Autograph letter signed : Alexandria, to Lady Charles [Beresford], [1882] July 14.

Relating his account, as the commander of the H.M.S. Superb, of the bombardment of Alexandria, "'Superb' with 'Sultan' & 'Alexandra' began by steaming round & round in front of the forts, like an old turkeycock & at last by 'Alexandra' firing our shot we got them to blaze away at us, & they hit us pretty freely, but our firing was not very good ... we moved up & Hotham made a signal to us 'Can you give Ada Fort a smack it is annoying me very much' so we went for it, and after a lot of trouble managed to put a shell into the magazine & up it went ... The only thing we couldn't get at all was a brute of a battery most beautifully hidden, and he defied every body & everything & next morning was repaired & ready so Temeraire got in front & Fisher got behind and half an hour put it to ruins ... I never was under fire before and it is a very funny feeling. I don't think I like it, one gets so frightfully strung up & then next day the reaction is too much"; the letter breaks off in mid-sentence on page 6 and is continued in the hand of Lieutenant Charles Grave Sawle of the H.M.S. Superb, stating that Captain Hallett had received orders to land and requested that he finish the letter for him and informing her that the engagement appears to be nearly over and expressing his regret that he is not among the landing forces.