Page:The invasion of the Crimea vol. 2.djvu/200

170 TRANSACTIONS OH A P. It is to be observed also, that partly from the — —i — way in which our military system was framed, and partly from political causes, the sympathy which England ought ever to liave with her troops had been materially lessened after the first few years of the peace. The Duke of "Wel- lington, dreading lest our forces should be dan- gerously reduced by the House of Commons, made it his policy to withdraw the arniy as much as possible from public observation. This method had tended still further to dissociate the country from its armed defenders : but naturally the Duke of Wellington's view was law ; and it be- came the duty of those who were employed in the military administration, not to cause the country to practise itself heartily for the eventu- ality of anotlier war, but simply to maintain, as far as they could, a monotonous quiet in the aimy. For half a lifetime Lord Fitzroy Somerset was engaged in preventing and allaying discussion, and making the wheels of office run smooth. Against the baneful effect of this sort of experi- ence, and against the habit of mind which it tended to generate, Lord IJaglan had to combat with all the fire and strength of his nature. Wlien Lord liaglan was appointed to the com- mand he was sixty-six years old. But although there were intervals when a sudden relaxation of the muscles of the face used to show ihe impress of time, those moments were few ; and, in general, his well-braced features, his wakeful attention, his uncommon swiftness of thought, his upright