New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-07-10
THE HANGO AFFAIR.


rage os a monstrous anomaly in warfare, ana dis
ueoe 10 the century in which IT happened. Livery
I" civilized being" said be, " and especially every
American wherever he secs Russian shodld cry on
oy,itb losthng: Hnngo Hango" His voice attheclo5e
was rsiod to s highest pitch, and at each repetition OF
tte word Hango be accompanied the expression with
violent motion Of bis right arm similar to that which
an Iishmsn makes when he jerks pavement stone
into the midst Of crowd. Some one present SUI
eested that he could not see half 30 mush for
en- American to crit his teeth and shake his fst and
shout "IIango," when he saw Russian, there was
for CRYING Wyoming Frenebiownl Washington !"
wi ever he met Euglishman. Al ths, John Bulls
chOl, rose 10 feverhcet. That's the way with yOu
i'd Yankees" be cried; YOU ID rebels and
"cowsTds England has licke4 you twice and you
" cont forget it. An6 she will yet lick you third
%. me &c che has conquered Russia" Another
Or present here minated that II we had got TO wait
rp'ii the latter event happened before we got our
third licking from England the Millennium @-uld in the
naeautime have interviewed. The rage of John Bull
now became uncomfortable and fearful TO look upon.
lie raved, be frothed at the mouth he ftamped tho
floor and shouted. ODD sneakbg Isnk ees rebels
"cowardsi" until his voice became too husky TO be
Ineligible. At this point the American part OF his
audienco quietly withdrew, fearing that II they con
timed longer 70 ritnte him by their presence lie
would go OF suddenly in a paroxys, aad they bC
fc ced bv circumstances TO sit upon ais re mains md
return a" crowIers" verdict Of Died of excessive
"John- Bullism.'
Now really, Mr.. Editor, what arc the facts
Iocted with this HangO affair, with regard to which
We Americans are called upon, Go. merely by The in
Givdual alluded to above bat by may of 1r daily
journals TO exprs' orr Indignation against the whole
Russian nation Lat us analyze the facts. The En-
glish accounts tell briefly that recently while the
British frgato Cossack lying in tue rOeds Of Han
90 81 sent boat aslorc under flag OF truce, TO land
yr;soners and that the party which PROCEEDED in
il was treachsrOusly get upon by tue Russians who
on IN p
counts admit that the boat had arms on board but
sssert that they lying in the bottom and were,
moreover, uDlO6ced.
This latter assertion TO be utterly spocry-
plal. IL is really strongly suspicious Circumstance
that this flag oftruce party should have carried arms
concealed in the bottom OF their boat and it will re-
quire something more than the uncorroborated tes-
mOny of int, rested parties to make intelligent people
believe that these aims were not loaded. OF what
possible could they have been TO their possessOrs
in unoaded condition And why should peace
able party, this IL represented to have been have
Carried these aims at ALL knowing az they must have
well known, that if they were seen from the shore
they would inevitably draw upon their flag the
IiciOns of the enemy; while at the same time
II em ~ nse any sudden attack The story that
they not loaded 10 preposterous; and there
fore look upon the admission of the English that the
boat actually bad these arms as on board exceedingly
unfortunate one for their AZ coroary for these
think it follows inevitably, that the
pedition from the Cosseck of hostile nature. Inc
true facts IN the case then, gathered from the Ea
eish accounts Invested Of their apocrypha parts
these: the frgate Cossack, forming one OF the Allied
squadron sent TO invade Russia, suddenly made her
appearance off isolated part of the Russian coas in
the Baltic Sea, and sent boat on snore. This
part Of the coast vas uppearenily unguGrded,
for we are told that troops were seen
by the party in the boat the Russians having
COZ cealed themselves behind some buildings The boat
THIS sent in charge of two officers of the dgate,
had quite number of men on board, and was armed.
49, 10 oh Hg Of hpigf 4d
under cover of which the expedition hoped to land uu
moiested. In this hope however, the party were dis
al pointed; for The people on the shore, who were
placed there by the Government to defend their hearth
stones and aars from ruthless INVASION suddenly fell
upon them, killing and capturing the whole of the men
the expedition, excepting negro, who
managed to escape with the boat TO the frigate.
These are the max ed facts. Other incidents add
cd by the English papers which as have already in
iimated, have rejected Gs improbable. Among these
is the highly doubtful story that the Cossack had
really proceeded to that out-ofthe-way place
for the cole purpose Of landing few Rus
elan prisoners, who had merely expressed wish
to be put ashore there; and also the minute re-
port of the frightened negro who escaped, who mar
rates the incidents of the attack and massacre 80 MN
bly, aud who even details the conversation said TO
have taken place between of the Russian prison
eTs and the Russian commander: +" When one OF tIe
" prisoners tred TO explain the flag OF truce, says
Cassar Cuilee, " the Russian commander replied he
- didn't care d-n for flag of truceW 1t should be
cbsc rived that in order 10 get the absurty Of
story which would seem to make of Caesar so scholarly
Gentleman and one so familiar with the Russian au
guage as TO understand perfectly IN so exclng ume
thc urecise words used the accounts tell ih1 the
Russian commander spoke in English! Al us, in
irving to avoid absurdity they blunder i1to al.
other papabe one, namely this: that in moment OF
intense excitement, when man is in oeadiy conflict
with one of his own counirymen flor The pnsoDer, MAD
GU who attempted TO lan tie flag of truce is SAID
TO have been Russian be drops his own vernaculsr
and resorts 10 foreign language IN which to ven bis
Oahs and bis spleen. This, will venture to say, Is
an anomaly that does not often happen. Does John
Bull No. l. under inensest excitement, swear IN Cni-
nese to John Bull No 2
But dropping all cavi as TO the truth of the English
accounts and admitting that the Cossack was really
in the Hango Roads on peaceful expedition, ana
that the flag of truce which covered her boat was as
sumod in good faith, we need 60 back but few
weeks 10 find kew TO the suumary proceeding of the
Russians on this occasion. Ii will be recOeced that
but very short time before this affair an English boat
in the Black Sea landed a party on the coast under
tie protection OF flag Of truce pretended errind
of courtesy. On this occasion, II mistake not the
British party carried back carriage said TO belong TO
Russian Governor, and which had been captured az
tie sscking of one OF the towns on the coast While
on this expedition and while thus protected by the
sancty Of flag of truce, the English officers, We are
told took sounOings of the Bay aad the nd
iaccnt waters and doubtless made Whatever
other observation they thought might snbserve
their interests in the warfare with Russia. The In
dish papers at the time gave minute account OF THIS
ruse spoke eNutngly of the couteses extended by the
Russian Governor TO his guests while tins uescheIy
was going on and ended with highly applauding the
officer Who planned and carried out the edition Now
granting as have already era tied for the purpose OF
This argument that the English expedition az hango
wac iona foe flag of truce slt unreasonable IN Us 20
sup ose that the Russian commander there having IN
ud his piece OF tre6chery thus enacted in the Black
Ses and loudly apylauded at home, very naturally
feared another trick of the same nature, especially when
consider the soaiec place at Shch he vas s,ai'osa