xxviii BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCH. 



Arthur thus characterizes Peel: — " Peel happens to be a first-rate man; I mean a man that if 

 he li\es will gain the reputation of a Nelson : his coolness and courage are of tliat description 

 which inspire admiration in the men; nothing will induce him to budge an inch for a shot. If 

 a shell falls close to him he stands perfectly erect and cries ' Lie down,' and looks slowly round 

 to see if his men are lying down. ^^ hen the shell has burst he calls out ' Go on ;' and on they go 

 working or firins:. Ilis recklessness of his own life is marvellous ; he seems to think of nothinjj 

 but his work ; he is by far too extraordinary a man to be appreciated here. If he lives, of which 

 there is a bad chance, and has opportunities. Peel will become one of the greatest men of his 

 time ; any one going into a battery under fire in which he is will immediately ask who he is. 

 There are numbers of officers in the batteries who do not care, either from habit or laziness, for 

 the enemy's fire, but none of them have the knack of making every man not care. Peel sets 

 every one perfectly mad. When he arrived in Gordon's Batteiy with his 200 ' Leanders,' the 

 excitement was very great. But this go-a-head character makes him enemies : his powers and 

 qualities are far too transcendent, and he will tower some day over the wretched intellects which 

 have not at present either will or capacity to appreciate him." 



There is a melancholy interest in perusing this truthful and eloquent tribute to the merits 

 of that gallant and accomplished officer. 



Early in April, just before the second bombardment. Lord Arthur wrote again : — " There 

 are strong reports that our batteries are to open fire immediately. The object in doing so is not 

 so clear to me ; for on the English side the approaches are not within 700 yards. It is difficult 

 to arrive at the grounds upon which the authorities act. Some say that our mortars will be so 

 destructive as to make the place untenable. I fear that the enemy have anticipated the 

 possibility of such a fire, and that during the past months they have constructed bomb-proof 

 shelter for their garrison. It is clear that no mortar-fire will silence batteries, for its accuracy 

 cannot be depended on, and therefore I look for our straight fire to do that." lie thought 

 our straight fire, whether round shot or shell, was as good in quality as that of the 

 enemy, but that it Avas not so in quantity. ^lVe had not so many guns in position ; the 

 amount of ammunition at hand was inferior, and we had not a sufficient reserve of guns ; 

 our parapets were much injured, shot having more than once come througli them on the Right 

 Attack. The gabions and fascines were old, dry, and inflammable. The French were impressed 

 >vith the idea that if the town could withstand five hours' cannonade it could withstand a 

 month, and were consequently anxious for an experiment of five hours' firing. The English idea 

 was to fire away as long as they could ; if our fire overpowered that of the enemy, they might 

 mask their guns, and wait till our troops moved forward. That would not be like storming a 



