Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 3.djvu/457

 APPENDIX. 431 Chodasiewicz* Ibrljid nie to admit into my text any state- ment similar to the account given by M. de Bazancourt, or even to that contained in the ' Atlas de la Guerre d'Orient ; ' but those who are so constituted as to wish to incline the ear to a teacher duly prejxired for them by the French Emperor's ' Minister of Public Instruction,' will find in the above quotation from M. do Bazancourt, the sort of guid- ance they like. — End of Note to st Edition. In dealing willi this question of the supposed fight at the ' Telegraph,' I did not atfect to conceal the leaning of my own opinion ; but still, I avoided the language of actual assertion, and was content to speak in terms Avliich were fitted — not so much to demand assent, but rather — to provoke inquiry. Accordingly the subject underwent dis- cussion ; and by-and-by (though not at tliis moment, nor in this Appendix) I shall try to show the state of the dis- pute which my narrative served to invite. Meantime I will only say that concerning the whole notion of a great fight with organised masses of Russian troops at the Telegraph, inquiry has hitherto strengthened the opinion disclosed in the text ; and if I have done a wrong to the French, it is in imputing it to them too gen- erally that they warranted M. Bazaucourt's story. Mar- shal St Arnaud's despatch not only says nothing of any such a fight at the Telegraph, but virtually confirms that narrative of the Russian retreat on which I relied ; and the story, as we before saw, is substantially rejected by the See now — and this seems absolutely conclusive — the quotation from the ' Souvenirs d'un officier du 2™« Zouaves,' which will be found in the footnote, ante p. 298. — Note to 5 th Edition. accounts taken from various Russian sources, and he says not a word of any fight at the Telegraph, norof any other combat which could have bt en confounded with it.
 * Precis Historique.' — Note to Afh Edition.
 * Anitclikoff was an officer of the Staflf, whose narrative is b.ased on