Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 9.djvu/117

 P&JSSIEli. 87 again into that state of confidence and good- chap. ... IV. humour which a cordial alliance demands, unless - the recall sent by Canrobert at one o'clock in the morning of the 4th of May could be expiated, if so one may speak, by renewing without loss of time the joint expedition to Kertch. Pelissier brought to bear on the object that will his propui- of his — always strong — which seemed in him to measure against the be steeled by the fierce heat of anger. He had wuiofMs Emperor. need of his strength ; for of late, as we know, the French Emperor had become more than ever an active, rampant opposer of all that the generals on the Chersonese believed to be their best means of effectively conducting the war. With the letter of the law on his side, though not, of course, its true spirit (for he did not act like a king in full concert with the high State Authorities), this confident Louis Napoleon was still as before insistent on his actual, personal right to be playing the great game of war from St Cloud or from Paris ; whilst Pelissier, be- lieving it plain that surrender to such preten- sions would inflict grievous harm upon France, and would even put in dire peril the honour of her arms, was brought perforce under the sway of principles higher and broader than those which in general serve to guide the conduct of officers. Eesorting freely to action as a means of thwart- ing interference, and writing but little to Paris, he firmly maintained his own will against the will of his sovereign, and — without bringing on any rupture — proved able to set him aside. ( 9 )