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 272 THE WINTER TROUBLES. CHAP, denounced by the Secretary of State, there can ^^' hardly, I suppose, be a question that the rebuke should have been public, and delivered with all the weight of official authority. By ofiering a sort of condolence to Lord Raglan in private, the Duke of course ran no risk of incurring newspaper vengeance, and on the other hand, did nothing at all towards vindicating the as- sailed commander. The occasion was not one to be met by a clandestine fling at the ' Times.' Tiie Duke of The Dukc of Newcastle proceeded to execute fxe^Sting^ liis plan of attack. On the 18 th of December, attack.""^ he addressed Lord Raglan (upon the non-deli- very of regimental baggage) in terms approach- ing to censure ; (^^) and three days later he commenced a series of letters distinctly im- porting blame. In the first of these, dated the 2 2d of December, he openly disclosed his belief that a ' want of system and organisation ' prevailed ' in all the departments of the camp.' On the 25th, he wrote yet more strongly to the same effect, declaring that there appeared to be ' carelessness amongst the higher departments,' which required vigorous correction. On the 29th, he returned to the subject, writing even more vituperatively than before, and in a yet closer pursuance of the ordained course of action, his diatribes now drew to a focus ; for, basing himself on the curious mistakes before indi- cated, he distinctly charged Lord Raglan's Adjutant and Quartermaster Generals with in- attention to the duties of their departments, and even went the strange length of making