Sir Charles Napier's squadron reached Wingo Sound on the 15th March, and
on the 25th it entered the Great Belt, and anchored in Kiel Bay. Soon
afterwards, Sir Charles was reinforced by Admiral Corry, with the second
division of the fleet. On the 12th of April Sir Charles sailed for the
Gulf of Finland, where he established a rigorous blockade. As, even at
this season of the year, there is a considerable amount of ice in the
Baltic, the navigation of the ships demanded all the vigilance of the
officer in charge. Sir Charles, hearing that a Russian squadron,
consisting of seven line-of-battle ships and one frigate, was shut up at
Helsingfors, made sail in that direction for the purpose of preventing a
junction between the two portions of the Russian fleet. In this very
important object, in which the enemy's plan of naval operations was
completely defeated, he was entirely successful.
Admiral Plumridge meantime was scouring the Gulf of Bothnia, and in a
short period captured or destroyed forty-six merchantmen and a quantity
of naval stores, without losing a man.