The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-31 00:00:00

THP, TVIIITE SEA.

The following is a report, dated Aug. 8, from
Admiral Khroustcheff, military governor of Arch-
angel "
At the time the attack was made on the village of
Mehra six peasants received the assailant on the shore
with a volley of musketry, and for four hours prevented
his landing and seizing some small vessels moored in the
vicinity. The enemy at last penetrated into the village,
where he set on fire three houses, two bathing houses,
two sheds, and also several ships and barques at anchor
hard by ; then returning to his steamer, he shattered
the windows of the houses that had escapsd tho fire, aid
carried off all he could.

"On the morning of August 3 an English steamer
with two masts came to anchor at 200 sagenes from the
village of Suzma, and after firing nine cannon shots at
it, sent against it three boats full of armed men. Pro-
fiting by the superiority of numbers, the enemy occupied
the village, broke with violence into the church, where
he seized the holy gospels, several images, and smashed
the holy doors of the altar. From the houses of the
peasants he carried off some effects, as likewise the whole
of their smaller live stock and poultry. In the house of
the communal administration two images were carried off
and cut to pieces.
" On the 4th of August, when the morning mist had
cleared up, signal was made from the Mondug light-
house of there being a French three-masted steamer near
the Nikotskaia spit, to the north of the iron gate..
This steamer having cast anchor sent a boat to the spit,
the object being, by what appeared afterwards, to get
water from the wells that are there. On the first alarm
the men of the military detachment cantoned in the
neighbourhood under the command of Sub-Lieutenant
Kovetsky, of the 2d battalion of the city of Archangel,
assembled, and when the enemy approached the iron
gates by the Nikotskaia spit, our chain compelled him by
a few shots to regain his steamer in all haste. Then he
despatched four boats, but when these saw that our
chain was receiving a reinforcement, directed by the
Naval Commander Ogilvie, they withdrew. After that
the steamer fired shot and shell for two hours, but with-
out doing us any harm.

"At eight in the evening a boat of the enemy ap-
proached the Nikotskaia, spit ; the men who were in it
landed and set fire to the remains of the Nikolsky
wooden tower and to three fishermen's huts. The next
(lay, about noon, the steamer made for the offing."

RU SIAM ACCOUNP OF THE BOMBARD.
Mh'NT OF SIVEABORG.

The Invotlide Russe publishes at last a detailed
and official account of the bombardment of Swea-
borg. This statement is " founded on" a report
from A.D.C. General Von Berg, who commands
the Russian forces in Finland. The following is
the document :

" The enemy's fleet, having collected in sight (ii
Hersingfors and Sweaborg, to the number of 10 ships ,1
the line, 7 frigates, 7 steamers, 2 corvettes, 1 brig, 4
ships of a peculiar build, 16 mortar vessels, 25 ..iun-boats,
2 yachts, and 3 transports, took up its position fo,
Augu-t 9, between the isles of Grokhar and Renscher,
in a line parallel with the fortress, having on its right
flank 2 screw liners of 80 guns, and 1 frigate of 31 guns,
near the isle of Stura-Miol-o (opposite Sandham).
"The ►ine of battle formed by all these ships was dis-
tant between 3 and 4 versts (1 verst = 5 furlongs
poles), from the outer line of the fortificat►ons of Swea-
borg ; a little in front of the others, the ships of a pee; .
liar construction were stationed, and behind the mortr.i•
vessels and gun-boats ranged in two lines, and behin
these latter, entirely beyond the longest range of th(
guns in the fortress, the large ships.
"At this very remote distance the enemy opened fire
on the 9th August, at a quarter-pa-1 seven in the morn-
ing, from his gun-boats, mortar-vessels, and the ships
of a peculiar build, directing his aim at first prett\
equally against all the batteries of the fortress opposed
to them, namely, the forts of Wester-Swarto and
Longern, the ship Ezechiel, and a part of the batteries
on the right flank, that is to say, the Nicholas battery
on the isle of Rentana, the Ulricasborg battery, and the
land I attery No. 1.
" On our extreme right the efforts of the assailant
were directed against the isle of Drums-o. Two of the
enemy's frigates and one corrette having stationed them-
selves in a bay at the south-western part of the isle, and
at less than a verst from the shore, fired at firsi, against
the telegraph, and afterwards kept up a cross-fire against
the isle, firing one broadside after another.
" During this cannonade the assailant several times
sent his boats with troops for landing on and occupy-
ing Drums-o ; but being received by a well-directed
fire of musketry and rifles from the lodgments erected
on the shore, they were obliged to retire not without
loss. At two in the afternoon the enemy's vessel
ceased firing, and withdrew behind the isle of Midik-o.

"From ten in the morning, after the first conflagra-
tion kindled on the isle of Lilla-Oster-Swarth•6," thr-
was the centre of our line of defence, that is to say, thi
fortress of Sweahorg, which became the chief object for
the enemy's aim. In the impossibility of obtaining any
decisive success against our fortifications and batteries,
the assailant evidently proposed to himself to profit by
the long range of his projectiles, and while exposini,
himself as little as possible to our shots, to demolish and
sut on fire the edifices inside of the fortress, and everr.,
facility for his so doing was offered by the existence of
.00rien edifices and immense three-storied houses with-
out vaults.

•` Foreseeing this design I gave orderF, at the verb
commencement of the combat, not to reply from our bat-
teries unless the enemy's vessel,, which pre=ent only
very small mark, should come within range, as this would
possibly enable our artillery to do them decisive injury.

" This order was c trried out with that laudable cool
ness, distinctive of a really good artillery, and with such
success that any one of the vessels firing at the fortress
had but to advance in front of its line, when the well-
directed fire of our fortifications compelled it to retire in
all haste. The black flags hoisted on board the damaged
vessels, the steamers that towed them away, and lastly
the quantity of wreck fi)ating on either side, gave evi-
dence that every attempt to approach the fortress caused
loss and injuries to the assailant.
" Shortly aftes the fire was opened by the enemy a
considerable conflagration broke out i❑ the fortress, and
continued without interruption, notwithstanding all
efforts on the part of detachments of the fire brigade, fed
as it was during the day by an incessant bombardment,
and during the night by the shower of Congreve rockets.
" As soon as an edifice caught fire the assailant re,
doubled the activity of his fire in that direction ; bi t,
thanks to the presence of mind and the prudent arrange-
ments of Lieutenant-General Sorokine, doing duty as
the commandant of Sweaborg, and of Major-General
Alexeieff, his aide-de-camp, the victualling magazines of
the land troops were saved, as were likewise the officers'
barracks of the curtain and the four-storied barracks.

"Notwithstanding the shower of bombs with which
they were constantly struck, the powder magazines re-
sisted to the last moment, except four depots of live
shells, placed on the Isle of Gustays ward, in some old
magazines of Swedish construction.
" On the 9th, about noon, the explosion of an enemy's
bomb charged with combustible matter set fire to one of
these depots ; the fire spread immediately, igniting the
three others that were in close proximity, and the whole
four blew up almost simultaneously. By a most special
favour of God the loss csused by these explosions was
limited to one man killed and three wounded.
"The violent bombardment of the fortress continued
without interruption for 24 hours ; as the night of the
9th approached it slightly slackened, but only to quickly
resume fresh strength, and then in theintervals between
the bombs the enemy kept on firing rockets, so as to
keep up and spread the conflagration in every direction.
" During this bombardment the assailant attempted
to approach the isles of Skansland and Kungsholmen,
near the fortress on one aide, and on the ether side near
the intrenchment of Longern, the N;cholas battery, and
the ship Ezechiel, but he was constantly prevented from
doing so by the well-directed fire of these batteries and
this ship. On this occasion the istrenchment of the isle
of Skansland fired with peculiar success, and did not
admit the approach of the enemy's gun-boats so as to
rake the right side of the Citerne battery.
~The ship Russia, stationed opposite the strait of
Gustaysward in order to rake it, could only take part
in the combat with a small number of its guns, by rea-
son of its position, whereas by being in the direction of
the projectiles shot from different sides against the for-
tress and the isle of Skansland she rsceived a great
quantity of them in her hull bombs from the enemy of
the most enormous calibre passed through her decks,
and one of them even penetrated almost to her powder
hold ; this ship was indebted for her escape from explo-
sion solely to the wise measures taken by her captain,
Paplonski, and to the presence of mind of Popoff, a sub-
lieutenant of the naval artillery, Bout down to inspect
the powder hold, who, with the assistance of the men he
found there, extinguished the fire immediately after the
explosion of the bomb.
" On our left flank, at the same time that the combat
commenced against the fortress, two screw-liners and
one frigate, stationed off the isle of Sandham, approached
to about two vents from the batteries on the south side

..._ ____------_-------_--.-___
of the isle, acid moving in a line parallel to these bat-
tones opened the hesviest fire ag,iust iThern and
against five gun-boats of the Ist battalion, moored in
the neighbourhood. The battery No. 3, situates in.
the
centre of the area thus attacked, was inundated with
a
shower of projectiles, but it replied with so much acti
vity and precision, that on the 9th, about noon, the
enemy's vessels were compelled to suspend the carsllon.
ads ant/ sheer out of range of our fire. One of the sossw
ber
ships was even obliged to take the other in tow ; neit
of them took further share in the combat, and to the 11th
August inclusively each was busy repairing damage 3;
fragments of these ships floated close up to our batteries.
e
"Night did not put an end to the combat ; on th.
contrary the enemy, profiting by the darkness, artnebde
a mnrtar battery he had previously constructed in t .
night on a rocky islet of Longern (sAuated in his P°41,,.
tion), and on the following night operred fire from 11',.
giving at the same time greater vivacity to the bombar.d,
ment executed by the vessels. Their fire ignites din tt
of the
fortification of Strura-Oster-Swarto, the building
1 harbour with all their workshops and magazolea.
the
" On the 10th of August, at 10 in the morning,
roof of a boat-house caught fire in Gustaysward, w131(,g
served as a depot for shells and ammunition. "..--le.,,eira,,,
the imminent danger that threatened the Citerno P t.,
,ery and all the fortifications of Gustaysward, ti,
Gsneral Sorokine made an appeal to the volunteers
at,
go and extinguish the fire. All the officers that were " ,
that moment near the Crterne Battery set an exo.--;ole ot.
devotion, which was followed by the soldiers ; and 13,-,
at
withstanding the vivacity of the fire directed at
ttubs
moment by the enemy against the boat-houses e d
ea
flames were soon extinguished. The first who leaP ,
el,
the roof to get down the fire was the artificer l'ailtbeff.
if the artillery garrison.
o Daring the entire day of Augu st 10 the bombs
ment was most violent, and did not cease one Ininuiteo.
it gradually diminished in the night:, and ceased
3
gether the next morning about 5 o'clock- eil'e
d
In the night between the 10th an d 11th the tike fat,
fleet fired Congreve rockets into the fortress an t,.
tifications depending on it, but with no. great 511c,cre se•
"On the second day of the combat, the
~,
100 b; tbs
tion of the enemy on our right flank wa s li°3ite; t°
'
cannonading of the Isle of Drums-o, from 3 in 4" vi°rlbus
ing to 9at night. This cannonade was r estllie;,,cd: cls'
12th of August, at 3in the afternoon. It did s-, es of
wage to the telegraph, and set the forest sev Oil tired
-ire, but each time it was immediately exting.liebe ..„, re
I" On the left flank of our line of defence, the en longer
pulsed on the 28th from the Isle of Sandham, 1'°,,,, ft 5
inade any attempt, and our batteries confined the'aeres
to the firing of a few shots against the boats whici.l;ing
,aking soundings, or firing rockets against men v/-'
at the intrenchments. ~ netol
"On the 11th of August, during the day, t1„.,e,,,,e1l
:vas busy reinforcing his mortar battery 00 the P'itlis
rock, and in the night he fired some. rockets ag.'l°.-tot
isles of Kungshelinen and Skandslan d, o°l4ll WI
atusing any damage. 0 00
" On the 12th, the enemy hoisted his boats ag or
ipiard, and in the afternoon demolished his 133,:fiee
baotery. On the 13th August, at 8 aon., the wil-
' weighed anchor and retired in a southerly directicPf tbe
" The large ships of the enemy, such a i th°6e:bogi
inf.., the frigates, and the steamers, by reaseln °f t- Fadl
surface they would have offered to our fire, t°°;,{l°43ll
or the combat against the fortress, carefully l'°."-; stret
.image ; the gun-boats that bombarded us ''°°- 00
on their part, to shift their place continually 14
of their screw-propellers. ,ist aitli
" It results from these united eireumstatieee t-:\.ilet°
the exception of a few fires which it was ine-It elit'
ni OP a
orevent, the injury done by this violent bo"-,,"1 f .)
of eight and forty hours' duration, to the wer'sr:"Poig.
fortress and the batteries, has in general been fe- 1
nificant indeed. tbs
" After an approximative calculation wit/I,lo°f
nark, the enemy must have fired against that ssea.
I)ruins-o about a thousand projec tiles, agltiferg Ole
uorg and the batteries on the side o.t Ilelsingl°; 0'
to this fortress, about seventeen thousat"
tgainst the isle of Sandham more than 3,000. . g Or
"Notwithstanding the vivacity of this rAiets'lna
asses in men have been very moderate ; we hs'od ii°
i(Illed, 2 superior officers, 3 subaltern oil eeri ~,- pef,
men wounded. Among the officers and se 'idie.], the
hag from contusions, a part of them did 'not qu' s,
ousts, and the ~thers returned to their ranks.
~,,gis t'
"I attribute the slight importance of this F. ;b0 C°°.
~rudent arrangements of the particular chiefs, ' .00 Pr:
rived to turn to account the shelter found i° ~,,,,,,
tress and the natural embankments, or in th°:, it "'
usly constructed on the isles, so as to screen t'-
hm,r,sßfersoirdntshteheenleomssyes'sofif fire.
the , sege',
,e had on board the Russia Iglarmriseonn,kirieLoirteouve sit:011;
ern officer and 88 men wounded or contused' °ll
toe Ezechiel one seaman wounded, , ooitf
"lii giving an account of these events, .'• che.„(o to
incumbent on me to testily that, from the c 110;
.he commonest soldier, the troops of his Ineri; tile':
iesty confided to my command have perfor°Boooi.
duty with the firmness and courage that love
haracterised the Russian army. e a Pt!
- I at the same time regard it as a most sa-reolili-a,
to signalise those who more especially distin;dsrities
hemselves by their coolness and military tilt sgol°,,
nose two days of a bombardment so desPell-onle'_l;t
,ur fortress, and of the attack on our positionTi tbs lc'
,:he chiefs of the centre, of the right flank, I'l2, Jf::
dank ; Lieutenant-Generals Sorokin°, Rantesl; :is ),-;
Guldunstube ; Major-General Barantzuff, cut of the
lusty the Emperor's suite ; the artillery .ebier. a.dll3iir'bo
troops entrusted to my command, and le3;-11.),11°
Shikhrnanoff, naval director in Finland. I tb.„ ivel
ought to mention those whose names have bee-011; P. '
:no by my principal companions in arms as bliv".
the 9jer.
cularly dguised themselves.
" Lieute distinguished themselves. -
tb°
"Lieutenant-General Sorokine mentions n cb':ef4t.
;enerals Alexeieff and Kostine ; the fortificat.:oo°o 1
Colonels Grippenberg and Briakileff ; the 1);(1. re P't.,
Colonels Krohnholin and MagnuschevskY, A"°j:rtiller'of
and Ileckstrom ; Captain Westermarck, 01°81000a
Captain Martyneff, commanding the de°f.etbeeo;
,iaval,engineers; Captain Jacobson, adjutant° ttsli°l3
Second Captain von Kranke, of the Ist , Sec()
Sappers of the Depot, arid the Field Eagineer:f.' of
Captain Verestchinsky arid Lieutenant P3°l Let: of
" Lieut.-General Ramsay mentions Col °13„80 fiel-dyp'
the battalion of Grenadier Rifles ; Mai° I's
ff°S.
he 2d Regiment of reserve Grenadiers, '3l3'
nti 'one
,
tain Iretsky. tee Jive
" Lieutenant-General von Guldenstabe 033°,401
Rear Adiniraal Northman, Colonel Post, COO , went;
•
Barclay de Tolly's regiment of carbireer railee,,f;
Lamoni and Major Pakhatcheff, of the 601 , CAPt e.
the naval commanders Yessaouloff and Se„bvenieeePja;hlar
Leo, of the staff ; Captain Quist, of the e"reiol, 1:- tbe
cone-Captain Grebner, Lieutenants de Vrao of
fold, and Yermolaieff, Captain AntiPei;rlfron. t CO'
marine artillery, and the Naval Cadet Pe-#.1,, Po' : cheo
"Rear-Admiral Shikhmanoff intuitions "TAO"
tains Poplon sky and Brootsyne, the CaPtaillo'il' ostoP
and Akouloff, and Lieut. Mojaisky, ef tbeb thoughe th°
"In those days of active struggle Wits ore oa
my chief and most indefatigable assistant;o, resoueleesf
medium of whom every arrange:oe° yietithtoct°'/,
every requisite preventive measure, I' er ff.° hod i" 0310°'
Nordenstamm, acting as chief of rril et°sl:o a°le
State Councillor Langescheld directi4 as °I.
of Nyland. to snelltia:;o tb°l9'
" At the same time I ought also -
°o tided a; Co
ing perfectly disharged the missions 1 cot, gilt COP;
Colonel von Minkwitz, on the staff of AideruA.-.oofel`"
Grunt, chief of the Engineers ; tll,loeat 'l'dr
Lieut.-Col. Youshkoff, Second Capt. I.': tit. OOP ;toff,
Lieut. Kastiandre of the Guards, and ;testy rrebierfs e'p,
likewise the A.D.C. of his Imperial Iti*,ti-ot Sist/-0,1 0)
the gentleman of the bedchamber, Co%ttaeb,eci ieserg;
Capt. Forselles, of the Engineers, e"
of the PPgrij, se"
person, as likewise Lieut.-Col. Brandt' he gt°
Second Captain Alfthan on the staff °f
t as O.
..,votia „clg
Capt. Devel. he, oore-00,00s_A
"The Commander de Gil:ven°, ww who C ,oisbe"
Nicholas Battery, and Captain Tesie oc, jisti% octt"
the fortification of Longern, espee'.9'
_1.5 9,0 a tea
Dees'
themselves in the combat by their coolne°
i free- off,
rata fire of their batteries. end'
of
0
I cannot refrain, on coming to an of
Cot
ale'
tinning with particular praise CaPt.
s'e°oal,, and
placed at my disposal for special I.nis i,
boll, a superior officer ir...,10....::....1e:,.....,.,.., 4
--
-NEB-8 la°.
A SKIILVISII n, Gee,
----s---- re fll3-eole/i.
The Invalids Russc publishes a re_l_ agog . opii
Sievers, of the cavalry, relative to 'A"..er, OP
t 5 betwu , 038
that took place on Angus 2
Jiro 0
„Ipso .„11,
Windom : .
BalticCi eciolerrpasl,
announces,Sie v e Sievers, o f
datefiles,
0.,
_ :
,cA°O-11 t,e :
en's
11;14; ;s: ;Oa
evening, that on the sth two of tn
(betwee
eloi
steatm-rs cast anchor near Dornesness
Windau.) underthe e
; the 51:04
opened fire against an rigged lhootli.:0 oat bt.o boos
"The following day, at 7 in the
.19_°::bilich' %". 3 be-
at 4
caulked on the c.ast, and having
fire,
to t„iso 13,!'r 001
succeeded in setting this vessel on bte ,_oe. AleirootOr
of the coast guard not far from tha
tPulfroto th
his boats, which kept at half a vere

and,

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