English and Foreign.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VIII, Issue 517, 17 October 1857, Page 3

English and Foreign.

DISTRIBUTION OP THE VICTORIA CROSS FOR VALOUR

(From the Times, June 29.)

A new epoch in our military history was yesterday inaugurated in Hyde Park. The old and much abused campaign medal may now !x looked upon as a reward, but it will cease to be j sought after as a distinction, for a new order is instituted—a reward for merit and valour, open, without regard to rank or title to all whose conduct in the field has rendered them prominent for courage even in the British army. A path is left open to the ambition of the humblest soldier.—A road is open to honour which thousands have toiled, and pined, and died in the endeavour to attain; and private soldiers may now look forward to wearing a real distinction which kings might be proud to have earned the right to bear. The old spirit of exclusiveness, which, while limiting the order of the Bath to field officers only, yet dissipated its honours on the whole Staff, may be considered to have terminated when policemen and parkkeepers, officers and privates, captains and foremast sailors stood side by side as they did yesterday in the presence of their sovereign to receive at her hands that high reward for deeds which all had earned alike. Let us hope that i with the' last bright episode of the great Russian war the old rSgime, under which the heroism of the private soldier was ignored, was at an end, and that the Victoria Cross will,muster among its wearers a glorious bead roll of rank and file, who have always signalised their bravery, but until now in vain. If the camj paign in the Crimea has only effected this, it has done more towards maintaining the high efficiency of our army than any military distinction founded since the days of Marlborough. The display of yesterday in point of numbers was a great metropolitan gathering—it was a concourse such as only London could send forth. There were most vague ideas extant as to the time when the ceremony would commence, the prevailing notion evidently being that her Majesty would be on the ground soon after day-break, or, at least by 7. a.m., for even at that premature hour spectators began to assemble. Those who evinced this precocity in the time of attendance, were no doubt under the impression that by so doing they would secure good places, though the result could scarcely have justified their expectations or repaid them for getting up almost in the middle of the night.. A very large space, at least half • a-mile broad by three-quarters of a mile long, was enclosed on the northern side of the park for the evolutions q|;the; troops. On the side of this nearest to Grosyenor-gate galleries were erected for the accommodation of 7,000 persons, who l>y a pleasing fiction were denominated the public, though, of course, the distribution of the tickets which admitted to the enclosure was as exclusive as a presentation at Court. The station for the Queen was in the centre of the galleries, which formed a huge deal semi-circle, enclosing at least one-third of the space in which the troops were formed. On either side of her Majesty's position were smaller galleries for the members of the Legislature and Corps Diplomatique, who in virtue of their office were accommodated with seats, while the other portion of the galleries gave only standing room. All the rest of the ground round the enclosed space was left open to the public, who had the usual general license to see as they best could, which, as it happened, was very little indeed. Every part of these unavailable positions thus liberally set apart for the multitude was thronged by people, in some parts 30 and 40 deep, who remained under a broiling sun with silent patience, enduring everything with only the faintest hope of seeing anything in return for all their sufferings. The public, in fact, seemed only invited to contribute a great crowd to the proceedings of the day. They formed a most important portion of the show, and must rest content with having fulfilled that duty, for, as far as the majority of them were concerned, the whole ceremonial might as well have taken place at Stonehenge. Whatever may be the advantages of Hyde Park as a place of exercise, and as a spacious arena in which the scions of the London population may be aired, it is not adapted to eveiy purpose, and least of all for the the use to which it was put yesterday. It would be difficult to name any public ground in London from which the always ill-used public could not have had a better view of the day's ceremonial. What they did see we cannot undertake to say; but what nine-tenths of those present assuredly did not see was the very pageant which they came to witness. In vain they pushed about, stood on their own toes and those of their immediate neighbours, cried out " hats off," and remained bare-headed under a burning sun. The natural obstacles of Hyde Park, were not to be overcome, and push as they might they could gain no view of what was passing at hand, but quite out of sight. Some were naturally exasperated at this, for though in the abstract the human head is doubtless a fine subject for contemplation, yet, when some 10 or 12 intervene between you and the scene you are striving to behold, the emotions excited by it are neither philosophic nor pleasant. Thus, therefore, we were not surprised to hear among the disappointed mass that some occasionally swore in a more audible tone than is generally allowed to good society in public. Others bore their fate in silence at least, if not with equanimity, and their only desire appeared to be to get out of the crowd as fast as possible. On the old maxim that we derive some satisfaction from the misfortunes of our best friends it may console many to know to-day that even those who composed the front ranks among the public were very little better

off than the "sightless" multitude behind them. Between soldiers and policemen their field of view was limited in the extreme. Many who had borne the heat of the day, supported l)v the knowledge that they had secured an eligible position, found when the ceremonial commenced that it only commanded an uninterrupted view of X 45's buck or placed them vis a vis with the hind quarters of a volatile troop horse. The former, it must be admitted, was a dull prospect, and not exactly one which men get up at dawn and struggle through half a day to witness, while the latter was decidedly unpleasant, for who could stand unmoved within reach of sallies from the heels of a powerful brute, from whose perpetual manifestations of gaiety there is no retreat? Yet such yesterday was the lot of hundreds to whom in the early part of the day_ fortune seemed to have awarded the_ best positions, who only knew by cheers which made the horse more restive and Constable X more rigid that something of unusual interest was taking place. A great portion of the troops were on the ground at nine o'clock, standing in that picturesque disarray which is almost more effective as a spectacle than their close-formed serried ranks. The 79th Highlanders were there, as fine a corps as ever, but looking considerably shorn of their regimental beauty since the new uniform came in. There was a troop of Horse Artillery and two field batteries, with the Ist battalion of Grenadiers and Fusileers, and the 2nd battalion of Ooldstreams, forming great walls of men almost as firm and certainly as regular as masonry itself. There was a battalion of Marines, equal in appearance and discipline to the finest troops in the service, and the 2nd battalion of Rifles, sombre and gloomylooking as a thunder-cloud. The 11th Hussars, Ist and 2nd Regiments of Life Guards, and the 6th Dragoons formed a glittering mass by themselves, from off which the sun's rays seemed to dance and sparkle as from 10,000 mirrors. In fact, a little army, complete even to sappers and miners, military train, and mule litters, and mustering near 9000 men of all arms, was yesterday assembled in Hyde Park. The persons who composed the fashionable portion of the visitors, if we may so term those who were admitted to the reserved seats, were very punctual in their attendance, and every part of the great expanse of platform was well covered soon after 9 o'clock. The heat throughout the entire proceedings was intense; the ladies seemed to suffer much from it, and even strong, hearty gentlemen were not too fastidious to extemporize rude fans from coat-tails, handkerchiefs, and morning journals, or any suitable material at hand. Not a breath of air seemed stirring, and the standard which marked the Queen's position drooped heavily down, as if it too suffered from the sun and was incapable of fluttering or active motion. Everybody simmered into a state of aggravation, and everybody gasped and said how hot it was, in a tone of private communication, as if the temperature was a State secret which must not be bruited abroad. In less tropical nooks, beneath the trees, costermongers drove a brave trade in the retail of liquids from portly-looking barrels which we fancy must have contained something better than water, as policemen formed the staple of their customers.

Tilings went broiling and burning on thus till about half-past 9, when the troops formed in contiguous columns, stretching right across the park in a bright line, the ends of which ! would have been scarcely distinguishable but for their incessant glitter. Almost at the same time a small division of blue-jackets came upon the ground to represent the sister service. These were 100 picked men from the crews of the Excellent and Osborne, all of whom more or less distinguished themselves in the Baltic or in the naval brigade before Sebastopol. They were followed by a band of Chelsea Pensioners—veterans of bygone wars—and these again by the boys of the Duke of York's School, headed by a duodecimo edition of a drum-major, who, in spite of an extinguishing " bearskin" which made half his little bulk, yet strutted and flourished his staff of office in a style that was inexpressibly amusing. A few minutes before 10 o'clock the officers and men who were to receive the high honour of the Victoria Cross marched in single file across the park to the Queen's position. Their appearance created a deep sensation, and well it might, for upon a more distinguished band of soldiers the public have never yet gazed. One was a policeman, and wore his plain uniform as a constable of the R division, No. 444. This was George Walters, late Sergeant of the 49th Regiment, who highly distinguished himself at Inkermanu in rescuing General Adams when surrounded by Russians. Surely for such a man a better post may be found than that of a constable at 18s. a-week. Another, in the dress of a park-keepei-, was formerly a corporal in the 23rd, who volunteered on September the Bth to go out, under a murderous fire, to the front, after the attack on the Redan, and carry in Lieutenant Dyneley, mortally wounded. Three or four were in private clothes—gallant men who have quitted the ranks since the war and been rewarded more or less amply by civil appointments ; ten' were officers and men of the Guards, and seven were of the Rifle Brigade. There were sixty-one in all, of whom 12 belonged to the Royal Navy, two to the Marines, four to the Cavalry, five to the Artillery, four to the Engineers, and the remainder to various regiments of Infantry. Of all 25 were commissioned officers, 15 were warrant and non-commissioned officers, and the others privates and common seamen. As they stood in a row, waiting the arrival of her Majesty, one could not help feeling an emotion of sorrow that they were so few and that the majority of the men who would have done honour

even to the Victoria Cross lie in their shallowgraves on the bleak cliffs of the Crimea. Where were the men who climbed the heights of Alma, who hurried forward over the plain of Balaklava to almost certain death, who, wearied and out-numbered, yet held their ground on that dismal morning when the valley of Inkermann seethed w;fh flames and smoke like some vast hellish cauldron? Where are the troops who during that fearful winter toiled through the snow night after night, with just sufficient strength to drag their sick and wasted forms down to the trenches which became their graves? Let not these men be forgotten at such a' time, nor, while we pay all honour to the few survivors of that gallant little army, omit a tribute to the brave who have passed away for ever. But for that dread Crimean winter, and the way in which the troops were left to pass it, instead of 61 a thousand Victoria Crosses would yesterday have been deservedly awarded. Her Majrsty was expected to arrive at 10, and precisely at five minutes before that hour the guns of the Artillery thundered out the Royal Salute. The atmosphere was close and heavy, and the sound of the guns- struck with a heavy concussion that seemed to shake the air, and from what we heard of their effects would almost justify some of the chimney-sweepers at the West End in demanding compensation. The sound had scarcely ceased when the Royal cortege, attended by the usual " brilliant staff," came upon the ground. Her Majesty ro;de between their Royal Highnesses the Princfe Consort and Prince Frederick William of Prussia. She wore her usual scarlet riding coat, with the General's sash over the left shoulder, and a General's plume of red and white feathers in her open riding hat. Round her left arm was the customary token of military mourning—a band of black crape. Prince Albert wore the uniform of a Field-Marshal, and the Prince of Prussia that of a Colonel in the Prussian service. Following her Majesty were their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and Alfred, both in the Highland costume, and wearing the small Glengarry bonnet and the eagle's feather. A long cortege of gallant officers preceded her Majesty, including, among others, General Sir Hew Ross, Major-General Wetherall, MajorGeneral Sir Richard Airey, Sir C. Yorke, his Serene Highness Prince Edws.r.l of Saxe-Wei-mar, Lord Burghersh, Colonel Clifton, Colonel Maude, Colonel Sir T. Trowbridge, Colonel Gordon, the Queen's Aides-de-Camp, the Duke of Buccleugh, Marquis of Ailesbury, Marquis of Donegall, Colonel Patten, Lord Dynevor, and Colonel Holloway, Colonel Forster, Colonel Lake, Colonel Tyrwhitt, &c. After Her Majesty came the carriages containing the members of the Royal Family and General Lord Gough, Field-Marshal Combermere, General Sir Fenwick Williams, Major-General the Hon. Charles Grey, Sir Colin Campbell, Lord Charles Fitzroy, Aide de-Camp to the Prince of Prussia, Lord Panmure, Sir Charles Wood, Sir Richard Mayne, &c.

_ As the Eoyal party approached the troops the signal passed from rank to rank, and almost with a simultaneous movement, and with a dull, heavy rattle, the whole force presented arms and lowered colours, the bands at the same time playing the National Anthem. The effect of this salute was grand and impressive beyond description. All the Eoyal party, attended as before, rode slowly down the front ranks of the whole of ts-e long line. The Duke of Cambridge rode on the left of Prince Albert during this inspection, and returned with her Majesty to where the crosses were to be awarded. It was evident, from the arrangements made in the space in front of the galleries—the handsome dais erected and table fixed—that it was expected her Majesty would dismount and distribute the crosses at her table. The Queen, however, did not dismount, but with her charger a little in advance of the suite, witli the Prince of Prussia on her right hand, and the Prince Consort on her left, awarded the crosses from her seat on horseback. The form observed was simple in the extreme. The order was handed to her Majesty, and the name and corps to which each recipient belonged mentioned as he presented himself. The officers and men passed before the Queen in single file, advancing close whilst she affixed to the breast of each in turn the plain bronze cross, with a red riband for the army and a blue one for the navy. So quietly and expeditiously was this done in every case that the whole ceremony scarcely occupied ten minutes, and must have been over before the general but very distant public in the background were aware it had commenced. The brilliant appearance which this double stream of troops presented, the solid masses of men, with their undulating movement, showing itself in the rise and fall of thousands of bayonets, exceeded any metropolitan display of the kind we have, yet witnessed. The marching past at quick time had more life in it. This evolution, both by Horse and Foot Artillery, was beautifully performed. The batteries of guns and waggons seemed each a whole machine, so perfect was their regular^' of movement. The march of the cavalry was also good. Among the infantry, the Marines again distinguished themselves, though, of course, the Guards carried off the honours The marching of some of their companies seemed a perfectly marvellous perfection of drill. All officers as they passed saluted the Eoyal party and the colours were lowered. The sailors sainted in their own way by inarching past bare-headed/ but with all their eyes intently fixed upon her Majesty. It seemed almost a pity that more of the blue-jackets were not present, if only ; to gratify the people, for beyond a doubt they were the favourites yesterday, and, on leaving the ground, got one of the few hearty cheers which broke the otherwise rather silent pi-o-ceedings of the day. The 2nd battalion of

'Bifles were as usual attended by their ram, •which had been washed and apparently bleached 'for the occasion. 'It<isTiow too fat to inarch at •squick time, and its hobbling attempts to overtake the regiment yesterday, as it passed the Queen, excited much amusement. When the whole force had passed the second time, the Infantry formed in the order in which they stood when her Majesty arrived, while the Cavalry, headed by the Horse Artillery and Artillery, came past at a canter. This much enlivened the proceedings, and it was really a grand sight to see the Life Guards coming down the Park like a stream of bright metal, : and pouring their solid troops past with a dash and velocity that seemed invincible. The Horse Artillery, of course, thundered by, though the men seemed doing their utmost to hold in their fiery horses. After this the Cavalry and Artillery returned to 'their original positions in the line, which marcheS forward and again gave the Royal salute, and thus terminated the proceedings of a day from which we trust a new era may be dated in the history of our army. The greatest anxiety was manifested on the part of the people to see the Cross of Valour men as they dispersed and left the ground ; and the course of almost each could be traced by the i little group that followed him, anxious to get I a glimpse of the Cross, with which all found more or less fault at the very first. Than the Cross of Valour nothing can be more plain and homely, not to say coarse-looking. It is a very small Maltese cross, formed by the gun metal of ordnance captured at Sebastopol. In the centre is a small crown and lion, with which 1 itter's natural proportion of mane and tail the cutting of the cross much interferes. Below these is a small scroll, which shortens three of the arms of the cross, and is utterly out of keeping with the other portions) bearing the words " For Valour." Mr. Hancock was at first ordered to strike a hundred crosses with steel dies, but the intense hardness of the metal destroyed the dies, and it.was at last found necessary to cast them and chase them afterwards. But even with all the care and skill which distinguishes Mr. Hancock, the whole cross is, after all, poor looking and mean in the extreme. The merit of the design, we believe, is due to the same illustrious individual who once invented a hat. ■

One of the rules of the order is that it shall never be conferred but on account of acts of personal- bravery performed before the enemy, ■or, to use the words of the rule, " Nothing but the merit of conspicuous bravery shall be held to establish a sufficient claim to the honour." Another rule of the order we are sure our readers will peruse with satisfaction. It is " From, the date of the act by which the decoration has been gained all non-commissioned officers and privates shall be entitled to a pension of £10 a-year, and for each additional bar £5 a-year extra." May they long live to enjoy it!