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

WBATHER.-81,14 OPPItA, JULY 28.
THRIigtiMPITMR, 111 THE SLIADif..
74 highest since noon yesterday.
56 —lowest this morning and during the night.
63 —this day, at noon.

1 A RoSfirritß. 3532.
wrlgn. S.S.E.—Light breeze, with cloudy weather,
and franshitte.

ifitt
c,.,

14-)NDON FRIDAY, JULY 23, 1854.

The blockade of the Russian ports, in the
Black Sea and in the B title, is bat an i:iaclerinate
achievement on the p trt of the vast maritime ar-
maments sent forth against the enemy by France
and England. Yet the Secretary-at- War appear:
to be suprised, not so much that we are unsati,fied
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 NELSON'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 na differenct
at all really. existed. Firstly, that so long as the
then foe of England possessed 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 p tekthread entangle-
ments of etiquette, chasing the Inert.
ghost 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 ono 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 naparalleled in
naval warfare), at midni.;!it, and at anchor,
gaining a wonderful and overwhelming victory over
his antagonists. Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT appears
to have forgotten all this when lie talked on the
24th instant about the chief part of Nzteort's
public life having, been dedicated to the irksome
duties of a mere blockade. Second:y, he seems
to have forgotten, moreover, that NELsoN wag de-
pendent, more than we are nowadays, upon the
accidents of wind and tide---the steam-engine
having then yet to be completed, and long after-
wards applied to
.the purpOses of navigation.
Thirdly, the Ri4ht U moora ebl gentleman would
appear to have overlooked the rather irnportai,t
circumstance, that dive to the perectd• dr Nzuov.
baclYet failed to secure
death in 1805, his -country
to her troops the advantage 0f,;." solid footing by
land along the borders QTthe European continent,
the political iron arca having yet to be gradually
obtained through several successive and arduous
campaigns by 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 almost wherever they p'ease, along the coast
of the enemy's do.ninion, whatever numbers of
troops may be deemed requisite for cu-operati,n
with their vast maritime armaments. Remem-
bering these circumstances, ald drawing from this
remembrance the above inevitable comparisons,
it becomes simply absurd to argue that because
=SON was compelled to occupy so many years
in blockading the Ports of the enemy, because be
had left himself no hes •
because he was without
the enormous
fleet to destroy, or
secured by steam, or, b advantages
ob-
tain nowhere the assistance'ufeeduse he could 0b-
c..0-oparation--that therefore we ought
military
fis-,:a with the simple biee6d, ought to be sa.tis-
by tire, combined fleets in- the la 4
of
B the er
u7de;--
AZlraisDritfim llimuct And
. .
- .

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