The blockade of Rogervik and the capture and destruction of the Sevolod beforehand were significant turning points in both the military and the political situation in the Baltic. Good relations were restored between Britain and King Gustav, aided by the recall to London of Thornton who had never got on as well with the King as Pierrepont and who, after the Moore affair, had become persona non grata. With his usual blindness to reality, King Gustav told Saumarez that he had given orders to his fleet at Karlskrona to resume the blockade and requested ‘that you will help with as many ships as you can the operations of my squadron, to make the result more decisive’. In fact, the Swedish ships were so short of crew because of scurvy and infectious disease that they were unable to sail and Saumarez was able to plead the bad weather for removing to Gothenburg all his ships except two ‘as the advanced season of the year must prevent the possibility of further naval operations in these seas’. Having escaped back to Cronstadt, the Russian fleet henceforward would take on a purely defensive role so long as there was a substantial British squadron abroad in the Baltic. The port defences had been strengthened, both to defend the fleet from bombardment and nearby St Petersburg from attack. Moreover, Thornton, announcing his recall to London, had given news of an armistice between Sweden and Russia in the north of Finland, at the request of the Russian commander, which he hoped would spread to the whole of Finland. There is a note on the manuscript in Ross's handwriting: ‘The Armistice took place in consequence of the letter addressed to the Emperor of Russia by Admiral Sir James Saumarez.’ This would appear to be wishful thinking on Ross's part since the tightness of the timing makes it extremely unlikely.

It had also seen a change in attitude on the part of Saumarez himself. The ardent commander, keen to do battle and destroy the Russian fleet is becoming the peacemaker, as we have seen in Chapter 4, writing to his immediate naval opponent, the Russian Admiral Hanickhof, and to the Czar himself to propose the opening of negotiations. Thereafter Saumarez had little contact with Russia, either diplomatically or from a military standpoint.