Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 April 1883 — The Bombardment of Alexandria. [ARTICLE]

The Bombardment of Alexandria.

Admiral Nicholson. There was only tw© buildings, left standing in the European quarter after the pillage of the city—the St. Mark’s building, which the American consulate occupied, and the building of the Egyptian tribunal, containing, the real estate or other records of the city. As a sample of the damage done by the pillagers, I may ihention the house of Baron Manasse the American consul. He must have expended £70,000 in building and furnishing it The Bedouins went into it with pickaxes and deliberately smashed the elegant plate-glass mirrors, tore off the upholstering of the furniture, and cut up pieces of the furniture to carry away. The damage to the furniture alone mus have amounted to 840,000. When I landed American troops I sent to the Khedive to obtain his consent to re-establishing our consulate. The Khedive is. well versed in American affairs, and he speaks English as well as you or L He said to my officer: “Yes, establish the consulate and for God’s sake help to restore order in my unfortunate city.” That doesn’t look much like troops invading a foreign shore. I imagine that Arabi Pasha evacuated Alexandria for the purpose of giving up th 3 European quarter to pillage. The Egyptian troops were poor soldiers; I think the Soudan blacks manned only two of the twenty odd batteries. If th* Egyptians could have stood the fire of the English fleet the defense of Alexandria could have been prolonged, for they would have exhausted the ammunition of the bombarding fleet. Of course, further supplies would hqve been obtained later, but the fight could have been made more difficult if there had been Europeans behind the Egyptian works. Since 1876 over 41,000 miles cf tile drain has been laid in Illinois.