trbe Earl ot CarM^an 24s 



From the very first there was friction between Lord 

 Lucan and Lord Cardigan. Both were obstinate, 

 masterful, self-willed, and diametrically opposed in 

 opinion on , every subject under the sun. To me, 

 Cardigan's character, as displayed during his career 

 in the Crimea, is an enigma. He was an enthusiastic 

 soldier, and yet, so little sympathy had he with the rank 

 and file of his command, that, whilst they were roughing 

 it ashore, he every evening retired to his luxurious 

 yacht in Balaclava Bay, where he dined sumptuously and 

 slept comfortably. It is true that he had permission from 

 Lord Raglan to do so. But one would have thought 

 that even the most callous and selfish of men would at 

 such a time have seen the expediency of sharing the 

 privations of his comrades, were it only to avoid the 

 drawing of invidious comparisons. Yet, while Lucan, 

 with manly disdain for comfort, roughed it, like an old 

 campaigner, Cardigan sought the solace of his beauti- 

 fully-fitted yacht and his accomplished French c/ie/. 



And yet the Earl was no feather-bed soldier. Those 

 who for years had admired his prowess in the hunting- 

 field, knew that he was a bold and hardy sportsman 

 who would never let his comfort interfere with his sport. 

 Kinglake's opinion is that Cardigan was so peculiarly 

 constituted that he felt for himself that intense solicitude, 

 which most men feel only for a beloved wife or 

 child or parent. He appeared to look at himself from 

 an outside point of view, as a being specially entrusted 

 to his care by Providence, a precious charge whose 

 interests it was his stern duty to regard before those of 

 everyone else in the world. Whether this view of 

 his character be correct or not, I shall not stay to 

 inquire. All I will say is that it does not satisfy 



