The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-13 00:00:00

THE BALTIC FLEET.

OFF CiONSTADT, July 2.—There has been very
little to communicate. On Tuesday we were
hoping to have had a brush with the Russian gun-
boats. Some six or seven of them came out and
steamed up in the direction of the Dragon, but as
soon as they perceived .that our gun-boats were
under weigh they thought that " discretion was the
better part of valour," and so retired. The Bull-
dog, on Tuesday evening, fired shot and shell at
some troops that she perceived lying in the wood
at the point nearest to Cronstadt. We do not
know whether they killed any of them or not.
However, this had the effect of making them run.
On Thursday, the Cressy and James Watt were,
ordered to get under weigh ; they proceeded down
the gulf for a few milt's, when the James Watt
perceived some small coasting craft anchored in
under the north shore, which circumstance she sig-
nalled, and the admiral. directed that she should
stand in and see what they were ; he also sent
threo. gun-boats—the Palter, Magpie, and Snake—
down. There is a small village about a mile inland
and opposite to where these craft were lying ; there
is also a telegraph erectod on the shore. The boats
of the James Watt and the gun-boats towed all the
small craft out, twelve in number to the fleet ;
they fired some few shot at a number of Cossacks,
who were galloping about the strand, but did not
strike any of them. Captain Elliott desired that
the telegraph should not be knocked down, other-
wise its destruction would have been inevitable.
The crews of the variousgun-boats are picked men,
and first-rate shots they are., Most of the boats con-
tained nothing but stones; some of them had wood
for firing ; and ono had a cargo of cartridge
paper and felt, evidently fin. government. The
James Watt still remains at anchor where she
captured the boats. The ;Cressy returned to the
fleet the same evening. Ou Friday the Russian
Admiralty tender came out of Cronstadt with a
flag of truce. On her being stopped by the Royal
George, off Tolbeacon Ligiathouse, she said she
wished to communicate with the admiral in person.
She therefore was sent on. When she approached
the Duke of Wellington, that ship sent a boat on
board of her, and brought back a letter to the
admiral. Report says that the communication was
about flags of truce, and for the future no flag of
truce will be taken notice of unless sent into either
to Revel, Helsingfors, or Cronstadt. This is, of
course, caused by that melancholy and brutal mur-
der perpetrated on the boat's crew of the Cossack
at Hango. We have authentic notice that only
four of those unfortunate men are dead. She gave
out a report that in an attack on Sobastopol, made
by the French, they (the French) had lost an im-
mense amount of men—something like 17,000.
Our admiral communicated with the French ad-
miral before he gave his answer.
On Saturday the Princess Alice was sent into
Cronstadt with a flag of truce ; what the purport
of it was I cannot say. Two deserters were picked
up on Saturday morning ; they are Poles, and they
say that there are 10;000 more of their country-
men ready to desert at the first opportunity. The
news of the defeat of our army before 'Sebastopol
has thrown a great gloom over all here. Admiral
Baynes ha; not yet joined ~is, but he is at Nargen,
where he has been for some time. The Tartar
arrived on Friday evening. The fleet generally
feel very desponding at their inability to do any-
thing up here. They are like hunters anxious for
the reins to be slacked. Every one you meet asks
" When are we to do anything ?" The reply is,
" When we have an army sufficiently large to
march on St. Petersburg." This system of
blockading is most tiresome aid dispiriting ; how-
ever, it must be endured, so there is no use in
complaining. lam happy to say that the health
of the fleet is excellent. The weather is fine, but
by no means so warm as it was this time last year.