Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
end of the Gulf of Finland. The seat of the Russian Admiralty and base for their Baltic fleet,
it guards the way to St Petersburg, about thirty kilometres to the east.
Wiseman found that 'Notwithstanding this apparent civility … it was pre-arranged what
we were to be shown'. The British party saw only a few of the latest Russian ships, which
Wiseman guessed was because their main fleet was outdated compared with the steamship
Odin
. They were, however, given a tour of the island's fortifications, of which the Russians
were especially proud. Wiseman made a detailed report on these, together with what he could
find out about the workings of the Russian navy. This was only able to sail in the four or five
months when the northern seas were not ice-bound; the sailors effectively became soldiers
for much of the year, which Wiseman thought might affect their seamanship.
This chart of Kronstadt with encircling panorama depicts what could be seen from the
Od-
in's
anchorage, denoted by an anchor sign above the 'b' in the legend 'Channel to St. Peters-
burgh'. This lies in the chart's centre, heading towards the top of the page, with 'Cronstadt'
at top left. The chart shows soundings, sandbanks, the location of the forts around the chan-
nel, and the number of their guns. These defences are also shown in view at the edge, as
they appeared from on board ship. Other buildings in the town with distinctive silhouettes
are numbered, and named in the key. These include the English and Catholic churches, the
cathedral, the British consulate, the Custom House and the Admiralty building. The chart and
four fort views were made from memory, after the visit, by Augustus Whichelo, the
Odin's
Second Master - a remarkable feat given that his eyesight was failing at the time.
Wiseman sent his report with Whichelo's chart and illustrations to the Admiralty in Janu-
ary 1854, stating in a covering letter that 'from the present aspect of affairs, they may prove
useful'. This alludes to the fact that Russia and the Ottoman Empire went to war in Octo-
ber 1853, and Britain seemed likely to enter the conflict, against Russia - which she did, in
March 1854. These papers were apparently sent to Sir Charles Napier, who commanded the
British fleet in the Baltic. The fact that Napier avoided making an attack on Kronstadt may
have been due to Wiseman's intelligence that the forts shown on this chart were well-nigh
impregnable.
