The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-11 00:00:00

SIR ROWARD DOUGLAS ON THEATTACK

OF BOMARSUND.

General Sir H. Douglas deems it an act of justice to
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier to tender to the editor
of The Sun the accompanying paper, extracted from the
new edition of the "Naval Gunnery," on the attack of
Bomarsund :

"The capture and destruction of Bomarsund, with
little loss, and in a very short time, by the skilful man-
ner in which the military and naval forces co-operated
with each other in those operations, are satisfactory
illustrations—may they prove happy omens !—of the
success which, as stated in Art. 332, p. 347, and Art.
332 c., p. 335.* will usually attend all such well-con-
certed undertakings. The forts were breached, and the
fortress reduced to the necessity of surrendering, by a
few powerful solid-shot guns landed from the ships of
the combined fleet. Shell-guns and hollow shot could
not have effected this, whether fired from the land or
from ships' batteries. It is no disparagement to the
naval forces to assert that they alone could not have de-
molished the defences of Bomarsund in so short a time,
and not without much damage to the ships. The firing
of shot and shells from the French and English ships
at long ranges caused no serious injury; but the breaching
of the forts, and the skilful establishment of a breaching.
battery within 400 yards of the rear of the fortress ren-
dered all further resistance vain. General Jones states,
in his official despatoh, that the interior of the place
sheared that the fire of the ships did such tiiffing in-
jury, that the governor with so strong a garrison in
a well-caseinated work, and without a breach having
been formed, ought not to have surrendered ; but
the batteries, armed with 32-pounder British guns,
bieng ready to open, and the forts destroyed, Bomarsund
was no longer defensible. The British Admiral exer-
cised a wise discretion in not exposing the ships of the
combined fleet to the severe damage they would have suss
tamed by recklessly advancing under the fire of the
enemy's seaward batteries ' • and, having conducted with
admirable skill the whole fleet through the intricacies of
the channels leading to the point of attack, and arranged;
with his gallant Allies and associates the plan of opera-
tions, he did right to leave to the land batteries to do
what they so well and skilfully accomplished, and to
keep the fleet in reserve, upon the principle that the sea-
ward fronts of such forts being always thicker and
stronger than the works, if any, which enclose them in.
the rear, should never be attacked in front if by any
means they can be turned and battered in the reverse.
Thus there can be no question, that the place was taken
by the land attack under Marshal Baragnay d'Hilliers .
and the skilful engineers General Harry Jones and Gene-
ral Niel, and by means so effectual that without any other
assistance from the naval forces than the loan of a few of
their solid shot guns, and that of investing the place by
sea, to prevent succours from being thrown in, Bomar-
sund must have fallen. Authentic information, for the
accuracy of which the author vouches, enables him to
state that, with respect to the effects of the solid shot on
the granite with which the walls were facbd, the French
guns made no impression on the blocks when they
were struck perpendicularly in the middle of their
faces ; nor (lid the shot fired from the more powerful
32-pounder British guns split the granite when so struck ;
but when the blocks were hit by the latter near the edge,
or on a joint of the masonry, theylwere displaced, the
joints penetrated, the wall shaken ; and this not being
backed with solid masonry, but filled in with rubble,
the mass was thrown down and a practicable breach
formed. This successful operation is very generally but
erroneously stated to have been effected by the fire of
the ships, and is even strongly held up as a proof of
what ships can do and ought to attempt alone elsewhere.
But the reselts of the experimental firing at the remnant
of the fort, which, unless the previous firing of the ships
during the attack was perfectly harmless, must have
been somewhat damaged, and moreover shaken by the
blowing up of the contiguous portions, do not warrant
this conclusion, even should the attacking ships be
permitted, like the Edinburgh, to take up, quietly
and coolly, positions within 500 yards, and then de-
liberately commence and continue their firing, with-
out being fired at ! (Pp. 335, 333, at top.) The
firing of the Edinburgh at 1,060 yards was unsatisfac-
tory. 390 shot and shells were fired from the largest
and most powerful guns in the British navy (viz., from
the Lancaster gun of 95 cwt., with an elongated shell of
1001 b. ; from 63-pounders of 95 cwt., and 32-pounders
of 56 ow t., solid shot guns ; from 10-inch shell guns of
S I cwt., with hollow shot of 841 b. ; and 8-inch shell
guns of 65 cwt. and 60 cwt., with hollow shot of 561 b.),
but did little injury to the work. At 480 yards 259
shot, shells, and hollow shot were fired ; a small
breach was formed in the facing of the outer wall,
of extremely bad masonry, and considerable damage
done to the embrasures and other portions of the wall ;
but no decisive result was obtained, no practicable
breach termed by which the work might be assaulted,
taken, and effectually destroyed (p. 353, line 12),
although 640 shot and shells (40,0001 b of metal)
were fired into the place, first at 1,060 yards, and
then at 480 yards. Several casemates had fallen in,
the embrasures not having been made high enough to
admit of giving the guns sufficient elevation for very
distant firing, in attempting which the keystones were
actually blown out, the casemates ruined, and their guns
rendered useless. The Lancaster shells, of which such
high expectations were entertained, failed signally in
precision of fire, even at 480 yards; and evidently cannot
be depended npoutheaa-Ailsed. from. a. large and
steady ship. (Pp. 358-363.) What, then, can Wei-
pected from those guns and proJectilea, at 0 pirder
when fired from the side of a °tank despita gultbdat t
(P. 363.) Shells, whether percussion or time-fused, 'and
hollow shot broke on striking the granite (pp. 334,
345) , and it was found that percussion shells could be
of ne use in such a case (p. 296, line 11 ; p. 313, line
20), whereas time-fused shells might produce their effects
upon the personnel in the interior of the fort, by enter-
bag a casemate through the embrasure and then explod-
ing. It is of very great importance that the facts of the
case should be rightly understood, lest wrong notions
should induce the attack of more formidable places
which do not admit of military co-operation, with*ships
alone ; and which the author repeats, now more confi-
dently than ever, would be a desperate and perilous ex-
periment."

* In the articles to which these figures refer, these results
are fully predicated.

THE CASE OF ARCHDEACON DENISON.

VERDICT OF THE COMMISSIONERS.
CLEVEDON, Wednesday.—The Commission in this in.
quiry resumed its sittings this afternoon at Wason'e
Royal Hotel, Clevedon. The attendance was by no
means so numerous as on the preceding days.
Dr. Haggard having stated that the Commissioners
were now prepared to declare their opinion,
Bishop Carr read the following •
.
The Commissioners, after due consideration of the de-
positions taken before them, and of certain printed ser-
mons numbered 1,2, and 3, and of the documents an.
nexed, declare their unanimous opinion.
First, that as respects the preaching and publication,
or making known and public the above sermons by the
Ven. the Archdeacon of Taunton within the diocese of
Bath and Wells, there are sufficient prima facie grounds
for instituting further proceedings.
Secondly, the Commissioners, having carefully ex-
amined the aforesaid sermons and the charges specified
in this commission, declare their unanimous opinion
that the proposition of the von. archdeacon, that to all
who come to the Lord's Table, and to those who eat
and drink worthily, and to those who eat and drink un.
worthily, the body and blood of Christ are given ; and
that by all who come to the Lord's Table, by those who
eat and drink worthily, and by those who eat and drink
unworthily, the body and blood of Christ are received,
is directly contrary or.repugnant to the doctrine of the
Church of England, and especially to the articles of re-
ligion ; and that the doctrines as set forth in the afore-
said sermons with reference to the real presence of the
holy eucharist, are unsupported by the articles in their
literal and grammatical sense, are contrary to the doc-
trines and teaching of the Church of England, and have
a very dangerous tendency.
The Commissioners are therefore of opinion—secondly,
that there is sufficient prima facie ground for institut-
ing further proceedings.
The Commissioners at the same time think it due to
the venerable the archdeacon to stata that, in the ser-
mons under consideration, he has expressed his full
assent and consent to the articles of religion, and that be
has, ex aplmo, condemned the doctrines of the Church
of Rome, Red particularly of the Roman doctrine of
transub,tani 1011.

Bishop Carr added that the commissioners having
fully considered the subject, and now delivered their
opinion, begged to state that the commission wag now
closed, and that copies of their decision would be given
to either party if they should wish it, on application to
Mr. George Burcheil, of Doctors'-c nunons, who offi-
ciated as registrar during the inquiry.
Dr. Phillimore was not in attendance today, being,
we were informed, engaged in the Admiralty Court. Dr.
Bayford was present, on the part of the promoter of tha
suit.

The whole proceedings were concluded in lees than a
quarter of an hour.

UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.

OXFORD, JAN. 10. .
The Vice• Chancellor has given notice, that the sub-
ject for the Sacred Poem of the year 1857 is " The
Death of Jacob."

The compositions must consist of not less than -CO,
nor more than 300 lines.
The ead.didates must be members of the University,
who at the time, when the subject is announced, shall
have passed the public examination for the degree of B, 4.
The compositions are to be sent under a sealed cover
to the Registrar of the University, on or before ,the Ist
day of December, 1856, and the prize is to be adjudged
on the Ist day of June, 1857.

A copper mine is about to be opened and worked in
the Murtscher range, on the frontier between the Swiss
cantons of Glares and St. Gallen, under the direction of
Dr. H. Simon and a Mr. Stohr, a Bavarian.
DrrnistErieStlTCßoAu.—rt San Francisco,
apettion
was
filedD eTcli.fl3lo.r—Ra IwYnsrstiltbAe TwelfthollfPbaliblezaEs, corpus to bring before Judge
Norton three Russian prisoners, alleged to be held Me-
gaily as prisoners of war by the English prize crew on
board the Sitka, now lying in our harbour. The ille-
gality of their present confinement is based on the fact
set forth that they were brought out of British posses-
sions into the state of California, and cannot, by reason
of such removal, be longer held lawfully in British CUE*
toly. A writ of habeas corpus was issued, returnable
before this court on Monday last, but early on the
morning of the Sabbath the ship quietly hoisted her
anchors and put to sea.