Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 1.djvu/133

 BETWEEN THE CZAR AND THE SULTAN. 91 • Majesty's Government. Perhaps you will be chap. ' pleased to charge me with some additional assur- V1, ' ances of this kind.' The Emperor's words and manner, although still very kind, showed that he had no intention of speaking to Sir Hamilton of the demonstration which he was about to make in the South. He said, however, at first with a little hesitation, but, as he proceeded, in an open and unhesitating man- ner : ' The affairs of Turkey are in a very disor- ' ganised condition ; the country itself seems to ' be falling to pieces : the fall will be a great mis- ' fortune, and it is very important that England ' and Russia should come to a perfectly good un- ' derstanding upon these affairs, and that neither ' should take any decisive step of which the other ' is not apprised.' The Envoy answered that this was certainly his view of the way in which Turk- ish questions should be treated ; but the Emperor then said, as if proceeding with his remark, ' Stay ' we have on our hands a sick man — a very sick ' man; it will be, I tell }"Ou frankly, a great mis- ' fortune if one of these days he should slip away ' from us, especially before all necessary arrange- ' ments were made. But, however, this is not the ' time to speak to you on that matter.' On the 22d of January another interview took place between the Emperor and the English En- voy. 'I found His Majesty,' writes Sir Hamilton Seymour, ' alone ; he received me with great kind- ' ness, saying that I had appeared desirous to • speak to him upon Eastern affairs; that on his