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 iit the time. 416 THE CANNONADE OF CHAP, erred, it was given hiiu at least to have a fore- L_ most place in the action. The position in which he placed his superb Agamemnon verged so close upon the utmost limit of what was possible, that she only had under her keel two feet and a half of water;* and his place at but 800 yards from Tiie praises tlic gorgc and right flank of Fort Constantine Avon ujpon iiiiu for him, at the time, the enthusiastic admiration of the French, and the approval of the English, navy.-|- ' General Canrobert and the officers of ' the French army ' — it was so that Lord Eaglan wrote — ' were loud and unanimous in their ex- ' pression of admiration at the position in which ' Sir Edmund Lyons placed the Agamemnon and ' the ships that were with him ; ' but the opinion of the French navy upon such a question had, of course, a yet higher value. 'The position of the Aga- ' memnon,' they said, ' was superb, and that of the ' Sanspareil not less admirable. Both ships were ' capitally placed. It was really magnificent.' § Rodney) which was actually aground. t I speak of the approval of the English navy without quali- fying the words ; because, though Dundas (who was much dis- satisfied with the naval engagement, and angered perhaps against those who had forced it on) may have been dry and even silent on the siibject, I have no reason for thinking that he failed to appreciate the position which Lyons took up ; but it may be right for me to say that Lyons writes thus : ' Nor can anything ' be more gratifying than the congratulations I receive from all ' the captains, and indeed from the whole fleet, with one excep- ' tion.' Private letter to Lord Rnglan, 19th (wrongly dated 20th) October 1854. X The Sanspareil and the London. — Lord Kaglan to Dundas, private Letter, 19th October 1851. § ' Hamelin aud Bruat said to Greville yesterday : "La po-
 * Aud her jib-guyvS were in contact with those of a ship (the