Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 2.djvu/345

 ACROSS THE BLACK SEA. 315 follow from a landing on the coast to the north of chap. Sebastopol. ' Thereupon, Admiral Bruat repudiated the sup- position of his being a party to the apprehensions attributed to the Admii-als. Lyons also repudi- ated it. Neither he nor Vice-Admiral Dundas had known before the conference that any such step as that of framing and presenting the remon- strance had been imagined by the French officers, and, as might be expected, they were both very sure that nothing of the kind had sprung from the British navy. The inference which Lord Eaglan drew from the document was, that it evinced 'an iudisposi- ' tion to the expedition amongst the officers who ' are supposed to be looked up to and to exercise ' influence in the French army ; ' and, ' in fact,' said he, ' we were told as much at the meeting here ' on Friday.' These, tlien, were the ' timid counsels ' * of which the French Emperor afterwards spoke when he ascribed the glory of overruling them to Marshal St Arnaud. If it was right, as most men will think it was, that these counsels should be overruled, there was merit due to St Arnaud ; but first appeared, it was imagined that the imputation of giving 'timid' counsels was intended to be cast upon some of our Generals or Admirals ; but the Duke of Newcastle, with a becoming spirit, determined instantly that this should not be suffered to pass ; and the ' Moniteur ' was afterwards made to explain ofScially that the ' timides avis ' were attributed by the Emperor, not to any Englishman, but to some unnamed officeru in the French service.
 * 'TimiJes avis.' When this letter of the French Emperor