The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-02 00:00:00

RUSSIAN EXCUSE FOR CRUELTY TO
THE WOUNDED.

The following despatch, addressed to the Danish
Minister in St. Petersbilrff, to whom the protection
of British interests in Russia has been confided,
will be read with surprise and indignation in Eng-
land. It is dated St. Petersburg, 21st Feb., and
has reference to the documents handed to the Rus-
sian Government by the Danish Minister, contain-
ing the depositions taken at a species of.court mar-
tial before Sebastopol with regard to the crueltif's
practised by Russian soldiers on their wounded
prisoners :
_

"Monsieur le Baron,—Previous to the receipt of the
letter, with which you honoured me on the 4th instant,
Prince Menschikoff had made the Imperial Cabinet
aware of the steps taken by Lord Raglan and General
Canrobert after the battle of Inkerman.

" In reply to that communication, the Commander-in-
Chief, Prince Menschikoff, had declared that an un-
armed enemy is and always will be under the prAection
of the Russian flag.
"This principle reqnires neither comment nor con-
firmation. Whilst referring to it, M. lu Baron, I feel
called upon to remark, that if soldiers of the enemy
may unfortunately have on the field of battle become
the sacrifice of isolated acts of cruelty, information that
has subsequently riached us ha; brought to our know•
ledge a grave circumstance, which it is of importance to
record.

" We have, in fact, learned, that on the day of Inker-
mann, English soldiers that were supposed wounded and
disabled, raised themselves from the ground and fired
upon our troops as they passed by them in their attack
on the enemy.
"Our soldiers, wounded by bullets coming from hands
they believed disarmed, may have thus allowed them-
selves in the heat of action to be carried away by a
bloody revenge.
" Humanity blames this most undoubtedly ; but they
are in some degree provoked to it by an enemy whom
they certainly could not look on as unarmed, since he
still continued to make a murderous use of his weapons.
"The fortune of war is subjected to laws, which must
be upheld. Among them is one that deserves to be men-
tioned here. That one—namely, that an enemy is not
at liberty to make use of his weapons at the moment of
laying them dow❑ for the purpose of killing those who
are giving him quarter. It is with great regret that we
have heard the instance of an English officer quoted,
who, after having handed over his sword to a Russian
sub-officer with one hand, shot him with a pistol, aimed
quite close to him, with the other. . . .

" Whilst acts of this nature serve to characterise the
fury of the struggle, they at the same time suffice to ex-
plain the sad consequences which it Las brought in its
train.

"If you read through again, with attention, the mi-
nutes appended to your letter of the 4th inst., you will
observe that, in the majority of the cases mentioned, the
retaliation of the English soldiers was a bloody one. Far
removed from all proneness to contention and revenge,
we confine ourselves to drawing the conclusion that it
would be desirable for both armies that a strict obser-
vance of the laws of humanity on the field of battle
should be introduced.

"Prince Menschikcff has on his part bastesed to fulfil
the duties in this respect that the authority of his com-
mand, and the express will of the Emperor, impose upon
him.

" We reckon with eqnal confidence on the honourable
sentiments of the commanders of the English army.
" I do not hesitate, M. le Baron, to express to you
this confidence, and return you herewith the documents
which you had the goodness to communicate to me.
I have not failed to bring them to the knowledge of
Prince Menseliikoff, and to request him to take the
evidence containeil therein into serious consider.
ation, in order that he might contribute with
all his power to confer on the present stru;:gle the cha-
racter of moderation, from which two nations that re-
spect themselves should never depart, even though in-
volved in a conflict, to which we should be happy to
put an end, if conciliatory views on the part of the Go-
♦ernment of her Britannic Majesty corresponded to our
own. Accept, &c., NESSELRODE."