PREFACE.

IX

The History of Medals, Chains, Clasps, and Crosses,conferred in reward of Military or Naval Services, is the onlyaccount of those Distinctions that has been published; and intracing the existence of Honorary Medals to past ages, severalhistorical facts, of more than common interest, have been dis-covered. Of the Naval Medal, instituted after the Victorygained by Earl Howe in June 1794; of the Military Medal,established after the Battle of Maida in 1806, and of theClasps and Crosses (which were instituted for a reason, thatin itself redounds to British glory, namely, that several Officershad gained so many Medals that it became inconvenient towear them), little was generally known.

Instead of there being a complete printed List of theVeterans who have been thus distinguished, the AdmiraltyOffice did not even contain the Names of such Admirals andCaptains as had received the Naval Medal, before the time ofthe Battle of Trafalgar. The records of the Horse Guardsrespecting the Military Medals, Clasps, and Crosses, were,however, in a more satisfactory state; and the List now printedwas compiled from the Official Register. Access to thatdocument was afforded, in the most obliging manner, byLieutenant General Lord Fitzroy Somerset, K.C.B. MilitarySecretary to the General Commanding in Chief; to whom,and to Sir John Barrow, Bart., Second Secretary to the Admi-ralty, for the permission he gave to extract whatever thatOffice might contain for the objects of this Work; to HenryBedford, Esquire, of the Admiralty, and to Frederick HenryLindsay, Esquire, First Assistant Secretary, at the Horse

B