Great Britain and Her Queen - by Anne E. Keeling
Many of the injured being invalided home while the war was in progress, Her Majesty embraced the
opportunity to testify her sympathy and admiration, giving to them in public with her own hands the
medals for service rendered at Alma, at Balaklava, and at Inkerman. It would not be easy to say whether
the Sovereign or the soldiers were more deeply moved on this occasion. Conspicuous among the maimed
and feeble heroes was the gallant young Sir Thomas Troubridge, who, lamed in both feet by a Russian
shot at Inkerman, had remained at his post, giving his orders, while the fight endured, since there was
none to fill his place. He appeared now, crippled for life, but declared himself "amply repaid for
everything," while the Queen decorated him, and told him he should be one of her aides-de-camp. Her
own high courage and resolute sense of duty moved her with special sympathy for heroism like this; and
she obeyed the natural dictates of her heart in conspicuously rewarding it. With a similar impulse, on the
return of the army, she made a welcoming visit to the sick and wounded at Chatham, and testified the
liveliest appreciation of the humane services of Miss Nightingale, to whom a jewel specially designed by
the Prince was presented, in grateful recognition of her inestimable work. The new decoration of the
Victoria Cross, given "for valour" conspicuously shown in deeds of self-devotion in war time, further
proved how keenly the Queen and her consort appreciated soldierly virtue. It was the Prince who first
proposed that such a badge of merit should be introduced, the Queen who warmly accepted the idea, and
in person bestowed the Cross on its first wearers, thereby giving it an unpurchasable value.
CHAPTER V. INDIA.
Lord Aberdeen, who did not hope very great things from the war which had initiated during his Ministry,
had yet deemed it possible that Eastern Europe might reap from it the benefit of a quarter of a century's
peace. He was curiously near the mark in this estimate; but neither he nor any other English statesman
was unwary enough to risk such a prophecy as to the general tranquillity of the Continent. In fact, the
peace of Europe, broken in 1853, has been unstable enough ever since, and from time to time tremendous
wars have shaken it. Into none of these, however, has Great Britain been again entrapped, though the
sympathies of its people have often been warmly enlisted on this side and that. A war with China, which
began in 1857, and cannot be said to have ended till 1860, though in the interim a treaty was signed
which secured just a year's cessation of hostilities, was the most important undertaking in which the
allied forces of France and England took part after the Crimea. In this war the allies were victorious, as at
that date any European Power was tolerably certain to be in a serious contest with China. The closing act
of the conflict - the destruction of the Summer Palace at Pekin, in retaliation for the treacherous murder
of several French and English prisoners of distinction - was severely blamed at the time, but defended on
the ground that only in this way could any effectual punishment of the offence be obtained. That act of
vengeance and the war which it closed have an interest of their own in connection with the late General
Gordon, who now entered on that course of extraordinary achievement which lacks a parallel in this
century, and which began, in the interests of Chinese civilisation, shortly after he had taken a subordinate
officer's part in the work of destruction at Pekin.
From this date England did not commit itself to any of the singular series of enterprises which our good
ally, the French Emperor, set on foot. A feeling of distrust towards that potentate was invading the minds
of the very Englishmen who had most cordially hailed his successes and met his advances. "The
Emperor's mind is as full of schemes as a warren is full of rabbits, and, like rabbits, his schemes go to
ground for the moment to avoid notice or antagonism," were the strong words of Lord Palmerston in a
confidential letter of 1860; and when he could thus think and write, small wonder if calmer and more
unprejudiced minds saw need for standing on their guard. Amid all the flattering demonstrations of
friendship of which the French court had been lavish, and which had been gracefully reciprocated by
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