The seizure of Sir George Rumbold by French troops in his bedroom in Hamburg on the night of the 25 October 1804. Line engraving with etching by W.H. Worthington after H. Corbould, 1804.

Sir George Berriman Rumbold was appointed ambassador to the Hanse towns of Great Britain at Hamburg in 1803. On the night of the 25th Oct. 1804 a detachment of 250 French troops landed in Hamburg and compelled Rumbold to deliver his papers. He was then carried to Hannover and accused of conspiracy. The order for the arrest came direct from Fouché in Paris, was addressed to Marshall Bernadotte and carried an autograph letter of Napoleon promising compliance with the demands. Rumbold was replaced in Hamburg in 1804 and died of fever in 1807