The Press. — London, England, 1854-09-02 00:00:00

MI ,Sr••• 120 THE WAR. THE BALTIC. The Moniteur announces officially that the Govern ments of England and France, by common consent, have resolved that the fortifications in the Aland Islands should be destroyed, and the whole group, Bomarsund inclusive, evacuated. The outbreak of cholera among the troops temporarily located at Bomarsund is said to have partly prompted this determination. In addition, it appears that the climate of the Aland Isles is extremely rigorous, that enormous supplies would be necessary to enable any force to hold possession during the winter, and that the fortificatiuns of Bomarsund are so shattered as to be untenable without an amount of repairs for which there is no time before the frosts set in. Finally, it is believed that the post Is not of value in a military point of view sufficient to justify the itxpense and risk of occupation. CAPTURE OF BOMARSUND. We have been favoured with letters from an eye witness describing the operations which resulted in the fall of Bomarsund. Knowing the fidelity and accuracy of our correspondent, we publish his nar rative, although it relates to events that have already been detailed in our columns : Bomarsund, August 11. I have not written hitherto partly because my anxiety to reach this place in time gave me little rest or leisure, but chiefly because there was little or nothing to tell. On Monday last, however, I entered Ledsund at daybreak, and the first view of the fleet was magnificent. A French frigate was anchored at the entrance, and the rest of the squadron covering miles of water further up in the sound. The smartest and niost conspicuous vessels are, without doubt, the Wellington and the St. Jean d'Acre, but with the exception of these the Frenchmen are, in appear ance, fully equal to the British ships. They, how ever, have no screw line-of battle ship in these waters, and consequently in case of any heavy work for the ships the brunt of it would be for us. Ledsund is a bay on the south-west part of the Aland Islands, and Bomarsund, another splendid roadstead, about fifteen miles distant, is approached by narrow and winding channels, which till now have never been threaded by a man-of-war. The whole course, however, has been marked and buoyed, and our steam-frigates now come up at full power as boldly as a Citizen steam-boat dashes alongside of Hungerford-pier. There are now eleven line-of-battle ships, seven frigates, and more than a dozen steam sloops and small craft, besides transports and store ships, at anchor at Bomarsund. Four yachts also, the E;smera/da, the Foam, the Mavis, and the little Pet, are at the scene of act ion, and he Mosquito is reported to be near. In Ledsund the main body of the fleet, consisting of from thirty to forty sail, re mains at anchor; and Admiral Plumridge,with three or four paddle-steamers, is blockading the enemy in a sound to the northward of the forts. The Russian strongholds consist of one halfmoon battery mounting about fifty guns, and three round towers, much resembling our martello towers at home. All these are built of solid masonry, and are held, it is said, by 2,000 men. On the other hand, in addition to the overpowering force of our ships, we have already landed 10,000 French troops, besides some hundreds of our own ma rines and blue jackets. Fifteen guns (321 b.) are also to be landed, and of these some half dozen have a l re ady been dragged up by the men, a most tedious and laborious task. The first operation was the destruction of a small mud-battery of five guns which the enemy bad con structed, apparently, for our amusement. The Amphion (British) and Phlegethon (French) frigates opened fire upon it en Tuesday morning at three a.m. from a position at short range where no gun of the enemy bore upon them. The Russians bolted at the first discharge, but the allied frigates blazed away for three quarters of an hour, when the whole affair was a heap of ruins. Four boats then landed, spiked the guns, gave three cheers, and returned. The enemy decamped in such a hurry that he left some of his guns half loaded. A shot taken from one of them is a wretchedly-cast affair, as rough as a broken brick. Another gun ITO loaded with a lot of little stones and two fragments of a shell, besides its legitimate shot. The Bulldog, with Sir Charles Napier's flag, was ashore the whole of that afternoon, within long range, but the Russians did not tire. They threw some shells at the Amphion, but without effect. The Penelope was less fortunate. She took the ground yesterday, and was under fire for some hours. It was reported at the camp that she was sunk, and all the blue jackets were sent down full trot to take the heavy ships in to her assistance. She got off, how ever, with the loss of two killed and one wounded. The conduct of the French troops is the subject of universal admiration. No sooner is a boat landed THE PRESS. than skirmishers are thrown out; woodcutters de tached ; every man knows what to do and how to do it; and in a few hours roads are cut and levelled, piers are run out, and everything is in complete working order. The spirit and vivacity of their camp life is most remarkable. It seems their natural element; and the bonhommie and fun that con stantly prevail are charming. The name Anglais is a su ffi cient passport to go any where or see a n y thing, and a rude or uncivil expression is never heard. It must be admitted that our own people seem by contrast very rough and coarse; nor can we say that our camp li shows the system, the com fort, or the gaiety which distinguish our allies. Where's my kettle ? When am Ito have breakfast ? D—n your breakfast I And that kind of thing goes on to a great extent. On the other hand, the hard work, gun. dragging, &c., falls almost entirely upon us. Our soldiers and sailors are far larger and more powerful men, and the advanced position, within a few hundred yards of the enemy, is entrusted to our blue jackets and marines. There is one respect in which both nations are perfectly alike and unanimous. I mean in their eagerness to get into action, and their dislike of the modern system of warfare, the leading principle of which seems to be to keep out of gunshot. When ever two or three officers or men happen to meet, the invariable greeting is a grumble answered by a growl. In the meantime the season is slipping away ; in a month or five weeks the weather will render it im• possible to remain; and the finest fleet ever collected will disperse, to the disgust of all who remember our grandiloquent promises, and to the infinite amuse ment of the Czar. Among the gossip of the fleet, we are told that a grapeshot pierced the pillow of an officer in the camp while he was reclining at full length in his tent reading a novel. A French sentry is said to have shot an unfortunate clergyman and his wife, who would not stop when challenged. And one of the best seamarks in the sound is the pocket handker chief of a middy, who, finding a shoal with a bare pole moored to it, very cleverly lashed up his little strip of cambric to the pole, and made himself and the rock equally distinguished. August 16. Bom arsund has fallen, a victory almost bloodless and quite inglorious. At daylight on Sunday the French troops had got their battery into position and opened fire at a dis tance of 400 yards. They had five fieldpieces and one heavy gun, I believe a 68-pounder. Their fire was returned from the round battery, which was the object of their attack, with spirit and perseverance< Every Russian shot, however, passed over too high and wide of the mark, while the report of every French gun was followed regularly by the crash of their shot against the wall of the fortress. Meanwhile skirmishers were thrown out, who, taking advantage of the rough ground, advanced under cover close to the enemy and threw in their Minie bullets wherever a mark appeared. Every part of the fortress was spattered with them, the gun carriages and the inside of the building through the embrasures was drilled with bullets as thick as the spots on a panther's back, and the ground was strewed with flattened pieces of lead which had been messengers of death to many unhappy Scythians. About half-past two p.m. a flag of truce was dis played, and a petition for a cessation of hostilities was sent in that they might " put things to rights." Of course this was refused, and in the course of the night a storming party got into the fort. The commandant, like a true soldier, showed fight to the last, and with his drawn sword engaged the first French soldier who appeared at the em brasure. A bayonet thrust sent him to the earth, and the place was taken. About thirty of the garrison were found drunk and helpless. The rest had escaped in the night. The commandant, I hear, still lives, but his wound must be dangerous, for the bayonet was stained with his blood to the muzzle of the gun. On Tuesday, the 15th, our marines and blue jackets had got four 3'2-pounders into a position commanding the second round battery, and opened fire at daybreak. Later in the morning the ships which had thrown several shot and shell the evening before moved up and opened fire at the large half moon battery at long range. The problem was now solved, the alarmists were proved to be false prophets, and the opinion which prevailed amongst officers and men almost universally turned out to be well founded. The Russian shot fell short, the French and English missiles went home, the battery tumbled about the ears of the enemy, and not a ship was bit. Shells burst on the roof and sent great plates of iron flying in all direc tions. Round shot thundered against the embrasures and sent down dust and stones in avalanches. The thirg was settled : it was no longer a question of fact, but of hours and minutes. At five p.m. the ships ceased firing, and the fort also gave up throw ing about bruta fulmina for a time. ►SATURDAY, This morning the ships began again at ten : it was a mere repetition of yesterday's work, and by half-past one p.m. the drapeau blanc was displayed. Meanwhile Admiral Plumridge's squadron and the shore parties had accounted for the two remaining round towers, and the fight was done. About 2,000 prisoners have been taken, and no gang of convicts or galley slaves could present a more wretched spectacle than the imperial troops—filthy, wan, haggard, cowardly, mutinous, quarrelsome, ugly, and brutally stupid, moral and physically debased, degenerate men. Their vile workhouse dress, and their slouching hang-dog carriage, give them the appearance of anything but soldiers. The only thing about them likely to be formidable to the foe is the stench and the vermin which pervade them selves and their habitation. Their defeat and the surrender of their fortresses were hailed by them with delight : they threw off their arms and clothes with gest'ires of joy, they laughed, they sang ; a few were much dejected and wept bitterly—these were drunk. Shot, shells, arms, and provisions lie about the batteries in filthy heaps. As for the provisions, they are in no danger. The blameless hyperboreans with whom the gods loved to feast must have fed upon different food in days of yore, or else the gods must have odd notions in the choice of their diet. Their arms, however, are good, their long guns are excellent, their shot are well cast, and some of their percussion-muskets are beautiful weapons. The ships principally engaged on the south side were Amphion, Valorous, Hecla, Arrogant, Ajax, Edinburgh, Driver, and Sphynx, British; and Duperre, Asmodie, Phlegethon, and Darien, French. The frigates did the greater part of the work, the large ships remained at a greater distance and fired occas'onally. Such is the history of the capture of Bomarsund: twelve thousand French troops and the finest fleet that ever floated have been collected to do the work which six frigates might have effected in four and twenty hours. Of course I do not presume to criticise persons in author►ty, and, indeed, it is with the utmost di;; deuce and with every feeling of respect that I venture to remark that delay, hesitation, and imbecility have been the leading features of the affair. We have taken a position which is useless, we have cut some hundred throats, and captured some 2,000 tatter demalions. We have also acquired a vast amount of filth and many other little things which we do not require. Voila tout. A. V. Tuesday's and yesterday's Gazette contained fresh batches of despatches from Admiral Napier and Briga dier-General Jones recounting the details of the military operations, and singling out several of the officers engaged in them for special commendation. Lists of casualties and prisoners are also annexed. The former presents the following Return of the Killed and Wounded in the Force under the Command of Brigadier-General Jones, between the 7th and 18th of August, 1854, at Bomarsund, Aland Islands. Killed.—The Hon. C. Wrottesley ; Henry Collins, private R.M.,llase of Wellington. Wounded. dangerously. Thomas Gaughan, private R.M., her Majesty's ship Blenheim, ankle joint, by a frag ment of a shell ; since amputated. Wounded severely.—William Mitchell, A. 8., her Majes ty's ship Blenheim, by splinters of iron. Slighty wounded.—William Bridle, gunner's mate, her Majesty's ship Hogue,by splinters of iron. Sli g ht contusions. —Captain William Ramsay, her Ma jesty's ship Hogue , Lieutenant G. F. Burgess, R.N., her Majesty's ship Edinburgh. Burnt. —John M`Gugan, A.B.,her Majesty's ship Hogue' in the foot; John M'Oriffin, A. 8., her Majesty's ship Hogue, in the foot. The prisoners were thus disposed of : Return of Russian Prisoners Embarked in the Under mentioned Ships. Hannibal.—Officers 9, privates 304, wife of officer 1, wives of men 7, children 2 : total wives of officers 2, , 323. Algiers.—Officers 8, privates 409, wives of men 1: total, 420. Royal William.—Officers 16, privates 731, wives of officers 1, wives of men 8, children 8 : total 764. Termagant.—Officers 8, privates 199, wives of officers 3. child 1, servants 1 : total, 207. St. Vincent.—Officers 15, privates 499, wives of men 5, children 2 : total 521. Grand total, 2,235. (Signed) F. W. Gary, Commodore. The explosion at one of the detached forts is described in a letter from an eyewitness as follows :-- " As soon as the main fort (Bomarsund) found the French in possession of Tzee, the gartison began to shell the latter, and set it on fi re. It burned for a considerable time with a smouldering fire, sending up a lazy sluggish _ vapour, until at length the fire c au g ht some of the pose's in the lower basement, when it blew up with a tremendous explosion, filling the whole atmosphere with the very blackest smoke, and most horrible s tench—a compound of gunpowder, putridity, and half-fried sardine s, with which we found the place well stocked on our visit. The whole concern presented a strange appearance after the esPls' W II R