THE COUNSELS OF THE ALLIES. 175 ' 1 am sure I could walk into it, with scarcely chap ' the loss of a man, at night, or an hour before I_ daybreak, if all the rest of the force was up ' between the sea and the hill I am upon. We ' could leave our packs, and run into it even in ' open day, only risking a few shots whilst we ' passed the redoubt. "Ve see the people walking ' about the streets in great consternation. I send ' this by Lieutenant Eavenshill, who will explain
- everything.' *
The impression under which Sir George Cath- cart thus wrote, was created by the survey he had been able to make from ground in front of his camp ; but when, as presently happened, his divi- sion was moved further east to the ground we now call ' Cathcart's Hill,' he had means of exam- ining the defences from a fresh point of view, and thenceforth, unless I mistake, he ceased to insist that the Allies could slip through the defences in the easy and costless way which he at first sup- posed to be possible; but, in lieu of his plan for 'stealing into' Sebastopol, he now, it f^eems, coun- selled Lord Laglan to undertake a determined
- The note is not dated (exce[)t in a way showing the place
and the hoi;r), hut I think that the 28th of September is the day on which it was most probably written. I have hit upon no trace of what was done in consequence. Sir John Burgoyne was not invited by Lord Englan to go up and test the supposed opportunity of 'walking into ' the place. It may be that Sir George Cathcart's change of opinion took place in time to enable him to countermand his request for a visit. I ought to say that I do not find the original note amongst Lord Eaglan's papers, but take the words from a draft in Sir George Catlicart's writing.
