Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/370

 340 THE CANNONADE OP CTTAP. good onns. lie lias caused it to be funiuilly and _; olliciallv recorded that lie sjave liis consent to the Kis declared reasonfor ^""^^^^ P^^^^ bccausc lie saw that the French were accepting it. (letermined to have this line or none.* It was thus that, by means of a change suddenly announced and peremptorily enforced as an ulti- matum on the very morning of an intended attack, the level- of the precious Alliance could be used and applied without mercy to an admiral com- manding our fleet. Dundas's confeienco with his Bhips' cap- tains: tlio Frencli ]'lan unaiii- iMMiisly cuii- deiuned. The midnight and the new morning changes thus forced upon Dundas obliged him, of course, to confer anew with Lyons, as well as with the captains of his ships ; and he summoned them on board the Ikitannia. There, at nine o'clock, they assembled. Dundas explained what had been re- quired of liim. I gather that with one mind, if not with one voice, the assembled captains con- demned the new plan ; and one of them put a question to the Admind which tended to lay bare fire. '7 ,, Admiral Hanielin came on board, and pro- posed a new ' line of attack — viz., the ' French N.N.E. from Chersonese Bay to ' the centre of the harbour, and the English ' from thence N.E. This was agreed to, ' as the French seemed determined to have ' tltat line or none.' — Admiral's Journal, entry under date of 17th October 1854. Wlien Dundas uses the words 'or none,' I understand him to mean none in concert ivith him. What Hanielin, I believe, threatened was— not to abstain from all naval action, but — to act indeperiilciitl}'.
 * '6.45 A.M.— The siege-Latteries fin<l Russian forts opened