THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.—THE HANGO MASSACRE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 313, 31 October 1855, Page 5

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.—THE HANGO MASSACRE.

Captain Duncombe asked Sir C. Wood whether it was true that the Russians had fired upon and destroyed a boats' crew of one of her Majesty's ships, which approa:hed the coast of 1-Jaiigo to deliver up some Russian prisoners,

Sir C. Wood regretted that the report was only too true* he had that day received despatches from Admiral Dundas, the substance of which he would state, givinsr an account of the transaction. Some time ago, her Majesty's ship Cossack took and destroyed some Russian vessels near Hango, and three persons, were made prisoners—the captain of one-of the vessels, his son, and a sailor. Admiral Dundas, anxious not to use any unnecessary severity towards the country, so long as the supplies for the Russian forces were interrupted, directed tbe Cossack to return to Hango, in order to put ashore tbe persons so captnrpd, who bad requested to be put ashore at that place. Four other Russians who bad also been taken prisoners, requested to be landed there. The Cossucks thereupon went to Hango, and anchoring at some little distance from the place, sent the ship's cutter with the seven Russian prisoners and tbe ordinavy boat's crew. The boat approached the shore under a flag of truce, which she displayed for about half an hour before she reached the jetty. The officers and prisoners were sumJhig with their baggage up m the jetty. With the exception of the officers,, every man remained in tbe boat. A body of Russian soldiers, between 300 and 400 well armed, came down to the jetty. The English officer waved his flag of truce, and explained why the prisoners were put on shore. The Finnish captain then took tbe flag of truce from the lieutenant, and tried to explain both in Finnish and in English the purport of the visit. Tbe officer in command of the Russiaus spoke not only in Finnish, but English also, and he said he' did not care for the flag of true, and that he would show tbe party how the Russians could fight. Some hundreds of tbe Russian soldiers fired upon tbe British officers and the Finnish prisoners upon the jetty, and killed every one of them. They then fired into the boat and killed every man but one; they afterwards rushed into the boat, and threw some bodies orerboard, dragged one wounded man and killed him, but they left five bodies for dead in tbe boat. The boat not returning, later in the day the gig was sent out in search, and it was ascertained in the distance that some disaster had occurred. There was ieft on board a black man, who was wounded with two balls through his arm, and one through his shoulder; he tried to cut the fastenings of the boat, and to scull the cutter to the ship. In the meantime the Cossack was standing in, in order to ascertain what had become of the cutter, aud a boat beiug sent out picked up the man who was the only survivor. On his evidence, of course, the whole of the story which he had just detailed must rest, as he was the only person left alive after the transaction. This statement made a profound impression upon the house It is satisfactory to fiud that the loss of life occasioned by tbe Russian firing on the boat of the Cossack steamer, when carrying a flag of truce for tbe purpose of landing some Russian prisoners, is not so great as was at first anticipated. Four only, it appears, were killed, but some of the others were wounded aud taken, prisoners ; amongst the latter are the three ufficers- It; i-s now stated that the Russians saw the flag of truce, hut allege that they suspected a stratagem to surprise them. Other rumours of the affair are iv circulation, but it is not probable we shall learn the actual facts till the survivors are released ; when that may be is certainly a problem not easy of solution— Sydney Jzmptre.