The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-08-21 00:00:00

THE FRENCH ACCOUNT.

The Moniteur of Saturday contains Admiral Penaud's
official despatch, which is as follows :
On board his Imperial Majesty's ship Tourville,
off Sweaborg, August 11,1856.
Monsieur le Ministre,—As I have had the honour to inform
your Excellency by my letter of Monday last, the 7th of this
month, Rear-Admiral Dundas and I presented ourselves
before Sweaborg with the combined squadron, with the inten-
tion of bombarding that place. At half-past seven on the
morning of the Bth, sixteen English bomb vessels, each having
one mortar, five French bomb vessels, having each two of
those pieces, and a siege battery of four mortars of nearly 10-
inch bore, which, during the six hours' darkness of the two
previous nights, I had established on the Abraham islet at
2,200 metres from the place, opened fire against Sweaborg.
I am happy to announce to you, Monsieur le Ministre, that
this operation was perfectly successful. It was not a simple
cannonade the squadrons made against Sweaborg, but a real
bombardment, the serious results of which have exceeded my
utmost hopes.
In less than three hours after we had begun throwing
shells we could observe considerable damage they had caused
the fortress. Numerous fires rapidly broke out at several
points at the same time, and we soon saw the flames rising
above the dome of the church situated in the northern part of
the Isle of Est-Swarto. That may be said to be the only
monument on the Isle of Vargon and Swarto which appears
to have been completely respected by our projectiles. Terri-
ble explosions were soon after heard, at four different times ;
the fire had reached the magazines filled with powder and
munitions of war. The last two explosions were particularly
violent, and must have caused the enemy enormous losses
both in men and materiel. The detonations of shells were
heard for several minutes, and the sea shore was covered with
fragments of every kind. •
The bombardment ceased this morning at half-past four ;
it consequently lasted two days and two nights, during which
time Sweaborg looked like a vast fiery furnace. The fire,
which still continues its ravages, has destroyed nearly the
whole place, and consumed workshops, magazines, barracks,
different Government establishments, and a great quantity of
arsenal stores.
The fire of the mortars and bombs was so just that the
enemy, fearing the three-decker moored athwart the channel
between Sweaborg and the Isle of Back Holmen would be
burnt, had her brought into the port during the night.
The Russians have received a considerable check, and losses
the more severe ; on the side of the allied squadron they are
confined to one English sailor killed and a few slightly
wounded. The enemy's forts, however, returned our fire very
vigorously, and did not slacken it until the moment of the
explosions above-mentioned, but the precision of our long-
range guns gave us an incontestable superiority over the fire
of the Russians.

Every one in the division discharged his duty with ardour,
devotedness, and courage; the crews evinced admirable en-
thusiasm, and have deserved well of the Emperor and of
France.
I am perfectly satisfied with the means of action placed at
my disposal. The mortar vessels and gunboats rendered im-
mense services.; and they fully realise everything that was
expected from them. The siege battery produced very capital
results, and it may be said that our best shots were fired from
one of the enemy's isles on which we had hoisted the French

flag-
I
this affair, as has always been the case since our flags
have been united, Rear-Admiral Dundas and I have acted
with common accord. The example of the perfect good under-
standing existing between the chiefs has had the best effect
on the spirit of the crews of the two squadrons, which in
reality form only one in the moment of action. Each indi-
vidual has but one object—a zealous rivalry to cause the enemy
the greatest possible mischief, and the success of a vessel of
one of the two nations was applauded by the other with the
same cries of enthusiasm as if it had been gained by their own
flag.
No doubt, Monsieur le Ministre, the bombardment of Swea-
borg will exercise considerable influence on the Russian people,
who have now acquired the conviction that their fortified
places are not completely sheltered from the attacks of the
allied navies, which may and must henceforth hope to deal
destruction on the enemy's coast without suffering any very
considerable injury themselves.
On sending you, Monsieur le Ministre, a more circumstan-
tial report of this affair, I shall have the honour to transmit
to you a demand for rewards for the officers, sailors, and sol-
diers who most distinguished themselves in this combat.—l
am, &c., PENAUD,
Rear-Admiral Commanding-in-Chief the
Naval Division in the Baltic.