The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-30 00:00:00

THE WAR-SEA STORM.

The " boisterous and stormy Euxine" still
maintains its evil reputation as a "Statio male-
fida carinis." A fearful storm on the 14th inst.
—the day subsequently to the alleged battle of
the 13th—inflicted considerable, but, happily,
not irreparable, damage on our shipping. Two-
and-thirty English transports are reported to
have been lost on that fatal day. Among them,
it is said, that the screw-steamer Prince and the
Sea, Nymph foundered, with all on board t and
that three small steamers had been stranded.
These► are deplorable calamities, not so much for
tho pecuniary amount of our losses as for the
Lrave fellowa who have either periehed with their
vessels or fallen into the bands of the enemy !
But this was not all. It was not merely the
commercial marine that suffered severely ; our
vessels of war sustained their share of damage.
The Sauspareil, so nobly distinguished in the
naval attack on Sebastopol of the 1 ith ultimo,
was driven ashore, and her machinery set on fire.
The Britannia, the flag-ship of Admiral DUNDAS,
considerably strained, having five feet water.
The Agamemnon, with the gallant LYONS, which
has already achieved a reputation that renders it

worthy of bearing the name of NELSON'S favourite
ship, stranded ; but, we rejoice to say, rescued
without serious injury. In addition to these we
hear that the Retribution was only saved by
throwing her guns overboard, and that the SAMP-
SON'S machinery was damaged. Nor have our
gallar4 Allies escaped with impunity : the
Henri Quatre, of 100 guns, and Pluton wan•
steamer, are reported to have been wrecked.
These are, indeed, painful tidings. They do not
come from official sources, but we fear that they
are but too true—that there is but little reason
to duubt the reality of the catastrophe. We
must, however, await further intelligence before
we can arrive at an accurate conclusion as to its
real extent. Whether the stores with which these
vessels were laden had been safely landed at
Balaklava or otherwise whether the much-
required comforts for the men, the hale
and sound as well as the sick and wounded,
or, still more important, the crews, or
possibly reinforcements for the besiegers,
were involved in the danger, is, as yet, unknown,
in consequence of the Ministerial Negligence and
apathy to which we have *so recently alluded.
Had there been greater energy displayed in the
first instance—had it not been for the disastrous
and worse than puerile attempt to keep the ex-
penses of the War within the current income of
the country, we should long since have brought
the autumnal campaign in the Crimea to a conclu-
sion, and have had a safe resting-place for our
vessels in the harbour of the captured Sebastopol.
Had it not been for undue parsimony, for the
unfortunate adherence to the worst points of the
" penny-wise andrpound-foolish" system, he army
of Moldavia could not have been transferred to
the Crimea, the sanguinary battle of the sth
could not have taken place, Sebastopol would have
fallen, and the British vessels been sheltered in
the convenient port. These melancholy disasters
would then have been averted ; or, had any-
thing taken place, we should have had early and
trustworthy information as to the full extent of
the mischief. It is, however, useless to deplore
past deficiencies. They are now irreparable.
But we may at least profit by the experience so
dearly purchased, and resolve that there shall, so
far as merely human foresight can avert it, be no
reason to dread a repetition of similar evils. It
is for Parliament to speak—to proclaim, as we
have declared in another part of our impression,
that wo shall, even at the eleventh hour, go to
war "in earnest." Ministers may do much
during the interval by anticipating tiie
wishes of the People. Even twelve days are
not to be sacrificed under existing circumstances.
We have been too long careless and indifferent.
Let us make up for it by greater zeal and energy
for the future. Looking solely to a single object
—the relief of our gallant troops—the supply of
ample reinforcements, and of every comfort
necessary. Thus shall we vindicate the cha-
racter of our country, already seriously compro-
mised—thus shall we practise true economy, and

save considerable sums, 'by simply resolving on
achieving our object without reference to present

outlay.