Ociober 21. Late last night the glare of fires was seen on the Kinburn Spit, near the south mouth of the Dnieper, and, although the gun-boats are operating in that dii-ection, it most likely proceeded from the Cossacks, who are busily occupied burning the produce of the Russian peasants, lest it should fall into the hands of the enemy. The French Admiral, in one of the gun-boats, attended by two others, went away during the night. This morning the wind blew strong down the river, and raised a rough tideway, which was ti'oublesome to small boats. The atmosphere grew cold and grey, with immense refraction. Dark clouds of smoke arose from over the land to the S.S.E., which would indicate that the Cossacks were still at their work on the Spit.
Church pendants w^ere hoisted in the forenoon, and Divine Service, according to the Church of England, was duly celebrated in the confluence of the Bug and Dnieper, for the fii-st time since Christianity blessed the earth, and within sight of the spires of many Greek orthodox churches. The French had a little missa solennis of their own. At 230, thi'ee large and one small gunboat got up steam and weighed. They stood straight \ip the river, and great was our excitement lest they should think it necessary to silence the battery which we had left with its teeth di'awn, if not its tongue tied, yesterday. Before they started, and just after church-service, Sir Houston Stewart, having signalled for an oiRcer of the " Spitfire " to come on board, went off in the " Cracker," attended by the " Grinder," to examine the coast to the S.S.E., and to endeavour to ascertain the cause of the numerous fires, indicated by pillars of smoke in that direction.
They were soon lost in the haze to the southward. In vain they tried to find out the position of the troops who were supposed to be advancing along the Spit, to destroy all the forage and provision in their way for forty miles, so as to make the country a barren waste, and prevent the enemy marching towards the fort without taking with them supplies. However harsh this measm-e may appear, it is a necessary operation of war. When Sydney Smith drew his terrible pictm-e of John Bull's afflictions in a probable invasion — corn-ricks blazing on every side — sows of the best breed running about with their throats cut, and the parson's lady invested by an amorous Gaul — he must have had a prophetic inkling of the operations of our fleet in the Bay of Cherson, always excepting the investment of the lady, for the priests of the Greek rite are not given to marriage.
So the Admiral returned, having disturbed immense quantities of wild-fowl, which liave frequented the banks of the Borysthenes since remotest ancient history. Meantime, our friends and allies sidled up to tlie Spit, and perhaps they had some I'aint notion that they should succeed in destroying the hattery which their ijood friends and allies the English liad not utterly pulverized the day before. The day was very dull, as I have said, and the north wind created an immense refraction, so that the end of the clifi' appeared to be lifted out of the water, and the vessels to have wavering hulls and quivering masts as they advanced, just as one would see thcni through the haze from a hot walk in a July day. On they went, however, and at last they arrived ofi" the Spit, and the enemy opened fire on them as before.
The small gunboat stood bravely in within 1500 yards of the shore, the others anchored at 1800, and all engaged the guns in the breastwork very sharply. Their shot flew over the cliff, hit its face, knocked the water at its base into clouds of spray, and the Russians struck the water behind, before, at this side, and at that side of the vessel, but never hit mast, spar, or rope, and so the fight continued; but the French aver they dismounted one gun at least, and drew down a great body of the enemy before they retired. This they did after haif-an-hour's dalliance with the Kussians, and then they anchored off the mouth of the Bug, close to us once more. Meantime we had seen a sight, which led us to believe that His Majesty the Czar, or some of his Imperial family, was actually honoui'ing our little squadron by a minute inspection.