CAPTAIN DUNCOMBEsaid, he rose to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any despatches had been received from Vice Admiral Dundas, stating what 71 steps he had taken to bring this occurrence under the notice of the Russian authorities, and to prevent the recurrence of similar atrocities.
§ SIR CHARLES WOODI have great pleasure, Sir, in stating to the House, that the Admiralty have this morning received despatches from Admiral Dundas, stating the steps he had taken, and also containing the most welcome intelligence that many of the persons who were, from the account of the man who was rescued by the boat of the Cossack, supposed to have been killed, are some of them only wounded and not killed, and others are not wounded, although prisoners. Admiral Dundas states, that he wrote a letter to the governor of Helsingfors, stating what had occurred, remonstrating most strongly, and pointing out what an atrocious act it was, to fire on a boat's crew under a flag of truce. He has received an answer from the governor, excusing or justifying to a certain extent what took place, declaring that the officers and soldiers said they saw no flag of truce, and that they had been irritated by vessels on some occasions hoisting the Russian flag, and, as stated in the newspapers, under colour of a flag of truce taking soundings, elsewhere. The House will remember that about a week ago, I was asked whether I had any reason to believe that that had taken place, and I stated that no report of such a transaction had reached the Admiralty. This morning I have seen the officer who commanded the gun-boat in the bay of Kertch on the occasion when this was reported by the newspapers to have happened, and he assures me most distinctly and unequivocally that nothing of the kind was ever done. The carriage which was being restored was taken on shore by a Russian boat, under the command of a Russian officer, accompanied by one of the Viper's boats, which was all the time under the eye of the Russian officer, and no soundings were taken. He says that it was utterly unnecessary to do what was reported, becaue there was not the slightest difficulty in taking the soundings of the spot in question, either by night or day. The spot at which the carriage was to be landed was pointed out by the Russian officer, and it was taken on shore by him; therefore there can be no doubt that the report is totally without foundation. I thought it desirable that the earliest communication should be made to the public of the intelligence we have received from Admiral 72 Dundas, and I believe the names of those who are dead, and of those who are alive, will appear in the evening papers. The result is that five seamen and the Finnish captain were killed by the fire of the Russians; four seamen and two Fins were wounded, and are prisoners; and three officers, four seamen, and two Fins were taken prisoners without being wounded. The black man who escaped in the boat is now alive and doing well on board the Cossack.