The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-01 00:00:00

The Bombardment of Cape Haytien.

The New York Herald of the 17th ult. publishes
long details from Kingston of the bombardment of
Cape llaytien by the Bulldog, and the destruction
of the latter vessel :

" The following is an extract from the journal of
an officer on board the United. States' steamer De
Soto,who witnessed the whole affair from her decks:
" ' From 8 a.m. to meridian, wind variable, from
south to south-west, weather clear and fine, ther-
mometer (in shade) 90 degrees, barometer 30.5.
At 8.35 her Britannic Majesty's steamer Bull-
dog made her appearance off the entrance of
the harbour, in company with three Hay-
tian (Geffrard) war steamers. Lieut-Commander
Howell returned on board, bringing off the families
of the Prussian and Belgian Consuls. At a quarter
to 9 o'clock, when abreast of Fort Cirolet, the Bull-
dog opened fire on the same, and about five minutes
later the fort returned the fire. At ten minutes to 9
we started fires under the main boilers for the pur-
pose of getting up steam, and sent Lieut. Read in
the second cutter with a message to the Bulldog.
Lieut. Read was unable to board her, and returned
to the ship. The Bulldog, having entered the har-
bour, stood for the rebel steamer Valorogue at full
speed, using her starboard battery upon the city,
and from her tops firing rifles at the people on shore
and at the crew of the Valorogue. When within
short musket range of the Valorogue, and going at
full speed, and abreast of the turret Detaing, the
Bulldog grounded, and was unable to extricate her-
self from her perilous position, being within point-
blank range of a heavy masked battery on shore,
which immediately opened fire upon her, as also did
numerous sharpshooters and riflemen. A fragment
of a shell from the Bulldog striking an English
blockade runner, she was immediately abandoned
by her captain and crew, who came on board this
vessel for protection. Hove short, and sent Lieut.
Read to the Bulldog with a message to her comman-
der. Lieut. Read succeeded in boarding her, and,
through the midst of a heavy fire, at 20 minutes
to nine o'clock Lieutenant-Commander Howell re-
turned in the launch, bringing off a large number
of persons, among whom were the Hamburg
and Oldenburg Consuls, who claimed protection
under our flag. At a quarter to 10 the Valorogue
sank, with her colours flying, having been
hulled several times by the Bulldog, and the few
who remained on board clung to the rigging when
the steamer's hull disappeared, and thus remained
under the fire of the Englishman's riflemen until
picked up by his boat and taken prisoners. Several
of the crew of the Valorogue and a portion of the
crew of the largest schooner of the Haytian fleet
were rescued from the water, in the midst of a shower
of bullets, and taken on shore by Lieutenant Sum-
ner, in the third cutter, which was despatched upon
this errand of humanity by Captain Walker. At 10
Lieut.-Commander Howell and Acting Ensign Kane
went on shore with a heavily armed boat's crew, for
the purpose of bringing off any foreigners who de-
sired protection. At 10 minutes past 10 the largest
schooner of the Haytian war fleet sank, having re-
ceived two shot holes in the port bow and at the
water line. At half-past 10 hove up anchor and got
under way under steam, a boat with an officer from
the Bulldog coming alongside at the same time with
a message for the commanding officer. At half-past
11 another officer came alongside from the Bulldog,
with a message which amounted to this, That he
wished us to attempt to tow him off shore.' At 45
minutes past 11 came to anchor in 101 fathoms of
water, and veered to 35 fathoms of chain at the
bitts' on the starboard bower chain. Bearings of
anchorage—Fort Cirolet, north by west three quar-
ters west ; Custom-house, west south-west ; Fort
Vilton, south by west one-half west ; Petit Anse,
south three-quarters east ; Mangrove Island, east by
south. At 11.35 Lieut. Sumner returned with the
first cutter from shore, bringing off several foreigners
claiming protection, among whom was the Vice-Con-
sul of France. At meridian Lieutenant Sumner
went on board the Bulldog with an officer from
the commanding officer to receive and care for such
wounded persons as he (the commander of the Bull-
dog) might see fit to send off. The commanding
officer of the Bulldog declined the offer ; his men
being badly wounded, and the ship under fire, he
deemed it expedient to remove them.
" From meridian to 4 p.m.—Light wind from
the N.N.E. ; weather clear and fine ; thermometer,
87 deg. ; barometer, 30.2. Her Britannic Majesty's
steamer Bulldog still aground, and engaging the
shore batteries. Lieut.-Commander Howell went
ashore in the second cutter, returning on board at
45 minutes past 1. The town is on fire in the north-
ern and windward part, from the effects of the Bull-
dog's shells. At 4 the firing nearly ceased on both
sides, the Bulldog firing only occasionally. Re-
ceived on board in all 47 persons, people from the
city of Cape Haytien, who have desired protection.
" From 4to 6 p.m.—Bulldog still firing at the
shore batteries, and occasionally spiritedly sweep-
ing the streets in the vicinity of the Bureau-au-Port
with broadsides of grape and canister, the shore
batteries answering but feebly and occasionally. A
number of the people whom we brought off from
shore (foreigners) left the ship and embarked on an
English schooner, which will probably run the block-
ade to-night. Three of Geffrard's steamers are
cruising in the offing. Received from her Britannic
Majesty's steamer Bulldog, for medical treatment,
the following wounded men, viz. :—Samuel Boden,
seaman ; James Greene, captain of foretop ; John
Donnelly, captain of maintop ; Francis Merediff,
seaman; Benjamin Richardson, seaman; Jerome
Pascoe, stoker ; Jas. Burton, marine ; and Bina
Juprey, a Haytian, one of the crew of the Valo-
rogue. Received also from the Bulldog 7 Haytians,
being a portion of the crew of the Valorogue, taken
as prisoners from the water and the rigging of the
sunken schooner Valorogue by the English boats.
" ' From 6 to 8 nothing worthy of note occurred.
A midshipman from the Bulldog came on board
with a message from the commanding officer.
" From 8 p.m. to midnight, calm, weather clear.
"At 30 minutes past 10 her Britannic Majesty's
steamer Bulldog blew up with terrific force, the
concussion shaking this ship. In an instant all our
boats were lowered and manned, and despatched
to the wreck of the Bulldog, under the following
officers respectively : —Lieutenant Sumner, Lieute-
nant Read, Acting Master Brice, and Acting Ensign
Kane. Arriving there no bodies were found, she
having been abandoned previous to the explosion,
the crew carrying off their dead with them.' "
The following is an extract from a private letter
from Port-au-Prince, dated the Bth of Nevember
" Political affairs bear a very bad aspect since the
last two or three days, especially as the English
have now got their finger in the pie. I will try and
give you an account by what means they have
become implicated in this business. It appears
that Mr. Dutton, English Consul at the Cape,
had taken to his house a few Haytian refugees,
and that M. Salnave, the rebel chief, had de-
sired Mr. Dutton to give him up those people, which
was refused, whereupon his house was entered by
force, and the poor fellows who were under his pro-
tection taken out and shot by Salnave on the sea-
shore. The rebels then commenced to wreak their
vengeance on the consul's house ; they smashed up
his furniture, took everything they could lay their
hands on, and, to wind up their fun, they pulled
down the English flag, and stamped and spat upon
it, they at the time not being aware of the conse-
quences arising from this insult. Mr. Dutton im-
mediately went on board her Majesty's ship Bull-
dog (which vessel was lying off the Cape at the
time), and laid the question before the captain, who
went to work at once, and asked Salnave what he
meant. The reply was that what ho (Salnave) had
already done was well done, and--" aux blancs.".
The captain went on board and wrote him a letter,
stating that if he did not give him full and ample
satisfaction he would take it upon himself to do so,
and satisfy all parties concerned ; he gave four-
and-twenty hours to think over it, and then left the
Cape. Next morning the Bulldog was seen steam-
ing into the harbour, and on passing Fort Cirolet
was fired into by Salnave. The Bulldog at once
answered the fire with a withering broadside, dis-
mantled all the guns on that fort, steamed further
in, and smashed up another small fort, and sent a
shell into the arsenal, blowing it up. The Valorogue,
a vessel, you must remember, that was taken by the