The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-10 00:00:00

IIiffERNAL MACHINES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—The " torpeds" of Fulton, the "invisible shell"
of Warner, now the " infernal machine" of the Rus-
sians, is adopted by them, as a means of defence, against
which,, if it be properly managed, it would be madness
res
to risk our ships and ;;news ; and it will be unwise to
suet under
!.'eelief that to the purpose of defence only
mode of warfare is, or will be, confined.
In the summer of '44 the late Captain Warner, of
"long-range" celebrity, blew up, by way of experiment,
a ship, off Brighton, to prove the destructive efficacy of
his invisible or submarine explosive shell. The Captain
conducted his experiment injudiciously. He, in a
steamer, took the ship, to be operated upon, in tow,
which gave rise to some suspicion of trickery. Had the
Captain turned the ship adrift, under sail, and attacked
her as he would an enemy's vessel at sex, and sent her
to the bottom, as he doubtless would have done, in a
manner too somewhat magical, he would have gained
the confidence of the people. But the experiment, con-
ducted as it was, was unsatisfactory. The Government
and the people put down Captain Warner.
There were, however, two or three or more indivi-
duals who chose, in this matter, to inquire and think
for themselves, and they were decidedly of opinion that
in the then altered state of navigation, by reason of
steam power, together with the improved mechanical
and chemical appliances of the day, that Captain War-
ner had not overshot the mark when he declared our
monster and costly ships of war to be, for the purpose
they were intended, as useless asso many bay stacks I
A. period of eleven years has elapsed since the Captain
made such a startling assertion. It is now about to be
verified.

We shall, to our dismay and chagrin, discover that we
have paid dearly enough for our incredulity and contempt
of an invention we were determined not to examine,
but which the Russians have taken in hand. They
have adopted the submarine explosive shell under the
designation of infernal machine ; the two are not identi-
cal, though intended for the same purpose—the destruc-
tion of shipping. The Russians have yet something to
learn in the preparation and management of the arm
they have adopted ; a perfect knowledge of which they
will, however, acquire, for they are not a people to be
discouraged by two or more unsuccessful essays. But,
in the meantime, the sooner we draw off our large ships
from Cronstadt and supply their places by vessels of
another description the better, so as to be spared the
sorrow of adding to a sacrifice already sufficiently great,
by the loss of some thousands of our seamen.
July 5, 1855.

NAUTICUS.

PRINCE GORTSCHAKOFF TO THE
GARRISON OF SEBASTOPOL.

The Gazette Militaire of Vienna publishes Prince
Gortscbakoff's order of the day after the affair of
the 18th. The order is couched in the following
terms:—

"Heights of Inkerman, June 19.
"Comrades—The bloody combat of yesterday, and
the defeat of an enemy in despair, has again crowned
our arms with immortal laurels. Russia owes you her
thanks, and she will not refuse them. Thousands of
our companions in arms have sealed with their blood the
oath which they bad taken, and so have kept safe the
word which I gave to the Emperor, our common father.
Thanks are given to you for it, comrades !
" Comrades ! Considerable reinforcements are march-
ing from all parts of our sacred Russia ; they will
immediately be with us. Oppose, as you have hitherto
done, your manly breasts to the murderous balls of
our impious enemies, and die, as thousands of your
comrades have died, with arms in your hands in an
honourable contest—man against man, breast against
breast —rather than violate the oath which you swore to
the country—to preserve our Sebastopol.
" Soldiers ! The enemy is beaten— driven back with
enormous losses. Permit your commander to repeat to
you his thanks, in the name of the Emperor our august
monarch—in the name of the country, our holy and
orthodox Russia. The time is at hand when the pride
of the enemy w►ll be overthrown—when his armies will
be swept from our territory like straw before the wind.
Until then, have faith in God, and fight for the Em-
peror and country.

" This order of the day will be read in each company
and in all the horse squadrons of the different bodies of
troops. (Signed) "Prince GORTSCHAKOFF."

ThE .LIIMALAY.A.

SOUTHAMPTON, Monday.—Her Majesty's ship Hima-
laya, which is now in the new graving dock undergoing
repairs preparatory to another voyage to the Crimea,
progresses favourably. Artisans are busily employed
in every part of the ship. It was only three months
since sho overwent an overhaul, but it was found neces-
sary to dock her again to examine her screw. She has
been "payed" over with Peacock'and Buchan's compo-
sition, which was found to answer so admirably on the
last occasion that scarcely a weed adhered to her bottom.
The Himalaya will coal and refit entirely at this port,
and probably receive her horses here, it having been
found on all previous occasions, with this and other
ships, the animals can be so easily got on board without
the slightest risk. Her fittings in this respect were so
substantially erected that they will not require strength-
ening. Her refit and repairs are superintended by the
Peninsular and Oriental Company.
To show the convenience and capacity of this new
dock, which ever since its completion has been con-
stantly occupied, sometimes with one vessel, and at
others with two, the Himalaya was only two hours and a
half from Spithead until the water was drawn off, and
she was ready for the workmen inside the gates. This
is most gratifying to a rising port like Southampton,
and tells wonderfully in favour of the dock company,
and their determination to carry on their business with
energy and promptitude.

DISTRIBUTION OF CRIMEAN MEDALS
TO INVALID SOLDIERS BY THE DUKE
OF CAMBRIDGE.

Yesterday afternoon his Royal Highness the Duke of
Cambridge delivered the Crimean medal to about thirty
invalid and wounded soldiers of the Scots Fusilier Guards
(who were unable to be present b.t the recent distribution
by her Majesty), at the Military Hospital, Vauxhall-
bridge-road.

Iris Royal Highness was attended on the occasion by
his aide-de-camp, Colonel Tyrwhitt, and Colonel Mon-
crieffe, the commanding officer of the regiment, but the
ceremony was of a strictly private character, no one ex-
cept the recipients being aware of his grace's intention
of personally conferring the distinction so nobly earned
by these brave and gallant fellows.
His Royal Highness has, we are informed, been fre-
quently in the habit of vi3iting the hospital for the pur-
pose of inspecting the condition and progress of the sick
and wounded soldiers since his return, and the circum-
stance to which we refer is another striking instance of
the warm and genuine sympathy he feels for them,
whilst it derives additional force and interest from the
fact of his Royal Highness having commanded the Scots
Fusiliers (which were included in his brigade) on the
memorable heights of the Alma.
The Duke, having presented the medal to those men
who were sufficiently recovered to assemble on parade,
proceeded to the hospital, and handed one to each of the
wounded sufferers, who were still confined to their
wards, and, in doing so, addressed them in terms of the
greatest kindness and the liveliest appreciation of their
heroic conduct in the field. Several of the recipients of
the honour have served at Alma, Balaklava, and Inker-
man.

INSPECTION OF INVALIDS BY HER
MAJESTY.

The Queen inspected yesterday afternoon 100 wounded
and disabled Guards recently arrived in this country
from the Crimea. The men were mustered in the garden
of the Palace, and at three o'clock her Majesty, accom-
panied by his Majesty the King of the Belgians, his
Royal Highness Prince Albert, and the elder branches
of the Royal Family, commenced the inspection. 47
Grenadiers, 28 Coldstreams, and 25 Scots Fusiliers were
present. Colonel Wood and Dr. Brown, Colonel the
Hon. Sir George -Upton aad Dr. Munro, and Colonel
Moncrieff and Dr. Richa'idson, the commanding officers
and surgeon-majors of the three regiments, attended the
Queen, while her Majesty personally inspected every
soldier, inquiring about their different wounds, and re-
ceiving the medical report of the state of the invalids.
The inspection being
.ended, the Guards were con-
ducted into the Palace where a plentiful dinner was
served to them.