Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 9.djvu/91

 ENTRANCE INTO THE SKA OF AZOF. 61 its vessels, and, as to the four still afloat, ruin chap IV. only staved off a low hours. The squadron thus brought to destruction by the hands of its own people carried guns of which three were 68- pounders, but the shot it threw in one salvo had oidy a weight of 1026 pounds.* 4. The acquisition by the Allies of several enemy's merchant- vessels, and of vast quantities of corn which the captors either appropriated or destroyed, and of 17,000 tons of coal secured for the use of their squadrons. 5. The destruction by the enemy himself of a vast amount of property belonging to the Eus- sian Government, and conducive to its service in war. 6. But the sreat advantage of all was of course The main object the one sought from the first by those who had gained- planned the expedition — the opening of the Straits of Kertch, and the free way thus won to the Sea of Azof with all the consequential results of which we are going to hear. These advantages were, all of them, gained without the loss of a man. II. A few hours only had passed after the opening The filled of the Straits, when a joint flotilla of French and entering English steam-vessels with the two Admirals Azof. ' on board moved out into what till that day had been the 'closed' Sea of Azof, and so, as it
 * Tocllcben, vol. ii. p. 267.