Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/227

 THE COUNSELS 01" THE ALLIES. 197 'ever may be the expectation of final success, chap ' some portions of the assailing troops must al- L ' most necessarily be engaged in what, for them ' (though not for the army generally, of which ' they form a part), is a hard, unequal conflict; ' but, circumstanced as we are, we must not ' abstain from this assault on the mere ground ' that it is a great evil to have to undertake it. ' The question is, whether the evil which we ' should bring upon ourselves by refraining from ' an assault would not be still greater. We are ' under the eyes of all Europe ; and unless the ' war comes to an end, we can never go home ' without having executed our appointed task. ' Here, on this barren shore, w^e stand fastened ' Sebastopol ; and for an army in such a predica- ' ment as this, the adoption of even a very hardy ' measure may not only be free from the charge ' strictest prudence. 'Although the idea of this expedition to the ' Crimea was one of exceeding boldness, it is per- ' haps defensible (as events have hitherto tend- ' ed to show), upon the supposition that it was ' meant to be carried through with despatch, and ' in a venturesome spirit corresponding with the ' audacity of the original conception ; but it is ' only on that supposition that our invasion of ' this province of Paissia can be justified; and ' we shall run into grievous danger if we become
 * — inexorably fastened — to the duty of taking
 * of rashness, but may be commanded by the
 * too slow and too cautious in the execution of a