Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 7.djvu/369

 THE DEMEAiNOUK OF ENGLAND. 325 conducted with all the ' solenniity ' warranted ciiAi- IX by ' usage and precedent,' but also wisely in- _. sisted that it should proceed under the eye of the public. In furtherance of these directions, the great its procf od hall at Chelsea was prepared for the occasion, poathaiiat ^ ^ I'liclsea. one end of it being appropriated to the Court of Enquiry, whilst the other was furnished with benches for a numerous audience ; so that there, the public at large, though railed off l)y a 'hard ' and fast' barrier from the military part of the court, could always attend, see, and listen. Accordingly, under the presidency of General Sir Alexander Woodford, and supported at the table by the Judge Advocate General, the Board conducted its enquiry in presence of an eager public, unconsciously playing its part as the warrantor of what an Englishman means when he says he insists on ' fair play.' At first, men could gaze with pleased eyes on the fair young wives and fair daughters of several officers pre- sent,(-^^^) on the brilliancy of the uniforms, on the demeanour and outward characteristics of the martial tribunal, and besides, on partakers of the last year's campaign with whose names they had long been familiar, from their favourite Admiral Lyons and I^ord Cardigan, the leader of the ' Light Cavalry Charge,' to that pale, wiry, resolute veteran, the Commissary-General, who had come with full purpose to elucidate the vast transactions connected with the supply of our troops ; but after a while, if people stayed in the hall, they had to take example from the seven