Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/322

 290 CONFERENCES ON THE PLAN. CHAP. XI. The duties it assigned to Canro- bert and Pelissier. 12th May. The three allied Com- manders in Conference. 14th May, renewed Conference. however, were not at all needed. Lord Eaglan knew the mind of his Government. From Louis Napoleon's abandonment of his intention to come out to the Crimea, and from the order providing that Pelissier should be in charge of the ' Siege- Army,' it followed that Gen- eral Canrobert, if adopting the Imperial plan, would himself have to execute that imagined advance from Aloushta which the Emperor had intended to lead. Omar Pasha, invited by General Canrobert and Lord Eaglan to take part in their deliberations, came up for the purpose from Eupatoria ; and on the 12th of May, the three allied Commanders met in Conference. Though not coming then to any resolve, they discussed at great length the Emperor's plan of Campaign. As we saw, the opinions of both Lord Eaglan and Omar Pasha had been adverse to the Em- peror's plan ; and each of them greatly preferred the idea of an advance from Eupatoria; but Canrobert, as seemed very natural, could not easily escape altogether from the pressure of his sovereign's will; and it was only by yielding a little in that direction that agreement could well be attained. Lord Eaglan on the whole thought it was wise to humour the Emperor by consenting to an attack from the south, but took care never- theless to reject all the more nighty parts of Louis Napoleon's plan. Omar Pasha seemed to take the same view ; and, when therefore on the 14th of May the three