The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-21 00:00:00

two English armed steamers, a large and smaller
vessel, arrived at Degerby custom-house, in the
south-east of the Aland group, on the 29th of May.
-A-number of sailors landed, whereon the inhabitants
took to flight ; but the officer in command gave his
arms to au attendant, and, reassured by this act,
the people returned and spoke with their visitors,
two of whom (one of them a native Alander) spoke
Swedish. The English requested permission to buy
fresh provisions. This has been forbidden under
dreadful penalties by the Russian Government, and
Was therefore refused. One old man however, pro-
duced four score of eggs, which were highly paid for.
The English officer then invited all the custom-
house people to visit the ships, but they refused. It
Was said in Aland that the English met with a se-
liere loss in their attack on Ilarwey Point, and that
the Russians lost 400 men at Eckness.b The garri-
son at Bomarsund is reported to be too weak,
and to have no reserve. Nearly every able-bodied
loan has been sent into the interior. On the same
clay (the 29th) 20 Russian gunboats, each manned
11 60 men, had been seen in Storfiord, some miles
Iron." Nystad. Ten of them were towed by a
steamer, the Storfursten. They were said to
belong to the Abo squadron.
A letter from Dantzic, of the 15th, states that a
rumour was prevalent there that the squadron
tinder the orders of Admiral Parseval-Deschenes
had effected its junction on the 13th with the
English squadron.
The following is a letter from a gentleman
cruising in his yacht, in company with the fleet
under Sir Charles Napier :
"Off Sweaborg ant _Helsingfors, June 12.—My last
Was in great haste from Bare Sound, a few days back.
"e left it with onr steam fleet on the 9th, and after a short
cruise hither we all anchored in the gulf off Ronskars
Lighthouse
(on Porkalla Udde) till this morning on account
I believe of the thick, nasty weather. Yesterday Admiral
Corry's sailing division of the fleet came up thegulf, and was
sent into our old berth Baro Sound, where it now is. Thus
close handy to each other are these two great divisions.
Ours (steam screw) numbers nine line-of-battle ships,
including the Austerlitz, two screw frigates, and a few
Paddle-wheel steamers. The sailing division numbers
12 line-of-battle (of which three are screw), besides
leaser ships. We left our anchorage this morning at
o'clock with the steam fleet, and were honoured
by.b being towed by the St. Jean d'Acre—our good friend
'°-enpel„ On our reaching this, in a few hours, three
Paddle-wheel steamers were sent towards the en-
trance to Sweaborg (round Miolo Bay), where they
still are, and are engaged, probably, in taking sound-
ills, exploring the coasts, and making out the channel
for 4. an early entrance of the fleet to closer quarters with
'ne enemy. Meanwhile, we are anchored within seven
or eight miles of him, our good little Esmeralda holding
f
.a, It in this deep water by a .hawser from the St. Jean
cVi.ere. This is our first summer's day. We clearly
e Ilelsing fors the Sweaborg fortifications, and the
ussian fleet of nine or ten big ships. One of them,
1?(i flagship, is moored across the only now possible
{for big ships) entrance to Helsingfors—that between
`-/listafsvarn and Back Holmen Island. Gustafsvarn,
'anger% and the three Svarts's Islands are very strongly
fortified, but I believe Back Holmen is not. The other
Russian ships are anchored in a line along the north end
bßack Hohnen, from the flag-ship to its N.E. extremity,
t it seems that it is too long from N. to S. for them to
'le harm to our ships if in the bay outside. However,
We, like others, are quite in the dark as to what can be
,nd what will be done ere long in this locale. e hope
lo learn more after we have had a nearer viewW of the
that
impregnability of this Sweaborg. When
at will be I know not. We may at any moment, after
wthe return to head-quarters of those three steamers, be
°)rdered to go in and anchor in Miolo Bay, near Swea-
-I:rff, or return to Baro Sound. My impression is, that
~e are only now comma up to reconnoitre the ground, and
that we shall not attempt anything great till the arrival
°I the French fleet. It was at. Kiel three weeks ago,
did not come up yesterday to Baro Sound with
i)rrY'S division. Just before we sailed this morning
)1:3111e ships were seen coming from the westward ; per-
aPs they are the French.
"The Bulldog is just ordered to proceed with the
r,master
,of the fleet close in to reconnoitre Helsingfors.
The fleet are under way."
oshe following letter, dated June 13, is from an
'neer on board the fleet
"The grumblers in England, who imagine that the
days of Nelson and Collingwood are passed, will, per-
bee gratified to hear that Sir Charles Napier has
()I'rn that still some of the spirit of the olden time
bsy advancing close off the strong fortresses of
W fistseaborg, Revel, and Cronstadt with a squadron of
Zh,lY nine line-of-battle ships (the remainder of the fleet
rg detached off Gothland form a junction with the
threach fleet on their arrival tin these waters), thereby
Owing down the gauntlet to the bragging Russians,
lr?
h° in those ports, within a few hours' sail of his small
adiron lie protected by impregnable
forts, which can
eelY oe attacked by one ship at a time, in the hope that
tee casualty may happen to our brave ships that will
enable them to
stn 0• From a lighthouse on an island close to where
W 0
1: are anchored we can overlook them lying quietly
tecfted in Helsingfors, while the English flag is con-
-of4lPtilouslv waving in their waters on board a squadron
~, not half their force, blockading their ports and dyingde-
.L
their trade,
It is the universal opinion in the fleet (anxious as
Ate all are to distinguish ourselves) that, however dash-
ng a thing it might be for our gallant Admiral to rush
ft,dlY against stone walls, it would be the height of
i 1Y to endanger the disabling of our fleet, thereby leav-
ing the seas open to the Russians, who would know too
ell how to take advantage of such a state of affairs.
tit' Charles Napier is by no means in an enviable posi-
ti the eyes of Europe upon him, at the same
ila'ne necessitated to act with 'discretion,' which renders
tc,lich caution necessary to enable him more effectively
pi,-I,l°rward the real object for which he is sent here—
irleh we all understand is to keep in check and destroy,
we can, the all-vaunted Russian fleet, of which we
•"e heard so much of late years. Revel is in sight on
ail right hand, and Helsingfors on our left—Revel 15
thle, Helsingfors 12."
,The following are the present (June 12) stations
°' the fleet :
ti Sir Charles Napier, with the advance squadron, con-
of the Duke, Edinburgh, St. Jean d'Acre, Prin.
filss Royal, Cmsar, Hogue, Blenheim, Cressy, Auster-
k 4 Wrench), screw-frigates Inaperieuse and Arrogant,
ttld steam-frigates-ates Bulldog, Driver, and Dragon, are
ortil`'ing off "Heisingfors, and going in a day or two off
bt°nstadt, where some advanced frigates have already
een- The Lightning has just returned from a survey-
, trip to Aland Islands, which are reported to be very
110 Y fortified. Admiral Pluturidge, with the Leo-
fru, Valorous, and Vulture, has been away five weeks
,) ;°nl the Commander-in-Chief in the Gulf of Bothnia
2c' news of them since they left. Admiral Corry, with
line-of-battle ships and two or three steam-frigates, is
,rising off Gothland (now ordered up immediately to
the Commander-in-Chief). The Amphion, Conflict,
11:11se!', and Archer are in the Gulf of Riga, blockading ;
heather
at Stockholm and Penelope off Hango Head.
cold ; strong 'ea,terly wind, with rain. Fleet
ae,,althY• The Neptune had several cases of small-pox ;
bad now. Also Breslau, French line-of-battle ship,
small-nox ; now ended. French fleet, en route, ex-
;;„eekted to join in us in a week or so. Austerlitz, a
Ifo ship, does her work well. We can count 13
R.4Bsian line-of-battle ships and several steamers in Hel-
-_lngfers. A chain is said to be drawn across the narrow
entrance into the harbour.