New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-09-13
THE CAPTURE OF BOMARsUND.

go far as published, are still couched IN vague
ard unbusiness like language. We do not, IN
fact, learn at what distance from the forts the
preaching batteries were erected or the ships
anchored during the naval attack. We hear no
further detais, such az might be expected, on the
construction of the forts, now that the allied
troops have possession of them. Indeed, almost
every point of importance is passed over Ia order
TO amuse the public with the more picturesque
ard less professional part of the Business In so
sloyenly manner are concocted even the Official
reports, that nobody can make out distinctly
whether Fort Tee, Gas they spell it, when taken
by the French, had to be stormed or rot, as it
seems that hardly any one but the commanding
officer resisted.
The little we can make out lie that, as we sus-
pected from the sketches, the two towers were
erected upon ground Of so broken nature that
rsyines, slopes and rocks formed natural sp-
proaches even up TO their very bitches.
In these ravipes the allies could comfortably es-
tablsh themselves, safe from the Russian shot
which passed over their heads; and being thus
enabled to construct their batteries close TO the
place at once began the siege with those which
are generally the last used in such cases namely,
preaching batteries. That the Russians built
their forts upon such ground, without at once
leveliDg it up to at least six or eight hundred
yards in front Of them, proves that serious land
attack was never calculated upon by them. The
preaching batteries must have been erected at no
greater distance than FIVE or Elk hundred yards
g. cort fha Eranch kaftara1 thau III
si1teen-pounders, generally considered not heavy
enough for preaching a wall even at one hundred
or one hundred and fifty yards distance. Thirty
six hours firing however, so injured the tower
that twelve hours more would have brought down
a whole fl ont. The British battered Fort NOttich
with sixty thirty tw FOUNDERS, Of forty-fve cwt.
each.
These guns, according TO Sir Howard Doug
lass's NardL GEnnery. are used with regulation
charge of seven lbs powder, and would, a. the
distance of four to five hundred yards, make the
ball penetrate from two TO two and half feet into
solid OAK. The French sixteen pound guns, with
charge OF five lbs, would have at four TO i've
hundred yards, penetration into oak Of from one
and half to 40 feet II the British, as may be
expected increased the regulation charge to at
least eight ibs., there is no wonder that with
twice the number of guns and double the caliber,
they laid one side of the fort open in less than
twelve hours
As to the sea attack, il was a mere diversion.
Only Captain Pelham Profted by the occasion TO
make a scientific experiment. He used his long
eight-inch pivot gun with all the steadiness and
regularity of preaching fire, invariably hitting,
as nearly as possible, the same place. These
long eight-inch guns are the finest in the British
navy. Their great weight of metal (ninety-fye
ewt permits charge of sixteen pounds ofpowder
to solid shot Of sixty eight pounds. The effect
of this shot, even at distance of FIVE or six
hundred yards, is incOneeivably greater than that
ofthe eighteen or twenty four-pound balls hitherto
generally used in preaching batteries; and when
properly used, could not fail to produce ire
meDdous result Accordingly, Captain Pelhsm's
steady firing very speedily unraveled the mystery
of Russian granite fsrtTesses. few shots de-
tached what hitherto appeared large block Of
sokd granite, but turned out to be mere facing
slab, the thickness of which was in no wise pro-
portionate TO its hight and width. Some more
shots, and the next adjoining slabs fell 10, aud
then followed an avalanche of rubbish, rafting
down the walls, and laying bare the very heart
of the fortress. 1t then was clear that the
"granite" was nothing but show; that as soon as
the Comparatively thin slabs which faced the
escarpe were knocked down, there was no solid
masonry inside to resist the inrosds Of bullets.
The walls in fact, were mere castings the intersti-
css Of which were filed up with all sorts Of broken
stones sand, &C., having neither cohesion nor
stability. II the main fortress was thus con-
s.ructed, there is no doubt the masonry Of the
towers was equally bad, and the rapid preaching
is fully explained. And these walls, of SO little
intrinsic strength, had by their imposing outside
suffced to keep the whole Anglo-French feet at
bay for nearly four months The disappointment of
Sir Charles Napier when be saw what they really
were made Of cannot however have been greater
than that Of the Car, when he learned Of what
the granite, for which he had so dearly paid,
consisted. In the land attack, another feature
is remarkable. We have already seen that
broken ground surrounded the forts not only
within gun-range, but even within musketrange.
This was taken advantage of by the Chasseurs of
Vincennes, who crePt up very close, sheltering
Ii smselyes behind stumps of trees boulder
stones, rocks, &c, and opened murderous fire
upon the embrasures of the casemates. As at q !
distance of four to Eve hundred yards their rides
have an unerring aim, and moreover. the slOping-
side embrasures, like tunnel. make every bull !
let which strikes them enter the central opening
at the bottom, it may well be imagined how