1827 - The Battle of Navarin

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1827 The Battle of Navarin 483

In making our comments upon the battle of Navarin, we are bound to state that the circumstances connected with it must cause it to be considered in a very different point of view from a regular naval battle at sea, or in time of open war. The allies being obliged to enter the bay in apparent confidence of no hostile intention towards them, their being forced by circumstances not naval to expose themselves to the inner side of the circle formed by the Turkish fleet ; the impolicy (sic) of anchoring in the centre of the bay, to which point the whole of the Turkish broadsides had been directed, and against which anchorage the fire-ships might have operated, are all circumstances not to be overlooked ; but although Sir Edward Codrington states, in his despatches, that the object of the allied admirals was, by the imposing force of their squadrons, to cause a renewal of those propositions which had been broken through by Ibrahim going to Patras, and subsequently refused to be entertained by him, and as Ibrahim had submitted to be driven by so comparatively small a force from before Patras, there was no reason to expect that he would oppose the squadrons when united, and that their presence was the only chance of awing him into relinquishing his devastation of the Morea ; yet it must be admitted that the action itself was occasioned by the allies having anchored to leeward of the fire-ships, and that their sending boats to remove vessels previously at anchor was the sole cause of the slaughter which ensued.

However much this country might have deplored the destruction of a fleet which would have materially assisted in checking the progress of Russian dominion in the East, yet they were not backward in the distribution of honours and the reward of promotions. The commanders were all advanced to the rank of captains ; the first lieutenants of each ship were promoted to commanders ; the captains had honorary distinctions conferred upon them, and there were more orders given for the battle of Navarin than for any other naval victory on record.

It was impossible for such a number of ships to be so closely engaged for so long a period as four hours, without considerable loss of men ; indeed that loss, so severe in some ships, is the best proof of the gallant defence made by the Turco-Egyptian fleet. We regret we are unable to give the names of the French and Russian officers killed or wounded in this affair; but we are enabled to record the names of our own countrymen who fell or who suffered in the action. We therefore give the numbers of killed and wounded in the French, Russian, and English divisions, which were as follow: *

* An application was made to the admiralty to inspect the official. returns, which was denied; we are therefore obliged to quote from the Gazette and the Annual Registers.

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