The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-30 00:00:00

,~~~uG~

[PRICE SD.

'earthworks of enormous thickness, and of the smallest
elevation that would afford a range to the guns. The
solid mound of the Roman re-appeared (faced sometimes with masonry to prevent an escalade), because it alone
possessed the power of resisting, for any length of time,
the terrible energy of the new invention. However, the
Russians, having built towers of granite or some sea-
gliola sAbatitute, the word, went forth, an'l granite towers
were pronouncedinipregnahle. To doubt their strength
exposed yOu to ridicule, to deny it to anathema. ' TheY
were religiously believed in ; and if the:pzar had mounted
them with catapults, it would have been protounced
"certain destruction" to approach armed only with
Paixhans. However,' the granite battery pretext for
inaction will no longer prevail. .
' Not the least ,gratifying part of tha.gailant and im-
portant achieveinent at Bouiarsund is, that it- has been
accomplished with a small loss of life. Had the short
and decisive' coarse which Was there employed Leen
zi.dopted sooner, how Many might have been saved out of
the thousands of the Allied, the Turkish, and the Pus.
Sinn soldiers, who have perished by the sword, or still
more miserably by disease, at Gallipoli, Varna, Silistria,
and in the fatal marshes of the Dobrudscha ?

(From the Tigne.s.)
A. great question of modern warfare was opened with
the commencement of the present hostilities. The arts
of offence and defence had both experienced what were
considered very signal improvements. On the one hand,
ships were not only moved by steam, but were so moved,
through the employment of the screw, without exposure
of their machinery to hostile shot. In addition to this,
the power of marine batteries had been 'prodigiously
auguieuted, and it might-be said without eakigeration
that a three-decker of the present day was, from the
c eicetttration no le.s than the weight of her broadside,,
fu 1 ,three times as formidable as a vessel of the same
ate in the time of N. lsou and Jervis. Our steamers,
'tdo, earned pivot guns of a rangs and calibre unknown
before, so that, altogether, we seemed to dispose of a
force almost irresistible. On the other hand, a system
of fortification La I been adopted Ly Russia, which, if
not abiolutely-novel, was at any rate carried to a 9 ex-
traordinary degree of perfection. Its character involved
•80111 e return to the usages of more ancient times. Re-
liance was again placed on the height and solidity of
stone walls and bastions ; foundations of living rock
were surmounted by enormous blocks of granite, and
tier over tier of heavy artillery menaced instant de-
struction from behind the impregnable rampart of stone.
Now, which of these two Systems was to prevail—the
new walls or the new shot—the defence or the attack—
the floating battery or the granite fort ? The result in-
volved the solution of two distinct questions ; first,
whether fortifications of this description were dstruc-
tible at all; and next, whether, if they were destructible,
aship could withstand the fire of their guns 19ng enough
to destroy them with her own.
Without venturing to say that these points have been
yet decided, we do think that evidence of a character at
least partially conclusive has been furnished by the re-
cent capture of the Russian forts at Bomarsund. The
offensive and defensive systems were here fairly pitted
against each other, Bomarsund was a fortified place of
the first order—not, of course, as extensive or as for- midable as Cronstadt or Sebastopol, but differing from
these strongholds in size only, and constructed in all re-
spects upon the principles we have been describing—in
fact, the works were some of the most recent erected by
the Russian Government. There was a principal fort,
and two smaller ones, mounting in the whole, we be-
lieve, nearly 200 guns. For the attack we' had all the
resources of the combined fleets in the Baltic, but the
means actually employed were very limited. In the
communications of our own correspondent they are cir-
c mat
uantially specified as follows :-Ist, 100 Chasseurs
(artillery), with three mortars and three field pieces, and
600 Riflemen ; 2d, 100 British sailors and 60 Marine
Artillerymen, with three 32-pounders, four 121 b. howit-
zers, and aided by 200 marines, employed in skirmish-
ing; 3d, 20 British sailors, with one 10-inch gun in bat-
tery by itself. This was the sum total of the land force
engaged. Of the ships we are told that the steamers
fired none but their pivot guns (two to each), with the
exception of the Edinburgh and Ajax, which brought
four upper deck guns to bear. No broadside batteries
were brought to bear at all.
Now, what was the result of this experiment ?
What the performance of these comparatively few guns
against the granite walls of Bomarsund ? Why, that
the ramparts of rocks were knocked to atoms, and the
impregnable fortress, with its garrison of 2,300 men,
taken at the cost of only 22 lives to the allied forces ?
The description of the aspect presented by the forts
after the capitulation is instructive in the extreme. In
the second round tower, says our correspondent, " the
bleach made by Captain Remsay'e battery (that of the
three 32-pounders), firing at 800 yards, across an
inlet, was something terrific. The whole west side
had literally fallen away, and eight men abreast could
have entered thereby. This breach was effected in nine
hours." Of the great fort itselfeve are told that, "Un-
der the walls of this huge fortification the ground was
completely bestrewn with 841 b. shot, broken shells,
grape, and canister, intermixed with enormous sheets of
iron that had been dislodged from the roof, and the
granite walls had been broken away in thousands of
places." The Governor of the fort himself declared
that the 10-inch gun (Captain Pelham's) and the 321 b.
battery (Captain Ramsay's) had rendered his chance cf
holding out longer quite hopeless. Here, therefore, is a
strong fort of the new character absolutely battered to
pieces by some score of guns or so, and the power of
shot against stone so pl ,inly exemplified that it seems
difficult to raise any further question upon the point. If
ships themselves can but resist the fire of the shore bat-
teries they can soon demolish them, however strongly
constructed.
On this second point, however, evidence still remains
to be supplied. The fighting at Bomarsund was all on
our own side, nor had the Russians much to do except
to stand and be beaten. The steamers, with their heavy
pivot guns, anchored out of range of the fort, besides
which the fire of the French Riflemen was so deadly,
and so well sustained that the Russians could hardly
work their artillery. Such a shower of bullets, it is
said: was poured into the embrasures that 10 or 15
minutes frequently elapsed after a discharge before the
eremy could stand to their guns to load again. Our list
of casualties indeed, is sufficient in itself to show that we
could not have been exposed to any heavy cannonade, and
that the trial was more of giving than taking. We are still,
therefore, left in doubt as to the relative means of
offence possessed by heavy ships and granite batteries,
but there are two or three considerations 'which seemed
to tell against the latter. Assuming that a discharge
from 200 or 300 embrasures must be tremendous, yet the
smoke arising from such a fire must be almost en.oisesh
to smother the gunners in their casemates, not to merg.
tion the effects of the return broadsides against the walls.
In such a smoke all aim must be lost, and, as ships are
move able objects, the offensive power of the batteries
must be almost destroyed for the time, whereas it seems
now clear that an hour or two's firing would give all
the superiority to the assailants. If a fort like that at
Bomarsund was so knocked about by four guns in battery
and the pivot guns of a few steamers, what must be the
effect of a dozen concentrated broadsides from twenty
huge ships of the line ? It almost stands to reason that
the granite, however solid, would be shattered to pieces.
To take a fair example, let us suppose that half-a-dozen
three-deckers, including the Duke of Wellington, had
been laid alongside the great fort at Bomarsund, so that
the batteries on both sides were within range of each
other. Would the 100 guns of the fort have demolished
the ships before the 300 guns of the ships bad beaten the
fort about the ears of its garrison ? We confess we can
hardly think so. We arc not complaining that this course
should not have been adopted. Undoubtedly the best
system of action was that which would !leave least to
chance and involve least peril of life. If other forts can
be taken in like manner by a couple of sailors' batteries
and a battalion of riflemen, by all means let such satis-
factory practice be continued ; but in cases where such
tactics are less feasible, and wooden walls must needs be'
set against stone walls, we think our apprehensions re-
specting the invincible strength of granite may be con-
siderably modified by the recollections of Bomarsund.

AQUATICS.

THAMES UNITY BOAT CLUB.

The Thames Unity Boat Club rowed a very exedient
four•oared race yesterday, for pieces of plate given by
the club to its wagering members.

R emd
...
..... .... .... ...... . .
..
.. . ...
Richardson. 1
Fraser.
Fox, steerer.

Yellow
2
Mesa:4. Blerckllo. Mes.,rs. Mills.
Duckett. Pail.
Andrews, steerer.

Blue
............
Messrs. Nownham.
Messrs. Howland.... 0
Rae.
Clayton.
Smith, steerer.
The distance was from Putney to Barnes. They all
got away evenly together and at a fine pace, red taking
the lead, closely followed by yellow up to Hammersmith
Bridge, where red increased their lead, ultimately win-
ning by nearly four lengths. To the last blue
seemed to abandon all notion of success, and eased.

C.VUTION TO PUBLICANS AND TRADESMEN.—A cor-
respondent writes, " that a gang of sharpers, four in
number, have lately adopted the plan of proonring
situations as barmen and waitresses for a number of
their confederates, who, as soon as they are installed,
commence their plundering operations. The leaders of
the gang make a daily round, calling in at the houses
where their confederates are placed, and ordering a
glass of ale or spirits, for which they tender a small coin
in payment, but receive change as for half-a-crown.
The system is said' to be extended to grocers' and other
tradesmen's shops."
The Committee of the Liverpool Exchange News-
room, acting upon a memorial of the shareholders, have
given notice that on and after the 2nd
Exchange News-room will be closed at 5
p.except on
Satur-
day, the newspapers being removed at 4).m., . on oximo the
room
will be
the occasion of a foreign arrival, whoa the
proximo
kept open until 8 p.m.