THE COUNSELS OF THE ALLIES. 191 ' Three weeks ! and from the day of the Alma chap. •^ . VIL
- a month ! You are startled as though this were
' an extravagant estimate. Eeckon then for your- ' selves You have reckoned. Our ' figures agree. "Well, but now that you have ' computed the length of the respite you are ' giving the enemy, go farther, and try to make ' out whether all this momentous delay is good
- for him or for you. First, how will delay be
' likely to tell, for a time, upon the relative ' numbers of the invaders and the invaded ? By ' sending us upon this enterprise, far away from
- the mainland of Europe, and in bold disregard
' of the German Powers, our French and English ' Governments have brought about the insertion ' of a neutral army betwixt the Danube and the ' Pruth, thus releasing the Czar from all care in ' the direction of his Bes.garabian frontier;* and ' we ought to assume that a large portion, if not ' indeed the whole strength, of Prince Gort- ' schakoff's army is at this moment rapidly ' marching upon Simplieropol. Any troops which ' may have been previously stationed in the more ' distant parts of the Crimea will probably have ' been called in with all speed ; and Prince Ment- ' schikoff's march to Baktchi Serai seems to ' show that anxiety to give the hand to his ex- ' pected reinforcements must be one of the ' motives which urged liim to the singular mea- ' sure of abandoning Sebastopol. On the otlicr
- The Austrian army was the one interposed Jn thit
way.
