The Egyptian frigate, which had fired into our ship was distant about half a cable’s length.  Near her was another of the same large class, together with a Turkish frigate and a corvette.  These four ships poured their broadsides into us without intermission for nearly a quarter of an hour; but after a few rounds their firing became irregular and hasty, and many of their shots injured our rigging.  At the first broadside we received, two men near me were instantly struck dead on the deck.  There was no appearance of any wounds upon them, but they never stirred a limb; and their bodies, after lying a little beside the gun at which they had been working, were dragged amid-ships.  Several of the men were now severely wounded.

We were near enough to distinguish the Turkish and Egyptian sailors in the enemy’s ships.  They seemed to be a motley group.  Most of them wore turbans of white, with a red cap below, small brown jackets, and very wide trousers; their legs were bare.  They were active, brawny fellows, of a dark-brown complexion, and they crowded the Turkish ships, which accounts for the very great slaughter we occasioned among them.  Many dead bodies were tumbled through their port-holes into the sea.

Capt.  Hugon, commanding the French frigate L’Armide, about three o’clock, seeing the unequal, but unflinching combat we were maintaining, wormed his ship coolly and deliberately through the Turkish inner line, in such a gallant, masterly style, as never for one moment to obstruct the fire of our ship upon our opponents.  He then anchored on our starboard-quarter, and fired a broadside into one of the Turkish frigates, thus relieving us of one of our foes, which, in about ten minutes, struck to the gallant Frenchman; who, on taking possession, in the most handsome manner, hoisted our flag along with his own, to show he had but completed the work we had begun.  The skill, gallantry, and courtesy of the French captain, were the subject of much talk amongst us, and we were loud in his praise.  We had still two of the frigates and the corvette to contend with, whilst the Armide was engaged, when a Russian line-of-battle-ship came up, and attracted the attention of another Egyptian frigate, and thus drew off her fire from us.  Our men had now a breathing time, and they poured broadside upon broadside into the Egyptian frigate, which had been our first assailant.  The rapidity and intensity of our concentrated fire soon told upon the vessel.  Her guns were irregularly served, and many shots struck our rigging.  Our round-shot, which were pointed to sink her, passed through her sides, and frequently tore up her decks in rebounding.  In a short time she was compelled to haul down her colours, and ceased firing.  We learned afterwards, that her decks were covered with nearly one hundred and fifty dead and wounded men, and the deck itself ripped up from the effects of our balls.  In the interim, the corvette, which had annoyed us exceedingly during