Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/390

 360 THE CANNONADE OF CHAP, issued to some of liis captains.* Until the very '__ words shall come to light, it inav be surmised Tiie paper of that Duudas was misconstrued ; but by this paper instructions _ _ ' j i- l issued by the Eiiglisli Admiral was i-eally understood to Dundas. " _ "^ ordain that each captain to whom he addressed it must keep his ship out of danger. Yet the men to whom Dundas addressed these instructions were told by him that the object of the attack Avas * the destruction of the enemy's batteries.' They were to seek a great victory, but only by a path of safety. So far as concerned the captains of ships in the main division of the fleet, the cramping force of this paper might not be intoler- able ; for their duty Mas to be one of a fixed kind, leaving only slight room for the exercise of discretion; but to men commanding ships in the in-shore squadron these orders might be much more embarrassing. I do not understand that at the conference any remonstrance was made by the captains who had received this paper ; but some of them determined from the first to treat the instructions as null. Supposing that the instructions had really the import ascribed to them, it would be quite just to say, in condemnation of Dundas, that either iie should have refused to attack at all, or else should have given due power to his captains ; but we have Geen how far out of his reach the first alterna- captains ; but I liave reason to doubt whether all received copies, for there are some who have no recollection of the circumstance. I have not myself seen a copy. One captain assures me that, purposely and in anger, he destroyed his copy before the action.
 * It was miderstood to have Leen a circular addressed to all the