Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 9.djvu/310

 280 WHAT PROSPECT, IF ANY, THERE WAS CHAP, and, in so far as appeared, had not undergone ' any check.* sin, two days after the conference, the an- cillary discussion maintained between the Chief French Engineer and the Chief Engineer of our army was not only continuing, but entering then on a phase highly favourable to the English con- tention. Niiiv : Mel's answer was dated the 26th of June, anc 1 of the 25th _. „ ., , . . , . , of June. — speaking so tar with authority, because he had been privy to the arrangements of the 2d of Feb- ruary — he frankly made this acknowledgment : — ' It has always/ he said, ' been understood that ' the attack of the Redan was to proceed with that ' of the Flagstaff Battery, so that the two sides of ' the valley can be held, and that if the French ' were to abandon their attack, the English, in ' accordance with the previous conventions, would ' on their side be free to abandon their attack of ' the Redan.' On the other hand, he insisted that, to propose the withdrawal of the English from their attacks would be almost the same as pro- posing to raise the siege. The combined result of his two opinions irn- I believe, that he ever sent to Pelissier. It ran thus : — 'Dkvant Sebastopol, le 24 Juin 1855. ' Jc vous envoie, mon cher Gdncral, la traduction du Memor- ' andum du Gem'ial Jones en date du 21, dont vous avez pris ' connaissance ce matin. ' Agree/, je vous prie, l'assurance de mes sentiments les plus ' affectueux et les plus devoues. (Signed) ' Raglan.'
 * The note from Lord Raglan above referred to was the last,