DECORATED LADIES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1837, 5 January 1889, Page 3

DECORATED LADIES.

In a pamphlet entitled “ Lea Femmes decorees de la Legion d' Honneur,” M. Alraard gives a complete list of the women who have been decorated with the red ribbon of the Legion of Honour sinee that order was founded, and the total now stands at 34. Under the first empire only two female nominations were made, and these were both for military achievements. The one was given to Virginia Gheequiezes, who had dressed herself as a man and had taken the place of her brother, who was not strong enough to stand the fatigues of a soldier’s life. Enrolled in the 27th Regiment of the Line, she displayed great bravery, and obtained the rank of sergeant, her sex not being discovered until she was wounded in the breast while rescuing her colonel from the eueray. The second was given to Marie Shelling, a Belgian woman, who enlisted out of liking for a military career, who fought at Jemmapes, where she received six sabre cuts, at Austeriilz, and at Jena, where she was wounded twice. In 180 G she was promoted to the rank of sublieutenant and Napoleon decorated hsr

with his own hand, granting her at the same lime a pension of 700 francs. The third woman decorated was a Sister of Charily, Soeur Mathe, in 1815, while the only decoration given to a woman between 1815 and 1851 was that accorded to a cantiraere named Perrott. From 1851 to 1865 eight rfbbons were given to women, among them being the one which the Emperor Napoleon affixed to the breast of Rosa Bonheur, and since the wnr_ the Legion of Honor has been leas sparingly distributed, one of the recipients being Lady Pigot, in recognition of the ambulance work she did in 1870. Altogether sevon women have been decorated for their services on the battle field, but no fewer than 20 out of the 34 have been Sisters of Charity, while the only artist has been Rosa Bonheur. One of the Uet recipients of the red ribbon has been Mdme Dieulafoy, tlie intrepid wife of the explorer in North Africa.