THE 17X11 OF OCTOBER. 335 that he had completed his arrangements for the chap. morrow. But at that hour, the subversive an- L_ nouncement, which soon afterwards reached the rostpone- . . . ment at the Britannia, had vet to come; and m a postscript instance of ',.,.. the French to the very note which stated that his dispositions Admiral had been made, Dundas was obliged to add, 'Since
- writing tJie above, I have had a commnnication
' from Admiral Hamelin, and find he does not
- intend commencing his fire before ten or eleven
- o'clock, as his shot would not last long, and, if
' expended early, the enemy might* that he was ' beaten off I mention this to explain to your ' Lordship wh}^ the fleets do not begin their fire ' early in the day.' Dundas acceded to the reason which Hamelin adduced, and consented to the proposed change of time.f It had been determined apparently that the attack of the forts should be executed by ships which, keeping always in movement, would de- liver their fire in succession ; J and having given
- In the original note, now lying before me, there is an
omission of the word which the writer must have meant to insert after ' might. ' The letter is printed in the Journal of the Eoyal Engineers, and the hiatus is there supplied, I see, by the Avord 'think.' + In a note written that night to Lyons, Dundas, after mentioning Hamelin's postponement of the hour, and h.is reason for it, adds, ' 1 think the reason a fair one, and I mean to act 'upon it.' Lyons, on the contrary, says, writing to Lord Raglan, 'I confess that I cannot understand their [the French] ' leaving the decision to you, and then acting at variance with ' that decision ' (P. S. -wiitten after midnight on the eve of the engagement). i I say ' apparently, ' because, though there are good grounda
