Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/254

 TROUBLED COUNSELS. CHAP. VIII. Conference of 1 ith April. Disposition on the part of the French, except Pelissier, to stop the bombard- ment; but success- fully com- bated by Lord Raglan and Lyons. A slight relaxation of the fet- ters imposed on Canrobert II. On the 14th of April — a day when the Flag- staff llastion, as we saw, was in desperate plight — there took place a conference at which (besides the principal French and English Artillery and Engineer officers) there were present General Canrobert, General Pelissier, General Bosquet, Omar Pasha, Sir Edmund Lyons, Sir George Brown, and Lord Raglan.* The Conference lasted more than four hours, and all agreed that an immediate assault ought not to be attempted^ 1 ) The French (excepting Pelissier, who advised going on with the siege) were at first for arrest- ing the bombardment, if not indeed even for stopping all other aggressive proceedings until the place should be invested. Then Canrobert, Lord Raglan, Omar Pasha, and Sir Edmund Lyons retired into another room, and it appeared that Canrobert was for maintaining the ' status ' quo ' ; but ultimately, though with no little diffi- culty, Lord Raglan — greatly aided by Sir Edmund Lyons — prevailed upon Canrobert to agree that the bombardment should be continued, though with diminished fire, in order that the ammu- nition might last the longer.t General Canrobert at this time obtained what might seem at first glance like some small, very small relaxation of the miserable fetters he wore t Lord Raglan to Lord Pan mure, private letter, 14th April 1855, and same (Secret) to Secretary of State, 17th April 1855
 * Lord Raglan to Secretary of State, Secret, April 14, 1855.