where will be your threats?’

Canning raised an eyebrow. ‘I do concur. Copenhagen is probably impregnable from the sea – but not from the land.’

‘Are you … are you seriously considering a landing and siege?’

‘The appearance of a force of unanswerable might in the Sound. A great fleet equipped with the means to do so. The Danes will see that while Bonaparte is a threat we are a promise. They will give up their fleet into our safe custody and we will withdraw, our breaking of the iron ring complete.’

‘A show of force!’ mocked Castlereagh, his contempt plain. ‘Since when-’

‘Swiftly done, no warning – do recollect, they’ll know we’ve successfully made landing before at the Cape and again at Buenos Aires, no matter how it turned out later. In any case, our object here is not to take territory, only to bring pressure to bear sufficient for them to think to release their fleet. That’s all.’

‘And if your mighty fleet fails to move them?’

‘Then our hand is forced,’ Canning said evenly. ‘A landing is made in overwhelming numbers as will oblige them to accede to our request.’

‘Our demand!’ snapped Castlereagh. ‘And the world will see that England has attacked and assaulted a neutral country in furtherance of its own-’

‘Prime Minister!’ rapped Canning, leaning forward in his intensity, his face pale. ‘This is too much. I require that you demand of the secretary of state for war that he reveals his own design to preserve England from ruin.’

‘Why, er …’

‘Failing which,’ he ground out, ‘he’s desired to hold his tongue.’

Portland held his head in his hands, rocking to and fro as if in pain. ‘My lord Castlereagh, Foreign Secretary, I do beg you to reconcile in the face of what confronts us. We must move forward, and unless there is an alternative put before us, I fear we must accept this plan, however painful it is to our honour.’

There was a hiss of indrawn breath and every eye went to Castlereagh. But then he gave a lop-sided smile and said lightly, ‘Very well. If we are of like mind then, in course, I shall give my support, and in full, Prime Minister.’

Visibly relieved, Portland made much of obtaining opinion and there being no counter-proposal, declared that in principle an expedition of such a nature be maturely considered.

‘A fleet of size,’ Canning opened, steepling his fingers. ‘Is this possible at such notice, my lord?’

The first lord of the Admiralty, Mulgrave, considered for a moment and replied quietly, ‘We’re sore stretched at the present time as you will know, sir. Yet … I can say you will have one.’

Castlereagh leaned back and twirled his pencil. ‘Should we not look first to the scale of task? I would think that, besides a substantial naval squadron of not less than ten or fifteen sail-of-the-line, there’ll be need for a substantial showing of troops if they land – say, ten or twenty thousand.’

‘What? So many?’

‘You require the Danish to yield to a paltry number when Bonaparte has sixty thousand to their south? If this is to appear as formidable and unanswerable as our foreign secretary desires, we have no choice, sir.’

‘Very well.’

‘And pursuing the same theme, our plan to affright the Danes will all be undone unless we display our resolution and capability. If the troops land, they’ll be seen with guns, field pieces and mortars in numbers to convince them that we can level the city if we choose.’

Portland intervened hesitantly, ‘This does seem a frightful thing to contemplate. Can we not achieve our ends by other means?’

‘Not possible,’ Canning said flatly. ‘All avenues have been explored diplomatically. The Danes are obdurate and unmoving, saying they will not be seen to align with any power.’

‘And your intelligence would seem to indicate they are, and with Bonaparte.’

‘I’d conceive they fear Boney more than they respect us, Prime Minister.’

‘I see. Well …’

Castlereagh continued briskly, ‘Then we have the question of command. Is it to be a naval affair, as last time with Nelson, or …?’

‘There are more recent precedents,’ Mulgrave said. ‘The taking of the Cape, Buenos Aires. If the matter is settled without assault, the navy will remain in command. Should there be a landing, the general once ashore assumes direction over his troops and the two are in a state of co-operation. I see no difficulty.’

‘On a point of practicality …’ the red-faced lord privy seal, Westmorland, intervened fussily. ‘Where the devil are all these soldiers to come from?’

Castlereagh was ready. ‘Sir, we have the lamentable situation whereby Sweden, our only ally, has been obliged to call on our assistance in what amounts to an evacuation of its last continental territory in Pomerania, not so very far from where they’ll be needed. In addition, therefore, to those of the Stralsund garrison, we may call upon quantities of the most loyal King’s German Legion all in good order, and with our military in readiness in the kingdom, we shall be tolerably well served, I believe.’

Portland coughed pitiably into a handkerchief, but then spoke firmly. ‘Ah, yes. Then it seems, gentlemen, we have a measure of agreement. A more positive attitude in you, it must be said, which I’m glad to see. In essence, therefore, we are seeking to request the Danes to cede custody of their fleet to us for the duration of the war, nothing more. No territorial demands, forced alliances or any other form of coercion. They shall then be left in peace to conduct their trade and relations as they see fit. A firm and decisive move that, I have no doubt, will give heart to all those who groan under the tyrant’s yoke. Upon this point therefore I would ask the secretary of state for war to produce plans for an expedition such as we’ve been discussing with a view to their implementation in the very near future.’

A dignified robed figure at the end of the table stirred. ‘Prime Minister, there is a compelling matter to dispose of before we embark on a course of action in this tenor.’

‘Yes, Lord Eldon?’ Portland said warily.

This was the lord high chancellor of England, senior law lord and one who could make things very difficult for a government bent on rapid but contentious measures.

‘I’m obliged to point out that any operation of a military nature by His Majesty’s arms must necessarily be undertaken in his name. What this meeting is here contemplating is an act of force, of compulsion if you will, against a legally blameless neutral. I insist, sir,’ he declared, with ponderous deliberation, ‘that the wishes of His Majesty be known in this before anything further is committed.’

‘An astute and, may I say, prudent course, Lord Chancellor. I shall seek audience with the King at the earliest possible time.’