Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/117

 caniiobert's gloomy STATE. 85 bryo Work which had newly grown over its chap. surface* - — ! — To our people the notion of suffering the enemy to construct a defensive Work on the path — the one path — which could lead our allies to the Malakoff, seemed almost the same as aban- doning the main design of the siege; and, to deprecate such acquiescence, our chief engineer Represent*. it tion on this drew up a memorandum ' on the expediency subject™ ' of occupying the Mamelon,' which Lord Rag- Lord Raglan Ian imparted to Canrobert ; t but all this insist- robert. ence proved vain ; and the Mamelon — growing daily in strength — continued to remain unas- saulted. VII. Meanwhile, the French commander had been The gloomy apprehen- gouig yet further and further on that gloom v sionsof ° & J. . " Canrobert road towards despondency which his reasoning, imparted as we saw, had laid open.} ' General Canrobert,' Ragian. writes Lord Raglan, ' taking rather a gloomy view ' of what might possibly arise, represented that it ' was probable that when the Allies should open ' their fire upon Sebastopol, the enemy would ' attempt a general attack upon us, making a > sortie with 20,000 men on the extreme left ' of the French with a view to reach their ship- ' ping and establishments at Kamiesh, and assail- garded. See ante, p. 74. t Despatch, 'Secret,' to Secretary of State, March 17, 1855 + See ante, p. 83.
 * So that the resolve which I called the • vow ' was disre-