Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 2.djvu/171

 IN THE WAU AGAINST EUSSIA. 1 l I to derive fatal comfort from tlic lanqiiage of chap. XI the French diplomacy; and, whenever the grave ' tone of Sir Hamilton Seymonr Avas beginning to produce ■wholesome effect at St Petersburg, his efforts wore quickly baffled by the prostrations of his French colleague.* It was thus that, by generating the oi'iginal dis- pute — by drawing England from the common ground of the four Powers into a separate under- standing with himself — by causing a persistently liostile use to he made of the ileets — and, finally, by liis ambiguous ways of speaking and acting — the Frencli Emperor came to have a chief share in the kindling of the war. The stake wdiich England holds in the world simrft whirii makes it of deep moment to her to avert disorder iri"causing^ among nations; and, on the other hand, her in- sular station in Europe, joined with the possession of more than sufficing empire in other regions of the world, keeps her clear of all thought of terri- acquainted with the donbleness which characterises the French Emperor's liabits of action, it will be hard to believe in the extent to which his Envoy at St Petersburg was suffered to carry his adulation of the Czar. At the very time when the French Emperor was pushing our Government into the adop- tion of a measure of vengeance barely short of flagrant war, his Envoy, M. Castelbajac, although lie could not actually attend the public thanksgivings for Sinope in the Cathedral, did nevertheless permit himself to wait on the Chancellor, Count Nesselrode, and tender his congratulations for the slaughter of the Turks at Sinope, and the sinking of their ships. It is believed that he expressly desired to tender these his congratulations to the Czar 'as a Christian, a soldier, and ' a gentleman.' — Note to ith Edition,
 * For those wlio liave not hail ample means of becoming