THE PUTRID SEA.

27

the grain on the cliff, and some more vessels; and the two flats were also set on fire-but not destroyed for upwards of a month later. The hawsers were afterwards cut, and they were sent adrift, by the boats of the Beagle. There were about twenty-five ships just inside the straits, which they were unable to reach, for the Russians brought down field-pieces, and fired grape at the boats. However they only wounded one man; but they saved the vessels. The boats then returned to the ships. There were a number of cattle on a marsh, near the Tongue of Arabat, which might have been easily brought off. Along the cliff and about the town were many windmills; they are very common along the coast of Southern Russia.

The mirage was so great, and the air so hazy, that I could not make out what there was to the west of the tongue of Arabat, although close to it the whole day. I can get no information about the Putrid Sea. I take it to be little better than an immense marsh, frozen in winter and unhealthy in summer, and then abounding with mosquitoes. I should say it was unnavigable. If it were

28

IN SIGHT OF TAGANROG.

not so, one would suppose that the shipping would have made their escape that way; for most of them were small, and drew very little water. It must be the resort and breedingplace of vast quantities of water-fowl. I saw to-day flocks of pelicans, wild geese, and some wild swans.

The stores and shipping burnt furiously the whole night.

30th. At eleven o'clock a.m. the squadron weighed, and made for a rendezvous in the gulf of the Don.

31st. At eleven o'clock a.m. we were well up the gulf of the Don. The water was thick and muddy, with broken reeds floating about. Seven vessels were at anchor off the Crooked Spit, which were made prizes of. At eight o'clock p.m. anchored in twenty feet of water, ten miles from Taganrog. Soon after, we saw a ship on fire near the town, and she shortly blew up. She afterwards proved to have been a large sailing vessel. The Russians were aware of our being in the vicinity, for four signal-fires blazed up on the shore, but were soon extinguished.

BUILDING OF THE LADY NANCY.

29

The

June 1st.-In the afternoon, the squadron weighed, and moved four miles nearer to Taganrog, in full view of the town. glittering cupolas of the churches were most conspicuous, even at a far greater distance. Owing to the shallow water, the large vessels of the squadron were not able to approach any closer. Indeed, next day they had to move two miles lower down into deeper water, as the wind, having changed to north-east, caused the water in the gulf of the Don to fall two feet.

The great desideratum now was to devise some means of floating a heavy gun into the shallow water close to the town; and two plans were adopted-one by Captain Coles, and the other by Lieutenant Horton. The plan of the former was to make a raft composed of casks and spars lashed together, and decked over, and of sufficient buoyancy to carry a 42 cwt. 32-pounder gun, with its crew of fourteen men, besides ammunition. make it, all the carpenters were sent on board the Stromboli, and worked hard during the day. Twenty-nine casks were all that could

To

30

THE NONSUCH.

be procured, and were laid lengthways in rows of five each, except the last row, which of course only contained four; and the shape it assumed was oblong. Lieutenant Horton's plan was to lay the same-sized gun in a cutter, with a number of hammocks under it, so as to prevent the recoil from damaging the boat. The gun was merely lashed down without the tackles, with the muzzle resting over the stern. Several experimental shots were fired, the recoil propelling the boat some distance through the water. The drawback to this plan was that the elevation was not to be altered except by raising and depressing the stern of the boats. This gun-boat' was called by the inventor the 'Nonsuch.'

CHAPTER III.

ATTACK ON TAGANROG.

June 2nd.-THE Stromboli moved alongside the Miranda, leaving a small space intervening. The raft was hoisted out from the Stromboli's deck, and the launch of the Lady Nancy was most successfully accomplished. The gun was then mounted, and a few shots fired by way of experiment.

A great many mosquitoes about during the day. All were busy making preparations to go with the boats at daylight, and attack Taganrog. The deck of the Stromboli was covered with boat-gear, rocket-tubes, maga