. The following are the most
important of the telegrams which were received, and will suffice to
inform the reader of the course of events after the departure of the
four air-ships from the scene of action--

5 P.M.

A message has been received from the Commander of the Russian
fleet demanding the surrender of the town for twelve hours to
allow six of his ships to fill up with coal. The captain of the
_Ascalon_, in command of the port, has refused this demand, and
declares that he will fight while he has a ship that will float
or a gun that can be fired. The Russians are accompanied by the
air-ship which assisted them to break the blockade of the Sound.
She is now floating over the town. The utmost terror prevails
among the inhabitants, and crowds are flying into the country to
escape the bombardment. Aid has been telegraphed for to Edinburgh
and Dundee; but if the North Sea Squadron is still in the Firth
of Forth, it cannot get here under nearly twelve hours' steaming.

5.30 P.M.

The bombardment has commenced, and fearful damage has been done
already. With three or four shells the air-ship has blown up and
utterly destroyed the fort on Girdleness, which mounted
twenty-four heavy guns. But for the ships, this leaves the town
almost unprotected. News has just come from the North Shore that
the batteries there have met with the same fate. The Russians are
pouring a perfect storm of shot and shell into the mouth of the
river where our ships are lying, but the town has so far been
spared.

5.45 P.M.

We have just received news from Edinburgh that the North Sea
Squadron left at daybreak this morning under orders to proceed to
the mouth of the Elbe to assist in protecting Hamburg from an
anticipated attack by the same fleet which has attacked us. There
is now no hope that the town can be successfully defended, and
the Provost has called a towns-meeting to consider the
advisability of surrender, though it is feared that the Russians
may now make larger demands. The whole country side is in a state
of the utmost panic.

7 P.M.

The towns-meeting empowered the Provost to call upon Captain
Marchmont, of the _Ascalon_, to make terms with the Russians in
order to save the town from destruction. He refused point blank,
although one of the coast-defence ships, the