Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/268

 236 TROUBLED COUNSELS. chap, afterwards into the state of unliopefulness, and VIII J_ doubt, and anxiety disclosed by his plaint to the Emperor, he of course became ripe for that logic which drew from the letter to Bruat a reason for stopping the enterprise ; but a general who, ever since February, had been suffering the audacious garrison to defy him with its counter-approaches, and had thrown away every occasion for seizing the Flagstaff Bastion, could hardly bespeak from our people a welcome for any discovery which only furnished new reasons for not yet assault- ing Sebastopol. Still, what men in dispute call ' an afterthought ' is not of necessity worthless ; and in fairness it ought to be said that on this 25th of April, the opportunities offered by the bombardment had already been lost ; * so that then there were not those sharp reasons for prompt appeal to the bayonet which we saw had been pressing enough weight due on many of the earlier days. Perhaps therefore, to the letter ... -i i i e e i_t 1 j of the 7th of if men had been free from the anger provoked at the time by Canrobert's numberless falterings, they might hardly have refused to acknowledge that, whilst having before him the prospect spread out to his sight by the letter of the 7th of April, the French Commander was justified in resolv- ing to wait for the co-operation of the Corps of Reserve before venturing to undertake such a measure as the general assault of Sebastopol. the fire directed specially against the Flagstaff Bastion had not lasted beyond the 22d.
 * The general bombardment had ceased on the 1 8th, and