The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-30 00:00:00

"Nargen, 20th August, 1855.
" Monsieur le Ministre—On the 7th, the day on
which all the vessels of the division joined my flag at
the anchorage before Sweaborg, at half-past nine o'clock
in the morning, I proceeded towards Abraham Island,
situated 2,200 metres from the Russian forts, to seek
therein the site best adapted for the establishment of a
battery of mortars. I was accompanied in this recon-
naissance by Captains Sapia and Mourette, of the ar-
tillery of the marine, and by Lieutenant de Vaisseau
Verneuil, commander of the steam advice the Aigle,
which I had sent some days before to sound in the en-
virons of Sweaborg, and to survey the anchorages.
" The site on which the battery was to be erected
having been chosen, we commenced at half-past eleven
the construction of the epaulement destined to protect
it, by means of bags filled with sand, which I had taken
at Nargen, and which were brought up in the boats of
the vessels of the division. This undertaking was exe-
cuted without difficulty. At half-past two the next
morning, at daybreak, the little island was eva-
cuated. The enemy no doubt did not perceive what
we had done, for they did not fire a single
gun. The Bth was also employed in preparations ;
our mortar-vessels, towed by the gun-boats, were
placed in a line with the English mortar-vessels.
These vessels, five in number, the Tocsin, the Fournaise,
the Trombe, the Torche, and the B anbe, armed each
with two 12.1, inch mortars, and commanded by Lieu-
tenants de Vaisseau de L4otard de Ricard, Cnisinier-
Delisle, Souzy, Cottin, and Buret, anchored in the
centre of the line which extended from the Isle Rouskar
to that of Gohara, at 4,000 metres from the centre of )the
fortress of Sweaborg, where all their fire was to convetge.
Eight English mortar-vessels, each carrying a 13-inch
mortar, occupied the left; eight others the right. Haw-
Berg were paid out in order to enable the vessels to ap-
proach 600 metres towards the enemy's batteries at the
moment of the action. The gun-boats, the Aigrette, the
Avalanche, the Tourmente, the Trumpete, the Dra-
gonne, and the Fulminante, commanded by Lieutenants
de Vaisseu Mer, Tresse, Jonuart, Maudet, Barry, arid
Karel, anchored outside the mortar-vessels on a parallel
line. The frigate the Isis, Commander Cleret-Langa-
van t, and!theeirvette the Galatlaee Commander Marcel,
were taken to the east of Skogskar Isles, in order to
place them near the flotilla, which they were to supply
with ammunition. Measures were taken on board the
Isis for forming an ambulance, and the Abbe Piel, chap•
lain of the Austerlitz, went on board her. The steam ad-
vice boat the Aigle and some English frigates were an-
chored at a short distance, ready to render assistance,
either in case of fire or the springing of leaks to the
vessels which were to combat. Orders were besides.
given to the boats of our vessels to assemble the next
morning near the Aigle with the same object, and Capte.
de Vaisseau Laurencin of the Austerlitz, Taffart do Saint
Germain of the. Duquesne, and La Gallic-Keriz•met of
the Turville, were charged to direct this service by turns
and to supply my place if necessary.
"As soon as the obscurity of the evening enabled us
to hide our movements from the enemy, the boats of the
division, which had been ordered in advance, left the
ships at the same time and in good order to convey to
Abraham isle strong parties of sailors, bags of earth, and
artillery materiel. They continued these transports
(luring all the night. On being disembarked the men set
to work with ardour under the direction of Capt. Sepia,
commanding the battery, and on the 9th, before three
o'clock in the morning, after less than five hour's labour,
I found on arriving on the island that an erraulement
of 20 metres long by 3!1 wide at the base, and 2 high,
protected a battery of three 10-inch mortars loaded and
ready to be fired. A large store of gunpowder was
placed in a rent in the granite, and so covered as to be
protected against shells. In short, the battery which I
had so long projected was established, and we had taken
an advance and fixed post, at a distance at which mortar
vessels could not be placed without being too much ex-
posed. In order the better to superintend the ensemble
of the operations, and to be in a situation to act more
promptly, according to eventualities, I, on the morn-
ing of the 9th, hoisted my flag on the steam advice boat
the Pelican, which is commanded by the young and
zealous lieutenant de Vaisseau Baron'Duperre, who pro-
mises to walk in the steps of the admiral his father.
All these preparations were accomplished without the
Russians making any attempt to disquiet us.
"At twenty minutes past seven, everything being
ready for the attack, the signal was given. The fire
commenced on all the line, and at the same moment
twenty-nine shells, English or French, fell into the
place. The Russian forts, which had been so far silent,
immediately replied. The combat was general. At 9
o'clock the gunboats approached the mortar-vesseis, and
placed themselves in the spaces left between them. A
thick smoke had already risen in different places to the
east of the church situated on the Isle Eat-Svarto, and
all at once, at 25 minutes past ten, we heard a very loud
explosion in a powder magazine. It was greeted by the
cry three times repeated of " Vive l'Empereur !" in all
our vessels, and by loud hurrahs from the English. Most
of the batteries which defended Sweaborg fired all their
pieces. The French and English gun-boats fired shells
arid ball ; their great number, and in particular the
rapidity with which they changed their positions of
attack, were calculated to disquiet the enemy, and to di,-
tract their attention from the mortar-vessels on which they
might have concentrated their fire. At the beginning of
the action two diversions were made at the extremities
of the line ; at the right by an English frigate and two
English ships of the line against the Back-Holmen forts,
and to the left by three frigates of the same nation against
Drumsio island. At about hall-past eleven a s-cond
explosion, much more considerable than the first one,
took place in the Isle Vargon, arid was followed by a
very violent 'conflagration. which soon spread in dif-
ferent directions. The fire made rapid progress in a
space forming a sort of ravine, and our attention was
strongly attracted in that direction, when at half-past
twelve a third explosion enveloped all the fortress in
thick smoke. During some seconds we heard succes-
sive detonations, similar to the roll of thunder. The
last explosion, in particular, must have caused enor-
mous losses in materiel and men. It was the most ter-
rible of all we witnessed. It must have caused great
disorder in Sweaberes, for from that moment the enemy
responded less vigorously to our fire. Several batteries
even completely ceased to fire ; then Langorn and Back-
Hohnen forts alone continued to disquiet our vessels.
Fires increased in different places in the magazines
situated to the right of the church at the two sides of
the ravine. The fire of the mortar vessels was exceed-
ingly well sustained during the greater part of the day.
The Trombe, Capt. Suezi, succeeded in attaining an ave-
rage of 24 times an hour. Towards the evening the fire
slackened a little ; the flames continuing the work of de-
struction, it was enough for us to keep up the disorder and
dismay which prevailed in the place. At about 6 o'clock
the gun-boats ceased to fire. A little later they took in
tow the mortar-vessels, which had exhausted their am-
munition, and conducted them near the frigate the Isis,
where they received new supplies. Captain de frigate
Cleret, acquitted himself of this service, and of several
operations which I gave him to direct, with the zeal and
capacity which I have long known him to possess.
" Electrified by the impulsion given them by Captains
Sapia and Mourette, the artillerymen of the Abraham
battery fired incessantly all day, and did great injury to
the enemy. Fearing that they could not continue such
an active service, I caused to be sent to them some can-
tains of guns and gunners who volunteered from the dif-
ferent All the men of this class presenter!
themselves, manifesting the strongest desire to go under
the fire, and it was necessary to decide by lot who should
be favoured. Our sailors soon acquired the art al
manoeuvring mortars. They displayed on this occasion
the practical intelligence and the gaiety which render
them always useful in operations the most unconnected
with their profession. One of the mortars burst in the
afternoon ; it was changed in the night, and three others
were added to the battery. Some of the mortar-vessels
resumed their post at about 11 o'clock in the evening,
and sent, from time to time, shells into the plan- ,
where the conflagration did not cease a single instant.
Three principal edifices which communicated with each
other were devoured by the flames. In the course of the
night English boats approached Sweaborg, and threw
congreve rockets into it.
ss The proceedings of the 9th had given brilliant re-
sults ; those of the 10th were not less so. At daybreal,
we perceived that the Russian three-decker was no
longer in the place she had oceupied in the Gustafs-Vard
Pa=s. Several projectiles had reached her on the pre-
vious evening, and the enemy had taken advantage of
the darkness to place her out of the reach of our shot.
" As soon as the Russians perceived that our mortar-
vessels bad taken up their former mooring-line, they
began to fire with a sort of fury from the fort of Gustafs-
Yard, from Back-Holmen, and from the vessel anchored
near Langorn. Tney directed their fire particularly
against Abraham's Isle, where the French flag floated.
Splinters of shells, and fragments of stone covered this
rock, and yet we had not a single man wounded.
"-The artillery of the flotilla recommenced the firetwith
no less vigour. The mortar-vessel, the Tocsin, after
'having terminated her supply of ammunition, resumed
her post of combat ; but she was anchored a little too
much to the east, and was consequently within reach of
the guns of the batteries of Back-Holmen. All these
batteries directed their fire on this mortar-vessel ; but
the balls either fell at a short distance from her, or
entered her rigging without touching her. The position
of this vessel having become dangerous I gave orders
to the gun-boat Tempest to tow her off. This opera-
tion was promptly effected, and gave me the opportunity
of seeing the calm and energy of Captains de Leotard
and Maudet. The Fournaise, Capt. Delisle, anchored
nearly in the same direction, was also seriously engaged
under the fire of the battery of Back-Holtnen, which did
not spare her. Captain de fregate, Baron Roussin, my
chief of the staff, a very distinguished officer, and who
possesses all my confidence, seeing the danger that
mortar-vessel was in, jumped into a boat, and towed
her farther from the ports. On the other hand, the
Torche, Captain Cottin, which had been taken to the
western extremity of the line to bombard Langorn, and
the ship moored between that isle and West Svarto, was
also exposed for some time to a well sustained fire on
the part of the enemy. She was also withdrawn from
her too advanced position by the Tempete, which had
just rendered the same service to the Tocsin.
" I had remarked that the fire of the gubcytes
been
solid shot was not so efficacious as couldcentimetres
wished, and their supply of shells
having been exhau-ted, they went al:ofntglsYdre
stoh.epleiunee-doefr-
brittle ships to change the half o
This operation
cannons for 22 centimetres mortar .
was effected very rapidly, and the gun-boats soon re.
turned to take part in the action.
"About noon a fresh fire broke out in a large building
to the left of the church, and the flames soon spread to
other considerable eatahlishulonts quite in the' est.,