Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/150

 ll.S SECRET TERMS OF NIEL'S MISSION. CHAP. V. The desire til' tin' French Emperor. The 'mis- ' sion ' of General Niel. Tin's condition involved a resort to some new campaign in the open. Now also, the brooding French Emperor had begun to imagine that a little campaign of this sort might win for him infinite glory with pro- portionate increase of strength, if he himself — present in person — were to lead the field-army, thus bringing about by swift magic that long- deferred fall of Sebastopol which other mortals as yet had been signally failing to compass. The judgment of the engineer officer was there- fore found to harmonise well with the desire of the Emperor ; and the two men were soon of one mind, nay apparently were so well agreed that the object of General Niel's ' mission ' was rather to mature on the spot an already sketched plan of campaign than simply to enquire, and seek light. It was seemingly intended at first that, after maturing the plan, General Niel should re- turn to France, and submit his conclusions to the French Emperor; but after a while, it appeared that, without resort to that step, the understand- ing between the Emperor and his counsellor had been rendered sufficiently complete by inter- changed letters or messages ; and, although it is true, General Niel had at one time made all his arrangements for returning to France, and did indeed go to Constantinople (whilst waiting for further instructions), we still may say that sub- stantially, his mission was uninterrupted.* Rousset gives of Niel's letters, vol. ii. p. 34 et seq.
 * This results, I think, clearly from the extracts which M,