376 APPENDIX. ' ville, et on y laisse une garnison suffisante, ou bien on occupe ' but la route que nous venous de parcourir une bonne position • qui assure les derrieres de l'armee. Maintenant de deux choses
- l'une ; ou l'armee Russe qui est en position devant Sevastopol
- abandonne cette formidable position pour venir a la rencontre
' dc l'armee qui s'avance du cote de Batehi Serai, et alors la ' premiere armee d'op6rations sous les ordres de Lord Raglan la • pousse l'epee dans les reins, et s'empare de la position d'lnker- ' man ; * ou bien les Russes attendent dans leur lignes l'arrivee ' de l'armee qui vient de Simferopol, et alors celle-ci s'avance de ' Batehi Serai sur S6bastopol en appuyant toujours sa gauche ' aux montagnes, fait sa jonction avec l'armee du Marechal Rag- ' Ian qui s'est avance' de Baidar sur Alhat, repousse l'armee ' Russe, et la rejette dans Sebastopol, ou dans la mer. ' I make this extract from the Emperor's later exposition of his plan ; but nearly, if not quite the same words are contained in his Letter of the 27th of April. Note 4. — To avert the catastrophe. — As regards the siege-army, this is amply shown by the statements contained in chap. xi. As regards the force invading from Aloushta, we may say that (unless upon the improbable supposition of the enemy's being taken by surprise) the ' Army of Diversion ' would have to do what is commonly understood to be all but impossible, that is, to debouch from mountain-passes in the face of an enemy both powerful and fully prepared. As regards the ' 1st Army of Operation ' confided to the English Commander, we must see that the more deeply Lord Raglan might become engaged in trying to execute the Emperor's plan, the more impossible he would find it to come in good time to the rescue of either the ' Siege Army' or • the Army of Diver- 1 sion. ' NOTES TO CHAPTER X. Note 1. — Into full play. — The laying down of the cable had been completed a week before ; but till afterwards, the appliances needed for making it carry a message were not brought into due order. From the beginning of the War, land-service wires of the elec- tric telegraph had been occasionally used ; but till after the lay- ing down of the submarine cable, they did no more than reduce
- The
ou the te Emperor, adopting Russian nomenclature, means the Heights right bank of the river, which I call the 'Old City Heights.'
