Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/265

 TROUBLED COUNSELS. 233 April) from the Minister of Marine to Admiral CHAP. Bruat — which intimated that the French Keserve _ troops at Constantinople would be ready to em- bark for the theatre of war on the 10th of May. This letter Niel read to Lord Raglan, and he Theinter- view be- founded upon it a conclusion which already, he tweenNiei r ... and Lord showed, had been reached with unanimity by Raglan. General Canrobert and ail the French Generals assembled to give him counsel — a conclusion pro- nouncing it 'desirable to postpone the offensive ' operations against Sevastopol.' He urged that, although inconvenient, delay was 'preferable to ' the immediate adoption of a course which would ' be attended with great risk and could be pur- ' sued under altered circumstances with better ' chances of success.' * ' Niel,' continued Lord Raglan, 'made some rather curious admissions. ' He avowed that he had been strongly opposed ' to the reopening of the batteries of the Allies, ' and that he held to the opinion he had origin- ' ally formed that an assault could not be success- ' ful, and yet he had been constantly urging Gen- ' eral Rose to press upon me the necessity of re- ' suming the lire, and he drew the Paper of the ' 23d already before your Lordship which con- ' tained the recommendation of the Artillery and ' Engineer officers that an attack should be made ' upon the place after an active bombardment of ' forty-eight hours. I ventured to point this out ' to him, and he fully acknowledged that I was 1855.
 * Lord Raglan to Secretary of State, Secret, 28th April