EGYPT. 



245 



observed men mounting cannon in one of the 

 minor forts. Declaring this a breach of the 

 engagement, the commander of the fleet de- 

 manded on the 9th that the forts should he 

 temporarily surrendered to the English, to be 



The fleet was divided into two squadrons, 

 one working inside the outer harbor, the other 

 engaging the forts along the sea-front, while 

 the Inflexible and the Temeraire placed them- 

 selves in the Corvette and the Bourgas Passes, 



VICE-ADMIRAL SIR FREDEBICK BEAUCHAMP PAGET SEYMOUR, G.C.B., COMMANDING THE MEDITERRANEAN 



SQUADRON AT ALEXANDRIA. 



dismantled within twenty-four hours. All the 

 foreign ships now left the harbor, while the 

 British ironclads took position and cleared for 

 action. 



The western harbor, divided by a mole into 

 the outer and inner harbors, was defended by 

 Fort Ras-el-Tin at the extremity of the penin- 

 sula on which the town is built ; by Fort Mara- 

 bout, five miles distant, at the western end of 

 the outer harbor ; and hy the powerful Meks 

 fort, with eighty-one guns, at the central point 

 of the crescent-shaped shore. The latter was 

 supported by a multitude of outworks along 

 the shore. Marsa-el-Kanat fort, on the shore 

 of the outer harbor, was unmanned. Along the 

 sea-wall of the town were, besides the Kas-el- 

 Tin fort, with twenty-four guns, Forts Aida 

 and Castle Pharos on the other jutting arm of 

 the peninsula, the latter overhanging the mouth 

 of the eastern harbor. The western harbor is ap- 

 proached through three passes winding among 

 spits and shoals, called the Corvette, the Bour- 

 gas, and the Marabout Passes. 



constituting a reserve squadron ready to sup- 

 port either division. The strength of the eight 

 ironclads which with the gunboats Bittern, 

 Condor, Beacon, Decoy, and Cygnet, composed 

 the attacking fleet, was as follows: 



The British force counted altogether 3,539 

 men and 102 guns. No two of the ironclads 

 were of the same design. The three broadside 

 ships, the Alexandra, Sultan, and Superb, com- 

 posed the outer squadron, which was given the 



