The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-05 00:00:00

47,7\
CC'S
-
;/ „
• it been practicable do so not a inan;46W-V 6. 1;47,
. be seen from her to fire at. Providentially Or tit ,r4:4 k714:17
:::3.175.; ,•(,az I Jqol. Hui( -. taped on board uninjured, and Mr. Bull Ravi try- y
010fif Jr; .► returned in the paddle-box-boats with a fine barq*
. .;i. in toiv, a fire, fr)m the four guns and rifles wve S
s 4, tc
• kept up so hot that in about au hour and a half 4'4.
of;; the fusillade from the shore nearly ceased.
-.li .--,/ jandi.l£l At midnight I moved the ship into a better posi-
sf..r tion for sinking the schooner, and the bows being
nearly driven
_in,by_the shot,i- proceeded to thw
destruction of the barque and two brigs before the
trimly could rescue them ; this was successfully
performed with-the assistance of the second master, •
Mr. Bull,.and Mr.
,Salter, Gunner...
•: It was ascertained afterwards, froni:two different
sources;'that the 'orieniy had 25" killed-and from 4
to 18 wounded • the injury. appears to have been
inflicted, chiefly 4)y: tine firs three; shots, whilst the
'troops were drawn up abreast of the ship.
On our side-I- am thankful to-report that no more
serious casualties occurred than a man and a boy
being struck with, spent balls.
During tho and 7th the weather was so wet
add boisterous thatit was-impossible to'att against
the enemy, but I ascertained during the night that
reinforcements had arrived to the amount of 200 or
309 sharpshooters and Cossack-a with several guns.
On the morning of the Bth the weather being
:moderate, I took up a position 1,500 yards from the
magazine, and the same distance from a battery of
four guns, and opened firo upon the latter; which
not being returned I commenced firing red-hot shot
at the magazines.
At- 230 -pria„--einok- -began to-issue from the
houses, sad Lieut. Ward having volunteered to
try and cut out the schooner, pusnain with pad-
dle-box boat, and with great gallantry drove the
soldiers -three, times out of .the woods; but ulti-
niately was obliged to- retire before an overwhelm-
ing force secreted in the Custom-henget ; the boat
was struck in many places, but.l ,am thankful to
say not a man 'hurt.
At 8 p.m. the principal magazines being all in a
blaze, and their destruction inevitable, I closed the
bat Lery to 1,000 yards, but still receiving no return
(though both guns and soldiers could be seen), and
-the ammunition nearly expended, I was backing
out, when suddenly several heavy guns, from an
elevated position, masked- by trees, opened fire,
chiefly with shells, and at the sarnatime the whole •
force cf riflemen—and the power of these weapons
may be imagined, when I mention that a ball cut
a spar on the bridge, two inches thiCk, at a.distance
of 1,500 yards.
It is with the greatest pleasure I have to speak
of the coolness of the officers- artd••men at- this trying
junetul e, the narrowness Of the channel and shoal-
ness of the water (at the • rpost.2/. fathoms), ren-
dered it injudicious to attempt turning the Firefly
round, and she was 4Jwly backed astern 1k miles
before she was-,out of range, an evolution which,
from the lightness of the wind, was not performed
under 40 minutes.
I cannot conclude without mentioning how much
lam indebted to the Fi:st Lieutenant, Mr. Edw.
Borstal, who so materially assisted in inflicting this
serious blow on the.enerny's property.l-haVe, &c., •
(Signed) HENRY C. OTTER, Capt.
Capt. Fred. Warden, C. 8., H.M.S. Ajax.

"PRINCE Goitiscli4xoiir TO - 'GENRE PRIARIER:
", SeDastopoi, Aug.-7th (19th).."
Mousienr le Conimandant-en-Chef,-L-I,haVe the
honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Eicellency'd
communications.of :the 17th andi 13th inst.
"I beg of your Excellency toreceive my best thanks
for the -care bestoWed. upon our wounded ; ' but at the
eamQ times Inuit inform you' that:the. Officeri: in .com•
'nand of , the Mackenzie batteries have declared to me
thatithey did not fire upon your advanced posts on -the
Tchernaya until the..Frenclratiarpshocrters, -despite the.
energetic efforts of their officers, fired upon -some of our
men, who, after the battle, had. proceeded to the banks
of the river to` carry away their wounded and:dead-from
the cene of action. ~ •
"It is impossible to. say which party fired first. The
commanders of the advanced posts cannot disobey their
general, order..(to fire on the enemy,) without ,special
counter-orders.. The Commanders-in-Chief' have alone.
the power 'of alleviating by exceptional measures the
needless sufferings entailed by war, 4rid I happy in
rendering that jin.tice to your Excellency, that you do
everything in your power to modify them.—l-am, &c.,
"MICHEL GORTSCHAKOFF.";

A list of :vessels and property belonging to the
enemy taken or destroyed by her Majesty's ship
Firefly, from Ist to 11th August, 1855.
12. Fides, barque, 300 tons ; cargo, 228 barrels
of tar ; cut out of asklot, near Brandon.
13. Precioso, barque, 420 tons ; cargo, none ;
cut out of Wasklot, near Bra lion. .
14. Barque, 300 tons ; cargo, none ; burnt in a
creek near Brandon ; pierced for 20 guns ; not
quite finished.
15. Brig, 230 (?) tons ; cargo, none; burnt as
above.
16. Schooner, 230. (?) tons ; cargo, none ; burnt
as above. • „
17. Flat, 15 tons ; cargo, firewood..
18. Boat, fo tons ; cargo, salt.
19. Sloop, 20 tons ; cargo, 8 tons of salt, 5 bales
of cotton.
20. Island Smoltan, pear Brandon, having 50 to
60 magazines, containing coals, tar, resin, salt,
spars, boats, •