Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 4.djvu/93

OF THE ALMA. 63 •were ranged in the order deemed best fur sailing CHAP. to meet the enemy. ^^^' The adverse winds had been followed by calm ; Abandon- li-'i-i L iii.ii " luentofatiy hut it does not njipear that there M'as any con- intention oi ,. . , , . . , " , attacking tinuance ot that j'earnmg to venture a naval thcannaUa. attack which seems to have been felt the day before. The Piussian fleet Avas so much weaker than that of tlm Allies in many respects, but especially in point of steam power, that, nidess it should chance to succeed, any attem[>t of the kind would be liable to be condemned for its rash- ness. It is probable that upon this snbject the ordei'S of Prince Mentschikoff wer(^. peremptory. At all events, there was no thought, it would seem, on this day, of undertaking to disturb the busy scene in Kalamita Bay by breaking into the midst of the flotilla whilst the French and the English were landing. There was now withdrawn froin some of the Men ami ships a number of men sufficing to add four more drawnfro'm battalions to the strength of the mariners already turned into soldiers ; and a day or two later, iieavy guns, to the number of thirty, were taken out of the men-of-war, and brought into use for the land-defences. All this time, the five thousand workmcMi atTiieiuMi the command of Prince iMentschikoff were busi- ly employed, and the works on the North Side especially were jiushed on M-ith ceaseless energy ; but it was not until after a week from the land- ing that these approached their completion. On the South Side, the defenders were l»usied with a