ATTACK ON SEBASTOPOL. 241 and ill proportion as the growing concord of the chap. people enabled it to speak with more and more 1_ authority, power lapsed, and continued to lapse, from out of the hands of the government, until at length public opinion, no longer content to direct the general policy of the State, Avas prepar- ing to undertake the almost scientific, the almost technical duty of planning a campaign. On the morning of the 15th of June, the great xiie opiuiou newspaper declared and said that ' The grand uon, asaV ' political and military objects of the war could coini.aiiy,
- not be attained as long as Sebastopol and the destmciiou
of Sebas- ' Eussian fleet were in existence ; but that, if topoL
- that central position of the Eussian power in
' the south of the empire were annihilated, the ' whole fabric, which it had cost the Czars ' of Eussia centuries to raise, must fall to the ' ground : ' and, moreover, it declared, ' that the
- taking of Sebastopol and the occupation of the
' Crimea were objects which would repay all the ' costs of the war, and would permanently settle ' in our favour the principle questions in dispute ; ' and that it was equally clear that those objects ' were to be accomplished by no other means — ' because a peace which should leave Eussia in ' possession of the same means of aggression ' would only enable her to recommence the war
- at her pleasure.'
It was natural that some of the members of the Government should have qualms. They knew that Austria (supported for defensive purposes by Prussia) was at that time on the point of joining VOL. II. Q
