Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/159

 •WIIKX Ar.AXDONKD BY THE ARMY. 129 The rest consisted uf seameii witlulrawn from Uie cilAP. ships, and formed into battalions, of which four, and four only, were well trained and M'ell armed. on"/.'"fmi^!* The remaining battalions, it seems, were but slightly instructed in the duties of the land service, and portions of the force were ill aimed, some carry- ing old Hint mu,skets, and some having no better weapons than pikes or cutlasses. With a force thus composed, and comprising nopeiess- only sixteen thousand combatants undertaking to resistanVe . ,. . 1 1 it'"* prompt act as iniantry, it must needs have proved nope- anfidcter- T r I T ' • •! • mined less to try to defend a line ot lour miles against attack, such an attack as might be mailc by the victori- ous ariuy of the Allies; and this the more, since the garrison, split in two by the Man-of-war Har- bour, and the deep ravine at its head, and again subdivided by other creeks and other ravines, would be unable to concentrate much of the little strength that it had upon any one endangered quarter. In the opinion o*" Todleben, it was im- ]iossible that the attack of the Allies could be re- ])elled by even the most valiant defence. The 2Gth, sdUi srpu it is true, passed away without showing that the Allies (who had this day seized Balaclava) were preparing an attack for the morrow ; but, on the other hand, it brought no tidings of the evading army. * Of the Prince,' writes Korniloft on this da}', ' nothing is to be heard.' Vil. On the morning of the 27th, the garrison was Btill without tidings of Prince MentschikofV and VOL. 1A-. I