TROUBLED COUNSELS. 231 ' superior officers had hitherto shown such un- CHAP. VIII ' willingness to undertake anything that might __ ' involve serious risk,' and that ' the General-in- ' Chief had always previously manifested a dis- ' position to pursue a very cautious course,' and had been ' warned by the Emperor not to commit ' himself,' Lord Eaglan was greatly surprised at Lord Rag- the apparently sudden conversion of his French pression. allies to the policy of undertaking assaults, but — at first — he did not doubt their sincerity ; * and accordingly addressed his Government in terms well befitting what seemed to be a grave con- juncture.t IV. Not many hours had passed, when Lord Raglan perceived, as he thought, that under this new re- solve to assault Sebastopol, General Canrobert did General not feel ' comfortable ' ; J and how well he divined apparently 8 the truth we are able to see ; for on the very mor- state. row of the agreement made with Lord Eaglan in the evening of the 23d, General Canrobert was His letter writing to the Emperor in terms which not only (24th April) , , , . ill! i to the Em- declared the assault he had proposed on the pre- peror. vious evening to be a hazardous measure, but
- This is shown, I think, by his surmises as to the cause of
their being determined (as he then thought they were) to undertake an assault. t Lord Raglan to Secretary of State, Secret, April 24th, 1855. In quoting some words from the despatch, I have corrected what seemed to me a clerical error by substituting ' involve ' for ' incur. ' 1 Ibid.
