tilities had occurred, no actual battles had yet been fought, and the belief of a peaceful solution was entertained. As a last resort Colonel Cradoch was sent by Admiral Codrington to meet Ibrahim Pasha. The effort was useless; the Turkish commander could not be seen. A general muster of all the ships was ordered by Admiral Codrington, Commander-in-Chief of the squadron.
The strength of the combined squadron was as follows:
ENGLISH.
4 frigates,
1 cutter,
4 brigs, and
3 line-of-battle ships, all under the command of Admiral Codrington.
RUSSIAN.
4 frigates, and
4 line-of-battle ships, Count Heiden commanding.
FRENCH.
| 1 double-banked frigate, | commanded by Rear-Admiral De Rigny. | |
| 2 cutters, | ||
| 3 line-of-battle ships, and 1 frigate. |
The Ottoman fleet was as follows:
13 frigates,
3 line-of-battle ships,
4 double-banked frigates,
28 brigs,
5 schooners,
30 corvettes, and
6 fire brigs, making a total of 89, excluding 41 transports.
The allied fleet mounted 1,324 guns, while the combined Turkish and Egyptian fleet mounted 2,240 guns. To this superiority in the number of guns on board must be added the batteries on shore, which were all in the hands of the Turks. But the Christians had a point in their favor in
