THE 17X11 OF OCTOBER. 3-13 laiiy) that suiue portion at least of the lleet should c il A 1'. be exempted froui the necessity of taking part _1 L with the lu-euch in their vain line of battle ; and as the ships thus excepted were despatched on a separate service, which brought them to closer quarters with the forts, they will be called the The in-siiow T- sii^uadroii. ' in-shore squadron.' The ships of both the main division and the steamshii.s ■•• kci)t uudur detached squadron were to be at anchor whilst ^^ay. delivering their attack ; but Dundas had, besides, four steam-frigates, the Sampson the Tribune, the Terrible, and the Sphinx ; a steam -sloop called the Spitfire, and a steam-gunboat called the Lynx. These steamers were left free to move as might be advisable, without casting anchor but the Sphinx, liaving a freight of ammunition on board, was ordered to keep out of range. In his instructions to the captain of the Tribune, the duty of helping disabled ships was the one upon which Dundas most carefully insisted. From the time when, on the eve of the war, me three Captain Drummond, of the Eetribution, had come sea-forts; back from Sebastopol with the result of the survey which he then found means to effect, the state of its sea and harbour defences had l)een very well knov/n to the Allies.* TIk; main objects of these
- It was in January 1854, I think, that Captain, now
Admiral Sir James Drummond, upon some specious pretext, took leave to enter the roadstead of Sebastopol. Wliilst he lay ill the roadstead, at some little distance from the inner or Jlan- of-war Harbour, the number of guns bearing on the Ketribution was no less than 350. I imagine that any one ac.|uainted (from
