The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-08 00:00:00

ARRIVAL OF THE CANDIA.

SOUTHAMPTON, Jan. Peninsular and Oriental
Company's screw steamer Candia, Captain Field, ar-
rived here to-day. Her dates are —Balaklava, Dec. 15 ;
Constantinople, 24 ; Malta, 27 ; Gibraltar, Jan. 2. She
brought home 229 passengers, chiefly invalided officers
and soldiers from Scutari Hospital, who had been
wounded at Alma, Balaklava, or Inkerman. The officers
were Captain Hume, Lieutenant Barnston, 55th Regi-
ment ; Captain Thompson, 10th Hussars ; Lieutenant
Newenharn, 63d Regiment ; Dr. Wilson, 7th Hussars ;
Captain Kennedy, 77th Regiment ; Lieutenant Clarke,
20th Fusiliers ; Captain Bamford, 63d Regiment ; Lieu-
tenant Greenwood, 33d Regiment ; Lieutenant Irvine,
Lieutenant Shealfield, 44th Regiment ; Dr. Reade,
Major-Yates. Captain Tryon, 7th Fusiliers, and 192
non.commissioned officers and soldiers belonging to the
13th, 17th, 21st, 23d, 28th, 30th, 33th, 39th, 62d, 63d,
89th, and 95th Regiments. There were alio as passen-
gers seven Sisters of Mercy and two nurses from Scu-
tari Hospital, and Mrs. Reade and family, the widow
and children of Dr. Reade, who died in the East. Two
of the private soldiers died on the voyage ; one died
yesterday, and was buried at sea this morning. Twenty-
five of the soldiers were lying very ill on board, partly
from their wounds and partly from dysentery, caused by
the change of climate in coming home. The whole of
the officers and soldiers who came home in the Candia
from Scutari were either so ill or so much maimed that
active duty was in their case for a long period out of the
question. The Candia came alongside the Southampton
dock quay between 11 and 12 this.mornlng, and the pas-
sertgets-c3nlci-rasily walk ashore. As soon as she came
alongside, a place on the dock quay was immediately
railed off to prevent the public from incommoding the
passengers, and dock policemen guarded the spot ap-
propriated to them. Messrs. Hedger and Levy, the dock
authorities, with a large staff of dock porters, immedi-
ately went on board the Candia, with authority from
Colonel Barlow, the chairman of the Southampton Dock
Company, to pass the baggage of the wounded officers
and soldiers through the docks" as quickly as possible and
without charge. Mr. Sparrow, the collector of customs ;
Mr. Clarke, landing waiter ; Mr. Obree, the superin-
tendent of the tide surveying department ; Messrs.
Skinner and Vaughn, tide surveyors, with a staff of
tide waiters, were also on board, prepared to pass the
baggage of the officers who were about to proceed to
hotels in the town. Captain Cragie, the Admiralty
superintendent, and Captain Lacy, the head of the
Southampton enrolled pensioners, were also in imme-
diate attendance to arrange the best method of disposing
of the soldiers to put them to the least inconvenience.
Drs. Maul and Mackey, two resident surgeons, went on
board to volunteer their assistance. None of the
wounded officers or soldiers on board the Candia had
lost any limb, but all suffered from gun-shot wounds ;
some were limping with sticks, others were on crutches'
numbers had their arms and hands in slings, some were
crawling, others lying about the deck—all betraying that
peculiar appearance wising from illness caused by pain
and hardships. But for the looks of suffering in the
poor fellows' countenances, no one could have helped
laughing at their costumes. Some wore red coats, some
green, others blue, many grey great coats ; some had
foraging-caps, others fezzes on their heads. There were
mixed together foot and horse soldiers, light and heavy
dragoons, riflemen and Highlanders—Alma, Balaklava,
and Inkerman men ; many of them were youths with
scarcely any hair on their chins, but whose fighting
days were all over. Directly the Candia, was alorig‘ide
the baggage of the officers was looked at on the dock
by the customs officials, and the officers were enabled
in half an hour afterwards to get to their hotels. A
staff of landing waiters was ordered on duty as soon as
possible to prevent any delay in the despatch r f the sol-
diers directly the necessary arrangements could be made
to convey them from Southampton. Shortly after the
I arrival of the C,lndia, the Admiralty ordered her to pro
coed to Portsmouth. The tide, however, was too low,
and she will leave Southampton the first thing to-mor.
I row morning. Three or four thousand people assem-
bled in the docks to see the poor wounded men, who
excited the greatest interest in the spectators. Some
amusement was caused in the docks by a horse, draw-
ing a cart laden with five casks of porter, coming up
close to the ship. It appears that Messrs. J. and G.
Cooksey, merchants, of 'Southampton, with great kind-
ness and consideration, sent the porter as a present to
the invalided soldiers as soon as they heard of their
arrival. As the soldiers were from various regiments,
many inquiries were made of them by the people of
Southampton as to absent friends at Scutari and in the
Crimea. It was truly pitiable to see how ill some of
the poor soldiers were, stalwart men, whose voices had
become childishly treble through pain and feebleness.
Comrades were sitting beside and tending upon those
who were very ill. There were female nurses also, and
the medical attendance on tbeea. appeared to be good..
Great anxiety was manifested by the people of South-
ampton to get hold of relics of the terrible struggle in the
Crimea, which were brought borne in the Candia. The
wounded men spoke in the highest terms of the treat-
ment they received at Scutari. Captain Stratton was
in command of the sick and invalided. The Sisters of
mercy who came home in the Candia were English-
women, but were dressed after the fashion of nuns.
The Candia left Toulon with 1,200 French troops
when
she was
hiredbeym at Balaklava.
It was arranged
about six weeks since, and landed them
the French Go.
vernment that if she could be at all dispensed with in
the Black Sea, after she had landed the French troops,
she should return to Southampton to resume the mail
service. The Ripon and Etneu are on their way to this
country with invalids from Scutari.

SIR CHARLES NAPIER AND THE
GOTBRNMEN T.

It appears almost impossible (says the Hampshire
Telegraph) any longer to conceal the fact, that consider-
able misunderstanding has arisen between the Govern-
ment on the one hand and Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier
on the other, in reference to the character and results of
the operations in the Baltic. It is no secret that Sir
Charles does not consider full justice has been done him
by some members of the Government, in reference to
the amount of discretion he was empowered to exercise,
and the withholding of permission to undertake certain
enterprises when they were proposed to him. The vari-
ous speeches made at the Reform dinner, in Parliament,
and at other places, left no question but that the Baltic
fleet was expected by ministers to perform greater ex-
ploits than they have performed, whilst it is also petty
well known that Sir Charles Napier himself shared if ho
did not excite these anticipations. The determined
skulking of the Russian fleet in harbour of itself was
sufficient to prevent their realisation, whilst the unex-
pected strength of the Russian fortifications, and the dif-
ficulties of navigation in the waters of the Baltic, also
further prevented the achievement of any brilliant ope-
ration& We are not, however, disposed to join in any
indiscriminate grumbling at the results of the Baltic
camp sign, for after all they have been by no means in-
significant; whilst they have been obtained with compa-
ratively little loss of either life or treasure.
With regard to the chief operation in the Baltic—the
destruction of Bomarsund—complaints have been made
that it was not effected by an attack by the great fleet
under the Admiral's orders and the•landing of the
strong force of marines belonging to the English acrd
French squadrons. Some persons have even gone so
far as to assert that this was actually owing to the want
of enterprise on the part of the admirals, and that Sir
Charles himself was the person. who applied to the Go-
vernments of England and France for a military force
to effect the' capture of a rapidly-risieg Sebastopol of
the Baltic. But, if we are correctly informed, it was
Sir Charles Napier who pointed out the necessity of the
capture and destruction of Bomarsund, owing to its
menacing position as regarded Northern Europe ' • and
also declared his readiness to carry his proposal into
effect with the fleet and marines alone. The soundness
of thr Charles's ,advice was, we understand, acquiesced
in, but he was directed not to undertake the siege until
the arrival of a French military force. This, it is said,
caused as much annoyance to the gallant admiral as to
any other officer or man in the fleet, as he believed the
trouble and expense of sending a military force for such
a purpose to be unnecessary. Again, we are informed
that Sir Charles Napier applied for, and was refused,
permission .to attack and destroy Abo, Hang°, and
Revel. _ _

With regard to the expectations that were formed of an
attack on Sweaborg, it appeared that a council of war
was held on the subject, and that among others who
gave their opinion, the French officer of engineers, Ge-
neral Neal, expressed his belief that it could be reduced
in four days. Other views as to the time the operation
general unanimity of opinion
toer'll a
s practicability. One captain
being would
entertained require
aas to
of the navy offered to lead his fine screw two-decker
into the harbour and run stem on to a Russian three-
decker moored with her broadside commanding the har-
bourchannel, by which he declared he would sink Vie
Russian although he might get his own ship much
damaged. A. distinguished flag officer, however, gave
it as his opinion that the place was next to impregnable
so far as a naval attack alone was concerned, the destruc-
tion of a greater part of the fleet being inevitable.
Weight being attached to this opinion, the attack was
decided not to be made.