rved, that "seldom was a sublimer spectacle presented to the world
than a mighty nation, which had buckled on its armour for war, humbling
itself before the Almighty, and appealing to his power and protection
with one voice." Such were the leading home incidents preparatory to
the great struggle in which great nations battled for ascendancy.
Preparations still went on in England for the struggle, which was so
soon to ensue in all its sanguinary earnestness. The estimates, which
parliament was asked to vote for 1854, beginning on the 1st of April,
were utterly inadequate to to the crisis; they were--

Proposed Vote. Increase.

For the Army.... 6,287,488 262,470

" Navy.... 7,487,948 1,202,455

" Ordnance 3,854,878 792,311

L17,630,314 L2,257,236

These estimates were of course the occasion of much parliamentary
discussion, the feeling of the house being in favour of a larger vote.
The chancellor of the exchequer, Mr. Gladstone, hoped by this "bit by
bit" preparation for the war to show his majesty the czar British desire
for peace; and expected to conciliate him by showing how few regiments
we were willing to raise, and the modicum of expense wo contemplated.
All who knew the habit of thought in Asiatic nations--and Russia
is essentially an Asiatic nation--were aware that this parsimonious
war-making would have a contrary effect: the czar understood it as a
token of a commercial disgust to war, and a dread of adding to the
national debt, and he was encouraged to proceed. That such was the
feeling at St. Petersburg private letters at the time, and subsequently,
abundantly established.

The naval preparations for the war made better progress than those of
the army. A fleet was fitted out, the most magnificent the world ever
saw, and was committed to the command of Vice-admiral Sir Charles
Napier. Rear-admirals Chads and Plumridge were also appointed to
important commands under Sir Charles. This fleet was exercised daily
off Portsmouth by Admiral Chads, especially in gunnery, who had obtained
great celebrity in that department of a naval officer's qualifications.
The Russian fleets had paraded about the Gulfs of Bothnia and Finland
the preceding autumn, and the usual boastings were heard through the
Russo-German organs of the press, and from the