Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 7.djvu/159

 WAY OF MINISTERING TO THE AJiMIES. 115 The motive powers of mind and temperament chap. tliat led the Treasury to act as it did were ' exceeding diligence, exceeding thoughtfulness, exceeding anxiety, exceeding zeal for the public service ; and it is probable that the very opposite qualities would have led to a better result. It an idle, self-indulgent official had been in charge at the Treasury on the 30th of September, he would hardly liave suffered the despatch then received to trouble him for so much as five minutes. Far from entering upon the delicate and perilous venture of interposing the power of the department obstructively between our army and its appointed provider, he would have accepted Mr Filder's decision at once without sitting down to review it. Upon a corner of the paper, turned down, he would have written a few words directing compKance with the terms of the despatch, and might then have gone oft" to his amusements with the consciousness of having done what was safe.(^^) An idler thus disposing of the question would liave done what was easy and simple, but also, I must think, what was right ; for the despatch of hay, even if destined to prove altogether super- fluous, would have been, at the worst, a small evil; whilst the withholding of such a supply if eventually turning out to be needed, might bring about unnumbered troubles. It is hard to see why Mr Filder, when desiring to obtain stores from England, should not have been there left unfettered, as he always was if making pur- chases in other parts of the world ; and, besides..