Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/298

 268 THE PAIIT TO BE TAKEN CHAP. By those ineans, such as thoy inv, ^v]l^ch enahle '. me to come to a judgment, I ain brought to believe that, iu suHcriug himself to take this attitude towards his chief, Lyons was at once honest and wrong ; * but, be that as it may, he made no secret of his opinions nor yet of his feelings ; and the known antagonism iu which he stood towards Dundas, gave a head to the warlike impatience which stirred every ship iu the squadrons. In this condition of things it would have been hard for llie firmest of men to withstand a request ' discipline,' was startled at the idea of his 'suggesting, to a ' second in command, to set aside the authority of his Coni- ' niander-in-Chief ' (sec the MS. Memorandum by Mr Locli in the Appendix) ; and his reply to the Duke is as follows : — ' Befohe Se3)A.stopol, Octoler 28, 1854. ' Confidential. 'My dear Duke of Newcastlk,— I thought it best to coni- ' municate your letter, marked confidential, of the 9th inst., to ' Sir E. Lyons, who has since had letters from Sir James Graham ' of a subsequent date, iu ■which he does not refer to what you tell ' me, but appears to wish that, if possible, all scandal should be ' avoided. ' I am quite satisfied that this is in the highest degree desirable, ' and I do not think anything can occur to render it necessary to ' take any such extreme step as you authorise the adoption of. ' It is, however, very gratifying to me, and I make no doubt it ' is equally so to Sir E. Lyons, that you should place such ccn- ' fidence in us.' Those who knew Lord Kaglan's accustomed way of expressing himself will pciliaps detect a characteristic archness in his manner of saying that Sir James Graham — the most cautions of men — had sent letters to Lyons containing no reference to the subject of tho Duke's secret instruction. Lord Kaglan, forms a part of the ground on which I rest my conclusion.
 * The voluminous correspondence of both the Admirals with