The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-07 00:00:00

THE BALTIC.

DANTZIC, Thursday.—The Fulton, with Gene-
rals Baraguay d'Hilliers and Niel on board, arrived
here last night.

All the B-omarsund forts have been destroyed,
and the troops embarked.
Some steam-frigates remained among the islands.

THE BALTIC FLEET.

AUGUST 18.—Much disappointment has not only
been felt but expressed by the people of England at
the apparAit inactivity of the allied fleets iu the
Baltic. Their presence, however, on the coasts of
Russia, although not resulting in the conquest of
Helsingfors or Cronstadt, has inflicted a heavy
blow on the internal resources of the enemy. The
trade by sea, both in the Gulfs of Finland and
Bothnia, has been completely stopped by the
effective blockade of the seaports. Scarcely a
vessel, even of the smallest size, has ventured out
of harbour without being intercepted by the crui-
sers of the allies. A vast quantity of salt, a most
important article of commerce to the Russians, has
been seized, and has become so scarce that the
price has increased sevenfold. To the poorer classes
this will cause great privations during the ap-
proaching winter, especially to those inhabiting the
northern coast of the Gulf of Finland, whose chief
subsistence depends on the fish they preserve to-
wards the close of the summer season, but which
at the present time they will be unable to do, in
consequence of the great scarcity and high price of
the sole article necessary to the curative process.
Many invidious remarks have been made against
the gallant officer to whom the command of the
mighty fleet in the Baltic has been intrusted, be-
cause he has exercised a wise discretion in not
risking the crippling, if not total destruction, of
many of the ships under his orders in the futile
attempt to destroy the formidable batterieS of S wea-
borg and Cronstadt. It has been asserted that,
during the last war, our wooden walls proved suf-
ficiently powerful to cope successfully with for-
tresses of the strongest construction ; and that such
a circumstance as impregnability was never .ad-
mated, nor even entertained. But how few, if
any, instances in former times can be adduced in
support of such a statement, or can be brought
forward as parallel cases to those of the present
day ? The siege of Algiers may be cited ; but it
is universally allowed, except by prejudiced per-
sons, that, had the enemy held out, our fleet would
have been vanquished. Again, at the battle of
Copenhagen, half-a-century ago, the victory by
the British was obtained at a great sacrifice of life,
no less than 1,200 of our seamen having been
killed, principally by the guns of the Crown
batteries. Sir Charles Napier may possibly, in-
deed most probably will, return to England on the
approach of winter without having effected the
destruction of the granite batteries which defend
the ports of Helsingfors and Cronstadt. Never-
theless, he will have accomplished much, if not all
that was possible up to the present time. He has
prevented the much-talked-of powerful fleet of the
Russians leaving their harbours ; he has paralysed
throughout the entire coast of Finland on the north,
and Russia Proper on the south, the enemy's com-
merce by sea, thereby entailing upon his subjects
the heavy expenses of transporting supplies over-
land, and the consequent great increase in the price
of the necessary articles of subsistence has taken
place. In every portion of the Baltic seas num-
bers of trading vessels—many having valuable
cargoes—have been captured by the English cruis-
ers; munitions of war, a vast quantity of ships' stores,
&-c., in the Gulf of Bothnia have been destroyed; and
by the aid of the land forces of France, a firm
footing has been effected at Bomarsund by the oc-
cupation of ono of its fortresses, and the reduction
of the others are about to follow. Surely these
advantages cannot be deemed unimportant, or
being otherwise than propitious to the cause in
which the allied Powers have embarked, and which
they are determined to conduct to a successful
issue. Moreover, the present season has afforded
Sir Charles Napier an opportunity of becoming
personally acquainted e ith the actual strength of
the enemy's natural defences, the difficulties of the
navigation of the seas, and the forces requisite for
future successful operations. No doubt can be en-
tertained that in, the ensuing year—should the Em-
peror of All the Russias madly persist in carrying
on the war—by the co-operation of an adequate
number of land forces, Helsingfors, Cronstadt, and
St. Petersburg will in succession fall into the, hands
of the allied Powers.

Preparations have been made on board the Nep-
tune, 120, for the reception of Rear-Admiral
Plumridge, who, it is generally supposed, will hoist
his flag on board that ship as second senior officer
of the English division of the fleet. In this case
Rear-Admiral Martin, recently promoted to flag
rank, would be removed to the Leopard, having
under his immediate orders that portion of the fleet
denominated " the flying :squadron." Up to the
present date these arrangements have not talen
place, in consequence, it is stated, of Rear- Admiral
Martin being averse to leave so fine a ship as the
Nile, 91, the accommodations of which are vastly
superior to those of the paddle-wheel steam-frigate
Leopard.
The Penelope, 16; Capt. Callin, proceeds this
evening to Aland, and thence probably to England
to make up the deficiencies iu her armament caused
by the throwing overboard of the greater portion
of her guns when on shore off Bomarsund.

RUSSIA.
DEFENSIVE PRECAUTIONS IN THE
SOUTH.

The letters just to hand from the south of Russia
mention that the Russians have thrown a bridge
of boats across the Dnieper, with the view appa-
rently of facilitating the transfer of masses of troops
withdrawn from the Danubian Principalities to the
Crimea, now threatened by the allies. This bridge
of boats has caused the accumulation of a large num-
ber of craft laden with linseed and other produce,
which are prevented from pursuing their voyage
down the river to the Russian ports on the Black
Sea.

On the 27th ult. there was a thanksgiving ser-
vice at Warsaw for the victory gained by Prince
Bebutoff over the Anatolian army. The inspector-
general of the Russian army, M. Pogodin, has re-
turned from Jassy. The movement of troops from
Poland to Podolia continues. The Hetman of the
mobile Cossacks, Lieutenant-General Kuschnekoff,
has returned to Warsaw from the Cossack camp at
Kielce.

______.
Russian agents, disguised as Bedouins, have been
arrested at Damascus.

AUSTRIA.

Our telegraphic despatches received this morn-
ing are as follow :--
VIENNA, Wednesday evening.—A Cabinet Coun-
cil was held to-day, at which the Emperor Francis
Joseph presided.
It was decided that the rejection by Russia of
the guarantees required by the Western Powers,
through Austria, does not amount to a casus belli.

Austria, however, will persevere in supporting
the said guarantees, as necessary for the restoration
of peace, and for the maintenance of the balance of
power ; and in the meantime she will await the
result of the operations undertaken by the allied
Powers against Sebastopol.

Austria, for the present, is satisfied with having
maintained a strict neutrality.
VIENNA, SEPT. 3.
The Lloyd taking it for granted that all prospects
of an amicable arrangement with Russia are now at
an end, congratulates the world, and Germany in
particular, on the fortunate turn which things have
taken. It has long been felt that an armed neutra-
lity is more unbearable than an open war. An armed
neutrality is a dead weight ; it brings with it no
enthusiasm, as neither victories nor advantages are
possible. The Vienna writer, who is of opinion
that if unity of purpose is to be hoped for
in Germany it must be brought about by
actions instead of negotiations, says "If
Austria boldly unfurls her banner against Russia,
a feeling of shame, if not of honour, will
perhaps induce the Confederation to join her, and,
besides, public opinion, which in times of peace is
often heavy and sluggish,- becomes a power at such
a critical moment as the present." When the diplo-
matists have retired from the field, and permitted
the men of the sword to take the lead, then, and
then only, there will be a prospect of obtaining an
honourable and durable peace.
The Wiener Zeitung yesterday contained two
Vinisterial edicts relative to the loan. By the
first we learn that as the subscriptions amount to
More than 450,006,00011., the instalments are to be
paid in five years instead of four, as would have
been the case if less than that sum had been raised.

- Something nci;t- have gone wrong at Court yes-
terday, as the intended journey of the Archduchess
Sophia to Dresden was suddenly put off. Accord-
ing to order, the special train was in waiting at 5
o'clock, bu;-, a few minutes later a message was sent
that it would not be wanted. The Court is so ex-
tremely punctual, that if the resolution not to
leave Vienna had not been suddenly taken, the
notice that the train would not be required would