[5] Richard Thornton made part of his fortune as an indirect result of Napoleon's fatal and failed invasion of Russia.

[5] In response Richard Thornton armed one of his own merchant ships, fought off a hostile Danish gunboat, and landed in the Baltic under an assumed German name.

[1] Richard Thornton's lucrative Baltic trade continued and two years later, in 1812, his brother Laurence was in the port of Memel, now known as Klaipėda, when he heard of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow.

He got word back to Richard in London so speedily that it was three days before the news reached any one else in the city, including members of the British Government.

Realizing this, Richard Thornton went quickly about the city obtaining signatures on contracts for the forward delivery of Baltic goods.