In the meantime the condition of Marshal Saint-Arnaud had become critical, and on September 25 he resigned the command of the French army, and was succeeded by General Canrobert, who was then forty-five years of age. Saint-Arnaud embarked at Balaclava on board the 'Berthollet,' and was visited by Lord Raglan and Sir Edmund Lyons. He was then almost at the point of death, and his last words to Lord Raglan were: 'Je vous suivrai toujours par la pensée.'[7] He died on board on September 29. At the end of September the allied armies took up their position on the plateau in front of Sebastopol, the French on the left with their base at Kameisch; Lord Raglan establishing his head quarters at a farm house. [Illustration: SKETCH showing the position of the ALLIED ARMIES before SEBASTOPOL Oct. 1854.] [Illustration: Russian Names. T. _Malakoff Tower_ _Kornileff Bas._ M. _Mamelon. Gordon's Hill_ R. _Great Redan_ _Bastion No. 3_ D. _Barrack Batteries_ G. _Garden Batteries_ B. _Bastion du mât_ _Bastion No. 4_ C. _Bastion Centrale_ _Bastion No. 5_ L. _Lancaster Battery_ X. _Left Attack. Chapman's Batteries_ Y. _Right Attack. Gordon's Batteries_ S. _Sand bag Battery at Inkerman._ _English_ _French._ References to Balaclava. _A. B. C. D. E. F._ {_English {Batteries._ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. {_Redoubts {manned by Turks._] The land defences of the city at the time were incomplete and not continuous. On the east stood a round tower with four guns (the Malakoff), and on the west a crenelated wall, with another tower overlooking Quarantine bay, and between these were some earthworks (called afterwards the Redan, Bastion du Mât, &c.), unfinished and unarmed. These defences were not formidable, and the idea of an immediate assault suggested itself and was advocated by some officers of high rank. On the other hand, the garrison was almost equal in number to the allies; the approaches were commanded by guns, although few, of heavy calibre; and the enemy had so placed their line-of-battle ships in the harbour as to sweep the ravines leading down to the city. On the whole it was considered more prudent to land the French and English siege trains, with a view to a bombardment, to be followed by a general assault.