The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-04-25

liver, at Little Falls were Killed yesterday by "A
allng Of that structure.
rhe Naval Operations In the Baltic ar A R,acr
Seas.
Although we are not as yet in oossession Of
he details of the plan Of opera .ions laid down
FOR the combined fleets j., the Baltic and
Black Seas, an examine zion of the map of
the Russian coasts v. Ill at once indicate the
most advantageous points of attack. The force
under the CONNIE nd of Sir Charles Napier in
the Baltic, amounts by this time to about forty
ships of the line, and it is certain, from the en-
terprisinS character of this officer, that he will
not suffer much time 10 elapse before he at
tempts one of those daring and decisive opera
tons which have already rendered his name SO
distinguished. Asst is the obvious policy of the
allies to inflict at once crushing blow on the
foreign trade and naval power of Russia, it is
not probable that any attack will be at present
made on the smaller ports on the northern
shores of the Gulf of Finland as was at first
supposed. After securing the island of Aland,
which commands the mouth of the Gulf, the
English Admiral will at once proceed to invest
the larger seaports and naval stations on its
southern and eastern shores, such as Reycl, Riga
ard Cronstadt Although not connected with
the interior by any great navgable river, the
first named of these places has considerable
foreign trade. Its harbor is deeper than that
OF Cronstadt; but it is difficult of entrance, the
roadstead being formed by several islands,
upon which strong batteries are planted. Once
these are silenced, however, the town lies COM
plotely unprotected, great portion of it con
sisting of wooden houses, which struggle to
considerable distance along the shore. The
blockade or destruction Of Revel would cripple
the trade of the province of Livonia, but would
not materially affect that Of any other part of
the empire.
1t is different with Riga Owing to the fact
of its being situated at the embouchure of the
Dwina, it is the entrepot Of vast extent Of
country, is the capital of Livonia, and ranks
next to st. Petersburg in commercial impor-
lance. There is a bar at the entrance of the
river which prevents the entrance of vessels
drawing more than fourteen feet of water; and
the town itselfs strongly fortified, the ordinary
garrison being about 10000 men. Although
Riga cannot, for these reasons, be taken without
the cooperation of large land force, the in
terruption of its commerce by blockade would
be severely felt, not only in Livonia, but
throughout the extensive provinces of Cour-
land, Vitcbsk, Minsk and Smolensk, to which
the Dwina serves as medium OF communication
with the sea.
The grand point of operations will however,
be Cronstadt, inasmuch as it is at once the port
and outwork of ST. Petersburg The feelings
of surprise experienced by the foreign visitor
at finding magnificent city like the latter
built on one Of the worst sites in the world, are
soon explained to him when, on descending
twenty miles down the river to Cronstadt, he
examines the character and capabilities Of that
port. With all its disadvantages, no situation
combines in a greater degree security from exter-
nal attack, with an easy, though, at the
same time, well fortified access to the sea-
The narrow channel which bounds the island
of Kotlinc, and is the only practicable pas
sage from the Gulf OF Finland to the
capital, is protected on the side of Cronstadt
by o fortress erected on small Island, and on
the opposite side by the detached batteries Of
Riesbank and the Castle of Cronslot These
Notifications are of the most formidable char
acter, and can only be carried at great sacri-
fee. The imperial port, which is situated on
the southeast side of Cronstadt, and which can
accommodate about forty ships of the line as
well as smaller vessels, is also strongly forti-
fed, and it is questionable, large the fleet is
under Sir Charles Napier's command, whether
he will he able to do more than establish q
blockade at the entrance Of the harbor. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether the Russian fleet will
contendedly remain shut up in its ports, and
witness the ravages that will be committed on
its coasts, without making some effort to afford
relief to the places attacked. We have also yet
to see put to the test the effect of those terrible
innovations which science is said to have con-
tributed to naval warfare, and which, if all
that is said of them be true, will render su-
metal of less Importance than formerly. OF
these arcana Of modern pyrotechny the Car is
said to have purchased all that appeared to him
to possess any merit, and we may therefore ex-
poet to hear of some startling and novel dis
turbances in the old theories and principles of
naval tactics.
In the Black Sea it is not probable, as has
been stated by some Of the English journals,
that the first efforts of the allied fleets will be
directed against Sebastopol. AS the object is
TO gain, aud not to lose time, after stationing
some vessels at Varna, to keep open the COM
muncaton with the main body Of the Turkish
army and dspossessng the Russians of the
mouths Of the Danube, an immediate attack will
be made on Odessa. The bay. or roadstead, Of
this port is deep, and easy of entrance, and the
anchorage good The city isprotected towards
the sea by few batteries, and on the east side
by citadel which commands the town and
port. These defences are, however, weak, and
are not likely to offer much resistance. AS
Odessa ia the nrincinal cmnor;nm tbrourb