During this interval the fire on both sides languished: as the Eussians, fully aware of the plan of the besiegers, which could no longer remain a mystery, had occupation to the full as absorbing as our own in repairing and re-arming their shattered and dismantled batteries. On the 9th there was a truce for five hours for burying the dead, who lay thickly about on the whole of the contested ground: and this was the only event of any note which occurred to vary the monotony of the siege until the 17th. At a council of war which was held at Lord Eaglan's on the 15th, it had been decided that a general combined assault, to be preceded by a vigorous bombardment, should be made on the Malakoff and Eedan. It was intimated to Admirals Lyons and Bruat that a bombardment by sea would be desirable, to distract as far as possible the enemy's attention. Accordingly on the night of the 16th June, the following vessels — Tribune, Highflyer, Terrible, Miranda, Niger, Arrow, Viper, and Snake, accompanied by several French steamers, opened a heavy fire on the town and sea defences, whilst the Danube and the launches of the Iloyal Albert poured in a shower of rockets. This operation wfis repeated on the following night by the Princess Royal, Sidon, Highflyer, Miranda, Viper, and Snake, and a division of French steamers with the launches. The attack on the first night was unattended by any casualty: bat on the 17th the English ships suffered a loss of three men killed and thirteen wounded; and Captain Lyons, the brave and energetic commander of the Miranda, whose brilliant services in the Sea of Azoff it has been so lately our task to chronicle, was so severely wounded in the leg by a shell, whilst issuing orders from the paddle-box of his vessel, that Admiral Lyons was obliged to send him down to the hospital at Therapia. Here the wound, which was neglected by Captain Lyons in his stern determination to remain at his post until his duty was accomplished, assumed an aggravated character, which rendered amputation impracticable, and on the evening of the 23rd this gallant officer breathed his
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last, to the inexpressible regret of the father who had beheld with pride his own eminent qualities reflected in his son, and to the irreparable loss of the service, of which he was one of the most distinguished ornaments.
On the morning of the 17th the English and French batteries re-opened fire with upwards of 500 guns and mortars on the works of the Karabelnaia, into which for two consecutive hours they discharged almost uninterrupted broadsides, and this terrific hail continued with but slight intermission to an advanced hour in the evening. For the first three hours the Eussian batteries replied with even more than their wonted energy; but, from that time, overpowered with the crushing weight of metal thrown upon them, their fire gradually slackened in fury, and at last almost died out. Throughout the night the Allies threw shells and rockets into the town, the roadstead, and even into the north side: but this fierce bombardment did not prevent the Eussians from repairing the damages done to their works by the cannonade of the preceding day; and during the night they again exhibited that surprising vitality of defence, which was one of the most remarkable characteristics of the siege. By the next morning all their works were successfully completed, and the dismantled guns almost entirely replaced; and so strong had the defences once more become, that the assault would scarcely have been attended with greater risk had it been ordered twenty-four hours earlier, when our batteries had not yet fired a shot. This extreme rapidity of restoration suggested the not improbable idea, that the Eussians, on finding how great was the superiority of the fire of the Allies, had withdrawn their guns from the embrasures in preference to fighting them at so great a disadvantage; and that, covered by the darkness, they simply ran them back into their old places, in readiness for the assault which experience had taught them was speedily to be expected. However this may have been, it had at first been prudently arranged by the two Commanders-in- Chief that the Artillery fire should be resumed for two hours on the morning of the 18th, " for the purpose " (we quote Lord Eaglan's words, to which subsequent events gave deep significance) " of destroying any works the enemy might have thrown up in the night, and of opening passages through the abattis of the Eedan."