HE GOVERNMENT SHIP "COSSACK."—

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XIV, Issue 602, 24 October 1855, Page 2

HE GOVERNMENT SHIP "COSSACK."—

RUSSIAN BARBARITY.

Captain Duncombe asked Sir C. Wood whether ii was true that the Russians had fired upon and destroyed a boat* crew of one of her Majesty's ships, which approached the coast of Hango 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, giving 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 the Cossack to return to Hango, in order to put ashore the persons so captured, who had requested to be put ashore at that place. Four other Russians, who had also been taken prisoners, requested to be landed there. The Cossacks thereupon went to Hango, and anchoring at some little distance from the place, sent the ship's cutter with the seven Russian prisoners and the ordinary" boat's crew. The boat approached the shore under a flag of truce, which sh« displayed for about half an hour before she reached the jetty. The officers and prisoners were standing with their baggage upon the jetty. With the exception of the officers, every man remained in the boat A body of Russian soldiero, 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 the flag of truce from the lieutenant, and tried to explain both in Finnish and in English the purport of the visit. The officer in command of the Russians spoke not only in Finnish, but English also, and he said he did not care for the flag of truce, and that he would show the party how the Russians could fight. Some hundred* of the Russian soldiers fired upon the 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 overboard, dragg** one wounded man and billed him, but they left five bodies for dead m the 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 left on board a black man, who was wounded with two balls through his arm, and one through his shoulder; he tried to cut the fiwteninga of the boat, and so scull the cutter ta tho ship. In the meantime the Cossack was standing in, in order to ascertain what had become of the cutter, and a boat being sent out picked up the man who was the only survivor. On his evida»o% 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 tb* bouse.