468 ArrENDix. ' You appear to be much offended with that sentence in my ' despatch in which I state that " your Start' seem to have known ' "as little as yourself of the condition of your gallant men." ' You say that you do not deserve this reproach. I rejoice to ' find that such is the case ; but you never .so informed the Duke ' of Newcastle or myself before, and how could we know the real ' facts of your case ? * ' Assertions, based on the fullest confidence in your good feeling ' and discretion, were the only weapons left us to contend with ' positive, and apparently strongly fortified, averments. Can you ' be sur^jrised that we required something more ? ' You a.sk me for the name of your slanderer. I will only say ' that my information has not been derived from the columns of ' the " Times," but from eyewitnesses of the scenes by which you ' have been surrounded, but whom it would be a base breach of ' confidence in me to betray. ' You seem to forget my position, and consider me as bound ' solely to defend you against all assailants. I have a duty to ' discharge to the army, for which the country holds me strictly ' responsible. If I am told that it starves amidst the means of ' obtaining supplies — that it continues to empty its ranks into its ' hospitals, and finds no medicines by which its diseases can be ' alleviated — I cannot turn a deaf car to such startling complaints, ' nor should you take offence when I shall call your attention to ' them, and require that they should be fully explained ' And now I hasten to the conclusion of your despatch, in ' which you give expression to the pain, mortification, and sur- ' prise at the manner in which my predecessor and myself have ' entertained all the abuse whicii has been so lavishly poured ' upon you. ' This is not so. It is my firm belief that, had my prede- ' cesser taken this line — had he exhibited less of magnanimity ' [in showing t] in personally confronting the storm of popular ' indignation — that storm would have rolled more heavily upon ' you. ' For myself, you need not doubt my readiness to defend you ' amid the trials and difficulties of your arduous career ; but I ' must have your confidence — I must know from yourself the ' dark as well as the bright shades of the scenes in which you ' move — I must be enabled to fight your battles even against ' invisible and anonymous foes ; and if you arm me with this
- This is surely a wouiierful jiaragnipli to liave been written 1)y a
Secretary of State. It apparently animuits to this : ' How could we ' help lielieving you to be a guilty and wicked deliuiiuent when you ' never said you were not ? ' t Sic in original; but ap]iarently the writer meant to have struck out the two words I liave placed within brackets.
