HIS DEFENCE OF SEBASTOPOL. 225 stood open to all who would save it, and only chap. closed against enemies, the troops there at any 1 . time planted were something more than a ' gar- ' rison,' being also in truth the foremost column of troops engaged in resisting invasion ; and moreover the one chosen body out of all the Czar's forces which had in charge his great jewel — the priceless Sebastopol Eoadstead. The invaders and the invaded alike had from time to time fondly dwelt on plans for deciding the fate of Sebastopol by means of action else- where ; but the Eussians, deterred from ' ad- ' ventures ' by the terrible Inkerman day, had since been avoiding recourse to the leverage of field operations attempted with any such- object ; and, on the other hand, General Pelissier by his great strength of will had substantially brought the invaders to follow a like resolve. From this avoidance on both sides of serious field oper- ations, it resulted of course that hostilities be- came, as it were, condensed on the Sebastopol battle-field. There, accordingly, and of course with intensity proportioned to the greatness and close concen- tration of efforts made on both sides, the raging war laid its whole stress. On the narrow arena thus chosen, it was Rus- sia, all Russia that clung to Sebastopol, with its faubourg the Karabelnaya ; and, since Todleben there was conducting the defence of the place, it follows from what we have seen, that he was chief over that very part of the Czar's gathered, gatlier- VOL. IX. p
