I
Translation, No. III.
In anſwer to your Excellency's Letter, which I did not receive till the following day at half paſt eight, I have the honour to inform you, that his Majeſty the King of Denmark did not ſend away the Charge d’Affaires, but that upon 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 his Majeſty the King of Denmark, ⟨I⟩ wiſh to be informed thereof before the fleet approaches nearer to the caſtle. An explicit anſwer is deſired.
(Signed)Stricker
answer.
one A. M.
SIR—In anſwer to your Excellency’s note juſt now received, the underſigned has only to reply, that, finding the intentions of the Court of Denmark to be hoſtile againſt his Britannic Majeſty, he regards the anſwer as a declaration of war, and therefore, agreeable to his inſtructions, can no longer refrain from ⟨hoſtilities⟩, however reluctant it may be to his feelings; ⟨but⟩ at the ſame time will 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.
(Signed)⟨H. Parker⟩
Lord Nelson's Letter to Sir Hyde ⟨Parker⟩
Elephant, off ⟨Copenhagen⟩
April 3, ⟨1801⟩Sir,
In obedience to your directions to report the ⟨pro-⟩
