Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/379

 THE ITTH OF OCTOBER. 349 side to some of the enemy's batteries. With oiiap the exception of the London, the ships having _J L steamers attached to theni were to fight with their starboard broadsides. At one o'clock in the afternoon, Admii-al Hame- i p.m. Fire T > n 1 • • T 1 opened by Im s fleet was closing upon its destined anchorage the Russian ^ ^ " forts. off the month of the Sebastopol roadstead ; and when, somewhat later, he was in process of form- ing line, the Hussian forts opened fire upon such of his ships as already had come within range. Then instantly Dnndas gave the .signal to his in-shore squadron of which we shall afterwards hear. Pending the completion of their array, the Prench ships vouclisafed no reply to the Forts; caimsiimca and their silence during those teeming moments the French was more expressive of power than the roar of six hundred great guns when firing at too long a range. Consisting (along with two Turkish vessels of its array. war) of not less than thirteen fighting ships, with the steam-power needed for moving it, this French fleet at length came to anchor, and then lay ranged in a line, which began with the Charle- magne, near the mouth of the Chersonese Bay, and extended thence more than a mile * but the part of the bay where this line commenced was so far towards the west that the Admiral's flag-ship (which took her place near the centre) was some 1600 yards distant from the Quarantine Sea-fort, whilst the ship at each extremity of the array
 * For the ii.'iiTics of thu sliips, see the pliiii.