The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-29 00:00:00

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LONDON, SATURDAY, JULY 29, 1854.

Sir CHARLES NAPIER. is at perfect liberty to do
anything he likes to undertake in the way of war-
like operations ! That is the permission granted
to him by the Government. But Sir CHARLES
NAPIER has told the Admiralty in a letter, one
sentence from which was read to the House of
Commons, on Tuesday evening, by the First
Naval Lord Commissioner, that to have attacked
either Cronstadt or Sweaborg with the fleet, would
have been " certain destruction." Observe the
condition under which the attack would be certain
destruction ! It would be certain destruction to
attack either Cronstadt or Sweaborg with the fleet.
Leaving us naturally to infer that something else
is requisite in the estimation of the maritime
Commander-in-Chief, that something else is
requisite besides the "fleet," to enable him with-
out " certain destruction" to attack either of those
mighty fortifications. We are not twisting the
words of Admiral Narita, in order to give them
a merely distorted interpretation. The meaning
of the Admiral's declaration lies on the surface. In
order to prove this more clearlywe give the sentence,
yet again, precisely as it was read on Tuesday even-
ing by Admiral BERKELEY from the floor of the
Lower House of the Legislature. It runs simply
thus—"lt has not been in my power to do any-
thing with this powerful fleet ; for attacking either
Cronstadt or Sweaborg would have been certain
destruction." Would have been certain destruc-
tion—that is—" with this powerful fleet"—with
this fleet unaided by anything else ! Vessels of
war alone cannot accomplish the capture or de-
struction of Sweaborg or Cronstadt, with their
vast granite walls, and their gigantic, and nume-
rous, and artfully-arranged fortifications. Admiral
BEZEELEY only read that one sentence from the
letter sent home by Sir CHARLES NAPIER. What
was the context ? It would be well to know.
Rumour avows that it was to the effect that al-
though nothing could be done with the fleet
alone, something might be accomplished with that
fleet, supposing it were aided by troops, and by
small valise's having a very light draught of water,
and carrying guns of a long-range, and alto-
gether suited in tonnage and speed to the
peculiarities of that shallow navigation. Row-
ever this may be, it is positive that Sir CnanLEe
NAPIER, according to Admiral BERS.ELEY'S ownshowing, avows that in deliberate opinion
attacking either Cronstadt or Sweaborg with the
fleet would be "certain destruction." The fact
of his having said so is upon record. It is also
positive that troops to the number of 10,000 have
been sent out very recently to the Baltic—a tardy
but distinct admission that they were wanted
there. And it is likewise well known—however
much Ad BERKELEY may affect to laugh at
miral
the suggestion of the Noble Lord the Member for
Marylebone in regard to gun-boats suitable for
shoal-water navigation—that the Admiralty have
empowered Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL, not to construct
new boats such as he offered to build within the
three months, but to buy up a couple of old ones
such as the Nix and the Salamander.
No—talk as the advocates of Government
may about the energy displayed by them
in sending out mighty fleets against Russia
both into the Black Sea and into the Bal-
tic—there has been gross negligence, here, in
allowing those fleets to be useless, to all intents
and purposes utterly useless, by not supplying
them with gun-boats, having but a light draught
of water. It was not yesterday
only that we
spoke o£ this. We have
earned the right to com-
plain, for months have elapsed since we ourselves,
in these" columns, directed public attention to the
very serious want felt by the Baltic fleet in par-
ticular, by reason of the uogligenoe at the Aidag.