Lord Raglan’s Successor--“Take Care of Dowb”--Lord Panmure’s Nepotism--The Crisis of the War--Gortschakoff’s Last Struggle--The Battle of the Tchernaya River--France and the War--A Despondent Court--Divided Counsels among the Allies--The Bridge of Rafts--The Grand Bombardment--French Attack on the Malakoff--British Attack on the Redan--Why the Attack Failed--The “Hero of the Redan”--Pélissier’s Message to Simpson--Appeal to Sir Colin Campbell--Evacuation of the Redan--Fall of Sebastopol--Retreat of the Russians to the North Town--Paralysis of the Victors--The Queen’s Anger--Her Remonstrances with Lord Panmure--A New Commander-in-Chief--Taking Care of “Dowb”--Codrington Chosen--The Wintry Crimean Watch--Diplomatic Humiliation of Palmerston--France Negotiates Secretly Terms of Peace with Austria--Palmerston’s Indignant Remonstrances--The Queen Objects to Prosecute the War Alone--The Surrender of Palmerston--He Abandons the Turks--An Unpopular Peace--The Tories Offer to Support the Peace--The Queen and the Parliament of 1856. When Lord Raglan died, General Simpson, who had been his chief of the staff, was appointed to succeed him. It is enough to say that Simpson was infinitely less capable than his predecessor; but, on the other hand, he was a good-natured, pliable man, not likely to be troublesome to the authorities at home. Mr. Alfred Varley, the eminent electrician, told Colonel Hope, V.C., that when Lord Panmure’s despatch appointing General Simpson to the chief command was received, the message ended with the mysterious order--“Take care of Dowb.” Mr. Varley, who was on duty, thinking “Dowb” was some unknown Russian general who had been suddenly discovered by Lord Panmure, requested that the message should be repeated. It turned out, however, that “Dowb” was merely an abbreviation of Dowbigging, and that Dowbigging was one of Lord Panmure’s relatives, whom he, as a Minister, pledged to suppress the nepotism that had ruined the army, thus authoritatively recommended to the good offices of the new Commander-in-Chief.[254] “Take care of Dowb,” from that day till now, has indeed been the shibboleth of jobbery and corruption in all branches of the Queen’s service. Thus, though the crisis of the war had now come, it was only too obvious that little could be expected from an army led by a feeble and subservient general, and directed from home by an “administrative reformer” of Lord Panmure’s type.