The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-14 00:00:00

THE GUARD,'_I,

We have been favoured by.a correspondent with
the following particulars respecting the Guards'
officers who have suffered at the Alma :
Lieutenant-Colonel Augustus Cox, of the Grenadier
Guards, after leading his company gallantly to victory in
the Battle of the Alma, proceeded with his regiment in the
march to Balaklava, being greatly exhausted, and refus-
ing even then to mount the horses readily offered by the
staff. His strength at length failed him, and, placed on
gun-carriage, he was conveyed into the Port of Balaklava,
and on board the Caradoc, where, after great suffering, he,
expired at 4 o'clock on the next morning. His remains
were buried the next day (the 27th) in an orchard adjoining
the quarters of Lord Raglan. This gallant young officer
was the fourth son of R. H. Cox, Esq., of Hillingdon;
house, and his untimely and sad end has cast a deep,
gloom over the brigade. He was universally beloved,
and the Duke of Cambridge and Lord Raglan were
among those of his comrades in arms who have witt,mi
to express their uyinpathy. and Condolence with I
flicted family.
The following "officers' aro •Untler Orders to "1 dhr°l
f,,rthA ith to the Crimea:-=The Hon. Ashley PO .t*i '1
M.P., Grenadier Guards ; Lieutenant-COL-mei Dc Bat
Lieutenant-Colonel Ford} cc, Captain P. Paget, Captal;.l
Lord Adol Wills Vane Tempest, Lieutenant Gregory,
and' Lieutenant Farquharson, Scots Fusilier Guards.

Colonel Crombie, of the Coldstream Guards, whose
death was several times believed aiid reported to have
taken place, has, after easy stages, arrived at Brighton
in a very debilitated state, but with every hope of an
ultimate recovery.

Among those-who gallantly distinguished themsel' e,
in the Rittle of the Alma was Mr. C. P. Lane Fox,
neView ot the Duke of Leeds, and a late Lieutenant in
the Grenadier Guards, from which regiment he retired
some months since, but subsequently fol lowed his regiment
to the East, and was appointed aid-decamp to Brigadier
Beatson, with the Bashi-Bazouks under the title of
Yseph Bey. Upon their disbandment, however, he
landed with the brigade of Guards iii the • Cittnea, and •
appeared upon the battle-field in a shooting jacket ;
catching the first stray horse in his path, he was indefa-
tigable in getting up ammunition, and was complimented
for his conduct by his Royal Highness the Duke of Cam-
bridge en the field. At the close of the action he was
shot through the ankle, and in that state bore Cap-
tain Charles Baring, of the Coldstream Guards, who had
lost his arm, off the field. This gallant young volunteer
is now lying at Constantinople, anxiously hoping his
wound will permit his appearance in good time at Sebas-
topol..
•

THE END OF THE BALTIC CAMPAIGN.

The campaign in the Baltic may. now, we presume, be
considered at an end, and some variety of opinion will pro-
bably be formed with respect to the result of our operations
in those waters,. The British squadron has undoubtedly
excluded the fleets of the Czar from the use of the sea,
and, if we observe the success with which the Russian
cruisers in the Pacific contrive to elude our frigates, and
the disturbance occasioned by their known presence in
those parts, we shall be better able to appreciate the value
of a blookade which has kept such troublesome visitors
from the highways of the ocean and the coasts
of our own islands. Every maritime outlet of the
Russian empire has been sealed up by our ships,
our flag has been carried up to the shores of the
enemy, and he has been insulted by open challenge and de-
fiance at the very mouths of his guns. One step further
has been taken. A specimen of the granite fortifications
on•which his reliance is placed was actually assailed b 3
the allies, and in this trial of strength between the
resources of the belligerents the superiority was found
so wholly on our side that Bomarsund was taken
not only without loss, but, comparatively speaking,
without effort. Finally th 3 entire fleet despatched on
this mission has been preserved from injury. Not-
withstanding the notorious difficulties of the navigati, n all
casualties have been escaped, nor is there so much as the
loss of a single cruiser to be set down, to the adverse side
of the account. Looking broadly at the matter, and
speaking candidly, we think we might say thatsuch aresult
would, upon the whole, have been generally accepted six
months ago as a tolerably favourable conclusion. O.
course, there were persons who thought that Cronetadt
ought to be taken and the Russian fleets brought to Spit-
head within five weeks or so, but the great body of Eng-
glishmeu know and felt that the first duty of our Admirals
was to maintain a thorough and effectual blockade, with-

out exposing their ships to unnecessary danger. Against
the fleet of the enemy our fleet would, of course, have
proceeded at once, and it will be remembered that the first
division of vessel:despatched to the Baltic was so inferior
in number to the Russian squadron that nothite,
could have been more defiant than the challenge thrown
out. But such fighting as this was not in the Czar's de-
signs. What he wished was to allure our ships into an
engagement with his shore fortifications, so that, after
our walls of wood had got'the worse against his walls of
rock, his • fleets might sail out of their skulking-placeF
and find easy work with our shattered and discomfited
squadrons. This was the risk to be escaped, and this risk
has indeed been escaped, while the fleets of 'the enetiej
have been confined within their fortified harbours.
Nevertheless, we shall probably, not Le wrong in surmis-
ng that the preponderant feeling on this question will he
me pf dissatisfaction, and this conclusion will find some
justification in argument. Such results as those described
however desirable in themselves, are certainly not corn
mensurate with the magnitude of the means employed. 0
such a fleet as we despatched to the Baltic more might natu
rally be expected than that it should come safe home again
A. naval force so powerful, so well manned, and so salmi
rably appointed, never left the shores of this or any othe
kingdom. Its equipment in regard to strength-and re
sources was perfect beyond example. Every ship was
stupendous machine of offence, and engines of destructio
unheard of in past times were At the command of men any
officers inferior to none who ever sailed. Surely, some
thing more than was at first designed might have bees
achieved with such a squadron. It would be unfair t.
shape our conclusions by any contrast with the operation
in the Crimea. Each campaign should Le estimated by it
self; hut, even thus, the reports front the Baltic beau
much to be desired. Undoubtedly it was wise to avoii
the trap which the Czar had laid for us in front of his hat
teries ; but after the result of the Bomarannti experimen
it seems natural to inquire both why that experimeu
could not have been tried earlier, and why so satisfactory
an issue was not more effectually followed up. The attack
upon the Aland Isles taught the fleet and the world that
granite ramparts wore not impregnable to cannon shot,
nor did all the toasted resources at the command of the
besieged, such as red-hot balls, Etc., produce the destruc-
tion, or even the jeopardy of a single vessel of the attack-
ing force. It is true that a large body of land troops as-
sisted at the operations, but it is also true that this rein
forcement proved to be quite unnecessary, and if among
the marines of the allied fleets there were MO or 600 who
could use the Mini(' rifle with effect, the whole affair
might have been accomplished at any moment by the un-
aided forces of the squadrons themselves. Although,
moreover, we have bearded the enemy in his own strong-
holds, it is hardly to bo conceived but what our indisposi-
tion to close with his artillery must have given him in-
creased confidence in his own defences. The very demon-
strations, too, which we made in the way of reconnoitring
and sounding may have had the effect of showing him his
weak points, and of enabling him to strengthen them
against future attack.
It cannot, however, be denied that these disappoint.
ments are in some measure traceable to errors of judgment
on the part of those who were charged with the equip.
ment of the fleet. The truth is that our attention has
never been directed to this species of warfare. The con
tingencies which we had in contemplation were those of an
ordinary war, with its regular sea-fights maintained by
great line-of-battle ships, no new element except that of
steam power being taken into account. We made ready
to engage the Russian fleet yardarm to yardarm at any
odds, and we despatched our three-dockets accordingly.
But, when it came to practice, we found that no such trial
of this sort was to be anticipated, and that the Russian
squadrons had entrenched themselves, if the expression be
allowable, behind fortifications which could not be reached,
like those of the Alma, Ly an undaunted advance. Our
first-rates, especially those unprovidod with screws, turned
out to be useless, and we believe that not one of them up
to the present moment has fired a single allotted gun. On
the other hand, the vessels 'most particularly needed were
not forthcoming. We wanted a smaller species of craft,
offering little or no mark to the enemy's shot, but armed
with very heavy guns, and moveable at great speed with a
light draught of water. Such, in fact, are the g-boats
recently launched, and if a good force of these, with some
powerful floating batteries, had been attached to the fleet, we
should have had a better title to look for substantial results.
Even then, however, it would always be necessary to keep a di-
vision ofline-of-battle ships in reserve,otherwise theßussians
seeing only gun-boats before them, might take heart of
grace, sally out, surround some small craft with their
three-deckers, and repeat their performances at Sinop°.
Putting recrimination aside, we cannot do better, now
that the campaign is ended, than turn its lessons to good
account for advantage in the ensuing spring. By that
time the allies will probably have their Black Sea fleets
disengaged, so that large reinforcements might be
despatched to the Baltic. It does not seem, however, that
reinforcements of this kind are really called for. Our
squadrons, as already constituted, have proved quite
strong enough to scare the Russians from the seas, while
as to attacks upon shore fortifications it is clear that large
vessels, unless moved and handled like the Agamemnon,
cannot be brought into action. We have learnt that can-
non-shot can destroy granite walls, or at least such granite
walla as are built by Russian engineers, and the object is
to provide such a class of floating batteries as will carry
our guns up to their work. The exertions now made in
this direction offer a sure guarantee that the end will be
soon secured, and a second campaign, undertaken with
better appreciation of our relative power, and conducted
with more enterprise, will speedily produce, we have little
doubt, results considerably more positive than those at
present achieved.—Times:

. . .
DEPARTURE OF MORE GUARDS FOR THE EAST.—Ai
an inspection yesterday afternoon of-the Grenadier and
Scots Fusilier Guards, at present stationed in the Lon
don barracks, it was agreed upon by the military autho-,
rities to send out to the seat of war 230 more men, Viz.,
80 from tke Grenadier regiment, and 150 from the Scots'
and mes;r,. Smith, have each '
Fusilier Guards ; which body of men will leave England
on Monday or Tuesday next, , ,
FLOATING BATTERIES.—'Messrs. Green, of Elackwall,
ntettitoonfii:::l;g:te,
Messrs. Wigrani and Co.,
received orders from the Govetiment to build so,rtita,l I
itli fsilt reni :el
new war vessels of a peculiar construction. - The , 1
floating batteries are to be fiat-hottomed and to hlew
to
three 11i...ye ea's; m
:Tllh Thu
ev,ecsrsiepl
tsi
on must()i fort
to f c
os
and wood. It is stated that three hundred
of iron hill be used in the coustructionof a a fifty tons
that its iron walls will be everywhere each fort, and
thickness. Thu forts are to bel nine inches in
The destination o the new
.floatinguounted with cannon.
to be the Baltic, batteries is' believed

..
LETTERS FROM " THOSE AT SEA."--It is -customary 1
for the officers and men belonging to H.M. ships abroad
to place letters for England in canvas bags, which are
sewed up and sent on board the first mail packet met
with. By the Brazil packet, which arrived in England
yesterday, there was a letter bag front the officers of
H.M.S. Sharpshooter. The following address was beau,
tifully printed in a German text band on the bag, viz,--
"Letters front the officers of H.M.S. Sharpshooter.
For England, home, and beauty." The latter sentence
formed a wreath round an admirable drawing of the.
Sharpshboter. - • •