d took the English by surprise. A desperate
hand-to-hand struggle against overwhelming odds ensued. Then the French
came to the aid of the English troops, and the battle of Inkerman was
won.

As the winter approached, the position of the Allies grew perilous, and
it seemed likely that the plans of the invaders would miscarry, and the
besieging Allies be reduced to the position of the besieged. Before the
middle of November winter set in with severity along the shores of the
Black Sea, and a hurricane raged, which destroyed the tents of the
troops, and wrecked more than a score of ships, which were carrying
stores of ammunition and clothing. As the winter advanced, with bleak
winds and blinding snow, the shivering, ill-fed soldiers perished in
ever-increasing numbers under the twofold attack of privation and
pestilence. The Army had been despatched to the Crimea in the summer,
and, as no one imagined that the campaign would last beyond the early
autumn, the brave fellows in the trenches of Sebastopol were called to
confront the sudden descent of winter without the necessary stores. It
was then that the War Office awoke slowly to the terrible nature of the
crisis. Lord John Russell had made his protest months before against the
dilatory action of that department, and, though he knew that personal
odium was sure to follow, endeavoured at the eleventh hour to persuade
Lord Aberdeen to take decisive action. 'We are in the midst of a great
war,' were his words to the Premier on November 17. 'In order to carry
on that war with efficiency, either the Prime Minister must be
constantly urging, hastening, completing the military preparations, or
the Minister of War must be strong enough to control other departments.'
He went on to contend that the Secretary of State for War ought to be in
the House of Commons, and that he ought, moreover, to be a man who
carried weight in that assembly, and who brought to its debates not only
vigour of mind but experience of military details. 'There is only one
person belonging to the Government,' added Lord John, 'who combines
these advantages. My conclusion is that before Parliament meets Lord
Palmerston should be entrusted with the seals of the War Department.'

[Sidenote: INCAPACITY IN HIGH PLACES]

This was, of course, an unwelcome proposition to Lord Aberdeen, and he
met it with the declaration that no one man was competent to undertake
the duties of Secretary of State for War and those