The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-16 00:00:00

LETTERS FROM THE FLEET.

"HANGO BAY, June I.—l have been unable to write
to you for some time in consequence of our ship being
absent from the fleet. We are now anchored in one of
the Russian ports, in sight and almost within range of
the enemy's guns. The ships here are the Duke of
Wellington, Edinburgh, Austerlitz, St. Jean d'Acre,
Princess Royal, Caesar, Cressy, Hogue, Blenheim, Pene-
lope, Desperate, Dragon, Gorgon, and Alban.
"I have no doubt the good people of England are
expecting to hear of our doing something in the shape
of a bombardment, but they do not know the difficulties
we have to meet. If the Russian ships were all at
Helsingfors our work would be plain. Suppose we
were to attack Helsingfors and destroy the fleet there ;
in doing so several of our ships would probably be
disabled, and it would be known in St. Petersburg
in a few hours. The fleet at Cronstadt (20 sail of the
line, several 50-gun frigates, and smaller ships) would
come out and attack us with great advantage ; and,
although skill and bravery would counteract a great
deal, still we might lose some of our best ships, and
leave the Russians masters of the Baltic for at least this
year. Sir C. Napier appears to see all these proba-
bilities, or something would have been done ere this ;
besides, the Baltic) fleet is not yet complete ; we have
other ship's to join. If it is possible to attack Helsing-
fors without disabling too many of the ships, I am of
opinion Sir Charles will do it. Our chiefs are men of
bravery and experience, as are also the chiefs of the
French fleet, and will not allow the Russian ships to lie
quietly at their anchors if it is possible to destroy them.
It will, no doubt; be said—Why not destroy the forts
at Hango Bay ? What, I ask, should we gain by it ?
If we killed 1,000 of their men, they could soon replace
them, but the destruction of their fleet would be a severe
blow.

"The Hecla left on Saturday with the Russian bark
cut out by her and the Arrogant. The Lightning and
Driver left on Sunday night for the Gulf of Bothnia ;
the Cruiser left this morning for the Gulf of Riga."
"BARD SOUND, June 7.—The Belleisle, hospital ship,
made her number last night. The wind being foul, the
Basilisk was sent to tow her in. At 6 p.m. yesterday a
small vessel was observed about five miles from the
squadron, making for an inlet about three miles from
the flagship. Two boats were sent to cut her off, 'which
they succeeded in doing, and anchored her near the Ad-
miral. Her crew and three or four women, all Finlan-
ders, were taken on board the Duke. The Admiral
treated them very kindly, and gave the women presents,
as also did Commodore Seymour, and then let them go,
much to their astonishment. Sir Charles no doubt sent
the boats to stop this vessel, thinking it a good oppor-
tunity of showing the Finlanders that we are not such
barbarians as Nicholas tries to make them believe. Some
of the deserted huts here have been set on fire by the
boats' crews sent for water and sand, which has
much annoyed the- Admiral. He has given au
order that when boats go to the shore they are
to be in charge of a lieutenant and one subordinate
officer, and no one is allowed to land without his
nermission. I have no doubt firing these huts has been
-done for what is termed a lark,' but it tends to give
Finlanders a very bad opinion of us, in direct opposition
to the endeavours of the Admiral, who does all he can
to conciliate them. The weather has been very unset•
tled for the last few days ; we expect to leave this shortly
for either Revel or Helsingfors ; but it is not expected
either of these places will be attacked at present. This
will come via Dantzic, and I hope to be able to send you
another by the same route next week.
" Admiral Corry's division is cruising off Gottska
Sandoe, an island about 30 miles north of Gothland.
The Austerlitz is a very fine ship, and in excellent
order, and when the time arrives will, I have no doubt,
play her part admirably. We are only 70 miles from
Helsingfors. What would the English people say if a
Russian squadron were anchored in one of our ports, 70.
miles from one of our arsenals ? Our line of communica-
tion extends from the southern part of the coast of Cour-
land to Revel, and from Aland to Helsingfors,—so that
in the event of the Russian fleet coming out the Com-
mander-in-Chief would soon be aware of it, for all the
ships on detached service are steam-ships. The squad-
ron is ready for a move at the shortest notice, and, if
the signal were made, could be at sea in an hour. The
large ships with Grant's galley distill water to fill up the
other ships, so that the squadron is not weakened by

sending them away for water. The greatest enthusiasm
prevails throughout the squadron ; officers and men are
anxious for a brush, and when the time arrives I trust
will prove that the navy has not degenerated. This is a
very spacious bay, with 20 fathoms of water and good
holding ground. It is well sheltered, except between
south-west and by south and south-east. On the north
side is the island of Kimito, on the east Hango- head,
and on the west a number of small islands, some of
which are fortified. It was on a fort on one of these
islands the Dragon opened her fire. The whole of the
combined fleet could be easily anchored if the forts on thesmall islands were destroyed. I have no doubt the arrival
of the squadron here was known at St. Petersburg an
hour after we were anchored. We can trace their eig"
nal stations to the eastward of I:Tango-head, and it 15
only 300 miles by miles by land ; the distance by little
r
220 miles. It is very fortunate for us we get so
night, as the navigation of the Gulf of Finland is very
difficult. About 50 miles to the eastward of this the
passage for large shins is only 18 miles wide, that is fro r,
Nargan•lighthouse to the Makiloto-Bader shoal, .!„a_
this channel must be passed to reach Helgingfors. r.O
have just been ordered to send letters to the fiag-sng
early to-morrow, and it is reported we leave during the
day to proceed up the gulf."

THE RUSSIAN FORTRESSES ON TELE
BLACK SEA.
We publish the following from the fleet on the
Circassian coast :
"Her Majesty's steamer —, May 22.--The last tleh
sve
days hays have been occupied in putting Redout
in a state of defence against internal enemies, in e,'l;
trenching and securing otherwise the position of ts
Turks. On the 20th a party of Sappers from the Ag,_a:
memnon were landed, with working parties from t",
other ships, both French and English ; also the Who ed
the Turkish soldiers we bad embarked at Zuluk Zee, ajn:f.
two officers of Marine Artillery (First-Lieutenants
Cox and B. Roberts), who directed the operation
In a few hours a blockhouse was finished and loop' b'
(it had been a Russian barrack), and a parapet e [l,°,
lished, flanked by a long, deep marsh. Another Weal,
house was formed out of an old store, with strong Oleg.,
planks as an outwork on the only other point acc,eis
sable to the Mingrelians (Georgians) by the south: tub
had•at its right the sea, and on its left another Dors
beyond which is a thick wood. The Turks worked sway
Ail
with pickaxe and shovel most manfully; they had
artillery officer with them, and were as ignorant as t
dren on the subject ; the Bey, nevertheless, carried otir°
the orders of the Marine Artillery officers ; houses weh-e
destroyed and others strengthened, though at first
was somewhat aghast at the amount of demolition re:
quired. They established a continuation of the old for
on the land side. No officers were allowed on shore°`
0
day but those on duty. Towards sunset the Turks gr.tsii
dually became lazy, and had to be encouraged WiAt
Moskov,' to show them the necessity of going on•
five o'clock the next morning I caught the little old Bey
and th,_
just getting up, smoked a chibouque with him,e sent to
pantomimed a furious digging, upon which
awns their
awaken the men, most of whom were asleep
piled arms, and the rest smoking, and at half-past a
they were all digging away capitally. It was explainei
to the Bey what he must do when the ships bad left, 04" .
P
what number of men should be in the different °s',
The Turks worked admirably, and, as one party of tnr.
diggers vied with the other, the parapet got on wonde e.
fully, and the whole of the defences assumed a ra°llt
spectable appearance. A party of officers crossed
river by the flying bridge, and walked over the sine d
'
dering emnants of the town, and somewhat berweb,,
notwithstanding the warnings of Bashi-Bazouks, _d
are posted on this side, concerning lurking Mookovs
Nothii33l
Georgians. The place is entirely destroyed.
remains of the main part of the town but black bed
strewed around. In the centre stand isolated the stow,
steps which formed the approach to the church.
site,
chimneys and ovens of the houses alone mark their,ela
all the rest having been of wood. Apparently, a "%es
some street had run parallel with the river, but its 11013-0
must have been very unhealthy, as both on the north ash
south sides stretches a marshy country, covered witol'
brushwood and large lilies. The glass of the houses vl
.seen in fused lumps ; pottery strewed the ground, Al.
occasionally were found rats and cats, from their Pteie
tion burnt to death in the act of running assays_ in pith
evening Admiral Lyons inspected the well's', ;be
which he expressed himself perfectly delighted.
admiral then, with the captain of the Charlemagae2o,
several others, pulled up the river; having the Pr— for
tion of a skirmishing party of Turks on each bank
their protection. One of these took a Georgiae3e
soner, and conveyed him to the fort. He iire-? "-ustt.
on all sides by the Turks, who crowded round hial,;by
heeding their officers' orders, which were enforeeu.ck,
those gentlemen possessing themselves of large $,
and laying them on the heads of the Turkish soldier
°f
right and left. The prisoner (suspected, with r ela $0
being a spy) was brought before the Bey, an d Sent in
a prisoner to his quarters. The poor Georgian Wa;
an awful fright, as well ho might be, and
going to prison knelt down and kissed the
of the Bey's coat with the greatest reverence. er
Turk touched his musket significantly. with of
to•
pression which meant that fellow will be slic"
night.' However, he was preserved by an order fri°,o
the Admiral to send him on board the Sampson.
l',oo.
retain in the fleet the officers and soldiers of the Greek
sian troops which we captured ; also the aleo-j.
crew. Our prize is said to have 300ib. weight of
nine on board, part of the medical stores collectj
from the whole of the Circassian stations. 13 nu-
must now tell you of our proceedings prior to the e';ast
I have narrated. After leaving Gelendijik we -s
the deserted station of Wilh.l, n sky, which occaPrs-s
beautiful position on a fertile slope, and protected
well studied defences ; 1 eyond this the cliffs co
vg
abruptly into the sea, avid between them there are, '„°srlik
valleys filled with luxuriant foliage. After Ge'e",
conies the little station of Lazar off, the centre of rtes.,
fect gem of scenery. It stands (or rather stood, 1,9 Rd
whole is burnt or destroyed, except the outer looPilf
walls, and a couple of blockhouses, studded with pef:'iv
the lower halves of which are now blackened by fire' a•
the middle of a small plain, at the entrance of a trersct,
dous gorge; on either side, and far up in the distailse;
which is beautifully broken into hill and dale, are
of trees in full foliage, and the gorge is ciosed in the '-' h
treme distance by the usual accompaniment to such
scenes in this part of the world—a lofty snow and PlOO
covered mountain. A collection of mountain ,tread
flows by Lazaroff with all the importance of a riveP two
upon its banks we saw. many Circassians and
Turkish tradin boats. it
" After La,zag roff came Golovinsli y, As We Paesedte
the Circassians and a Turkish vessel or two fired A 551101
which was duly returned by the Agamemnon A% to
miles beyond Golovinsky the admiral stood (I°.7the
the shore and anchored ; the rest of the fleet di nde
same. Two Turkish trading boats from Trebnir
were high and dry on the beach, and hundreds of ei
ivg
cassians formed a picturesque crowd '(nearly ell ha
mounted) by the seashore. This point is named BO t
and here the Russians!have perseveringly tried to itige,
l.
footing, and as often being foiled by Circassian 'ril,"
the owners of which are not a little proud of the fore
quent repulsions of Moskov. Barden has there the
been the only Circassian post, and from this place the
young ladies have for, years been eligibly settled in laveharems of the great men of Stamboul. From this P the
Captain Brook and the engineer officer started over as,
mountains with a few Sappers and an escort of eirfion
sians, commanded by Ismail Bey, to cross the ites;-ith
road by hook or by crook, and to cemmunieatessog
Schamyl if possible. Ismail Bey is a great snan,e:oo
the people, and a lord of the soil of Bardan ; ~1%; Ter'
brought from Constantinople the other day by tin the
rible, and has since lived in the Agamemnon. "—A 1,4
landing of the party all good wishes were expresee-
a salute of seven guns, and they started on alit,' Ise
pedition the same evening. As soon as we lands
were surrounded by a crowd of Circassians, who ',-nclet
diately led us by a path from the shore, through sys's by
[Rambles, and ditches, to a long field surrounde',ol
woods, among which several wooden dwellings eh° sr
their roofs. This was a beautiful spot, and the grass,sal
neath us a mass of daisies and buttercups. A ref set
of acquaintance with these was not the least Plee'srse.
part of our trip. A Circassian made me mount his 13°,0
Crossing a stream, I gave it up again, and prepard,e I:01
a guide, to scale one of the mountain heights. liVsesea
a heavy pull up this hill, on a narrow pathway ce'
with briar and brambles. On our way we met tsitlet4o,
cassian young ladies, rather moon-faced, but with
tiful complexions and pleasant 'expression. Our Or .
sian friend called to them to cover their faces (we ladies
dragoman with us)—an order which the youngs7s
showed their good sense by neglecting. At the werrich
had a most noble view, a complete panorama eistted
wood, overtopped with snow; several villages were 1;811'
among the woods and on the mountain sides, the "'" 00'
ings being all of wood. We descended by another Ile.
UM path to the sea; here we took another stroll, an: fat,
tered a wood. We had been advised not to stray tesve
our
as the Circassians of the mountains were ignorant tod
arrival, and might take us for Russians. jn thei-ro.
we met a fine-looking old gentleman, mounted, arts, his
ceeding slowly; with him were two Circassian girt Ake
daughters, as it appeared. Not knowing what to, make
of Its, he drew his sword, or rather long knife, and coked
fierce ; but on nearing us, and seeing we were urioel,
returned it again, and was quite happy when ue or°
us to be 'lnghealeez.' Then his daughters came for
and shook hands with all. One was about 12 yea r° fair
the other 14, the latter exceedingly, pretty, with: t
of
he
skin, blue eyes, and light hair, and we were told 400
old gentleman ready and happy to become a Port'ool.)
the personal effects of any of us for 10,000 piastres set.
These Circassian girls look forward to this, as beilltheir
tied in life and going to Stamboul is a fulfilment
i°
0,00
best wishes and desires, just as a young lady in ',al, the
makes eligible ' match. Our little friend Ncl! 0,,
blue eyes looked at us earnestly, in confirnlstrot
papa's words, and made some of our party A Pre" itoe'
shells she had just picked up, which she Pan ere ad
would bear a fine polish ; but a Circassian girl Alitelliola°
at Stamboul are two very different beings. dam` it
she wanders about in Wain and rough dress,
ing of the gold and decoration that may sera° A"Zsite°
to her lot at Stamboul. They are generallY uRi
in Turkish young lady-like accomplishment'''. 1-
life
&c., and imbibe by degrees the artifioia 910
they must lead henceforth, No Turk can inarrY'fijoro'
he provide his wife or wives with all manner ° Opole
ments and luxury, and hence a decrease in the Pit% the
tion which would greatly gratify Mr. Malthus. lee°
Turks of the lower orders die at Stamboul, their Poo
is mostly filled by fresh arrivals from Asia. 11; the
Turkish trading vessels fired an eccentric salutefold
ships arrived and anchored. A French offioer 141"
that these boats bad arrived to export a toldfrei 9°-
~
same nature as the little blue-eyed girl I have dieg
of ; each ship would hold 200 of them. On desee'ree-P
the mountain we saw a number of Circassian
. • al„
looking from among the brushwood at the slit,loo4
rectly we appeared they dipped among the bruibf