The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-10 00:00:00

DESTRUCTION OF PETROPAULOVSKI.

In a portion of our impression on Saturday we
reported the destruction of the fortifications of
Petropaulovski, the capital of Kamschatka, and the
flight of its Russian garrison. The correspondent
of the New York Journal of Commerce, writing on
August Ist from San Francisco, where her Ma-
jesty's ship Monarch and several ships of the
French Pacific fleet were at that date,. says
The allied fleet, which sailed from the Sandwich
Island in the spring to attack Petropaulovski, has
returned to San Francisco. They found that the
Russians had left Petropaulovski for the Amoor
River. The allies destroyed the fortifications on
the Bay of Avatseha, and after cruising in a vain
search for the Russian frigates came to San Fran-
cisco.
There are now at San Francisco the British ships
Monarch, 84 guns, and President, 62 guns ; also
the French ships La Forte, Eurydice, Alceste, and
brig Obligado.
Admiral Bruce and staff were on board the Pre-
sident, but designed transf6rring his flag to the
Monarch, the flag ship of the squadron.
The allied fleet, consisting of eight war vessels and
steamers, arrived off Petropaulovski on the 15th of
May, but the garrison had already left for the Amoor
River, in the Russian frigate Aurora, corve t te D win a,
and two merchant vessels. The escape of the garri-
son was a master stroke on the part of the Russians,
who availed themselves of a dense fog which set in
on the night of the 17th of April, and so eluded the
English war steamer Encounter (screw), of 14 guns,
and Baracontre (side-wheel), of 6 guns, which had
been blockading the harbour for 50 days previous.
The orders to evacuate were received from the Rus-
sian head-quarters in Siberia. On anchoring in the
harbour a detachment was sent on shore by the com-
manders of the fleets—Rear-Admiral Bruce, of the
English, and Rear-Admiral Fourichon (a newly-ap-
pointed and exceedingly energetic man, of only 45
years of age), of the French. They landed and
found the town deserted, save by about 100 Kams-
chatka dogs, a French naturalised American, and
two Americans, who raised the stars and stripes over
their houses when the forces landed, claiming that,
as the Russians had abandoned the place and left it
to them, they were the possessors of the soil.
These men are engaged in trading, and are repre-
sented as doing a good business. The dogs were in
a starving condition, and followed the invaders
about town for bits of biscuit.

The following day after the arrival of the allies
the destruction of the fortifications commenced.
These were fascines constructed of immense logs—.
the walls being 16 feet in thickness. Such was their
strength, they resisted all efforts for sometime, and
were finally razed to the ground by the agency of
powder. It appears that the policy of the Russian
Government had changed rather suddenly. in this
matter. After the battle of last year orders came for
strengthening the fort; and, though at that time
such a resistance was made as to repel the assail-
ants, there being but one tier of guns, it was ordered
to increase it to a double tier. The destroyers
found embrasures for 51 guns of heavy calibre.
We have been shown a despatch, dated in Petro-
paulovski, from Rear-Admiral Fourichon, of the
French fleet, in which he states, after briefly reca-
pitulating the facts above enumerated, that the Rus-
sian garrison, numbering (as Le Journel informs us)
some 1,200 men, had doubtless sailed for the mouth
of the Amoor River, which drains the south por-
tion of Siberia, and flows into the Gulf of Saghalien,
an arm of the Sea of Ochotsk. They left for this
point on the 17th of April, and were doubtless there
before the French and English arrived at Kam-
schatka. This river is regarded as the dividing line
between China and Asiatic Russia, and at its mouth
is a very strong series of fortifications, which have
been greatly strengthened from time to time by the
Russians. It is thought by some of the officers of
the Obligado that the immense armament of Peti o-
paulovski was carried there with the garrison ;
and, if this be true, there will be a western Sebas-
topol, which may puzzle the allies as much as has
the stronghold of the Crimea.
The report that Admiral Bruce had entered the
harbour of New Archangel in the British steamer
Brisk is confirmed. Whilst there he succeeded in
effecting with the Russians an exchange of a few
prisoners. Three Russians have been exchanged
for one Englishman and one Frenchman, the latter
being so severely wounded that he was not ex-
pected to recover.

- Her Britannic Majesty's frigate Pique, Captain
Nicholson, had sailed for the river Amoor, in Rus-
sian possessions in Asia, and thence for China.
The British frigate Dido and steamer Brisk, were
to touch at Vancouver's IslaMd, and thence to this
port. - -
The President captured at Awotska the Russian
whale.bark Aina, stripped her, took from her, a
quantity of oil, and then burned her. At Sitka,
no American vessels were seen in port.
The Port of Archangel has not been deserted by
the Russians, and no hostile proceedings against
the garrison were contemplated or attempted
during the late visit of the allies to the coast of
Sitka. The compact between the Russian and
British Governments, whereby the Russian-Ameri-
can Company and the Hudson Bay Company were
mutually to be exempt from an assault on land
from either of the two belligerent powers, was
completely respected by the allies. The object of
their visit seems merely to have been to ascertain
whether any naval force belonging to the Czar was
to be found in that quarter ; and satisfied upon
this point, the admirals did not think proper to
exercise a right reserved in the compact—that of
blockade.

On arriving off the harbour, the allied ships did
not enter, but the English and French admirals,
with their suites, embarked on board the English
steamer Brisk, and entered the port. They were
waited upon by a boat from shore, containing the
governor's secretary, who communicated the infor-
mation that, in accordance with the spirit of the
treaty between England and their government, no
preparations for defence had been deemed neces-
sary, and that none had been made. If the French
admiral should think proper to assail the town, no
resistance would be offered, and they could only
ask that they be taken on board the men-of-war as
prisoners, for if their defences against the hostile
Indians were destroyed and the town burnt, the
whole population—men, women, and children—
would be at the mercy of the savages, who sur-
rounded the place in such numbers that their de-
struction would be inevitable.
We believe an understanding of the best nature
has always existed between the Russian and the
English trading companies, and that in case of
emergency, arising from any difficulty with the
Indians, either on the main land or the islands, the
one company holds itself in readiness to aid the
other. Hence the pacific treaty which we have
already referred to.
The inhabitants of Sitka had an abundance, but
as they had not for a long while heard from the nu-
merous trading posts on the adjacent islands, they
were apprehensive that those who filled them were
suffering.
(Front the San Francisco Herald.)

In the early part of last May the allied fleet,
augmented by the arrival of other vessels of war,
appeared before the devoted town, and commenced
preparations for the attack. When they approached
sufficiently near to be able to discern objects on
the shore, they were greatly surprised to find
that the American flag had been substituted for
the Russian, and that a most extraordinary
stillness reigned around. On landing they foiled
that the town had been deserted, and not a sin-
gle human being remained save two Yankees
and a Frenchman who acted as their servant.
From them they learned that orders had come from
Siberia for the removal of the Russian troops to the
garrison at the mouth of the Amoor River, and
that the inhabitants had also fled to the village of
Avatscha, some miles distant. Immediately after
the desertion of the place the American flag was
hoisted by the two Americans, who remained be-
hind, as a signal to the allied fleet, which it appears
was expected. The town, after the desertion of the
garrison and the inhabitants, presented of course a
very lonely appearance. Packs of dogs scoured
through the silent streets in search of food. The
houses were all tenantless, and a solemn stillness
reigned around. It appears that, on the repulse of
the allies last fall, it was determined to strengthen
the fortifications of the place, in order that they
might be able to give them a warmer reception on their
second appearance. Thefortificationswere composed
of logs of wood, fascines and earth, about 15 feet
in thickness, and the embrasures indicated the
fact that no less than 51 guns were mounted, and
these of the heaviest calibre ; but strange to
say, not one of the guns, nor any of the ammuni-
tion and stores could be found by the allies when
they arrived there last May. They were either
carried to the Amoor River, or buried. The pro-
bability is that they were disposed of in the latter
way. The arsenals, magazines) &c., which were
principally frame buildings, were burned down by
the allies, and all the property belonging to the
Government which could be found was destroyed.
The stores and private dwellings were, however,
scrupulously respected. From the two Americans
the allies learned the particulars of the exodus of
the garrison and the inhabitants. It appears that
on the receipt of the news of the defeat, on the
first attack,
in England, the English screw-steamer
Barracouta, 14
guns, and the steamer Encounter; 6
guns, were ordered from
China to Petropaulovski
to watch the movements there.
coast, about 60 miles frora Both lay off the
the whole spring; but
on eb
_ etropaulov during
ski
el7tli April the whole
garrison embarked -on- board the Aurora and the
Dwina and A Merchantmen, and, taking with them
all their acPrei and ammunition, s 14..;f0r the