New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1855-07-28


we're assisted BY some OF the sailors. who landed
for the purpose, but without arms,
may add that all the arms Of the crew var.
placed at the bottom Of the boat Thus sisu-
ated, they we're suddenly surprised by suna.
rior armed force, which rushed upon them from
the houses in the neighborhood, ard ATTACKED
them indiscriminately Our men did what they
could to explain the object Of their mission. and
offered no resistance, for resistance under such
circumstances Was out Of the question ! know
myself positively that one Of the Russian prison
ers understood the English language, and the
RUSSIAN officer seems to have been able to reply
IN the same tongue when addressed in the two
languages, calling his attention to the flag Of
truce, which he refused TO recognize A fire Of
musketry was opened upon the inoffensive crew
OF the beat, and upon the prisoners we had come
to set at liberty Wound after wound was in
dieted upon them In tbs most cruel and savage
manner The firing continued until all we're
KILLED or supposed to be 80. One man only.
severely woundesl, and who was thought desd.
succeeded in making his escape On board the
boat, when a few houfs afterwards he yas
picked up By the vessel Four Of the crew wepe y
found deaf in the bottom Of the boat.
Their wounds prove that thev rl11st -A.4-4ts-
oeen hred at more than once, which fact is con-
hrmed by the testimony Of the survivor.
have only TO add that the entire crew Of the
boat might have been made prisoners without
which complain was in no wise provoked, and
not at oil necessary.
In calling your attention to thess fscts hone
shalt not be making q vain appeal TO @venr
honor as an officer, to give me sech exptsntiSus az
you may deem suitable under the aetual cireura
stances, and l am happy to take advantage Of
this circumstance to afford to you the yssa Al ~
defending the character Of your dag.
Ii is to the parents only Of tho unhappy vis-
tins OF this affair, that any reparation can now
be made, and it would be d certain consolation
for them to know with certainty, either that
all are dead, or that, if there are survivors,
there il hope that they will recover from their
wounds. Es9
Isend you, therefore, annexed, a list Of officers
and sailors supposed to have been killed. and |
shall feel grateful to you for any information
you can give me respecting this unhappy aff1ir.
l have the honor to remain, etc,
r. DrsDAs
Rear Admiral, CGmmander-in-C Chief OF Her Britannia
Majssty's Squadron in the Baltic.
To this letter the Journal de ST Petersburg
publishes the following reply: 4a
HELsIN6FoRs, Tuesday, June 5, 9th.
MONSIEUR L'ADMIRAL: Before replying to the
letter Of your E1cellency of the 3D. t15th) Of
June, must observe with regret that the ves-
sells of the English feet hoist Russian eolors,
the more easily to capture any Russian vessel
| made known hows from the commencement Of
| the war, the flag of truce has been abused in
| every sea to take soundings and make military
| observations. The hostility displayed against
| inofensive towns and villages, inhabited by
peaceful populations, has been but too we'll
proved by all that has taken place in the Baltic
On the 18th (26th) of May, q cutter, do not
know from which ship, landed with little
white flag near the yillsge Of Twerminne. Not
finding any troops stationed near the village,
the crew of the cutter wantonly set fire to some
huts and boats, despite the white flag.
On the 26th of May 10Th Of july another
cutter belonging to the corvette Cossack made
| for the Hango coast. This 5oatsliad the British
| flag flying The officer in command of her pre-
tends to have hoisted a little white flag in her
| Prov on q stick. Neither the men on duty at
| the telegraph on the neighboring heights, nor
| the military post on the coasts, perceived this
pretended white flag. 1t was, consequently,
quite natural that they should attack the cutter
and its crew as soon as the latter landed.
Lieut. Louis Geneste pretends that q servant
carried by his side stick with the white flag
on it. The soldiers and officers of our advanced
posts, questioned to the existence Of this fag
affirm that they never saw it at all.
Nj. Geneste pretends that he was sent with a
flag of truce TO give up some of the crew Of mer-
chantmen captured during that fortnight. If
such had been his intention it would have been
/
| the neighborhood of Constradt, to have sent
\ them to Sweaborg, or to have landed them on
| some island, from which they could easily have
reached the coast.
The Captain of the Cossack ought to know
that the bearer of a flag of truce cannot and
ought not to be received upon the first landing-
place, promontory or rock it may suit him to
select.
My outposts see, and will continue to see, in
such missions, only military reconnoissances,
which use similar pretexts to make explorations
and secure provisions. w
The hostile and by NO means truce-like char
acter of this mission is, moreover proved: @
L. BY the loaded arms seized Three mus
sets show by their exploded caps that the
crew Of the boat made use OF them IN the strug-
| gle. 1Ii.-- 55G "a l-5
| q BY the care shown in providing the cutter
| with 560 cartridges, and chest full of inesndi-
airy articles, which is actually in our pos
| session. Fl 5s Hzssf=
On the following day the Cossack kept up o
| heavy fire during an hour against the village OF
| Hango and its peaceful inhabitants, and a few
days later, the lst (l3th) of June, the attack
was repeated, to set fire to the telegraph and to
| destroy some houses, instead of going to Swea-
borg to demand explanations. ys5 - s =5e,,-
| Despite the superiority which steam and
screws give to your vessels, they do not cease to
hoist the Russian flag to seize our coasting yea-
| sells. +4# gsl =
| In the same manner some yards of white cam
vas have evidently been turned to account 70
| take sonndings and make explorations
Lam willing to believe, NJ. I Admiral, that this
is done without your knowledge Allow me to
express the hope that you will in future prohibit
the missions of such pretended flags OF truce.
The crew of Lieutenant Geneste'sz boat were
caught in their own trap. Seven men were
killed, four wounded, and the remainder made
prisoners, as the list enclose will infern you.
The affair only lasted moment. 1t was simpos-
sible to distinguish the English from the pris.
oner sailors they brought with them One Of
them, Lundstrom, who spoke English, was the
first man killed, and two others were wounded.
The responsibility of the whole affair rests
with the irregularity with which missions o
this sort are made. .
1t appears to me that it would be more suit
| able to make communications to Sweaborg, an,
intrust them to some vessel sent there, in tn
same manner as you sent your letter OF the !
, (15th1 of June. .a
! The Cossack should not have deviated frol
the rule, Vessels wishing to enter into parle
should hoist white flag of large dimensions
and anchor beyond long range. and await q hos
to receive their message in writing We vi
| never receive any other. The Cessaek di