letter was answered. In the meanwhile
Lord Dundonald, beginning to despair of a satisfactory hearing from any
Minister of State, unless he was induced thereto by a popular demand,
addressed a petition to the House of Commons, urging the importance of
his plans, and praying for "a searching inquiry, to ascertain whether
the aforesaid secret plans are capable speedily, certainly, and cheaply
to surmount obstacles which our gallant, persevering, and costly armies
and fleets have failed to accomplish." His reasons for so doing he
explained in a letter addressed to the "Times" on the 10th of March.

"Peace," he there said, "being desirable not only for the interests of
our country, but for those of the world at large, and the negotiations
now pending being doubtless injuriously influenced by the obstinate
resistance of Sebastopol (which could be overcome in a day), and by the
impossibility of successfully attacking Cronstadt by naval means (which
might be as speedily reduced), I have drawn up a petition to Parliament
in order that secrecy and silence on my part, and deficiency of
information on that of the public, may no longer prove injurious to the
success of our arms. Hostilities having proceeded so far, assuredly it
is more expedient to reduce a restless nation to a third- or fourth-rate
power, than be ourselves reduced. Let not my motive be mistaken. I have
no wish to command a fleet of 100-gun ships, or to attack first-rate
fortresses by incased batteries or steam gunboats. That which I desire
is, first, secretly to demonstrate to competent persons the efficiency
of my plans, and then to obtain authority, during eight or ten days of
fine weather, to put them in execution. The means I contemplate are
simple, cheap, and safe. They would spare thousands of lives, millions
of money, great havoc and uncertainty of results. Their consequences
might, and probably would, effect the emancipation of Poland, and give
freedom to the usurped territories of Sweden. Those who judge
unfavourably of all aged naval commanders assuredly do not reflect that
the useful employment of the energies of thousands and tens of thousands
of men can best be developed and directed by a mind instructed by long
observation matured by reflection;--an advantage to which physical
power, that could clear its way by a broadsword, can bear no comparison.
My unsupported opinion in regard to a naval enterprise in 1809 proved to
be correct. Every other undertak