Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 7.djvu/274

230 THE WINTER TROUBLES. CHAP, agreed to be a distressing calamity ; (^) and _1^_ without enquiring why armies with the ample charter of victory should choose to winter out on the Chersonese, sought only to learn how the hardships inseparable from any such undertaking had been augmented by neglect or mismanage- ment. The loss of the Woronzoff Eoad, the undue allotment of work imposed on Lord Kag- lan's troops, the hurricane of the 14th of Novem- ber, and withal, the miscarriage of administrative business — these were four causes tending to aggravate the main evil — the evil brought about by false strategy ; but the three first were not of such kind that they would serve as good fuel on which public anger might feed. For it was obviously unprofitable, perhaps even dangerous, to rake up cause of blame against Canrobert for acquiescing in Liprandi's encroachment on the 25 th of October, or for leaving tasks to our people beyond their utmost strength ; and of course there was but little temptation to go on scolding a hurricane brought about by some rebel ^olus not yet duly in awe of the ' Times.' There remained the obvious subject of adminis- tration ; but even there, the enquirer saw before him a far-spreading part of the thicket which could not be well marked for clearance, because that Eoyal Commandership which (by clashing with Parliamentary Government) forbade the concentration of power essential for a good War Department bad roots striking deep into the polity of the English State, and it was obvious that, to make wholesome changes dependent upon