ort of Alexandria, and large numbers of refugees
were embarked. The order received by Admiral Sir Beauchamp Seymour
(afterwards Lord Alcester) on the 3rd of July was as follows:--

"Prevent any attempt to bar channel into port. If work is resumed on
earthworks, or fresh guns mounted, inform military commander that you
have orders to prevent it; and if not immediately discontinued,
destroy earthworks and silence batteries if they open fire, having
given sufficient notice to population, shipping and foreign
men-of-war."

On the 9th the admiral received a report that working parties had been
seen in Fort Silsileh "parbuckling two smoothbore guns--apparently
32-pounders--towards their respective carriages and slides, which were
facing in the direction of the harbour." Fort Silsileh was an old work
at the extreme east of the defences of Alexandria, and its guns do not
bear on the harbour. On the 10th an ultimatum was sent to Toulba Pasha,
the military commandant, intimating that the bombardment would commence
at sunrise on the following morning unless "the batteries on the isthmus
of Ras-el-Tin and the southern shore of the harbour of Alexandria" were
previously surrendered "for the purpose of disarming." The fleet
prepared for action, and the bearer of the reply, signed by the
president of the council, and offering to dismount three guns in the
batteries named, only succeeded in finding the flagship late at night.
This proposal was rejected, and at 7 A.M. on the 11th of July the
"Alexandra" opened fire and the action became general. The attacking
force was disposed in three groups: (1) the "Alexandra," "Sultan" and
"Superb," outside the reef, to engage the Ras-el-Tin and the earthworks
under weigh; (2) the "Monarch," "Invincible" and "Penelope," inside the
harbour, to engage the Meks batteries; and (3) the "Inflexible" and
"Temeraire," to take up assigned stations outside the reef and to
co-operate with the inshore squadron. The gunboats "Beacon," "Bittern,"
"Condor," "Cygnet" and "Decoy" were to keep out of fire at first and
seek opportunities of engaging the Meks batteries. Meks fort was
silenced by about 12.45 P.M., and a party from the "Invincible" landed
and disabled the guns. As the fire delivered under weigh was not
effective, the offshore squadron anchored at about 10.30 A.M., and
succeeded in silencing Fort Ras-el-Tin at about 12.30 P.M., and Fort
Adda, by the explosion of the main magazine, at 1.35 P.