The Press.
London, England, 1857-05-02 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

stoutly denied, and we believe that the truth
lies between the controversialists. We should
like to see the context of Admiral Berkeley's
letters. We doubt very much whether the
Russian sailors were at all comparable even to
the secondary classes of our English " tars."
In speaking of things nautical it must be re-
collected that in England we judge by a high
standard. We should be curious to see what
a Russian Napier would have said of the Em-
peror's sailors. The statement goes on:—

The fact is, that had it not been for the coastguard
men, the squadron could not have got to sea. Though
themselves, as a body, inexperienced as regarded the
operations of fleets,—many of them much too old to have
been selected for service in such a climate,—all ac-
customed to the comforts of home, and suddenly thrown
into a position in which no adequate provision had been
made for their comfort,—the conduct and example of these
men were beyond all praise, acting most beneficially upon
the heterogeneous mass which had been scraped together
from the streets of London and elsewhere, and thus supply.
ing ready obedience and a will, where otherwise none
would have been found.

We reply, "their hearts were in;the right place."
and we have no doubt that they would have
done very well if they had met an enemy. In
the fleets commanded by Nelson and Jervis
there were many disreputable characters taken
from the gaols; and again we ask the question,
by what kind of men were the Russian fleet
and batteries manned ? These passages, and
several others in the volume, are specimens of
the fallacy of over-statement. They are con-
futed by assertions elsewhere. Fur example,
it is said boastingly :
It should have been enough, that in nineteen days after
quitting England, the Admiral had, by his rapid progress,
utterly paralysed the movements of Russia, and had not
permitted a single ship of war to pass him into the North
Sea, whereby the undefended coasts of England—then with
scarcely a ship of war in her ports—would have been at the
mercy of any that had escaped his vigilance. On the con-
trary, he had the whole of the enemy's force in front of him,
inclosed, as it were, in the net of their own waters, beyond
the power of external mischief either by action or political
diplom.cy. This fortnight's work alone, whether nationally
or diplomatically considered, was worthy of a campaign.
And is no credit to be given to the crews and
men, " scraped together from London streets,"
for this " rapid progress " and this " fort-
" night's work worthy of a campaign "?
On the signal given by the admiral, it is
stated :

Before quitting the transactions of the squadron at
Kioge Bay, we mast not lose sight of the signal made by
the Admiral, notifying to his ships that war had been de-
clared against Russia, and the more so as the propriety of
this signal was for the first time called in question in the
House of Commons in March, 1856, two years after it had
been hoisted at Kioge.
The signal was as follows:

" Lads, war is declared, we have a bold and numerous
enemy to meet. Should they offer you battle, you know
how to dispose of them. Should they remain in port, we
must try and get at them. Success depends on the quick-
ness and precision of your fire. Sharpen your cutlasses,
and the day is your own 1"
This signal was purely given by way of putting the fleet
in good humour, and that in terms to which sailors love to
listen. Yet it had another and more definite object, viz,
to give the squadron a goodnatured hint on some very
material points, in which, from the inexperience of the
men, it was most deficient. In the present condition of
the fleet, no more judicious signal could have been made,
and this appears to have been the opinion of the Admiralty,
which, when it was communicated to them, found no fault
with it, as they assuredly would have done had they deemed
it inappropriate. But the naval portion of the Board well
knew the temper of sailors, and the necessity of putting
them in good humour.
The tone of that signal was enough to excite
vast expectations in the fleet and at home.
" Sharpen your cutlasses and the day is your
own " could only be interpreted by sailors as
meaning that they were to be engaged on
" neck or nothing " work. Admirals have not
been accustomed to " put fleets in good hu-
mour " by such a blustering style.
More than two-thirds of this volume reads
like a compilation from the parliamentary
debates. We cannot again argue over the
whole case, of which the public is tired, and on
which there is nothing new to be said.
Of the public personages compromised in
this volume, Admiral Berkeley comes worst
off. Various passages are printed from his
private letters. He wrote to Sir C. Napier:—

Your survey of Cronstadt, and your judgment and dis-
cretion—l don't mean to play upon that word—are highly
approved. You have had a difficult part to play, every
tom•fool expecting yon to eat Cronstadt and the Emperor
to boot. I believe+ the Government are perfectly satisfied
with all your proceedings; and I can only say that I think
you deserve every credit for the manner in which you
have handled your Beet in such waters.—(July

SATURDAY,

Believe me, I fully enter into all your difficulties and
all your feelings, and, let the public say what they will, I
shall contend that you have acted wisely and properly in
all your proceedings. It is naval men, and naval men
alone, who can fancy the pressure on your nerves, and the
fatigue of mind and body, in such a navigation. We
serve a public who expect impossibilities, and who would
hang us if we fail in anything we undertake.—(July 31st.)
I am seriously thinking when it trill be time to get you
out of that infernal Gulf. How long do you think it trill be
right to permit those big ships to remain ? Autumn is getting
on fast. lam hard up for steamers. When shall you be
able to spare any ?—(August lath.)

Admiral Berkeley, certainly, went too far in the
House of Commons when ho mocked at the
state of Sir C. Napier's " nerves." The italics
in these passages are those of the compiler
of this volume :

John Bull, never content, expects more than is possible.
I Mit sl you will not be goaded on, or beaten out of your own
determinations. I have every confidence that you will attempt
all that is feasible, and that you will succeed in all you do
attempt.—(August 22nd.)