Vol. IV.— No. 88.] 
Saturday, September 2, 1851. 
[Gratis 
TIIE FIELD_ OF WAR. 
OUR WOODEN WALLS. 
THE white sea. 
Off Cross Island, July, 1854. 
We arrived off the bar of the Archangel or Dwina River 
with the thi'ee ships on the 26th of June, having boarded an 
immense quantity of vessels, principally Dutch, on our way 
down the White Sea. Within thirty-six hours of our anchor- 
ing it came on to blow very heavily from the N.W., which is 
a fair wind for vessels bound in. They come in iu shoals — 
not less than from 300 to 350 vessels, of which the majority 
were Dutch, having passed us between the 26th June and 3rd 
July, when the wind changed. During this period it blew so 
hard a gale that our boats were occasionally prevented from 
boarding, and, as it was, they were knocked to pieces almost, 
and all to no purpose ; for the vessels were all, with the 
exception of one Yankee, in ballast ; and as we have orders 
not to blockade, we could not interfere with them. In anti- 
cipation of a blockade, many of them had obtained numerous 
freights, and the astonishment of the Yankee was great when 
he was told that he was at perfect liberty to proceed. All 
these craft are now at Archangel, and the first rush has evidently 
subsided, though whenever we can see (which is not very often 
the case), others are seen running down. Without ablockade of 
Archangel our presence in this sea is next to useless. The quan- 
tity of grain, meal, flour, &c., which will be exported thence this 
year will be positively enormous, and a stoppage of it would 
be felt in the heart of the empire. You can have no idea of 
the extent of this traffic. No one can who has not witnessed its 
effects From far and near, within a circuit of 400 miles of 
Archangel, the produce of the country is sent in ; and as the 
craft which embark it bring remittances, either in bills or 
specie, to pay for it, just fancy what a blow would be struck 
at Russian commerce by a strict blockade, and what a 
quantity of money would be removed from circulation. We 
have taken one schooner and about half a dozen luggers since 
our arrival, and another schooner (empty) parted from her 
anchors, and drove over the bar in the height of the gale 
after we had put a couple of 32-pound shot through her ; 
and got a boat’s crew on board, who luckily escaped to a 
neutral vessel just as she went adrift. Perhaps you are not 
aware of another arrangement which has been entered into 
between the Swedish and our governments. It is that the 
Russian luggers trading between Archangel and the coast 
of Norwegian Finmark are not to be molested, because 
upon them the inhabitants of that desolate region depend 
entirely for supplies of food. Now, this is humane, and 
would be proper were it not so liable to abuse. We fell in 
•with a fleet of three the other day, one and all consigned to 
our consul at Hammerfest, who, with the consular agents 
at Vardo, Huns, and Vatose, seem to have the whole of that 
“trade in their hands ; and the schooner of 120 tons which 
we took was provided with a sort of pass from the Norwegian 
consul at Archangel. You may depend upon it that the only 
effect of the war in this quarter has been prejudicial to our- 
selves, by placing the entire trade in the hands of the Danes, 
Dutch, and Hanoverians ; and I fervently hope that, should 
the war last over the year, as seems most likely, Par- 
liament will force our government to adopt a different 
line of conduct. For this year the mischief is done. The 
‘very moment that the gale broke, which was on the 3rd July, 
•we went to work to try and get the steamers over the 
bar of the Dwina, inside which lay a 16-gun Russian brig, 
two steamers, two schooners, and nineteen gun-boats, each 
mounting two long 36 pounders, and pulling forty 
sweeps. We sounded the only two channels which we 
now used, but found only from fourteen to fourteen 
feet and a half iu the deepest. This occupied us 
all the 4th and 5th of July, and then as the Miranda, 
the vessel of the lightest draught among us, was drawing 
fourteen feet eleven inches, we found that for the present the 
job was impracticable. On the night of the 6th the Brisk 
took the Eurydice aud the prize schooner in tow, and 
brought them up here to an anchorage about seventy miles 
from the Dwina, admirably situated for blockading, as all 
vessels bound to Archangel make Cross Island to ascertain 
their position. We anchored here on the 7th, and next 
morning Eurydice sent two of her boats ashore, on the main 
land to water. That afternoon it came on to blow again 
from the northward ; the boats tried to get off. One of 
them just pitched sufficiently close to the stem of the Brisk 
for her to veer a small gig with a line to her, by which she 
hauled her up; but God knows what has become of the 
other. The last seen of her was the next morning, at four 
a.m., when' she was trying to beat up along shore. The 
schooner and one of the boats were sent to her assistance, 
but one of those cursed fogs came on, and since Sunday, the 
9th, we have only had half an hour during which one could 
Bee the ship’s length, and during which the schooner and 
boat came in, having been twenty miles to leeward without 
seeing anything of the missing pinnace. They had two days’ 
provisions with them — but after that ! 
If it were not for this most unhappy affair, things would 
be go'uig pretty straight with us, for we have picked up a 
collier which was sent to us from England, and are conse- 
quently reassured about not getting out of coals. * * * At 
a place railed Linslie, half way to Archangel, stands the strong 
tort of Navjorin, mounting eighty guns of heavy metal, and 
only one vessel could approach at a time ; beyond that at 
fsolombol, where the dockyard is, they have thrown up 
strong batteries, and again at Archangel itself. The 
garrison consists of 6,000 men, and they have the means 
o turning out as many gun-boats as they please. As 
ar as we can learn, there is no vessel of any size on 
the stocks at present, and no vessels of war havo loft tho 
river this year. We had a little firing on the 4th July, tho 
enemy having brought some horse-artillery guns to boar on 
our boats, which were sounding. No damage was done by 
them, although their practice was good, and firing remarkably 
quick. They have a telegraph on tho lighthouse abreast 
our anchorage, off tho bar, and would persist in working it 
on the day we tried to get in, until the Miranda, which was 
closest in, put a 32-pound shot through tho first floor, at a 
distance of 2,700 yards. Our men aro pretty healthy, 
although they have been entirely on salt moat since 
leaving the Downs. The weather is terribly against us ; 
what with gales of wind, thick fogs, and strong currents, 
we have enough to do to take care of ourselves. 
THE BALTIC FLEET. 
Dundee.— Pleasure Trip to the Baltic.— On Wednes- 
day a beautifully moulded and excellently fitted-up iron 
steam-vessel, named tho Aquila, belonging to tho North of 
Europe Steam Navigation Company, and built on the Clyde, 
entered our roadstead, and obtained a supply of coal. She 
is on a pleasure trip to tho Baltic, and has a few passengers. 
Had the trip taken place earlier iu the season, aud been 
better advertised, we doubt not that a much larger number 
of persons would have availed themselves of seeing the Hoot, 
Copenhagen, aud other places of interest. — Dundee Adver- 
tiser. 
Stockholm. — One of tho various BteAtners that left Stock- 
holm on the 19th for a pleasure trip to Bomarauud, tho 
Svithiod, was chartered for the purpose by 100 members of 
the Exchange there, aud took out as a present to the troops 
about 1,000 bottles of champagne, with a variety of comesti- 
bles not usually to be found in a campon a distant expedition. 
Nyborg, Monday. — Commodore Grey, with tho Hannibal 
aud Royal William, two screw steamships, and one paddle- 
wheel vessel, all laden with Russian prisoners, passed through 
the Belt to-day. 
DESPATCHES FROM BOMARSUND. 
Sir : — * * * 5. I have the honour of enclosing lists of 
the whole British force landed, and of casualties, together 
with a list of prisoners and guns captured, being no less than 
112 mounted, three mortars, seven field pieces, and seventy- 
nine not mounted. * * * Charles Napier. 
Bomarsund, le 20 A out, 1854, 
Monsieur l'Amiral, — Pendant les operations militairesdont 
l'lsle d’ Aland vient d'etre le theatre, vous avez ou la bonte 
de detacher prfcs de moi pour faciliter les relations do rarmdo 
Fran^aise avec la marine Anglaise, Monsieur le Commandant 
Cochrane dont j'ai eu beacoup ii me louer. 
Je suis trfcs-heureux, Monsieur l’Amiral, d'avoir h tdmoignor 
du z61e de Monsieur le Commandant Cochrane et do lo 
recommander h votre bienveillance. 
Recevez, etc., 
(Sigud) Baraguay d'Hilliers, 
Le Gdndral-en-Chef. 
A Monsieur le Vice-Admiral Napier, Commandant l'Escadre 
Anglaise de la Baltique. 
A return of the killed and wounded iu the force under tho 
command of Brigadier-General Jones, between the 7th aud 
18th of August, 1854, at Bomarsund, Aland Islands. 
Killed. — The Hon. C. Wrottesley ; Henry Collins, private 
R.M., Duke of Wellington. 
Wounded dangerously. — Thomas Baughan, private B.M., 
her Majesty's ship Blenheim, ankle joint, by a fragment of a 
shell ; since amputated. 
Wounded severely. — William Mitchell, A.B., her Majesty's 
ship Blenheim, by splinters of iron. 
Slightly wounded. — William Bridle, gunner’s mate, her 
Majesty’s ship Hogue, by splinters of iron. 
Slight contusions. — Captain William Ramsay, her Majesty's 
ship Hogue. 
Lieutenant G. F. Burgess, R.N., her Majesty's ship 
Edinburgh. 
Burnt. — John M'Gugan, A.B., her Majesty’s ship Hogue, 
in the foot; John M'Griffiu, A.B., her Majesty's ship Hogue, 
in the foot. A. R. Bradford, 
Surgeon of her Majesty’s ship Hogue, and 
medical officer in charge of the above 
force. 
Approved — W. Ramsay, Captain. 
RETURN OF RUSSIAN PRISONERS EMBARKED IN THE UNDER- 
MENTIONED SHIPS. 
Hannibal. — Officers 9, privates 304, wife of officer 1, wives 
of men 7, children 2 ; total 323. 
Algiers. — Officers 8, privates 409, wives of officers 2, jwifo 
of man 1 ; total, 420. 
Royal William. — Officers 16 ; privates 731, wife of officer 1, 
wives of men 8, children 8 ; total, 764. 
Termagant. — Officers 8, privates 199, wives of officers 3, 
child 1, servant 1 ; total, 207. 
St. Vincent. — Officers 15, privates 499, wives of men 5, 
1 children 2 ; total, 521. 
Grand total, 2,235. 
(Signed) F. W. Grey, Commodore, 
OUR FRENCH ALLIES. 
Stockholm. — The order of peasants, in the Swedish Diet, 
have addressed a petition to the King, praying him to co- 
operate in preventing the Islands of Aland from returning 
under the Russian yoke. Vessels belonging to those islands 
now navigate under French colours. 
Copenhagen, August 25. — A French transport, tho 
Courrier de Marseille, with provisions for the Aland division, 
has stranded on the southern shore of Refshorn, on the coast 
of West Jutland. The crew (eight hands) were Baved by 
I eleven men j umping into the life-boat, and dashing out to 
the brig, after an attempt to Bond a rocket liuo had failed, 
the distance from tho shore being too groat. As yet she hai 
sprung no leak. 
Malta, August 22.— Tho following troop and store-ships 
have touchod at this island for water : "On the 14th the 
Fivnch stonin-frignto Ajaccio, from Toulon, with oloven 
sailors for the fleot. On the 1 7th, Oronoquo frigate, from 
Toulon, with 129 troops and 145 sailors. Ou the 18th, the 
Caffurelli frigate, fVom Toulon, with 100 sailors, one officer, 
and two artillerymen.” 
Malta, Aug. 22. — On tho 13th there arrived and pro- 
ceeded five F rench transports, having on board in all 111 
horses and eighty-uino soldiers for Varna. Tho next day a 
French transport, laden with provisions for tho troops at 
Varna, aud the Sea Nymph, English transport, with pro- 
visions, arrived. On tho 1 9th the Medway came iu with tho 
Horse Artillery and soige train on hoard. The cholera had 
broken out, and eight deaths aud twenty-two cases hud occurred 
ou hoard. Tho Medway sailed on the 20th. She has left 
all behind except one officer and about thirty men. Up to 
the 22ml, tho deaths by cholera of tho puxsongors by tho 
Medway is twenty-three, but ton fresh cases havo broken out 
to-day. Sir \V. ltoid, accompanied by Captain Graves, wont 
to inspect them this morning, Tie found them all excessively 
terrified. Captain Graves suggested amusements, and ho 
himself catue into tho city, purchased a quantity of fishing- 
tackle and newspapers, which ho sent as a present to tho 
men ; after which the Governor aud Captain Graves visited 
tho sick in hospital and suburbs. 
The 68th regiment has gone to Varna. A shark lina made 
its appearauco iu tho harbour hero for several days past. 
Sailing of Troops. — Tho Hougomont, belonging to 
Dunbar and Co., has been taken up for tho conveyance of 
troops to the Baltic. Iu compliment to Franco she has been 
re-named tho Baraguay D’Hilliers. By letters of tho 15th 
of August, from her Majesty's ship Himalaya, we learn that 
the Scots Greys had been disembarked ou the 16th Aug. 
in perfect order at Koululio (Bosphorus). Lieutenant- 
Colonel Griffiths, aud tho officers of the regiment, lmd pre- 
sented separate testimonials and letters of thanks to Captain 
Kcllock, tho commander, and to Mr. E. Lane, tho purser of 
the ship, expressive of their thanks for the attention thoy 
received, and of tho excel lenoe of tho arrangements on boat'd. 
All transports at Varna, 400 in number, were said to ho 
provisioned for six weeks. 
THE TURKS AND RUSSIANS. 
( Continual from jiagi 811 .) 
Tns GnEAT Fire at Varna. — Russian agonts sot this 
town on fire on tho 10th of August. Attention was first 
engaged by a long streak of black smoke making its slow way 
lazily from the part of tho harbour next to tho town, and 
spreading over tho water at somo distance from tho shore, 
forming a sort of dusky cloud, which intercepted tho view, 
and blotted the fairer part of the landscape, when the harvest 
moon, flashing upwards like a sheet of burnished silver, roso 
from the Black Sea. The alarm was spread within a few 
minutes. Turkish criers ran through tho streets howling 
their fire cries “ Yanyhin Var I" wild screums of fear, agony, 
or despair ran through tho thin partitions of tho walls ami 
tho narrow streets ; thou the deop muffled sounds of tho 
French drums burst from tho barracks, aud from the camps 
outside the town came tho shrill bugle-calls. From tho 
water tho boatswain’s pipe rang through tho calm air, 
and boats full of sailors almost flow over the water to tho 
shore. Still tho black smoko roso up, denser and denser 
still, until here and there at Hhort intervals it became 
tinged with deep purple, and when tho sun had set, and the 
moon, pale and silvery, had risen about househigh over tho 
calm sea, tho black smoke lessened, aud a fiery column of 
deep lurid red and yellow streaked rose over tho walls aud 
roofs of the devoted town. Just at present the town of 
Varna is a dep6t for two largo armies — enormous quantities 
of military stores were so late as August 9 heaped up within 
its walls. There wore magazines of wood, of coals, of barley 
and straw, of pitch and tar, and of spirituous liquors. Be- 
sides, the main lanes and the shops in the bazaars were in 
the hands of canteen inen from Starnboul and Gulata, who 
dealt in brandy and rum, in bacon, butter, oil, cotton, and 
other things, useful and inflammable. These public and 
private stores were so many pieces de resistance for tho fire, 
which clung to them aud gloated over them. It is said that 
the Turks arrested three Greeks at tho outbreak of the 
fire and gave them over to the French, and that the Zouaves 
burnt a Greek whom they suspected of having caused tho 
conflagration. They hound him and flung him into the fire. 
Such was the common talk of Vania. Tho fire, if laid, was 
certainly ably laid ; for two hours tho town was in the most 
awful danger. Fortunately, tho powder-magazines escaped. 
Lost winter, when Captain W. examined the stores, he found 
12,000 cwt. Say tliat one-half of it had been used, and rfo 
fresh additions made to the stock, still there would not be 
less than 6,000 cwt. of powder in the Turkish magazine. 
There were 40,000 cwt. in the batteries aud mines. The 
French magazine, with rather a largo store of 3,600 cwt. was 
close by ; and close by, too, wus the English magazine, both 
of them got up in a hurry, and without those elaborate pre- 
cautions which the destructive character of the material 
demands. The Turks had tanks filled with water before 
the doors of their magazine. Their tower is of enormous 
strength, and bomb-proof ; so that if the Turks kept quiet, 
there was not much danger in that quarter. The English 
and French magazines, being badly protected, were, of 
course, in imminent danger ; and if they went, according to 
the law of explosions, the Turkish magazine must go too. 
The explosion of 50,000 or 60,000 cwt. of powder (taking tho 
lowest possible estimate) would be cuougli to blow all Varna 
“ into this week next year," and uttorly destroy all the ship- 
