The Press.
London, England, 1856-06-07 00:00:00

The author then proceeds to say :

It was impossible not to see that all these delays were
fatal and permitted the defence a development which
doubled obstacles and multiplied dangers General
Canrobert insisted every day with the general.in•chief of
the English army to cause him to open fire. He wrote to
the Minister on the 17th :—" Our batteries present the
enormous number of nearly five hundred guns ready to
act, and I have been waiting since the 14th for the Eng-
lish. I press them as much as I know both officially and
privately, for I feel the imperative necessity of attacking
the front of Sebastopol, which it is possible to take: but 1
also feel that it is interdicted to me to act without the co-
operation of our allies." On the 20th he wrote :—" The
English cannot yet tell me when they will be ready. This
delay is the mote fatal as the enemy hum advantage of it
to increase every day the strength of their works, and with
very remarkable ability to add new ones." The situation
became every day more delicate (plus !endue). " Yester-
day," wrote General Canrobert on the 23rd, " I pressed
Lord Raglan as strongly as circumstances permitted, but
1 could not obtain any positive reply." And during all
this time incessant dangers menaced our attack on the
Malakoff.

At length, however, the English were in a
position to promise that their fire should be
opened on the 9th of April ; and on the 9th a
tremendous fire against the devoted town was
commenced both by English and French. The
details of this new bombardment need not be
given, being familiar to the reader; but about a
fortnight later the situation is thus described :
In presence of the obstacles which arose at every step,
of the forced delays and innumerable difficulties which
sprung up, doubts began to be entertained as to the success
of the direct siege. General NW declared that under es•
isting conditions the siege was impossible; and he had to
support his views science, precedents of all sieges, and the
formidable aspect of the works of the enemy. Still with a
valiant army impossible things very often succeed; and it
would hive been weak and cruel, after so many sacrifices,
after so much bloodshed, in presence of so many works, to
give way to discouragement. And here is the greatest glory
of General Canrobert—it is, that he incessantly bore up
against discouragement, and maintained confidence in his
army.

The approaching arrival of the Emperor to
take command of an army to act at the exterior
now began to be talked of, and, says our author.
" prevented any decisive action against the place
" from being attempted." Besides, General
Canrobert had " secret instructions " which
" tied his hands." These instructions were :
If the assault on Sebastopol be impossible, or should
cost too many men without occasioning the total capture of
the place, you mist keep on the defensive, and arrange in
such a way that it will be possible for you to take two
divisions of infantry, the Imperial Guard, and all the
cavalty, together with eight batteries, to be joined to an
army of 40,000 men assembled at :Wasiak, near Constanti-
nople, in order to be ready at the first signal to act ester.
nally against the enemy.
A council was held, and—
Lord Raglan declared strongly for an assault, and
strongly combated the project for an external expedition.

The council, taking into consideration the
wish of the soldiers of the two armies, also
declared for the assault, and General Canro-
bert then " thought that it was his duty to
" adopt their views." But as, shortly after, the
arrival of reinforcements was announced, it
was deemed prudent to postpone it until they
should come.

About this time the idea of an expedition to
Kertch sprang up. Lord Raglan and Admirals
Lyons and Brunt were strongly in favour of it ;
General Canrobert did not approve of it. but
he yielded " to the pressing solicitations of
" Lord Raglan," and of the admirals. On the
30th of April, accordingly, the expedition set
sail, but the next morning General Canrobert
received the following telegraphic despatch
from Paris, from the Emperor himself:—
On the receipt of this despatch unite all your means to
prepare to attack the enemy externally ; concentrate imme-
diately all your forces, even thou of Maslak