GENERAL REMARKS.]

HONORARY MEDALS.

51

believe, and certainly General Otway’s Brigade of Cavalry on the left, were notengaged. At all events, these troops were not engaged, as far as I understand,in a greater degree than the whole army were at Busaco, and every corps onthe field at Fuentes de Onoro.

“ I mention these circumstances only to point out to your Lordship, that inevery Action on shore, however severe, there must be some to whose lot it doesnot fall to have an opportunity to distinguish themselves; and that the principleof selection, without reference to ranks, ought to be'adopted in every instance ofthe grant of Medals to the Army.” 1

On the 1st of October in the same year, His Grace wrote to the Earl ofLiverpool:

“ Adverting to your Lordship’s dispatch of the 3rd September, regardingthe grant of Medals to the Officers of the Army, it occurs to me that animprovement might still be made in the system: for instance, many Officers inthe course of service, become entitled to two, or three, or more Medals. In myopinion, they should receive but one; but for every additional Action deemedworthy of the Medal, in which any Officer having a Medal should be present,he should be warranted to have the name of that Action engraved on his Medal,and that in that case, the fresh Medal for that Action should be given to theOfficer next in command in the regiment, who was present and distinguished inthe Action.” 2

It appears from this letter, that the substitution of other Distinctions for twoor more Medals, was proposed by the Duke of Wellington; and as the Medagiven to Lord Hill, is inscribed Roleia , 3 Vimiera, Corunna, Talavera,1808-9, His Grace’s idea of placing the names of the other Battles, in which anOfficer signalized himself, must have been adopted. The suggestion, that incases where the Officer commanding a Regiment had already received a Medal,the Medal for a subsequent Affair should be given to the Officer next in seniority,was never acted upon ; and it would seem to be wholly inconsistent with thetrue principle on which Honours should be conferred.

To Earl Bathurst, who succeeded Lord Liverpool as Secretary for War, theDuke of Wellington said, on the 16th of March 1813, apparently with referenceto the Clasps and Cross: “ I have received your letter of the 24th of February,

1 Dispatches of the Duke of Wellington, vol. VIII. p. 89—91.

2 Ibid. p. 310. 3 Roli§a, vide note 3 , p. 33, antea.