BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXAN DRIA.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2612, 21 August 1882, Page 3

BOMBARDMENT OF ALEXAN DRIA.

[Br Tbibsbaph.]

[Per s.a. Zealandia, at Auckland.] The " New York Herald's " special, dated on board the Invinoible, has these details : At half-pest six the order wai psised round the deck \t load with common shell, and a gleam of satisfaction shone on the men's faces. At seven o'clook the signal wes made to Alexandria to open the ball by firing ore gun. A heavy boom came across the water, then there was an anxious pause—would the Egyptians answer, or would they evaouate the ports, bat at the batteries opposite we could ■ee the men loading their gucs. The first order was given to oommence independent firing, »ud a signal was run up for the fleet to begin a general engagement. A salvo from five one-inch gucs went from the side of the Invinoible, while overhead ten Nordenfeldt guns in the tops swelled the din, whioh burst forth from all the ships. The bank of smoke whioh at once arose like a wall from our ship prevented me from seeing the results of our fire, but from the tops it was seen that the shells bad slruok rather low, and the sights were raised from 1350 to 1500 yards. The Monaroh and the Penelope had both been at work olose to hand, and the roar of heavy guns, and ceeseless rattle of the Oatlings and Nordenfeldt machines, and the shriek of rockets whioh the Monarch wai discharging, added to the sounds of our own guns, made up a deep and continuous din impossible to describe, and bewildering to near. In any momentary interval the sound of the guns from the other division of the fleet told that they also were hard at work. Hardy, the midshipman posted in the maintop, signalled the direction of the course of the shells, and the acouraoy of the fire improved; meanwhile the enemy's shots were coming thick and fast, their aim being directed chiefly against the Penelope and Inflexible. They were firing principally round shot. Twenty minutes after the first gun was fired from the fort, the royal braces were shot away, and itnmedia' ely after a shot penetrated her forward splinter, wounding the stoker severely. At this time they appeared to get our range pretty accurately, snd round and conical shot wbfstled thickly between the masts. I went round the ship and found the men firing the main deck guns all stripped to the waist. Betwee ■ caoh shot they had to sit down and wait till the smoke cleared. They were anxious to know the result of their work, and asked eagerly questions of me as to what could be seen above, but I oould tell them little, for the smoke hung like a veil between us and the shore. The events of the day shows that the determination expressed by Arabi and his paiiy to oppose the fleet to the death has not so far fcaen a vain boast. They fought with their guns to the last, but the fire of the fle.t was so crushing, and the metal so superior, as to make their rcMstanoe ineffective. They appeared to poisess no shells, whioh was fortunate for ns, for had they shell, instead of round shot, the casualties would have been muoh larger. As ib is, our success, although not blcodlers, has been aohieved at mnoh smaller cost than could have been expected from the formidable nature of the forts we had to attack. The most interesting inoident was first between the gunboat Condor, Commander Lord Charles Baresford, with Agorni fort. Tbii little vessel went close under the guns of the fort, and opened a tremendous fire, but was unable to e ; lenc3 it. Tho Admiral then signalled the other gunboats to r.s?!3t in the engagement. A correspondent who was aboard the Condor sends the following account of the plucky feat performed by that little gunboat:—At eight o'clock the Temeroire got afloat, and the Condor mede straight at the second strongest fort—that is tho Marabout. The Condor only cariies three guns—two 64 pounders and one 7in Woclwioh lifle gun. The fort had at least four very heavy pieoas of artilleiy, whioh were annoying} the Penelope, Monaroh, and Invincible running in within 12C0 yards of these guns, a single shot from which would have sunk her. The Condor managed, before tho signal was given to cea-e first, at eleven o'clock, to silence two, if not three, of these guns. The Admiral ran up the signal, " Wall done, Condor." and the latter sent the Bittern and Beacon to assist in the work of fire. The Marabout fort was by no means contemptible. Our vecael was a small object on the water, and wes only hit o:.ce by a round from the Inflexible, who wrs enabled to shell Mex's guns with one of her turrets, while she pounded the Baaeltin with the other. The accurate praotise whioh she wai making with her four monster guns at this time called forth repeated bursts of applause from everyone about this vessel. Every shell seemed either to burst light over the Basellin fort, or to pitoh on every parapet of Mex's fort. The lighthouse has not esc-ipsd unscathed; one shell burst half way up the tower, and two large holes are now visible to the naked eye at two miles distance. The ranges at whioh the Ir.flexible was fired varied from 6000 to 3000 yards. Aooording to accounts of persons who remained in the oity, bands of murderers during and after the bombardment of the ports made their way into almost 6very house. Plundering and burning began on the 12'.h, and scarcely any European dwelling was spared. Stores of petroleum were sent to Alexandria a woek before the bombardment, specially to set fire to the town. The incendiaries state that they received instructions to fire the houses. A second visit to the town showed that many houses whioh yesterday were intaot are to-day in ashes, among them the British consulate. An eye witness rentes that soldiers and others, after plundering the homes, heaped np the bedding, and with petroleum then set fire to them.

The sister of the Khedive's wife died from premature confinement during the bombardment.

Daring the massacre the soldiers set fire to the house of a timber merobant. The maid

servant eseaped to the garden, where she remained surrounded by fire, the soldiers laughing at her agony and firing at her, but purposely avoiding inflioting fatal injury preferred to see her burn to death. Finally ■he rushed through the flames, and, though wounded by bayonot thrusts, succeeded in securing refuge in tho ruins, where Bhe was disoovared by the marines and handed over to the American*.

Along the line of Arabi Pasha's retreat from Alexandria are several villages, the people in whioh are starving. The soldiers robbed them of everything. The entire rouce is lined with dead horses, and carriages. It is reported that the Bedouins harrassed the soldiers during their retreat, killing 200 of them. Several huge holes have been dug as graves. Into these most of the_ dead have been thrown as they fell. It is estimated that in the forts alone 4CO of Arabi's troops have been killed. All sorts of reports were in circulation as to the number of Christians killed. From 200 to 2000 are aaid to havo been massacred, but there does not appear any reliable data, as the forts were in a complete state of ruin. The effeot of the exposition of the great shells must have been terrible, as the strongest walls had crumbled. It is marvellous how tbe Egyptians fought their guns so long. The Khedive's palace, lying behind Fort Isabo, is knocked about, several rooms destroyed, while fragments of the sheila were

S.-uttered broadcast. In the courtyard, near the entranoe gate of the fort, whose magazine first exploded, we found a gentry lying dead. The first battery we entered contained lOin rifle guns, which were dismounted by our fire. The ground wag torn up and the walU shattered, and the whole plaoe dismantled. A gun, whioh had been dismounted and had been tilted backwards, mado a complete somersault, falling upon and crushing the gunners, who still lay beneath the gan.