New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-07-21
THE UANGO AFFAIR.

TIE following i Translation rom ihe fteuVh III
the Journal dc 81 Peersbourg Of the letter addressed
nv Admiral Dundas To the COmmander-n-C hlei OF tho
Russian troops at ilelsingiors;
"oS BOARD HsR MAJEsTY's SHIP IuKs og WEttNeToS'
"SrR: take advantage af the first opportunity to
oo,,,nrnicote with Won respecting what | have just
learnt from the commander OF Her Majesty snip Cos
sack He complains TO me that me ohcers anu ere"
of one of the Coss4cks boats, while landing WIN
FAC Of ruce with the intention of putting On shore
some Russinn subjects whom we DID not "ish 10 re-
tain prisoners having captured them on some GO silns
vessels which the cruisers under my orders ha1 ukch
and DESTROYED were cruelty put TO death on the otn
inst nj Hango- Ode by the troops stationed there
'The Cossack arrived there with the said intention
on the morning of the 5h. and kept at distance oil
from two TO three miles from the lsndng,pace' lh1
boat was sent from the vessel at that distance aud
nued for the shore with three officers and thirteen
other persons besides the prisoners they wished 10
libcrGte The flag of truce was not holsted on tue
nrow Of the boat until ehe was within mile OF the
roest From the investigations have made, have
every reason believe that care was taken that the
flag was distinctly VISIBLE. In such mannerthe officer
in charge of the boat approached the shore Inc
troops on shore made signal nor any objection unu
he reared the landing place. Finding no one there
authorized to communicate with him, he thought he
might land never ceasng 10 display the nag OF truce
of which he himself was the bearer. Inc prisoners,
who were 10 be set at liberty commenced removing
their lings on shore in this they were assisted by
some Of Tie sailors, who landed for the purpose but
without arms.
Il may add that all the arms of the crew were
placed at ibe bottom of the boat Thus situated they
were suddenly surprised bya supei or armed force,
which tu he'd uron them from the houses in the neigh
borhood and attacked them indiscrmnate y Our
men did what they could to explain the OBJECT OF their
missOn and offered resistance for resistance under
such circumstances was out OF The question: Kno"
uvsef positvey that one of the Russian prisoners un-
ccrstood the English language, and the Russian olcer
seems To have been able to reply IN The same tongue
when addressed in the two languages calling ms at
90, &c 10
uize A fire of musketry was opened upon the mol
fer sive crew of the boat and upon the prisoners we
had come 10 set at liberty. Wound after wound was
inflicted upon them In the most cruel and savage man.
nCr. The firing continued until all were killed. or sup
poscd 70 be 80. One man only, severely woundet,
and who was thought dead, succeeded in making his
escape board the boat when few hours aiierward
he was picked up by the vessel. -Four OF the crew
were found dead in the bottom OF the boat.
60 Their wounds prove that they must have been fred
at more than once which fact is confirmed by the tes
timony of the survivor.
81 have only to add that the entire crew of the
boat might have been made prisoners without
difficulty and that the murderous attack of which |
complain was in no wise provoked and not at ali ne
Ce-sary.
"In calling your attention to these facts | hope |
shs not he making vain appeal to your honor an
officer TO give me such explanations as you may
deem suitable under the actual CIRCUMSTANCES and
am happy TO take advantage OF ms circumstance to
afford you the Of defending the character of
your flag.
II is 10 the parents only of the unhappy victims of
this affair that any reparaton can now be- made and 1t
would be n certain consolation for them 10 know with
certainty either that all dead tha if there are
survivors there hope that they will recover from
their wounds.
81 send you therefore annexed, lat 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 affair.
Ihave the honor to remain &C.
"Rear.Admra commanderIn Chief Of Her Britannia Macs
ty's Squadron IN the Baltic"
To this letter The Journal de 81. Petersburg pub.
shes the following reply:
"HELsIyGFoRs, June 5, (l7th) 1855.
"MOSsIEUR LAmRAL: Before reply ing TO the let
ter Of your Exceency of the Sd 15th) 0fJune must
observe with regret that the vessels of the English
feet hoist Russian cOors the more easily to capture
any Russian vessel they come across. The journals
have sufficiently made known how, from the com
menotment of the war, the flag OF truce has been
abused IN every sea to take sOundings and TO make
military observations. The hostility displayed against
inOfiensve towns and villages inhabited by peaceful
populations has been but too well proved by all that
has taken place in the Baltic.
q" On the 18th l26th of May cutter do not know
from which chip, landed with little white flag near
the village Of Twerminnie. Not finding any troops
stationed the village, the crew OF the cutser
wsnonly set FIRE to some hus and boats, despite the
white hag
"On the Goth of May 9Th Of June another cutter
belonging TO the corvette COssack made for the Hango
coast. This boat had the British flag flying. The
officer IN command OF her pretendS 10 nave hOlsted
little white fig in her Prov on a stick. Neither the
men on duty at the telegraph on the neghbOring
nights the military post the coast perceived this
pretended white flag. II was, consequently, quite
tura that they should attack the cutter and It's crew
soon az the latter landed.
Lieut.. Louis Geneste pretends that servant car
RED by his side stick with the white hagOn it..
The soldiers and Ocers Of our advanced posts ques-
toned to the existence of this hag affirm that they
/ never saw it at all.
M Geneste pretends that he sent with a flag
of truce 10 give up of the OF merchantmen
captured during that fortnight. If such had been his
intention il would have been much simpler plan, as
the Cossack from the nelghborhOOd Of CrOnsadt,
/ TO- have sent them TO SweabOrg, or TO have landed
them on some island, from which they could easily
/ have reached the coast.
/ "Ib0 Captain Of the Cossack ought 10 know tina,
the bearer OF flag of truce cannot and ought not 10
be received upon the frat landing-pace, promonory,
or rock il may suit bin TO select.
My outpOsis and will continue TO see IN such
missions only military reconnaissances, which use
similar pretexts TO make explorations and secure pro
/ visions.
"The hostile and by no means truce-like character
OF this mission is moreover proved:
-. BY the loaded arms seized. Three mnsket.
show by their exploded caps that the crew OF the boat
made use of them in the struggle.
"2. BY the shown in providing the cutter with
800 cartridges and chest full of ncendiary articles
which is actually in our possession.
"On the following day the Cossack kept Up heavy
fire during an hour against the village of Hango anc
| it, peaceful inhabitants and few DAYS later the If
18th of June, the attack repeated to set fire d
the telegraph and 10 destroy some houses instead o.
| going 20 SweGborg 10 demand explanations.