Reminiscences of the Baltic fleet of 1855 (1894) (14761550794)

Identifier: reminiscencesofb00donw (find matches)
Title: Reminiscences of the Baltic fleet of 1855
Year: 1894 (1890s)
Authors: Don, William G
Subjects: Naval Medicine Medicine, Military
Publisher: Brechin : D.H. Edwards
Contributing Library: Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
Digitizing Sponsor: Open Knowledge Commons and Harvard Medical School



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Government cartridge paper andpasteboard from the Finnish factories. On the 29th we enlivened the Russians bygeneral quarters, with shell practice, which theywatched with feverish and critical eyes. On the 30th I landed at Tolboukin with Naylor,R.M., and Hanks, and a party of ex-small-poxpatients from Faro for clothes washing. Thelighthouse was beautifully built, and. of course,dismantled, but both it and its outhouses in perfectorder. I made a sketch of the place. On ascend-ing to the top we had a magnificent view of every-thing connected with Cronstadt and its surround-ings ; and the marvel was that the Russians shouldhave left standing such a point of vantage at ourcommand. Scattered around the building wereenormous four feet cubes of red granite, whichhad been brought hither on the ice in winter forthe building of the casemated forts. We dined atnoon on board our escort, the ik Starling, gunboatto the Duke. commanded by Prince Leningen,nephew to Queen Victoria. He was a hospitable
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BALTIC FLEET OF 1855. 79 fellow. On returning to Tolboukin in the eveningwe found our party increased by two Russiandeserters from the St Michael, three decker,lying- between the forts. Seeing us at the light-house, they somehow managed to escape in afishing boat. On the 1st July the Russians made a return per-formance of shell practice, in our direction, fromsome earthworks on the north of the island, butnone of their missiles came near us. Xext day wewatched a lively duel between the gunboats•• Thistle and Gleaner, and field artillery onthe southern shore ; during which some woodcaught fire and burned furiously for hours. Inthe evening a Russian Sergeant, a German,managed to desert to the Fleet, and gave us muchinformation. He said there were 30,000 sailors•and soldiers in Cronstadt, and great numbers ofvisitors came daily from St Petersburg to viewthe Fleet, at a return fare of two roubles. We had lately been joined by several pleasureyachts from England, and also by traders