Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 2.djvu/290

 2C0 ORDERS AND PREPARATIONS CHAP. XVI. Lord Raglan. The instruc- tions ad- dressed to him by the Home Gov- ernment. that the decision would properly rest with those who were responsible for the direction of the land-forces. So, although he held stoutly to his own opinion, the Vice-Admiral did not fail to give assurance that, if the decision of the Gen- erals should be in favour of undertaking the ex- pedition, they might rely upon the aid of the English fleet. There remained Lord Eaglan: and now it is time to give the words of the instructions which had been addressed to him, as we have already seen, by the Secretary of State. The private letter which was the forerunner of the detailed despatch ran thus : — ' Since I last wrote to you, events unknown •' to you at the date of these letters have been ' brought to us by the telegraph, and the raising ' the siege of Silistria, and the retreat of the ' Eussian army across the Danube (preparatory, ' probably, to a retreat across the Pruth), give an ' entirely new aspect to the war, and render it ' necessary at once to consider what shall be our ' next move. 'The Cabinet is unanimously of opinion that, ' unless you and jMarshal St Arnaud feel that you ' are not sufficiently prepared, you should lay ' siege to Sebastopol, as we are more than ever ' convinced that, wiiliout the reduction of this ' fortress and the capture of the raissian fleet, ' it will be impossible to conclude an honourable ' and safe peace. The Emperor of the French has
 * expressed his entire concurrence in this opinion,