Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 1.djvu/149

 BETWEEN THE CZAR AND THE SULTAN. 107 his Government at home were of advantage to the CHAP. public service.* — It would seem that in the middle of the month Thenar of March the anger of the Emperor Nicholas had ^ ufl - grown cool. He had always felt the difficulty of basing a war upon the question of the Holy Places alone, and the language of his Government at this time was moderate and pacific. f But un- happily there were distinct centres of action in Paris, in London, in St Petersburg, and in Con- stantinople, and it was constantly happening that when the fire seemed to be got down in three out of the four capitals, it would spring up with fresh strength in the fourth. Thus, at a moment when the panic of the Divan had entirely ceased, and when the Court of St Petersburg, already inclining towards moderation, was about to be further paci- fied by the welcome tidings which informed it of the disavowal of Colonel Pose by the Home Gov- ernment, the Emperor of the French suddenly determined to send a naval force into the Levant, and notwithstanding the opposition of our Govern- ment, the French fleet was ordered to Salamis. The French ', fleet sud- This was done without sound reason, for the panic deniy order. x ed to Sala- which had induced Colonel Eose to appeal to the n.»s. English Admiral at Malta had long ago ceased. ^ The step gave deep umbrage to Russia. trious for his career of victory iu India, but at that later time lie was known to his grateful country as Sir Hugh Kose. He is now Lord Strathnairn. t Lord Cowley's account of Count Nessclrode's Despatch of the 15th March. ' Eastern Papers,' part i. p. 96.
 * Colonel Hose was the officer who afterwards became illus-