The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-10 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 10. 1855.

DErLARATION OF PROFITS.

DESPATCH FROM ADMIRAL LYONS.

'From a Supplement to tee London Gazette of Friday.)
ADMIRALTY, DEC. 7.

Despatches, with enclosure 3, of which the following
are copies, have been received from Admiral Sir Edmund
Lyons, Bart , G.C.8., Commander-in• Chief of her Ma•
jesty's Ships and Vessels in the Mediterranean and
Black Sea.

REPORTED DESTRUCTION OF CORN, &C., IN GHEISK-

LIMAN.

Royal Albert, Kazatch Bay, Nov. 24. -
Sir,--Their lordships are aware that when the small
gun-boats were no longer required at Kinbourn I sent
them back to Captain Osborn, to afford him the means
of destroying, at the latest period of the season, the har-
vest of this year, which I understood to be collecting in
the neighbourhood of Gheisk•Liman, for the purpose of
being transported in the winter months, partly to the
enemy's army in the Crimea over the frozen Gulf of
Azoff, and partly to his army in the Caucasus by the
military road.

2. The enclosed copy of a letter from Captain Osborn
will show their lordships that in this, as on many former
occasions, he has fully justified the confidence I .Have
placed in him. The skilfulness of the arrangements'Made
by him, and the admirable manner in which they were
executed by himself, by Commander Kennedy, ,of the
Curlew, and by the officers and men under their orders,
vimpletely frustrAted the efforts of,the large force that
was brought against them in defence of the stores,
which the enemy appears to have considered safe from
any naval attack, in consequence of the shallowness of
the water.

3. The effects of this brilliant enterprise, in the de-
struction of so much corn and forage at the commence-
ment of winter, cannot fail t> be severely felt by the
Russian armies both in the Crimea and the Caucasus.
4 Commander Kennedy, in reporting hia.large share
in the proceedings of the day in the command of the
Curlew, states to Captain OThorn that at ono place alone
the rows of stacks were six deep and extended two mile.,
and it appears that for economy in transport and stor-
age the straw was cut near to the ears of the corn.
5. As the ice is now forming on the shores of the
Sea of Azoff and the squadron is withdrawn, I feel it
to be due to Captain Osborn to record that, under cir•
cumstances of great difficulty, occasioned by unusually
tempestuous weather, he has most ably continued
through the summer, and brought to a successful close
in the autumn, operations successful in their nature and
extremely detrimental to the enemy, which commenced
auspiciously in the spring under the direction of the late
Captain Lyons of the Miranda ; nor is it too much to say
that both commanding officers were supported through-
out, by as dashing and as intelligent a band of young
officers, seamen, and marines, as ever shone in the
British navy.—l am, &c.,
(Signed) EDMUND LYONS,
Rear-Admiral and Commander-in Chief.
The Secretary of the Admiralty, London.

H.M. steam-sloop Vesuvius, off Gheisk, Nov. 7.
Sir,—After dark on the evening of the 3d instant, the
squadron under my command was assembled and
anchored in 16 feet water, off Gheisk-Liman, and I
made arrangements for the morrow to operate against
the extensive collection of corn, forage, and fuel, belong-
ing to the enemy, stacked along its shores, so as to dis-
tract the attention of the large force which, from pre-
vious observation, I know to be in the neighbourhood.
Under Lieutenant Ross, of the Weser, I placed the
Curlew in the temporary charge of Lieut. Aliall, and
the Ardent in charge of Mr. Tilly, Second Master, each
vessel having sufficient men left i❑ her to weigh an
anchor, or fight a gun, and man a few boats, giving
orders to Lieut. Ross to close in on the northern face

of Gheisk, and to be prepared to co-operate with me in-
side the Liman.

The Vesuvius I left in the offing, denuded of every
available person; embarking officers and men as in the
annexed list, from the Vesuvius, Curlew, WeFor, and
Ardent, with their boats, we left at daylight, towed by
her Majesty's gun-boats.
Recruit, Lieutenant G. Day.
Boxer, Lieutenant S. P. Townsend.
Cracker, Lieutenant J. H. Marryat.
Clinker, Lieutenant J. S. Hudson.
By 6.-30 a.m. the flotilla was off Vodina, three miles north

ofelofira, ; hero long tiers of corn-strcfcs and much fuel
was stored along the coast, with a Cossack guard for its
protection ; I immediateiy detached Commander Ken-
nedy with the boats, covering him with the gun-vessels,
and in a short time all was in flames, and the party
cleverly re embarked at the moment that a large body
of Cossacks rode up from Lazalnite.
The town of Glofira became the next point of attack ;
it was greatly changed in appearance since visited by
Captain Rowley Lambert in July last. C3ru-stacks,
for some miles in extent, might now be seen along its
southern and eastern face, placed close to the water's edge
ready for transport i • and between the rows of houses
tier on tier were to be seen. _ _ _

An entrenchment had been cut along the edge of the
cliff commanding the spit ; large bodies of dismounted
cavalry were seen lining it, and armed men showed in
the rear of every house.
To endeavour to flank the defences, as well as destroy
the corn-stacks stored on a high hill east of Glofira, I
dispatched Commander Kennedy, with the boats of her
Majesty's ship Curlew, a paddle-box boat and cutter of
the Vesuvius, the whole towed by the Clinker, Lieut.
Hudson, with orders to turn the spit end, and then attack
in that direction, a'ter giving a certain time to allow the
enemy's attention to be divided by the other attack.
The gun-boats Recruit, Grinder, Boxer, and Cracker
opening fire on the entrenchments with Shrapnell shell,

_
anti on the corn ricks with carcases.
As the enemy could only be dislodged from the ex
treme west, and the carcases did not well answer, and
moreover endangered the whole town, I despatched
Lieuts. Day and Campion with the small force of marines
available, a howitzer beat and two rocket boats, to aid
more effectually in carrying out my object.
Lieut. Campion, with Mr. Verey, gunner, charging
at the head of the marines, supported by Lieu'. Day and
the seamen, all being under a sharp fire of musketry,
succeeded iu driving the enemy, with considerably loss,
out of their trench work, and captured a small brass
piece, and then steadily forced them hack, with lobs,
from store to store, until the whole of the vast quantity
of corn, stacked ready for thrashing and transport, was
in flames.
The gallant manner in which Lieut. Campion led the
marines deserves to be brought under your notice.
Seeing the enemy collecting a number of men, ready
to charge our men if they advanced beyond a ravine on
the east face of the town, I recalled my force, and had
the satisfaction of seeing all embarked, with only one
man wounded.
The vessels off Gheisk were now seen to be engaged,
Lieut. Ross, of the Weser, having placed them in capi-
tal positions ; and as the enemy moved down large bodies
of troops, especially cavalry, to resist his landing, and
opened fire on him, he very unwillingly had to fire on
the town, to dislodge them.
The proceedings of Lieut. Ross were ably executed,
and he fully succeeded in keeping in check a heavy body
of cavalry which might have much incommoded the small
force under Commander Kennedy, who, by the most
strenuous exertions, had reached his position, and find-
ing the cliff too steep to scale in the face of a large num-
ber of troops, who were firing on him from its crest, he
very judiciously executed the duty I had entrusted to
him with the gun and the carcase rockets of the ship's
boats, setting every store in flames except one large Go-
vernment building considerably in the rear.
Commander Kennedy speaks in the highest terms
of his party, for the shallowness of the water obliged
the crews of the boats to be rowing and wading through
the water from noon until midnight, the season too be-
ing now very cold.
Throughout the night the stores were burning fiercely,
a sheet of flames extending fully two miles, but the town
of Glofira, except where the troops had used the houses
against us, remained untouched.
At an early hour on the 6th November we weighed
and proceeded into the Liman, steering towards Gheisk ;
the valuable services of Mr. George Perry, Acting
Master of the Vesuvius, and Mr. Parker, Second Master
of the Recruit, came here into play ; and, at an early
period, I had the satisfaction of seeing all the gun-boats
anchored just in their own draught of water, within long
gunshot of the east extreme of Gheisk and the neigh-
bouring steppe, along the edge of which, fur four
corn and hay was stacked in quantities far beyond what
I had conceived to be possible, and at the base of the
steppe, as well as that part of the spit commanded by
the town, timber yards, fish stores, boats, &c., in num-
bers were accumulated.
To attack upon as many points as possible was, I
thought, the only way to foil the troops that had now
hat 36 hours to prepare for us ; the gun-boats Grinder,
B.,xer, Cracker, and Clinker, were left to cover the
landing party. To Lieutenant Ross of the Weser, I
signalised to prepare to land, and divided the force in
the Liman into three bodies ; the left under Lieu-
tenants Day and Townsend, consisted of boats and men
of Recruit and Boxer ; the centre I entrusted to Com-
mander Kennedy, having under him Lieutenants Hamil-
ton, Campion, Marryat, and Mayne, with all the boats
of the Curlew, Ardent, Grinder, anti Cracker, and port
rocket and gun-boats of the Vesuvius, in charge of the
officers named in the margin ;* the right division under
Lieutenant Chatham Strode, and Lieutenant Hudson,•
consisted of the starboard gun-boats of Vesuvius, and
those of Clinker, together with some marines, Mr, R.
Farquharson, midshipman, in charge of the latter.
Lieutenant Ross, on the west side of Gheisk Spit, had
the boats and small-arm men of the Weser, with a small
force from Curlew and Ardent, under Lieutenant Miall,
and Mr. Tilly, Second Master, in readiness to co-operate.
The different parties pulled in and effected a landing
at appointed places, fully a mile apart ; the Russian
troops, within light breastworks, attempted to prevent
them, but failed, and in a few moments a screen of
flames and smoke rolling from our men towards the
enemy, prevented the latter seeing where or how to
manoeuvre in order to cut off any of our small detach-
ments.
On the right and centre the enemy mustered strongest,
and at one time observing a column of 1,500 Cossacks
moving rapidly off the left, I directed Commander Ken-
nedy (who by that time had connected his fires with
those of Lieut. Day) to re•embark all but the marines,

and with them to proceed to his right, and I reinforced
him with the marines of the Recruit and Weser, under
Lieut. Campion. This answered perfectly; the enemy
arrived too late to save anything on the left, whilst our
men sto.tdily worked towards the right division, under
Lieuts. Strode and Ross, who, in spite of a heavy but
badly directed fire from the houses on the heights,
steadily held their ground, and effectually destroyed a
great accumulation of materials for boats and ship build-
'fith stores, cavalry camp gear and granaries.
When everytbing but the town of Gheisk was de-
stroyed, I ordered the embarkation to take place, and
detached some boats to cover Lieut. Roes, between
whom and his boat the enemy were throwing a body of
men, who, by their uniform, I believed to bo regular in-
fantry.
By 2 p.m. everything was finished, and all the parties
safely re-embarked on board their respective gun-boats,
the casualties amounting to only six men wounded in
all, one of thorn dangerously and another severely.
Nothing further being left within our reach in Gheisk-
Liman, except the store of corn which escaped on the
previous day at Glofira, I, therefore, ordered Com-
mander Kennedy with the moiety of the boats to re-
turn to their respective ships' and remained with the
Recruit, Ardent, Boxer, and Cracker's boats to finish
what had escaped east of Glofira.
On the 6th the weather, which had favoured us most
providentially, changed ; fogs and strong breezes came
on, but directly I was able the rocket boats and car•
cases were again employed upon Glofira until the fires
extinguished yesterday were re-lighted, and another ex-
tensive accumulation of corn in flames ; I then weighed
and returned to the Vesuvius, reaching her the same
afternoon.

I despair of being able to convey to you any idea of
the extraordinary quantity of corn, rye, hay, wood, and
other supplies so necessary for the existence of Russian
armies both in the Caucasus and the Crimea, which it
has been our good fortune to destroy.
That there vast stores should- have been-col-lent:tett here-
so close to the sea, whilst we were still in the neighbour-
hood, is only to be accounted for by their supposing
that they could not be reached by us, and judging by
the position the squadron under the late Captain Edmund
Lyons took up in May last, the Russians had established
a camp and fortified their town only to meet a similar
attack.

During these proceedings we never bad more than 200
men engaged ; the enemy had, fr•)m the concurrent tes-
timony of Lieutenants Roes and Strode, and my own
observation, from 3,000 to 4,000 men in Gheisk alone.
Where every officer exerted himself to the utmost, and
did all and more than I expected of them, it would be
invidious for me to mention one more than another ; it
was their coolness, zeal, and example, that rendered
steady many of their younger men, who for the first
time were under fire, and but for their general intelli-
gence and zeal the enemy would have easily frustrated
our operations.
The zeal, good conduct, and gallantry of the men were
deserving of every praise.
Commander Kennedy, my second in command, gave
me most valuable co-operation, and from him, as well as
the reports of the other officers, I feel justified in placing
before you the names of the following warrant officers
and men, who, under fire, behaved remarkably well,
viz. :—Mr. Richard Very, Acting Gunner of her Ma-
jesty's ship Ardent ; Thomas Kerr, Gunner, Royal Ma•
rine Artillery, her Majesty's slip Vesuvius ; Peter
Iranian, A. 8., her Majesty's ship Curlew ; David Barry,
A. 8., her Majesty's ship Cracker.
The enclosed plan, illustrative of our operations, by
Mr. Geo. Perry, Acting Master of the Vesuvius, will, I
trust, be of use, and I beg you will allow me to call your
attention to the unvarying zeal of that officer.
I have, &c.,
(Signed) SLIERARD OSBORN,
Captain and Senior Officer in the
Sea of Azoff.
Rear-Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, Bart., &e.

RETURN OF MEN WOUNDED DURING THE
OPERATIONS OF THE 4TH, STH, AND 6TH NOV.,
1855, IN GHEISK-LIMA.N.
Thos. Middleton, Vesuvius, Gunner, R.M.A.,slightly.
John Cook, Vesuvius, Ord., slightly
Peter llanlan, Curlew, A. 8., dangerously
Thomas Cuddehey, Curlew, Private, R.M., severely
John Burke, Recruit, A. 8., severely
Robert Atwood, Weser, Private, R.M., slightly
(Signed) SHERARD OSBORN,
Captain and Senior Officer.

A RETURN OF OFFICERS AND MEN OF HER
MAJESTY'S SHIPS VESUVIUS, CURLEW, AR-
DENT, AND WESER, DETACHED AND EM-
PLOYED DESTROYING THE ENEMY'S RE-
SOURCES IN GHEISK-LIMA.N, DURING THE
4TH, STH, AND GTE NOV., 1855.
VESUVIUS.
Gig—Captain S. Osborn, Senior Officer ; Mr. G. D.
Perry, Acting Master.
Rocket Boat—Lieut. Chetham Strode ; Mr. Joseph
Scott, Gunner.
Paddlex-box Boat—Mr. R. R. Armstrong, Mate.
Paddle-box Boat— Mr. Gilbert King, Assistant-Surgeon;
Mr. R. D. Farquharson, Midshipman.
Boats' crews, all small-arm men and Marines.
CURLEW.
Gig—Commander J. J. Kennedy.
Pinnace—Lieutenant Mayne
Gig—Lieutenant Miall.
Pinnace—Mr. George Morant, Midshipman.
All small-arm men and marines.
ARDENT.—Cutter, Rocket-boat and Gig—Lieutenant
Campion ; Mr. Veroy, acting gunner. 20 Biuo jackets and
11 Marines.
WESER.-11 Marines belongirg to Weser.
(Signed) SHERARD OSBORN,
Captain and Senior Officer.
In consideration of the services mentioned in the above
despatches, Commander John James Kenne-iy will be
promoted to the rank of Captain so soon as he shall be
qualified ; and Lieutenant Hubert Campion has been
promoted to the rank of Commander.

* Mr. Armstrong, mate ; Mr. Scott, gunner ; Mr.
Veroy, gunner.

TliE WAR.

LORD HARRY VANE, M.P.

At the Darlington Fat Cattle Show dinner, on Thurs-
day, Lord Harry Vane took the opportunity of addres-
sing his constituents on the war. His remarks were not
very favourably received, and were evidently not in
unison with the views of his hearers.

The noble LORD said :—ln the earlier part of the eve-
ning he had alluded to the great calamity of war. On
one of the flags which decorated the walls he saw writ-
ten " Peace and Plenty." Peace, unfortunately, we
h. ave not. In a meeting of this kind he should think it
improper to step out of the salutary regulation which
ordered that no subject of party politics should be intro-
duced. Farmers being neither Whig nor Tory, but men
of all shades—Conservatives, Liberals, Radicals—they
had nothing to do at these meetings with their politics,
and they would do him the justice to admit that no one
would more strictly abstain than himself from introduc-
ing party questions. But he found that at every meet-
ing recently held, whether in connection with agriculture,
science, or social improvement, at such meetings as re-
formatories, allusions had been made to the present state
of things in connection with the war ; and, as a public
man, in a meeting of his countrymen, many of whom
were also his constituents, ho could not forbear from fol-
lowing the example so set. He merely gave it as a mat-
ter of opinion, but in his view we might originally have
avoided the war. Others might entertain different
views, but he had always thought so. His hon. friend
the vice-chairman had alluded to him as having served
diplomatically in foreign countries. He bad done so, it
was true, but he did not pot the circumstance forward as
accounting for his particular views, and as it was rather
beside the question to discuss how the war was brought.
about he would pass it over. We were now engaged in
war, and he would be the last-to advocate any departure
from the utmost fidelity to our engagements. He would
not now make peace without certain conditions, but he
certainly would say that he could be no party to what
he thought was a popular delusion—the advocacy of
an indefinite war without any definite purpose. He
looked with some alarm at the opinions entertained by
some persons, and expressed at public meetings. It ap-
peared to him to be no part of the mission of this coun-
try to enter at all hazards and at any time into an inde-
finite state of war, to settle every question at the can-
non's mouth or the bayonet point. Having engaged in
war, it was necessary to conclude that war upon certain
definite conditions. The subject was of a grave charac-
ter,
and he thought it his duty, as others had done in
different parts of the country, to state his views upon it.
Entertaining, as he did, extremely decided views on the
matter, he could not but seize this opportunity of stating
them to his constituents, more especially as rumours
were afloat of certain negotiations and certain proposals
which the Emperor of the French was alleged to have
in some measure countenanced, but the great obstacle
to the consideration of which was said to arise from po-
pular feeling in this country. (Some symptoms of im-
patience and an indistinct murmur began to be mani-
fested ; but the noble chairman, remarking that he did
not catch the observations made, proceeded.) To have
stated what would be acceptable to all was something he
could not hope for or expect ; but, as a public man,
meeting his constituents on a public occasion, he had
thought it right to state what were his views on this
point. (Applause.) Had another opportunity presented
he would have availed himself of it, for the subject was
most prominent in the thoughts and in the mouths of
all. His views had been stated with the utmost good-
will and with the greatest deference to the opinions of
others ; but he felt that if we were to carry on a svar for
indefinite purposes, and if we were to go on heaping up
mountains of debt with the prospect of a doubtful issue
to a protracted war, those very interests which were nowderiving a temporary benefit by reason of high
prices
must in the end greatly suffer, and those who now per-
haps heard him with little favour would come round to
the opinions he had expressed.

SIR ROBERT PEEL.
Sir R. Pee], Bart., M.P., who is the Captain of the
Anglesea troop of the Staffordshire Yeomanry Cavalry,
entertained at dinner on Wednesday at the Queen's
Arms Hotel the noncommissioned officers and privates
of his troop, and proposed the toast of "The Army and