Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 7.djvu/245

 THE DEMEANOUR OF ENGLAND. 201 express patriotic emotions in ample, well-rounded ^^AP. sentences, he liardly, I think, understood that a ! — general's despatch, though containing no tragic language, might still be reporting a tragedy ; and thus the hard facts imparted to him in the de- spatches received from Headquarters failed to take such a hold upon his mind as to prevent him from being influenced by the cheering tone of the writer. So, upon the whole, it resulted that the communications thus penned, and thus read, brought about two wholesome results which might seem at first sight to be incompatible with each other ; for the Secretary of State had before him all the sinister facts, and yet did not take the alarm which those very facts seemed to warrant. He was so amply and so promptly apprised of all those needs of our army which resulted from its unforeseen state of duress, that he could endeavour towards meeting them without an hour's delay, and escape, nevertheless, for a time that over- weening anxiety which — by processes already ex- plained — might have made him a link in the chain for conveying precious knowledge to Eussia — knowledge apt for inciting her to seize the ready occasion, and bring the weight of gross numbers against what remained of our soldiery. Parliament met on the 12th of December, and Meeting and adjourn- a beginning of complaints on the subject of our ™^J]*g^^^j^f^ war administration was heard before long in both Houses; but they adjourned on the 23d for the holidays without having as yet fully learnt the state of their far distant army. The country, however, by this time was begin-