Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/307

AND PKEPARING. 277 All J, rriucc MentscliikofTs comuiuiiications with chap. . . . XII the interior of Russia being now in perfect security, 1_ the reason which had excused him when retreating out of Sebastopol coukl no longer hold good as a wa;rrant for standing aloof from the conflict. Upon the theory, I suppose, that the State must ever be ready for the defence of its honour and its interests, but especially for the defence of its territory, tens of thousands of the youth of All the Eussias had been every year torn from their homes at a cruel cost of life and happiness. "Well, one of those very conjunctures which was to be provided for by the infliction of all these suffer- ings upon millions and millions of men had now at last come. A great Paissian fortress, more precious than many a kingdom, was assailed by the foreign invader. Drave sailors, with a hand- ful of landsmen, were labouring to defend it ; and already, as we know, to cover the town, there had been formed an entrenched position four miles in length. "Without a reinforcement of several thousands of infantry to hold that intrenched position, the case of the garrison was hopeless. With it, the place might be formidably defended. That Avas the exigency. All ready to meet it, if only the Commander would give his assent, Prince INrentschikoff's army was lying on the north of the roadstead in actual sight of the gar- rison — nay, almost within hailing distance. Yet, when he came into conference, Prince jNIentschi- koff had still thought it possible for him to deny the garrison all aid from his field army ; and his