Page:The invasion of the Crimea Vol 7.djvu/394

 350 THE WINTER TROUBLES. CHA.P. a homely resolvo — the resolve that she must and ^ she will bring something of bodily comforL to her suffering troops. The vigour, the judgment, the firmness dis- closeil by both Tower and Egerton proved equal to the singular task they had generously resolved to encounter ; and having adopted and carefully followed a masterly plan of distribution, tbey at length knew the bliss of seeing their vast, pre- cious stores pass daily, pass smoothly into the hands — the very hands — of the soldier, helping largely to give hira comfort and health, and cheering him with the grateful sense of being remembered at home. The success of the enter- prise was not only complete, but attained by means so well chosen that the narrative which reports them deserves to be carefully studied in our Public Departments as an indication of what private citizens have once, at least, done in the way of army administration, and of what our State servants, though acting on a larger scale, should hope and strive to make sure of being able to do.(28) And, there are other depart- ments of the public service in which, perhaps, the same narrative may be usefully taken to heart, for whilst recording a model example of successful administration, it also shows that economy need not be always forgotten when great things have to be done.('^^) A main part of the warm clothing brought was not at the moment required, because in that matter the Committee had been happily fore- stalled by the prompt energy of Lord Eaglan