The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-09-18

Il
mean. Therefore, Ipray You to remove your eyes
/ from the petty protocols OF ENJOYS and give no
heed to the presence Of combined fleets or any otner
demonstration. All this caunot change tue destiny
| Ct the world. A warke exodus must take place
from Russia-a few years later or earlier Is simply
| the question.
i shall give Won a correct account in my next OF
the present state of the Russian navy and also OF
her seaports being a very careful selection OF ex-
tracts from sundry German publications OF undonot-
ed authority. W. H. M.
LONDON Sept. 2, 1853.
Russta-Hcr Nary, Ports, Port Police and Har-
Dor FortjfcationS-Hey Ships, their Timber, its
Supply and Ssasoning-1hs officers, Sailors and
Marines ManGurring Of the Feet-Napol
Decisions Of the Vesseis, Sc, &c.
1t is almost unnecessary for me to argue in favor
Of IAN European secret Communicated in my ''last
and FIRST of Tuesday last. You must know that
territorial ACKNOWLEDGEMENT is as much matter Of
course with the Car it is with yourselves, oaly
that be stands in more immediate need OF expansion,
reigning, as he does, over almost inland quarter
of the globe 1t is my intention, occasional " to re-
vert to this subject but now to content myself with
communicating wha. follows
Very lit is known of the Russian navy in all
other countries of Europe and whatever notions may
exist on the subject they are vague and all but de-
lusive. ! am, however, enabled, from careful
pe1usal aud translation Of sundry articles in the
AHgemeiae Zeitung, and other journals and publ
catons to state few facts with respec; to the naval
force Of Russia and her seapoIs. For a war feet to
be good for anything besides firing salutes and rot
ting in harbor the first thing requisite is the posses
sion Of line of coast in the open sea, with con-
venient ports; next in importance come good Ships
able crews, and efficient officers Russia has three
inland seas. The one open sea she has-the Polar
Seals blocked up with ice. The Sound and the
Bosphorous are the outlets to the more important
inland seas. Either opening is exposed to block
ade. The Russian ports, excepting always those of
Cronstadt and Sebastopol, not fit for the harbor
ing of fleets. Holsingfors, the best Of the Finish
ports, is small. The port Of Rotshensalm, at the
mouth of the Kymmene, in the Bay of Finland, is in
deed fortified, and it is, moreover the station of the
socalled Scheerean feet. Revel in the Bay of Fin
land, is commercial port there were Notifications.
but they are almost dsmantled. Batisport, in Esth
nonia at the mouth OF the Paddis is large but alto
gether devoid Of Notifications. Riga and Liban in
Courland are commercial ports. Archange has docks
and is fortified port but it is lost in the far north and
devoid of importance in the case Of war; 1t is the
same with the ports of the Caspian. The port of As
tracan is being ruined by the accommodations of
sand. Azof and Tagaurow want depth, and the same
may be said of all the ports in the Sea of Azof of
Feodosa, and Chsrsof. Between Cronstait and st.
Petersburg the water is low that vessels of
than seven feet draught cannot reach the capital.
The vessels from ST. Petersburg docks must be
taken to Cronstadt by land, and at one time they
we're dragged by camels Odessa is mere CO n
mercial port, and Sebastopo is the only servceable
war port in the Black Sea, whose fleet is stationed
there The port Of Odessa is large, o. great depth,
strongly fortified and it has the advantage of regu
lar tides and winds. The ports Of Bessarabia are
altogether unimportant
As to the police of the ports, the maintenance of
lighthouses buoys a., it must be confessed that all
these matters in excellent condition, at small
expense to the Russian eXchsquer. But srategical
system of ports, such as England and France can
boast of, is altogether out Of the question. The
fleets Of France and England may in their own
seas venture on the boldest and most hazardous ma
uGuvres-in case Of need they have always place
of refuge under the guns Of their ports; but the
Russian fleet, with nothing but Cronstadt and Sc
bastopo to back it, is in continual danger Of being
advance to the attack Its services are purely de-
iersve. This being the case, what can be more
natural than that Russia should desire las conveyed
to you in my European Secret per last mail, y to
possess herself of better habors and more service
able range of seaboard.
For shipbuiding Russia has the very best mate
rails that can be found. Her forests supply her with
oaks which equal to those Of Canada, Of which
the British ships built. But of late years 80
great has been the waste that the forests of Central
Russia are unequal to the demands of the navy aud
LEY have been compelled TO take their wood from
AID they never give it time for proper seasoning.
Consequently it is soon wormeaten and rotten. 1t
is generally said that Russian vessel lasts but two
thirds Of tie time which an English vessel is expect
ed to last In part this may also be owing Cat least
in the Baltic) to the short irregular and the
ice. The sails and ropes in the Russian navy are
cellent. The Russian sailmakers were famous even
in the days of Peter the Great and to this day Rus
sian is preferred to Scotch canvas. Russian hempis
quite as famous Russian tar and leather The guns
are all that can be desired. The vessels very
derry and clean; they show to this day that Peter
took his first lessons In Holland The fittings of the
cabins are splendid in the extreme, according to ths
and the customs Of the Russian aristocracy.
The Russian captains and admirals not by any
Ruyter, or Napier stamp. Slppered they are, aud |
wrapped up in morning gowns, and got up in the !
most splendid style of ease they loll soft sofas
of purple velvet reading French novels, or they sit
at the piano by the hour, playing "Etudes par
CHOPIN"
The fact is the Russian naval officers care very
little for the profession not that that they gno
rant; the nautical academies at OranienOaum, Pc
tersburg, CroDstadt, Odessa and Nicoajen provide ,
all sorts Of theoretical knowledge but for all that
il is lot in the grain and in Of will be
that the Russian vessels are badly Offered. Very
mAch the came may be said of the crews. The Rus
slams are not fond Of salt water. The majority of
the sailors from the interior; they are invete
rate landras, and never saw the sea until they were
enlisted into the navy They have not, rs the sailors
Of England France and America breathed the sea
breezes in their cradles. The English are OF Nor
man blood, of the blood Of the Oldest seakugs OF
the world-the Russians come from the waterless
seppes Of Mongolia; the vessels Of England France
and America sail about in all waters, but it happens
very rarely that Russian ship Of ventures into
the open sea; they not :" weather fast" The
Russian fleets have scarcely ever been IN a serious
engagement, for Of course Navarino mus. not be
mentioned.
With the soldier present courage Is partly derived
from the "reminiscences Of glorious past-the Rus
sian sailors and marines have no past to think Of.
They stand in their high boots and stiff coats in the
exact same position prescribed by the rules and re-
euatiops Of the service go that their feet TO N an
angle 81 as degrees and this position 1t is their pride
and their glory to preserve on the spars ct the
pumps and at the guns. The rules and regulations
Of the service alone determine the movements Of
the Russian sailor. He will. in the very teeth Of
danger, 90 on getting up his anchor, while
an Engishman or Yankee would have CIT MS