Morning journal and courier., 1882-08-18

disposed in two bodies. One fought to the I left of the city, the other to the right. They were gradually working inward, and firing briskly. The land batteries on the con- trary, replied slowly. It evident that they were discouraged. The English plainly were going on till they were in such range that they could pound the Arabs unmercifully while yet out of the range of their inferior guns. That position was attained and then
 the effect was murderous indeed. Enor-
 nous shells fell hotly into the forts and wait
 ed many Arabian knights to his houri para.
 disc somewhat prematurely. H. M. S. Tenn
 eraire lay near us, and her fire was replied
 to. But of all the Egyptian shots only one,
 the broken pieces of shell, fell near us like
 pebbles skipped" by child upon a pond. The English had posted the best ship in
 the navy in the angle between the city and
 the coast. This, the Infexible, is the most
 powerful fighting ship ever built by the Brit
 ish. Imagine floating castle no feet long
 and 15 feet wide, rising 10 feet out of water
 and having besides that two round turrets.
 planted diagonally at the opposite corners.
 Imagine this castle and It's turrets heavily
 plated with armor, each turrst being armed
 with two 8O-ton guns. Conceive these able
 to fire, all four in concert, at an enemy
 ahead astern on either beam, and in pairs
 to awards every point of the compass. At-
 tached to this rectangular armored castle,
 but completely submerged, every part being six or seven feet under water, there is hull of ordinary form, with powerful ram bow, with twin screws and @ submerged rudder. The whole is encased in wooden structure
 that gives it shape speed and sea worthiness.
 The armor is two feet thick horse power
 5000 each projectile weighing l, TOO pounds.
 The cost of this monster approximates three
 and quarter millions of dollars.
 As she lay there in the angle hammering away at one fort near the lighthouse and at
 another on her opposite side, another tre-
 mendous monitor, the Monarch, took up po-
 sition and opened fire upon third fort, half
 way between the other two. The batteries
 on the extreme right had here an opportun-
 ity to pay off some old scores in making it
 uncomfortable for the Monarch by cross. fire So a little ship, the Condor. insignif- cant as to size compared with the other two, was sent to take care of the right batteries. She chose point that little to one side. Here the guns from the land could not be trained on her without exceeding difficult ty and she buzzed around that unfortunate fort like bumble-bee about the head of some meddlesome small boy. Never still, never st one spot it was quite impossible for the Arabs to aim correctly. Her shrapnel swept away their gunners and the side hits they got at the Monarch were not many. One only passed over the Condor's masts-a wild shot. AS & certain shell of the Monarch drove into the fort near the wind mill, 8 flame burst vertically up It rose to great height and seemed to pause for moment, when 1t SubSldsd, and then we saw the sur rounding buildings burst into g. conaaeration great columns of black smoke arising. Ap- parently the shot of the Monarch had brok- into magazine with disastrous effect. How many wretched Arabs were lifted on that ascending flame know not. The same scenes met our eyes as we looked along the line There were clouds of white smoke en. veloped the lower portions of the ships, round puffs of white smoke high in the air marking the circling shell, yellow smoke rolling in pillows ashore, dust from the breaking walls: Every vessel was steaming slowly to and fro and the motion completely destroyed the &C., curacy of the enemy's aim. Sometimes a black vapory arch suddenly appeared in mid air, like an ugly rainbow, one end resting on fort, the other on man of war It was by so-called rocket" an incendiary appar- atus designed to set on fire any thing inhan mable of the enemy. little steamer with two yellow smoke-stacks side by side, not much unlike & river steamboat, went con- stantly back and forth outside the line of the English gun boats This was the flagship, bearing Admiral Seymour. In Farrag ats time the flag vessel was the biggest of the fleet; modern improvements have ma6ie it nothing more than dispatch boat. Like an encouraging general it went galloping over he field of battle, spurring her warri ors to more valiant deeds if possible.
 The Egyptian officers were to be seen jumping up on the parapets to see '6he effect of their shots; they, too, encou'taeed their men to fight bravely. They were more plucky than was expected. Bit 1t was all quite vain, and little by little Arabis forts and his men dwindled away.