Chapter Twelve 
HONORS AND REWARDS 
WHEN THE Great Eastern arrived in England and the public 
became convinced that British seamanship had achieved a 
splendid victory, a surge of pride went through the nation. 
They realized what enormous advantages the submarine trans- 
mission of telegrams meant to their far-flung empire. Queen 
Victoria, who was in Scotland, directed her Prime Minister, 
the Earl of Derby, to confer knighthood on Captain Ander- 
son, Professor ‘Thomson, Canning, and Glass; and baronetcies 
on Lampson and Gooch of the Company’s officials. She par- 
ticularly mentioned her regret at not being able to honor 
Cyrus Field because of his American citizenship. On a pre- 
vious occasion the Queen had offered a baronetcy to the 
American banker, George Peabody, in recognition of his 
philanthropy among the poor of London, but he had declined 
it. Royal favors are not often refused. 
Lord Derby’s letter stating the Queen’s wishes about these 
honors was addressed to Sir Stafford Northcote, the chairman, 
at a dinner to honor the British heroes of the cable-laying. 
Sir Stafford was president of the Board of Trade; he later be- 
came the Earl of Iddesleigh. ‘The letter was in part as follows: 
Balmoral, Saturday, September 29, 1866. 
Dear Sir Stafford: As I understand you are to have the honor 
of taking the chair at the entertainment which is to be given on 
Monday next, in Liverpool, to celebrate the double success which 
has attended the great undertaking . . . Her Majesty has accord- 
ingly been pleased to direct that the honor of knighthood should 
be conferred upon Captain Anderson, the able and zealous com- 
mander of the Great Eastern; Professor ‘Thomson, whose distin- 
guished science has been brought to bear with eminent success 
upon the improvement of submarine telegraphy; and on Messrs. 
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