The Press.
London, England, 1854-07-01 00:00:00

OPERATIONS IN THE BALTIC.

The motion for committee of supply on Thursday
furnished Mr. MILNER GIBSON with an opportunity
of commenting upon the proceedings of certain
British cruisers in the Baltic. These he declared
were of a maurading character, undefended towns and
villages on the coast being invaded and the unresist-
ing inhabitants plundered. Among other defenceless
places which had been attacked, a descent was made
upon I; leaborg, where, in spite of the proclamation that
private property should be respected, a quantity of
deals and tar was burnt—all of which belonged to
private persons, and most of it to Englishmen. Re-
marking as a contingent disadvantage that such acts
often entailed upon the country a series of most per-
plexing claims for compensation, the right hon.
member questioned the policy of a system which car-
ried on a great war by plundering and destroying the
property of defenceless villagers.
Sir J. GRAHAM remarked that despatches received
only that morning, and which would appear in the
next Gazette, would furnish the public with the means
of forming a judgment on the transactions in ques-
tion. Meanwhile he justified, while deploring, the
necessity of burning and destroying Russian property
so long as we were at war with that country, and re-
marked that the articles alluded to, planks, cordage,
tar, dec., were considered " contraband of war," and as
such especially excepted in the treaties granted to
neutrals, and liable to seizure or destruction even if
not found upon the enemy's territory. Sir J. Graham
read extracts from a despatch from Sir C. Napier, to
show the nature and extent of the property taken or
burnt, and the humanity which the British seamen
had invariably exhibited when visiting the Russian
ports. He added a warm eulogy of the gallantry and
skill exercised by Admiral Plumridge and his squad-
ron in performing a most difficult duty, and expressed
some regret that the first notice taken of their
services in the 'louse of Commons should have borne
a character of diparagement
" Admiral Plumridge and his squadron have in the most
gallant and exemplary manner encountered peculiar diffi-
culties. They entered a sea almost unknown and never
traversed before by our ships-of-war. All the lights were
extinguished—all the buoys taken up—they had no pilots and
no charts. Up to the Ist of June the ice was not all broken
up ; and yet in the short space of three weeks, with all these
difficulties to contend with, and frequently running the
ships aground, and yet extricating them again, with the
best seamen-like qualities, from their danger, with com-
paratively a very small loss of life indeed, and without
having killed a single civilian, or committed any acts of
plunder, not having the slightest regard for prize-money—
(Hear, hear)—and having still inflicted so much and such
heavy injury upon the enemy,-1 say it will be hard, indeed,
if, at the commencement of a war involving immense diffi-
culties and sacrifices, it shall be related to our gallant
officers and seamen that the first notice taken of their
conduct in the British House df Commons partook of the
character of censure. ( Cheers from all parts rif the house.)
I ask why is this particular indulgehee to be shown to this .
enemy? ( Hear, hear.) What are we to understand to be
the wish and the feeling of the people of this country ?
We did commence this war by exercising peculiar forbear.
ance, and Admiral Uundas, having it in hispower to destroy
the city of Odessa, yet spared that city—he attacked only
the batteries. There has been something like censure cast
upon him for his forbearance, and I must say that I myself
may now begin to partake of that feeling. A flag of truce
was fired upon, and, a British ship-of-war having by acci-

605

dent run ashore in a fog, immediately an immense multi-
tude of Russian soldiers with batteries and red•hot shot
bore down and fired upon that stranded vessel ; so that I
cannot say that any particular forbearance is now due to
such an enemy. (Cheers.) We offer them battle in open
sea and upon fair and equal terms, and they decline it ; they
sink rocks in the channels, and approaches to their bar-
bum s, for fear of our reachicg them, and every way obstruct
our access to them. Well, 1 say, if they will not meet us
in the open sea, we must visit them in their own homes,
and teach them that a war with England is not to be en-
gaged in with impunity. (Cheers.)"