Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/263

 TROUBLED COUNSELS. 231 ' superior officers had hitherto shown such un- CHAP. VIII ' willingness to undertake anything that might __ ' involve serious risk,' and that ' the General-in- ' Chief had always previously manifested a dis- ' position to pursue a very cautious course,' and had been ' warned by the Emperor not to commit ' himself,' Lord Eaglan was greatly surprised at Lord Rag- the apparently sudden conversion of his French pression. allies to the policy of undertaking assaults, but — at first — he did not doubt their sincerity ; * and accordingly addressed his Government in terms well befitting what seemed to be a grave con- juncture.t IV. Not many hours had passed, when Lord Raglan perceived, as he thought, that under this new re- solve to assault Sebastopol, General Canrobert did General not feel ' comfortable ' ; J and how well he divined apparently 8 the truth we are able to see ; for on the very mor- state. row of the agreement made with Lord Eaglan in the evening of the 23d, General Canrobert was His letter writing to the Emperor in terms which not only (24th April) ,, , . ill! i to the Em- declared the assault he had proposed on the pre- peror. vious evening to be a hazardous measure, but their being determined (as he then thought they were) to undertake an assault. t Lord Raglan to Secretary of State, Secret, April 24th, 1855. In quoting some words from the despatch, I have corrected what seemed to me a clerical error by substituting ' involve ' for ' incur. ' 1 Ibid.
 * This is shown, I think, by his surmises as to the cause of