About 11 P.M. the four torpedo boats started to the attack, Makaroff being in command of one of them. They were all painted sea green, and possessed a high speed. The night being dark, and having been despatched some distance off, they reached the entrance in somewhat straggling order. The _Tchesme_, commanded by Lieutenant Zatzarennyi, and armed with a towing torpedo, was the first to enter the harbour, and, without waiting for her consorts, dashed at the Ottoman fleet, and succeeded in getting close to a large Turkish paddle-wheel transport, and her commander dipping his torpedo, struck the ship under her quarter; but that little something which so often causes a failure in this mode of warfare occurred, and no explosion followed the pressing down of the firing key, much to the chagrin and disgust of Zatzarennyi. As might be supposed, by this time an alarm had been raised, and guns, rifles, &c., were fired in and from every direction, causing the torpedo boats to beat a precipitate and hasty retreat. Fortunately the Turks were not possessed of any steamboats, nor were any of their ships ready to dash out, or the defeat would have been a far more disastrous one than was the case. Neither of the boats were damaged, nor any of the crews injured. The failure of this first attempt was due in a great measure to the mode of attack, no system or unanimity of action on the part of the four commanders being observable; and also to the somewhat half-hearted support given to the _Tchesme_, for had her three consorts only dashed at the Turkish ships as boldly, one at least of the Ottoman fleet would have been sunk, the only defence resorted to being their guns and small arms. The moral effect of torpedoes was displayed here, causing the _Constantine_ to lay too far off the entrance to the harbour, thus decreasing the chance of her boats making a successful attack. The Russian version finishes up by saying, "although this first endeavour was unsuccessful, the authors of it were received at Sebastopol with enthusiasm." 2ND AFFAIR. _The Matchin Attack._--The second attempt was made on the 25th-26th of May on two Turkish monitors, the _Fettu Islam_ and the _Duba Saife_, and a small river steamer, the _Kilidj Ali_, lying at anchor off Matchin.[S] Four Russian torpedo boats were sent to the attack, viz. the _Czarowitch_, Lieutenant Doubasoff; the _Xénie_, Lieutenant Chestakoff; the _Djiquite_, Midshipman Persine; and the _Czarevna_, Midshipman Bali. The total number of officers and men carried by these boats on this occasion was forty-six. The night of the attack was rainy, but not completely dark, since the moon was above the horizon during nearly the whole of the expedition. The force left Brailoff at one o'clock on the morning of the 26th, and advanced in two columns up the river, finding great difficulty in stemming the strong current.