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 254 THE WINTER TROUBLES. CHAP. IX. the actual course of events ; for it did not prove true that the power which had driven our people into a warlike euterprise would be strong enough to make them abandon it. On the contrary, when the great journal flinched, and even ap- pealed to class hatred as a motive for giving up the campaign, our people remained firm of pur- pose. The newspaper rulers saw this, and their notion of aliandoning the enterprise was itself very soon abandoned. IV. A coinci- dence. The rela- tions be- tween the Duke of Newcastlfi and Lord Baglan from February 1854 down to nearly the close of the year. We saw the great company sanctioning a plan of attack on Lord Eaglan and the Headquarter Staff, which was to turn the command at Head- quarters into a sort of ' constitutional ' sway. But it must not be taken as certain that the idea of this curious onset originated in the brain of a journalist ; for at nearly the same time a measure, contrived in like fashion and directed against the same public servants, was also begun, though in privacy, by a new and strange accuser. Down to nearly the close of the year, the per- sonal relations between the Secretary of State for War and the General commanding our army had been always most friendly, and based upon mutual confidence. The Duke of Newcastle's natural gifts were not of such kind that they could broadly be put in comparison with those of Lord Raglan ; but l)etween the Minister and the General there was at least one point of re- semblance, for they were, botli of them, indefati-