Alarmed at the progress of the partisan Schill, the Duke of Mecklenburg and his Court quitted Ludwigsburg, their regular residence, and retired to Doberan, on the seacoast.  On quitting Mecklenburg Schill advanced to Bergdorf, four leagues from Hamburg.  The alarm then increased in that city.  A few of the inhabitants talked of making a compromise with Schill and sending him money to get him away.  But the firmness of the majority imposed silence on this timid council.  I consulted with the commandant of the town, and we determined to adopt measures of precaution.  The custom-house chest, in which there was more than a million of gold, was sent to Holstein under a strong escort.  At the same time I sent to Schill a clever spy, who gave him a most alarming account of the means of defence which Hamburg possessed.  Schill accordingly gave up his designs on that city, and leaving it on his left, entered Lubeck, which was undefended.

Meanwhile Lieutenant-General Gratien, who had left Berlin by order of the Prince de Neufchatel, with 2500 Dutch and 3000 Swedish troops, actively pursued Schill, and tranquillity was soon restored throughout all the neighbouring country, which had been greatly agitated by his bold enterprise.  Schill, after wandering for some days on the shores of the Baltic, was overtaken by General Gratien at Stralsund, whence he was about to embark for Sweden.  He made a desperate defence, and was killed after a conflict of two hours.  His band was destroyed.  Three hundred of his hussars and 200 infantry, who had effected their escape, asked leave to return to Prussia, and they were conducted to the Prussian general commanding a neighbouring town.  A war of plunder like that carried on by Schill could not be honourably acknowledged by a power having, any claim to respect.  Yet the English Government sent Schill a colonel’s commission, and the full uniform of his new rank, with the assurance that all his troops should thenceforth be paid by England.

Schill soon had an imitator of exalted rank.  In August 1809 the Duke of Brunswick-OEls sought the dangerous honour of succeeding that famous partisan.  At the head of at most 2000 men he for some days disturbed the left bank of the Elbe, and on the 5th entered Bremen.  On his approach the French Vice-Consul retired to Osterhulz.  One of the Duke’s officers presented himself at the hones of the Vice-Consul and demanded 200 Louis.  The agent of the Vice-Consul, alarmed at the threat of the place being given up to pillage, capitulated with the officer, and with considerable difficulty got rid of him at the sacrifice of 80 Louis, for which a receipt was presented to him in the name of the Duke.  The Duke, who now went by the name of “the new Schill,” did not remain long in Bremen.