Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/266

 234 TROUBLED COUNSELS. ! HAP. VIII. Course taken by Lord Rag- lan. 25th April. Canrobert's letter pat- ting olf the attack. ' right, but he observed : — " I am not the Corn- ' mander-in-Chief."'* Lord Raglan of course could not baffle a scheme of postponement demanded by the un- animous authority of the assembled French gen- erals ; but, after all that had passed, he thought himself entitled to require that the proposal to put off the assault should be in writing. Niel judged the demand to be reasonable ; and ac- cordingly on the same day General Canrobert addressed to Lord Eaglan a letter fulfilling the purpose. After saying that all had been pre- pared for the delivery of a general assault on about the 28th of April, he wrote: — 'To-day, I ' communicated to the generals commanding the ' two Army Corps and the Engineers and Artil- 1 lery of the French army an official despatch ' announcing that the Corps of Eeserve forming ' at Constantinople will be ready to commence ' operations on the 10th of May next. In the ' face of this communication, and seeing the pos- ' sible consequences of a general assault beset by ' the most difficult circumstances that can take ' place in war — circumstances that might com- 1 promise the two allied armies, and the future ' of the great interests which they defend, the ' conference unanimously expressed the opinion ' that it was fitting to wait for the commence- 1 ment of operations by the Corps of Eeserve. I I translate the last words from the original French in which Lonl Raglan gives them.
 * Lord Raglan to Secretary of State, Secret, 28th April 1 855.