Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 9.djvu/297

 LORD RAGLAN. 267 from the loss of his friend have even said that chap. x his grief was, in some sense, the cause of what — — — followed ; but perhaps they rather meant that the death of General Estcourt was the last of many sorrows and cares that, taken together, had sapped the vital strength of their Chief. IV. On the 23d — the clay of the singular storm — 23djune. Lord Eaglan was unwell, but not prevented from unweii; transacting laborious public business. Thus on butnotpre- the same day (the 23d) he addressed to the Sec- transacting n i • • i laborious retary or State tour despatches, comprising alto- business; gether a great amount of careful, elaborate state- ment, and besides, wrote to Lord Panmure a long private letter dealing with several matters of business, and amongst others, with the subject of recruiting. On the same day, he visited his and not con . fined to his troops m the front. He moreover inspected the bouse. hospitals, looking specially to the wounded men, and, in fact, went through much of the labour that would have fallen to the lot of the Adju- tant - General, if not then stricken by illness. Towards evening also, he went to the hut of General Estcourt, and saw him for the last time. On Sunday the 24th, Lord Eaglan proposed a meeting for that same day with the French commander ; and — replying to words of affection- ate anxiety that had sprung from the heart of Pelissier upon hearing of his colleague's indis- position — he wrote lightly, saying that the ail-