Tin; 17TH OF OCTOBER. 337 holding its full sway ; * for besides that lie was of c H a. p. a friendly, generous nature, and had learnt some- '_ tiling by this time of the worth of the English on shore, he knew that at sea they were not without some renown ; and lie hardly could have believed, in any calm moment, that it was right for him to refuse them a free voice in the counsels which were to govern the operations of the Allied nav}^ including, of course, their own fleet ; but he had been so constituted that, when called upon as a commander to form important resolves, his mind became the prey to a distressing kind of anxiety, which unfitted him (as he soon came to learn) for the wielding of an army in the field ; and, if now he broke loose from the plain obligations of the Alliance by peremptorily imposing upon the Eng- lish navy — and that upon pain of finding all joint action suspended — the last and the feeblest of the notions which successively tormented his fancy, it is certain enough that he was far from intend- ing discourtesy, and that he had no other object than that of pressing, with an almost hysteric force, for the adoption of a measure which his doubting and agonised mind had suddenly repre- sented to him as the one that was the best for the common cause. By this new plan it was laid down, that instead Particulars of an operation effected by ships kept in motion, plan of the two fleets, whilst engaging the forts, should
- The loyal and friendly way in which Canrobert (when not
tormented by anxiety) could conduct his relations with the English is shown, I think, arifr, p. 30. VOL. IV. Y
