ive was her own nominee, and had from the commencement of the
trouble with the army acted entirely in accordance with the advice of
the representative of England. We had a large stake in the country from
the numerous loans which had been raised for the most part in England;
but we were principally affected by the fact that the rebels would have
it in their power to stop the canal, and so to block the highway to our
Eastern possessions.

The Egyptians began to manifest a hostile spirit towards foreigners, and
an attack was made upon the Europeans in Alexandria; a large number were
killed, and the rest compelled to take shelter on board a ship. A
powerful English fleet was assembled in the port of Alexandria; the
attitude of the Egyptians became more and more threatening, and they
proceeded to throw up batteries to command the British fleet. Admiral
Seymour, who was in command, peremptorily called upon them to desist;
but in spite of his threat to open fire upon them they continued to work
upon the forts; the fleet therefore prepared for action. All neutral
ships were warned to withdraw from the harbour, and the fleet then
steamed out and took up its position facing the outer forts.

At seven o'clock on the morning of the 5th of July 1882, the signal to
engage the batteries was made on board the admiral's ship the
_Invincible_; and the _Invincible, Monarch_, and _Penelope_ immediately
opened fire on the forts known as the Mex batteries; while the _Sultan,
Alexandria, Superb_, and _Inflexible_, at the same moment, opened fire
on the forts at Pharos Point and Ras-el-Tin. The Egyptians were
standing at their guns, and instantly replied to the fire. The gunboats
were lying in a second line behind the line of battle-ships, but the
sailors who manned them were not content to remain idle, and, though
without orders to engage, the _Cygnet_ soon crept in close enough to use
her guns. The _Condor_ steamed away to the west, and engaged alone and
unsupported the Marabout Fort. The admiral, seeing the disproportion of
force between the Egyptian fort and the little gunboat, signalled the
_Bittern_ and _Beacon_ to join her. The _Decoy_ went of her own accord,
and the other gunboats and the _Cygnet_ also moved off to aid in
pounding the Marabout Fort.

The roar of the heavy guns of the fleet and batteries was tremendous,
and on both sides cannon of vastly heavier metal than had ever before
been used in war were sending their d