Morning journal and courier., 1882-07-12
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. THE WAR BEGUN. B Cannonade on the Alex
 andria Defences. NEARLY ALL THE FORTS SILENCED. Arabi Bey's Troops Compel
 led to Evacuate. VIGOROUS WORK BY THE FLEET A Renewal of HostiIities This
 Morning.
VIGOROUS WORK BY THE FLEET
EGYPT.

Alexandria Bombarded - The English
 Fleet Opens Fire-rhe Forts Evactuat-
 ed by Arabl's Troops-Feur Forts Blown
 Up During the Day.
 ALEXANDRIA, July 1.-The bombardment
 of Alexandria was opened at o'clock this
 morning (Esyptian time.) The ironclads
 Sultan and Superb led of. The Egyptian bat
 teries were everywhere ready and replied in-
 stantly. The shots from the forts at first
 fell considerably short of the ships of the
 fleet. It took quarter of an hour notwith-
 standing all the preparations, for the guns to
 get settled down to their work of destruction
 At 7:15 a. the action had become general
 The cannonading from the fleet, after it had
 got firmly under way, was simply one of the
 most perfect specimens of naval warfare wit
 messed in modern times. The guns had been
 all shotted and trained for nearly twenty four hours, but when the actual order to
 open fire was given the crisis made the gum
 ners noticeably nervous, but this was only for moment. Within twenty minutes from the time of the first shot the men aboard the ships had steadied to their work in such grand style that every shot did just what it was fired to do. At 7:2O a. m. so effective had been the British fire for the past ten minutes that at that moment two of the Alexandrian forts were already completely silenced. Fort Pharos is much damaged and the lighthouse is destroyed. At 7:25 8. m., notwithstand- ing the terrible work already done by the ships of the fleet, and notwithstanding the savage fire which replied for long time from the forts, but little damage to any of a wa no bardment had been going on continuously for two hours. The smoke from the cannon became thick, heavy cloud, impenetrable generally by fine glasses. It is, of course, impossible to form any estimate of damage done on land, but that 1t is very great cannot be doubted, as Fort Marsa and E Fort Elkana have both been blown up. The ! fire from the other forts was also noticeably slackened. At 9:15 8. m. the smoke had I lifted for moment, and the top of Fort Pharos could be plainly seen. It's highest tower had been carried away. The flag of
 the Geneva cross was seen flying over the hospital. At 9:2O a.. m not human being ! could be seen in any of the streets. The people who had not fled the town were \ crowded into its cellars. Not sign of life ! was then exhibited.
 \ Between a. m. and noon the firing from ! the forts was spasmodic and entirely ineffec- ! tive. No offer of surrender was made and nc ! sign of truce offered. Tho firing was only ' occasional and from but few of the forts ! Most of the forts appeared to have been si t fenced. The magazine of Fort Saida and an, \ other fort blew up at 1 o'clock. The fleet | was arranged that it's fire commanded per ! fectly the railway to Cairo so that no retreat
 that way was possible. The ironclads SC 1 managed that Arabi cannot get away from
 Alexandria by daylight. At p. n. Arab
 Boy ordered the evacuation of all the forts l The action then finished for the day
 fhe casualties on the English side were re 1 ported to be forty wounded and nine killed.