The precedent thus established will be followed here, and we shall now proceed to trace out one of the most important episodes of the war, from the departure of the expedition to its return, and sacrifice strict chronological sequence, so far as it may be necessary, to the completion of a narrative which forms as it were a chapter by itself. On the evening of the 22nd and morning of the 23rd May, the expedition, consisting of 15,000 men of all arms, of whom about one-half were French, 5,000 English, and 3,000 Turks, under the commands respectively of General D'Autemarre, Lieutenant-General Sir George Brown, and Eedschid Pasha, conveyed principally in English and French men-of-war, and accompanied by a powerful flotilla of smaller steamers, sailed for Kertch.
On leaving the anchorage off Sebastopol on the 22nd, the night became so foggy that the progress of the expedition was retarded, but early on the morning of the 24th the whole of the ships and steamers reached the rendezvous off Cape Takli, the southern entrance to the straits on the Crimean side. No sooner were the fleets assembled, than they steamed rapidly up to Kamiesch-
THE EAST.
burun, a point a few miles to the south of Kertch, which had from the first been selected as the place of disembarkation. The army landed under cover of the guns of the steam-frigates, which scoured the beach, an operation to which no opposition Avas offered, although six or eight light field-pieces had been observed moving along the shore; and, as soon as the first of the troops were formed, they were pushed on to the heights covering the plain on which they had landed, in readiness to cover the remainder of the disembarkation. In conformity with the precedent established at the Alma, the French were placed on the right, the English on the left, and the Turks were held in reserve. Meanwhile the steamers of light draught of water had lost no time in making the best of their way to Kertch and Yenikale, and the enemy, surprised at the vigorous action and alarmed by the formidable dimensions of the expedition, blew up the fortifications on both sides of the Straits, and retired by the road leading to Kaffa, after having destroyed three steamers and several other heavily-armed vessels, as well as large quantities of provisions, ammunition, and stores. They failed, however, in destroying their coals, both at Kertch and Yenikale, amounting to about 17,000 tons, which thus became available for our steamers. The Allies were masters of the entrance to the Sea of AzofI, and this brilliant success, achieved on the birthday of our gracious Queen, was unattended by a single casualty which might diminish her pleasure at a good fortune so happily timed. During the day an incident occurred which called forth the admiration of both fleets, and which is thus related by Sir Edmund Lyons: "Lieutenant McKillop, whose gun-vessel, the Snake, was not employed like the others in landing troops, dashed passed the fort after the enemy's steamer, and, although he soon found himself engaged, not only with her, but also with two others who came to her support, he persevered, and by the cleverness and extreme rapidity of his manoeuvres, prevented the escape of all three, and they were consequently destroyed by the enemy, and the Snake had not a man hurt, though shot passed through the vessel."
To return: — This expedition, which in the autumn was impossible from the obstacles accumulated by the Eussians at the entrance of the Straits, was undertaken at the earliest practicable moment in the spring, and, says Admiral Lyons, "had it been deferred but a short time longer, there would have been many and great difficulties to overcome, for the enemy was actively employed in strengthening the sea-defences, and in replacing the sunken vessels which had been carried away by the current during the winter months. Of the forty vessels sunk last year some still remain, and a French steamer touched upon one of them yesterday."
We left the military portion of the force at the moment of their disembarkation; that night they bivouacked on the ground occupied by them, and
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