Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/402

 372 THE CANNONADE OF CHAP, the closer engagement which Lyons had began ^"^^"^ with Fort Constantine ; hut such of the ships as continued to act with the main division delivered, and continued to deliver, tlieir fire all the rest of llie (hiy at ranges of from 1600 to some 1800 yards from the nearest ibrts. With what effect can scarcely be known ; for Port Constantine, the work they chiefly attacked, was engaged at the time with other English ships at comparatively- short ranges ; and it would be hard to say that there was any part of the havoc and loss sus- tained by the fort which may not have come fron its closer assaihmts. These main division ships, it appears, were answered by 18 guns in Fort Constantine, and were also under a fire at long range from 36 jneces in Fort Alexander anil the Quarantine Sea-fort.* In a contest between ships and forts, long range gives immunity to the forts, but not to the ships. The Britannia was set on fire by a red-hot shot, Mhich buried itself in some of the hammocks, yhe received '42 shots in her hull ; and she suf- fered great damage in her masts, yards, shrouds, and rigging. Lieutenant Vaughau and eight of the Britannia's men, besides six of the men of the Furious, her towing steam-ship, were wounded. The main-mast of the Retribution, the steamship which towed the Trafalgar, was struck by a shot, and went by the board. Thereupon, the Trafalgar was ordered to haul out.
 * Todkbcu.