Fortunately for the safety of his ship and lives of his crew, the captain of the Turkish ironclad had several boats rowing guard round his ship, and otherwise everything on board in readiness for immediate action. On the attacking flotilla nearing the guard boats, blue lights were burnt, rifles fired, &c., and the alarm given to those on the look-out in the _Assari Shefket_. The moment the enemy were within range, such a well-directed and heavy fire was poured on them that the attack was completely foiled. One of the Russian torpedoes was exploded, but failed to do more than throw a quantity of water up. The next morning a pole with torpedo fixed on it was found by the Turks, and on the strength of this and the numerous fragments of wood similarly found, one if not more of the enemy's boats it was supposed must have been sunk, or much knocked about. This was a much better planned and executed attack, but was unsuccessful owing to the extreme vigilance of the Turks. This attempt will always be remembered by the Turks, on account of the general order that appeared in the papers on the part of the Russians, in which "the brilliant exploit and successful destruction of the Turkish ironclad _Assari Shefket_" was set forth at great length; she at the time that this appeared being quietly at anchor off the dockyard at Stamboul, not having received any damage whatever. 7TH AFFAIR. _The Second Batoum Attack._--The seventh attempt was made on the night of the 27th-28th of December, 1877, on several Turkish men-of-war anchored in the harbour of Batoum (the scene of the first Russian torpedo attempt and failure). Four boats composed the attacking force, viz. the _Tchesme_, Lieutenant Zatzarennyi, in command, armed with a Whitehead fish torpedo, containing 32 kilog. of gun-cotton, fitted to fire from a tube under the boat's keel; the _Sinope_, Lieutenant Stchelinski, armed with a similarly charged fish torpedo, fitted to fire from a raft, which was towed by the boat, and two other boats, armed with spar and towing torpedoes. The means employed at Batoum for the safeguard of the Ottoman fleet there against such an attack was that of guard boats and a barrier formed of logs of wood, with planks secured to them, so arranged by means of weights that the planks remained perpendicular to the surface of the water when in position. Owing to the extreme darkness of the night, the Russians managed to evade the guard boats, and when, as they imagined, some 60 to 65 yards from a Turkish ironclad, the _Tchesme_ and _Sinope's_ Whitehead fish torpedoes were started on their deadly mission; but, owing most probably to the want of practice of manipulating these somewhat delicate instruments, also to the darkness, and the slight swell there was on at the time, both missed their mark, and were landed high and dry on the beach astern of the ship.