THE IVTH OF OCTOBER. 351 As soon as the French opened fire, Dundas chap. ordered the Terrible, the Tribune, and the Sampson •^^^^- to enracre the enemy.* Dundas-s o o ./ orders to The Quarantine Sea-fort was able to answer steamers^ Admiral Hamelin with a fire of 33 guns, whilst Guns his ships were also under a fire of 17 ifieces, dis- tiie French fleet. charged from Fort Alexander at a range of some 2000 yards, and of 23 pieces, in the rounded part of Fort Constantino, which could be worked against a part of his fleet, though at a range of more than 3000 yards. Altogether, there were 73 guns in the forts which replied to the 600 guns discharged from the starboard broadsides of the French fleet.-f- During several hours, the cannonade directed Engageinent against the Quarantine Sea-fort was continued by shil)s^"u'h Admiral Hamelin ; and, tiie work not being case- antine'"^" mated, there seemed to be fair ground for trust- ing that its batteries must be overwhelmed and brought to runi by the vast weight of metal with wdiich the French fleet was assailing them. It happened that an imraensidy large proportion of the missiles thus hurled by the French fleet shot a little to the east of the work for which they were destined, and swept the empty space between the fort and the town in so thick and so ceaseless a storm that, until towards the close of the day, the Eussians judged it hardly possible for a man to pass unscathed ; and, all communication being thus cut off for a period of several liours, there
- The order was by signal. — Log of the Britannia.
+ Todleben, p. 332.
