Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/351

THE ITTII OF OCTOBEK. 321 The nature and scope of the disaster in the chap. XIII French lines was not so understood at the time L_ by any of the chiefs in Sebastopol as to lead Theoppor- 1 • 1 xf> • tunitv not them to follow up their advantage. It, on seeing seized. the magnitude of the first explosion, the Russians had at once assailed the batteries on jNIount ]iodolph with a sortie as bold as the one they undertook some six hours later, thoy would have tested the power of the French infantry to hold good in a time of depression. From half-past ten in the morning, and thence- 10.30 a.si., forth to the end of the day — nay, indeed, for aionenow engaged. a yet greater time — it was only by the English (formerly General Rose) docs not remember the purport of the messages which he delivered, and I am therefore obliged to appeal — I do so ver}' reluctantly — to my own memory. My impression, however, of what passed in my presence and hearing is tliis : General Rose came twice. On the first occasion he came to .say that the body of combustibles which had exfjloded was not a French magazine, but something which the Russians had found means to hurl into the French trenches ; and he added that the French were a good deal discouraged, at the same time intimating, if 1 rightly remember, that their fire would not be resumed that day. Upon his ser;ond visit — I am still speaking only from memory — General Rose said he had been requested by General Canrobert to apologise for having sent the first message — the fact being (as all, of course, knew) that the exploded combustibles were munitions of war contained in one of the French magazines. General Rose, it seems, must have added that the effect of the explosion would be to prevent the French from reopening their fire even on the morrow; for I find that my note is as follows : ' General Rose rode up, and told me ' that the French would not be able to go ou again until " the ' "day after to-morrow" !' My impression is that after im- parting the bad tidings to Lord Raglan, Rose intimated in a general way the determination of Canroliert to hold himself in readiness for assaulting. He did not, however, convey any proposal to that efl'ect. VOL. IV. X