OPERATIONS OF THE ALLIES IN THE BALTIC.
While war was raging on the eastern side of the Russian and Turkish
empires, the western waters and shores of Russia were also the scenes of
sanguinary contests. The vast fleet which, under the command of
Admiral Dundas, proceeded rather too late in the spring to the Baltic,
accomplished some important enterprises. The troops and stations of the
Russians on the shores of Finland were shelled. Landing-parties ascended
the creeks and rivers, and burned great quantities of naval stores, and
destroyed or captured numerous small vessels, military or commercial.
Sweaborg was bombarded, and a large portion of the fortifications
destroyed, and many of their defenders slain. Cronstadt was approached
as in the previous year; but was pronounced to be impregnable to the
means at the disposal of the allies, vast as they were. The want of
gun-boats and vessels of light draught was the chief ingredient in the
elements of discomfiture which affected the allies. Throughout the year
the allies hemmed in the Russian ships in their unassailable harbours
of refuge, or as at Sweaborg, destroyed them by the fire of their
gun-boats.
OPERATIONS IN THE WHITE SEA.
These were similar to what took place in the Baltic. Inaccessible
harbours defied the allied fleets. Want of vessels of small draught
rendered pursuit impossible when Russian ships made the sinuosities of
the coast, and shallow rivers, available for retreat.
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