age till the following day, when a
party of bluejackets and marines was landed at about 3 P.M.

British expedition under Sir Garnet Wolseley.

Tell-el-Kebir.

Military intervention being now imperatively demanded, a vote of credit
for L2,300,000 was passed in the British House of Commons on the 27th of
July. Five days later the French government failed to secure a similar
vote, and Great Britain was left to deal with the Egyptian question
alone. An expeditionary force detailed from home stations and from
Malta was organized in two divisions, with a cavalry division, corps
troops, and a siege train, numbering in all about 25,000 men. An Indian
contingent numbering about 7000 combatants, complete in all arms and
with its own transport, was prepared for despatch to Suez. General Sir
Garnet Wolseley was appointed commander-in-chief, with
Lieutenant-General Sir J. Adye as chief of the staff. The plan of
operations contemplated the seizure of Ismailia as the base for an
advance on Cairo, Alexandria and its suburbs to be held defensively, and
the Egyptian forces in the neighbourhood to be occupied by
demonstrations. The expeditionary force having rendezvoused at
Alexandria, means were taken by Rear-Admiral Hoskins and Sir W. Hewett
for the seizure of the Suez canal. Under orders from the former, Captain
Fairfax, R.N., occupied Port Said on the night of 19th August, and
Commander Edwards, R.N., proceeded down the canal, taking possession of
the _gares_ and dredgers, while Captain Fitzroy, R.N., occupied Ismailia
after slight opposition. Before nightfall on the 20th of August the
canal was wholly in British hands. Meanwhile, leaving Sir E. Hamley in
command at Alexandria, Sir G. Wolseley with the bulk of the
expeditionary force arrived at Port Said on the 20th of August, a naval
demonstration having been made at Abukir with a view to deceive the
enemy as to the object of the great movement in progress. The advance
from Ismailia now began. On the 21st Major-General Graham moved from
Ismailia with about 800 men and a small naval force, occupying Nefiche,
the junction with the Suez line, at 1.30 A.M. without opposition. On the
22nd he made a reconnaissance towards Suez, and on the 23rd another to
El-Magfar, 4 m. from Nefiche. It now appeared that the enemy had dammed
the sweet-water canal and blocked the railway at Tell-el-Mahuta, where
entrenchments had been thrown up and resistance seemed to be
contemplated. At 4 A.M. on