The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-21 00:00:00

two English armed steamers, a large and smaller
vessel, arrived at Degerby custom-house, in the
EouVI-east of the Aland group, on the 29th of May.
number of sailors landed, whereon the inhabitants
took to flight ; but the officer in command gave his
arms to an attendant, and, reassured by this act,
the people returned and spoke with their visitors,
two of whom (one of them a native Alander) spoke
Swedish. The English requested permission to buy
fresh provisions. This has been forbidden under
dreadful penalties by the Russian Government, and
Was therefore refused. One old man, however, pro-
duced four score of eggs, which were highly paid for.
The English officer then invited all the custom-
house people to visit the ships, but they refused. It
was said in Aland that the nglish met with a se-
vere loss in their attack on Hangey Point, and that
the Russians lost 400 men at Eckness. The garri-
son at Bomarsund is reported to be too weak,
and to have no reserve. Nearly every able-bodied
man has been sent into the interior. On the same
iday (the 29th) 20 Russian gunboats, each manned
11 GO men, bad been seen iu Storfiord, some miles
'torn Nystad. Ten of them were towed by a
Steamer, the Storfursten. They were said to
belong to the Abo squadron.
A letter from Dantzic, of the 15th, states that a
tumour was prevalent there that the squadron
ttnler the orders of Admiral Parseval•Deschenes
had effected its junction on the 13th with the
English squadron.

The following is a letter from a gentleman
cruising in his yacht, in company with the fleet
under Sir Charles Napier :

"Off Sweaborg and Helsingfors, June 12.—My last
,as in great haste from Baro Sound, a few days back.
we left it with our steam fleet on the 9th, and after a short
„Cruise hither we all anchored in the gulf off Ronskars
Lighthouse (on Porkalla Udde) till this morning on account
believe of the thick, nasty weather. Yesterday Admiral
Oorry's sailing division of the fleet came up the gulf, and was
lent into our old berth Baro Sound, where it now is. Thus
ours
handy to each other are these two great divisions.
van (steam screw) numbers nine line-of-battle ships,
including the Austerlitz, two screw frigates, and a few
Paddle-wheel steamers. The sailing division numbers
12 line-of-battle (of which three are screw), besides
leaser ships. We left our anchorage this morning at
," o'clock with the steam fleet, and were honoured
7 being towed by the St. Jean d'Acre—our good friend
""Ppel. On our reaching this, in a few hours, three
Paddle-wheel steamers were sent towards the en-
trance to Sweaborg (round Miolo Bay), where they
:
Lin are, and are engaged, probably, in taking sound-
Ne, exploring the coasts, and making out the channel
for an early entrance of the fleet to closer quarters with
the enemy. Meanwhile, we are anchored within seven
oreight miles of him, our good little Esmeralda holding
fast in this deep water by a hawser from the St. Jean
dlikere. This is our first summer's day. We clearly
1,8" Helsingfors, the Sweaborg fortifications, and the
:mission fleet of nine or ten big ships. One of them,
flagship, is moored across the only now possible
"
D"r big ships) entrance to Helsingfors—that between
Ustafsvarn and Back Holmen Island. Gustafsvarn,
Laugern, and the three Svarts's Islands are very strongly
fortified, but I believe Back Iloltnen is not. The other
Russian ships are anchored in a line along the north end
154 Back Holmen, from the flag-ship to its N.E. extremity,
,et it seems that it is too long from N. to S. for them to
" harm to our ships if in the bay outside. However,
We, like others, are quite in the dark as to what can be
ind What will be done ere long in this locale. We hope
to learn more after we have had a nearer view of the
lncli-vaunted impregnability of this Sweaborg. When
llthat, will be I know not. We may at any moment, after
Ole return to head-quarters of those three steamers, be
trdered to go in and anchor in Miolo Bay, near Swea-
Org, or return to Baro Sound. My impression is, that
„e are only now corne up to reconnoitre the ground, and
"eat we shall not attempt anything great till the arrival
nt the French fleet. It was at Kiel three weeks ago,
tnac4'Y' did not come u Juste
reday to Baro Sound
morning
rue ships were seen coming from the westward ; per-
haps they are the French.
"The Bulldog is just ordered to proceed with the
;master of the fleet close in to reconnoitre Helsingfors.
The fleet are under way."
„h3he following letter, dated June 13, is from an
'quer on board the fleet :--

`` The grumblers in England, who imagine that the
j;43% of Nelson and Collingwood are passed, will, per-
,l;ltPs, be gratified to hear that Sir Charles Napier has
°l'm that still some of the spirit of the olden time
sts by advancing close off the srong fortresses of
Weaborg, Revel, and Ceonstadt with a squadron of
nine line-of-battle ships (the remainder of the fleet
s,tlng detached off Gothland to form a junction with the
teach fleet on their arrival in these waters), thereby
throwing down the gauntlet to the bragging Russians,
Ali •
in those ports, within a few hours' sail of his small
iltinadron, lie protected by impregnable forts, which can
ael
Y be attacked by one ship at a time, in the hope that
Bo
ale casualty may happen to our brave ships that will
aable them to pounce on our fleet when in a disabled
From a lighthouse on an island close to where
I°.e are anchored we can overlook them lying quietly
!neared in Helsingfors, while the English flag is con-
oltaptuouslv waving in their waters on board a squadron
not half their force, blockading their ports and de-
Bt
roving their trade.
It is the universal opinion in the fleet (anxious as
iWe all are to distinguish ourselves) that, however dash-
g a thing it might be for our gallant Admiral to rush
madly against stone walls, it would be the heig
r,„ ht of
-"Y to endanger the disabling of our fleet, thereby leav-
vilg the seas open to the Russians, who would know too
Show to take advantage of such a state of affairs.
till. Charles Napier is by no means in an enviable posi-
t•lla, with the eyes of Europe upon him, at the same
Itillne necessitated to act with 'discretion,' which renders
t lleb caution necessary to enable him more effectively
Iv°, forward the real object for which he is sent here—
iftlieh we all understand is to keep in check and destroy,
We can, the all-vaunted Russian fleet, of which we
,Ilre heard so much of late years. Revel is in sight on
miles,l; -11 right hand, and Helsingfors on our left—Revel 15
Helsingfors 12."
tThe following are the present (June 12) stations
°' the fleet
Sir Charles Napier, with the advance squadron, con-
eiating of the Duke, Edinburgh, St. Jean d'Acre, Prin-
ji'tsa Royal, Caesar Hogue, Blenheim, Cressy, Auster-
litz (French), screw-frigates Imperieuse and Arrogant,
steam-frigates Bulldog, Driver; and Dragon, are
j,.llleing off °Helsingfors, and going in a day or two off
114°nstadt, where some advanced frigates have already,
eell• The Lightning has just returned from a survey-
trip to Aland Islands, which are reported to be very
b;°,,agly fortified. Admiral Plumridge, with the Leo-
in, Valorous, and Vulture, has been away five weeks
irti the Commander-in-Chief in the Gulf of Bothnia ;
news of them since they left. Admiral Corry, with
,`line-of-battle ships and two or three steam-frigates, is
i.ll,unng off Gothland (now ordered up immediately to
":1111 the Commander-in-Chief). The Amphion, Conflict,
Celiser, and Archer are in the Gulf of Riga, blockading ;
feather
at Stockholm, and Penelope off Hango Head.
weather cold ; strong easterly wind, with rain. Fleet
ealthy. The Neptune had several cases of small-pox ;
Or,le now. Also Breslau, French line-of-battle ship,
small-pox; now ended. French fleet, en route, ex-
pected to join in us in a week or so. Austerlitz, a
h
itc'ble ship, does her work well. We can count 13
isian line-of-battle ships and several steamers in Hel-
e~hgfers. A chain is said to be drawn across the narrow
entrance into the harbour.