The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-10 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES.

SIR CHARLES NAPIER, SIR ROBERT PEEL,
AND THE GRAND DUKE CONSTANTINE.

The following correspondence appears in one of our
London cotempraries of yesterday :
Sir,—l beg to send you my reply to a letter received
from Lord Palmerston, dated Dec. 1, refusing me an
investigation into my conduct, in consequence of Sir
Robert Peel's statements. I also send a letter to Lord
Palmerston, enclosing the Grand Duke Constantine's
reply to my letter to his Imperial Highness, dated the
29th of October last.—l am, &c.,
CHAS. NAPIER.

No. I.
SIR C. NAPIER TO LORD PALMERSTON.
Merchistoun, Dec. 5, 1856.

My Lord,—Your lordAip tells me that you have
witnessed with great pain "the discussions that have
taken place between me and the Board of Admiralty,
both in and out of parliament, as well as the attacks
made by me upon Sir James Graham on a public occa-
sion." But, my lord, if you have felt pain on that
occasion—provoked as I was by Sir James Graham and
his Board—how much more pained must you have been
to witness the unprovoked attacks made upon me by a
member of your lordship's government on two public
occasions. Your lordship tells me that " you have
always maintained, when professionally employed in
executing instructions under your drpartment, that you
had full reason to be satisfied with my judgment and dis-
cretion ; and you are bound to say that you estimate the
great services which professionally shave performed. You'
highly respect the noble qualities, of which—in my profes-
sional career—l have given such frequent proofs. But you
have seen, with sincere grief. in tnv conduct op shore,
tntngs wnicn my best friends (and you claim to
he one of them) could not witness without deep regret."
How much more poignant, then, my lord, must have
been your " grief," and bow much more deep your
" regret," to witness the conduct of Sir Robert Peel—a
Lord of the Admiralty, a member of your government—
in attacking an old officer, double his age, who had
served his country honourably for upwards of fifty years,
had several times received the thanks of parliament, and
had even been lauded in parliament by the h in. baronet's
own father. Your lordship must also remember that in
attacking me he attacked the French admiral, my col-
league ; and in doing so must have given offence to the
French nation—our ally. Your lordship will permit me
to observe that you do not put the case sufficiently strong.
The attacks were made at public meetings, it is true;
but they were made by Sir Robert Peel, a Lord of the
Admiralty, a member of your lordship's government, and
in the presence of one of your colleagues. Your lordship
thinks no investigation necessary, because "you consider
my conduct to have been judicious and proper, and to
have been founded on a correct sense of my public duty,
in the very responsible position in which I was placed;
as Commander-in-Chief of the Baltic fleet." The fleet.
I commanded, your lordship observes, " was perfectly
sufficient, when reinforced by the French squadron. to
have enabled me to give a good account of the Russian
fleet, if it had come out to give me battle: But the fleet
under my command was not sufficient for the double
purpose of attacking the stone batteries of Cronstadt,
and afterwards encountering with success the Russian
fleet." Your lordship further observes, that "if I had
attacked Cronstadt, whatever the result might have been
to the Russian batteries, my ships would have been
seriously damaged, and my fleet, after such an action
with the batteries, would probably not have been in a
situation to encounter the Russian fleet. The conse-
quence of such a state of things might have been a naval
disaster, or the temporary ascendancy of the Russian
fleet, not only in the Baltic, but in the North Sea, and
on the coasts of England." You therefore think that,
"in the then existing state of things, I acted with sound
judgment in refraining from attacking the batteries of
Cronstadt with the fleet under my command ; and that,
in pursuing this course, I best performed the important
and responsible duty which I had undertaken." This,
your lordship says, "is your opinion now—was your
opinion at the time—and it was so expressed in a private
letter to me, when I was still in command of the Baltic
fleet, and that this is the opinion you have invariably
expressed to all with whom von have eommunicated at
any time on the subject. I feel highly gratified that
you entertain so high an opinion of my public services
in general, and particularly of my conduct before Cron-
stadt. But Ido not think, after what has passed, that
even your good opinion will clear me in the eyes of the
world. It was stated by Admiral Berkeley in 1856, that
it was my fault that Cronstadt was not attneked
liae been atatcat cat one public meeting, iu picheucti
of one of your colleagues, by Sir Robert Peel,
another Lord of the Admiralty, " that had I done
my duty, Cronstadt would have been crumbled to dust."
This was confirmed at another public meeting, and
it was stated by Sir R. Peel that " what he had said at
Stafford was approved by the 'highest authority.' "
This has gone forth to the remotest corners of the earth.
The " highest authority" could not have been your
lordship, after what you have written to me. It could
not have been her Majesty. Therefore, I think the
country has a right to know who this " highest
authority" is. Sr Robert l'eel's opinion, my lord, on
naval matters, is not worth much ; nor, indeed, on any
other. His want of judgment is proverbial, but his posi-
tion gives him weight. The course he has pursued
reflects little credit on your lordship's government ; and
be assured, my lord, that he is not the Samson to pull
down the pillars of the State, and crush the administra-
tion beneath its ruins. I therefore trust your lordship
will reconsider your decision, and grant me the investi-
gation I request.—l have, &c., &c ,

CHARLES NA PIER.
The Right Hon. Viscount Palmerston.

..

No. If.
SIR,C. NAPIER TO LORD PALMERSTON.
Merchistoun, Dec. 7, 1856.
My Lord,--Since writing to your lordship on the sth
of December, I beg to send you a copy of the Grand
Duke's reply to me, just received. It is for your lordship
to judge whether a member of your lordship's govern-
ment, who has endeavoured to ruin the reputation of an
old officer, is fit to be one of his masters ; and tour lord-
ship may, perhaps, be able to ascertain who the " highest
authority" is, to whom Sir R. Peel alluded in his speech.
--I have, &c., CHAS. NAPIER.
The Right Hon. Viscount Palmerston.

NO. 111.
SIR C. NAPIER TO THE GRAND DUKE
CONSTANTINE.
Merchistoun, Oct. 29, 1856.
Sir, —I beg to send to your imperial highness a speech
of Sir R. Peel—a Lord of the Admiralty—in which he
accuses me of not doing my duty before Cronstadt. I
also send your highness my letter to him, and two to
Lord Palmerston. I think I have distinctly stated what
passed between your imperial highness and myself
relative to Cronstadt, which certainly does not agree
with what Sir R. Peel states. I shall make no apology
to your imperial highness for writing to you. Your
highness is a frank, open-hearted sailor. I therefore
request you will be pleased to inform me whether I have
correctly stated what passed between your highness
and myself when you honoured me with an interview,
and whether, as stated by Sir R. Peel, if I had attacked
Cronstadt, I would have crumbled it into duet.—l have
tne nonour, &c., &c., CHARLES NAPIER, Vice •Admiral.
His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Constantine.

No. IV.
THE GRAND DUKE CONSTANTINE TO SIR C.
NAPIER.
St. Petersburg, 13th (25th) Nov., 1856.
My dear Admiral,—ln answer to your letter of the
29th of October, I willingly affirm that you have quite
exactly reported the conversation I had with you con-
cerning Cronstadt. With regard to Sir R. Peel's state-
ment, I consider it necessary to say, that I spoke with
him but once, viz., at his official presentation in Moscow ;
and that not a word concerning Cronstadt—not even the
name itself—was mentioned by either of us.—Yours
affectionately, CONSTANTINE.
Sir Charles Napier, Vice-Admiral.

NOT VERY LIIELY.—The Boston Anglo Saxon gives the
following surprising announcement :—" We give the fol-
lowing from a private letter received by us from London .
' Our Ministers have conceded to France all the rights and
privileges of uur Newfoundland fisheries." These privileges
thus given up to the French are probably of the same nature
as those given up to the United States under the Reciprocity
Treaty."
The barque Amazon, Captain Kirwan, arrived at Baltimore,
—had on board nine Frenchmen who have betn driven
from their native land on account of political offences, and
who escaped from one of the islands of French Guiana, on
a raft constructed by themselves, and made of drift
wood. After a voyage of five days, they reached Demarara,
where they were offered the use of the barque, and arrived
here as above stated.
COMPLIMENT TO LIEUT. MAURY.—The King of Den.
mark, through his Minister at Washington, intimated to
Lieut. Maury his Majesty's desire to confer upon him
the Order of Dannebro , in testimony of the distinguished
services Lieut. Maury' had rendered to scienc3. Lieut.
Maury 'gratefully acknowleged the flattering compliment
which his Majesty's offer conferred upon him, but respect-
fully declined the order on the ground that the laws of the
United States do not allow any of its officers to accept
decorations or titles from foreign potentates,