25 NOVEMBER 1854, Page 1

As to the result of the truly "untoward event" at

Petropaul- ovski, there can be no question. Half-a-dozen ships of the Allies, looking out, properly enough, for Russian vessels at large in the Pacific, find themselves off the fortified port of Petropanlovski ; and„ with only one steamer amongst them, enter into a bombardment with a Kamstchatkan Algiers, as if they were fully equipped and con- stituted for the purpose. A bombardment and partial landing, car- ried on for a few days, did some damage • but a subsequent attempt to land and enter into the town ended in the repulse of the troops disem- barked, with much slaughter ; and the fleet retired with a loss of many men and several officers, including the English Admiral. It was a mistake —there is no use in disguising the fact. The Admiral is said t.:o have been killed by the accidental firing of his own pistol ; an accident frequent enough with a fowling-piece, the careless holding of which often inclines the muzzle to the holder, but so unusual with a pistol, that conjecture hasjumped to the suspicion that Admiral Price terminated his life rather than witness the issue of his rashness. That a fleet of English and French war-ships should leave their mark is a matter of course ; but never was a week worse spent than that off Petropaulovaki.