The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-05 00:00:00

THE BALTIC BLOCKADE.

EmEL, June 29.—The blockade of the Baltic is this
year a reality, so far as strictly enforcing it on the Rus-
sian coast can make it so. That it is not complete is not
the fault of our cruisers, which, while keeping guArd at
the front door of the enemy, cannot prevent him from
carrying on a pretty extensive business through the side
entrance that opens on his neighbour's premises. All that
our fleet can do in this respect is beim:,, done well. Along
the coast of Courland, in the Gulf of Finland, and in the
Gulf of Bothnia the direct commerce of Russia is de-
stroyed. Since the war steamers fairly took up their
stations nothing has escaped them, and the supplies which
Russia last year continued to draw from S Neden, nod
even Denmark, have been cot off. Then but little notice
was taken of the smaller ves,.els that during the zumrner ca,n
easily cross fr,un the Swedish coast ; and, in ordinary
times, the trade usua'ly carried on by them might be of
little importance. But commerce is fertile of expe-
dients ; being driven from the use of ships, it took to its
boats, and a large commercial flotilla had been created
by which a tra,tfic was successfully maiWained, a few
small cargoes soon mounting up to a large ole. If there
was to be a blockade at all, therefore, it was necessary
to stlp these small coasting craft, however insignificant
they appeared ; so the meshes of the net were drawn
closer, and the sea is now swept clear of everything with
merchandise on hoard, or enable of carrying it.

-
The Coin.land station begins at the Russian frontier,
a little to the north of Memel, and terminates at
the Filsand Light, off the island of Oseel, at the ei -
trance of the Gulf of Riga ; the shore of the gulf itself
is also included in it. It was at the mouth of the
Duna, below Riga, that the first and most importnit
capture of Russian ships was made this 3 ear—at the
beeinning of the blockade. Between the lieaite of this
station, four steamers—the Archer,' the Basilisk, the
Conflict, and the Desperate—keep watch and ward.
The few points of interest to a landsman in a run np
and down the coast may be given in a brief description.
Having had the opportunity of making it, we will begin,
like the opening scene of The Tempest, "On a Ship, at
Sea," off Polangen, the first Russian town past the fron-
tier. For the greater part of a bright summer day we
have a good view of the Russian coast ; it is level and
seedy, but tolerably well wooded. Beyond Polangen the
lend rises into the slight elevations called the Sevi n
Hills—hills have a tendency everywhere to run in sevens
—and then resumes its generally level outline. The low
sand cliffs, or rather sandbanks, are topped by cultivated
fields and green pastures, with red-roofed houses—
farms apparently scattered at long intervals. The few
villages in the district lie back from the shore, and there
are only two towns of any importance on the whole line
of coast, Libau and Windau. The harbour of the first-
named place has been visited by the boats of the Archer
in search of Russian vessels, under an engagement with
the civil authorities thatthe town should not be molested
unless the boats were fired on. A strong force of infan-
try, it is understood, is now stationed in and around
the place, probably in consequence of this visit.
Going close in to Sackenbaum, a few cavalry can
be seen, keeping a discreet distance from the
shore. On a former occasion a detachment came
down to the edge of the cliff, shaking their lances,
and galloping about in a flourishing and defiant manner;
a shell being fired over them, they disappeared island
with "some degree of swiftness," and have since been
less rash in their approaches. But they are still vigilant,
and it is evident the movements of our cruisers are at
all times closely observed. As we proceed up the coast
columns of smoke rise slowly into the air, as signals
either to some military station in the interior, or to the
places further north. On the sea not a sail is visible ; in
vain the glass sweeps the horizon ; to all appearance we
have the Baitic to ourselves. Only once, just after leaving
Memel, a ship was seen that drew a little attention by
being suspiciously out of her course if she meant to enter
that port. She was a Norwegian, trying perhaps to make
for the Russian coastnotwithetanding ouraugustpresence,
so we altered our course a little also, quietly turning, as it
were, one eye upon her ; but she had her eyes open too,
for the .movement was marked, and seemingly under
stood ; her sails shook for a moment in the wind, and
her head now pointed direct to the Prussian harbour.
No—there is nothing to be done ; she is going to Memel ;
and a constant grief and vexation tho-e neutral port,
are—mere loopholes of escape for what, in nine cases
out of ten, are enemy's goods and lawful pr'zee.
From Lyserart to the Filsand light we lose the land ;
it is between these two points most of the small vessels
taken this year have been captured, in trying to run
into the Gulf of Riga. With the crews of these boats
some curious scenes have, occurred ; most of the lower
class of Russians have a rooted belief that our prison-
ers are instantly banged, or sent to England and disposed
of in some dreadful manner. Many of them are taken
on board in a state of excessive terror, others are
stolid and indifferent. When they find they are well
treated and well fed, and that our sailors, as they take
Pleasure in doing, behave kindly to them, the revulsion
of feeling is equally great, and they are most profuse in
their display of gratitude ; they fall on their knees,
stroke down the seams of the officers' trousers, kiss their
hands, their. coatekirts, and their boots, thinking per-
haps a special exception from our general rule has been
made in their favour. They are then willing to help in
the work of the ship, "lend a hand" to the re,pes, and
get on very well till they are lauded again on the soil of
" orthodox and holy " Russia, with the chance of being
shot down by their own countrymen as soon as they set
foot on it.

Off Lyserart we meet a sister ship of the squadron
which had been more successful than ourselves ; she
has sent a little fleet of boats down to Memel, and
now has in tow a small Danish coaster, caught much
too far from the Danish shore, the Gulf of Riga not
leading in the direction of Copenhagen. The captain's
papers are for the Danish territory only, and are, more-
over, backed by two separate warnings given him last
year—one by a French, the other by an English com-
mander. It looks like a case of " pertinacity," and,
with these fatal endorsements, it will probably go bard
with our Danish friend and the Mario Margarita in the
High Court of Admiralty. For part of the cruise he
Was a fellow passenger, and be certainly told a grievous
tale. lie was a ruined man with the best intentions.
His only purpose was to sell his stores to the English
fleet, but, unluckily, he had no proof of the fact.
It is remarkable that all these vessels are taken on
their way to the English fleet ; of the existence of
Russian armies and high prices on the mainland
they are perfectly ignorant. It may be imagined
our officers'do not find this service a pleasant one ; it is
necessary, and a duty, and it is done, but it is a very
dim image of war indeed. There is nothing in it to com-
pensate the harassing disputes it involves, and the per-
sonal, onftsee. From such re
often piteous supplications they
the amountheyhavoto of listeii to
and prize
money is scarcely worth consideration, and the payment
of that is so long delayed by the tedious legal process of
condemnation and the subsequent official forms, that it
is possible the present junior officers will be receiving
their shares when they are grey-headed men.
There is a feeling of disappointment at the fleet hav-
ingdone so little—its achievements have certainly not
been striking or brilliant ; but theer
n
(s,eirtvhinceetslehrnouyl,ds
ennomtnlowerecealietuhlaats sued me importanceyhde amount
s
pe
It should also be estimated by what it compelsstoYhrim
command. of the Baltic it w
do and prevents him from doing,
tart' power on the continent. The Had %,ussia the
onhi ' full
of the allied
presence
fleet in this sea is an immense strength
diverson of her
from the more act. t almost doublo her mill-
ive Bea Of war in the South. It corn-

pets the Russian Government to keep an army of
90,000 men in the provinces of the coast south of St.
Petersburg, to maintain garrisons equal to an army-iin
the capital and Cronstadt, and a third large military
force in Finland. These masses of then cannot be drawn
upon for reinforcements to any other quarter. This
is the great result gained by the allied naval forces. It
has not done what it was more especially expected to do,
because too much of our " Armada " is too colossal for
the work, too vast to operate in creeks and over shal-
lows. We are hunting, with mastiffs, a prey that can
only be reached by weasles ; the relative proportions of
gun-boats and line-of-battle ships are something similar.
The best protection of the Russian forts are the shal-
lows that keep our grand floating castles at a harmless
distance. Let any one sit down and study a chart -of
these seas, with their many islands, banks, and shoals,
and the multituda of cautious soundings that must be
observed by ships of ordinary burden, and he will cer-
tainly rise with an impression that tln, Baltic is scarcely
large enough for such leviathans as the Duke of Wel.
lington.