gmertca, , ?|emp, an& JUapoleon - Vote Hemp

America, Russia, Hemp, and Napoleonbeen met by three Danish gun-brigs, and the whole of themcaptured and driven before them to Christiansand. . . . W econsidered ourselves fortunate that the Danes were too muchoccupied to turn their attention to us, otherwise, as they wereto windward of us, they could readily have run down to us,when our convoying ship would not have been able to copewith three. 46The immediate destination of a convoy from England wasWingo Sound near Gothenburg, where the North Sea escortleft the convoy and anchored to wait, probably impatiently, fora convoy for the Great Belt to be assembled. Sweden nevermolested the British in Wingo Sound, which is another proofof the perfunctory nature of her friendship with Napoleon. 47In 1808, the British had sent convoys through the Sound,but had discovered that the Great Belt was the safer route, inspite of its reefs, swirling currents, its two Danish shores, andits great length. It took four or more days to pass through thetricky channels of the Belt, meaning nights of danger andtension anchored practically within cannon shot of shore, butthe Sound channel close to the Swedish shore which Danishbatteries forced the British to use was so narrow and closed inwith sand bars that a convoy had no room to maneuver at all.Strung out in singlefile,it was a line of sitting ducks forDanish galleys on calm days.The convoys leaving Wingo Bay for the Baltic often includedseveral hundred ships. As they cleared, they were escortedby not more than a frigate and brig of war or so, but atthe head of the Belt, their escort was increased by a sail of theline, which stayed with them until they were through that passage.Halfway through the Belt, they came under the addi­140