200 EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN.

in his hand, so as to be ready for embarkation on arrival of the special train at Portsmouth.

The expedition was being pushed rapidly on, for it was desirable that the men should arrive and arrangements should be well forward during the cool season. In two or three days, on the arrival of the Princess Charlotte of Wales Berkshire regiments at Alexandria, eleven infantry regiments were at the disposal of General Stephenson in addition to the Royal Irish and East Surrey ordered from India. With the other corps and detachments this made a total of about 1 1,000 British troops in Egypt. On the 25th the Orontes with Major-General Earle and the 831 officers and men of the Berkshire regiment arrived at Malta from Gibraltar, and sailed on the following day for Alexandria; and on the 23d the hired transport Goorkha left the Royal Albert Docks, having on board nine officers and one hundred and forty-four men belonging to the Commissariat and Transport Corps. She proceeded to Portsmouth, where she embarked about five hundred and fifty troops.

It need hardly be said that numerous applications were made to the war office by officers who desired to go to Egypt on active service, and many of these officers were willing to serve under General Wood in the Egyptian army, but the vacancies there were comparatively few.

Of the troops under the command of Lieut. -general Sir Archibald Alison, a detachment of 101 non-commissioned officers and men of the 1st Roval Highlanders under the command of Captain A. S. Stevenson, were to go out to reinforce their comrades of "the Black Watch," and the 220 officers and men specially trained as mounted infantry were selected from various regiments and were to be reinforced strongly by six officers and 161 men. The detachment of the transport and commissariat corps included one warrant officer and 30 non-commissioned officers and men, while it was understood that 200 men of the royal engineers would proceed to Egypt in about a week following. The army hospital corps consisted of 98 men of all ranks, who were specially selected after medical examination; but this department was afterwards