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Leader (1850-1860), 1st July 1854, Edition 1 of 2, Page 609, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      nisfrator , Tbut the Liberals aro said to reckon more on his favour than will probably be justified by tlio event .

      Untitled Article

      Letters from the 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 Benskar , in Baro Sound , ha-viug formed a junction on the 13 th . The English crews are frequently exercised in gunnery afloat and on shore . The Alban , that had been away surveying , with Lieut . Covrell , Royal Engineers , on board , landed a party on the main Jand , wfio 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 tliefr approach , which was quite a surprise . The telegraph is now interrupted between Hango and Helsingfors . On the 20 th a 6 ignal was made to the screw-ships to prepare for sea . A despatch from Stockholm states that Bomar-sound was shelled on the 21 st inst . b / her Majesty ' s ships Hecla , Valorous , and Odin . Admiral liumridge 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 Snialand Grenadiers : —

      " On the colours which I present to you this day is inscribed the word ' Lutzen . ' That word recalls to my memory the glor ious time in which Sweden ' s king fought and conquered in the cause of enlightenment . That name will remind you of the courage with which the Smalandcrs 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 Qmana tillnya braffder , } The days of warfare and of honour are not yet over . Even now you may be called upon to defend your native land and to combat for the dearest of all earthly possessions . Should Fatherland and I call upon you , my brave Smalanders , to gather around these flags , you will 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 was followed by enthusiastic and prolonged cheering . His Majesty afterwards presented new colours to he National Militia of this island , and in doing so said : — " In a time when War ' s portentuous cloud obscures the northern liemisphere , 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 laud , at the sacrifice even of life itself . Such a time , it would seem , may possibly arrive for the North . ( Si / nas

      for Nord&i mojilga . ) Suck 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 I now make over to you ; and you will know how to fight for your king 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 help vou God . "

      Untitled Article

      TIIE BRITISH CAMP AT ALADYN NEAR VARNA . The first division , consisting of the Brigade of Guards arid 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 apassage of only eleven days and nineteen hours , the quickest ever known . The men disembarked on the 14 th , in fine order and spirits ; every nmn riding his own horse—a fact , perhaps , unparalleled after such n voyage .

      Tho diijombarcation of tiro Guards w .-is effected in the morning of tho 14 th in excellent order and with h rapidity and comfort which confer grout credit on tho oilioers engaged in superintending it , Tlio French assisted with tho most hearty goodwill . Of their own accord the men of tho Artillery and tlioChnsstura came down to tho beach , helped to load buffalo ciU'ttf , and set to work at once , to thump tho drivers , to push tho nntivcu out of tho vrny , to show tho road , and , in fact , to make thevn-Belves generally useful . Tho men ^ though not quite so stout as we uro nccustoined to see thorn in London , wvro nevertheless in cnpitul case , and good-humoured iuuI high-spirited , notwithstanding a honyy storm of rnin that broke over them on tho inarch to their camp , about a milo outside tho town .

      The two troops of tho 8 th IIuhsiii-h lying ouUido tho town Rftvo the mon a hearty cheer ns they enmo m night . Mont of tho men -wore no stocks . It appears that noon aficr . Sir worgo Brown came up to Varna an order \ v ;\ h issuod to tho I >« koHdivision according to which tho wearing of the stock was optional . Most or tho mon nt onco Hung off , their leathern tncmnbranooa , but , with tho usual tiwto of noli tiers rov civil at ti , o , they begun to wonr gay-coloured haiulkor-C 4 ueft » anil nockclotlm , bo that tho mitlioriUi-a wore obliged to , p , r tliein to wo"r « ltl »« r tho Btouk or nothing , i * o ? ^!'; ftfioonB woro ivll ) ' ' onlico covers to thuir helmets , mit Sir George will not allow tlusin to worn- thorn if ho can Help it . lie ( linhkea thcao eovors rxwodinglv , Ixhwuho they j r . ° \ ''" »» i > ik » , unooldirrliko ; mid Win own ilivinion ( tho l ^ iglitJ iH loihuldon to ww » r tlu-in on nny account . They < - <> ruunljr do not improve tho ¦ ipnuumnoo , bul « n surely they contribute ftrently to ftd comfort of tho mon .

      For the present the division will occupy the site of the carnp of ihe Light Division before it moved to AUdyn . On riding into Varna on the 14 th , the correspondent of the Times found the place so transformed by the restless activity and 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 . Do ? s any one want to find Genera ] Canro ' iert ? Ask the first Frenchman you meet , and he will tell you to go up the Corso , turn to the right , by the end of the Rue de l'Hopital , 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 by 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 have done the same ; thej have brxilt piers and banked up the shore , and erected a sea-wall

      to land at . Sir George Brown still continues with his staff at Yarna General Tylden is camped with lis staff by the side of the bay , near the cavalry camp , and Captains Gordon and Hassard , Mr . Martin , of the Royal Engineers , and a few sappers and miners , remain in the town , close by th « 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 . Wiien the morning sun has risen it is scarce possible for one to feel he is far from England . At the other side of the 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 Commiasiariat , surrounded by carts and araba drivers , flocks of sheep and goats , and cattle and vast piles of bread and corn . Here are pitched the tents of Mr . Darling ( the Gommissiariat officer of the whole division ) , of Mr . Thompson , and of Mr . Barlee . Mr . Chirke and another gentleman of this department are stationed with the artillery . The rifle camp is placed , at the distance of 300 yards from the Commissiariat ' s camp , on

      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 cd , 77 tli , 88 ' th , and 33 rd Regiments are encamped close together , so that the lines of canvas are almost unbroken from one extremity to the other . Brigndier-Goneral Airey ' and staff , and Drs . Alexander , Kice , and Jameson , have pitched their tents in a meadow close by some trees , nt the upper end of tlie encampment . The engineers under Captain Gordon , the Rev . Mr . Egan , and Captain Hallewell , 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 ai * e stationed about nine miles further on , close to the village of Dcvnn , In front of the

      rifle camp is a rural burial-ground , now long abandoned , probably because there arc not many people left to die in tho district . It ia of the rudest kind . " No sculptured stone , not even a scratch of a chisel distinguishes one res ' . ingpluco from another , but a block of unhewn granite is placed at each grave , and the Sappers and Minors , who are ; i most utilitarian corps , have selected some of tho largest and best of them to serve in tho construction of their bridgo over one of tho narrow channels which join lake to lake . lSy-the-bv , these same sappers liavo had hard work of it in building this bridge . Tho 10 th company , who laboured at it , worked entirely nuked and up to their broa . sts in water for one whole day . It . id no wuiider that a few of them have suffered from slight fever in consequence . It is with much regret that 1 have to record several

      instanced of outrage on tho part of our men towards the inhabitants of tlio littlo village of Allalidee . n ( or Aliulyn ) , which is about h : ilf-a-milc from tho camp on tho bordors of tho liiko . Stragglers from tho cmnp have on several occasions broken into the houses nnd ill-utscd Iho people jnsUle . A . guard of twenty men was placed tu protect , Lho inluvVttants , but for some rou . sonor other it was withdrawn , and tho complaints of ouUngo haw boon renewed . A divisional order \ v « s issued accordingly on Monday List , to the effect that no officer or man should lenvo tho enmp without the pmni . iH . n of the senior oflicor in coinnvunl . Tho very day it wad issued a poor llulgar-lim cunio u \> to I \ Ir , Darling in Hood * of tt-urs , mid informed him that boido . soldkivi had turno't tlieii lwr . svs

      into Ins only hi'Ulof Ixuloy , and luul cut and carricil oil * u grent ijiuwitity of it , iiiajiitoof lijsjviiionstrancos . DriguliiT •< . joiier . il Airoy i * utiiug ewry effort lo diode t h . ¦» c iHs ; j : rm : ol ' ul nroi-otidirigH . Any olliccr or in , in who nioeta a soldier will * fortigo may inspect it , and nrrctit tin * man for lmnirtliniout . U ho finals barlry or wheat out in ir , ami , in the sumo wuy , ho may spill nny Hpiriia wiiioli tlui women or men ( ilNunpt t <> carry from tho village into tho rump , and iKin-coinKiis ^ ioiU'd oilioeiH havo beeii sent into Alntlyn to provont tlio iciMirreiHin of hut'h hcaiululoiiu act . s . Thu Urigauier is nvi . it iinxionnto £ iun tlio conildiiiro of tho peasantry , aiol to in . luco tlimn to ciimo into tho camp with produce , nnd I liu \ o rcanou tc > hopo lii .-i lnbuurrt will bo attciulctl willi » tteco »» . Them in much to

      ( llilioulty , liowcviir , in pcrniiiulin ^ pcoitk ; trout , n . sthoy look on u . i i \ a allii'f of tlioir n . itural uni'mics , tlio Tin ka . The correspondent complains that tho field hosjpitala had not ArrivoJ . Tliesick hivd to be cojivoyml ill hullook carts to Varna .

      Untitled Article

      LETTER FROM THE BALTIC . We extract from a private letter from a naval officer La 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 ^ vas much longer than we expected . We left on the morning of the 3 rd of June . Out attempt to get away on the 1 st proved a failure , for the current set strong against us , and the gentle breeze that hlew was in our teeth ; so we came to in the roads of Elsin « ur , five miles below the town , and about . three from the Island of Leven

      , where tradition , that seldom tells the truth , places the ruins of the observatory of old Tycho Brahe . The island is aboxit 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 being an old windmill with a " very careworn expression of countenanc e , 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 atmosplujrc was rather the cobwebs liavbeen

      hazy , may e imaginary ones . Statholm and another island called Aniak rise from the Sound near Copenhagen , which hist 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 fired away all his ammunition , and that the -war could not be prosecuted until our arrival with afresh 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 - \ vith 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 fi / , and the others nearing it at a slapping space . After a series of telegrapliic messages between the Minister at Copenhagen and the Consul " at Elsineur , the Danish Government placed the steamer Uffo 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 having a crown of ruins , once the Castle of Hfunmershums , which I of course put on paper .

      " At the north-east end of Gothland stands Earo , ofT which , on the evening of the 7 th , -we discovered Admiral Corry ' s division qt fifteen sail , sailing on a wind under topsails and courses in line abreast , the 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 down a mass of liquid that quite overpowers the saline qualities of Old Nep . On tho 8 th we communicated with the squadron , handed over the mail bags Mid parcels , &c ., and read a pnper of the 27 th May , which announced the destruction of some forts off HangoG by the ITecla and Arrogant . All nonsense ! the Hecla and the other were clean beaten off by masked batteries , which sent fourteen shots into her hull ia a quarter of an hour , and played mischief with the Arrozant .

      " It was a dashing affair as they cut out a lino barque—but the batteries were \ inhnrmcd . Sailed from Admiral Corry to join Sir Charles , and on the evening of the 10 th , after a sj > irite < t chase , which lasted four hours , to bring to a l ' . ist Dutch brig trying to force tho blockade , and only stopped when forcibly reminded that our shot sped faster than she did , ve fo'ind ourselves entangled amongst a nest of flinnll islands off llangoe head , nt tho entrance of tho Gulf of Finland , a fog coining on , and anticipating a 1 « iv gun . botits coming out . So we prepared as well as we could for emergencies , and put our trust in Providence , which kindly sent us the Gorgon steamer , cruising in senrdi of gun-boats . She took us in tow , and the next morninir , about six o ' clock ' ,

      wo wore graitilled with a vision of tho tall forest ct Sir Charles Napier ' s woody domain at smuhor , about ; fifteen miles to the oust ward of Unro Sound or twelve milc ' 3 to the wi-atvvurd of Ik-lainj ?<\> ra . Tho steamer cast us oil * and tho hroc / . o freshen ing , wo beat our way iipj but . u fog onino on , and when it cleared oil' \ u- found oursidvca nniidst tlnvo English frigates , blockading tho entrance to Svi'iiborg . Jolly I Mmle our number , and turned buck to join Sir

      Charles , who made thu signal not to anchor . When wo arrived , nil tho whips had the church pendant flying , 8 k h-l'i-o ton-mi to wi » it for orders . Ordered to follow motions of t ' juaar , nml returned to Uaro Sound , whore \ vu now arc Admiral Corry arrived the tiny bi-foro }( . ' . iU . Tthiy ( Monday ) . The Fivnoh division passed uj > towards Sveabarg yo . sti-rduy . Sir ChurU ¦ > nuilod yosturday morning- to try range of long ^ una on ilcfalutflbrs . Last night , from our unchonigo , wo

      Untitled Article

      Jui , y 1 , 1854 . ] __ J T _ HE _ LEADER . 609

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), July 1, 1854, page 609, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2045/page/9/