We could see the enemy manning their battcri(!s on the north side, and their troops under arms in front of their camps, and it is most likely that they believed the allies were about to make a descent in their rear. It was indeed no ordinary sight. The French had four line-of-battle ships, several steam frigates, and a number of gun and mortar boats, but in addition to that force they had a formidably ugly armament of three floating steam batteries, although England, with all her maritime and mechanical resom-ces, could not aid her ally by even one of these tremendous fortresses! Where is the " Glatton," of which we have been hearing for the last six months every week, and where are her lovely companions; are they all withered and gone?
These French floating batteries, called the Devastation, Lave, and, are curiously unprepossessing in appearance, and are painted of a bluish stone colour, as if to increase the gloominess of their aspect. They show eleven or twelve ports a-side, and are understood to carry twenty-two fiftj'- pounders (French) each. They were crowded with men, and were remarkably steady on the water, but the French bomb-vessels and gun-boats roll heavily on the smallest provocation. The men-of-war had their ports triced up and guns run in, so as to give air to the soldiers between decks, and presented long lines of kepis and red trousers irom stem to stern. The day was very fine, and the wind was scarcely strong enough to blow away the black and white wreaths of smoke and steam from the funnels of the fleet as they slowly got into motion.
Each steamer had a mortar-vessel or gun-boat in tow. At 11"15 the " Royal Albert" set driver and fore and aft canvas, and slowly forged ahead, followed by the " Hannibal" and the rest of the squadron; the French division, led by the " Montebello," moving on in a parallel line with us, on the port or left-hand. The English portion of the expedition was constituted nearly as follows, at least so far as I could ascertain the names of the vessels and their respective commanders: — ENGLISH FORCE. LINE-OF-BATTLE SHIPS. Gun.s. Koyal Albert. Sir E." Lyons, G.C.B. &c., hiivinj; on board Brigadier • General Spencer command- "•« J Hannibal, Sir H.^ Stewart, K.C.B., I second in command J * Agamemnon...
Algiers St. Jean d'Acre... rrincess Koyal... so no Captains Commandina W. R. Mends J. Hay.., Sir J. Paslcy C. Talbot., G. King., L. Jones.. Troops on Board. 17th Kegt. 800 2l8t Regt. 670 20th Regt..500 Royal Slurinerf..... I in all 1,030 63rd Kegt. 700 I SO 2670! STEAM FRIGATES, SLOOPS, ETC. Curai;oa 30 Dauntless 33 Firebrand 6 •Furious 16 Gladiator 6 Leopard IS Odin 16 Sidon 22 Sphinx 6 Spiteful 6 Spitfire 5 Stromboli 6 Terrible 21 Tribune 31 Triton 3 * Valorous 16 Vulcan 6 i E. Van Donop G. F. Hastings A. P. Ryder E. Ingleficld W. Loring C. Hillyar G. GifTard.. { J.
Wilcox G. Goldsmith ■{ A. Wilmott F. Shortt T. Spratt R. Hall J. M'Cleverty J. K. Drummond A. D. Fletcher C. Buckle Totals Left wing, 5 7th 370, and reserve anunnnition. Right vring, 57th 390, and reserve ammunition. * Joined the squadron at Odess.!. OFF ODESSA. SMALLER VESSELS. Gun-boats. 1. Arrow. 2. Clinker. 3. Cracker 4. Fancy. 5. Moslem. 6. Lynx 7. Viper S. Wrangler 9. Ueagle. 10. Snake. Guns. Commanders. Lt. W. K. Jolliffe. Lt. Hudson. Lt. Jlarryat. Lt. Grylls. Lt. C. M. Aynsley. Lt. H. Comber. Lt. Burgoyne. Lt. Howitt. Lt. Buckley. MOETAE-VESSELS — (CAPTAlN DIGBY COMMANDING.) Firm. Hardy Camel Flamer Magnet Kaven Lt. Leet, St. Jean d'Acre. riersou, Mate, Frincess Royal Vaugban, Mate, ditto...
Lt. Creagh, St. Jean d'Acre Blunt, Mate, Algiers... Hunt, Mate, Hannibal.. Lt. Hewitt, R.M.A. Lt. Foster, R.M.A. Lt. Starr, R.M.A. Lt. Brookes, R.M.A. Lt. Pitman, R.M.A. Lt.Festing, R.M.A, Banshee. STEAM TENDERS, ETC. Danube. Brenda. TEANSPOETS. No. Freight, &c. Prince Alfred... 126.. Royal Artillery. Arabia 83.. Forrest, Royal Artillery, &c. Orient 73.. Medical Staff — Hospital Ship. Lady Alice Lambton. 99.. Stores. Durham Indian 197.. M'Master, Commissariat Staff, &c. Charity 140.. Civil Land Transport Corps and Commissariat Stores. Colombo.. Methven, shot and shell, &c. Zebra 211.. Fuel. Arthur Gordon...238.. Stores. Dr. Gordon, in medical charge of the expedition, Surgeon Foaker, second in charge, and a number of medical ojEcers, embarked on board the " Orient," which was laden with mule litters and medical stores.