desirous to use the power of France
to lessen Russian power in Asia in the interest of the Anglo-Indian
dominions. The question, too, was raised in France, how far it was for
the advantage of that country to extirpate the naval power of Russia,
which might be employed, possibly, in resisting the dominant navy of
England. During the war, the French navy performed an inglorious
part. It fought well when brought into action, but its operations were
entirely subsidiary to those of England. France was jealous of this
evident superiority, and from the fall of Sebastopol toiled incessantly
to counteract and rival the naval power of England. Everything
Russian was popular in France after the capture of southern
Sebastopol--everything English was decried. The most mendacious
statements, under official authority, were put forth, exaggerating the
losses of the English navy and army, and lessening the computation of
the losses of Russia and France. The French official journals described
the loss of the Russian army at a quarter of a million of men. Lord
Panmure, in his place in the British parliament, estimated it at half a
million. His lordship, as war minister, was acquainted with the facts
as regarded all the armies in the field, and no one ever impeached his
truthfulness and moderation. During the two years and a quarter that the
Crimean campaign lasted, out of an army, of which the average strength
was 34,500, 20,800 died from all causes; but of these deaths only 5,000
occurred in action, or from wounds inflicted by the enemy. Two-thirds of
the whole mortality arose from other causes more destructive than shot,
bullet, or bayonet. An equal number of men of the same ages would,
according to the average death-rate of the more healthy districts of
England, have suffered a loss of only 610, in lieu of 20,000. While
every credit is given to the war secretary for moderation and truth, his
statistics are open to some strictures. They were thus commented upon by
the author of this History, in his "History of the War against Russia."*

* Vol. ii. p. 745.

"Lord Panmure's statement referred to the army, but it did not include
soldiers on board ship, nor the naval brigade, nor the marines. His
lordship's account does not agree with a corrected calculation from the
various reports made from time to time. These bring up the computation
to a figure higher by several thousands. This may be accounted for by
several circumstances. His lo