mon the _Bellerophon_ to his aid.
The appeal was nobly and immediately answered, and she contributed
greatly to take off the fire which the Wasp and Telegraph batteries were
showering on her. As the _Agamemnon_ was the first to go into battle,
so she was one of the last to haul out of the engagement, which she did
soon after six p.m., but not till darkness had compelled the combatants
on shore to cease from firing. The action lasted altogether from
half-past one to half-past six,--the loss being 44 killed and 266
wounded.

A naval brigade had at this time been formed, and a considerable number
of officers and men belonging to the different ships were consequently
serving on shore. Owing to this circumstance, probably, the casualties
were lessened. The admiral had also left all the spare top-masts and
spars on board the _Vulcan_, with the sick and prisoners, at the
anchorage off the Katscha; so that the ships were soon able to repair
the damages they had received aloft. No sooner had the fleet once more
anchored in safety, than the captains went on board the _Agamemnon_, to
pay their respects to Sir Edmund Lyons, as did the French on the
following day, all declaring that his ship had held the post of honour.
Still, many other ships were not behind his in the gallant way in which
they were fought.

The French ships were also fought with great courage and judgment, and
suffered even more than the English. The Turks, from being much farther
out, escaped with slight damage.

The result of the action, bravely as it had been fought, was not
satisfactory. It was a trial of strength between stone and wood, and
the stone was undoubtedly the victor. Probably a considerable number of
Russians were killed and wounded, and it served as a diversion to the
land attack; but next day not a gun the less frowned from the batteries
of Fort Constantine, and but a trifling damage had been done to the
stonework.

However, the diversions caused by these attacks from the sea were of
much consequence; and on other occasions the smaller steamers, gun and
rocket-boats, were sent off the mouth of the harbour during the night to
distract the attention of the Russians.

CRIMEAN NAVAL BRIGADE.

Soon after the army reached Balaclava, portions of the crews of most of
the larger ships had been sent on shore, at first simply to assist in
garrisoning the heights above Balaclava, and placed under the command of
Captain Lushington. The brigad