Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/108

 76 CONFERENCES OF GENERALS. chap. Bizot, Sir John Burgoyne,* Sir George Brown, ! — and General Harry Jones. It lasted several hours without coming to any decisive re- solve. Against any proposal requiring them to assail the new works our allies put forward the theory before ascribed to them, and maintained that, even if captured, the ground would not be ten- able under the fire that might be brought to bear upon it from three sides. Burgoyne controverted the opinion thus formed, and maintained that by taking due precautions the evil anticipated might be more or less com- pletely averted. The Conference determined that the question thus raised should be investigated on the follow- ing day by the general officers of engineers be- longing to both armies ; but meanwhile, went on with its debates, and discussed the general pro- spects of the siege. 'The difficulties of the attack on Sebastopol ' were a good deal dwelt upon, and were acknow- ' ledged to be increasing rather than diminishing, ' and in consequence of the impediment placed ' upon the progress of offensive operations on the ' right by the bold advance of the enemy in that ' direction, a desire was manifested by the French c engineer officers to revert to the desperate ex- ' pedient of an assault on the Eedan, under cir- ' cumstances much more unfavourable than when ' it was rejected by the Note of the 2d of Feb-
 * Respecting Burgoyne's presence, Bee post, p. 111.