The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-28 00:00:00

~~

LONDON, FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1854.

The blockade of the Russian ports, in the
Black Sea and in the Baltic, is but an inadequate
achievement on the part of the vast maritime ar-
maments sent forth against the enemy by France
and England. Yet the Secretary-at-War appears
to be suprised, not so much that we are unsatisfied
with this result, but that we are not in ecstacies
at it ! The Right Hon. Gentleman seems actually
to have forgotten, when reminding the House of
Commons on Tuesday evening that the chief part
of Nm.sox's public life was occupied in blockading
the ports of the enemy, three rather important
particulars, indicating a marvellous difference,
when he appeared to intimate that no difference
:at all really existed. Firstly, that so long as the
-then foe of England posse,sed a fleet, NELSON
was never satisfied with merely securing the
brilliant advantage of a blockade, but was de-
voured with rage and vexation until he had
ferreted out the war-vessels of the foe, wherever
they might be, -and destroyed them—to this end
disobeying the orders of his superiors, breaking
through all the petty little packthread entangle.
ments of etiquette, chasing the mere
ghcst of a reported fleet or squadron
to and fro across the wide ocean, scouring
the Mediterranean, peeping into every nook
and corner along its coasts as he went, and
at last, when one day, towards evening, he came
within sight of the enemies' ships riding snugly at
anchor, steering his own vessels in between them
and the shore, and there (a thing unparalleled in
naval warfare), at midnight, and at anchor,
gaining a wonderful and overwhelming victory over
his antagonists. Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT appears
to have forgotten all this when he talked on the
24th instant about the chief part of NELSON'S
public life having been dedicated to the irksome
duties of a mere blockade. Secondly, he seems
to have forgotten, moreovbr, that NELSON was de-
pendent, more than we aro nowadays, upon the
accidents. of wind and tide--the steam-engine
having then yet to .be compleed, and long after-
wards Pplied to the purposes of navigation.
Thirdly,
the-Right Honourable Gentleman would
appear to have overlooked the rather important
ci rcumstauce, that down to the per' dof NELSON'S
to
death in 1805, his country had yet failed to secure
to her' troopa the advantage of a solid footi •
ng by
land along the borders of the European continent,
the poiitical Irov ono having yet to be ad
gr wally
obtained', thaough several successive and arduous
whipaivis Ify the forces, years afterwards led to
victory, first in Spain, and finally in Belgium, by
WELLINGTON.

It is surely wonderfully different now, when
• the navies of France and England are united cor-
dially in the same cause; when those two navies

are, in a manner, endowed with vitality by the
application of the paddle-wheel and the screw-
propeller; and when the Allies have it entirely in
their power to transport whenever they please,
and'almosi; wherever t;ley pease, along the coast
of the enemy's dominion, whatever numbers of
troops may be deemed requisite for cu-operation
with their vast maritime armaments. Remem-
bering these circumstances, and drawing from this
remembrance the above inevitable comparisons,

it becomes simply absurd to argue that because
NEL3ON was compelled to occupy so many years
in blockading the ports of the enemy,
because he
had left himself no hostile
fleet to destroy, or
because 'he was without the enormous advantages
secured by steam, on,oagaio,
because he could ob-
tain nowhere the
Weassistance of
=a grf-Cip6ratiOii,—that thereforepowerful military
ought to be satis-
' fled with 'the simple blockade of the Russian ports
by the 'Combined fleets in Black Sea under
Admirals DUNDAS and HAMBLIN, aud by the corn_

hined fleets in the Baltic under Admirals NAPIER
and DESCHENES.
Yet what is to be expected. from our fleets
beyond a continuation of this blockade? In
reference—sly—to the two great Russian strong-
holds, defended by their stupendous batteries,
Croustadt and Sebastopol ! Are we left to
expect that those two strongholds of the
enemy 'are, even with the enormous maritime
power capable of being brought against them
by France and Englind, to be more than block-
aded Why, in regard to Cronstadt, Admiral
CHADS--" than whom," said the Fiat Naval Lord
of the Admiralty, the gallant Member for Glou-
cester (when mentioning the fact on Tuesday
evening in the House of Commons), "no man
possesses a greater amount of scientific knowledge"
—Admiral CHADS has declared in regard to Cron-
stadt, "after two days' inspection from the light-
house, and full views of the forts and ships, the
former are too substantial for the fire of ships to
make any impression. They are large masses of
granite. With respect to an attack' on the ships
where they are, it is not to be entertained." That
is the declaration in regard to Cronstadt of Ad-
miral GRADS, "than whom no man possesses a
greater amount of scientific information I" And
what, let us ask, is the declaration in regard not
merely to Cronstadt, but in regard to Cronstadt
and Sweaborg, of Sir CHARLES NAPIER,
himself, the gallant Admiral of the great
English fleet at the Gulf of Finland? Why,
Admiral NAPIER has written home to the autho-
rities (we have this from Admiral BERKELEY'S
statement on Tuesday evening in the House of
Commons), these remarkable and very positive
words It has not been, in my power to do
anything with this powerful fleet ; for attacking
either Cronstadt or sweaborg would have been cer-
tain destruction." That is the declaration of the
brave Sir CHARLES NAPIER, the British maritime
Commander-in-Chief. And as to Sebastopol, the
Lord Pre.ident of the Council has distinctly re-
pudiated the notion of his having threatened, on
the part of the Cabinet, an attack upon that
stronghold by the combined fleets under DUNDAS
and lIA3IELIN. Lord JOHN RUSSELL thus
curiously explained his misapprehended expres-
sions—" What I said was, that I thought
Russia could not be allowed to maintain
the menacing attitude which she. has lately done,
by keeping so large a fleet at Sebastopol." Nut
that the Crimea is to be taken and Sebastopol
destroyed ; but that Russia is henceforth not to
keep "so large a fleet" under the shadow of those
dread fortifications. So that Sebastopol, accord-
ing to Lord JOECN RUSSELL, is not to be dismantled
—or, at any rate, the Noble Lord protests that
he never intimated that its seizure and destruction
were contemplated by the Government. And as
to Cronstadt, we have already learnt from Admiral
CHADS that the Russian forts there "are too sub-
stantial for the fire of ships to make any impres-
sion," those forts being., in fact, " large masses of
granite ;" while, as to the Russian fleet there, he
adds,—" With respect to an attack on the ships
where they are, it is not to be entertained."
Admiral NAPIER himself telling us distinctly
that it has not been in his power to do any-
thing with his immense fleet, because (he
explains the matter simply enough) "attack-
ing either Cronstadt or Sweaborg, would have
been certain destruction." What, then, we re-
,,eat, are we to expect after all this beyond the
continued blockade by the Anglo-French fleets of
Sweaborg, and Cronstadt, and Sebastopol ?
Now, we would just ask the public at large to
observe quietly for a moment the terms in which
Admiral BERKELEY at the close of his speech, on
Tuesday evening in the House of Commons, denied
the rumour which was abroad to the eff,,ct that
Sir CHARLES NAPIER had been sent out with his
hands tied try the Government. Never was an
assertion couched in more emphatic) terms of re-
pudiation. The Admiral said ;
"In the strongest language which man can use, I
declare—and as it is part of my duty to draw up orders
for the admirals. I can speak with authority on this
point—that there never was a British officer who had
more completely a carte blanche to undertake what he
pleased. So far from hie hands being tied up by the
Government, they have afforded him every encourage.
anent to proceed.' (Cheers.)
(Cheers.)
The House of Commons, the reader will observe,
cheered this declaration. Well. We have heard.
Admiral BERKELEY has spoken. The fact is
no longer to be gainsaid. Sir CHARLES
NAPIER went out to the Baltic with his
hands not previously tied by the Govern-
!neat. He had "a carte blanche to undertake
what he pleased." Very well. But so might
any one be declared at liberty to grasp the moon,
to harness a comet, to drive a nail into the zenith
(according to the Yankee conceit), or drop a
plummet to the nadir—if be could get at them !
Sir CHARLES NAPIER was sent out with " a carte
blanche to undertake what he pleased." But Sir
CHARLES NAPIER, taking his fleet into the Baltic,
goes up the Gulf of Finland until he gets within
sight first of Sweaborg and then of Cronstadt,
and returns, after reconnoitring those places, this
solemn declaration that " attacking either Cron-
stadt or Sweaborg would have been certain destruc-
tion." But, says Admiral BERKELEY, speaking of tin,
freedom of action granted to Sir CHARLES NAPIER,
" there never was a British officer who had wore
completely a carte blanche to undertake what he
pleased." What was it the Irish Liberator used
to say, with that wicked twinkle in his eyes, and
that delicious brogue of his, adding poignancy to
the sting of sarc ism 7—the words come now
pat to the occasion--" Thank you for nothini„
says the gallipot !" Sir CHARLES NAPIER
was sent out with a carte blanche—granted—
but without troops and without gun-boats !!!
The troops are at last being despatched after him,
it is true, but the gun-boats have yet to follow.
The Government can be daring enough where
daring goes for nothing, when vapouring need not
lead to a victory, nor mere bouncing to a bom-
bardment. They don't like "pottering over blue
books," but they seem amazingly to relish potter-
ing over a blockade. How much longer, we
wonder, is the country (with a doubled income tax
and 10,000,0001. sterling added to the annua
taxation) going to allow itself to be thus egregi-
ously bamboozled ?

The metropolis has just recovered from a very
formidable attack on one of its lungs. We fear,
however, that the disease has become chronic, and
that, from the frequent relapses—the symptoms
being more severe and the danger materially
aggravated on each recurrence of the complaint—
but little hope can be entertained of the perma-
nent safety of the interesting sufferer. Sir
THOMAS MARYON WILSON is, indeed, a perse-
vering, an indefatigable opponent. Like ANTCEITS
of old, he appears to gather strength from each
successive defeat, and to return with renewed
vigour to the encounter. The sight of Hamp
stead-heath open and unenclosed embitters his
very soul. The pure breeze careering through
the Vales of Health brings no refreshwent to his
paral
tervre rad 'brow. . Visions of palatial residences,
arranged
of fact.
in squares and terraces, crescents and
seyteern"lle ureantility" ograms, are continually before his " mind's
fancy's sketch" has assumed all the
On this his sixth attempt, the Hon. Baronet
succeeded in persuadiung
apparently contrived to conceal the House of. Lords to
sanction his claim,
his
had for the time being
longer a " Hampstead Heath
forward one
inoxious. It was no
real object, and to put
a uEdn ctlho
"Finchley Road Estate,' Bill esuare,,m"sobiwitaas
positively assured that the land
on which a new town was to t°
be dealt with
be erect 3 c , was not
even visible from the Cuminon 1 But " l
Page
anguis, in, herbd." There was a hidden wet ont
which might be used with tremendous force
•'
the event of the Legislature's sanction beino° lbn
tamed for the apparently harmless - Lill. ' Both
the. Hampstead and the Fincbley Dstates were j
held under precisely the same title ; the leasing
powers were identical. The implied wishes of his'
father, from whom he derived the title, could
not be respected, so far as Hampstead was
concerned, if despised and disregarded, as to 1
Finchley. A precedent would have been
established which could not subsequently be set
aside. The decision of Parliament, once given,
could not afterwards be overruled. _ The Inelosure
Bill would be defended on the ground that it was