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

REPORT OF LIEUTENANT GENESTE.

"Helsingfors, July 8, 1855.
"Sir,—ln obedience to your order, on Monday, the
sth of June, I proceeded to the landing place at Hango
Head in the cutter, carrying a flag of truce, in order to
laud Russian prisoners and communicate with the officer
at the telegraph station. We arrived at the pier, and
no person being on the shore, except two or three women
standing near the houses, I landed the Russian prisoners,
and in company with them and Dr. Easton, proceeded
towards the houses to communicate with the people,
and with the officer of the telegraph. The three stewards
also accompanied us, in order, if possible, to purchase
fresh provisions. But all the boat's crew were left in
the boat, with strict orders not to land, as you had
directed. We also carried with us a white flag of truce
on a boarding pike, Norton, the midshipman's steward,
carrying it beside me. We had only proceeded about
50 yards from the boat, when suddenly Russian soldiers
(who had lain concealed behind the rocks and houses,
and of whose vicinity we were completely ignorant) rose
and fired on us and the boat from all sides. Taking the
white flag from the steward Norton, who was shot down
by my side, I endeavcured with it in my hand to prevent
the soldiers from firing at the boat, and so called the at-
tention of their officer, who came near me, to it. How-
ever, I regret to state that the firing did not cease until
many of our people Lad been hit. As we were com-
pletely surrounded by soldiers, it was impossible to effect
our escape, the soldiers being within a few yards of the
boat on every side, and seeing the inutility of making I
any resistance, not having a loaded musket in the boat,
and the greater number of our small boat's crew of 11
men being killed and wounded by the first fire of the
enemy, not a shot was fired on our side. We were
all seized by the soldiers, taken to the houses, and
without a momenta delay placed in carriages, which
appeared to me to be ready for us, and transported to
Eckness, where we arrived the same afternoon. I re-
gret to have to state that we have lost 6 of our men
killed, and 4 have been wounded badly, nearly all the
others having slight scratches. One Finnish captain
was also killed and two Russian captains wounded. The
wounded men were carried to Eckness, and placed in
hospital there. I enclose a list of the killed and wounded.
The fate of several of the killed I know only by the Rus-
sian report, as we were hurried away too quickly from
the scene of action to ascertain it for ourselves ; but I
fear their report is too true, as we have six men missing,
and they report seven dead bodies at Hango Head,
which would be correct with our six men and the old
Finnish captain, whom we saw shot down and bayonet.
ted. We remained at Eekness during Tuesday, and en
Wednesday Mr. Sullivan, myself, and the four un-
wounded men were removed to this place, leaving the
four wounded men' at Eckness, with Dr. Easton to at-
tend them. The wounded men were all doing well when
we left Eckness. One of them, Gliddon, had to un-
dergo amputation of his right arm, near the shoulder,
which had been successfully performed. Since our ar-
rival at Eckness we have received every attention and
kindness from the Russian general and officers that our
position would admit of. The wounded men have been
treated with the greatest care and consideration. I re-
quested General Moller, the officer commanding at Eck-
ness, to send a boat on the day following this unfortu-
nate affair, to the ship, with a flag of truce, to inforinlyou
what had happened, but ho deciared it to be impos-
sible. I do not know how this letter will reach
you, but the General will forward it by the first
opportunity. As we were taken prisoners under a flag
of truce, I presume we shall be shortly released, but am
at present in perfect ignorance of their intentions with
respect to us. I send this let,ter opened and unsealed.
I am, &c.,
" Louts GENESTE, Lieutenant.
"To Captain Fanshawe, H.M.S. Cossiick."

REPLY OF ADMIRAL DUNDAS TO THE RUSSIAN MINISTER

OF WAR.
H.M.S. Duke of Wellington, at Nargen,
IGth July, 1855.

" Sir,—l have the honour t,) acknowledge the receipt
of your letter of the 12th inst., from which I learn, with
regret, that the Government of his Majesty the Emperor
of Russia has decided to decline releasing the prisoners
captured under a flag of truce at Hango Head from the
boat of her Majesty's ship Cossack.

I should be glad to he spared the pain of further dis-
cussion upon the subject, but the statements contained
in your letters, and the reasons assigned for the decision,
render it proper that I should place on record the obser-
vations I have notiv to offer.

" I am informed that three different versions of the
facts stated to have occurred have been presented to
your Excellency.

"The first is contained in the statements of the sea-
man Brown, whose original depositions were taken after
he had been severely wounded, and was in a state of
great suffering and exhaustion. The falsehood of the
testimony of this man is considered by you to be demon-
strated by the acknowledged errors into which he had
fallen, but no allowance appears to have been made for
ut.intentional mis-statements natural to a man under
such circumstances.

"The second version is contained in the letter from
Lieut. Geneste, which has now been forwarded.
" I regret much that this letter could not have been
despatched by General Moller, at an earlier period, as
requested by Lieut. Geneste ; much pain and anxiety on
account of those who were believed to have been killed
would have been spared, and some misapprehension
might have been avoided ; but except as to the number
of the sufferers it contains nothing to shake the testi-
mony of the seaman Brown, and nothing materially to
boyf, htirmuTcBheler'same
alter the opinion I had myself formed of the general cha-
racter of the transaction as collected from the various
reports of Capt. Fanshawe.
"You can have have no reason whatever for calling
in question the accuracy of the report from Lieut. Geneste,
and still less to insinuate doubts as to his veracity.
beg
again
ein theg
his honour. The main fact on which I must b
leave to insist is the existence of a flag
and
Cossack's boat, which is clearly asserted
relied on in the latter sentences of his letter.
e before his facul-
ties was distinctly within his knowteedgby
fact was asserted, without previous, concert, by Brown,
the known or-
ders ties were confused. It is sup
ed. fro.nato the
ipossibilitynciui shorere ; h butov fin
whose benefit it was
Hence of the Russian prisoners for
of Capt. Fausl3 a w e, and
ts
utmost
is
ospai
tntotttrehisasttetdchoebuyl
could
hbee a verydm.
tthat
pre.at
eenTibboebsery
and before any such admix
directed to behauvseedb.
to your Excellency upon
l.te,
it might not
slon can
that au overnight of
•he conceded, it is necessary
judging of what is poss.
it was probable that kind could
have occurred.
,‘ The point of landing to which the boat was ordered
to proceed was near a telegraph station,
Cossack herself must have been
plainly observed. The
habitual vigilance at these telegraphs
officers under my orders. The boat
is known to the
a considerable distance from th quitted the ship at
long time in full view of the e shore, and was for a
telegraph.
to believe that her motion lt is impossible
were not watched, and the
motions
flag was hoisted at a mile from the shore. It was there-
fora clearly the duty of
the principal officer on the spot
either to give timely warning to the boat that her ap-