2-913-719 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Burning of the town of Novitska, in the White Sea, 1854. Scene from the Crimean War: Royal Navy warships bombard a town in northern Russia. 'Operations of the White Sea Squadron...the English squadron in that distant region, has not been idle...The town of Novitska was burned to the ground on the 23rd July, by the steamers Brisk and Miranda...[View of the town] while it was in flames...they would not come to terms, so we manned and armed boats the next morning, and landed our marines and sailors to the left of the town, and proceeded up closer to the town with the gun-boats. They opened fire on us, but hurt no one. We soon silenced their guns, took the town, and burnt it to the ground'. From "Illustrated London News", 1854.