Editing George Tryon (section)

===HMS ''Monarch'' 1878===
On 1 October 1878, Tryon was appointed to {{HMS|Monarch|1868|6}} of the Mediterranean fleet under Admiral [[Geoffrey Hornby]], joining her at Artaki in the Sea of Marmora on 18 November. The British were concerned to protect the Bulair peninsula from Russian advances and had stationed ships at Gallipoli and in the Gulf of Xeros so as to have artillery commanding possible approaches. The main part of the British fleet stayed in the eastern part of the Sea of Marmora during the crisis.<ref>Fitzgerald pp. 156–157</ref>

Tryon was required to sit on the court of enquiry into the explosion of a 12-inch (305&nbsp;mm) gun on board {{HMS|Thunderer|1872|6}}. On 2 January 1879 while carrying out target practice in the [[Gulf of İzmit|Gulf of Ismid]], one of the guns burst, killing seven men and injuring thirty-six. This was of considerable concern since similar guns were used by many ships. It was eventually concluded that the muzzle-loading gun had been double loaded, which produced exactly the same result when tested on another gun.

In the summer of 1879 ''Monarch'' cruised the Levant, visiting various places where Tryon would land, both for pleasure but also seeking useful information. Britain had just acquired Cyprus, which it was intended to develop into a base for 10,000 troops and a resort, but of which Tryon was skeptical because of its poor climate and lack of a good harbour. In his travels he discovered deposits of coal at Ayas in the Gulf of Scanderoon, and was responsible for organising the transport of marble statues from Aleppo for the British Museum. In March 1880 Hornby was replaced as commander of the fleet by Admiral Sir [[Beauchamp Seymour]], who in the summer sent ''Monarch'' and ''Thunderer'' to attend the launching of the battleship {{ship|Italian ironclad|Italia||2}} by the King of Italy at Naples. Tryon was commended by the king for his handling of the British ships.<ref>Fitzgerald pp. 157–164</ref>

In May 1881 Tryon was sent as senior officer with a group of ships to patrol the coast of Tunisia. Although there was no war, France was concerned about events in Tunisia, and the French gunboat ''Leopold'' searched two British schooners looking for gunpowder. This was a breach of international law and might have escalated into a serious incident, but Tryon handled the matter with tact. He suggested to the senior French officer, Captain Rieunnier, that perhaps a mistake had been made. The French apologised and explained that the commander of ''Leopold'' had misunderstood his instructions.<ref>Fitzgerald pp. 164–165</ref>

A more serious incident took place when the region of [[Sfax]] in Tunisia rose in revolt against French intervention. The revolt was started by a local artillery commander, who was called upon to produce his troops in support of the French, but in fact despite receiving pay for the men, had none. To divert attention, he organised a local demonstration against the French. This led to other foreign nationals fleeing the region, although it was only the French who were affected. Local Bedawin then took up the revolt which grew out of control, although order and respect for foreign property in the town was maintained by a local leader, Camoum. The French sent ships and then a fleet to bombard the town, and eventually troops which landed to occupy it on 16 July. After order was restored, the French set up a commission of enquiry to investigate claims for damages and invited the British and Italians each to appoint a representative. Tryon was chosen to represent the British on the commission which first met 29 August. The Commission sat for six weeks, by which time the evidence submitted already indicated strongly that damage to property and looting had been carried out by the French troops, at which point the commission was suddenly dissolved. The British official position was one of neutrality, and in effect allowing the French to do what they wanted. This placed Tryon in a delicate position that while he confirmed the views of locals that the French had caused much of the problems and intended to take control of the region, Britain would do nothing to intervene. He was instructed to send reports directly to the Admiralty and foreign office, rather than to his commander, Admiral Seymour. ''Monarch'' spent much of a six-month period at anchor off Tunisia in temperatures of 80–90 degrees Fahrenheit, without any leave being permitted, which made the task an uncomfortable one for all concerned. Although the warship was not required, the Foreign office specifically requested that Tryon should remain for as long as possible.<ref>Fitzgerald pp. 165–179</ref> Tryon was commended for his handling of the affair by Earl Granville from the foreign office, the Lords of the Admiralty, and by the French Government.<ref>Fitzgerald pp. 179–185</ref>

''Monarch'' was paid off at Malta in January 1882, and the crew returned to England on board ''Tamar''.<ref>Fitzgerald p. 183</ref>