the water would allow them to get only just
within range of the batteries. The squadron was, however, supplied with
a number of large boats which could carry heavy guns, and these he
brought close in to the shore in order to cover the landing-parties,
distributing them in four divisions, under Commander Kennedy and
Lieutenants Ross, Day, and Strode, with directions to land at intervals
of a mile from each other, and then driving the Russians before them to
set fire to the stores. To protect the stores, the Russians had thrown
up light breast-works along the whole of their front, but they were not
such as to arrest British blue-jackets for a moment. Fortunately, the
wind blew directly on shore, and thus as soon as the boats opened fire
the smoke was driven in the faces of the enemy. The seamen quickly
landing, notwithstanding the warm fire with which they were received,
drove the Russians before them, and the stacks being at once ignited,
the dense volumes of smoke which arose from them completely concealed
the movements of the British, whose only object being to destroy the
corn and hay, did not follow the enemy. Success attended every one of
the operations; in a little more than six hours every stack was blazing,
as were the piles of timber, the boats, naval stores, and dried fish,
under the protection of the batteries at Gheisk--the whole work being
accomplished with the loss only of five men wounded.

To prevent the escape of any of the Russian ships on the fall of
Sebastopol, the allied squadron brought up across the harbour, when the
enemy having already sunk the remainder of their line-of-battle ships,
set fire to all their steamers, thus with their own hands destroying the
whole of their fleet. The English and French fleet then sailed for
Kinburn, standing on the shore of a shallow bay full of shoals. On
their way they appeared off Odessa, in order to mislead the Russians,
and then proceeded direct for their destination. The troops, consisting
of 5000 British, and a large number of French, were landed on the 15th,
and some of the gunboats stood in, and began firing to distract the
garrison. The roughness of the sea, however, prevented the ships from
commencing the grand attack till the 17th. The smaller steamers and
gunboats then advanced, circling round and delivering their fire in
rapid succession, silencing the Russian guns, killing the men, and
forcing them to take refuge under ground. About noon t