He was not in good spirits about his vessel, and feared some
great disaster. However, she did well at Kinburn.'
'She suffered little at Kinburn,' said Chrzanowski, 'because she ventured
little. She did not approach the batteries nearer than 600 metres. At
that distance there is little risk and little service. To knock down a
wall two metres thick from a distance of 600 metres would require at
least 300 blows. How far her own iron sides would have withstood at that
distance the fire of heavy guns I will not attempt to say, as I never saw
her. The best material to resist shot is lead. It contracts over the ball
and crushes it.'
'Kinburn, however,' said Tocqueville, 'surrendered to our floating
batteries.'
'Kinburn surrendered,' said Chrzanowski, 'because you landed 10,000 men,
and occupied the isthmus which connects Kinburn with the main land. The
garrison saw that they were invested, and had no hope of relief. They
were not Quixotic enough, or heroic enough, to prolong a hopeless
resistance. Scarcely any garrison does so.'
We talked of Malta; and I said that Malta was the only great
fortification which I had seen totally unprovided with earth-works.
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