Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/274

 242 INTERFEKKNUK OF THE FkKNCH KMI'KROK. CHAP. IX. The Council of War at Windsor Castle. The Em- peror's re- solve to join his army. His agree- ment with our Govern- ment upon preliminary questions. beauteous Empress paid a visit to England;* and alike by the Queen, by the Government, by the people at large, was received with a genial wel- come — a welcome all the more animated, since he came with a warlike intent — with intent to form and execute plans for compassing the fall of Se- bastopol. He had with him Marshal Vaillant, his Minister of War. The first Council of War (if so one may call such a conclave) was held at Windsor Castle, and there were present the Emperor, Prince Al- bert, Lord Clarendon, Lord Palmerston, Lord Cow- ley, Lord Panmure, Sir John Burgoyne, Marshal Vaillant, and Count Walewski. The Emperor at this meeting was pressed to abandon his project of going out to the Crimea, but without being then at all shaken in what seemed his steadfast resolve; and he not only gave his opinion on the prospects of the Sevastopol siege, and the principle which should rule future action, but also went on to disclose the plan of campaign he had formed. With his consciousness of all he had done to- wards arresting (through General Niel's 'mis- 'sion') the genuine advance of the siege, the French Emperor of course had some grounds on which to found a prophecy that the then still rag- ing bombardment would fail in its object; and he found our Government ready to avow the same faith, as also to accept his theory that Sebastopol could not be taken without first investing the place.
 * He came on Monday, the 16th of April.