reat
coaling station for the British fleet and merchantmen in the East. The
trade passing through it to and from Southern Arabia exceeds five
millions a year, and it is also a strongly fortified naval station.

CHAPTER TWO.

WAR ON THE COAST OF SYRIA--1840.

The next affair in which our bluejackets were engaged was the war on the
coast of Syria, in 1840. The causes of this were as follow. Mehemet
Ali, Pasha or Governor of Egypt, wished not only to make himself
altogether independent of the Sultan of Turkey, who claimed to be his
sovereign, but also to hold possession of Syria. Into that country he
sent an army under the command of Ibrahim Pasha, who was everywhere
successful, and was approaching Constantinople itself. This so alarmed
the Sultan, that he was about to ask for assistance from the Russians.
On this, England, France, and Austria thought it high time to interfere;
for had the Russians once taken possession of Constantinople, it would
have been a difficult matter to turn them out again. Accordingly, those
three powers sent to the Turks to promise them assistance if they would
hold out, and immediately despatched a large number of ships-of-war to
the coast of Syria. Sir Robert Stopford was Admiral of the British
fleet, and Sir Charles Napier, having his broad pennant flying,
commanded a squadron under him.

BOMBARDMENT OF BEYROUT--SEPTEMBER 1840.

The first place attacked was the town and fortress of Beyrout. The
English had thirteen sailing ships and four steamers. There was a
Turkish squadron of seven ships, under Admiral Walker, who was then in
the service of the Sultan, and three Austrian ships. Though cannonaded
for several days, the place still held out. However, on the 2nd of
October an Egyptian gunner, who had deserted, came on board the
_Hastings_ at Beyrout, and gave information that a train had been laid
along the bridge to the eastern castle, where a large quantity of powder
was concealed; and he undertook to guide a party to cut the train and
seize the powder.

Commander Worth at once offered to perform this dangerous service, and
numbers volunteered to follow him. He embarked in one of the boats of
the _Hastings_, protected by the launch and pinnace of the _Edinburgh_,
and covered by the fire of the ships. Dashing on in the face of a heavy
fire of musketry, he landed on the bridge, cut off the train, and then
forced his way into the castle, over the walls of which he threw