Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 7.djvu/496

 452 APPENDIX. « made to tlu; editors of the daily press, and urge them to examine ' the letters they reoeive before they publish them, and carefully ' expunge such parts as they may consider calculated to furnish ' valuable information to the enemy.' — Lord Raglan to Duke of Newcastle, 13th November 1854. Note 10. — Thrse are before me; and perhaps in years past they would have been interesting to many, but considering the lapse of time, I refrain from publishing them. Note 11. — It was dated the 6th of December. Note 12. — [Private and CoTifideniial.] ' Before Sebastopol, January i, 1855. ' My dear Doke of Newcastle, — I deem it my duty to send « you a copy of the "Times" newspaper of the 18th December, • and to draw your attention to an article or rather lettei' from its ' correspondent with this army. ' I pass over the fault the wi-iter finds with evei-ything and ' everybody, however calculated his strictures may be to excite • discontent and encourage indiscipline, but I ask you to consider ' whether the paid agent of the Emperor of Russia could better ' serve his master than does the correspondent of the paper that ' has the largest circulation in Europe. I know something of ' the kind of information which the commander of an army re- « quires of the state and condition of the troops opposed to him, « and I can safely say, that during the whole of the war in the Peninsula, the Duke of Wellington was never supplied with such • details as are to be found in the letter to which I am desirous ' of attracting your attention. ' Some time ago the correspondent stated for general informa- • tion, and practically for that of Prince Mentschikoff, the exact ' position in which the powder for our siege batteries was depos- ' ited, and he now suggests the ease with which the ships in • Balaclava harbour could be set on lire. ' He moreover afibrds the Russian General the satisfaction of ' knowing that our guns stick in the mud, and our horses die ' under their exertions. But as regards intelligence to the enemy, ' the mischievous parts are so obvious that I will not further ' trouble you with a recapitulation of them. It will be sufhcient ' that I mark the parts which strike me as the most obnoxious. ' I am very doubtful, now that the communications are so ' rapid, whether a British army can long be maintained in pres- ' ence of a powerful enemy, that enemy having at liis command, ' through the English jiress and from London to his Headquarters « by telegraph, every detail that can be required of the nunil)ers, ' condition, and e(juipnient of his opponent's force.'