Upon receiving news about the Treaty of Tilsit, Senyavin was reported to have been overcome with tears (12 August). All of his conquests had to be forfeited after the international situation had been reversed dramatically: Napoleon was now considered Russia's ally and Britain was Russia's foe. On 14 August, he and
Lord Collingwood reluctantly parted ways. Eight days later, a large part of the Russian squadron (five ships of the line, four frigates, four corvettes, and four brigs) was ordered to return to Sevastopol. Senyavin was to lead the remaining fleet to the
Baltic, where the
Finnish War with
Sweden was already brewing. Tenedos was evacuated on 25 August and Senyavin set sail from Corfu on 19 September. Although he planned to proceed directly to Saint Petersburg, stormy weather induced him to enter the
Tagus River and cast anchor in
Lisbon on 30 October. Within several days,
John VI of Portugal fled to the Portuguese colony of
Brazil and the
Royal Navy blockaded Lisbon, intercepting a Russian
sloop as an enemy vessel since the
Anglo-Russian War had broken out. In November, French forces under
Jean-Andoche Junot overran the Portuguese capital and Senyavin found himself in a precious diplomatic situation. In the tricky situation, Senyavin distinguished himself as a skilled diplomat and managed to save his ships from destruction. Upon hearing about his plight, Napoleon extorted from the tsar the privilege of giving orders to Senyavin through the Russian embassy in Paris. He immediately demanded to replace British officers serving in Senyavin's squadron with French or German officers and advised Senyavin to exchange several ships with Junot. Napoleon's orders were politely ignored by Senyavin, who had no intention to risk the lives of his marines in pointless warfare against erstwhile friends and consequently professed his neutrality. In July 1808, Senyavin's ships, still blockaded in Lisbon by the Royal Navy, were repeatedly visited by Junot and General
François Étienne de Kellermann, who exhorted him to assist in their military operations against the Portuguese and Spanish. Senyavin responded that he had not been authorized by the tsar to fight the peoples his country was not at war with, and neither promises nor threats would make him change his mind. In August, the French were beaten by the
Arthur Wellesley at the
Battle of Vimeiro and were forced to leave Portugal. Senyavin's seven ships of the line and one frigate were blockaded by a British squadron of 15 ships of the line and 10 frigates under
Sir Charles Cotton. They could have easily annihilated the Russian squadron if Senyavin refused to surrender. The Russian admiral, however, maintained his neutrality, threatening to blow up the ships and set Lisbon ablaze in case of attack. At last, a convention was signed with Cotton whereby the Russian squadron was to be escorted by the Royal Navy to
London without lowering their colors. Moreover, Senyavin was to assume supreme command of the joint Anglo-Russian fleet (as the senior officer of the two), while two Russian ships (
Rafail and
Yaroslav) were to be left in Lisbon for repairs. On 31 August, Senyavin's squadron embarked from Portugal for
Portsmouth. On 27 September, the squadron arrived at Portsmouth with their flags streaming, as if in times of peace. The
Lord Mayor of London,
Sir Charles Flower, 1st Baronet, declared the agreement negotiated with Senyavin disreputable for Britain's prestige, and many in the
Admiralty shared his opinion. Senyavin's squadron was therefore detained in Portsmouth under various pretexts until winter, when the weather made their return to the Baltic impossible. In the next year, the departure was further delayed by the
Walcheren Expedition. On 5 August 1809, Senyavin's squadron was allowed to leave Portsmouth for
Riga and arrived there on 9 September. == Fall from grace and later career ==