The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-10-08

by far the more powerful of fleets especially
steam line-obate ships has been employed throughout
the summer where there least work to be performed
The allied powers had two objects to accomplish in the
Baltic The first TO shut up the whole naval power Of
Russia to prevent every vesseowar from leaving her
ports give battle to the Russian feet with if
her eighteen neobatte ships ventured beyond the shell
of her land batteries The second blockade and
threaten her coasts and attack and destroy her for6
cations wherever they thought 10 be assalable by
val artillery The first of these objects has been completely
and second partially, effected but the question is whether
the Admiralty exercised sound judgment in the means
they employed For the purpose Of obtaining the mas
terry OF the Baltic and OF fighting the Russian fleet If
out the armament appears to have been considerably
greater than requisites and while contained several
hrstclass ships such the Duke OF Wellington, the st
Jean dAcre and the Neptune, which could scarcely be
brought through the Belt from their draught OF water and
i'll adapted to such navigation, there strange
and amenabe deficiency in steamers OF light draugh,
such those which have been constructed within the last
few weeks when il is too late to them. The naval de-
partmen of the Admiralty performed its duty to perfection
in sending the vessels which ordered for COM
mission but cannot say much for the political and
stratgca ability shown in the direction and use of these
gigantic weapons.
II is due to Sir Charles Napier to add that before the
commencement of the war, and before his appoint
the command of the feet he had strongly urged
upon the Admiralty the necessity Of providing steam gun
boats in large numbers and that upon taking the COM
mand he also desired that division of troops should
bark with the expedition Yet the gunboats were not
pared and the French division of troops had to be sent out
in supplementary ships in the month of August The
suit has shown that Bomarsund could well have been
taken by 1900 and the marines and seamen of the
feet by the $4,000 who were afterwards sent there and
this known be the opinion of the most competent
persons before the expedition started more serious
charge against the ministers of the Crown who repon
sbe for the direction of the is that they appear to
have sent the fleet 10 without deliberate plan Of
campaign. They armed very powerful squadron they
placed In command of it officer who had great repu
taon for skill and daring, and they left him make the
best he could of his forces. Had Sir James Graham
accurately considered whd he proposed to do in
stead OF making registering speech at the Reform Club
he would have adapted his udciously to the
end he had in view.
But these remarks confined to the naval admin
istraton at home and, until the attack Bomarsund
resolved upon and galany executed Sir Charles Ma
pier have had little notion of systematic opera
tons the First Lord of the Admiralty In particular
serious attempt made bring the Russian fortress
in the Baltic to the test OF naval cannonade
The first attacks on Bomarsund and Hango udde,
Gusafvarn in the month of June commandments by
the steamers throwing hollow shot at long range, which
could produce effect the solid walls In attacking
places fortified with stone acngs the fire which is harm
less at 900 yards becomes destructive at 500 and would
be irresistible at 5o If there be water to float ship
within very short range of the enemys batteries it is
probable that the she approached the less she would
suffer- and the shorter would be the contest At Swea-
4 borg believe the batteries principally hewn in the
solid rock and therefore unassaable in 'front.' but at
Cronsad Hango the experiment should have been tried
The Russians themselves have shown their opinion by
blowing up Gustasvarn soon the fall OF Bomarsund
was known combined attack fortress of the first
class such Cronstadt undoubtedly is demands extern
sve preparations and great orehought in the
at home to be guided in the hour of action by military
MUS The attack Copenhagen succeeded because Nelson
refused 10 the signal of his superior officer ordering him
retreat and it is in that dauntess spirit that the tro
phes of the British navy have been
The great difficulty fleet has had encounter during
this is that Of the navigation Of the Baltic and it
is impossible to speak too highly of the in which
this obstacle has been surrounded The lighthouses
exngushed the buoys and landmarks removed the charts
imperfect and the channels and scarcely known
In Of rough weather. the large ships have port to
to for shelter and enable them to weather
the gale Yet up to the present time serious accident
has occurred We have doubt that shall be told that
if the feet has done all that expected Of it,
held back by apprehensons Of the Russian forts and
still less of the Russian ships, but by the difficulty of find
ing proper oundngs for the larger ships where they might
have been useful Ia former expeditions to the Baltic
all the ships selected for that service the rank
the present day and have Doubt that when the
suits of this years experience collected it will be found
that the second and hrdrate ships better adapted for
these operations than the rst-raes In any trust
that from the present time the naval departments of Eng
land and France will proceed unremttngly to consider
and prepare for regular operations III the Baltic than
those of the past AT Sebastopo may destroy
the influence of Russia the East but unless that blow
should reduce the Emperor Nicholas ask for terms is
only by opening the road to St Peersburgh that
reckon debating and honorable peace Cron-
sad taken and destroyed the capital of the northern
empire is for the future without defence against the mari
time powers and the fear Of such catastrophe is more
likely than any other means to secure our triumph.