f having nearly
come, they determined to have a shot at us, so fired five torpedoes into
what they thought the centre of the Turkish fleet, with what result we
have seen. The person who told me was one of them, and said it was
sickening work looking for Batoum. It is true the nights were fearfully
dark, so that the shape of the land could not be made out. He said that
without the traitor's light they could not have found us. I am not
saying by this that one should always trust to darkness; there are many
other ways _now_ of taking the sting out of torpedo attacks. It is
needless to say that the steamers I sent out returned, having seen
nothing. While the fleet was at Batoum, two or three more torpedo
attacks were made on a smaller scale without effect; but I have bored my
readers enough about torpedoes--all I know is that I can sleep now when
in their vicinity. While in the Black Sea I several times went with two
or three ships that could be spared from other duties and reconnoitred
Sebastopol and Odessa, but being fully convinced of the helplessness of
few or even of _many_ ships against the heavy batteries of the present
day, I did no more than look about me, occasionally exchanging shots
with the enemy. As to burning defenceless towns and villages, I have
always been thoroughly adverse to such things, so I never undertook it.
Some people think war should be made as horrible as possible; in this I
do not agree. I could easily have burnt the Emperor's palace at Yalta,
but did not think it expedient to do so.

I have already spoken in general terms of the great services rendered by
the ironclads in moving the troops about, but I feel that, in justice to
the gallant crews of the squadron I had the honour to command during the
war, I ought not to bring this portion of my narrative to a close
without mentioning more particularly a piece of work of that nature
executed under my immediate direction.

The capture of Soukhoum-Kaleh had been followed up by the despatch of an
expedition of some 4,000 men of all arms to a place some thirty miles
down the coast, called Tchamchira. The military commander at Soukhoum
had some idea, I believe, that this force would be able to make its way
inland, and thus encourage risings amongst the tribes against the
detested Muscovite rule. The country, however, was too unfavourable for
the advance of invading troops, being swampy ground with thick bush
where it was not an impenetrable forest. T