Memoir and Letters of Francis W. Newman by Giberne Sieveking
page 160 of 413 (38%)
page 160 of 413 (38%)
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At the end of July, Newman went to stay with Dr. Nicholson and his family at Penrith, and there are one or two notes concerning his journey tither. The next letter is dated 24th Aug., 1856. He wrote therefore when the Crimean War was still going forward. That war which, amongst mistaken policies, blundering Government tactics, and aimless ambitions, holds a foremost place. It was not till the end of the year 1855 that it came to an end. After the attack on Sebastopol, the French--whose army had suffered quite as much from the terrible winter and from disease, etc., as our own--succeeded in taking the Malakoff Tower. This made it impossible for the Russians to defend Sebastopol any longer, and in March, 1856, peace was proclaimed. Then followed Russian promises, which were made as easily as they were broken. "7 Park Village, East. "_24th August_, 1856. "My dear Nicholson, * * * * * "Events have proved that Russia, too, painfully knew her own weakness. Probably he" (Louis Napoleon) "already in December knew that she knew it, and the war was far too unpopular with the French to be continued except on a different policy, with new necessities and new prizes to be won. Our policy from March, 1853, to March, 1855, was so hollow and so silly, that no wisdom could afterwards bring things right, or make the results of the war worthy of the cost; but the _comparative_ result in March, 1856, is so vast a gain over what nine out of ten of our statesmen (so called) were |
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