Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol. 8.djvu/140

108 MOVEMENT OF TURKISH TROOPS. CHAP. IV. The siege operations maintained against the town front; and by the English against the Redan and its neigh- bours. Continu- ance and final success of General Cuirobert's efforts to draw rein- forcements from the Turkish army at Euiiatoria. would be hard to deuy that at this time, the great design of the 1st of January had undergone so much frustration as to be nearly in a state of abeyance. X. Our allies, all this time, both above and below the earth's surface had been pressing their siege operations against the town front of Sebastopol, whilst the English with scantier numbers, and besides on more difficult ground, had been slowly pushing forward their batteries against the Kedan and its neighbours ; but then also — resorting to means such as those we before saw him use — the unwearied Colonel of Sappers had never for one moment ceased to keep his assailants confronted by so strong a growth of defences, and so eager, so constant a handling of his warlike resources, that, although it cost them great sacrifices, and extended along a front of four miles, this now subordinate part of the general conflict did not rage in a way that seemed tending towards any momentous result. XL General Canrobert, as we have seen, had long been desiring, and at last craving almost passion- ately that a great part of Omar Pasha's force at Eupatoria should be brought to the Chersonese ; but Lord Eaglan was strongly opposed to the idea. He conceived that Omar Pasha firmly planted at Eupatoria with 40,000 victorious troops on the