The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-01 00:00:00

- - -
LONDON, '-TRIDAY EVE TEMBEIi
ISTING, SEP , 1854.

CONTRACTS FOR OXf::!,T FOR SALT BEEF FOR HER
• , MAJESTY'S NAVY.

Department of the Comptroller for Victualllng"and
Tran4port Services, Somerset Howe, 25th August, 1554.
THE Commissioners for executing the Office of
Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, DO HEREBY GIVE NOTICE, that on MONDAY,
the 2d October next, at One o'clock, they will he ready to treat with
such persons as may be willityr to contract for supplying and delivering
into her Majestv's Victualling St res at. Deptford, Gosport, and Ply.
mouth, or any one or more of those ports, all such

OXEN FOlt SALT BEEF •
as shall from time to time be demanded between the 2d October
next, and the 31st March next.
The conditions of the Contract may be seen at the sad office, r
on applicAtfon to the Superintendents of the Victualling Yards at
Deptford, Gosport, and Plymouth.
.No Fender will be received after One o'clock, on the day of treaty,
nor any.noticed, unless made on the prPted form provided for the
pnrpose, but it will not belieceNsary that the party tendering, or an
agent appointed by him, sifould attend at this office, as the result of
the offer received from tach person will be communicated to hint In
writing. ' • ' •
Every tender muSt'l addressed to the Secretary of the Adin'ralty; •
'and bear in the left-hand corner the words " Tender for GAen,"
and must also he delivered at SorneNet House, accom..;, ed by a •
letter signed by twr,t responsible vrsons, engaging to. b,-!. e bound,'
with the person tendering. in the sum of 5001. tor ,the due perform-
ance of the Contract for each port.

present at Waterloo, where he had a horse killed under
him ; he himself was severely wounded at Salamanca. For
his distinguished services he received a gold and three
silver medals. His death places the colonelcy of the 47th
in the gift of Lord Harding°.

THE CAPTURE OF BOMARSUZ%7D.

The Moniteur publishes the official reportC:Ot
General Baraomay d'Hilliers, General Niel, and of
Vice-Admiral Parseval-Desehenes, of the operations
at the capture of Boinarsund

"The Minister of War has just received the following
reports from M. lc General do Division, commander-in-
chief of the expeditionary corps of the Baltic, and of M.-
lo General Niel, commanding the engineers of the expe-
ditionary corps:—

"Bornarsund, Aug. 111, 1854.
"Monsieur le Marechal—The troops of the expedi-
tionary corpe.enabarked at Calais on the 16th of July
and following days were united at the north side of the
Isle of, Gothland. From the simple fact of the presencU
of all the naval forces in the Bay of Ledsund, which is
situated at the southern extremity of the Isle of Aland,
it became very chfilcult to conceal from the enemy the
object it was proposed to accomplish ; but it must also
be stated that these dispositions had the advantage of
intercepting all communication between Aland and Abo,
and of depriving the place of succour which,, without
that, it might have received from Finlaud.
." The genera!-in-chief having been informed of the
arrival of the fleets at Ledsund, by the admirals withwhom he had previously requested an interview, in order
the better to comprehend the design of the operation,
also repaired thither. But the whole of the transports
were not able to proceed with equal celerity ; the St.
Louis, the Tilsit, and some frigates, bearing the materiel
of the'army and the personnel of the engineers and the
artillery, were delayed. These vessels joined on the
6th August. On that and the next day, all the vessels
freighted with troops entered. the Bay of Luinpar;
at the north of which is situated the fortress of Bo-
marsund.

" Some days before this, and in concert with Ad-
mirals Napier and Parseval, the general-in•chief had
reconnoitred the most favourable places for effecting a
landing.
" If the collection of the fleet in the Bay of Lumpar
rendered it very difficult to deceive the enemy as to
our projects, it did not, however, indicate to
.him the
precise point of coast upon which' we intended to
land, while it placed him under lively apprehensions as
to the retreat of any troops which he might send to
meet us. _ _

" The isle of Aland is broken up in the direction of
north and south, by arms of the sea which penetrate into
the land, and in which there are thus thrown a number
of lakes which, joined together by converging streams,
permit almost the entire isolation of some points of the
isle. Thus, in leaving Boinarsund, that fortress, situated
on the edge of the sea, has behind it an arm of the sea
and two lakes or marshes, which defend the approaches to
it. To this first enciente, or natural defence, there is
joined a second of a more extensive radius, which reaches
to Castelhom, runs from th'enco to iby, and there
unites with the sea, by a tongue of land of small extent,
and easy to hold.
"Not knowing whether the population of the island
would be hostile to us, and wishing, more or less, to
concentrate hostilities within a periwetre, which we
might be able under any circumstances to hole ; wish-
ing also to prevent the place from receiving reinforce-
ments or succours from the other parts of the island, the
General-in• Chief ordered, beforehand, the three points
of Castelhom, Sounbon, and Siby to be occupied, as
they alone could put us in relation with the rest of the
isle.

"In order to distract the attention of the enemy he
had, further, in cni►cert with the admirals, selected
three places for landing.
" The first, situated at the north, on the height of
Halta, was to be occupied by General Harry Jones,
having under his orders 900 men belonging to the Eng-
lish troops, and 2,000 infantry belonging to the French
Marine.

"The second, on the eastern side of the hill to the
iouth of the Bay of Tranvik.
. . _ _

" The third, io the south-west of the same hill.
" Once lauded at Halta, General Harry Jones was to
move upon the fort of Bomarsund by occupying the
tongue of land between Siby and the sea in such a man-
ner as to secure his rear, and to close all outlets to par-
ties who might wish to quit the place. Arrived near
the Lake of Perness he put himself in relation with the
French troops, who, from Tranvik, were assailing the
enemy in the fort.
"At the east of Tranvik, the 12th battalion of Chas-
seurs landed. They occupied all the range of heights
to the north and south of this village, as well as the
junction of the roads, from the same point along which
the postal communication from Castelhom to Bomar:-.und
is carried on.

"The 2d Regiment of Light Infantry supported the
12th Battalion of Chasseurs.

"The 3d Regiment of the line landed in the Bay of
Tranvil: ; they proceeded towards the village, and were
posted entirely upon the branches of the roads indi-
cated above.

" The 48th were to occupy definitively the points
gained by the 12th battalion of Chasseurs and the 2d
Light Infantry, and wero ordered to assist in the en-
trenched camp i:i the landing of. all the personnel and
materieLca,the artillery, the engtheara—Jut.d449,44442,
.tratcire"-- e
"The 51st were thrown to the setiih'-eiiiitailatiiiimar
hill, in order to act upon the intersection of the roads,
to take the enemy in the rear if he resisted upon the
heights to the south, and to move rapidly along the pos-
tal road in advance of Castelholm.

" All the troops having landed, and rendered them-
selves masters of the points assigned to them, were to
put themselves, ea route, under the command of the
General-in-Cbief and proceed upon Nova Sodra and Finby,
their right resting upon the edge of the sea. Arrived at
Finby, they were to place themselves immediately iu
communication with General Harry Jones.
" These dispositons, agreed to on the 7th, and com-
municated the same day to the general and superior offi-
cers, were executed on the Bth, as far as the extreme
difficulty of the ground permitted ; a difficulty still more
increased by the destruction of all the paths, and by
numerous obstructions with which the Russians had
covered the roads.

" The troops were put ashore at three o'clock in the
morning ; by nine o'clock they occupied the first posi-
tions indicated. Tuwards eleven o'clock the 3d Regi-
ment of the line and the 51st were proceeding towards
the postal route by two different roads ; and lastly,
after many fatigues and a great deal of labour, the road
from Tranvik to Nova Finby were rendered practicable
for artillery. All the corps, then, with the exception of
the 43th Regiment, advanced, approached the place,
and made a complete investment of it.
" The enemy had prepared some batteries and re-
doubts, which the fire from the marine soon constrained
him to abandon.

" The coast of Tranvik was too far off, and our means
of transport too small to permit us to leave our stores
and provisions of all kinds. We discovered a point
nearer the camp where the French and English marines
hastened to establish new stations. Some companies,
the number of which was aferwards increased, were
ordered to secure safely our rear. The next day after
our arrival before the place, the engineers were occupied
in making fascines and gabions.
" General Niel and Lieut.-Colonel of Artillery De
Rochbouet reconnoitred the points upon which the first
batteries were to be established. General Harry Jones
was reinforced by 500 men drawn from the infantry of
the French marine, and he also selected the place for a
battery which, in concert with ours, was to play upon
the Southern tower.

" The next day Colonel Ducrot, of the 3d Regiment
of the line, who, during the investment of the place,
was always at the most advanced point, and who already
knew the locality, was ordered to occupy these posi-
tions with his regiment. The enemy the whole day
exchanged fire with our advanced posts, and sent to ua
a good deal of shot and some shells, which did but little
harm.

"In the night of the 12th we opened a trench by
means of sand-bags ; and this operation, always so deli-
cate, cost us a dozen men, killed or wounded. Lieut.
Nolfe, of the 12th battalion of Chasseurs, was unhappily
among the first. The tower covered us with its fire, but
our tirailleurs replied to it with such precision that the
men who had come out of the place were soon obliged
to seek refuge in it.
"On the 13th, at three o'clock in the morning, a bat-
tery of four guns (16-pounders) and four mortars, which
had been armed during the night, opened its fire. At
first, and indeed until noon, the tower kept the advan-
tage of us ; but after that time its fire slackened ; the
embrasures were almost destroyed, and the facings of-the
tower were knocked away ; many bombs had fallen upon
the roof ; everything led us to hope that the next day
we might carry it by assault, when at seven in the even-
ing they held out a white flag.
"Nevertheless, after a suspension of arms for one
hour, during which nothing was heard, the fire re-
commenced. But these last efforts of the enemy were
fated to give way very soon to the terrible precision of
our fire. The tower was silenced again, and the next
morning two French officers, M. Gigot, sub-lieutenant
of the 12 battalion of Chasseurs, and M. Gibon, sub-
lieutenant of the Voltigeurs of the 51st, followed by
some determined men, resolutely penetrated into the
works. The Russian commander, wishinr, to resist this
unforeseen attack, was killed by two stabs of the bayo-
net, and thirty-two Russians, unable to make their
escape, were brought in prisoners to the quartier-

general.
" The surrender of this tower led us to hope that we
should be able to reduce the fortress itself without this
new success costing our troops very dear.
" On the same day we were enabled to push our ap-
proaches on the right, and we were in a condition to
bring to play the next day a battery composed of four
mortars and two guns throwing shell. Whilst we were
constructing this battery the engineers selected a posi-
tion for the breaching battery.
" On the 15th of August, at eight o'clock in the
morning, cur battery of mortars and shelling guns throw
a cross-fire of heavy projectiles into the place, while tho
fleet, at anchor, also directed against Bomarsund the
fire of four ships. In the evening the fort replied, but
very slowly ; still its fire was not completely ex-
tinguished.
" On the 15th, at eight o'clock in the morning,
General Harry Jones, who had not been able to assist
by the fire of his artillery at the taking of the southern
I tower, and hPd directed his efforts towards that on the

[PRICE SD, •

. .
north, opened a very severe fire upon that point, and by
I
four o'clock he bad made a large breach in the tower,
which capitulated the same evening. . •
I "In the night the breach battery had been estab-
! fished at 880 metres from the body of the place, and we
were preparing to arm it the following night with 30-
pounder guns taken from the ships.
"We _tieing under his eAest, and, sio.to speak, under
his hands? the enemy tl)r_9_4,-..!'brenbs and ehei.,Ls,
! and we
had 14 men killeilrl,qui`'fire iieVeitlets- did not
1 slacken, and we w% 4:Av*lshireg-- it ''migfit ain'iitifiti'e so up
e
to the moms*, . -4.'th.q Pygaehing-kattery'slisql.d open,
when, at ii be be enemy, alarided 'at' elf ravages
caused by ogartillitry, aiade:Anding, ilia% 'farther re-
sistance was iipp6stoi )4,1:61,1:44t.A,A4-0,1114 . Calorie).
Gouyon, chief
~ ; .
....ILE; -Aftd tiin:ankii-4€-CamP, en-
tered the f - " tillit.;.. TO c7oldietl4ok‘lvith him
tatittru u`•
Colonel Sian, edith ZL.Light Ta4ataijicriho" was in the
trenches with a battalion oT his regiment, and some com-
panies of the 121.fi battalibreliasscurs. After the
surrender of the pkitee'a seriFiri distrrbance arose in the
ranks of the Rugsian gar n. ThOSe who were most
excited wished to juipzlrtifll,A; , he fort, but the attitude of
our troops prevettlierin: Order was reestablished ;
the garrison, prisoners, defiled before the united-
French and Enjekish 'tioeps, -3fid were embarked in the
evening. - ,:s" ,
..
,-,
" Bomarsundi,evigi. the three towers which formed its
advanced posts, inetudecl a garrison of 2,400 men - it
was armed with 130 i pieces of cannon, and was supplied
with a considerOkepoufit of provisions.
" The inten ' 'n of the Emperor of Russia was to make
Bomarsund o immense entrenched camp for his mili-
tary and na forces to the first of which there 'were
i
great obstacles, and which. had been. a. constant
menace to the neighbouring states in the Baltic. After
obtaining possession of the Isles of Aland, Russia
has not ceased to augment the_ fortifications of Borasr-
suud ; and if, from Pat.which exists and that which
was in course of execution, we may judge of the projects
of that power, Bointirsund appeared destined to-become
the advanced sentinel and the principal port of Ruisia in
the Baltic.

"The destruction of Bomarsund will be a consider-
able losS for Russia, not less in a material sense than in
a moral aspect. We have destroyed in eight days the
prestige attaching to those ramparts of granite, which
cannon, it was said, could not overcome. We know
now, we cannot doubt it, that there is nothing in those
fortifications, so fine and so menacing., which is not at
the mercy of a well-directed fire;
"This happy result, Monsieur le Marechal, is due to
the intelligence, the devotion, the courage of the officers
and soldiers of the expeditionary army and the allied
squadrons. Each one has done his duty. Danger, fatigue,
privations have been reckoned as nothing by the admir-
able French soldiers whom it is so glorious to command.
If the troops of the expeditionary army have responded
to the expectations of France, and justified the confi-
dence which the Emperor pleased to repose in them,
permit me, M. le Marechal, to pray you to call for the
benevolence of his Majesty upon the officers, sub-officers
and soldiers whom I consider worthy of reward, and of
whom I transmit to you a list. If after General
Niel, who conducted the operations of the siege
with so much bravery and skill, and Generals
D'Hugues and Greasy, who admirably seconded me,
after Lieutenant-Colonel Rochebouet, director of the
artillery, Col. Gouyon, chief of the staff, and Sub-Inten-
dent Le Cauchoix Ferrand, it were necessary to cite all
the officers and soldiers to whom I would wish to call
the attention of his Majesty, my list would be too long,
and therefore it is necessary for me to limit my desires.
Two thousand soldiers belonging to the marine infantry,
under the orders of Colonel Fieron, and two companies
of artillery, under the command of Chef de battalion
Freboult, rendered us powerful assistance. It remains
for me now, M. Marechal, to render the warmest ac-
knowledgments for the assistance which I so frankly re-
ceived, not only from the French fleet commanded by
Vice-Admiral Parseval, but also from the English fleet
by Vice-Admiral Napier.
" General Harry Jones, by contributing by his marines
and sippers to the attack on the towers of Bomarsund,
has shown us once more what may be expected from the
bravery and discipline of English soldiers. The greatest
cordiality did not cease to prevail not only between the
officers of the two fleets and those of the expeditionary I
ccrps' but also between the soldiers and sailors.—Re- '
ceive 111. Marechal, &c.,

" BARAGUAT D'HILLIERS."

[Then follows the report of General Niel, which
details his share, and that of the troops under. his
orders, in the capture.]
The following is the report of Vice-Ad tniral Par-
seval Descheues, addressed to the Minister of Ma-