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Leader (1850-1860), 1st July 1854, Edition 2 of 2, Page 9, THE BEITISH CAMP AT ALADYN NEAR VARNA. T...

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      The Afonitcw Of Saturday Announced That ...

      nistrator , but the Liberals are said to reckon more on his favour than will probablv be justified by the event .

      July I, 1854.] The Leader. Go9

      July I , 1854 . ] THE LEADER . GO 9

      Letters From Tlie Coast Of Finland Of Th...

      Letters from tlie coast of Finland of the 21 st June , report that the united fleets of England and France , comprising 28 sail of the line , 5 first-class frigates , and 18 steamers , in all 51 sail , lay then at anchor off the island of Renskar , in Baro Sonnd , haviug formed a junction on the 13 th . The English crews are frequently exercised in gunnery afloat and on shore . The A limn , that had been away surveying , with Lient . Cowell , Royal Engineers , on board , landed a party on the main land , who marched quietly up to a telegraph station took out all the books , papers , and spy-glasses , and then blew it up , the employees and assistants having decamped upon their approach , "which was quite a surprise . The telegraph is now interrupted between Hango and Helsingfors . On the 20 th a Bignal was made to the screw-ships to prepare for sea .

      A despatch from StockholnVstates that Bomar-sonnd was shelled on the 21 st inst . by her Majesty ' s ships Hecln , Valorous , and Odin . Admiral 1 'lumriilge is recalled from the Gulf of Bothnia to the Gulf of Finland , and is replaced by Captain HalL The King . of Sweden recently delivered the following speech , on presenting new colours to a battalion of the Smaland Grenadiers : — " On the colours which I present to you this day is inscribed the word ' Lutzen . ' That word recalls to my memory the glorious time in which Sweden ' s king fought and conquered in the cause of enlightenment . Tliat name will remind you of the courage with which the Smalanders supported him in

      that holy contest . You possess , therefore , an ancestry of two hundred years . Great reminiscences impose great duties , and the victories of one ' s forefathers exhort to fresh exploits ( mana tittnyabragder . ~ ) The days of warfare and of honour are not yet over . Even now you may be called upon to defend your native lancl and to combat for the dearest of all earthly possessions . Should Fatherland and I call upon you , my brave SmalancJers , to gather around these flags , you w"l prove that a long and happy peace has not weakened those arms which in tranquil times cultivated the Swedish soil * and that the swords which have long reposed in their scabbards are not only as sharp , but that they will be as valiantly borne , as they were on Lutzen ' s battlefield . "

      This speech vas followed by enthusiastic and prolonged cheering . His Majesty afterwards presented new colours to he National Militia of this island , and ia doing so said :: — "In a time ivhen War ' s portentuous cloud obscures the northern hemisphere , every obligation becomes dearer , every duty more sacred . No obligation is greater than that , in such a time , people and king should have the same will and act in unison ; no duty is holier than that of defending our native land , at the sacrifice even of life itself . Such a time , it would seem , may possibly arrive for the North . ( Synas

      Jot JSordenviojuga . ) Such a time , too , is one in which , as you will prove , no sacrifices are too great for the maintaining of our self-existence and independence . Should foes attempt to pluck this noble island—this pearl in Sweden's crownfrom the bosom of our motherland , you will all eagerly gather around these banners which with my own hand 1 now make over to you ; and you will know how to fight for your Ling and your country . ( Enthusiastic and long-continued cheering . ') But before I deliver to you these pledges , of my confidence in your patriotism , I ask you , officers , sub-officers , and men , to swear to defend these colours to the last , so heJn you God . "

      The Beitish Camp At Aladyn Near Varna. T...

      THE BEITISH CAMP AT ALADYN NEAR VARNA . The first division , consisting of the Brigade of Ouards and the Highland Brigade , arrived at Varna on the 13 th , having been conveyed with the greatest comfort and celerity from Scutari . The Himalaya with the 5 th Dragoon Guards arrived from Cork , After a passage of on ly elevcu days and nineteen hours , the quickest ever known , The men disembarked on the 14 th , in fine order and spirits ; every man riding his oavii horse—a fact , perhaps , unparalleled after such a voyage .

      The ditioinbarcntion of tho Guards wus effected in the morning of the Hth in cxcellont order and with n rapidity nnd comfort which confor grent credit on tho oflioors engaged in superintending it . Tho French assisted with tlio most hearty goodwill . Of their own accord the men of tho Artillory and tho Chasseurs came down to tlie bench , helped to loud . buflidn carts , and set to work at oncot <» thump the drivers , to push tlio nntivea out of tho way , to show tho road , nnd , in fact , to make , themselves generally useful . Tho men , though not . quite , ho stout ns wo ure accustomed to see them in London , wore nevertheless in capitnl ouse , nnd good-humoured and high-spirited , notwithstanding a heavy storm of rain that broke over them on tho march to their camp , about n mile outside tho town .

      The two troops of tho 8 th Hussars lying outnido tho town Kavo tho mon a hearty cheer ns they cumo in night . Most of ( homen woro no stocks . It appoara that boon after Sir George Brown came up to Vm-iin . ivn order wus isnue < l to the Duko's division according to which tho wwtring of tho stoi-k was optional . Moat of tho nien nt onco Hung oft' their jdathorn oiu'iunkiwices , hut , witU tho usual tu « t « of tsoMiura JW civil nt tire , they begun to wonr pay-coloured Imndkcr-¦ uiiici » « nd noukolotlia , bo tbnt , the authorities were obligod to " ° ™« r tlioin to woar either tho stock or nothing . iheDrngooiiH wore white cullro covers to thoir lielmots , 'Kit air George will not allow thorn to wear them if ho can 1 i « lp it . IIo dialikos tlipno oovora oxwariinglv , bornuso they ?* i ' i \ - *! lilllc » < unnoluierllko 5 and hln own division ( tho J- lgnt ) is forbidden to we « r them 011 uny account . Thoy cori « inly do not , improvo tho npponriuioo , but n » unruly they contribute giwUly to tlw comfort of tho inon .

      For the present the division will occupy the site of the camp of the Light Division before it moved to Aladyn . On riding into Varna on the 14 tl > , tlie correspondent of the Times found the place so transformed by the restless activity nnd energy of the French , that he could not recognise it . The streets have received new French names , which are printed in black , on neat deal slips fixed to the walls ; and , as all those names are very convenient , and have a meaning attached to them , no sneering ought to deter one from confessing that the French manage these things better than we do . Where is the English post-office ? No one knows . Where does the English general live ? No one

      knows ; Where is the hospital to carry a sick soldier to ? No one knows . Does any one want to find General Canrohert ? Ask the first Frenchman you meet , and he will tell you to go up the Corso , turn to the right , by the cud of the Rue de PHopital , . and then you will see the name of the general painted in large letters over the door of his quarters . The French post-office ' and the French hospital are indicated sufficiently W the names of the streets . Our sappers and miners have " done useful works by the seaside , have built piers , trenched up the shore , and deepened the little harbour . The French nave done tbe same ; they have built piers and banked np the shore , and erected a sea-wall to land at .

      Sir George Brown still continues with his staff at Varna . General Tylden is camped with his staff by the side of the bay , near the cavalry camp , and Captains Gordon and Hassard , Mr . Martin , of the Koyal Engineers , and a few sappers and miners , remain in the town , close by the wall , in order to be ready for any work in their way . As to the camp at Aladyn there is not much to say . Never were tents pitched in a more lovely spot . When the morning sun has risen it is scarce possible for one to feel he is far from England . At the other side of t"be lake which waters the meadows beneath the hill on which the camp is placed , there is a range of high ground , so finely wooded , with such verdant sheets of short crisp grass between the clumps of forest timber , that every one who sees it at once says " surely there must be a fine mansion somewhere among'those trees ! " .

      The camp is pitched on a dry , sandy table land . On the right-hand side the artillery ( Captain Levinge's troop ) ,. the small arm and ammunition train ( Captain Anderson ) , and the rocket carriages , caissons , artillery horses , & c , have fixed their quarters . The valley between them and the table land on which the camp is situate is unoccupied . On the left-hand side , on a beautiful spot overlooking the lake , at a considerable elevation , is the little camp of the Commissiariat , surrounded by carts and aTaba drivers , flocks of sheep and goats , and cattle and vast piles of bread and corn . Here are pitched the tents of Mr . Darling ( the Cointnissiariat officer of the whole division ) , of Mr . Thompson , and of Mr . Barl ' ee . Mr . Clarke and another gentleman of this department are stationed with the artillery . The rifle camp is placed at the distance of 300 yards from the Comuiissiariat ' s camp , 011

      the slope of the table land , and commands a beautiful view of the lakes and of the surrounding country ; and the 7 th , 19 th , 23 * -d , 77 th , 88 th , and 33 rd ltogiments are encamped close together , so that the lines of canvas are almost imbroken from one extremity to the other . Brigadier-Genernl Airey ' and staff , and Drs . Alexander , Rice , and Jameson , have pitched their tents in a meadow close by some trees , at the upper end of the encampment . The engineers under Captain Gordon , the Rev . Mr . Egan , and Captain HaMewclI , - have formed a little encampment of their own in a valley a little further on , which is formed by two spurs of land , covered with the thickest foliage and brushwood , hazels , clematis , wild vines , birch , and creeper . The cavalry arc stationed about nine miles further on , close to the village of Devna . In front of the

      nflo cninp is a rural burial-ground , now long abandoned , probably because there are not many people left to dio in the district . It is of the rudest kind . " No sculptured stone , not even a scratch of a chisel distinguishes one res ' . in 2 ; - placo from another , but a block of unhewn granite is pluced at each grave , and the Sappers and Minors , who are a . most utilitarian corps , have selected some of tho largest and best of them to serve in the construction of their bridge over one of tho narrow channels which join lake to lake . By-the-by , those same sappers liavo had haul work of it in buildingthis bridge . Tho 10 th company , who laboured « it it , worked entirely naked and up to their bronsts in water for one whole day . It is no wonder that a few of them havo suffered from slight fever in consequence . It is with much re-grot that 1 have to recor . l several

      instances of outrage on tho part of our men towards tho inhabitants of the little village of Alhiluluon ( or Aladyn ) , which is about half-a-milo from tho esimp on tlio borders of tho luk « . Stragglers from the cunip have on vcvenil occasions broken into tho housvs and ill-used tin * people inuklo . A gtuird of twenty men was placed to |»\> toet tho inhabitants , but for tiomo reason or other it was withdrawn , and tlio complaints of outmge hsivo boon lvuuwed . A divisional order was issued accordingly on Monday last , to tho effect that no officer or man should leave tho enmp without tho porini . Vi m of the sonior officer in eomirv . uiil . The very dny it wus ismied a poor Bulgarian omiio tip to Mr . Darling in flood * < f twirs , and informed him that some soldiers had turned their horses

      into hi * only field of barley , ami had cut and oivrrioil o ( V ; i grout quantity of it , insjiito of Ills remonstrances . Itrigailier-Uijnor ; il Aimy U u .-iing every effort to check these ilbttniooful promeilinga . Auy omcor or n ) , w who meets uuouUer with , fomgo may inspect it , and arrest tin ; man for punishment if lie find * btirl . < y or wheat cut . in it , ami , in tlio same way , li « inny »|> kll nny NfiiritH which the womon or men i \ Uoui | it to carry 1 ' rom tlio villago into tho camp , anil lion-comitiirfsiniml oiHcurn havo been nont inlo Aladyn to prevent tin ? m'urmmi of hueh HcamlulouH nets . Tho lirigailiur is niait anxious to gain tlio confidence , of tho pon . siintry , ami to induce thorn to come- Into thn onmp with produce , and 1 Imvo i-punoii to hope liiri labuurn will bu attundml witu tmcce . in * . There , in much difliciilty , however , in pi'r . iiuuling tho puonlu to treat , us limy look ou ua aa alliof of thuir natural uneinloa , thu Tinka . The correspondent complains that tho field hospitals had not arrived . Tho sick luul to bo conveyed iu bullock ciirta to Yuraa .

      Letter From The Baltic. We Extract From ...

      LETTER FROM THE BALTIC . We extract from a private letter from a naval officer in the Baltic the following racy notes and observations of our gallant correspondent : Baro Sound , Gulf of Finland , 13 th June , 1854 . ... " Our stay at Elsineur was much longer than ¦ we expected . We left on the morning of the 3 rd of June . Our attempt to get away on the 1 st proved a failure , for the current set strong against us , and the gentle breeze that blew was in our teeth ; so we came to in the roads of Elsineur , five miles below the town , and about three from the Island of iLeven , where tradition , that seldom tells the truth , places

      the ruins of the observatory of old Tycho Brahe . The island is about a mile in length , rather pretty , and , from its central position , commands a sweeping view of the shores of Denmark , on one side , and Sweden on the other ; would make a nice summer retreat for us , though at present rather destitute of dwellings—one of the only ones I could see l > eing an old windmill with a very careworn expression of countenance , and three skeleton arms that made sundry attempts at turning-, in the hope of shaking off the cobwebs time and spiders appeared to have wove around it . As the atmosphere was rather hazy , the cobwebs may have been imaginary ones . Statholm and another island called Aniak rise from

      the Sound near Copenhagen , "which last town , with its spires and towers , is clearly seen a very little above water-line at twenty miles from Elsineur . I was sent on shore at Elsineur to see the Consul , about getting a tug , as the old man was getting fidgetty with the idea , that Sir Charles had filed away all his ammunition , and that the war could not be prosecuted until our arrival with a fresh supply . Can ' t stay to describe the queer old Danish town , nor the ' pretty critters' in queer costumes one sees about the streets , nor the lovely ones to whom I was introduced , staying with an English family of the name of -. I wonder if all fathers of family bearing that name rejoice in the numerous offshoots it puts forth ? This

      one had fourteen—six gals and eight sons , most of whom had cleared the term-gate that leads to the ty , and the others ne ' aring it at a slapping space . After a series of telegraphic messages between the Minister at Copenhagen and the Consul at Elsineur , the Danish Government placed the steamer Uffb at our disposal ( a certain breach of neutrality ) , and we sailed on the 3 rd , passing Copenhagen at racing pace . In the course of time we made Bornholm , skirted the end of Aland , and steered for Gothland , all very charming islands . Aland , very like the Isle of Wight , beautifully cultivated , well wooded , and liaving a crown of ruins , once the Castle of Hammershums , which I of course put on paper .

      " At the north-east end of Gothland stands Faro , off which , on the evening of the 7 th , we discovered Admiral Corry ' s division of fifteen sail , sailing on a wind under topsails and courses in line abreast , tho ships appearing like pillars of snow or iced cream on the blue and brackish waters of the Baltic . The water is not salt up here—how queer ! the numerous rivers sending 1 down a mass of liquid that quite overpowers the saline qualities of Old Nep . On thcJ 3 tbi we communicutcd with the squadron , handed over the mail bags and parcels , & c , and read a paper of the 27 th May , which announced the destruction of some forts off 1-Iangoe by the Ilecla and Arrogant . All nonsense ! the Hecla and the other were clean beaten off by masked batteries , which sent fourteen shots into her hull in a quarter of an hour , and played mischief with the Arrourant .

      " It was a dashing affair as they cut out a fino barque—but the batteries -were unharmed , Sailed from Admiral Corry to join Sir Charles , and on the evening of the 10 th , after a , spirited chase , which lasted four hours , to bring to n fast Dutch brig trying to force the blockade , and only stopped when forcibly reminded that our shot sped faster than she did , wo found ourselves entangled amongst a nest of small islands off Hangoe head , at the cntruncc of tho Gulf of Finland , a fog coming on , and anticipating a few gun-boats coming out . J 3 o we prepared as well us we could for emergencies , and put our trust in Providence , which kindly sent iia tho Gorgon steamer , cruising in search of gun-boats . She took us in tow , and the next inorniny , about six o ' clock , wo wpro gratified with a vision of the trill forest of

      Sir Charles Napier ' s woody domain nt anchor , about fifteen miles to tho eastward of Baro Sound or twelve miles to tho westward of llul . iingfors . Thu steamer cast us off , nnd tho hreczo freshening , wo boat our way up ; but a fb # anno on , « n < J » whon it cleared off \ vu found ourselvvs amidst three English frigates , blockading tho onlrnnco to Svcnborg . Jolly ! Made our number , and turned back to join Sir C'liarlea , who made llio nignul not to nnchor . When wo arrived , all tlio tthipa luul tho church pendiuit flying , so wore forced to wait for orders . Ordered To follow motions of Ciesur , and returned to Uuro Sound , whero wo now aro . Admiral Corry arrived tho day bolbro yoHtorduy ( Monday ) . Tho French division passed up towards Svciihorfr yestcrduy . Si * Charles riiiilcil yesterday morning to try ntugu of long yuno on Hobinglbrs . L . uat night ., from our anchorngo , wo

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), July 1, 1854, page 9, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_01071854/page/9/