488 
readiness, by signal, from day-break ; but the 
peculiarity unsettled state ot the weather, and 
the minister’s desire that I should give a few 
hours ior an answer to his Pen through 
¥sak Bay, prevented me from trving. Before 
five o'clock, P.M. it waa nearly calm; and 
in the evening t ¢ wind was entirely trom the 
eastwaid, and continued light airs or calm 
cil] the evening of the 28th, when it blew 
fresh from toe N. E. and rendered it inpossi- 
ble to change our position. 
Two days after our arrival near Constanti- 
nople, the ambassador found himself indispos- 
ed, and has teen ever since confined with a fit 
_ of illness, so severe as to prevent him from at- 
tending to business.~ Under these circum- 
stances he had delivered in on the 22d, to the 
‘Turkish ministers a project, as the basis on 
which peace might be preserved, and at his 
desire the subsequent part of the negotiation 
was Carried©on in my name, with his advice 
and assistance; and while I lament most 
deeply thst it is not ended in the re-establish- 
ment of peace, 1 derive consolation from re 
reflection that no efforts has been wanting 
the part of Mr. Arbuthnot and myself to ‘iB 
tain such a result, which was soon seen, from 
the state of the preparations at Constantino- 
ple, could be affected by negociation only; as 
the strength of the current ye the Bosp! ho- 
rus, with the circuitous eddies of the port, ren- 
dered it impracticable to place ships for an a 
tack without a commanding breeze ; ices 
during the ten days I was off the town, it 
Was not my good fortune to meet with. 
I now come to the peint of explaining to 
your lordship the motives which fixed me to 
decide in repassing the channel of the Darda- 
nelles, and relinquishing every idea of attack- 
ing the capital, and I feel confident it will re- 
quire no argument to convince your lordship 
of the utter impracticability of our force hav-’ 
ing made any Hnpression, as at this time the 
whole line of the coast presented a chain of 
batteries; that twelve Turkish line of battle 
ships, two of them three-deckers, with nine 
frigates, were with their sails bent, and appa- 
rently in readiness, filled with troops: add to 
this near two hundred thousand were said to be 
in Constantinople, to march against the Rus- 
sians: besides, there were an innumerable 
quantity of small craft, with boats; and fire- 
vessels had been prepared to act against us. 
With the batteries alone we might have coped, 
or with the ships, could we have got them 
out of their strong hold; but your lordship 
wiil be aware, that after combating the oppo- 
sition which the resources of an empire had 
been many weeks employed in preparing, we 
should have been in no state to have defended 
ourselves against them as described, and then 
repass tie Dardanelles. I know it was my 
duty, in obedience to your lordship’s orders toa 
attempt every thing (governed by the opinion 
of the ambassador) that appeared within the 
compass of possibility ; but when the unavoid- 
State of Public Affairs in May. 
[June f, 
able sacrifice of the squadron committed te 
my charge (which must have risen, had I 
awaited for a wind to have enabled to canno- 
nade the town, unattended by the remotest 
chance of obtamning any advantage for hi. Ma- 
Jesty's service) must have been tne conse- 
queace of pursuing that object, it at once be- 
cime my positive duty, however wounced in 
pride and ambition, to relinquish it; and if I 
bad not been already satisfied on the sudject, 
the increased opposition in the Dardanelles 
would have convinced me I had done right, 
when i resolved onthe measure as indispens 
sabiy necessary. JI therefore weighed with 
the squadion on the morning of the ist ; and 
as it had been reported, that the Turkish fleet 
designed to make an frit against us, to give. 
them an oppertunity, if such was really their 
intention, I continued to stand on and off dur~ 
ing the day but they shewed no cisposition te 
move. I thereiore, as every hour was of im~ 
portance, bore up at dusk with the squadron = 
we arrived off ,Point Pesquies towards the 
evening of the Sd instant ; 3 but the day-light 
would not admit of our attempting to pass the- 
castles, and the squadron came to anchor for 
the night ; we weighed in the morning, and, 
when i add that every ship was in safety out- 
side of the passage, about noon, it was not 
without the most lively sense of the good for- 
tune that has attended us. ® 
“The Turks had been occupied unceasingly, 
in adding to the number of their forts ; some, 
had been already compieted, and others were 
in a forward state. ‘Whe fire of the two inner 
castles had, on our going up, been severe ; 
but, Lam sorry to say, the effects they have 
had on our ships returning, has proved them = 
to be doubly formidable ; in short, had the 
been allowed another week to complete their 
defences throughout the channel, it would 
have been a very doubtful point whether a ° 
return lay open tous at all. The manner in 
which they employed the interval of our ab---_ 
I transmit - 
sence has proved their assiduity. 
your lordship an account of the damages sus~- 
tained by the respective ships 5 
ship will perceive is far from trifling. The 
mainmast of the Windsor Castle being more 
than threé quarters cut through by a granite 
shot of eight hundred weight, we have found 
great difiiculty in saving it.—J have the ho- 
nour to be, &c. ee 
J. T. Ducxworts. 
P.S. I am forry, to observe, that, in the 
course of this letter to your lordship, I have 
omitted to mention that, having placed the 
Hon. Capt. Capel in the Endymion, which 
had been advanced in the stream of the Bos- 
phorus for the purpose of ascertaining when 
the squadron could stem the current, and for 
a watchful cbservation of the movements of 
the Turks, as well as to facilitate communi-~ 
cation with the Poste, I feel myself indebted . . 
to that officer, for his zealous attention and 
rapier 
as also their | 
loss in killed and wounded, which your lord- 
ies? 
al 
