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FORTIA’S TRAVELS IN SWEDEN. 517
fiege. We reafon therefore from the fame materials as Mr. Coxe, but decide in a dif-
ferent manner. Weare well perfuaded that the King was aflaflinated, and fhall detail
the conjectures upon which we decide, for where there is abfence of proofs we muft be
fatisfied with conjecture.
In the firft place Mr. Coxe, if impartial, muft allow that it is farcical to efteem the
narrative of the old Norwegian alluded to as of any weight: will he attempt to perfuade
us, or does he himfelf believe that a cannoneer in a fortrefs any more than a foldier in
the ranks can know any thing of what pafles except immediately by him, particularly
at nine o’clock at night in the month of December. From his refponfes we gather for
certain that there was no firing that night from the fortrefs of Oberberg, this indeed the
Norwegian muft furely be competent to fay, as he was in the fort; but this is all that
he could know, and this proves nothing more than that Lamotraye is in error, afluming
the fhot to have come from that place. Mr. Coxe adds that the old man was of a frank
character, and that there was nothing to induce him to tell an untruth: certainly not,
nor did he conceal ought he knew. He ftates moreover that the Danes made ufe of
mufquetry, that the parapet where the King ftood was perfectly within reach of thé
place, that a number of fhells were fired, and that the King might have been killed by
the enemy. This was all known before; and if Mr. Coxe reflects, he will fee that this
proves nothing again{t the aflaffination: for it is impoffible to prefume that any one
would have chofen a time for making away with the King by a mufquet or piftol fhot
when out-of the reach of the enemy’s batteries, or when the enemy made no ufe of balls
again{t the Swedifh trenches fimilar to that by which he was ftruck, that is to fay, fmall
bullets. This would have demonttrated to all Europe that the Monarch died by affaf-
fination, and there is good reafon to imagine that fuch was not the intention of the
guilty. We conclude therefore, that the converfation, noticed with fo much fatisfaGtion
‘by Mr. Coxe, proves nothing again{t our afflumption, ‘or in favour of his own. It mult
further be remarked, that the old Norwegian told Mr. Coxe that a number of foldiers
were killed by the fide of the King, fo many indeed that they were buried on the fpot.
It is very extraordinary that this cannoneer fhould have feen thus much from his fortrefs
of Oberberg, (from which the Swedes were feparated:by a hill,) or that after the army
had decamped, he fhould divine that the foldiers killed in the trenches had been fo_
killed near the King, and at the fame time he was himfelf. To conclude, it is very fin-
gular that this man fhould have known that, of which no relation makes mention ; for
in all thofe which {peak of the greateft number of perfons about the King, {peak but of
four or five without enumerating any foldiers whatever. Mr. Coxe fays that the pre-
fent King of Sweden (1791) had conjectured that Cron/tedt was the affaflin; but after-
wards confeffed that he was miftaken: this may be, but if Mr. Coxe has ever had the
honour of {peaking to the King on this fubject, he would have found that if His Majefty
no longer believes that Cronftedt was the affaflin, it follows not that he does not believe
he was affaflinated by fome other perfon. Thefe are what Mr. Coxe calls proofs, finifh-
ing with thefe decifive words : :
“The queftion relative to the death of Charles XII. is now rendered very fimple :
unlikely anecdotes and vague conjeQures cannot weigh againft a pofitive fat: the pre-
tended affaffination is a mere chimera.”” We fee nothing pofitive in all this, unlefs it be
the tone of affurance which Mr. Coxe aflumes, nothing chimerical unlefs it be in his
affertions. We fubjoin our reflections upon the fame data.
Firft reflection.—According to the verbal procefs, the authenticity of which is incon-
teftible, the ball went through the head in a horizontal dire€tion, making a very {mall
hole on entering, and tearing away the temple and fhattering the bones as it went out
on
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