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

LETTERS FROM THE FLEET.

"HANG° 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 ships 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 anchom 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."
"BAB° 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. yest-rday 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
muck annoyed the Admiral. He has given an
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
permission. I have no doubt firing these huts has been
(lone for what is termed a lark,' but it tends to giva
Finlanders a very bad opinion of us, in direct opposition
to the endeavours of the Admiral, who does all he can
io 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 Curry'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 fur 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

sendingo them away for water. The greatest enthusiasm
11,- thr,.ii!;l-nico. the scitnnii'on ; ot,;;.;crs and men
anxio:is a brush, and when the time arrives I tru4
will prove that the navy has not degenerated. This is
very spacious bay, with 20 fathoms of water and goou
holding ground. It is well -sheltered, except between
south-west and by south and south-east. On the nort!
side is the island of Kimito, on the east llango-1 °loant,
and on the west a number of small islands, some
which are fortified. It was on a fort on one of the
isttnds the Dragon opened her fire. The whole of the
combined fleet could be easily anchored if the forts on the
small 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 traee their sit
nal stations to the eastward of Hango-head, and 3 .15
only 300 miles by miles by land ; the distance by seno
s
220 miles. It is very fortunate for us we get so litt
night, as the navigation of the Gulf of Finland is .verY
difficult. About 50 miles to the eastward of this the
passage for large ships is only 18 miles wide, that is frolrlai
Nargan-lighthouse to the Makiloto-Bader shoal,
this channel must be passed to reach Helsingfors,
ng
have just been ordered to send letters to the &O,
early to-morrow, and it is reported we leave during the
day to proceed up the gulf."

THE RUSSIAN FORTRESSES ON TO
BLACK SEA.
We publish the following from the fleet on the
Circassian coast
Her Majesty's steamer —, May 22. The last twiol
days have have been occupied in putting Redout
in a state of defence against internal enemies, in eu.
trenching and securing otherwise the position
the of the
Turks. On the 20th a party of Sappers from Ag 0
ee:
memnon were landed, with working parties from :
e e
other ships, both French and English ; also the whol a
the Turkish soldiers we had embarked at Zuluk Zee,
.il
er.
two officers of Marine Artillery (First-Lieutenants -it
Cox and H. B. Roberts), who directed the operatie:i
In a few hours a blockhouse was finished and lop nib.
(it had been a Russian barrack), and a parapet eswie.
lished, flanked by a long, deep marsh. Another blocal,
house was formed out of an old store, with strong Ole.°
planks as an outwork on the only other point aecr',7,.,
sible to the Mingrelians (Georgians) by the south ; actin
had at its right the sea, and on its left another Ware ;
beyond which is a thick wood. The Turks worked ani
with pickaxe and shovel most manfully; they bad Alf
artillery officer with them, and were as ignorant as u
dren on the subject ; the Bey, nevertheless, carried o
the orders of the Marine Artillery officers ; houses wet!:
destroyed and others strengthened, though at first I.`"
was somewhat aghast at the amount of demation
fort2l
oaired. They established a continuation of the old t
n the !and side. No officers were allowed on shore tha
day but those on duty. Towards sunset the Turks gr,,T,
dually became lazy, and had to be encouraged -vart
Moskov,' to show them the necessity of going on.
el
then
1'
five o'clock the next morning I caught the little old Pp
just getting up, smoked a chibouque with him
pantomimed a furious digging, upon which Ile and
sent *r
awaken the men, most of whom were asleep about the)
piled arms, and the rest smoking, and at half past 6:ed
they were all digging away capitally. It was expla'n'd
to the Bey what he must do when the ships had left,
what number of men should be in the different post%
The Turks worked admirably, and, as one party of th
diggers vied with the other, the parapet got on wonder'.
fully, and the whole of the defences assumed rillit'st the
spectable appearance. A party of officers crossed
river by the flying bridge, and walked 'over the ion
dering remnants of the town, and somewhat beyownbc;
notwithstanding the warnings of Bashi-Bazoukss ad
are posted on this side, concerning lurking IVl"k°Va tivg
NOthl 0
Georgians. The place is entirely destroyed.
remains of the main part of the town but black bear%
strewed around. In the centre stand isolated the st°ll4ie
steps which formed the approach to the church T,
chimneys and ovens of the houses alone mark their
all the rest having been of wood. Apparently, 3 ban 0
some street had run parallel with the river, but its hoesilea
must have been very unhealthy, as both on the north a.th
south sides stretches a marshy country, covered vr'
brushwood and large lilies. The glass of the houses Wag
seen in fused lumps ; pottery strewed the grounds asi.
occasionally were found rats and cats, from their P °OO
tion burnt to death in the act of running away. Ineeith
-evening Admiral Lyons inspected the works, The
which he expressed himself perfectly delighted. ad
admiral then, with the captain of the Charlemagne ,a to
several others, pulled up the river; having the Pre-ter
tion of a skirmishing party of Turks on each bank tie
their protection. One of these took a Georgian,P;-t
soner, and conveyed him to the fort. He was lte
on all sides by the Turks, who crowded round hinle,"-bli;
heeding their officers' orders, which were enforceui keg
those gentlemen possessing themselves of large st.es
and laying them on the heads of the Turkish soldierof
right and left. The prisoner (suspected, with reas°°'t of
being a spy) was brought before the Bey, and ee'l in
a prisoner to his quarters. The poor Georgian weere
an awful fright, as well he might be, and before
going to prison knelt down and kissed the
of the Bey's coat with the greatest reverence.. es'
Turk touched his musket significantly. with an to,
pression which meant that fellow will be shc't ore
night.' However, he was preserved by an order frB,o
the Admiral to send him on board the Sampson. leer
retain in the fleet the officers and soldiers of the "e-,lt
sleek troops which we captured ; also the Grt,,%i.
crew. Our prize in said to have 300th. weight of
nine on board,. part of the medical stores collect
from the whole of the Circassian stations. vents
must now tell you of our proceedings prior to the ev",",,er
I have narrated. After leaving Gelendijik j-ae
the deserted station of Wilh_la , which occrePl"
beautiful position on a ferti,e slope,) and protected hi,
well studied defences ; beyond this the are Ile
abruptly into the sea, and between them there 0.10 ik
valleys filled with luxuriant foliage. After Gelee et.
comes the little station of Lazaroff, the centre of a Piiie
feet gem of scenery. It stands (or rather stood, as lee
whole is burnt or destroyed, except the outer looph°
walls, and a couple of blockhouses, studded with poPlleiii
the lower halves of which are now blackened by fir!,,; ere
the middle of a small plain, at the entrance of a tcc- e
does gorge; on either side, an l far up in the dieter): ;
which is beautifully broken into hill and dale are ratts
of trees in full foliage, and the gorge Is nosed in the eeb
treme distance by the usual accompaniment to 0,
scenes in this part of the world—a lofty snow and Piro
covered mountain. A collection of mountain stye pd
flows by Lazaroff with all the importance of a riverrieeo
upon its hanks we saw many Circassians and
Turkish trading boats. a it
"After Lazaroff came Golovinsky. As We Passe ter
the Circassians and a Turkish vessel or two fired a sa A
fed
which was duly returned by the Agamemnon. to
miles beyond Golovineky the admiral stood closetm
the shore and anchored ; the rest of the fleet did nee
same. Two Turkish trading boats from Treh'iccie
were high and dry on the beach, and hundreds of jog
cassians formed a picturesque crowd (nearly all bteue,
mounted) by the seash 're. This point is named Bar,
and here the Russians have perseveringly tried to yei,
footing, and as often being foiled by Circassian rui,re.
the owners of which are not a little proud of thee
1,00
quent repulsions of Moskov. Bar,lan has thertee
been the only Circassian post, and from this Place the
young ladies have for years been eligibly settled in ieoe
harems of the great men of Stamboul. From this erPoe
Captain Brook and the engineer officer started 0vei,,.0.4'
mountains with a few Sappers and an escort of Li"
sians, commanded by Ismail Bey, to cross the Rutl)
road by hook or by crook, and to communicate with
Schamyl if possible. Ismail Bey is a great nrans'nPso
he the people, and a lord of the soil of Barden ; yet'
brought from Constantinople the other day by tin the
rible, and has since lived in the A amemnon. °tie by
landing of the party all good wishesg were expresseeer
a salute of seven guns, and they started on thciri
pedition the same evening. As soon as we land Mme'
were surrounded by a ctowd of Circassians, evh°ll33Clo,
diately led us by a path from the shore, through sod°
brambles, and ditches, to a long field surround° 0,04
woods, among which several wooden dwellings sh°
their roofs. This was a beautiful spot, and the gig gal
neath us a mass of daisies and buttercups. A- reineet
of acquaintance with these was not the least ping&
part of our trip. A Circassian made me mount his,,
Crossing a stream, I gave it up again, and prepare, wet
a guide, to scale one of the mountain heights. covered
a heavy pull up this hill, on a narrow pathway Cir
with briar and brambles. On our way we met two 0.
cassian young ladies, rather moon-faced, but with breeer
tiful complexions and pleasant expression. Our Ci
sian friend called to them to cover their faces (we
dragotnan with us)e-an order which the young T.,
lead
ise
showed their good sense by neglecting. At the top
ad a most noble view, a complete Panorama 0;e-toil
wood, overtopped with snow; several villageS were 7:011'
among the woods and on the mountain sides, the ueir
ings being all of wood. We descended by another T°e-etr
tam path to the sea; here we took another stroll, an fat,
tered a wood. We had been advised cot to stray 10ef eor
as the Circassians of the mountains were ignorant ° 00a
arrival, and might take us for Russians. In the
iv;
pro
we met a fine-looking old gentleman, mounted, an,° 10
ceeding slowly; with him were two Circassian gir's,'eelie,
daughters, as it appeared. Not knowing what I,oi 7,1;e0
of us, he drew his sword, or rather long knife, are° 100 bed
fierce ; but on nearing us, and seeing we were 110koel,
returned it again, and was quite happy when he° were
us to be 'lnghealeez.' Theo his daughters came i°r olds
and shook hands with all. One was about 12 years felt
the other 14, the latter exceedingly pretty, wit' the,
skin, blue eyes, and light hair, and we were told 400 or
old gentleman ready and happy to become a P°141001.)
the personal effects of any of us for 10,000 Piastres Set.
These Circassian girls look forward to this, as heieigtheil.
tied in life and going to Stamboul is a fulfilment f° doe
best wishes and desires, just as a young lady in thee
makes eligible' march. Our little friend wa:
blue eyes looked at us earnestly,in confirtnati or
papa's words, and made some of our
party a peser,ed
pantoeo;o3
shells she had just picked up, which she
girl here ,6
wouh(.bear a fine polish ; but a' Circassian g A t how•
at Stamboul are two very different beings. "`"
ies'erl
she wanders about in p'ain and rough dress, 014,15/
ing of the gold and decoration that may som_Lcate"
to her lot at Stamboul. Tbey are generally:o- esittie;
in Turkish young lady-like accomplishment
&c., and imbibe by degrees the artificra' ,teos
they must lead henceforth. No Turk can marrYs,llol
lie provide his wife or wives with all manner cu DOE
°1
merits and luxury, and hence a decrease in the P the
tion which would greatly Mr. Malthus.eir P
Turks of the lower ordersgdie Stamboul, th oos
is mostly filled by fresh arrivals from Asia. The th
Turkish trading vessels fired an eccentric salute I'd eis
ships arrived and anchored. A. French officer t°
freight 0 _l ,41
that these beats had arrived to export a eoiel
same nature as the little blue-eyed girl I have "001
of ; each ship would hold 200 of them. On des „soli.
the mountain we saw a number of Circassian.. 0,
looking from among the brushwood at the Circassian.. a'
'redly we appeared they dipped among the 131'