The Irish standard., 1900-07-07
HEROES REWARDED.

M u
Great Britain is Generous Toward Her
Titled Generals.
Whatever may be said of England's
treatment OF the men who fight her
battles in the ranks it can not be
charged that she has refused to reward
the successful commanders Of her ar
mics. The duke of Marlborough,
known also to history as John Churchill,
might be called general of one battle
that of Blenheim. But "it was ia
nous victory" the poet has told lis,
and for this alone he received the royal
manor of Woodstock, upon which
Queen Anne subsequently erected the
magnificent Blenheim palace. At the
same time the nations gratitude was
expressed in the highly practical form
OF perpetual pension to himself and
heir forever OF the very respectable sum
OF $4,000 per annum. In addition to
these splendid gifts, says the Gem, the
duke made some tolerably good pick
ings out of his campaigns, as will read
lily be admitted when it is stated that his
widow, the ambitious Sarah" to whom
he bequeathed only part of his fortune,
left behind her at her death the by no
means inconsiderable sum of f3,ooo,o 900.
The Marlborough perpetual pension,
it may be added, was actually paid right
up to the year 1884, when it was COM
muted for 91o7,7So. Up to this date
the English nation had paid the
Churchill family the very respectable
sum of f78o,ooo, exclusive altogether of
interest.
Although his monetary "pickings,"
being strictly legitimate, were of con-
siderable less value than those of his
lllustrious predecessor, the duke of We'll
lington had nevertheless but little to
complain of in the rewards showered
upon him by a grateful country. Begin
ming with Talavera, for which he re-
ceived 'threc life" annuity of f2,ooo,
he subsequently had an additional f2,ooo
tackled on to the first for the distin-
pushed services which terminated with
the storming OF Ciudad Rodrigo.
In the same year, also (1812), a fur
the annuity OF 1000 was voted in order
that he might more becomingly sustain
the dukedom OF Wellington, to which
he had been raised from plain Arthur
Wellesley as another recognition of his
services. This pension was, however,
committed for a lump sum of 600, 900.
while the final grant of 10000 voted
for the victory of Waterloo closed the
mutually satisfactory account between
the gallant duke and the land for which
he had achieved so much.
Sir Colin Campbell, although the
hero Of many splendid achievements in
the peninsular, Walcheren, Demerara,
China, Sikh and Crimean wars, is best
remembered in British hearts in connec-
ton with his magnificent conduct of the
campaign arising out OF the Indian mu-
tiny. For his brilliant services during
thise stirring times Sir Colin received
a peerage as Lord Clyde and pension
OF f2,ooo per annum. His career is
more worthy of our admiration in that
it was entirely self-made, the gallant
Sir Colin being neither of good family
nor possessed of the initial advantages
OF a good education.
For his capture of Magdala and the
consequent termination of the Abyssi-
MAN war on April 10, 1868, General Sir
Robert Napier was awarded the stereo-
typed f2,ooo per annum, and received,
in addition, the double dignity of field
marshalship and the title of Lord Napier
of Magdala.
OF late, however, the life pensions
have dropped out of favor. For in
stance, the present chief,
Lord Wolseley, received grant of
f25,ooo only for his successful conduct
of the Ashantee campaign of 1872-1874,
while for the Egyptian campaign of 1882
and the Nile expedition OF 1894 he re-
ceived peerage and viscountcy, re-
spectively. Similarly, Sir Herbert Kit
chener emerged from the shambles OF
Omdurman with the title of Lord Kit
chener OF Khartoum and a much-de-
bated grant of f25,ooo.
The present commander-in-chie at
the Cape of Good Hope (Lord Roberts)
has made still less, although his gal
lantry Che is V. CO. and his long and
arduous service-he has been fighting
his country's battles for upward of 4o
years-are probably unsurpassed by any
living soldier.
01VVF -vYr M YY-~~~